Mark and Maddy Chapter 36: Future is Past Part 8 - World Travelers.

Because they could teleport instantly anywhere, over the next couple of weeks, they really made progress on their American sightseeing and camping itinerary, and added a couple of places like Niagara Falls, the ancient place where lovers always went for honeymoons in the original dimension's timeline. Where there was civilization, they stayed as guests of the people there, and made friends wherever they went. They were so happy together seeing the places of their dreams, and with the dedicated alone time together, fell even deeper in love together, which amazed them that was possible.

While the people of New Earth weren't into eavesdropping and voyeuristic behaviors, they all enjoyed the couple's little notes and memoirs, and cute images of Mark and Maddy that they left as they conducted their journey on the worldwide communications networks when the showed up at museums and parks of the day, and met others along the way. It was the New Earth's equivalent of social media. All the New Earth people were very impressed by how engaging and gracious the pair was, and not overwhelmed by the sometimes inconceivable differences between Terra Nova and New Earth. Nearly everyone could tell them their lineage back to Terra Nova. Some of those connections amused Mark and Maddy greatly, as some of these people's ancestors were people they never thought would ever get married, much less to each other.

There would be so many secrets to hold inside when they got back to Terra Nova, but Mark and Maddy vowed to do so, to protect these people from them from being changed by anything they did or didn't do in history.

A few times along the way, Maddy got queasy and sick to her stomach. One day she just hurled everything.

Mark fretted, "Are you OK, honey?"

Looking a little green from nausea and all the lost food, she said a little unsteadily as he helped clean her up, "Yes, Mark. It must be something that disagreed with me."

Mark was a little suspicious, but didn't press the issue. Neither of them said anything, as they didn't want their worry-wart handlers Angela and Trevor to bring them home while they were having the time of their lives.

Their itinerary expanded to Europe and Asia. They were awestruck at their visit to the Swiss Alps, a truly blue Danube, the White Cliffs of Dover and a very different London, the shores of Normandy and New France. One thing was the same - the French were still the best cooks and wine makers. The couple was even more amazed when they visited the cozy warm and safe observation dome at the summit of Mount Everest, something unthinkable in their day. It was pressurized and floated in the air within feet of the peak on which they could step out and look across the world. They took the tour option of going outside in the -50 degree air that was barely breathable, but went back inside in a hurry.

"Wow. No one did that in our age since before 2100!"

"I don't know how Sir Edmund Hilary did that in 1956 for months of climbing without dying."

"He and the Sherpa's were a different breed of people," Mark reflected.

"Sort of like us," he said and she nuzzled with a big hug, fighting near constant upset stomach that she didn't want to worry Mark about.

…

When they got to the Dinosaur Museum at what would have been the Yucatán peninsula in the original Mexico, they saw just how different life was from their version of 2149. There was actual video imagery of the impact event that the Terra Novans of 65 million years ago recorded of the horrendous impact of the asteroid into that part of Mexico, with its and hemispherical and eventually worldwide destruction, extinguishing the dinosaurs and a lot of other life on Earth of the Cretaceous Era. The Terra Novan civilization had already been around an unthinkable 25 million years from the start of their simple colony and was about a million strong by then. The continuity of the human race from their time on was truly staggering, especially that the civilization of New Earth remained dedicated to the Terra Nova life style and for the most part unchanged emotionally and philosophically except for the technology, their telepathy, and much longer lifespan due to a more pristine and unpolluted world, with very advanced medicine.

They met the curator at the entrance. The man, a descendant of their Dr. Malcolm Wallace, bowed embarrassingly deeply at them and gushed, "I am Dr. Ephraim Wallace at your service. We are honored to have you here, Mother Maddy and Father Mark Reynolds."

Mark joked at the needlessly formal honors, "I thought you guys were telepathic and the word would get around. Everyone needs to know to just call us 'Mark and Maddy' please."

Maddy quipped, "I prefer Maddy and Mark, however."

They laughed together, set at ease with Maddy's joke, "As you wish, Maddy and Mark. What brings you here? Didn't you get enough of the dinosaurs back then? You actually had to deal with them every day."

Mark gave his wife a fake look of dismay at the fact that the curator did address her first, to which she stuck out her tongue that Dr. Wallace did not see, and noted in jest, "We're actually homesick for them."

The curator got a look of surprise and was flustered at what to say next, which amused them both as their Dr. Wallace often got flustered too with everyday behaviors.

"He's kidding. Ignore my husband," Maddy rolled her eyes and jabbed him, although a wave of dizziness seized her and she held his arm tighter to keep standing.

More seriously, Mark asked the curator, not noticing her dizzy spell, "Tell us what happened to them. In our 2149 it was all a bunch of theories. You folks lived it first hand."

The Doctor laughed, perhaps a little nervously, and explained, "Yes. The asteroid did smash into Yucatán 65 million years ago, and extinguished a lot of the planet's life. We could not stop it. Despite being a space-faring civilization for millions of years already, we could not stop something that big. We refused to develop nuclear weapons, did not time travel into the original dimension and time line to take one. Those were the only things that would stop this asteroid. In fact, we didn't want to stop it. We ran the temporal analysis in the Time Institute. Computers were primitive then, but we did ultimately discover dinosaurs and humans could not coexist on the planet. We had to let them die."

They were shocked, equally about not wanting to stop the asteroid as well as letting the dinosaurs go extinct. That was not consistent with their precepts of preservation and coexistence.

"Why was that?" Mark asked carefully, needing to know if there was something that just slipped out that was sinister about the New Earth civilization being hidden from them.

The curator explained, catching Mark's suspicious tone, "Consider the timeline possibility of evolved, bipedal, intelligent dinosaurs four times human strength that would compete for supremacy with humans on the planet if we destroyed the asteroid. You thought your world wars were horrible. We projected an intelligent dinosaur/human joint nuclear annihilation that would result in no life at all being left on the planet. That really wasn't Terra Nova's desire to become a radioactive cinder, was it?"

"Oh… true…" Mark interjected; a little ashamed he doubted the sincerity of the curator and the people here.

New Earth's Dr. Wallace continued, "So we prepared for a century to live underground to survive the asteroid for a decade in a much bigger Outpost B, actually several of them, separated across the globe to help our survival if one or more failed, fed mostly by algae and other plants in vast underground hydroponic gardens, or for those who didn't want to live underground, or in the southern tropics, which would be affected less by a northern hemisphere calamity. The Earth is an amazing resilient thing, within limits. In only five years the planet recovered enough to emerge from the 'asteroid winter' impact effects, but the extinctions were worse than the original time line. Primates did not emerge with the rest of the mammals. We had no competition. None of the other protohominids arose that Dr. Leakey and others studied in the Twentieth Century. Neanderthals never came about. Some called it divine will. Homo sapiens was and is the only intelligent species on the New Earth."

They were thunderstruck, but craved more, "So how did you all survive another 65 million years peacefully and mostly unchanged?"

The curator chuckled, "Well, we're only all about dinosaurs here, Mark and Maddy. I'd go visit the Museum of New Earth History in what would have been Washington DC or talk to Trevor and Angela about it."

"You were a gracious host sir, mind if we continue to look around more?"

He gave them the invitation to feel free to look at anything for as long as they wanted. They spent the rest of the day enjoying the dinosaur history, displays and videos that they and their Terra Novan progeny recorded in the many generations following, watching new dinosaurs species come about and then perish in the cold and dark time of the asteroid impact. They looked at the collection of fossilized skeletons they remembered as children. They continued to be astonished that their people lived among the dinosaurs for another 25 million years.

On the way out, Mark joked, "Doctor, do you know the about the Triceratops replica?"

"Yes Mark. What about it? Is there something inaccurate?"

"It's too gray. They had a lot more tan and brown mottling, but it was really subtle."

Dr. Wallace was appreciative of the corrections, "Anything else, Mark?"

"Actually there is. The Rex' - they drooled way more than the simulation shows."

They all laughed, "We'll get right on that. Thank you, Mark and Maddy, for visiting us."

…

The pair camped on the pristine beaches of what would have been the Cancun resort area of the early 21st Century. They were alone, and loved each other right on the open beach under the unbelievable star-filled night sky. They were excited to do that, with the water swirling around their spent bodies afterward. The acidity of the beach in their 2149 and dimension would have burned their nude skins terribly, and laying on the beach was dangerous in Terra Nova's time, with ocean crocodiles and certain amphibian species of Ichthyosaurs. If they were caught making love on the beach in those times, they'd be a 'dino snack treat'. Life was so very wonderfully different here. And safer.

Taking the recommendation from the Dinosaur Museum curator, the next morning they transported to what was DC in the original timeline, they visited the History Museum, and learned much as they strolled the many hallways and displays, most interactive. There was a settlement there, but it wasn't the seat of government, and was mostly museums, tourist attractions, and sailing along the majestic Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.

As they got a personally guided tour, Maddy asked their guide, "So how did civilization beyond us survive 85 million years mostly intact as we envisioned it? I can scarcely conceive of that longevity."

The history museum tour guide said, "It wasn't always peaceful, but nothing like your civilization's timeline - the other 2149. Your foes tried a few more incursions, but you survived them. The woman you called Mira understood the ultimate truth of Terra Nova, and that conflict was resolved. What she and her followers brought to the world was a healthy skepticism and hearty debate about issues before we went headlong into new directions. The Council owes its roots to debates. There are many of her descendants in the world today. I am one."

Mark and Maddy almost flinched at this admission, knowing their foe, but appreciated that Mira finally came to see things their way, which led to this pleasant young black woman.

"We did mostly keep the discipline of two children per family, knowing what 27 billion people did to your world, but it wasn't enforced by Population Police. People were self motivated to generally keep with two. Sometimes, like your mother, there were three or even four children, so little by little we grew. Everyone understood what overpopulation did to the Original Earth. We know that there is a parallel dimension, the original timeline, and that exists side by side even now with us, but it is dying. We, your children, are ever grateful for what you Founding Mothers and Fathers did for us. We realize you gave us all a second chance. We do not want to, as Mark would say, 'screw that second chance up'. There are about one hundred fifty million people living in New Earth. The world remains largely pristine as a result of fewer people, the clean energy and technologies you brought back with you to Terra Nova and we perfected further. We, like you, care for the planet, using its resources and our technologies wisely. And of course now we have better ways to have a conservation culture."

"It all sounds so beautiful. How can we repay you?"

"It is not for you to repay us. You lived your lives as you did in Terra Nova so we could exist in a beautiful world you preserved with technology and philosophy of life of peace with one another that lasted the epochs."

"It truly seems perfect. But What do you do with your lives?"

"We have jobs just like you of every kind. Everyone has their place. Crime is basically non existent, as is unemployment. We've eliminated hunger and poverty. Health and long life is better than it ever was. Methuselah himself would be pleased with our life spans. Many of the walks of life you'd recognize in technology, services, arts and culture, civil service, restaurants, utilities, and communications exist. There is a financial systems but not as crazy as yours. We could have automated everything and some tried to but we realized people would get bored, and with boredom comes restlessness and conflict."

"We aren't a utopia in the negative sense that the ancient science fiction books describe either, and believe us when we say we learned from those too. There is free will, but reasoning and logic go hand in hand with love for one another and so it all works. And like Trevor told you, it's pretty hard to practice evil and deceit with no hidden thoughts."

"We had our own less vile versions of too much automation and robotics, but didn't make the same mistakes and let our world be destroyed by huge mistakes. The fusion energy and renewable energy that Terra Nova had from the beginning never evolved back into weapons. Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Tehran, Seoul, and Philadelphia are still fresh on our minds from your records. No one wants a repeat of those things."

Maddy had to ask, "What about space exploration? And how far?"

"Yes. We travel the stars. It's not as easy as science fiction would have foreseen it, but we still visit other worlds. Space is a very big place and so every journey is years. There's a big base on the moon and Mars."

"Aaand…? Mark grinned while asking the nagging question of their time.

"Yes there is intelligent life on other planets. Mostly humanoid and a couple of reptilian races. That's about it. Silica based life and insect life just can't create intelligence. Their neurosynapses just aren't the same. Most of intelligent life is pretty friendly, but when it is not, distances are still vast so we can avoid contact. You will be relieved that there are no Super Races that can crush us like bugs. They all have enough problems of their own. It's actually a pretty mundane universe with those races blessed enough to survive their own guided evolution and reach for the stars. We do believe there was a supreme force in the universe and it was very wise. It appears to all of us sentient races that that being kept all the superpowers and miracles for himself. Very sound reasoning."

Maddy was very anxious, "Speaking of the vastness of the universe. Can we go into space? We'll never ever get there back in Terra Nova."

"It can be arranged. You'll have to go to Kennedy Space Center and get checked out for flight."

They blinked at the identical name, and the guide acknowledged, "It seemed like a good thing to keep the old name."

They were very excited. A passenger ship was going up a few days later to make a week long tour of the solar system to the moon, Mars and the outer planets. They booked the flight with Trevor's help and went to bed to get their rest.

…

Trevor had watched and heard all the proceedings. He was amused that they were like kids in a candy store. Their innocence at the constant historical revelations was refreshing.

He got a mental hail from Dr. Lowell at his home office after signing off with Mark and Maddy on their communicators about the space flight, and Trevor replied, "What is it, Brian?"

Brian replied, "You asked me if there was any change in their vitals. Well there is, I am pleased to report."

"And?" Trevor smiled in anticipation.

"Mother Madeline is pregnant, but it's early to tell the baby's sex yet. She has a very viable embryo right now. Maddy is a very healthy woman for their standards of their time."

He knew that, but asked, "When?"

"Within the first week they got here. Those two are very physical. More than history records."

Sharing the thoughts, Angela smiled broadly, and rubbed her stomach too. She'd just told Trevor today from her own doctor. He touched her stomach and smiled.

Trevor sat up, "Brian, monitor the baby closely. You're the best doctor on the planet. Make sure it is viable if it is a girl. Fifteen million members of our civilization depend on it. Keep her pregnant at all costs."

"Yes, Councilman."

"Now all we have to do is get them back safely when time permits. Have you figured out how to selectively erase their memories of their time here?"

"No Trevor. Their minds are more cluttered than ours. They lack the discipline of partitioning their minds as we do. If I do the procedure, I erase everything they know."

"Damn. Well we cannot do that. She has several important inventions yet to create. And besides, it would be a shame to wipe their minds. You must find a way for selective erasure without harming them. That's a shame they can't be allowed to remember us. They are delightful people, despite that blasted tenacity of theirs. ."

"I think they all had it. That's why they survived to sire all of us."

"True that, dear friend. And Brian?"

"Trevor?"

"Thanks for this information and keeping watch on them."

"You're welcome. "

Trevor smirked about the information about Maddy's pregnancy, "You could be a little more happy about this good news."

"Don't forget I am an ancestor of Commander Taylor, Trevor."

"I definitely see that you've inherited most of his sour, cranky attitude genes…"

With a strong tone of irony, Brian added, "Thank you, Councilman."

They dropped contact.

Trevor turned to his true love, and asked out loud, "Angela?"

"Yes, honey."

'You and Maddy got pregnant the same morning."

"I am well aware of that sweetheart. Let's celebrate that. This means you will get to exist, and all the others. All 15 million of you."

Trevor fumbled like a high school boy faced with his first time, "Celebrate? Like… uh... we did when we uh… got pregnant?"

"Yes. If it's good enough for Mark and Maddy, it's good enough for us. It took them to show all of us that we need to remember our humanity over our technology."

He commanded the home computer, "Lights off!"

And the pair started to giggle like they were twenty again. Angela was amused he could still pick her up in his arms like she was a feather.

…

That night as Mark and Maddy settled in for sleep at the top of Victoria Falls, Maddy managed to fight down her nausea while being held in her husband's arms. She started counting days and weeks on her fingers, and then smiled broadly. She was well past when her period should have been. Mark was already asleep, but she vowed he'd get two surprises when they awoke – her loving embrace, and the good news. Which might just precipitate another loving embrace, which would be just fine with her in those strong arms of his.