TIME TRAVELLER'S ASSIGNMENT II: VARIANT PARADOX

As the glow around the grandfather clock faded, sending its occupant to an uncertain future, Philbert turned around and sat back down at his work bench.

The predawn light worked its away into his workshop, bookending a long night.

Gently moving aside his latest repair work, part of a more mundane clock, he waved his hand over the bench to bring up the holographic display screen and keyboard, bring up the last communique from the head of TARP from two days ago.

<ADDRESSED TO AGENT PHILBERT, ** / ** / 1911>

CRITICAL ALPHA, PARADOX OMEGA IMPORTANCE

Timeline alteration incursion occurs. Origin point at Belfast shipyard. Saboteur with future knowledge. Details appended. Stop and/or amend at all costs.

<END COMMUNIQUE>

The order came from the distant future, one that was under threat from being erased from existence courtesy of what possibly does happen but yet what that could still be prevented.

Steepling his fingers, Philbert paused as he gathered his thoughts before proceeding to tap away on the bench, a tactile affectation he enjoyed using versus verbal recording, making his report of the night's events.

<Worked my way into the shipyard posing as constable on patrol tonight after intercepting member of shipyards security detail. Managed to acquire saboteur with minimal fuss>

He paused as he rubbed his eyes. Tiredness was creeping in. Leaning back against his chair, he recalled his interaction with the saboteur.

*******

"Unhand me at once." demanded the middle-aged man, bald at the top but with grey hair at the sides. "And take these damn cuffs off me."

He stopped and thrust his cuffed hands before him, the jangling sound loud in the din of the night.

The constable, clad in his uniform, looked back at the man non-plussed.

"You people have no idea that I just saved the world." said the man.

At this, the constable replied. "No, I don't believe you have, Alric."

The man looked surprised. "You know who I am?"

"Yes, I do. I've been looking out for you." said the constable. With one hand still on Alric, the constable waved at the air in front of him only for a portal to shimmer into existence. He stepped through, pulling Alric behind with him.

With a puff of displaced air, the portal closed, startling Alric, who jumped slightly away from the constable. "Who the devil are you?”

Alric did not finish his sentence as he took in what was before him. They were in a white room, furnished by a white table and two chairs. The constable no longer looked as such, their attire replaced with an overcoat, underwhich looked like street clothes.

Alric's eyes were drawn, however, to the badge on the stranger's coat. He mouthed out the letters, TARP.

"Now that we are out of the view of possible prying eyes, let me introduce myself. My name is Philbert, Agent Philbert Walton of the Temporal Amendment, Restoration, Protection agency.” Philbert made his way to one of the chairs and sat down, gesturing to Alric to do so as well. He tapped at the desk and a holographic display lit up before him.

Hesitantly, Alric approached the chair and sat down. "This is a TARP holding cell?"

Philbert looked around. "Quite…. Your record indicates you've been in one once before. So you know what happens if you decide to try anything in here?"

Alric nodded.

Philbert continued. "Let's see. You were charged with chronomapping for the purposes of financial gain. We'll you've obviously broke your parole condition of not utilising a time traveling device. But that's not why we are here today is it?"

Alric shook his head defiantly. "No, I was here to save the future of the world and humanity."

"From what?" asked Philbert.

Alric scoffed. "As if you would listen."

"No, please." Philbert sat back, his hand's wide. "I'm curious as to your level of understanding on what you have tried to do."

Alric paused before leaning. "I'm trying to save us from the fate that results from its current stagnation in the future."

"That so? and how does sabotaging a nearly finished ocean liner accomplish this?"

Alric went to reach into his dockworker's attire's vest with his right hand but hesitated a moment. "May I?"

"Go ahead." encouraged Philbert.

Alric's hand went into the vest pocket and pulled out a large sparkling crystal and held it in the palm of his right hand. Lights started to swirl from the crystal and became a display analogous to the holographic screen that Philbert had nearby.

It showed an ocean liner arriving at a dockyard, a member of royalty riding a carriage through a parade through people generally enjoying peaceful times and an idyllic looking green world.

Alric spoke as if narrating the images being shown, finished. “If I am a saboteur, all I’m guilty of is the sabotage of a timeline that does not lead to a peaceful idyllic world.”

Philbert had watched and listened intently, with his chin resting on his steepled fingers. After a moment, he tapped out on the table before him, pressing upon some controls.

“What you have done, Alric, is allowed yourself to be duped by a fraudulent crystal ball into creating a destructive paradox variant timeline.” said Philbert.

Alric looked alarmingly aghast, firstly at the crystal in his hand, then at Philbert. “This crystal ball as you called showed me how to bring peace.”

“I’m sure you mean well. Road to hell and all that.” Philbert stood up and looked Alric in the eye. “I assume you are familiar with H.G. Wells book, Time Machine?”

“Of course.” replied Alric.

Philbert tapped a holographic button on the table before him. His display changed to a scene matching the crystal’s before playing on, showing the peaceful humans were slaves and at prey to brutish humanoids.

Alric looked shock. “Is this a …..”

“A film. One of the many adaptations of that novel.” Philbert stepped away from the table and started pacing about the room. “For what it’s worth, you would have saved millions of lives from war in the twentieth century but at the cost of billions falling into slavery in the future not quite unlike to man’s fate in Time Machine.”

Alric looked mortified and confused.

Noting this, Philbert explained. “Modifying the ocean liner’s hull as you have done would have caused it to indeed survive the trip to America so that family of the instigator of World War One would have brought him over as well. Thus preventing said war and reduce much of the first half of the twentieth century to sabre rattling but peaceful times, at least until the original troublemaker countries start causing…. problems.”

Philbert turned to Alric, appraising him for a moment. For his part, Alric simply replied, “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“From humanity’s point of view, I suppose not but other extraterrestrial races watching us thought we were now vulnerable and ripe for the taking.” said Philbert.

Alric’s forehead started showing beads of sweat. “You mean aliens conquer Earth.”

“Indeed, particularly an an aggressive alien race not unlike in appearance to what you’ve been shown.” Philbert gestured at the display screens. “It was due to warfare, and associated technological development, in the twentieth century that defined us to the alien races as being not worth it and too troublesome to conquer.”

Alric nodded his understanding, slowly placing the crystal in his hand on the table. “Which my actions would have prevented.”

Philbert took his empty chair and sat down. “Your intentions of peace leads to a hell for humanity.”

“I’m so sorry. What is to become of me?” asked Alric, after a moment of internal struggle. “Can this be righted?”

“As for your latter question, that already is taken cared of. As for the former, that’ll be the matter for the Temporal Tribunal.” Philbert stood up and took the crystal, pocketing it in his overcoat and tapped the table. “They tend to be harsher with repeat offenders especially for an offence of this magnitude.”

He stopped as he saw the fear in Alric’s eyes. “However, I’ll have it noted that you were under the influence of an alien artifact, so some leniency would be applicable. Please wait here and they will be with you shortly.”

Philbert turned and a door formed behind him. The room started throbbing a green light.

With his right hand on the door, he glanced back at a sullen and despondent looking Alric before pushing the door open and stepping into his workshop, letting the door swing close behind him before it assumed the facade of a grandfather clock once more.

*******

Philbert stopped his recollection as the sound of early morning started filtering through and proceeds with his report.

<I am not unduly worried for the ocean liner. Alric had been caught the moment he started to flash a beam of light at the ship’s hull due to an increased security detail at the shipyard resulting from an “anonymous” tip about a possible sabotage attempt.>

Philbert squashed a pang of guilt at the future deaths of the so many from the sinking of the ship.

<Of note, is that the ship’s original launch date of 31 May 1911, despite the estimated delay due to required checks post sabotage attempt, is still in place possibly indicating earlier temporal tampering that requires further investigation.>

He reached into his overcoat for the crystal that Alric had carried.

<Crystal of alien origin confiscated from Alric is of sophisticated design capable of various light and energy projection and manipulation by thought control. It was intended to be used on the ship’s hull to alter its atomic structure to harden it against impact.>

Philbert brought up the image of the film scene.

<What is concerning is the prescence of film imagery from a movie that existed only in a closed splinter timeline. Further investigation into the crystal’s origin is also warranted. Scans of the crystal will be appended to the report. I fear that who is behind this and their motives are still in play.>

<This is Field TARP Agent Philbert Walton, early 20th Century Earth assigned, signing off.>

Philbert double tapped his workbench causing the holographic lights to wink off.

He felt concerned that this was not a simple rogue criminal but the first of many who will attempt to change the primary timeline.

Shrugging his shoulders in acceptance, he got up to go to his back room bed. It can all wait until he got some sleep.

After all, it was his job and he had all the time in the universe.