And make sure to check in on Mr. Fellings.”
“I will.” Melissa hung up and exhaled, rubbing her forehead. “I think he bought it.”
Barry raised his eyebrows. “Well played, madam. Maybe there are two politicians in your family.”
Melissa bowed. “I was raised by a lawyer, so I know how to lie. Anyway, that solves one problem. Dean Anderson’s out of town for a while.”
“So he can’t swoop in and take the machine,” I said. “For a while, anyway. That’s good.”
Roger leaned forward and peered at me. “He can’t swoop in at all if he doesn’t know about it.”
“Right, right.” I nodded. “Sounds like everything’s all set. Except…”
Scowling, Roger glared at Barry again. “Except for that fucking wild card, Findlay.”
“Well,” Barry checked the clock on the wall. “That fucking wild card should be here any minute.”
Chapter Eight
“W hat would you do if you could go back in time, to any place, any era? Where would you go? Who would you see?”
Tempers had run hot. I put my question out there, then got up and put a pot on the stove for tea. It would give us some time to cool down while we waited for Findlay. And we needed to cool down.
They had all taken various seats around the machine.
“A time machine.” Melissa gazed up at the ceiling. “It’s so crazy.”
Barry leaned forward. “Why?”
“Well, prior to yesterday, did you even think time travel was possible?”
“Of course it's possible,” said Roger. “How do you think Bill Gates knew to create Microsoft?”
“I think we have to be careful.” Barry rubbed his chin. “If you go back in time and cause an interruption of what we know happened, like if you were to kill someone like Napoleon or Hitler, you set in motion a chain of events that causes unpredictability.” He glanced at Roger. “You know? Like if you went back in time and accidentally killed your own grandfather before the birth of your father, then you would never have been born.”
Roger smiled. “Okay, so we don't kill our grandfathers. I think we can all agree on that.”
“You're missing the point.” Barry stood. “Killing somebody would be a large event. But the ripple effect might be the same for minor events.”
Melissa propped herself up on one elbow. “Meaning?”
“Meaning, we can't interact at all.” Barry walked around the couch, appearing lost in thought. “We need to be observers. Just because you don't think you changed the outcome of a situation, you can't say for sure. You won't know what turns out to be a major issue later.” He chuckled. “If the gun misfires on the guy who assassinated Archduke Ferdinand, you don't get World War I, and therefore you don't get World War II.”
Roger leaned back into the couch. “Maybe you get something much worse. The Nazis might have had time to invent the nuclear bomb before they started their conquest of Europe.”
“Right.” Barry nodded. “Things end up much worse. A world of slavery under Nazi rule.”
I sighed. “You guys are always so cheery in the morning.”
“So,” Barry turned back to the group, “no interaction. Observation only.”
“I'd still like to kill Hitler,” Roger said.
Barry shifted course. “Okay, but you can't . I'm not having my grandfather not meet my grandmother and me not exist all because you have hero issues. I have a date Friday. You're not messing that up.”
A chuckle went up from the group.
“It's complicated.” Melissa played with her hair, brushing the ends over her lips and chin. “I mean, your big date aside of course, why do we have to assume things would turn out badly?”
I threw in my two cents. “It could be like a faulty loop formula on a computer.”
“Maybe,” Barry nodded. “Only time probably won't just freeze things up until we figure out the correct formula inputs. Instead, we just get a wacky outcome later, something that none of us could have predicted.”
Roger folded his arms. “It could be
“I will.” Melissa hung up and exhaled, rubbing her forehead. “I think he bought it.”
Barry raised his eyebrows. “Well played, madam. Maybe there are two politicians in your family.”
Melissa bowed. “I was raised by a lawyer, so I know how to lie. Anyway, that solves one problem. Dean Anderson’s out of town for a while.”
“So he can’t swoop in and take the machine,” I said. “For a while, anyway. That’s good.”
Roger leaned forward and peered at me. “He can’t swoop in at all if he doesn’t know about it.”
“Right, right.” I nodded. “Sounds like everything’s all set. Except…”
Scowling, Roger glared at Barry again. “Except for that fucking wild card, Findlay.”
“Well,” Barry checked the clock on the wall. “That fucking wild card should be here any minute.”
Chapter Eight
“W hat would you do if you could go back in time, to any place, any era? Where would you go? Who would you see?”
Tempers had run hot. I put my question out there, then got up and put a pot on the stove for tea. It would give us some time to cool down while we waited for Findlay. And we needed to cool down.
They had all taken various seats around the machine.
“A time machine.” Melissa gazed up at the ceiling. “It’s so crazy.”
Barry leaned forward. “Why?”
“Well, prior to yesterday, did you even think time travel was possible?”
“Of course it's possible,” said Roger. “How do you think Bill Gates knew to create Microsoft?”
“I think we have to be careful.” Barry rubbed his chin. “If you go back in time and cause an interruption of what we know happened, like if you were to kill someone like Napoleon or Hitler, you set in motion a chain of events that causes unpredictability.” He glanced at Roger. “You know? Like if you went back in time and accidentally killed your own grandfather before the birth of your father, then you would never have been born.”
Roger smiled. “Okay, so we don't kill our grandfathers. I think we can all agree on that.”
“You're missing the point.” Barry stood. “Killing somebody would be a large event. But the ripple effect might be the same for minor events.”
Melissa propped herself up on one elbow. “Meaning?”
“Meaning, we can't interact at all.” Barry walked around the couch, appearing lost in thought. “We need to be observers. Just because you don't think you changed the outcome of a situation, you can't say for sure. You won't know what turns out to be a major issue later.” He chuckled. “If the gun misfires on the guy who assassinated Archduke Ferdinand, you don't get World War I, and therefore you don't get World War II.”
Roger leaned back into the couch. “Maybe you get something much worse. The Nazis might have had time to invent the nuclear bomb before they started their conquest of Europe.”
“Right.” Barry nodded. “Things end up much worse. A world of slavery under Nazi rule.”
I sighed. “You guys are always so cheery in the morning.”
“So,” Barry turned back to the group, “no interaction. Observation only.”
“I'd still like to kill Hitler,” Roger said.
Barry shifted course. “Okay, but you can't . I'm not having my grandfather not meet my grandmother and me not exist all because you have hero issues. I have a date Friday. You're not messing that up.”
A chuckle went up from the group.
“It's complicated.” Melissa played with her hair, brushing the ends over her lips and chin. “I mean, your big date aside of course, why do we have to assume things would turn out badly?”
I threw in my two cents. “It could be like a faulty loop formula on a computer.”
“Maybe,” Barry nodded. “Only time probably won't just freeze things up until we figure out the correct formula inputs. Instead, we just get a wacky outcome later, something that none of us could have predicted.”
Roger folded his arms. “It could be
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