It’s more of a good way to have someone take advantage of you because there is no record of your existence. So if crossing a timeline will run the risk of a person becoming a “lost,” people try to avoid it.”
“So why isn’t everybody out killing Hitler or something?”
“I’m sure they are but if a dictator died in the crib before they became a dictator, would you know about it? History will just figure out a different person for the task. Think about it this way. If I killed Einstein, somebody else would have discovered relativity. All the knowledge for relativity is out there. Somebody just needed to connect the dots. You can't prevent the growth of science, just like you can't prevent a dictator taking advantage of a vulnerable country like post-World War I Germany.”
“There goes my Sunday plans. So why are you here?” It was a weird question to ask my younger self, but in light of recent events, any information will be helpful.
“I don't know if meddling in my own timeline...” he trailed off.
“If you are worried about becoming a lost, I won't tell you a thing. But how can it hurt to tell your future self information? My future hasn't happened yet. And I promise. I'm not here to kill our grandparents.”
“I…we are historians,” he began. At least I know now why I have no ninja moves. “Historians from our time watch history to get an unbiased view. The difference between what people write about their enemies and themselves is quite different than what happened. So I watch and record. I’m currently working on my dissertation.”
My doppelganger was still a graduate student. I didn’t know how much help he would be. At least he could answer what is so important about now. “Why am I working on my schooling in this time period?”
“This is where it all starts.”
“Could you be a little vaguer?”
My doppelganger proceeded to tell me about the inventor of nanomachines and how he grew up in this city. My double was writing his dissertation about the nanomachine inventor’s childhood environment and how it influenced the invention. The nanomachines were a part of every human's body in the future. They kept people alive and healthy. They acted as interfaces to electronic devices, so people needed to think to control computers of the future. He even showed me a cheap trick with his nanomachines where his finger glowed with artificial light. The reason I didn't tire or starve was because my nanomachines kept me alive. However, people still had the urge to eat and sleep. They just didn't have too, but they could if they wanted too. People simply enjoyed the old biological processes that made them human. Millions of years of evolution couldn't be discarded overnight. Only the hardcore spent their entire life not sleeping, eating, or using the bathroom. The rest used their biological processes because it felt right.
I asked him about the memory mints, and he cut me off. The memory machine from my pocket either hadn't been invented yet, or he never encountered it. He refused to engage me on any information that he did not know yet. He was very stubborn, and kind of an asshole. I was frustrated by his dedication to keeping his future timeline free from my influence. Of course knowing that he would one day lose his memory was probably terrifying. It frightened me, and I was the one experiencing it. He did let one thing slip, though. The man who invented the nanomachines loved ancient books. I'm sure the ancient bookseller was not a coincidence. I knew where I had to go next.
Event 1 - N
Nanette sat back in her chair at her desk in the large monotone room. Her well-dressed protégé sat in a chair across from her. He wore a smile on his face. She stared at him blankly. He spun the chair to the side and looked at the wall. A meadow appeared. The sun was bright, and the clouds were fluffy and wispy. A patch of sunflowers grew off into the distance creating a sea of yellow. There was a
“So why isn’t everybody out killing Hitler or something?”
“I’m sure they are but if a dictator died in the crib before they became a dictator, would you know about it? History will just figure out a different person for the task. Think about it this way. If I killed Einstein, somebody else would have discovered relativity. All the knowledge for relativity is out there. Somebody just needed to connect the dots. You can't prevent the growth of science, just like you can't prevent a dictator taking advantage of a vulnerable country like post-World War I Germany.”
“There goes my Sunday plans. So why are you here?” It was a weird question to ask my younger self, but in light of recent events, any information will be helpful.
“I don't know if meddling in my own timeline...” he trailed off.
“If you are worried about becoming a lost, I won't tell you a thing. But how can it hurt to tell your future self information? My future hasn't happened yet. And I promise. I'm not here to kill our grandparents.”
“I…we are historians,” he began. At least I know now why I have no ninja moves. “Historians from our time watch history to get an unbiased view. The difference between what people write about their enemies and themselves is quite different than what happened. So I watch and record. I’m currently working on my dissertation.”
My doppelganger was still a graduate student. I didn’t know how much help he would be. At least he could answer what is so important about now. “Why am I working on my schooling in this time period?”
“This is where it all starts.”
“Could you be a little vaguer?”
My doppelganger proceeded to tell me about the inventor of nanomachines and how he grew up in this city. My double was writing his dissertation about the nanomachine inventor’s childhood environment and how it influenced the invention. The nanomachines were a part of every human's body in the future. They kept people alive and healthy. They acted as interfaces to electronic devices, so people needed to think to control computers of the future. He even showed me a cheap trick with his nanomachines where his finger glowed with artificial light. The reason I didn't tire or starve was because my nanomachines kept me alive. However, people still had the urge to eat and sleep. They just didn't have too, but they could if they wanted too. People simply enjoyed the old biological processes that made them human. Millions of years of evolution couldn't be discarded overnight. Only the hardcore spent their entire life not sleeping, eating, or using the bathroom. The rest used their biological processes because it felt right.
I asked him about the memory mints, and he cut me off. The memory machine from my pocket either hadn't been invented yet, or he never encountered it. He refused to engage me on any information that he did not know yet. He was very stubborn, and kind of an asshole. I was frustrated by his dedication to keeping his future timeline free from my influence. Of course knowing that he would one day lose his memory was probably terrifying. It frightened me, and I was the one experiencing it. He did let one thing slip, though. The man who invented the nanomachines loved ancient books. I'm sure the ancient bookseller was not a coincidence. I knew where I had to go next.
Event 1 - N
Nanette sat back in her chair at her desk in the large monotone room. Her well-dressed protégé sat in a chair across from her. He wore a smile on his face. She stared at him blankly. He spun the chair to the side and looked at the wall. A meadow appeared. The sun was bright, and the clouds were fluffy and wispy. A patch of sunflowers grew off into the distance creating a sea of yellow. There was a
Similar Books
