NanoSwarm: Extermination Day Book Two
Page 40
The scene changed to a grand funeral procession for Buddy Paulson. Jeff calculated that the old man must’ve been 166 years old when he died. Amazing. The anti-aging treatments and nano-healing technology his company developed must’ve worked, even beyond his wildest dreams. He grew lightheaded imagining what they’d achieved using some of his creations.
“After Paulson’s death, King Mathew the First took over, and Clairvoyant became his Queen.”
Melinda laughed again, this time loudly and with recognizable humor. Even Holly chuckled. Mattie as king of the world with an android from the future as his wife. It was almost too ridiculous to believe if it hadn't already happened.
“King Mathew immediately instituted a new form of government, called democracy. This increased citizen input and greatly reduced the number of uprisings among far-flung republics.”
The image shifted to a great hall crowded with men and women engaged in debate. King Mathew stood in the middle of the group on a circular platform, Claire beside him.
“King Mathew designated the new republic as the United States and continued its expansion, moving north into Gallia, Hispania, and Germania. Many other peoples chose to join the United States after seeing the prosperity bestowed upon the citizens and the advanced weapons they would be facing if they chose to go to war against Mathew’s republic.”
Men clad in sheepskins and bearded barbarians all laid down their weapons in front of the organized armies of the Republic of the United States, who were now carrying assault rifles.
“Wise choice,” Holly whispered.
“After fifty years of rule, Mathew chose to step down and assume an advisory role. The first man elected to hold the office of president was Hannibal, a Punic Carthaginian General. Presidents were elected for a term of ten years, after which they could not seek re-election. This was strictly enforced by the constitution of the land as well as by Queen Clairvoyant, who assumed the role of advisor.”
Images of people walking to ballot stations and casting their votes flashed in front of Jeff.
“With the republic now stable and prosperous, facing no new threats either internally or externally, the world entered a Golden Age. Technology advanced at an outstanding pace. Humanity spread across the globe using ocean-traversing ships and even early airships. The population continued to expand as the republic established colonies and then cities in all corners of the world. Factories were built, and advanced materials smelted from the earth to create amazing products.”
Jeff watched as cities grew from small settlements, cars replaced horses, and planes circumnavigated the world. It looked like the modern society of the late twentieth century, with a few strange eccentricities thrown in, like people carrying swords down a modern walkway and some men still wearing thick animal skins.
Jeff wondered what year the newest image was from.
“This scene is from two thousand and eighteen years ago,” Miora answered his unvoiced question.
"Incredible," Jeff muttered, wondering if Miora was reading his mind.
"Yes, I am, Jeff," she replied. "In time you'll learn to control your thoughts when linked with others. But don't worry about that now."
The video changed to a place that looked like the National Mall in Washington, D.C., only surrounded by palm trees and other tropical plants. A man spoke in front of a vast crowd that looked to be in the hundreds of thousands.
“Who is that man speaking to all those people?” Holly asked.
“That’s Jesus of Nazareth. He founded a great religion. There are thousands of hours of video on him, if you would like to see more.”
Jeff shivered again. Video of Jesus? Of course he wanted to see it. He was glad and relieved that Christianity had indeed sprung up in this alternate timeline. Yet since Miora offered, he’d likely have time to look through it later. Right now he wanted to see what had happened next.
“Another time, thank you. Please take us through more historical highlights.”
"Yes, of course. I have many questions as well, about your timeline. We'll cover those later."
Jeff was sure they would get a thorough debrief from these strange new people.
“Great King Mathew died in the year two hundred eight two or..." Miora paused for a second, "Fifty-one AD, according to your timeline. His exact age was never determined, but many believe he lived to be over four hundred. The year before he died, his space program came to fruition, and we were able to put the first man into orbit. After that we began routinely sending satellites and other astronauts into space.”
“Oh, Mattie.”
Melinda again. Jeff couldn’t tell if she was sad or proud or just plain overwhelmed.
A rocket launched into the sky. They’d missed their target date of thirty BC by about eighty years, but Jeff considered it a small miracle that they were still able to do it so early.
“But alas, our peace and prosperity were not meant to last. The first organized rebellion against what many felt was an overly oppressive regime began just after the first space station was constructed. Clairvoyant had faded into the background, choosing a less public role, but everyone knew that she was still a major advisor to the republic. Many even believed that she secretly controlled everything and the elected government was just her puppet. Those seeds of discontent grew into a full-fledged rebellion in the year 121 AD. The goal was to destroy Queen Claire.”
So mankind’s inevitable rebellious and destructive nature emerged once again. Jeff watched as men used horrific weapons of war to battle for domination. Many looked familiar, including tanks, mech units, and drone fighters, but the designs were different. And the soldiers were different as well, integrated with the technology, like cyborgs, and larger and stronger than both the men of the past and the soldiers of Jeff’s day.
“After a decade of war, the rebellion was defeated, but not until after the rebels had been able to destroy Claire in a last desperate attack. The world was left devastated. And all the inhabitants of the once great city you’re standing in now, Babylon, had been wiped out in a chemical weapons attack.”
The video showed bodies lining the streets of the once pristine city. Jeff caught a whiff of rotten eggs, likely a representation of the noxious gas used to slaughter all those people.
“We decided to leave it as a park, to memorialize the victims and to show the world the unspeakable consequences of war. After years of rebuilding, the world once again united when it learned of the threat from the Vorsh. It was revealed to everyone the true nature of the strange group of travelers that first met with Alexander. They were time travelers with a mission—to save humanity from extermination. And so began the great push into the solar system.”
Jeff watched as dozens of space ships launched and flew from Earth. Colonies formed on worlds where robots had constructed great domed cities.
“Moving people faster than the speed of light, made possible through the use of wormholes, was discovered in 1689 by a young scientist named Isaac Newton, who also designed the first FTL drive. After that, humanity spread through the stars.”
Jeff watched as a dark hole opened in the fabric of space and a long narrow ship passed through it, emerging in another star system near a blue planet.
“Eventually we ran into the one intelligent species with the capabilities of interstellar travel that we feared, the Vorsh. What could’ve been a disastrous first meeting was averted by the superior thinking of the great fleet commander, George Washington. When the Vorsh immediately attacked, thinking humans a weak opponent, Washington was able to maneuver his small fleet into a decisive victory over a much larger Vorsh force. This earned the respect and admiration of the Vorsh high council. They accepted Commander Washington as an equal and a peace treaty was signed.”
Jeff saw Washington shaking the hand of a Vorsh commander, then signing the peace documents. Washington looked much different from the man Jeff remembered from his portrait on the old dollar bill.
The turn of events was incredible. Holly graspe
d his hand tighter as the emotion of the experience filled both their hearts. It was just amazing that the same great historical figures from his own timeline also played pivotal roles in this one as well.
“That was two hundred and sixty-two years ago. Since that time, trade has flourished between the Vorsh and human empires, and interspecies relations have developed to the point that we now work together consistently, exploring new star systems. The tragedy of your timeline, where the Vorsh invaded and wiped out all human life, has been averted. And all information about this timeline has been buried deep within the prime archives, where no one can find it, especially not any Vorsh. Even though they are peaceful allies, there are factions among them that would like to return to their warmongering ways. We don’t need any time travel ideas planted in their heads.”
“So is time travel used much in this timeline?” Jeff couldn’t help but ask because if it was, then all their hard work could be undermined.
“Time travel is the most heavily policed technology in the entire galaxy. The last thing we need is someone going back in time and killing off Mathew Tedrow, Charles Paulson, Clairvoyant, or any of the others just as they arrived in the past all those years ago.”
"So when did time travel first develop?" Holly asked curiously.
"Many centuries ago," Miora replied, "Just before FTL space travel was developed. Oh, I see that you were integral in the development of time travel technology in your timeline. Astounding."
Holly squeezed his hand again. He couldn't see her face, but he knew she must be beaming with pride.
Miora’s face appeared again and she said, “So there you have it. Over twenty-three hundred years of history in the broadest of strokes. We have much more information on every era and every subject, of course. All available for your study and enjoyment.”
Jeff was truly amazed. Their planning had worked. The human race was not only alive, but expanding outward into the galaxy. They were alive.
The ruins of Babylon slowly came back into focus. Holly and Melinda also emerged from their virtual trances and looked at each other.
“We won,” Jeff said. “We did it.”
Holly stepped into his arms and he lifted her, twirling them in ever-dizzying circles.
“Oh God, we did it.” Jeff wasn’t ashamed of the tears coursing down his cheeks. He delighted in Holly’s laughter and spun until he stumbled. He slowed their spin, with Holly still laughing, and simply hugged her. Then Melinda jumped in the mix and they all embraced.
Jeff's heart was filled with joy, with near ecstasy. What an incredible journey. They were all heroes, from Holly, Melinda and himself, to all of those that jumped into the past, Paulson, Chen, Whittenhouse, Mattie, and even Claire. They'd won and so had the human race. Not bad for a life’s work. Not bad at all.
“Now what?” Melinda asked.
Jeff looked at her and then back at Holly. He grinned. “Let’s see what this new world has to offer.”
Another ship had arrived while they were in the holo trance. Its doors opened as Miora led them toward it.
She reached out to shake their hands.
“This ship will take you to the magistrate’s office in the capital of this province for a debriefing and medical attention. After that, you are free to go. Good luck to you all.”
As she turned to walk back to her ship, she glanced at them over her shoulder, smiled, and simply said, “Amazing.”
Jeff led the way into the ship and they sat in comfortable but very large seats. The ship soared upward, skimming over the ruins of ancient Babylon and the beautiful lush green park that surrounded it. Moments later a vast city loomed on the horizon, with spire-like skyscrapers stretching high. Other flying craft buzzed around it, and one large alien-looking ship shot high into orbit. More lush plains and forests surrounded the city, and Jeff could make out herds of animals moving along the alluvial plains of the Euphrates.
Holly grabbed his hand and looked deep into his eyes.
“I love you.”
He knew she did. She’d always loved him, even when he’d been an ass. Maybe now they could enjoy that love.
Jeff smiled and for the first time in decades, he felt at peace. They and the men and women who’d jumped into the past had saved the world. The human race was thriving, and civilization had advanced beyond their wildest dreams.
He kissed his wife and held her tight.
“I love you too.”
He leaned close, pressed his lips to her ear, and softly whispered, "Let's go explore this bright new future. Our future. Together."
The End
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Table of Contents
Get the Entire Extermination Day Series!
Part OneThe Rising Swarm
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Part Two Extermination DayThirty-Six Years Later
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Part ThreeThe Long Jump
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48