Farfox's Paradox

by chp34

The dilemma of time travel. How far will one go to fix a mistake?

The Paradox of Farfox

October 1982 The New River Mining Works

It is funny how opportunities in life come. One minute you are taking courses in school and the next minute you are prepping new Chevrolet's for sale. At least this is how life was for me. Four months had past since I decided to "find" myself by quitting school and going to work. The trouble was that life was no better than it was before. The honeymoon was over and I found myself missing school. It was time for a break.

It was a Monday in October when my friend Hal and I decided to spend a few days up at the lake. The camp was a place of happy memories. Growing up it was the place for many gatherings and a place of adventure for a growing boy. My father had passed away two years before, but the camp still had the memories, still had the joy. Little did I know that the next few days would have a tremendous impact on my life, but also on the life of my child.

Hal was on leave from the Army. We went to college together until 1980 when he decided to enlist and I decided to go to a different school. Hal was a good friend, but he could be distant. He was a good soldier at a time when soldiers were beginning to feel good about themselves again after the Vietnam War. He was good, but he also could test the patience of his superiors at times. The trip was his idea – little did I know his intent at the time. I would soon find out that his intentions could lead to the adventure of a lifetime or it could lead to 20 years in a federal penitentiary.

Hal was assigned to a secret base – he knew enough not to tell me where it was or what they did. He did tell me of some tests that had taken place in the area of my camp up until two years ago. I'm not exactly sure what they were doing, but it is something that tests the theories of science, as we know it. I have to admit that I was somewhat skeptical. The camp is in the southern Adirondack region of New York State. It is very rural, but it is not out of the way. Are you sure this secret laboratory isn't somewhere up in the Yukon territories? If it were so secret, why would it be only 50 miles from Albany? He shrugged his shoulders and said they want to hide it in plain sight! Oh well, four months of rust proofing Chevy Impalas left me with a taste for adventure. Hal had leave, I called in sick and we were ready for adventure.

By mid October, most of the camps were closed for the winter. Hunting season was still a week away and the entire region was pretty quiet. Hal brought one of those new ATV's and I had my trail bike. I never asked how Hal got this information – I guess the less I knew the better. Judging from what he said, I thought I had heard of the place he was describing. Up in the mountains between here and the town of Corinth, there used to be a mining village. The southern Adirondacks were mined for a variety of ores in the late 19th century. By 1920 most of the mines closed and left to nature. As a child I heard stories of a village that consisted of a mine, some rundown houses and a store somewhere up in the mountains. I never quite knew where it was, but based on Hal's map and my limited knowledge of the region, I guessed this was the place.

We left the camp early that morning, expecting to be gone most of the day. The weather was nice for mid October and the trees were beautiful. I could think of no other place I wanted to be at the time. We took the trail up the mountain behind the camp that eventually led to HorseHill Road. At the time the trail was in good shape. It always seemed to be repaired after the damage of winter. Soon winter would return and next year the repairs would start over. Our journey took us over HorseHill road past where the pavement ended. We journeyed for a couple more miles reaching Shamus Road. Back in the 1960's plans were drawn up to develop the area. Road signs were installed at the intersections of planned streets. Development never happened and the plans were eventually scrapped. All that remained were these signs in the middle of nowhere. By now, they had suffered years of neglect and target practice, but you could still clearly read Shamus Road. Shamus Road was little more than a Jeep trail – two ruts leading farther up the mountain. As we traveled up the road you periodically saw No Trespassing signs and a few For Sale signs. The signs had been there so long that the trees they were nailed to had begun to grow around them. In a few years you will not see the signs. We were all alone – probably for miles. Outside of the occasional discarded beer can, it seemed that civilization ended where the pavement did.

We traveled nearly 5 miles before we approached a pond. It was an interesting site; here in the middle of nowhere was a pond with two later model fishing boats turned over along its shore. Judging from the remains of a campfire I reasonably guessed that the last time someone was here was Labor Day weekend. I guess the boats were permanent residents of the pond – protected from thievery by their obscure location. We decided to take a break and review our maps. Are you sure this isn't some type of joke? I asked Hal. No, I don't think so was his only response. I could tell Hal did not want to say too much at least not until we got where we going. It looks like the village is only another couple miles. Where, I asked? It looks like the trail ends here. We can see the land surrounding the pond and I for sure do not see anything else! I guess we could float across the pond and see if we can find an overgrown trail. According to my directions, a trail follows the feeder creek to the pond. The creek looked too shallow and narrow for one of the boats to float up. I guess we can take the trail bike and ATV along the shoreline and see what happens.

Sure enough as we approached the feeder creek, a trail seemed to appear alongside it. Trees and brush had hidden the entrance to the trail. You would have to be right along side the creek to even notice it. Most people would perceive it as just another old trail. The trail meandered another two miles before we came across the village – it really did exist! The village consisted of approximately one dozen small cottages. Some were falling down from neglect; others were in surprisingly good shape. The store was placed in the middle of the cottages and surprisingly it had weathered time reasonably well. Many windows were still in place. The furnishings were long gone, but it reminded you more of a place that had been empty for 10 years, not 60 years.

As we explored the village my skepticism increased. How could this ghost town in the Adirondack Mountains be the site of a top-secret military lab? There were no power lines – no sign of any equipment in place in the last half century. Surely this was only a village lost in time. It was the site for a gothic novel or possibly a Boy Scout camping trip – nothing else.

It is made to look that way. To the untrained eye, this is a village left to rot over half a century ago. But think about it – unused wooden buildings still standing after 60 years? If nothing else, someone would have taken some of the wood and used it elsewhere, or somebody, attempting to have fun would have burnt down at least some of the buildings. No, this village was occupied – no more than 5 years ago. The detoriation is consistent with a place that is made to look deserted.

Concerned, I pressed him for some more answers. I've kept quiet so far, but we are here now – I want to know what we are looking for! The mine was his answer. That was the only answer I was getting from him. If this was an adventure, then I must be missing something.

The mine was on the eastern end of the village, ½ mile or so from the town center. All that stood at the mine was a single building that had one sign still visible – The New River Mining Works. It said nothing else. I guess if you decided to live and work here you probably did not need to know anything else. At the turn of the century, the village was connected by a freight line that took a northeasterly route to Cornith, some 7 miles away. Most of the track was gone, but you could see evidence of the track near the mine. I tried to vision the once thriving mine – probably one of many in the region. Unfortunately all I could see was destruction of these beautiful mountains. The carelessness of the people probably made them a lot of money, but the wealth was fleeting. Once the mines dried up, everyone left except for the ghosts.

The first evidence of Hal's story being true came as we entered the building. The outside was old in appearance, but the lock was a product of the 1980's, not the 1920's. Hal produced a key (I still wasn't asking!) and unlocked the door. Only after he closed the door did Hal open up. The New River Mining Works did operate a mine here until 1922. After that, some villagers stayed here living off the land until sometime in the 1940's. One of those villagers eventually left the region for work and eventually joined the Army during the early days of WWII. It became quite evident that while this person lacked a formal education, he was a genius. His ability to grasp complex tasks with little training was noticed at a time when the military needed fast thinkers. He worked on a number of projects during the war – gaining respect for his ability to think.

The need for thinkers did not end with the defeat of Japan. The Cold War brought new challenges and the brightest were recruited. Our villager friend (Hal did not use his name and I did not press him) was sent to RIT where he eventually earned an advanced degree in Physics. He stayed with the army, working on a number of theories of Space and Time. Remember, not only was the Cold War in full swing, we began to look to outer space. Some of the theories materialized into fact, most did not. Of those that materialized from fiction, some were publicized – most were not.

As the 1950's gave way to the 1960's we found ourselves in the midst of a technological revolution. Ideas that 20 years before belonged in a Tom Swift novel were now about to propel people to the moon. Those were the ideas that were made public. One idea that was not publicized was an idea our friend was commissioned to work on. His project involved many of the best the country had to offer in theories of time and space. Einstein told us of the relationship between time and space – our friend bridged the gap. In a nutshell – he created time travel.

Time travel. When I think of time travel, I think of the H.G. Wells novel The Time Machine, or I think of that Star Trek episode where the courageous Captain Kirk leads his crew back to 1968 to find that women wore the same mini skirts to work that members of his crew did. It was all enjoyable literature – nothing else. Time travel was about as real as a leprechaun was! At first Hal said nothing, but then he spoke about black holes and wormholes and other phenomena in space. He was well beyond me at this point, but I realized that he was beyond himself – at least the Hal that I knew.

Negative energy?

If this is true, then why didn't it become known? Surely, if we could travel forward or backwards in time – it would have some value to mankind? The problem with time travel is not going forwards or backwards. The problem is the constant. No one can be sure where you will go. The future may be tomorrow, or it may be thousands of years in the future. The device, which by the way creates an artificial wormhole within a contained space, does work. It does have safeties in place that guarantee safe return. It can guarantee where you are going, it can't guarantee when.

At this point I am totally bewildered. Why am I, a 21-year-old mechanic from no place special, here? If this were true – then this would be too easy. If this device actually existed, I would guess that there would at least be a couple of guards around – possibly a No Trespassing sign here and there. As for Hal, how could he walk away from a military facility with the knowledge of a top-secret project and the key to get in the building! This must be a big joke.

Hal, I've known you for four years now. We went to school together and have kept in touch since you enlisted. How do you know all of this? I know it because I'v experienced it. I was able to learn the technology – not from journals, but from people who use it. People not born today. People that you have a link with. You are part of this experiment. Without you, none of what will be could happen. With that I decided that it was time to sit down.

Chapter 2 A Glimpse of the Future

October 24, 2020

I really found it strange that my father would ask me to meet him up at the family camp. Much of my childhood was spent here; the same is true with my brother, sister, and my father before us. Mom was never much of an outdoors person before she met dad. At first, she really did not like spending any time here, but as the years went by the place seemed to grow on her. As they both approach 60, it is still a special place.

I graduated from college last summer and my new job took me out of the area. I must admit that this is the first time I've been to Sacandaga in over a year. The place has never lost its charm. It stands as a testament to half done jobs started by my dad, his brothers and sister and their dad before them. I never met my grandfather. He has been dead for 40 years now, but I know he will forever hold a place in my father's heart.

I must admit that my father can be adventuresome at times, but I have never seen him so insistent that I come now. Why me I asked? Surely Brittany or Matt would be available. No he insisted – it had to be me. This should not take more than a day or two. After I agreed, I had planned on meeting him at the house. Once again he insisted that I meet him here. He left me a key to get in and made sure there were things to eat while I waited. My plane came in last night, so I rented a car and drove up early this morning – arriving here by 8am. There was a note left on the table. Strange, but it seems the note was written weeks ago. Food in the freezer and refrigerator. I don't need to tell you to make yourself at home. Within an hour, I saw dad's truck pull up the road with what looked like a motorcycle and an ATV in the back. The motorcycle I recognized. It had been stored for years in the garage. All dad ever said about it was "it doesn't run, I'll get it fixed someday." I guess that just added to dad's charm. Mom always called him the king of half-finished jobs. Some times it bothered him but most times it did not.

After we made our greetings with each other, he insisted on having coffee with me. I will explain this strange request in a few minutes. Help me get the bike and ATV unloaded. Both vehicles were quite old. The motorcycle, as I said spent years in the garage. Today, it was shined up, complete with an overhaul. The bike I always fantasized about riding is now ready. The other vehicle is a strange looking one. A three-wheel ATV was what he called it. They stopped making these in the early 80's they were considered too dangerous. Actually, both of these vehicles belong in a museum. Both run strictly on gas. Today's vehicles, even the sport vehicles are run on a hybrid design of gas and electricity. By the time I'm my father's age, they will be all electrical. Dad was not a man stuck in the past, but once in a while it is fun to play with old things.

Are you up to a ride in the woods today? He asked me. Well, I didn't come all the way here to go trail riding, but you were insistent that I make this trip. You know dad, I am the low man on the totem pole at work, and it took a bit of begging to get the time off. He thanked me, but insisted that I make this trip today. By the end of the day, it will all make sense to me. I know that I am being vague, but please, just go along with me. That was okay. Dad never asked that much of me. I guess I owed him this.

My parents are good people. Maybe they were not the perfect parents, but they tried hard. They had their share of good times and bad, but I think through it all the good outweighed the bad. Both are still working. Dad, a teacher, did not start teaching until he was in his 40's. Mom has been a nurse as long as I remember. While she has complained about it from time to time, I think she has enjoyed it. I am the last to leave the house. Both my brother and sister have made lives for themselves. We do remain close, but we do live separate lives.

Dad did many things with us, but at times he could be removed from us. Not physically but there were times that you would catch him lost in thought. Sometimes, he would come up here alone and be gone for a day or two. It did not happen often, but when it did, Mom would always say that he was working on something – he needed to be alone. I never quite understood why a high school history teacher needed time alone like this. I guess everyone has their quiet side that nobody – even your closest loved ones will question you on.

Today he was different. He seemed recharged, almost vibrant. A couple times he used the words adventure and chance of a lifetime. I would soon find out what he meant. Soon after breakfast, we packed some previsions and prepared to take off. Where are we going? I asked. Actually not that far – only about 10 miles. It will take a couple of hours to get there on these machines. He gave me a choice of what to ride. I had experience on trail bikes and that other thing looked entirely strange to me – so I chose the trail bike. The bike was a 1974 Suzuki 50. It was purchased in 1979 by my dad and his dad. Prior to today I never saw it running. I questioned him about the ATV. He just said that it belonged to a friend. Nothing more was said. Dad was being coy with me at this point. I guess he will talk to me about it when he is ready. Within 10 minutes we were off.

I recognized the trail right away. We started up what is known as Eastern Avenue. At one time cars could drive up it. Now only SUV's or off road vehicles could make the trip. Eventually we merged with HorseHill Road – still familiar territory. We traveled up HorseHill until the pavement ended, going some distance on a dirt road. Finally we came to what amounted to an overgrown trail. Dad stopped and showed me what was left of a sign - Shamus Road. What was not covered by the tree had mostly rusted away. You could still make out the Sh on one side and the d on the other. I found it strange that there would be a street sign on what was no more than a man-made trail, but I remembered the story dad told us about a land development program some 50 years ago. I guess Shamus Road is what remained of it.

Dad did not say anything else until we arrived at a pond. At this point we traveled nearly 5 miles. It amazed me how alone we were. The Adirondacks still held secrets. Little did I know that was part of the equation? Once we got to the pond Dad stopped and shut off his machine and told me that we were almost where we were going. Perplexed I asked him where are we going? There is no place else to go? It was a nice day and relatively warm for this time of year, but one of the last places I expected to be was in the middle of nowhere. All he said was to follow me. Before I could say anything he started up the ATV and took off towards the end of the pond. As we got closer to the feeder creek, I could see more trail ahead. That's strange, 100 feet back I saw no indication of a trail, yet there it is. We traveled about 2 more miles when we came into what remained of a village. A mining village is what he told me. It was once the New River Mining Works. The mine closed down in the early 1920's, the village has been empty since the 1940's. The village is somewhat strange. It clearly is a deserted village. Many of the buildings are in a varying state of decay. If what he says is true though, not one of these buildings have been used in nearly 80 years! How can that be? Surely the only thing that should be left are some garbage filled foundations?

We drove to the end of the village and came to the actual mine. Although it was aged, the New River Mining Works sign was still legible on the building. The one door to the building had a much more recent lock on it that dad had a key to. He wasn't saying much and I guess I was still giving him the benefit of the doubt. We entered the building to find a clean, but empty building. This building was clearly a set-up. It was made to look abandoned, but clearly it is not. Mark, you are now in a top-secret military facility that has been here since the mid 1970's. Before I go any farther, I must ask you to take an oath of secrecy. What you are about to see today is only known by a handful of people. Outside of us, only your mother is aware of my involvement in the military. Military? What military? You are a teacher. I've never seen you leave for any military maneuver. Do you think that I am nuts? You are my father – I know who and what you are! I told him that yes I am your father and yes you know who I am – I think you don't know what I am. I am a time traveler.

Chapter 3

October 1982 Tomorrow Meets Yesterday

So Hal, I am to believe that I am part of some grand plan to be a part of the future and the past? Not the past to a great degree but definitely the future. Pete, as I stand here today I will tell you that you will marry in four years to a girl you have not met yet. Your first child, a girl will be born in May 1989, your second child, a boy will be born in March 1996 and your last child will be born in March 1998, also a boy. Still reluctant to believe anything I have heard, I responded, rather harshly, "Anyone can predict the future." There are certain things in life that happen. Telling me, a young man, that I will marry someone in a few years and have children is hardly a unique prediction. The chances are in my favor that it will happen. Big deal. I'm sorry, but I need to be more convinced.

I understand why you are reluctant to believe this. Life does have a certain sense of continuity. Life can also be totally unpredictable. Who would believe that an actor in B movies would one day become president? Less than a century ago, people died from illnesses that we casually take antibiotics for today. Sometimes you have to accept the unpredictable things in life. Science, prior to World War II moved at a snails pace compared to what has happened over the last 40 years. Twenty years ago President Kennedy challenged America to send men to the moon within ten years. Many in the scientific community scoffed at the idea, fortunately some did not. If I were to tell you that within the next 15 years, personal computers will become as commonplace as a television. People will carry portable phones anywhere they want to. Incredible? Unbelievable? Yes! Will it happen? Yes! How do I know it? Because I have seen it. You will see it too. We will soon embark on the adventure of a lifetime. An adventure that will provide endless possibilities and the potential for danger. It is the latter that draws us together. We will make journeys that make you question your sense of morality. The very existence of our future depends on actions that a select few will make. We will do all this while we live out our ordinary lives.

We have been brought here to map out the future. We will not and cannot change the events in the past. Travel to the past is severely restricted. The danger of creating a paradox is too great. Even simple changes can alter our very existence. This made sense to me. I imagined a time traveler going back to 1963 and delaying President Kennedy's motorcade through Dallas. Something as simple as momentarily delaying the motorcade would have changed history. Every action has unlimited possibilities. Some of those may have lead to positive outcomes; some may have a disastrous effect on the future. I do not think I am ready to consider that. Fortunately (I guess), Hal mapped out our role in this mission. Our purpose is to observe future events and then report on it, plain and simple. I would soon find out that it is not so plain and definitely not so simple.

Won't doing that somehow change the future I asked? Say for example we foresee a cataclysmic earthquake finally occurring that would make much of California uninhabitable? Do we have an obligation to society to forewarn them? These are questions that need to be answered by a philosopher – not a soldier. Be patient was his answer. You will find out in due time.

We took an elevator down to what was part of the mine. The energy source we are using is borrowed from the future with the promise that we do not advertise it. Cold fusion is the term that I've heard, but don't ask me what it means. It provides power for the unit and any other electrical needs around here. There are people who work here, but due to the security of the place, we will rarely meet or see them. The only person you'll have contact with is the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper will give out assignments and pass on messages. Otherwise you will only see security staff that deal with any unwelcome visitors to the area. Security will conveniently show up as a hunter or trail walker, or forest ranger. The less conspicuous we are the better. Let me show you the portal.

The portal? That is a strange name for a time machine. Strange maybe, but nondescript. Actually, its creator developed a technology that creates artificial space within the parameters of the room. Simply stated, this room (for lack of a better definition) defies the old axiom "the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line." That is not a universal truth. Within that space a wormhole like environment is created that allows the traveler to enter the room at one point in time and leave the room at another point. Originally it was designed to act as some type of surveillance weapon. The goal was to study trends in hope that humanity could work out problems before they happened.

Initially there was a problem that only the beginning of the equation remained constant. Travelers entered and would return on the same day but there was no guarantee where you'd exit. The best they could shoot for is a 50-year window. If I set the device to send us ahead two centuries there is a margin of error of 25 years either way. The nice thing about it is that it is developed with a failsafe. Once someone entered, they were tied into the infrastructure of the machine. I could not abandon you in time, nor could you do it to me. If you go through first – it will remain open as a portal, and people can travel through, but nothing can change it's programming until you return. That is the failsafe of the program. No one else goes in until we come out.

Fortunately that issue has been resolved. Early studies showed that the margin or error was ALWAYS 25 years behind or ahead of a target date. Continued calculations and tweaking of the system narrowed that gap down to hours. Based on that, the process of observing and reporting on future events became an accurate science. Travel into the past was possible, but traveling was restricted to the time that portals existed. Traveling further back was impossible.

You brought up the point of why me, an ordinary enlisted man in the army, would have the knowledge? Two reasons – 1. You chose me for the job (or at least you will) and 2. During one of my trips, I was educated in physics, eventually earning my doctorate. The trouble is – I can't advertise it because I will not graduate for another 200 years! I spent nearly 5 years in the 23rd century and when I came back, only 15 minutes passed here. The portal waited for me.

Before I give you any more answers, I think that it is time to make our first trip. We will be going into the future to a specific date and time – October 24, 2020. Why that date? That answer would come shortly.

I had seen so much this day that I wasn't entirely sure I could believe. Oh well, what is another adventure. My friend seemed sincere. His actions seem to make sense. I agreed to try. Hal sat down at a computer station. I knew little about computers but somehow I felt drawn to them. Within a couple minutes he was finished and he urged me to enter first. This is your trip – I am only going for the ride. I still had many unanswered questions, but I was up for an adventure. We entered a dark room in which the door sealed behind us. We waited about a minute and Hal told me that we are in a space completely separated from the space-time continuum, a kind of outer space. I walked across a corridor – no more than 50 feet and entered another chamber. The corridor separates this time from other times. Kind of like a safety hatch. No one can open the inner and outer door at the same time. It is made to be impossible. We closed the hatch and then a green light indicated okay. Before I left I looked back through the window to the corridor we just came through. Nothing looked different. I opened the door to the same outer room we had been in not five minutes before. Same, yet different. The sparse equipment now looked foreign. The computer controls on this end were entirely different. I walked through to the other side – and the controls that Hal worked on just a few minutes ago were replaced by a more compact, more functional CPU. I guess he was right. We did travel into the future.

When are we? I asked. According to the calendar, we are in the year 2020. The date is October 24, 2020. Our trip took 5 minutes and 38 years. My initial excitement at the possibility of traveling in time quickly eroded. What would happen if I was hurt or worse yet died here in the future. Won't that change the future? What of my unborn children? Their children? What would stop a paradox from happening in the future? Each trip could potentially spell disaster. Hal stopped me and agreed. There are potential dangers, but not the same dangers of the past. Your future continually unfolds. The actions you take influence the future. Even time travelers lead a life within their time. Remember, you are inexplicitly tied to your time. We know of the potential for a paradox in the past, but the future is mapped out by what we do. I may travel into the future, meet someone, fall in love, have children and grow old, but I will always be tied to my present time. Remember when I told you about the failsafe, Hal asked? I nodded and remembered that no one can enter until we return to 1982. Well there are limited overrides to the failsafe. Extremely limited, but as one ages in the future, you link is being monitored in the past. We could live out the rest of our lives here and even die many years from now, but we will still be linked to 1982. The override will allow certain personnel to enter the portal and retrieve our remains, bringing them back to 1982. What is interesting about this science is that time in 1982 will move at a much slower pace than in the future. We are not aware of it because while we are here, we will age at a normal pace. So if we lived here for the next 10 years, our bodies will age 10 years. We step back into the portal, only a few minutes will pass. That is the danger of future travel. If you want to live a long and healthy life in your own time, you must be careful of the time spent here.

I am still overwhelmed by the situation but decided that I have asked enough questions for now. Let life roll out on its own. Sometimes knowing less was better than knowing more. Today was definitely one of those days.

With this, Hal just smiled and patted me on the back. Don't overwhelm yourself. Believe me; all your questions will be answered. In a short time (our time), you will be the one answering the questions. You will be one of the experts. I have to warn you though, always be prepared for the unknown. Especially today. The actions you take today will set the course for time traveling in the future. We know more about you than you know yourself. Time travel is a tool to understand the future. Even so, both the past and the future must unfold in there own manner. I can only tell you that we were all chosen for our unique gifts. You may not understand yet, but you will.

Hal made a convincing argument. It made sense to me that time needs to unfold in a normal fashion. Time travelers need to go to great lengths to be only observers. We must accept both the good and the bad. Even so, I couldn't help but feel that Hal was being evasive with me. Something was telling me that he wasn't telling me the entire truth about time travel.

Chapter 4 The Paradox of Time – The Jules Farfox Connection

January 2395

The last few years have been hard. The colonies, demanding independence from mother Earth, has drained the resources of the world government. The military budget has exceeded all domestic budgets three-fold. As the world population exceeded all estimates, demands for food production never ceased. Unfortunately, even as the dawn of the 25thcentury approached, beating starvation, once assumed to be beatable, was of less importance to our leaders than containing a few million colonists millions of miles from home. Both the colonies and the Earth know they are inexplicitly tied to each other, but the driving forces of this war did not necessarily speak for the masses. The rebellion, in some ways started long before the colony even existed. Some historians point to instances in our past long before space travel became commonplace. Some even point back to the late 20th century as a focal point for future problems. The great leap forward in space travel that began with landing on the moon in 1969, to the development of an international space station to finally the Mars landings of 2019 set in motion the eventual development of the space colony association. These pioneers of the mid 21st century pointed to men like Armstrong as visionaries of the future in space.

All went well for a number of years until the colonies, like all other colonies in Earth history sought independence from mother Earth. Unfortunately for us living in the late 24thcentury, history has brutally repeated itself. Like the American Revolution of the 18th century and the African independence movement of the mid 20th century and numerous other independence movements, the ongoing struggle for independence movement has been equally bloody. As a reporter for the International Media (INM) stationed on the colony of Io, I had grown tired of reporting on the war. I yearned for something different.

There is little opportunity for a reporter to write a story about anything not associated with the war effort. It consumed much of the population. Even human interest stories, like the return of a space faring family or of someone's struggle to overcome an illness seem to inexplicitly draw itself back on the war. Even transworld sporting coverage seems to be written with a war angle. I must admit that we do try. My editor, a woman whom I've never met, outside of complink conversations from her office in the lunar wastelands tries to keep her cadre of INM reporters up on good leads, occasionally finds something not war related. Little did I know that her tip she gave me today would lead me on a soul searching mission that may change the lives of all of us.

Jules, what do you know about the theory of time travel, she asked? Very little I had to admit. Before the war, there was some talk of research missions to find wormholes. Long-range sensors proved to be promising; however, the war effort put a hold on that mission. As I thought about it, I seemed to remember some talk of a very old earth project that dated back to the early days of space exploration. The technology, if it indeed existed, did have its flaws but people could supposedly travel forwards in time and back safely. Little literature exists about the program leaving most to believe that it never existed at all.

I have a contact in the eastern state coalition I want you to meet. Recently, a geological dig in an abandoned quadrant unearthed some interesting artifacts. What is more interesting is that no sooner than the dig began, a contingency of the eastern guard showed up asking questions. Within days the dig was ordered shut down and the entire area was cauldron off. Why would an abandoned area with no agricultural importance all of sudden warrant the eastern guard?

I want you to grab the next shuttle to Earth's eastern state coalition. Find out if there is any connection to this story and the mystery of time travel. What connection, I asked? What makes you think there is a connection? You're the reporter – you find out.

Chapter 5 The Meeting

October, 24 2020

I had to admit, this was more exciting than rust proofing cars. I wasn't ready to ask more questions. I decided to live out the adventure and see what happens. Don't we have to check in? I asked. No, our presence is known. What we need to do is go outside soon. You remember when I told you that we could not set a date on the machine? Well we can't do that, but we can study our past arrivals in the future. This trip is documented. Does that make it important? I wasn't given an answer. I guess it was the same old Hal.

We took the elevator back up to old Mining Company office we entered 38 years ago. No real change there. Actually that is a change. Nothing changed. You'd think that something would change. As we walked outside we came out into a day not much different than we left; although, it was a bit warmer. I guess this is what they call Indian summer, Hal noted. It has been mild for a few days and will stay that way through the end of the month. I didn't know that you were a weatherman? You may have a future. We walked outside and to my amazement I found the motorcycle I rode up here. Now I was skeptical. I'm beginning to see through this Hal. No he assured me – this was no joke I heard him say from behind. What am I looking for? Will I be meeting a commission of people from Mars or something? No answer. I turned around and Hal was gone. I went back inside – no one. Where did he go?

I began to walk towards the village and in the distance I saw two men. One was around my age, and one quite older. I could not tell who they were from the distance, but almost on cue, I notice the older man ducking behind a cabin. It was obvious that he was hiding from the other man. I approached the younger man. We exchanged greetings. I asked him what he was doing here (as if I owned the place). He told me that he came here with his father. He pointed backward as to motion that he was there. As he turned he realized that he was missing and yelled DAD! That's all right I told him. I came here with a friend and he seems to be missing. I need to ask you a funny question – can you tell me what year this is? What YEAR, he said? Why it is 2020. What year do you think it is? Well you are going to think that I'm crazy. I think it is 1982.

You are right – you are crazy. Believe me when I tell you it is 2020. I graduated from college last spring, took a job in another state. Last week I got a call from my father insisting that I come here on this day. At first I refused, but he insisted. It was extremely important. That's funny I said. My friend said almost the same thing. He promised me an adventure and I got much more than I bargained for. What is your name I asked. Mark, he told me. Pete, Pete Jillison is my name. Jillison? Why that is my last name. Where are you from I asked. Scotia was his answer. That's funny – I am from Schenectady. I didn't know there were other Jillison's on the area. Just then I had a feeling of dread. Hal told me of my connection with my as yet unborn children. Could he be one of them? Mark, can I ask you a question – does your father have the same name I do. Why yes, he does. Let me introduce him to you.

Mark called out his name. I don't think I am ready to meet myself. I look at Mark and he does look familiar yet I am positive I've never met him before. Could it be? Well I don't know where he is. I don't know where he has gone. I'm worried – he has been acting awfully strange today. Don't worry I assured him. Somehow I think he is fine.

Mark, I know this is strange, but could you tell me about your father's family? Does he have any brothers or sisters, nieces or nephews? Yes he has two brothers and one sister. They are all older. My oldest uncle, Jim is in his 70's. Bill is in his late 60's as is his sister … Before I let him finish, I said the name, Mary Ann. Yes, that is her name. She lives in another part of the state. I have a sister named Mary Ann, but she lives near here. No, my aunt lives out near Buffalo, but, you know I think I remember my dad saying that she lived near here at one time. He's told us lots of things about this area. His family has had a camp nearby for nearly 60 years. Is the name of the place Spottenhill? Are there 10 camps? Is the road shaped like a giant U with your camp being at the end of the U.? That's exactly what it is. I can't be sure of the name, but I know it used to be called something like that..

Tell me exactly why your father brought you here. I think I am beginning to see a connection. You have to believe me when I tell you that I came from the year 1982. How, he asked? Through that building, I responded. You're crazy. Maybe I am crazy. Do you mean to tell me that you came 38 years into the future to meet me here? I still don't know why I am here. I would have never made the trip if my father was not so insistent. My friend was equally insistent. He told me that the very future of the world depended on this trip. I and others like me will be the keepers of the future, or so he said. You know, as we traveled up here my father said something very similar. Somehow I knew who this fellow was, and I think he knew who I am, but neither of us was ready to admit it.

Within a few minutes we found Hal inside one of the other buildings. He explained in detail what our purpose would be here. Certain people are chosen along the way to guide the traveler. There job is to oversee the time portal to make sure that it will continue to be used for observation only. Both Mark and I were chosen because of our link with the future, what that meant, not even Hal could (or would) answer. All he told me was that Mark and I would be sent into the future to better train on the equipment. Our role is to initially learn and eventually advise. We will be called upon frequently to make the journey to observe and possibly advise future time travelers. Hal warned us of the need for secrecy. We will continue to live out our normal lives in our own time. We will be in communication with the other parties only when absolutely necessary. The only connection that we will have to the group is our designate. Mine is Hal. Mark will soon meet his. Please be aware that under no circumstances will we discuss this program.

Isn't there any danger in both of us being here at the same time? How can you go back to 1982 with knowledge of what will happen? What would stop someone from researching old lottery winnings, or the outcome of some past (your future) horserace in order to make a killing? That comes from your psychological profile, Hal answered. I have been listening to both of you and let me assure you, that the choices made are done so carefully. Both of you were recommended long before you became aware of it. Throughout the years, school children take tests that rate a number of things; one of those is a psychological profile. Why you? The answer is complicated. You may not be saints, but you process certain honesty within you. You know the differences between right and wrong. You are willing to overlook an opportunity because you know it can injure someone else. Our initial meeting and friendship was not purely by chance. I was sent to seek you out, as someone did for Mark. Can people capitalize on time travel? Of course! In some ways we all do. Bettering one's lot in life is okay as long as it does not harm someone else. That truly is part of the paradox of time travel. You two, I, and countless others were chosen because we can grasp that understanding. We can overcome those temptations. If you are meant to win the lottery or chose the right 100 to 1 shot, great! You do it the same way any non-time traveler does it. Now we have to discuss our mission.

Chapter 6 The Mission

October 24, 2020

Unfortunately, further training will have to wait until we complete our first mission. Some of our contacts in the late 21st century have warned us about a possible paradox that may be taking place in the future. Somewhere between 2090 and 2107 reports have emerged of a traveler from later in time that traveled back to that era asking serious questions about the colony plan. Earthforce will begin to build space colonies within the next 75 years. The traveler is dropping hints of possible future events. Things will go bad in the late 24thcentury. Political leaders of the time will attempt to stop independence movements of the outer colonies. We already know that a lot of people will die before a hard fought peace. This has to be the natural evolution of things. What I need for you two to find out is to jump ahead to a point beyond the next 75 years and try to find records of this traveler. For all we know is that he/she is just a bombastic person tempting anyone who will listen. Pete, you are to go back to 1982 and jump forward some 100 years, Mark you must do the same. Find out what you can, but be careful! You two are new at this. Lay low. Only speak to members of Earthforce who are associated with our program. How will I know? I asked. They will seek you out.

My trip back to 1982 took no more time than walking across a large room. Hal joined me on my trip back. He opted to stay in his (our?) time and I turned around and traveled forward. This would be my first time alone and I must admit, I am somewhat nervous. My jump forward brought me to 2093. 111 years later, the "village" amazingly looked about the same, albeit some new equipment was in the room. The gatekeeper in this time was a woman named Zinnia. A woman somewhat older than myself, dressed quite strangely. Acting quite professionally, Zinnia introduced herself, asked for my credentials, and gave me the appropriate information for me to meld into 2093 society. You will need to change. You are as out of place as Thomas Jefferson would be in 1980. Go to the dressing room, you will find clothes in there. I will get you the appropriate paperwork.

Zinnia gave me the appropriate paperwork, some money of the day and a key to a very strange mode of transportation that hovered 2 – 3 feet off the ground. All you need to do is log in your destination on the on-board computer and the machine will do the rest. Twenty years from now (in my time), I will be quite familiar with computer technology, but as a 21 year-old grease monkey, computers were as foreign to me as the hovercraft outside. Don't worry; it is based on voice command. Your voice is already recognized on its database. Just tell it where you want to go.

My destination was north of here – the city of Montreal. My contact is an employee of Earthforce who happens to also be a fellow time traveler. Secrecy is the key to this game. Zinnia had no idea who my contact is. Further instructions will be provided in the hovercraft. Can I stop this craft for a bite to eat? Of course. Just tell it. Things are different, but not that different. Just enjoy the ride.

Sure enough, the hovercraft asked me for destination. The voice sounded seductively female (probably an 85 year-old grandmother!). I told it where I had to go, after a short pause, it simply said, recognition confirmed. Buckle your seat belt (something's never change). As we left, I was given detailed information on how to operate the climate control system, the entertainment system and a virtual map of possible food & rest stops along the way. The craft followed the contour of the land, bringing me out to what I knew as HorseHill Road within 10 minutes. The area that I knew had changed a great deal, but thankfully it was still a forested area. I cruised past the place where my family camp was and it still seemed be a camp, but mine was long gone. I could not help but feel sad. There will be certain things you will need to accept in time travel. Nothing stays the same. You will always see monuments to the past, some functioning, some not. They are merely windows to another time, in many ways no different than me.

The trip was typical of a trip I would make a century ago. After the initial interest, you find yourself in a dull routine. Some things were interesting – especially the place I chose to eat lunch, but I quickly tired of the trip. I listened to news of the day but it meant nothing to me. The entertainment choices were as limited. Even "oldies" entertainment, outdated me by 60 years. As I neared the border, I began to wonder when additional information would be coming. No sooner than I crossed the border into Canada, my seductive sounding computer began to print out detailed information.

My contact was a woman named Joyce (finally a 20th century name!). She worked in the media services department in the Earthforce Canada office in Montreal. I am to introduce myself telling her that I am a representative of 20th century HorseHill antiques. She will ask me if I am involved in the Space Museum project and I am to tell her that I am offering valuable pieces for the space shuttle collection. I am seeking information on a person named Jules Farfox, who claimed to be from International Media (INM).

Within 20 minutes I approached the city. I was here last year (in my time) and I vividly remembered it. Montreal had aged well. It continued to resemble a city better suited for Western Europe than northern America. There was a charm to the city that was unique to the entire region. French continued to be the dominant language, but unlike 1981, there was plenty of information available to English speaking people visiting. The Earthforce Canada was on the outskirts of the city. It represented some of the best of mid 21st century architecture (at least that is what my computer said; now acting as tour guide). I parked my craft and proceeded to find who my contact person was.

The Earthforce project grew out of an International Space Station that opened for business at the dawn of the 21st century. As space travel branched out well beyond Mother Earth, the leaders of the day realized that the project would only be successful if it was a world project. No one country processed all the technology and all the know how to make it work. The world still had its share of problems, but Earthforce seemed to be working, at least on the surface. I followed the electronic guide to Media Services, a small office where I found four people. Three men, one woman – easy enough. I made my introduction, followed my James Bondlike instructions and at that point, my contact excused herself from her co-workers and without saying anything else, walked out of the office.

Where we are going, I asked. You'll find out was all she said. We left the building, walked across a courtyard to a large building named "Computer Center". The building looked like a massive piece of stainless steel, with a few holes that one would call windows. The door was locked, only to be opened by some type of voice recognition code. Voice recognition is nearly a foolproof system, she said. Each voice is unique. You can mask your voice but you voice will always be yours and yours alone. Voice recognition will make keys and ID cards obsolete within your lifetime. We entered the building, three floors of all sorts of computers in rooms that reminded me of a giant honeycomb. The place was spotless. People were everywhere and the atmosphere seemed foreign to me, but it was a relaxed atmosphere. People were dressed casually and everyone I saw seemed to really enjoy the work they were doing. Joyce, too dressed casually (I happened to come across a fashion channel on my trip up here – I was desperate for entertainment), but she did not have the air of relaxation the others had.

We came to an office on the second floor of the complex. Her voice recognition was checked again and within a second, the door opened inward. The room lit up as we entered presenting what I guessed to be a computer terminal. It looked both familiar and foreign. There was a keyboard that looked like a typewriter keyboard except that it was completely flat. There were a series of screens mounted on the wall, completely disconnected from the keyboard. On a stand above the keyboard was a device that reminded me of a microphone. She spoke into the microphone and one by one the screens came to life, each presenting 3 dimensional images of a number of different scenes. One screen had a chart on it, one was a space image, and the others resembled a community that would be found on a Star Trek episode. They seemed foreign, yet they resembled something familiar. The images are from the four colonies, Moon, Mars and the asteroid belt colonies. Two more are in the planning stage. These have been up and running for the last quarter century.

About 10 years ago, Earthforce Argentina employees were approached by a strange looking man who was seeking information about the colonies. Little is confidential about the space colony program. What was strange was that he was asking about a colony only now in the planning stage. He was persistent about this and his inquiry caught the ear of one our time-traveler representatives. I was taken aback by this comment. This was the first time today I heard anyone say that. He was given some information and sent on his way. Two days later he showed up in one of the Earthforce offices in Europe. This time, he was not asking about the Io colony (the colony in planning stage), but asked questions about political structure, economic ties, etc… As I already said, little information is confidential. We have tried to maintain an open door policy – both the good and the bad. What was odd was his persistence in questioning and his uncanny knowledge of what would happen. One of my contacts from our agency got word of this some time ago and sent out notice about this.

Is there anyone else I should contact, I asked? Joyce thought for a minute, almost seeming reluctant to speak. Well, there is someone who has been here within the last weekseeking similar information. Immediately I thought of Mark, but that would be too much of a coincidence. Tuesday I was approached by someone whom I thought was you. He was asking questions about Jules Farfox and the Io colony. Why didn't you tell me this before? I did not want to say anything because I think he too was from the future. He presented me with the right information, but there was something wrong, I cannot describe it. He seemed like he was directly affected by the possible paradox. He was convinced that Jules Farfox is with us today. He was determined to find him and he seemed that he would not stop at nothing to do that.

There has been no evidence since then that Farfox is here today. It has been nearly 10 years since he was heard of. If he is still here, which is possible, how then could someone else from his time come back, what about the lockout? Joyce smiled and said you have got a lot to learn about this program. First of all, the HorseHill facility is not the only one. I am sure your contact did not tell you that. Secondly, it is possible to override the control many of the failsafe controls. That wasn't known in 1982 but it was being done by 2045. Third, the time gap has been narrowed to minutes. Travelers can come and go with ease. Who knows what scientists can do in the 24th century?

Joyce told me to come back tomorrow and she would try to retrieve any security data on both Farfox and the other person. I have to admit, that I am not totally surprised at the revelation. Hal's explanation of the brilliant scientist who owed something to his community seemed a bit outlandish. I may not be the brightest bulb in the marquee, but is seemed awfully strange that we could have multiple trips in time and not one overlapped another.

Chapter 7 Mark and Mr. McGinnis

April 1, 2100

My journey into time landed me about a decade ahead of Peter, at least that is what the portal agent said. Zinnia, the agent was working the day that Peter came out of the tunnel. Fifteen minutes and 120 years ago, I laughed to myself. I was to leave in the morning to Florida, to meet with an Earthforce agent named Roger McGinnis. McGinnis had recently transferred there from Earthforce Brazil's office. Earthforce Florida stood near the grounds of the original NASA launch site and served as the archival site for space exploration. McGinnis, a trained historian, is working on the final preparations for the Io colony or so I was told. Why would they need a historian for that, I asked? Historians of today are often data retrieval experts. His skill is needed to transfer all needed data to the Io computer systems. The dome has been constructed by engineers, and data will be sent to begin the establishment of services on the colony. These colonies are similar to colonies in the 17th and 18th century. They are so far from home; we need to make sure that they can act independently of Earth for extended periods of time. McGinnis is in charge of this operation and he also happens to work for us. He has more information on Jules Farfox and the stranger your father encountered.

Immediately, she realized she struck a nerve. I guess you did not know Peter was your father. Was I told this - no. Did I think he was, yes? I guess that I am bothered by all this cloak and dagger stuff. Zinnia smiled and said you will get used to it. What you know is only the tip of the iceberg. The problem is that you may not know what iceberg you are on! Earth today is a much more open society than it was in your time. We still do have our secrets and this is a big one. I suggest you follow your instructions and get underway. I will orient you to today's travel guides.

My trip began out uneventful. The hovercraft did all the work. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. The on board computer estimated my travel time to the airport as 2.5 hours. Once there, I would board a direct flight to Daytona, pick up another Hovercraft and drive 1.5 hours. Travel in my time, this time, and most likely the next generation is a dull routine that many have to suffer with. This would all change in a mere 20 minutes.

Not 20 minutes after I left, the computer announced that I had a recorded message waiting for me. My voice recognition signaled the download of the message. A screen appeared and within seconds an image of Peter appeared. This is not one an image of my father, nor is it an image of the man my age. The Peter I am looking at is a man no more than 40 years old. He had a relaxed but serious look. He seemed like a man very competent and in need of explaining something. The record date is May 2099, nearly a year before today. Mark, as you are probably aware, I am sending you this message when I am some 20 years older than when we last met. I was able to narrow down the time when you first jumped forward and set this message to run on voice recognition of a man about 22 years old. I know when you made your first, second and third trip, so I am reasonably confident this worked. I will ask you in a few years.

There are some things you need to know about time travel. You were not given the complete truth back at the HorseHill facility. First of all, the lock out is not true. People can travel at the same time without waiting for someone else. It is possible because there are more than one time portal. At last count, there are approximately 30 of these portals on the planet. Lastly, there are more of us out there than you would think. We were misled, but the reason was not criminal. Our society is not ready for the concept of time travel. There are too many people out there who could misuse this technology. You are on the verge of finding that out.

One more thing…be careful when dealing with Roger McGinnis. McGinnis is a revolutionary. He advocates some altering of time. He will try to convince you that the time portals can help us in many ways. Properly used, they can eliminate hunger, stop war and famine. Make the world technologically prepared for its future. One thing is for sure. McGinnis can help you track down Jules FarFox.

With that, the recording stopped. The screen returned to its slot, and the computer acted like this never happened. Why did he feel the need to tell me this? Is he trying to somehow warn me about something? The time portal stuff doesn't surprise me. Just another government bureaucracy. Why put yourself in danger on changing the normal course of time?

Roger McGinnis was indeed a strange man. Athletically built, he seemed more at home on a ball field than in a research facility. No sooner than I introduced myself he bluntly asked me, what time are you from? His question was loud. He made no effort to conceal the question – I don't think he even cared.

Well, what time are you from? The year 2020, I responded. I really don't think this is the time or place to be discussing this. Oh, don't worry about it. The people I work with think that I am a bit eccentric, so when I blurt out a question like that – few, if any bother to listen. I'm damn good at what I do and I don't bother anyone. People leave me alone and I leave them alone. Periodically, strangers, like you come and talk to me about topics. I am a historian, you know. A historian in this period collects data that could be useful for deep space. We are building a society from the ground up – all data is important. As far as my co-workers are concerned – you are just someone else here to give information.

With that, Roger McGinnis changed the subject. So you want to know about Jules Farfox. Criminal or visionary; madman or genius? What do you think? Personally, I think Farfox is all of these things wrapped up into a complex man. We travelers have the power to make things better. Who is to say that Farfox is doing the wrong thing? He is living in a desperate time.

Many of us have lived in or seen desperate times. The 20 and 21st century had its share of desperate times where many people died. There was little hope for the future. What gives Farfox the right to change his time when so many other times can be changed? At first McGinnis was surprised by my emotional response, but he simply smiled and said that everyone is entitled to his opinion. The Earth is a strange place. For all the problems we have had over the years, things somehow seem to work out. I believe that is what Farfox is trying to do – make things work out. There is no proof that "time meddling" has never happened. In 1940, Hitler's war machine seemed invincible; yet, five years later it laid in ruin. South Africa in the late 20th century was a powder cake waiting to explode, but the end of Apartied went relatively smooth. There are many times in history where all seemed lost, but the course of events seemed to change. I am convinced that some time meddling had occurred throughout history in order to make things better for the future.

I agree that there have been instances in history that could have been meddled with, but historians can point to events that led to natural change. Hitler overextended Germany's war machine. The white South African government was shunned by most of the world's governments. Things do change naturally sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. That is just the way things are. Be that as it may, I did not come here to debate the ethics of time travel. I came for information from Farfox.

On cue, McGinnis changed the subject and gave me all he knew about Farfox. He had spoken with Farfox and it seems that he is a news reporter from the late 24th century. He was researching evidence of time travel in his time and stumbled upon one of our facilities, still operating the same service we are doing. By his time, the world will be at war with established space colonies, so budgets were extremely tight and security at the time portals were lax. Farfox decided that the best way to write about time travel was to experience it himself. The first thing he did was travel 500 years in the future. He found a better world where independent colonies actively traded with Earth and worked together to expand farther out into space. He also discovered that the war that was ravaging his world was little more than a footnote in history. When things looked bad, they somehow worked it out to the advantage of all parties. He became convinced that someone had meddled with time. Someone went back in time – my time and set in motion the political evolution of independence long before it would seriously be considered. There was a war and yes many people died, but somehow it was discovered when all looked bad there already was a political resolve to the problem. Furthermore, Farfox became convinced that he was the person destined to make the necessary changes in his timeline. He was convinced of this because he is somehow missing from the historical records of that time. I don't think he is an overly vain man, but he was a well-known reporter of his time; yet somehow, he disappears into history or the future, only to become another footnote.

When did you last speak to him? Oh it has been a few months since I spoke with him. He is interested in the political structure of the colonies. What is the political structure, I asked. Well, at this point the existing colonies are autonomous. They began with appointed governors and legislatures and free elections were scheduled 18 months after the government was established. Each of the existing colonies has already held elections. The colonies establish their own tax structure, limited trade partnerships and appoint their own ambassadors to Earth and the other colonies. I find it hard to believe that nearly 2 centuries later, the colonies would resort to revolution to gain independence. They are just too far away to police. I know and so does Farfox. I am convinced that he will try anything to make sure the independence movement succeeds.

My appointment with Roger McGinnis ended abruptly as he was called to a meeting. McGinnis could not give me any more information except that Farfox made no effort to conceal his identity. He dressed as a man out of time; he introduced himself as Jules Farfox of the 24th century. Lastly, McGinnis told me that he is convinced that Farfox is still here in this time. Find him and do what you must, but please, make sure you hear him out. Please be open-minded. He deserves that much.

McGinnis' last comments disturbed me. I am still not totally sure what my role is. Am I a covert agent seeking enemies of the state? What right do I have to stop Jules Farfox? I made my trip back to the HorseHill facility questioning my role in this program. How do I back out of it? Should I back out of it?

Chapter 8 Mark and Jules Farfox

April 2, 2100

That's it. I am going back to my own time and tell my father and Hal that I want out of the program. Find your own spies – I did not sign up for this! Five minutes later I realized that my involvement has been known by some years before I was born. The cards were drawn in this poker game long before the players sat down to play. I must have a role to play or I would not be here in the first place. My father knows it. Roger McGinnis knows it; and, oh hell, Jules Farfox even knows it. Somehow, we will get to the bottom of it.

I was about to return to 2020 when I received a message from Roger McGinnis. It seems that he wasn't entirely honest with me. He admitted that there are certain things that are better left unsaid in a public facility even in this era of openness. If I would be willing to stick around for a day or so, he would try to arrange a meeting with Farfox. He promised to notify me via the HorseHill facility.

What do you do when you are 80 years out of your time? Should I visit my grandchildren? Or, better yet – maybe I can find my grave. Boy that sounds like fun. HorseHill has on site facilities and I could take advantage of them. One thing at a time I decided. I was given a room on the facility and decided to take advantage of music and reading material of the day.

A day or two turned out to be nearly four. I was about to give up and go home when I received a message from McGinnis. Farfox was will to meet with me tomorrow in the state of New York City. New York City became a state approximately 40 years ago after it was decided that the needs of the city were quite different from the rest of the state. The capital is in Brooklyn Commons; purposely removed from the financial capital of Manhattan. Farfox agreed to meet me in the capital at the public library. The library seemed to be the obvious place for two time-travelers to meet I thought. I can just see the headlines: People of the 21st century and the 24th century about to meet in the 22nd century!

I left within minutes of receiving a message. I decided to spend some time researching the Earthforce projects before meeting Farfox. I spent four years in a library doing research so another day would not hurt. The Earthforce program has had one goal; the creation of colonies. The premise is that Earth's society can only grow so far before moving out to the stars. There is a finite amount of space available on this planet and even less space available to grow and produce food for the ever-growing society. The danger is still years away; however, it would be better to establish colonies by terraforming outer worlds. Hopefully by the time there is a real danger, the colonies will provide breathing and growing space. The first colony is less than 20 years old and all are far from self-sufficiency. The feedback has been positive. Our knowledge of terraforming has already exceeded our expectations. It is widely expected that within a century, the early colonies will be truly autonomous. Until then, the goal of Earthforce is to encourage up to 25% of the society to move out to the stars within the next 2 centuries. This is an ambitious goal; however, once there is a reasonable amount of self-sufficiency, the lure of cheap land and stable employment should help to attain this goal.

The four colonies will soon be joined by a fifth. Plans are under way establish a fifth colony on one of the Martian moons. Representatives from the other colonies have scoped out an appropriate place to develop a station. Construction is due to begin within the year. Applications have been accepted for the initial workforce that will take up to two years to make a habitable station. Phobos, also known as the inner moon was chosen over Deimos. Both could be suitable, although Phobos' landscape is more conducive to colony development. I remember reading somewhere that the orbit of Phobos is decaying and sometime within 40 million years it will probably crash into Mars. I guess the time element has little effect on the politics of colony development.

The relationship between the colonies and Earth has worked fairly well; however, there have been some problems. Some of the colonists complain of interference in their affairs by the Earthforce representatives. Some on Earth complain that the program is too big, too expensive. If they complain of interference, then let them go on their own. All in all the complaints have been minimal and come from individuals who will never be happy.

What will happen over the next couple of centuries that would lead to war? How, in such a short time could these colonies, in deep space become completely independent of mother Earth? These questions trouble me. What does Farfox think he can do to prevent devastation in his time?

My meeting with Farfox was scheduled for 1:30 today in a nearby restaurant. I was instructed to ask for Farfox at the front desk and I would be seated. No secrets here. As per my instruction, I was seated next to a gentleman, approximately 40 years old, slightly overweight with a moustache. Jules Farfox, I asked? Yes, I am pleased to meet someone old enough to be my great-great-great-grandfather. What questions can I answer for you, fellow time traveler?

Chapter 9 Peter and Hal

October 1982

What amazing things I have seen! The possibilities are endless. I am excited and frightened all at the same time. If I were never to step into the time portal again, my life is forever changed. How can I go back to my mundane existence now? I know now that my life will have some meaning. I have seen the future and I want to see it again.

Within an hour of my return, I realized that life could return to that ordinary humdrum in an instance. My "mission" for the time being was to wait – return to the camp, go fishing and tomorrow return to work. I was assigned a pager and would be contacted whenever needed. How long? It could be an hour; it could be a month was the answer I was given. Don't worry, we will find you when we need you. Plan for the future as you normally would. Finish what I am doing and plan on returning to school next year. Here is the hard part – we do not exist. Under no circumstances are you to reveal any part of this operation. My primary contact will be Hal. I will be working from time to time with Mark, but I am not to reveal any of this. Do your best to live for today. With that I was sent on my way.

My traveling companion, as before was Hal. A day ago, I saw Hal as a nice guy, almost a close friend. We met in college a couple years ago and had some common interests. He spoke of his family and girlfriend over that time, but I never met them. His family had a camp on a small lake near the campus and he usually stayed there. Over the past few years, I probably was there a dozen times. Never did I meet someone else over that time. I never gave it much thought but now it seems to add to the mystery of him.

Hal had been on active duty prior to college and continued in the reserves. Soon after graduation, he supposedly reenlisted and within the past 2 years I may have spoke to him 2 or 3 times. I was quite surprised when he called me last week and wanted to get together. From this point on I guess I will be seeing a lot of him. Hal said little to me on our way back to the camp. When we got there he told me that he would contact me within the week to discuss our next trip. Within 5 minutes he was in his car and gone.

The following day I went back to work, acting as normal as I could. I played my role as best I could, but my mind was in another place – another time. My day was wrapping up when my pager went off. I was notified to call a local number within the hour. I went home, showered, changed and opened a bottle of beer. Within the hour I called the number and the voice on the other end only said that I was to return to HorseHill immediately and the phone disconnected. Within 10 minutes I left for HorseHill. By the time I reached there it was dark, but I was able to find the facility with little difficulty. Hal met me there and told me that we needed to jump to the early 22nd century.

We received information that Mark had met with Jules Farfox and he outlined his plan to alter the future. Isn't there anything we can do to stop him? Hal reminded me that we are not policing the future, only monitoring it. Farfox may do nothing at all he noted. The fact that he met with Mark and told him his plans may set in motion a chain of events that will lead to change. From what sketchy information we are getting, no one thinks that he is a dangerous rebel. Everyone thinks that he truly wants to change his future for the better. Our mission, as is Mark's is to track his movements as best as we can. For some reason he seems to be working within a 10 year period. Reports indicate that Farfox has been identified as aging. If that is the case he is not traveling back and forth, he is living out that era in normal time.

Normal time, I asked? For lack of a better term, we have coined the phrase normal time for someone living out a period of his or her life in some other time. I mentioned to you that I finished my schooling in the future – a period of 2 years. That means that I lived in the 23rd century for two years of normal time.

Okay, I understand, but why are we giving this man so much attention? We don't have any policing power. We can't stop him from changing the future – hell, every time we jump into that contraption, we take that risk. No offense, but if I am to play a role in this time travel thing, aren't there more pressing things to concerns ourselves about? Hal stared at me as if he was trying to come up with a good response. At first I wasn't sure if I angered him or maybe my "career" was over before it began. His response was short and shocking. Farfox has indicated that if he cannot succeed in changing the future from the 22nd century, he will go back even farther into our past and change the future. Our very existence may be at stake.

Chapter 10 Mark & Jules Farfox

April 2100

My "meeting" with Jules Farfox was quite interesting. He openly stated that his goal was to change his future in order to avoid the terrible times that lay ahead. The Earthforce people know that the colonies will eventually demand independence, so why not do it know? There dependency on mother Earth will continue for generations. Prior to the 24th century war, only a couple of the colonies were truly independent. Even those depend on an active trade with the other colonies and Earth. It is really no different that one country creating a trade relationship with another. The difference is that the colonies were given the building blocks to eventually become independent. Societies were started from the ground up. Each of the colonies was given the building blocks to eventually function completely independent of earth. There is no country, today or in my time that can truly state that they are completely independent of other countries on Earth.

The colonies must be independent from the start in order to avoid bloodshed in the future. The colonial system has always sowed the seeds of distrust on both sides. Never in the history of colonialization has the transition to independence gone without some sort of hitch. I have made it my life's work to change that so the future as I know it will not happen.

Remembering an ethics course I took in college, I asked Farfox, shouldn't future events unfold naturally? Yes we are time travelers. Time travelers that only observer – not lead. We have no right to alter the future of yet to be born individuals who will grow up to bring positive and negative change. It is no different than the moral dilemma of going into the past and killing your grandfather. By doing so, you no longer exist, therefore this could have never happened, but it did. You can start the seeds of change only to alter your own life, thus stopping it before if will begin. By my calculations, you will not even be born for nearly 2 centuries. I sympathize with your future no less than I can sympathize with a European Jew in 1930. I just do not think we have the right to change what will happen.

Farfox stared at me for a time then simply stated that we are not talking about what did happen, we are talking about what could happen. Every choice we make brings infinite opportunities. If I cross the street here rather than there, will I be hit? Will I avoid being hit? If I run into a burning building to save a child, will that child grow up to be the next Abraham Lincoln or Adolph Hitler? Nobody knows. What I do today, even if I cease to exist because of the action, should change what I know will happen. What if you cannot avoid war, I asked? Maybe you have already set the seeds of war by attempting to stop it. You talk about changing the status of the colonies today. From what I've read, most people are happy with the ways things are rolling out. People are satisfied with what is happening today and seem optimistic for the future. If you are going to stand on a soapbox and proclaim that change is needed for a people who know nothing about time travel, I think you find it hard to convert anyone except possibly for some fringe groups who seen conspiracy under every rock.

Calmly, Farfox told me that he is committed to this change and by his research this is the opportune time to do it. If he finds that he is not successful, he is willing to go deeper in the past to fix what needs to be fixed. He is willing to go back far enough even if it means altering my present. Although he was calm and rational, I could not help but feel a chill run down my spine.

Chapter 11 Pete and Mrs. Peabody

December 2100

Hal and I entered the time portal and arrived in late 2100. The winter snow had begun to fall at the HorseHill facility and like all first snowfalls; it seemed to blanket any ugliness in the area. Unfortunately, it could not blanket the message that Mark left for us earlier in the year. He discussed his meeting with Jules Farfox and his plans. The meeting visibly shook Mark, but he did his best to report his findings. Farfox was very open. He flaunted the fact that there was little that we could do to stop him outside of eliminating him. He noted some of the meetings he had with Earthforce representatives who at least gave him time to speak. Mark noted that Farfox was a man of conviction. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goal of altering the future. If the people of this time won't help him, he is willing to go farther back into the past – a time before mine to change the future. Farfox is willing to sacrifice himself to make sure the 24th century war will not happen.

Already knowing the answer, I still questioned Hal about our options. Isn't there some way to track him down? We have this wonderful technology but yet we cannot track down someone who actively uses it! What do other travelers say? Surely there must have been some "meeting of the minds" on this problem. Hal had little to say; however, I knew right then that he was holding back. It would take many years before I fully understood this project. I was still a babe in the woods.

My assignment was to meet a Felicity Peabody or Mrs. Peabody, as she liked to be known as. If there was a Mr. Peabody, few if any knew about him. Mrs. Peabody would be the first person that had a leadership role in the time traveling project. Her role was to track time-traveling activities at the HorseHill facility. It was not a policing role because people would travel through from different times and; therefore, it would be difficult to police it. Her role was to track trends in travel. Little travel came from the future; however, there were no restrictions to do so. Her other role was making sure that people traveling from the past or the future respected the laws and morays of that time. Mrs. Peabody's office was only a few miles away.

Mrs. Peabody was an attractive woman in what I would guess her late 40's. Her office was no more than a modest country house common to this era. Fortunately, the Adirondack region had maintained its pristine qualities well into this era. Her house simply fit into the landscape. Once inside though, the house was pure 22nd century with all the technology and conveniences of the era. After simple introductions, she proceeded to tell me all the information she had on Farfox.

It seems that Farfox first was noticed about 20 years ago when he tried to get colony information from the Earthforce Argentina offices. I remembered this from my earlier trip to Montreal. Then it seems that he disappeared; only showing up in the last couple of years. HorseHill records indicate that he came through in the year 2082 and his gate was open until 2084. We are not sure what facility he came through after that. What do you mean what facility? I thought HorseHill was it!

Mrs. Peabody knew right away that she slipped, but there was no use in backpedaling. There are a number of facilities throughout the globe and on the colonies. Since we don't police the facilities, I don't always have up to date information about the other ones. Farfox could have slipped into any number of facilities.

There is no way to track open gates? Heavens no was her answer. While it is true that only the person entering the gate can close it, an infinite number of gates are open at any time. I can tell you that presently there are 177 open gates at HorseHill. Some of the gates have been open for years. Some may never close. Wormholes, even inter-planetary ones are not restricted to any normal space. What you see when you enter HorseHill or any of the other facilities are portals to the wormhole. We can see through the portal – even walk through it. Once it is turned on, the physics of wormhole technology are allowed to work within a confined space and a confined time. We have come a long way in being able to control where a person goes. The concept of the gate has never changed. Once a gate is opened, there is nothing, outside of destroying the portal that can be done to close the gate. Destroying it is theoretically possible, but with the safeguards in place, it is practically impossible to do so. Little did I know then, but Mrs. Peabody was giving me an answer to our problem. We are an open society in many ways. While the time-traveling project has been kept pretty much under wraps, those who are involved in it are free to snoop around. With that Mrs. Peabody gave me a list of the North American time travel portals.

Angered by her revelation, I confronted Hal back at HorseHill. He admitted that he kept back some pertinent information, but he was truthful when he said that much of the early experimentation took place here. This was the alpha site. He promised me that as I learned more about my role and took part in my training, I would learn more than he will ever know. He told me that I would be destined to oversee this facility at sometime in my future.

Chapter 12 A Brave New World

January 2021

In order to better understand the gravity of our situation, Hal and I traveled back to the 21st century in hope that we could re-group with Mark and review our options. We agreed to not continue to track down Farfox's open gate because we knew that he was in the 22nd century and there was little we could do about it. Once we arrived, we contacted Mark who had returned to his normal life some months ago. Mark was working in the Midwest and we made arrangements to meet with him tomorrow. Our trip there was mostly silent. I was still angry with Hal in a childish way. I never asked for this nor did my (future) family. Two weeks ago, in my time, this whole scenario would have been pure fiction. Now I am afraid it is becoming a hopeless nightmare.

Approximately 3 hours out, Hal told me that he was sorry for doing this to me. Maybe it was too soon, he said. I've seen the future and I know the role you will play. I guess that didn't mean that you had to accept that role today. I told him that it was okay, but I am at a point in my life where I feel I have control of my life. I am not answering to parents, teachers or professors. My life wasn't that exciting, but it was my life and I was living it as I wanted. I guess that I am looking for that control again.

Even though you have seen the future, I don't think you have control over how it will roll out. There are always options, even to time travelers. Hal pointed to his own life. Once I accepted this assignment, I chose what I would do with it. Outside of the essentials, no one told me how to prepare for it. It is true that you are constantly warned not to "meddle" in someone else's time; no one can control your destiny except yourself. When you travel into the future, you tend to document patterns, not instances. We know that a war will erupt in the 24th century, but that does not mean that I won't inadvertently save the life of a child who will grow up and have a direct influence in that conflict. As time travelers we are as much of the future as we are of the present. Yes the actions that we take today may have serious repercussions in the future, but they are our own actions. Furthermore, we are not the police. Since the entry portals are controlled we can only hope that alone will control potential issues. In the half century (our time) of time travel, only the Farfox dilemma has been a problem.

Hal comments made me feel better. I have always accepted the fact that life is not pre-determined. We have free will and no one can stop me from determining my own destiny. Things do not always work out as you expect, but no one can change your personal desires. From that point on, I knew that this would be my future and this is where I would make my mark in life. I had a long way to go, but I took the first step.

We arrived at Mark's apartment later that day. He had a modest apartment for the community he lived in. His surroundings seemed to fit him well, from the little I knew of him (yet). As I got to know Mark better, I found that he shared many of the concerns that I have about time traveling.

Months had passed since his meeting with Farfox, but he was still bothered by it. I have woken up many times thinking about what Farfox said. Sometimes it is hard to be calm when at anytime you're past and future could be wiped away by someone who cannot see beyond his own needs. Even so, I can somehow sympathize with him. He is a desperate man living in desperate times, Hal noted. We cannot judge his feelings towards his own times. He has lived it and he knows the horrors of it.

Why can't we jump farther into the future and see what happens, I asked. If we do that, at least we can expand the playing field. Is there a limit to where we can go? Theoretically, no Hal said, but no one has jumped beyond the 30th century. The fear is that beyond that, society will have changed so drastically, we may lose ourselves in it. It would be like taking a person living on the coast of Europe in the 11th century, and propelling them into 1985. First of all, it would be difficult to communicate with him or her and secondly, the air standards will have changed so much that would not tolerate the pollution of the time, and probably would not have any immunity to viruses unknown of in his or her time.

Do you mean someone from 16th century Europe would survive better than someone 500 years older, Mark asked. In all likelihood yes, Hal answered. By the 16h century Europe began to rise out of the Middle Ages and individuals has at least some exposure to some outside culture, probably spent at least sometime in an urban environment. The closer we get to our own time; there are less social and cultural differences. Time theorists feel the same way about us traveling beyond the 30th century.

Why do we have to go that far, I asked. Why not say jump ahead to maybe the 27th century. By then a good 200 years have passed and we should get a decent perspective of what will happen. That may not be good enough, Hal cautioned. Throughout history, there have been cooling off periods. Look at the Crusades or the 100-year war between England and France. There wasn't 100 years of constant fighting. There were long gaps between conflicts. Europe never truly unified until the dawn of the 21st century. Some arguments that led to the Crusades existed well into the 20th century. No, if we are going to do this, I think we will have to take a gamble and jump to the 35th century. If the space wars will only be a footnote in history, then that is where we will have to go and find out.

Will we need special permission, Mark asked. I don't think so, Hal responded, but we better take it to our superiors before going ahead with the plan. Before we do this, we all have to agree to this and be willing to sacrifice ourselves in the process. There was no disagreement.

Chapter 13 Enter the Great Event Horizon

January 2120

There was some reluctance from our superiors about doing this. We were warned that we may not be immune to diseases of the future and as a result, we may not be able to come back. We also had to be prepared to be ancients in a future world, or we may enter a world so ravaged by war that may prove us to be superior. There will be language barriers at best. That may not be so I noted. Technology over the past century has allowed us to record events as they happened. Who's to say that some aspects of our culture did not seep into the future? Cautiously, we were given approval for our trip. We are scheduled to leave next week after complete physicals and immunity medications up to the 30th century (as we knew them). Blend in as best as you can was the only "order" we received. We agreed to leave on the 1st of February, not because of the need to wait; rather, it was for the need to mentally prepare.

The morning of the 1st was seasonably cold. Like most winters, the Adirondacks looked in a state of slumber, somehow waiting for the first glimpse of spring. As I got dressed, I couldn't help but think of that line from Star Trek, "Where No Man Had Boldly Gone Before". Yes, I know it is corny, but was all that I could seem to think of. My fellow travelers were equally quiet and as we prepared I could help but laugh to myself thinking about the dangers that I was putting my son through, years before having a son – years before even meeting his mother. Will this be the seen of some future family argument, I asked myself? Am I right using my children as pawns for future glory? Quickly I realized that I was about to torture myself for something ludicrous. I presented myself with a good front and noted that we should proceed with the mission.

The "mission" started no differently than others. We entered the chamber and sealed the entrance as we normally did. Cut off from the outside world, our warp bubble opened and we crossed the pathway into the distant future. As always, the trip took only a few moments and before we knew it, we stepped out on the other side. At first there was little difference. It looked to be the same dimly lit place we left. As we exited, the first thing we noted was there were no gatekeepers here – nothing to greet us. The room had an antiseptic smell to it. It reminded me of a room that wasn't being used, but was maintained for future use. The walls had no doors, but there were arrows pointing off to the left. As we followed, the room seemed to move with us, ever expanding to the front and decreasing to the rear. Within a moment, the chamber we entered through disappeared, replaced by another wall. At first I uncomfortable, but as we continued, we seemed to be making progress. The lights slowly increased and after a couple minutes we came upon an area that reminded you of a theater. There were comfortable seats that faced an opaque object that resembled a screen. We could go no further and decided to sit down. No sooner than we sat down, images of landscapes appeared on the screen. These images were of trees, grass and water flowing. The scenes continued for about five minutes. Occasionally, you would see brief images of what I would imagine to be dwellings, although the producer of this film seemed to be coy about it. There were no images of cities, people or even wildlife for that matter. Whatever the purpose of this film was, they were only giving glimpses of their society.

Within a few minutes, a voice began to speak out to us, somehow in relation to the film. The voice came from no person, no speaker – it just seemed to surround us. It began by saying, greeting fellow travelers – welcome to Earthport, time one. The voice was clear to us, even though we traveled some 1500 years to get here. Please excuse the delay in communicating. Our sensors needed to adjust the vocal circuits to suit your time. With that, the voice called us each by name and verified where and when we came from. It asked us if the information was correct and as we answered, it thanked us. The voice also noted the different times that we came from, Hal and I from the late 20th century and Mark from the early 21st century. We do not usually encounter people traveling together from different eras.

Hal began questioning, have you encountered people from our era before? No was the response, although there have been travelers from before your time and some from the 22nd century. Most travelers come from the past century, a few from the future. Time traveling is not what it once was. At present, we only receive approximately 10 per year. All are welcome, but people of the last few centuries have other concerns. When can we meet with people of your time? We have pressing matters to deal with. At that the voice chucked and said that we know what your matters are – you can be open with Earthport, time one. As for people, you are welcome to go and look, but you will be hard pressed to find many living here now. Since the great reform of 3,000 (your time measurement), Earth, as you knew it, no longer exists.

Chapter 14 Welcome to Future's Past

February 1st (?), 3507

Abruptly the movie ended and the screen opened up to a vast forest of tall pines, maples and oak. The forest reminded me of pictures I've seen of the mid 19th century. The trees reached to the sky. As the screen opened we found ourselves outside in a small field, surrounded by these massive trees. The building we were in was not there – only an open area no larger than an acre in diameter. Strange, but even though we supposedly came through in February, the weather seemed more like mid-May than what you would find in the dead of winter. What do you think it meant when it said that Earth no longer exists? It sure seems fine to me. Mark noted that we could be looking at some type of hologram – we could still be in the building. I don't think so, Hal noted. I think Earthport; time one as it called itself, wanted us to see the outside. If anything, the area we were in was a hologram. What do we do next, I asked? I guess we walk, Mark noted. Getting my bearings, I pointed in the direction that the path used to be. I guess we can try there. As we proceeded, The Earthport voice announced that transportation would be provided in approximately 10 of our minutes. It suggested that we not go to far from this station because this is a designated pick-up point.

I pressed for clarification of Earth's existence, but got no answer. Within 10 of our minutes, a vehicle came in from the south, hovering over the trees and landing within 100 feet of us. As we approached we noted that there was no driver in the vehicle and we hoped that the automated vehicle knew where to take us.

Once inside, we were instructed to strap ourselves in and immediately we took off over the trees to the south. Within a couple minutes, we crossed over what I thought was the reservoir, still a majestic site after all these years. Mostly all we could see were trees; however, there did seem to be some sign of civilization near the water's edge. I guess you would call them dwellings, but they did not look like any house I was familiar with. I spoke up and asked and was told that, for lack of a better term, those dwellings could be called hostels for the travelers to Earth. Where were we going I asked? To a communications center in what you knew as Manhattan.

What do you think we will find there, Hal asked? From what I see, probably more trees Mark answered. With that said we sat back and relaxed while our pilot-less carriage took us to the Big Apple. Amazingly, I assumed that at best that the trip would take a couple hours. In fact it only took an hour. Manhattan was not what I expected. Much of the city still existed more in a museum state. Trees were plentiful, but there was still a reminder of a once majestic city. Our craft landed in the area I knew as Central Park. We landed on a Hover port that vanished into the surrounding once we stepped off. I hope we remember where we parked, Mark noted.

Once again we were greeted by a voice that came from non-existent speakers. Please proceed along the path and you will get further directions to the Communications Center. The area was definitely park like. There were birds flying and there seemed to be squirrel like animals moving about the grass. I call them squirrel like because they were shaped like a squirrel, but they had no tail and their face reminded me more of a small dog than a rodent. Almost on cue, the voice returned and noted that the creatures we were looking at was a hybrid based on a number of small creatures from the past. These creatures were genetically selected after the great reform. Why, I asked. No answer was given. I guess we will find out what we need to know when we need to know.

We approached what I would consider an ordinary building, at least in the conventional sense. The building was no more than 2 stories high with windows reaching from the ground to within a few feet of the roof. As we approached, the mysterious voice returned and told us that the Communications Center is designed to appeal to those who enter. Since you come from a time where this architecture was well known, the Center should calm any anxiety you may have about this time. We entered and found the same antiseptic style and smell that greeted us at the HorseHill facility.

We proceeded to another theater type room with that was set up in a similar fashion to the last one. This one had a more familiar look to it. The screen was covered with a red curtain and the seats moved downward to the screen, no different than a conventional movie theater. No sooner than we sat down, the curtains opened and the movie began. It opened with strangely familiar orchestra movie and the words, Welcome to Earth, your Earthport hosts are ready to serve you. The background had the same rustic look as the first film did, but this film was interactive. What is it that you seek? Can we start with a history lesson, Hal asked?

Approximately 500 of your years ago, the United Colony League voted unanimously to rebuild the Earth in a way unseen for thousands of years. After the Colony wars of your 25thcentury, Earth was nearly abandoned. The population was reduced nearly 70% and much of the environment was beyond repair. Some areas survived the war with little damage and these areas became home to the remaining refugees. In time though, most of the remaining refugees either died off or migrated to one of the League Colonies. By 2750, there were fewer than 2000 people left on Earth.

I take it that Earth lost the Colony Wars? Yes and No. The Earth forces won there share of decisive battles, but to fight a war on so many fronts and to shield oneself from all the damage, the war became more of one of attrition than anything else. As I was saying, by the year 2750, little remained of Earth's population. They were left alone and for nearly 250 of your years, there was no outside contact with the remaining population. Feelings remained bitter for a number of years and it was not for another two centuries before any serious talk came about repairing the Earth. As we approached your year 3000, the League saw great reforms in its governing body and it was decided that something needed to be done with Mother Earth. A delegation was sent to Earth to meet with whomever was left and they found a fairly small, but thriving society here. The population had grown to nearly 25,000 by then and work had started to reclaim some of the lost lands.

A vote was taken by the populace of Earth and the United Colony League to reestablish a trading relationship. Communication ports were reopened, and trading relationships were established. By the year 3050 of your time, the League and the Earth populace decided that the best thing for Earth would be to turn it into a large sanctuary – a giant national park. The Earth population would continue to live throughout the planet and manage it. There were strict quotas placed on population growth, but the world would be open to tourists who enjoyed a more rustic lifestyle. Today, there are only 2 cities with populations of 50,000 people throughout the entire world. The remainder of the populace is spread out in small communities or living in the wilds of the planet.

This city, the area you knew as New York was one of the first areas to be reclaimed. We have survived over 500 years in peaceful coexistence.

Why do speak of accepted measurement of time in the past tense? This society is based on time frame of the United League. Each of the "colonies" have longer years than Earth, so in your Year 2987, it was decided to abandon the old measurement of time and come up with a system acceptable to all parties.

Without mixing words, Hal asked – what ever happen to Jules Farfox? Was he successful? Did he somehow alter to outcome of the war? Our tour guide seemed to hesitate for a moment but returned with an answer – my records note many Jules Farfox's throughout history. There are a number of Farfox lineages that appear after the 22nd century. Some were famous; most were not.

Hal noted that the Farfox he is asking about must have been famous. He was originally a journalist from the 24th century, but we have reason to believe he somehow altered time in a grand scale. There are records of a journalist named Jules Farfox who reported for International Media in the early stages of the war. Unfortunately, he disappeared in the year 2395. It was assumed that he was a causality of the war that was never identified. Mark spoke up noting that is probably the history that is reality here. What do you mean, I asked? Farfox may have been overly driven, but he was not looking for glory. He told me this. He told me that after he is done, he would just disappear into some future time.

So if that's the case, he probably attempted to alter the war, but the war waged on, Hal noted. In that case he failed. Maybe not, Mark said. Maybe the outcome was what he planned. What do you mean, I asked? Look at it here, Mark said. Unless this is a complete illusion, it looks as close to Utopia as you will get. People died, governments fell, but in the end, something good was achieved.

I don't know if I am ready to accept the word of a computerized tour guide, Hal noted. I need more proof. There must be something that can link Farfox to today. Mr. Tour Guide, Hal said. Can you make arrangements for us to visit one of the United Colony League worlds? Why, I asked. Don't you think that we can find the information we need here? Probably not, Hal said. I think that we can all agree that the Earth has changed. Granted, 1500 years have passed since our time, but some things last. If the records we need were here, it would be a good guess that they would be found in New York City. This New York City is only a museum left to entertain the guests. No, if there are records, they will be on the colonies.

Our tour guide, in its polite computer voice told us how to make arrangements for travel. The closest colony is located on the moon, but it is also the newest one. The closest colonies that predate the war surround Mars. The estimated travel time would be 3 days. Well that's not bad Hal noted. I remember when this whole project began, travel to the original Martian colony took six months and the asteroid belt colonies took nearly 9 months.

There were no travel ports in New York. The closest port is located in the area we knew as Florida. Survivor City is one of the largest populated areas in North America. With a population of nearly 15,000, it is a large trading port with other cities on Earth along with the United Colony League. We returned to the shuttle we arrived in and proceeded to Survivor City. All of us were somewhat uncomfortable in meeting 36th century humans. I wonder how we will communicate, Mark asked. The tour guide was able to accommodate our language patterns, but there must be some type of language barrier. Even if they do speak a form of English, it must be a lot different. Hal remembered a trip he took into the early 24th century, before the war and noted that there was progress being made of translating devices. I wonder if they had any success.

Chapter 15 We Still Have Our Secrets

February 1st (?) 3057

Being a Senior Maintenance Specialist on the Planet Earth is far from exciting. First of all, Earth, for the most part, is one large wildlife reserve. What little commerce that took place required less that a 10th of the main frame's capability. For the most part, the Artwing series main frame oversaw the running of the reserve, made travel arrangements and served the educational needs of greater Earth. Artimus Stanton could work anywhere in the Federation. He was a senior specialist who either designed or was consulted in the development of the Artwing 3500. He liked Earth because there were few demands on him thus allowing him the time for more development. Most of the problems he saw were simple enough that most of his capable assistants could resolve without him.

One problem that was rarely dealt with here or elsewhere in the federation was the restriction of information. Freedom and openness are concepts that pre-date the Federation wars. Even during the wars, there were attempts to conceal some information, but there was little success. Computer systems of the time could easily disseminate information. Unfortunately, from time to time, secrecy managed to come to light. Today was one of those days. Stanton was working in his office when an alert flashed on his plasma screen informing him of tourists seeking information on a banned subject. Usually, information would work its way through the channels, but today he received a "For Your Eyes Only" alert to the Senior Specialist. What makes this all the more interesting is that the alert is over 500 years old.

The message was to inform him that 3 tourists in the Manhattan landing zone were inquiring information about Jules Farfox. It seems that Jules Farfox was a time-traveler from the old 24th century who was instrumental in the peace talks in the late 29th century. The fact that he was a time-traveler was not cause for secrecy. Time-travel has been possible for over a thousand years. It seems that it was Farfox himself who requested that the information be suppressed. Furthermore, he noted that sooner or later, individuals from our far past would come here seeking information. The description of those individuals exactly matched the men who showed up in Manhattan today.

For all the experience that Artimus Stanton had with the computer systems of the day he never considered himself an administrative person. Incidents like today only made that clearer to him. As a senior specialist he was expected to perform managerial duties to people beneath him. This was usually okay because he tended to choose people of similar personality to him. When staff issues occasionally happened, he could usually rely on a close assistant to handle problems. This was an entirely different problem but it was a problem he would have to handle. Administrative duties ultimately fell on him and this time was no different. He would have to report the incident to his superior in the Federation. He abhorred this because it would mean endless reports plus a system evaluation. Why couldn't this have happened on Phobos?

Chapter 16 Trouble in Survivor City

February 3, 3057

This is not the Florida that I remember. The Florida of my time was a vacation destination. Survivor City reminded me of a city that people take a vacation from. It wasn't a dirty city. It was too clean – almost sterile. The buildings were too symmetrical. The city lacked the style of our own era. Prior to landing our computer tour guide gave us a brief history of the city explaining that Survivor City is an example of the post-modernist era. Survivor City was developed solely for the purpose of commerce. It serves as the port of call for Earth transports. At least they could have beautified it a bit I noted. The computer, on cue noted that Survivor City serves a specific purpose. Earth is a tourist destination and therefore there was no purpose to make Survivor City part of the tourist sites. I admitted in a logical way, the computer's response made sense.

As we departed we finally met the first 36th century human. A tall slender man approached us in attire I assumed was a uniform. Surprisingly, he introduced himself in the same language we spoke. Greetings, time travelers, I am First Consul's Chief Assistant Albert Hanson. Hal spoke first noting that his first name Albert was a name used in our time. What is your time he asked? The 20 & early 21st century Mark noted. With that, Chief Assistant Hanson kindly, but firmly told us to come with him for questioning. Are we being charged with a crime Hal asked? No, not yet was his answer.

We followed Chief Assistant Hanson and as we walked, he noted how it became fashionable to give offspring pre-war names here on Earth. While this is nearly unheard of in other parts of the federation, people of Earth have tried to maintain some ties with the past. Hal again asked what we had done, but Chief Assistant Hanson ignored him, continuing to talk about nonsensical things as names, etc. Hal, becoming more defiant noted that we have rights as citizens. Citizens of what or where? Need I remind you, your Earth is long gone – long destroyed by a long ago war. You will find out in due course. As we walked we passed by many people who seemed curious about us. I guess that we are fish out of water. It is no different than bringing someone from the 12th century forward to the 20th century. We are merely relics from the past.

Mark, in an effort to break the ice, asked if other time-travelers came to Survivor City. Oh yes, we do have visitors seeking transport to other Federation Worlds. Some from the past, some from the future. If I am not mistaken, 12 people entered one of Earth's time portals over that past Federation Cycle. Why are we different Mark asked? Haven't you ever received visitors from the distant past? No we do not. One custom that has preserved was the 500-year limit of travel. 500 years from the past, 500 years from the future. I am well versed on time-travel and while there are no restrictions on where and when, it is generally agreed that 500 years is the maximum amount of travel done. Is that the law we broke Hal asked? Again Chief Assistant Hanson noted that we have not been charged with any crime, yet.

We were brought to a comfortable looking room and asked, or told to wait. If you are hungry or thirsty, you may request refreshments at the food station terminal on the far wall. Without saying anything else, Chief Assistant Hanson left us alone. At first we all sat there thinking about our situation, each unsure of what to do next. Mark was the first to speak, asking the question; don't you think this is strange? What do you mean I asked? Well for one thing the use of our language. When I first met Farfox, I took some time to do some research on time-travel. The 500-year restriction was set because it was felt that societies would have changed too drastically for people to understand. If a 21st century went back in time to say the 10th century, we probably would have great difficulty communicating with the population. Even within one's language, there are great changes in how words are used, language syntax, etc. Chief Assistant Hanson could have easily been my roommate at college. I think that I could ask him how the Marlins are doing this year and he would somehow understand.

Another thing that bothers me is the lack of people. Yes, I can buy the small population on earth, even the concept of Earth being some type of national park. Hell, even in a national park you would run across campers or hikers. This Survivor City looks like something out of an Asimov novel. Asimov's cities on Aurora were centers of commerce developed primarily for the worker robots. They lacked the beauty that can be found in cities.

The last thing that bothers me is Hanson himself. People have changed over the centuries. By my time it was common for both men and women to be over 6 feet tall and anywhere from 150 to 200 pounds. Hell, only a century before, a six-foot man would have been considered a giant. Hanson looks too much like us.

I thought about what Mark said and admitted that he was right. Everything is too perfect. Nothing is broken and nothing needs cleaning. Hell, you would think that at least one of these computers would be out of service! Come to think of it, how could they pick us out if they were not somehow looking for us? It seems that we were somehow led to this place and this time.

Hal said nothing throughout this. I turned to him intending to ask his opinion but before I could say anything he got up and left the room. As I left to follow him he seemed to have vanished. Where did he go? I don't see where he could have gone. Mark smiled and began to say that I think somehow, I am not sure how, that Hal planned all of this. What do you mean I asked? Don't you think that this is the 36th century? We all saw the coordinates. Oh I think that we are in the 36th century, but we are seeing what we want to see – not what is really here. I think that somehow our questioning triggered some type of planned response from the computer systems in Manhattan. I think that our trip up until then was real, but to be honest with you, I don't think we ever left Manhattan. But we took off, we saw the landscape, we saw the approach to Survivor City. As I said that, something triggered my mind about the word Survivor. I remember reading something about the only survivor of a devastating war who somehow made it to the Survivor City, only to find no one else there. It seemed that all the inhabitants just vanished in the middle of going about their daily life. In the end it turned out to be some type of psychological exam.

I didn't want to believe that Hal was somehow connected to this. I've known him too long. We had a lot in common and to me he seemed fixed in my own time. I have to admit that Hal is somewhat of an enigma. As I thought about it, he seemed to appear and disappear in my life. Yes we went to school together for two years, and yes he enlisted in the Army soon after we graduated, but over the past two years of my life, he periodically showed up, out of the blue. Is he from my time, or is he from this time? I want to believe that he is like me, only a traveler from a time long ago.

Mark, we need to find Hal. Although I agree that something is strange here, I'm not ready to believe that we are living out some type of psych experiment. I do think that we deserve some type of answer. I think that Hal is the key.

Mark and I left the room – nothing stopped us. The hallway looked the same as it did before. The absence of people was disturbing. If this place is real, it was designed for people to use. There are potted plants, chairs, even restrooms. I sure that computers don't need those, Mark noted. Did you see which way Hal went, Mark asked? He exited to the left, but he could have gone anywhere. As we walked, both of us noted the sameness of the hallway. I could have sworn that I walked past that plant before, I noted. Mark commented on the number of bathrooms. We have walked maybe a couple hundred yards, and we just past the third set of bathrooms. I think that is overkill in this building.

Mark no sooner finished his sentence when he asked me if I was carrying any hard object. All I had was my wallet and my keys. Give me your keys he said. Mark took my keys and threw them as hard as he could in front of him. The keys flew outward about 10 feet in front of us when suddenly the area in front of us momentarily "wobbled" and then returned to normal. What was that I asked? I think that we are in some type of holographic projection. I remember some discussion about it in college. In my time, there was some experimentation with holographic projection in which a person could actually become part of a fictional scene. Theorists indicated that with advancements in photography, computer animation, and holographic projectors, one could become part of a movie, a book scene, anything. There was some success with this technology in the first part of the 21st century. There was even talk of somehow recreating scenes of a crime to assist in criminal trials. We are now in a holographic projection room, I would guess in Manhattan.

What about Hal and Chief Assistant Hansen, I asked? I am certain that Hal is real, after all he did travel here with us. I'm guessing that Hansen is real, although made up to resemble someone we would feel comfortable with. What about this room we are in. If this technology is so old know, don't you think that they could have been somewhat more creative?

Within a minute Mark and I found ourselves on a sailboat out in what I would guess is the south Atlantic. The wind was blowing in our faces, the mist of the ocean spray dampened our clothes. It felt wonderful. The sailboat, a throwback to our time seemed to work as a real sailboat did. I guess this answers your question, Mark noted. The boat needed someone to control it because, while the day was nice, someone needed to steer the craft so we wouldn't capsize. I had some experience with sailboats, so I loosened up the main sail and maneuvered the jib to regain control of the boat. No sooner than I did that, Mark and I found ourselves on a mountain precipice, in what would seem the middle of a climb. Our clothes were suited for climbing and we both found ourselves outfitted with the proper equipment.

Someone or something is definitely testing us I noted. I think that the best thing we could do is find our way out of this maze. No sooner than I said that, Mark and I found ourselves in a room shaped like a cubicle. All four walls, floor and ceiling looked exactly the same – all painted a light blue. One could make out the door on the wall, but there did not seem to be any handles to open it. Should we try to leave, I asked?

This most be some type of projection room that we were led into. I will bet you that the flight and all we saw in Survivor City happened here. With that said, the door swung open and in walked a tall woman wearing a one-piece form-fitting outfit. Besides being overly tall (nearly 7 feet if I'm not mistaken), she looked quite human to me. She began to speak to us, but her language was foreign to both of us. I could make out some words, but it made little sense to us. She handed each of us what looked like a pill and instructed us to swallow it. At first I hesitated, but Mark felt that she was not trying to hurt us. Skeptical, I asked what made him feel that way. Intuition he noted. Lets face it, if they wanted to do us in or knock us out, why go through this entire charade?

Somehow I knew that Mark was right, so we both swallowed the pill and for a minute of so, we both felt slightly dizzy. I began to worry that we did the wrong thing. After a minute of so the dizziness passed and our hostess began to speak in a language we understood. I think now we can speak to each other, she said. I applaud you for figuring out this charade so quickly.

Where are we, I asked? You never left Manhattan Island. The people you've met are real but the trip and the city were all computer generated. Why, I asked? We created this illusion as a means to determine your ability to handle this situation. You see, we have known that you would be coming seeking information on Jules Farfox. Unfortunately, the passage of time, along with the Colony Wars and the abandonment of Earth have degraded some of the memory banks thus forcing us to piece together bits and pieces of ancient history.

I thought that Jules Farfox played a part in creating this Utopia, Mark asked? Yes he did and yes he did warn of travelers from the distant past who would seek information on him. Unfortunately, Farfox chose to remain quiet on a number of things. He felt it best that time should be mapped out naturally with minimal outside involvement. Wait a minute, I said. Farfox's tinkering with time is the reason we came here in the first place. Now you are telling me that somehow he had a change of heart and opted not to change time. Hell, his coming to the 29th century did that. With a calm voice she said, you will need to read the works of Farfox before you condemn him for doing something wrong.

What about Hal, Mark asked? Does he somehow play a bigger role in this situation? Yes he does, our still unnamed hostess said. Hal is a 20th century man who long ago chose to live in our time. What about the open portal rule? I was told, by him that in order to open and close the portal, we would have to enter and exit together if we went together. In the 20thcentury that was true. By the 23rd century, that problem was resolved. Hal continues to work in the past collecting data on ancient history as a means for us to learn more about our ancestors. For over a thousand years, we have concentrated most of our efforts to establish the colonies, make them independent and to thrive. It is only in the last few years that we discovered that we were quickly losing touch with our past. The time portals allow us to pass but what good is it without someone to guide you?

So you are telling me that the 500-year rule no longer exists? Gentlemen, look at yourselves – it did not exist in your own time. 500 is only a number – nothing else. The world was given a unique gift with the invention of the time portals. Amazingly there has been little abuse of the system that shows all of us that people can work together for a common cause.

As she was speaking, I had a revelation. Throughout this entire experience I questioned my role in this program. I am not a scientist or a mathematician. Hal and Mark can play a role, but much of the science was lost on me. One area that I am comfortable with is the science of people relationship, if that is a real term. I have always had a way of understanding people and their relationships along with the concept of society. As our hostess spoke, I understood this society's need for history. A society is nothing without its history. We share a common bond and we can help them.

We can help each other, I noted. Your society needs a tie to your past and you deserve it. Earth's history is long and colorful. You have as much right to that information as we do. We are, after all the same people. What do you want in return, she asked? You know that we can't give your society secrets to the future. No we know that, I said. We limit the use of the time portals in order to make sure that time flows in a natural state. That means that we must accept both the good and the bad. People are born and people die. That just the way it is. What we need is what we came for. We need more information on Jules Farfox. He may be the unsung hero of your time, but he threatened us with changing who we are. I am still not sure that he didn't change things for the worse. As I see things, the colony wars were inevitable and like it or not they had to play themselves out. If somehow he tampered with our time line to suit his needs, we deserve a chance to question him about this. We need to find Farfox and get his side of the story. We will not rest until this happens.

Our hostess said nothing but the silence was ended with the arrival of my absent friend Hal. Before he could say anything, I decided to speak first. How much is true and how much is a lie? Are you really my friend or has all of this been a lie? The best thing I can say is yes and yes. You were chosen long ago because of your qualifications. You are not a scientist or a mathematician. Your "unique" talent does not come from mathematical equations, it is how you understand people. From the first time I met you I understood what they meant. You can walk into a room and understand how people relate to each other merely by looking and listening. You have an understanding of fear, apprehension and happiness. That is your qualification. You have always been the right man for the job. You are young and will need to fine-tune your skills, but the day will come where you will be called to lead the time portal program. In a small way, you will play as big of a role in history as our friend Farfox.

Okay fine. Before we go any further, we want an explanation about Jules Farfox. We did not come over 1000 years in the future for some pep talk about my job qualifications. There must be another reason. No sooner than I spoke, in walked another man whom Mark immediately recognized as Jules Farfox. You deserve an answer, Farfox said and you shall get one.

Chapter 17 Finally, an Answer!

February 3, 3057

First of all, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Jules Farfox and I was born in the year 2362 on the Phobos colony. Trained in the media sciences, I eventually landed a reporting job in the International Media – the leading information service of the time. The colony wars were in full swing and little hope was in sight to an end when I was asked to do a story on a group of people who were known as the Travelers. The Travelers were a 24th century version of you. Skeptical at first, I was introduced to one of the Earthforce time portals. Since our colony was at war with the Planet Earth – I was indeed a lucky reporter for my time. As I said, my instincts told me this group was a bunch of crackpots – nothing else.

I was able to gain access to the station you are familiar with – the HorseHill Station, amazingly still called that in the 24th century. Needless to say, I quickly learned that time travel was not science fiction. The Travelers spokesman noted that his group wanted to show all the worlds that there are other options to war. People could go into the past or into the future and be shielded from the horrible effects of the war. Remember this was a war on a galactic front and much of the Earth was being devastated. The war would go back and forth for many years, but it was the Earth that took the brunt of devastation. Many people who knew of the portals took advantage of the situation and left the destruction behind.

My story was not well received. The war was too important and my editors were more concerned with body counts than with some far-fetched idea of time travel. It did get some airplay but the Travelers were seen as nothing more than dreamers. I, on the other hand quickly realized that I could make a difference in my own time. All I had to do was go back a few hundred years and try to convince a couple people to change a few things and possibly avoid a war in my time.

Going back was no problem. The Travelers were more than willing to help me – they even provided me names of individuals who could help. Remember gentlemen, those were desperate times. Society as we knew it was collapsing. It is easy to say that time must not be altered, but in our opinion it needed to be. Mark was about to respond, but Hal gestured him to be quiet for the time being. Farfox continued noting his meeting with Roger McGinnis. McGinnis was seen in his time as somewhat of a rebel. He was outspoken, but he knew when to shut his mouth. He was well aware of the time portal system and he was an expert in historical transfers of data. McGinnis provided me information I needed to "nudge" the future, possibly to a better outcome. Unfortunately there were two obstacles – an Io government agent from my time and … you two. Us, I asked? How did we stand in your way?

Before I answer that, let me explain the first obstacle. Do you remember your first venture to Canada? Of course I do, for me it was only a few weeks ago. Yes, I believe that your contact was a woman named Joyce? Yes, Joyce worked in the Earthforce Canada office outside of Montreal. She was my scheduled contact person. Well Joyce was more than that. She was the Io government agent I spoke of who was sent back to pursue me. Yes I remember her mentioning that someone also was asking questions about you, but why did she tell me that? I can't answer that, Farfox said. I believe that she was trying to abstract more information from you or possibly lead you in the wrong direction. Nonetheless, she proved to be one of my Achilles heels, so to speak.

McGinnis provided me sufficient information but no matter where I went, she somehow managed to show up, tipping people off. I traveled back as far as I could but the farther back I went, my options became more limited. There was a point in history where changing small scale events had little bearing on the future.

What do you mean, I asked? For every action there are infinite possibilities, I believe the theory states. Let us say that you were to go back 500 years in your past and kill a man. Let us say that man was one of two people – one that he was a direct descendent of one of your 20th century presidents – Franklin Roosevelt or possibly he was a descendent of another 20th century figure – Adolph Hitler. Unfortunately (or fortunately) you killed this man prior to him fathering a child. As we all know if that happened, there would be no way for either person to be born or therefore he could play no role in the 20th century, am I correct? I nodded yes. Well that is true. If this man were killed prior to fathering a child, than one of the other could never exist. Remember the infinite possibilities part of the theory. Over time, others could arise who would take on a similar role. The conditions may have been ripe for someone similar to an Adolph Hitler or a Franklin Roosevelt to fulfill that role. People are shaped both by their heritage and their surroundings. If future actions are to take place, changing one or two figures, even key figures probably wouldn't make much difference.

Mark spoke up and said, yes that would be true and the consequences of your action may make thing worse than they could have been, or better. Infinite possibilities, Farfox answered. You may change one or two key figures, but events probably wouldn't have changed. The closer you get to an event the better the chance is of changing the event because a person's role is more apparent. I knew that at the dawn of the 21st century, the mechanisms were in place that would lead to the creation of space colonies. The technology wasn't there, but the ideas were. By McGinnis' time, the colony building had begun and it was too late to stop eventual war. That may not have been true in the early 20th century.

Okay, I think we understand, but if intervention was the best course of action then, was inaction the best course now? It seems that you've helped create some type of Utopia here, but what does that mean for the future? I still cannot believe that somehow you mapped time out in a way you wanted to. Life continually evolves and in the process change happens. The dinosaurs lived and the dinosaurs died. Rome rose and Rome fell. I don't think that we have the right to change that. Farfox looked and me and slowly grinned. I agree with you. Time must not be changed – no matter how small the change.

Chapter 18 An Unfortunate Accident

February 3, 3057

Considering the outcome, any changes made in the past did help the future. It is easy to shrug it off and say, that the outcome of the Colony Wars would have led to a peaceful co-existence. It could have just as easily ended in the destruction of the life as we knew it. I wish that it could have been so simple.

As he said this, Jules Farfox suddenly lost his confident snugness. He now looked like a man carrying a heavy burden that could never be lifted. What happened I asked? When you commit yourself to changing the future, you must accept the possibility of a paradox. The travelers told me this. Once you make a change, everything you knew – quite possibly yourself could cease to exist from any time. Accept that, or do nothing. It was as simple as that. I accepted it and made my trip into history, with Joyce, the Io government agent tailing my every move. Why do you think Joyce, one of many agents from a number of worlds, would be chosen for this assignment? I spoke up and answered that Joyce was chosen because Joyce knew you. Joyce understood you and she, unlike anybody else, could anticipate your next move.

Yes and I never mentioned that Joyce's married name was Farfox, former wife of Jules Farfox, reporter for International Media and mother of two children – a boy and a girl. Joyce was well aware of my intentions and knew the potential of my actions. With that she accepted the assignment and was fairly successful in thwarting my actions. Unfortunately she wasn't entirely successful. Joyce and I were born on the Io colony. As one of the early colonies, Io was well established by the time we were born. Generations of families called Io home. Roger McGinnis, The Earthforce engineer that Mark met and whom I had developed a working relationship with was able to "slow" down the colonization of the colony by a few months in an effort to help my noble cause. In doing so, this delayed the departure of some of the colonies first settlers by a few months. This delay meant that some of the "planned" settlers went on with their lives on Earth and never went to Io, as originally happened. One of these planned settlers became an accident victim five months after the original departure date and one month before the rescheduled date. That person died from their injuries, never to depart for Io and never to become an ancestor of Joyce Farfox. In an instant, Joyce and my children ceased to exist. I and only I can remember who they were. For everyone else in this large galaxy – they never even existed. Nothing, I mean nothing can be done to change that. Once a paradox is created, no force in the universe can change it.

Stunned, we knew of nothing to say. The well-intentioned Farfox had inadvertently opened Pandora's Box and could do nothing to put back what was lost. He created his own living Hell with good intentions. I have learned to live with it is what he said. I have spent a lifetime trying to undo what was done. I still shudder to think what lives were lost by my tinkering with time. You can run until the end of time and never outrun your own thoughts. That is why I am staying here in this time. I've done enough damage in the past. I only hope that no more time tinkers have done what I have done.

Any anger that I harbored towards Farfox quickly dissolved into sympathy. I remember Joyce, I said. Why is that? Why do I share that piece of time with you? You share it because by some freak accident, you were in a warp bubble traveling when McGinnis changed the schedule, our hostess said. The warp bubble removes travelers from this space-time continuum. The traveler ceases to exist here and reappears somewhere else. The original process required the user to keep the point of origin open so he or she could safely return to the point. The creators of the time portal knew that the traveler was removed from the space-time continuum and believed they had to keep the doorway open – as a kind of marker in order to return. This theory remained intact for a few hundred years. By the 23rd century the technology had developed enough where markers were no longer needed. Warp bubbles could be controlled. A traveler could go to a specific date and time and return to their point of origin. One thing that is for certain, whether or not you set a marker, the traveler ceases to exist during their movement and will only re-exist once they exit the warp bubble.

Because of this, time has no meaning. You are removed from time. Since all actions in this existence are controlled by the passage of time. You and anyone traveling are immune to that. You left the space-time continuum knowing Joyce. Joyce was removed from the time while you were gone; therefore leaving you with her memory when you returned. This is what happened to Farfox. He left with the memory of his wife and children and retained them when he returned.

We have welcomed Farfox and Hal into our time and ask that you leave them alone. Hal will continue to travel. Jules Farfox has agreed not to. He will die sometime in our future. Please let him be. Mark and I both looked at each other. We knew that even if we wanted to, we were powerless to bring back Farfox. We said our goodbyes to Jules Farfox and to Hal. Hal assured me that we would meet again. My mission and Mark's had only begun. With that we left the building and headed back to our transport vessel back to HorseHill.

Chapter 19 Graduation Day

May 12, 1985

Nearly three years have passed since I joined the time portal program. I came back leaving Mark in his time. Although I knew bits and pieces of my own future, I decided to let the process go as natural as possible. There was a part of me that felt that this may not have been real or somehow I changed my own future. I was not asked to travel any since my last trip and in that time I went back to college and finished my degree. I received my diploma with the three hundred or so other graduates with a sense of accomplishment and a sense of fear of the future. Probably not unlike most others in that hall that day. I don't recall any type of pay arrangement when I joined the time portal program and since I haven't been called since I returned. I knew that my next course of action was to get a job.

Graduation ended and we said our goodbyes. Each of us knew that there was a good chance we would never see each other again. Soon afterward I made the trip back home and was greeted with a graduation party from family and friends. Not two hours past and the telephone rang. I had my next mission. I was needed at HorseHill the following day. So much for my future!