alarmed.
“David. Dr. Bennett David,” Paul said. “The Father of Time Travel.”
“David,” she repeated. “Didn’t he become…sort of…?”
Paul nodded. “Yes, well, before all that, he was a brilliant theoretician. He reasoned that for the universe to maintain its equilibrium there had to be contrapositive wormholes. For every wormhole that linked a time and point in space with another time and point in space there had to be a wormhole that linked back that point at a future time with the original time and point. And anything that came through the first wormhole could go back through the contrapositive wormhole without needing to be accelerated again.”
Amanda nodded slowly. “And since there are an infinite number of wormholes-”
“Virtually infinite,” Paul corrected.
“Virtually infinite, whatever that means, you just identify the one you want and get on.”
”Exactly.”
“Why didn’t the canister come back then?”
Lewis spoke up. “I selected a wormhole whose contrapositive had not yet occurred. Otherwise we never would have known if the canister had gone anywhere since the departure and arrival times are identical.”
“Ah, I see. So you just have to go someplace, do whatever, and return to that same spot in time for the return trip.”
“There is some window of allowance, but yes,” Lewis explained.
Amanda shook her head. “So you’ll pop down the rabbit hole and boom, Alice lands in Wonderland.”
“Boom,” Paul repeated.
“Have you done it yet? I mean, with people?” Amanda asked.
“No, not yet,” Paul answered. “But it’s still just a matter of time.”
“Cute joke,” Amanda retorted.
“Sorry,” Paul apologized.
“I liked it,” Amanda said, studying the Roadrunner. “So, why me?”
“Will you help us?” Paul asked.
“Need a flesh and bones guinea pig to send back first?” Amanda asked.
“No, Amanda, we’d never test on a person what we weren’t absolutely sure–”
“Paul, lighten up, it was a joke. Seriously, what do you need me for? I don’t know anything about time travel. How can I help?”
“We need you to pinpoint the time and location for us,” Lewis said.
“What do you mean ‘pinpoint?” she asked cautiously.
“When should we go back?” Lewis continued. “Identify a nerve point, a crucial step that we can undo. We’re not going back with an army; it’s me and Paul. We need to draw up the mission before we go back, freelancing won’t work.”
“What mission?” she asked warily.
Lewis looked at Paul before turning back to Amanda.
“Your mission,” Lewis said, “should you decide to accept it, is to go back to a point in time in the old United States and change something that will prevent the demise of the U.S. of A.”
There were several moments of silence before anyone spoke. Finally Amanda asked deliberately, “That’s it? That’s all you want to do? You’re not talking science here, you’re talking history, changing fucking history.”
“Yeah, well, Paul and I feel that ‘fucking history’ as you call it hasn’t been so great for the good guys and if there were a different one we might all be better off. So that’s what Paul and I want to do.”
“You and Paul? Oh, I don’t even get the fun part?” Amanda asked.
“Well, uh, certainly if you’d like,” Paul said, cutting a glance at Lewis who shrugged and drank some beer. “I mean we didn’t assume you’d want to, it’s pretty risky–”
“No riskier than asking me to join you.”
Paul stopped with a slightly panicked look on his face. Amanda burst out laughing.
“Paul, you really can’t see a joke when it hits you in the face, can you?” Amanda asked. “Of course I’ll do whatever I can to help you guys.”
Paul let out a sigh. “I really didn’t know what you were going to say.”
“So, you were taking a chance?” Amanda asked.
He nodded. “Lewis and I talked about whether we should include you.”
“I can be trusted. Even if it does mean that when I
“David. Dr. Bennett David,” Paul said. “The Father of Time Travel.”
“David,” she repeated. “Didn’t he become…sort of…?”
Paul nodded. “Yes, well, before all that, he was a brilliant theoretician. He reasoned that for the universe to maintain its equilibrium there had to be contrapositive wormholes. For every wormhole that linked a time and point in space with another time and point in space there had to be a wormhole that linked back that point at a future time with the original time and point. And anything that came through the first wormhole could go back through the contrapositive wormhole without needing to be accelerated again.”
Amanda nodded slowly. “And since there are an infinite number of wormholes-”
“Virtually infinite,” Paul corrected.
“Virtually infinite, whatever that means, you just identify the one you want and get on.”
”Exactly.”
“Why didn’t the canister come back then?”
Lewis spoke up. “I selected a wormhole whose contrapositive had not yet occurred. Otherwise we never would have known if the canister had gone anywhere since the departure and arrival times are identical.”
“Ah, I see. So you just have to go someplace, do whatever, and return to that same spot in time for the return trip.”
“There is some window of allowance, but yes,” Lewis explained.
Amanda shook her head. “So you’ll pop down the rabbit hole and boom, Alice lands in Wonderland.”
“Boom,” Paul repeated.
“Have you done it yet? I mean, with people?” Amanda asked.
“No, not yet,” Paul answered. “But it’s still just a matter of time.”
“Cute joke,” Amanda retorted.
“Sorry,” Paul apologized.
“I liked it,” Amanda said, studying the Roadrunner. “So, why me?”
“Will you help us?” Paul asked.
“Need a flesh and bones guinea pig to send back first?” Amanda asked.
“No, Amanda, we’d never test on a person what we weren’t absolutely sure–”
“Paul, lighten up, it was a joke. Seriously, what do you need me for? I don’t know anything about time travel. How can I help?”
“We need you to pinpoint the time and location for us,” Lewis said.
“What do you mean ‘pinpoint?” she asked cautiously.
“When should we go back?” Lewis continued. “Identify a nerve point, a crucial step that we can undo. We’re not going back with an army; it’s me and Paul. We need to draw up the mission before we go back, freelancing won’t work.”
“What mission?” she asked warily.
Lewis looked at Paul before turning back to Amanda.
“Your mission,” Lewis said, “should you decide to accept it, is to go back to a point in time in the old United States and change something that will prevent the demise of the U.S. of A.”
There were several moments of silence before anyone spoke. Finally Amanda asked deliberately, “That’s it? That’s all you want to do? You’re not talking science here, you’re talking history, changing fucking history.”
“Yeah, well, Paul and I feel that ‘fucking history’ as you call it hasn’t been so great for the good guys and if there were a different one we might all be better off. So that’s what Paul and I want to do.”
“You and Paul? Oh, I don’t even get the fun part?” Amanda asked.
“Well, uh, certainly if you’d like,” Paul said, cutting a glance at Lewis who shrugged and drank some beer. “I mean we didn’t assume you’d want to, it’s pretty risky–”
“No riskier than asking me to join you.”
Paul stopped with a slightly panicked look on his face. Amanda burst out laughing.
“Paul, you really can’t see a joke when it hits you in the face, can you?” Amanda asked. “Of course I’ll do whatever I can to help you guys.”
Paul let out a sigh. “I really didn’t know what you were going to say.”
“So, you were taking a chance?” Amanda asked.
He nodded. “Lewis and I talked about whether we should include you.”
“I can be trusted. Even if it does mean that when I
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