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Transtime

Time is not frightful by being unreal; it is frightful because it is irreversible and iron-clad.

By Buck HardcastlePublished 2 years ago 17 min read
2
Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi @yogidan2012

Levinson didn’t see why the physics department needed to have a social media presence at all. Their new device, the Magnetic Absolute Laser Collider Organon Linear Machine, or MALCOLM, would create a flashy light show that was incidental to its actual function. The department chair thought it would spur interest. Levinson had already explained why streaming its first ever use was hubris, it was more likely to be a damp squib than work properly. The best case scenario would be some fleeting praise from science websites.

Her opinion counted for little though. She was only an undergraduate afterall. Helping out in the lab was one of the conditions of her scholarship with Washington University in St. Louis.

“Welcome to the first ever activation of the MALCOLM, a device that has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of thermodynamics.” Levinson said to the 153 people who had tuned in. The camera was focused on the golden yellow refrigerator sized machine. “With the MALCOLM we will have the potential to understand if time is fundamental or emergent and possibly even decrease entropy.” As Levinson read these outlandish claims she found herself wishing that she positioned herself off screen.

“Alright, and we are going to get started.” The undergraduate announced. Levinson was the only one there. The associate professor who had been the architect of the MALCOLM project was out sick today. The chair had insisted on going ahead with the scheduled activation anyway--it just showed how unserious the whole endeavor was.

Levinson flipped the activation switch. Through a Plexiglas panel the online viewers could see a vertical purple laser come on inside the machine. Every two seconds a white pulse would rise through the beam. Overall the demonstration was going as well as Levinson could have hoped. An array of numbers started appearing on a screen connected to the machine, but she ignored this. Any actual scientific findings would have to wait until there was an actual scientist in the room.

“There is the MALCOLM operational, of course finding meaningful results will take…” Levinson trailed off. An arc of electricity went across the top of the machine. Then electricity crackled over the whole machine. Levinson went to shut it down but got a shock. She picked up her phone and started to call for help when a blinding light appeared on top of the MALCOLM. Then the light, the arcs of electricity and the laser all stopped. Instead now there was a naked woman on top of the machine.

The woman was tall, had an athletic build, long blonde hair and impossibly good breasts. She climbed off the machine, walked up to the still streaming camera and proclaimed “I am Brundle, the world’s first time traveler. I will have an extensive collection of data to share about the future in three days' time.” And with that she turned off the camera.

Brundle then walked over and locked the door to the lab. She turned to Levinson and said “We’re in quarantine now.”

Levinson blinked and shook herself out of herself out of her trance. “What? Why? What’s happening?”

“It’s the law. All time travelers must quarantine for two weeks upon arrival to avoid introducing any future viruses into the past. And you’ve been exposed to me, so you have to stay. But don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

“Eh?” panic set in for Levinson. She didn’t want to catch COVID-32 or whatever. “How do you know I’ll be fine?”

“Because I just saw you a minute ago.”

“A minute… you mean…” Levinson stammered "I'm sorry, this is a lot to take in… and could you put some clothes on please?”

Brundle looked down at her naked body. “Right, of course.” She started to walk to her right, paused and then spotted the rack of lab coats to her left. “At some point these were moved. Five years from now they’re kept on that side of the room.”

Levinson watched the future amazon slide into a lab coat. “That’s where you’re from, 5 years from now?”

“That’s right.”

“And it’s like Terminator rules, one way, only organic material?”

“No, you can send anything. Far more important than me is a drive that is coming which is full of data about the future.

Levinson tightened her eyes “Then why were you naked?”

“Sending material back in time is hard. Just for me to wear a bra and panties would have added another $300 million in expenses to the operation.”

Levinson looked up at Brundle, who was a full head taller than her. “If that’s true, then why didn’t they send someone… smaller?”

“Are you calling me fat?”

A blush filled Levinson’s cheeks “No! I mean you’re so…” she waved her arms up and down.

A grin emerged on Brundle’s face. “I believe the word you are looking for is statuesque.”

“Yes!”

“Someone else could have been sent I suppose.” Brundle thought aloud “But there was never really a competition; it was always going to be me.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m the one who showed up today.”

“Eh?” Levinson was lost.

“My arrival on top of the MALCOLM today went down as one of the most significant events in human history.”

“Went?”

“Well, from my perspective, it happened 5 years ago.”

“It happened 5 minutes ago.”

“That’s only your perspective.”

Food and proper clothes for Brundle soon showed up at the door to the lab, just as she said it would. Levinson’s phone started blowing up. After letting her parents know that she was OK, she turned it off. “You mentioned laws about time travel?” Levinson asked.

“Oh yes, there are many regulations.” Brundle replied.

“What are some?”

“All time travel must be made viewable to the public--if you hadn’t been streaming today it could have set the field back by years. All data sent by time travel must immediately be shared with the public at large.”

“What’s in this coming data?”

“For example…” Brundle thought for a second “a copy of the law about time travel.”

A puzzled look fell across Levinson. “So the text of this time law will come with the data, and then congress will read it and make it into law?”

“Yes.” Brundle agreed. “That pretty well sums it up.”

“But then where did the law come from?”

“Five years from now.”

“But the people five years from now just got it originally from when it was… will be sent back three days from now.”

“Correct.” Brundle nodded.

“But…” Levinson said slowly “then where did the law actually come from?”

Brundle took a deep breath. “If it hadn’t been sent from the future, then where would it have come from?”

“From…” Levinson thought “Someone’s mind I guess?”

“That answer is no more satisfying than my own.”

The two of them went back and forth on this point for a while until Levinson threw up her arms in frustration. “Why don’t you tell me what other data is coming?”

“There’s information about natural disasters. Information about green technology, but also about coal and oil deposits..” Levinson just winced at that, Brundle continued “The results of every professional sports or notable college game…”

“Wait,” Levinson interrupted, “Why would that be sent?”

“If one person had future knowledge of sporting event outcomes, they would have a hugely unfair advantage in gambling. The only way to prevent this is to give everyone that knowledge.”

“But won’t that ruin sports?” Levinson asked.

“Many people will say so.” Brundle replied with a shrug “And it will effectively be the end of sports gambling. However, note the meaningfulness of this data existing at all: the sports go on. People still love them and still expect that somehow outcomes will be different than what is written. Though I suppose there is a rare error in the data that helps keep things interesting.”

Levinson bit her lip for a moment. “Hun… then by that logic you’d have to send back records of what the stock market does to prevent insider trading.”

“Now you’re getting it.” Brundle nodded “That’s happening as well.”

“And it doesn’t… completely screw up the market?”

“That statement implies that the existing stock market is not completely screwed up.”

Levinson thought for a moment and found she had no reply to this. She moved on. “Then… crime? There’ll be information about crime.”

“There will be data about the efficiency of different penal reforms.”

“No,” Levinson corrected “I meant about specific crimes. Mr. X is going to kill Mr. Y, that sort of thing.”

“No.” Brundle laconically replied.

“Why wouldn’t you?” Levinson asked, confused, “There could be zero crimes.”

“Because future data is useful at a population level, not really at an individual level. There’s only one example I am aware of about future data being sent about a specific crime. There’s going to be another future data drive sent two years from now. It will say Mr. Z is going to kill his wife. The police go and arrest Mr. Z. However, they can’t hold him, because he hasn’t actually done anything. He goes home, furious at his treatment. He blames it all on his wife, who he then murders.”

Levinson looked appalled. “Well… we should warn the police not to try and preemptively arrest Mr. Z then.”

Brundle shook her head. “You could try, but it wouldn’t change anything. We can’t stop it. It already happened.”

Levinson was taken back “But it won’t happen for another 2 years.”

“It happened three years ago. You’re literally living in the past.”

Levinson felt like she was going to cry. What good was a time machine if you couldn’t use it to save a life? “I suppose next you’ll say that you can’t use time travel to kill Hitler.”

Brundle nodded “That’s correct.”

“And why not?” Levinson snapped.

“My time machine works in coordination with your MALCOLM. The MALCOLM has to exist and be operational to create an entry point for a time traveler to arrive. Therefore, anything before today is impossible.”

“But you’re only the first time traveler.” Levinson objected. “Maybe the technology will advance later so that you don’t need a MALCOLM.”

“No. It won’t.” Brundle bluntly replied.

“How can you be sure?”

“Because, if a time traveler was going to kill Hitler, a time traveler would have killed Hitler.” Brundle stated matter of factly. “You have to understand that I am not here to alter history. I am history.”

It was shortly after this that Brundle announced that coming through time was akin to being born. She laid down on a cot that had been brought and within a minute she was out cold. Levinson turned her phone back on. She scrolled through the news. Everyone was talking about her and Brundle, but today wasn’t being called a miracle of science, it was being called a hoax. She supposed if she hadn’t been present, she might think so too. After making the sin of reading the comments, Levinson decided that she was wiped out as well and also went to bed.

By Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Brundle slept for 14 hours. When she awoke she announced that she’d never slept better. Over breakfast Levinson brought up a point that had been nagging her. “I still didn’t get how you came to be the first time traveler.”

“Well,” Brundle said between bites of toast “I built the time machine.”

“You invented time travel?”

“Not exactly,” Brundle explained “I just followed the plans that came in the future data.”

Levinson’s eye twitched a bit at this. “The data that’s coming tomorrow?”

“That’s right.”

“Then where did the plans…oh forget it.” Levinson replied, giving up before she got to the end of her question. “If the plans for a time machine are public knowledge starting tomorrow, that must mean that other people build time machines as well.”

Brundle chuckled, “They certainly try.”

Levinson raised an eyebrow “No one was successful but you?”

“Other people build time machines, but only I have access to a MALCOLM, which isn’t public knowledge. Without a MALCOLM, the time machine is useless--a start without a finish.”

“And how did you come to have sole access to the MALCOLM?” Levinson asked.

A sly grin came over Brundles face. “I seduced the owner.”

Levinson laughed “And how did that go?”

“I don’t know, I’ve only just started.”

Levinson was confused for a moment, and then her face turned bright red. “Wha… no… I don’t own this, and I’m not…”

“You will own it.” Brundle interrupted. “That associate professor who is out sick today? He’s not going to get better.” And there’s only one person whom he trusts to finish his life’s work.”

“But…” Levinson stammered “Surely the university will claim the MALCOLM as their own.”

Brundle waved her objection away. “Wash U became the home of time travel yesterday. If they want it to stay that way, the MALCOLM remains in your name.”

Levinson bit her lip. She took a moment to assess the situation before replying “You’re bad.”

Brundle leaned in. “I’m the worst.” she replied with a wink.

By Thomas Bormans on Unsplash

After breakfast some more clothes arrived, including some yoga pants, inspiring Brundle to do some yoga. Levinson meanwhile sat in the corner and sulked. She did not like the idea that it was preordained for her to be seduced by Brundle. She found Brundle’s god-like knowledge of future events unnerving. And the effect was only enhanced by Brundle’s goddess-esque physique.

Brundle, who was in a down dog position, crooked her neck when she caught sight of Levinson. “Are you staring at my butt?”

Levinson flinched. “I… I was just wondering about the other time machines. Do they try to operate?”

“They do. They claim to be sending people to alternate timelines. I can’t prove it, but I think they are just zapping people out of existence.” Brundle replied before shifting to a low lunge.

“I would think that sort of thing would be against time travel law.”

“It is, but sometimes people break the law. And that law only applies to the USA.”

Levinson nodded “A lot of people must be jealous of you, getting to time travel whenever you want.”

Brundle moved back into down dog and replied “I can’t go whenever, travel has to be done in increments of approximately a year.”

“Why’s that?” Levinson asked.

“Travel is done not just through time but space. Too large of a space and it won’t work.”

“I thought the time machine was going to be placed right next to the MALCOLM.”

“It is, but the Earth moves.” Brundle responded before moving to another low lunge, this time leading with her left leg.

“Ahhh…” Levinson put the pieces together. “So you have to do the jump exactly 1, 2 or in your case 5 years after the MALCOLM was on.”

“Not exactly a year.” Brundle strained to hold her position and speak at the same time. “The reason we have leap years is because the Earth’s rotation around the sun is not quite 365 days. I actually consult with NASA to know the exact time for a jump.”

Levinson nodded “And while you’re here, do you have to avoid meeting your younger self?”

Brundle moved back into down dog before responding “No, we’ll meet later.”

“Won’t that cause a time paradox?”

“No more so than identical twins meeting.”

“But what if you accidentally kill yourself?” Levinson asked.

“I won’t. I didn’t.” Brundle moved into plank.

Levinson squinted. Brundle’s ability to wave off existential questions annoyed her. “What about future travel?” she asked, trying to find a chink in Brundle’s omnipotence.

“Hasn’t been done. I wouldn't recommend trying.”

“Why not?”

Levinson moved to upward dog. “Going back in time you know exactly when to go. For the future, you could schedule the MALCOLM to be on at a certain time, but there’s no way to guarantee it to be on, or even still exist.”

Brundle thought for a moment “What if future data was sent back about when the MALCOLM would be on?”

“It is theoretically possible.”

Levinson smiled “Then there’s something you don’t know about the future.”

Brundle stopped her stretching and sat down. “There’s much about the future I don’t know. I’ve only seen data from up to 13 years in the future.”

The smile dropped from Levinson’s face. “Why? What happens in 13 years?”

“I have no way of knowing.” Brundle responded with a shrug. “The transmissions just stop. One theory is that is when there is an attempt at time travel to the future, and that backwards and forwards time travel cannot coexist. Or maybe aliens exterminate us. It could be anything.”

The prospect of an apocalypse in 13 years was unnerving. Yet the fact that Brundle didn’t know what would happen either was oddly comforting to Levinson.

By Icons8 Team on Unsplash

On the third day Brundle wore a shimmering dress with a plunging neckline that looked like it would be more at home on a red carpet than in a lab. Levinson wouldn’t be caught dead in it, though it stung a little that no designer had sent her an equivalent dress. “What time do I need to turn on the MALCOLM?” she asked Brundle.

“Whenever you turn it on is when you turned it on.” Brundle quipped.

Levinson had stopped questioning Brundle’s backwards reasoning, but it still annoyed her. She went to turn on the MALCOLM.

“Wait” Brundle stopped her. “The camera first. Always needs to be shown in real time.”

Levinson started streaming and then activated the MALCOLM. There were lasers, arcs of electricity and bright light and then a hard drive appeared on top of the machine. It was a cube, each side 30cm long. It wasn’t very futuristic looking.

Brundle took the drive off the MALCOLM, and connected it to an ethernet cable sticking out of the wall. A little red light came on. Brundle didn’t say anything. She had explained to Levinson earlier that she preferred to let the data speak for itself as much as possible. Three awkward minutes later a little green light appeared on the drive. “There.” Brundle announced. “This trove of data from 5 years in the future is now publicly available at future.media. Empedocles of Akrágas’ vinyl collection.” And then she walked off camera.

Levinson ended the stream. “What was that you said at the end?”

“Hmmm?” Brundle responded, as if she didn’t know what Levinson was referring to.

“That part about some ancient Greek’s records.”

Brundle took a deep breath. “That is a question people are going to ask me, and by extension you, incessantly over the next 5 years. If I tell you, you can never repeat it to anyone.”

“That only makes me want to know more.”

Brundle ran her hands over her face. “There is an awkward teenage boy out there. He will see the footage of me appearing nude on top of the MALCOLM. And when he does, a thought will explode in his head: I wish I could be her. And this thought will terrify him. Why does he want this insane thing? To be that woman? Who would think such a thing? This idea will send him into a spiral. So much so that he decides to take his own life. And he has already got the razor blade in his wrist when another thought explodes in his head: What if it’s not impossible? What if that future woman is me? And as he’s bandaging himself up, he realizes that he needs a kind of password, a phrase that the woman can say to let him know that the two of them are the same person.”

Levinson took Brundle’s wrists. On the left she saw a telltale scar. Trembling, still holding on, she asked “What happens next?”

“My mission is effectively over. However, we still have a week and a half of quarantine to go.”

Levinson looked up at Brundle. “I suppose in that time I’ll have no choice but to fall in love with you.”

“You do have a choice.” Brundle corrected. “You can choose to do whatever you want. It is just that from my perspective, you’ve already made your choice.

----------------

The sub-headline is a paraphrase from the Jorge Luis Borges essay A New Refutation of Time. The original text read "Our destiny (as contrasted with the hell of Swedenborg and the hell of Tibetan mythology) is not frightful by being unreal; it is frightful because it is irreversible and iron-clad."

Sci Fi
2

About the Creator

Buck Hardcastle

Viscount of Hyrkania and private cartographer to the house of Beifong.

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