We did it, we made them happen because of the paradox."
"Bullshit." Dale was certain that there was someone else at the heart of it all, there had to be. "Look, I know what you told me, but you can't invent a time machine by saying you will invent it in the future so in the future you will send it back to yourself. That's just too far-fetched."
"But that's how it works," protested Amanda.
"Not in my mind baby, not in my mind."
"Okay," sighed Amanda. "Fine. But you do know that all of it is going to happen, or has happened now, don't you? This world is empty in a few years and the whole cycle will repeat over again."
"No, it won't. Not in the same way anyway."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I promise you this Amanda: I will not dig up any Hexads. I will not make them appear, I will not dig up the tin, I will not send notes to myself, I will not get Peter to release the plans, I will not go into that roomful of lobotomized Amandas, and I will not go hurtling through time and space killing versions of you. So, that version of events is done and dusted. I will not do it so it can't happen."
"So what will?"
"I guess we just have to go find out, now don't we?"
"Guess so," said Amanda, resigned.
"One question," said Dale, as it had been playing on his mind. Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Why here? Why this dump rather than, you know, home in the present?"
"I got scared Dale, I don't know where the other us is, or even what 'the present' is any more. What's present for me? For you?"
"Good question. Very good question."
Dale really was hating time travel more than he thought possible.
The Future's Bleak
47 Years Future
With a short detour to get a leather satchel Dale had to admit was pretty cool even if it didn't have that worn-in feel of his long-time accessory, they jumped forward to the roomful of Hexads, grabbing as many as they could before making a jump to forty seven years in the future to see what the world was like.
This time they chose Rome.
It was empty. No slow-crawling traffic inching through the congested streets, no beeping of horns and fume-filled air, just a pleasant warm day, them, and silence.
It was the spookiest thing Dale thought he had ever experienced.
They knew the place well, having visited a number of times over the years, often coming just for long weekends as it was only a three hour flight from England. They wandered the streets for the day, one part of Dale relishing the chance to experience the ancient architecture unhindered by tourists and people offering their services as guides, or hawkers trying to get them to buy trinkets that would be put in a cupboard and never seen again.
It was like visiting for the first time. As they held hands and walked the ancient streets, marveling at the architecture, he felt like he had never truly seen it before — it was beautiful. Such accomplishments, such pride and skill, it made him proud to be a part of the human race. And that was exactly what made it all so wrong: without people, without the hustle and bustle, the noise and inconvenience, it all just felt so pointless.
One thing was for sure, however it had happened, and Dale was certain it wouldn't have played out like it did for Amanda, Hexads were a part of life and at some point the Universe had enough and simply got rid of people so they couldn't screw things up any longer.
The only questions remaining were how it happened and who started it all off. Dale was adamant that it wouldn't be him — he wasn't about to repeat the same mistakes a version of him made, so he kept that firmly in his mind, vowing that he would do none of the things Amanda had told him, ensuring that there would be none of those stupid paradoxes where you went around in circles until nothing made sense and you ended up thinking you'd invented time travel just by digging up a bloody tin.
No, that was nonsense, he was sure of it. There was somebody behind the whole damn thing, and
"Bullshit." Dale was certain that there was someone else at the heart of it all, there had to be. "Look, I know what you told me, but you can't invent a time machine by saying you will invent it in the future so in the future you will send it back to yourself. That's just too far-fetched."
"But that's how it works," protested Amanda.
"Not in my mind baby, not in my mind."
"Okay," sighed Amanda. "Fine. But you do know that all of it is going to happen, or has happened now, don't you? This world is empty in a few years and the whole cycle will repeat over again."
"No, it won't. Not in the same way anyway."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I promise you this Amanda: I will not dig up any Hexads. I will not make them appear, I will not dig up the tin, I will not send notes to myself, I will not get Peter to release the plans, I will not go into that roomful of lobotomized Amandas, and I will not go hurtling through time and space killing versions of you. So, that version of events is done and dusted. I will not do it so it can't happen."
"So what will?"
"I guess we just have to go find out, now don't we?"
"Guess so," said Amanda, resigned.
"One question," said Dale, as it had been playing on his mind. Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Why here? Why this dump rather than, you know, home in the present?"
"I got scared Dale, I don't know where the other us is, or even what 'the present' is any more. What's present for me? For you?"
"Good question. Very good question."
Dale really was hating time travel more than he thought possible.
The Future's Bleak
47 Years Future
With a short detour to get a leather satchel Dale had to admit was pretty cool even if it didn't have that worn-in feel of his long-time accessory, they jumped forward to the roomful of Hexads, grabbing as many as they could before making a jump to forty seven years in the future to see what the world was like.
This time they chose Rome.
It was empty. No slow-crawling traffic inching through the congested streets, no beeping of horns and fume-filled air, just a pleasant warm day, them, and silence.
It was the spookiest thing Dale thought he had ever experienced.
They knew the place well, having visited a number of times over the years, often coming just for long weekends as it was only a three hour flight from England. They wandered the streets for the day, one part of Dale relishing the chance to experience the ancient architecture unhindered by tourists and people offering their services as guides, or hawkers trying to get them to buy trinkets that would be put in a cupboard and never seen again.
It was like visiting for the first time. As they held hands and walked the ancient streets, marveling at the architecture, he felt like he had never truly seen it before — it was beautiful. Such accomplishments, such pride and skill, it made him proud to be a part of the human race. And that was exactly what made it all so wrong: without people, without the hustle and bustle, the noise and inconvenience, it all just felt so pointless.
One thing was for sure, however it had happened, and Dale was certain it wouldn't have played out like it did for Amanda, Hexads were a part of life and at some point the Universe had enough and simply got rid of people so they couldn't screw things up any longer.
The only questions remaining were how it happened and who started it all off. Dale was adamant that it wouldn't be him — he wasn't about to repeat the same mistakes a version of him made, so he kept that firmly in his mind, vowing that he would do none of the things Amanda had told him, ensuring that there would be none of those stupid paradoxes where you went around in circles until nothing made sense and you ended up thinking you'd invented time travel just by digging up a bloody tin.
No, that was nonsense, he was sure of it. There was somebody behind the whole damn thing, and
Similar Books
