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REPEAT OFFENDERS
By Wayne Webb
CHAPTER 10.4
“How far ahead are they? Or are they behind us?” George was asking Brian.
“I can't tell from here, what we have to do is jump to the next instance, where the machine is and see what we can find there. We could, I could I mean to say, set the machine to freeze on our arrival, it should be straightforward enough to pre-set the bracelets to trigger a cascade of instructions on our arrival to create the stasis field about us. If we land and freeze the surrounds, well all of time in that instance to be exact, then we can examine the machine and see if there are transit coordinates for the next jump. We can see the instances one behind and one ahead from this machine, and I am guessing that we can see the forward and back on the next one, we can move up and down the chain, or side to side if you prefer that analogy?”
“I really have no preference for analogy, knock yourself out.” Ivan's humour was returning now that they had a plan of sorts, something to do and something to focus on. The guilt was still there, but it was buried under the necessity of action.
“Well, back and forth it is then. So we move forward on to the next instance and find out what we can.”
“Should we freeze the instance in place? Perhaps that way we can preserve as much as possible in that one until we can come back and fix whatever's wrong? We know that there are consequences to the actions in each dimension right? So we should freeze each one until we find the others, the ones causing this, the other versions of you, and stop them. We could use the help I am sure to come back through the instances and put them right.”
Ivan raised his hand, as if he were back in class. Brian stared at him waiting for him to ask his question, until he realised that Ivan would not speak unless prompted. “Yes?”
“Can't we just stop them when we arrive?”
“Excuse me?”
“We have a time machine, so we just go back to the moment when they arrive, before they have created the other versions of the world, worlds or whatever, and then stop it all from happening.” Ivan had been thinking it through, but he was unsure, his hesitation betraying the lack of confidence in his thinking.
“Not exactly no, we can't. If we reset time and try arrive before they arrive, that is what causes the rift, the thing that initiates the break, the copy and split of the new instance. If we want to arrive at an existing instance, then we have to jump in at the point where they are at in sequential time. So if the next instance was created three hours after this one, for instance, oh ...” Brian smiled at the humour of the phrase. “For instance? Funny how that is applicable now yeah?” He looked at the others but neither of them laughed. They either did not get it or they did not appreciate the perspective of context on language. “Anyway. If the next instance was created a few hours after this one then we would arrive a few hours ahead, plus whatever the time differential is in real time. Minus any use of the time freeze options of course. Since you knew nothing of that, then it seems that I may have been keeping that mode to myself.”
George was ready to go and stood, shaking out the kinks in his muscles for sitting about waiting for the calculations to be done, the figuring out to be sorted. “Lets go then shall we?”
“Are you ready Ivan?” Brian asked.
“So we can't change the past, we can only create more versions where we don't make mistakes?”
“As far as I can... in theory, no.” Blunt answers was the best option, it would be tragic ton hold out false hope and then dash it as soon as he tried to take reparative actions.
“We can stop any more from being hurt, that will have to do for now. And we can undo the thefts of the gems. The loot being returned is probably going to save a few lives. The people you, and your other selves, stole from are bitter and angry people, the idea that you should give it back to them and then get out of the reality where they know your name? That is a good idea, a grand plan.” George,like most of the cops in the local system, knew who the owners of the robbed boxes were, and while they made no official claim for their 'missing property' it was a very safe bet that they would be taking heavy action against the suspects, and ignoring laws regarding proprietary rules for evidence and jurisprudence.
“The longer we go away from the places where the damage has been done, the worse that damage is right?” Ivan was still thinking he could fix things, save things, save people. He knew that it was impossible, he knew that Brian said it was impossible, but that was this Brian, the Brian he knew had been at this longer and let on more than he had said. Maybe they were all like that?
“We need to find the others and stop them, stop them creating these worlds, these alternates and leaving the trail of consequences for other realities to deal with. The people you killed? They are … “
“We.” Ivan interrupted.
“What now?”
“WE. The people WE killed.”
“I? I have not killed anyone. No. One.” Brian was indignant.
George was watching the interplay intently, deciding now was the time to say something. “Haven't you? You will kill someone very soon, you are only days away from being the person that does kill someone, or by omission of action lets someone be killed. You can't get away scot free. I don't know how to make any of you pay, because here and now there is just a bunch of traumatised citizens and some missing, and very wanted property. But.... elsewhere? There are widows and grieving families and more heavily pissed off gangsters, organised criminals who want their stuff back. You know that when they can't find you, the people responsible? They'll take it out on someone else, they'll make an example of someone, and it won't be nice … it'll be ugly and public and scary. That's how they do business. That’s. On. You.” He pointed directly at Brian now.
Brian said nothing and instead tapped the button on the console, changing the light in the room instantly to night time in a blink of an eye.
“We are here, and it's late.” He said, though the others had guessed as much.
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