with one specific goal, which is to ensure the historical timeline is not deflected in any way and that we end up with this virus eventually happening in the year 2070.’ She blew on to a wooden spoonful of piping hot beef stew. ‘We didn’t realize that was our job, making sure this happens, until a while after we’d been trained and were up and running. But someone somewhere has been trying to warn us that that’s what our function is. So basically we were kept in the dark. Basically we’ve been suckered into ensuring that happens.’
‘Duped into being the agents of mankind’s demise,’ added Liam. He nodded with satisfaction at how poetic that sounded.
Maddy tested the stew with her lip. ‘Quite.’
Sal looked like she was going to say something.
‘Sal?’ prompted Maddy.
She shook her head. ‘Nothing. Just … just that’s our theory. That’s what we think.’ The words ‘our’ and ‘we’ sounded decidedly forced.
Maddy was tempted to stop things for a moment and talk to Sal. It seemed like, even though she was prepared to tag along with things, her heart wasn’t in it. Her thinking was elsewhere on this. Perhaps later she’d ask her what was going on inside her head. But not now.
‘So, what? You want to change history so this doesn’t happen?’ Adam looked at them. ‘Surely that’s easy? Just go change something, right? Just pick a historical moment and make it happen differently. That’ll send your timeline off in a different direction. Problem solved. No viral apocalypse.’
‘Yes … yes, we
could
do that. But, well, at least my take on it is we need to know more information before we commit to making that decision. Before we become what Waldstein thinks we currently are … traitors. We need to know why it’s important to him that this virus happens. I mean, maybe there’s a perfectly valid reason.’ She shrugged. ‘Or it might simply be that he’s some lunatic that has some hate-thing for mankind.’
‘Or it could be Waldstein is trying to save mankind from something far worse,’ said Sal.
‘Tell me now,’ Liam said, sitting back, ‘what the devil is worse than mankind all but wiping itself out?’
‘Wait … we don’t even know if mankind is totally wiped out, do we?’ replied Sal. ‘We know from Rashim – well, the other one, the old one – that
most
of humanity on Earth was wiped out. But what if some of them survived? Perhaps that’s the thing? Perhaps Waldstein has seen the future. That virus happens, ninety per cent of humans or something are wiped out, but the remaining ten per cent survive and go on to do wonderful things?’ It was her turn to shrug. ‘Perhaps it’s anecessary thing for humankind? A way to save this planet from being mined to exhaustion or complete ecological collapse.’
‘Waldstein, the eco-warrior?’ said Rashim.
Maddy nodded slowly. ‘That’s one possible reading of his motives. Another equally valid reading is that he’s just plain nuts; some kind of ultimate eco-warrior who wants to erase mankind completely and give this world back to nature.’
‘So that is what this agency has been all about? An act of eco-terrorism? A way to rebalance this world, de-clutter the planet of humans and set up a new beginning?’
Rashim nodded thoughtfully. ‘A global culling of humanity for the greater good?’
Sal nodded. ‘Maybe then we
should
be doing what Waldstein wants? And save the planet?’
Liam glanced at her. ‘Nature versus humans?’ He gave her an incredulous look. ‘Jay-zus, I vote for humans then! Whose side are you on, Sal? The plants or the people?’ He laughed at that. It was a joke question, but not entirely so.
‘You might be right, Sal,’ Maddy stepped in. ‘It could be we need to follow Waldstein’s doctrine for some purpose that delivers a greater good. On the other hand, we could be the patsies, the dumb suckers carrying out the plans of a guy who’s simply sick in the head! Because some
‘Duped into being the agents of mankind’s demise,’ added Liam. He nodded with satisfaction at how poetic that sounded.
Maddy tested the stew with her lip. ‘Quite.’
Sal looked like she was going to say something.
‘Sal?’ prompted Maddy.
She shook her head. ‘Nothing. Just … just that’s our theory. That’s what we think.’ The words ‘our’ and ‘we’ sounded decidedly forced.
Maddy was tempted to stop things for a moment and talk to Sal. It seemed like, even though she was prepared to tag along with things, her heart wasn’t in it. Her thinking was elsewhere on this. Perhaps later she’d ask her what was going on inside her head. But not now.
‘So, what? You want to change history so this doesn’t happen?’ Adam looked at them. ‘Surely that’s easy? Just go change something, right? Just pick a historical moment and make it happen differently. That’ll send your timeline off in a different direction. Problem solved. No viral apocalypse.’
‘Yes … yes, we
could
do that. But, well, at least my take on it is we need to know more information before we commit to making that decision. Before we become what Waldstein thinks we currently are … traitors. We need to know why it’s important to him that this virus happens. I mean, maybe there’s a perfectly valid reason.’ She shrugged. ‘Or it might simply be that he’s some lunatic that has some hate-thing for mankind.’
‘Or it could be Waldstein is trying to save mankind from something far worse,’ said Sal.
‘Tell me now,’ Liam said, sitting back, ‘what the devil is worse than mankind all but wiping itself out?’
‘Wait … we don’t even know if mankind is totally wiped out, do we?’ replied Sal. ‘We know from Rashim – well, the other one, the old one – that
most
of humanity on Earth was wiped out. But what if some of them survived? Perhaps that’s the thing? Perhaps Waldstein has seen the future. That virus happens, ninety per cent of humans or something are wiped out, but the remaining ten per cent survive and go on to do wonderful things?’ It was her turn to shrug. ‘Perhaps it’s anecessary thing for humankind? A way to save this planet from being mined to exhaustion or complete ecological collapse.’
‘Waldstein, the eco-warrior?’ said Rashim.
Maddy nodded slowly. ‘That’s one possible reading of his motives. Another equally valid reading is that he’s just plain nuts; some kind of ultimate eco-warrior who wants to erase mankind completely and give this world back to nature.’
‘So that is what this agency has been all about? An act of eco-terrorism? A way to rebalance this world, de-clutter the planet of humans and set up a new beginning?’
Rashim nodded thoughtfully. ‘A global culling of humanity for the greater good?’
Sal nodded. ‘Maybe then we
should
be doing what Waldstein wants? And save the planet?’
Liam glanced at her. ‘Nature versus humans?’ He gave her an incredulous look. ‘Jay-zus, I vote for humans then! Whose side are you on, Sal? The plants or the people?’ He laughed at that. It was a joke question, but not entirely so.
‘You might be right, Sal,’ Maddy stepped in. ‘It could be we need to follow Waldstein’s doctrine for some purpose that delivers a greater good. On the other hand, we could be the patsies, the dumb suckers carrying out the plans of a guy who’s simply sick in the head! Because some
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