The Time War Ch. 37-38

Chapter 37: A World Without Antibiotics

The Luddites:

"Get the fuck out of my bedroom, NOW!"

Donna jerked as if she had been hit with a body whip.

After her humiliating "toegasm" a few weeks ago, Tom hadn't had sex of any kind with her. He had dropped all pretenses of participating in a quad; it was just him and Maggie now. Donna had come to him after dinner one evening, to find him already in bed with Maggie. It was awkward, but she pleaded her case in front of another woman.

But Tom wasn't having it. He told her in no uncertain terms to get out, and close the door behind her.

Donna did as he asked, but was crying hysterically before the door had slammed shut behind her.

********

"It is time to thin the herd."

It seemed everyone was in shock as Tom described his latest plan.

"There are simply too many people on the planet," said Tom. "Mother Earth is being smothered." He paused. Donna wondered what he was leading up to.

"The problem is overpopulation," said Tom. "The solution is either genocide, which I reject, and population control, which is beyond our means."

"So what can we do?" Oscar Wood asked.

Tom took a deep breath. "We can prevent the creation of antibiotics." He saw the shocked faces. "I know, it sounds severe. And... there will be some suffering. And that's regrettable. But I estimate that it will cut the current population of the world at least in half. Maybe more. What do you think?" he anxiously looked around at their faces.

Gerstad Mueller spoke first. "I think it's a great idea!"

"I do too," said Garret Arnough quickly.

"As do I," said Maggie sweetly.

But the others--Oscar Wood, Bob Novato, Peter Orinda, Boris Vallejo, and Donna--all looked concerned. Carole Wells spoke out. "Tom... don't you think this is..." she strained to find the right words, words which wouldn't offend, "... a big step?"

"You're right, Carole, it is a big step," said Tom, walking over to her chair. He started massaging her shoulders. "But it's going to take big steps to save Momma Earth. I can't do it without you, Carole. Are you with me?"

Carole gulped, and nodded.

"Are you all with me?"

People cautiously murmured their assent. But then there was an objection. "I'm not."

It was Brad.

Maybe it was because Tom had stolen his wife Maggie from him. Or maybe he was just saying what he truly believed. No one would ever know which it was.

"What was that, Brad?" said Tom.

"I'm not onboard with this," said Brad. "Wiping out half the population of the planet? I never signed up for that. I'm not participating."

"Not... participating," said Tom slowly.

"When Marsha left, I took over managing the Time Shaft," said Brad. "I know more about the Time Shaft than everyone here, even you Tom. You need me. And I'm not doing this."

Everyone held their breath. Tom thought about it, and then he slowly nodded. "All right," he said. "Everyone follow me, please."

They followed him to the control room. Tom worked the controls.

"What are you doing, Tom?" Brad asked.

Tom said nothing. In moments the Time Shaft came to life.

"Tom?" said Brad.

Seconds later, the Binochi Corridor opened.

Tom turned around to face him. "You're right, Brad. I can't do this without you. So we're going to do something different. I want you to go to a Greenpeace conference in the year 1998. Go there and see if you can't learn any ideas for future missions."

"Me?" said Brad. Usually, Tom didn't send him out on missions. Usually, he was the one to operate the Time Shaft.

"You," said Tom. "It was your idea, wasn't it, to do something else?" He nodded slightly. Gerstad Mueller and Garrett Arnough approached Brad.

"Yes," said Brad.

Gerstad and Garrett started to propel Brad up the ramp.

"Then we'll do it your way," said Tom.

Brad was being pushed up the ramp now. "Tom, you need me!" he cried.

"Yes, Brad, I need you," said Tom.

Brad was almost at the lip of the gateway.

"You can't do this without me, Tom."

"I can't do this without you, Brad," said Tom.

Brad was up against the gateway now. He felt the searing heat of it on his face.

"Go on," said Tom. "Go, and report back. Here." And he tossed Brad a recall device. "Are you going?"

Brad looked at Gerstad and Garrett, who stood stony faced in front of him, blocking his exit. There was only one direction open to him. "Y-yes," he said.

"See you soon," Tom smiled.

Brad looked at Maggie, who bit her lip, and looked away. Then he nodded, and entered the Corridor.

Tom started counting. "One... Two... Three!" He pressed a button, and the Binochi Corridor shut down.

"No!" Maggie cried.

"I'm so sorry," said Tom. "Maggie, there's been a terrible accident. We've lost Brad." He looked around. Maggie was weeping silently. "We've lost Brad," he repeated. "But I think he would want us to continue, for him. Don't you think so, Carole?"

"Yes," said Carole quickly.

"Bob?" said Tom.

"Of course," said Bob Novato.

Tom went over to Maggie. He hugged her as she wept. "There, there. I know it's painful, but you need to be strong." He lifted her chin. "Can you do that for me, Maggie? Can you?" He stared at her with steely eyes.

"Yes," she whispered.

********

"It's treason," Carole Wells hissed.

"No it's not," said Oscar Wood. "We're just talking."

They were all gathered in the supply room--Carole Wells, Oscar Wood, Bob Novato, Peter Orinda, Boris Vallejo... and Donna. They were the ones who had the most concerns. Garret and Gerstad and even Maggie were firmly in Tom's camp, and were purposefully excluded from this secret meeting.

"We can't oppose Tom," Boris Vallejo whispered. "You saw what he did to Brad!"

"We can't just let him wipe out half the population of the planet," said Peter Orinda.

"I'm not going to mutiny against Tom," said Carole. "I can't do it."

"Neither can I," said Donna glumly.

"Maybe there's another way," said Bob Novato.

********

"The world's population has been cut in half," said Sarah bluntly.

Everyone's eyebrows in the conference room went up.

"And if not for our temporal suppressor, and our anti-time dusting treatment, half of us here in this room would be gone as well," said Sarah, to hammer in the point.

"What caused it?"Colonel Strayker asked quietly.

"I've traced it back to the development of antibiotics," said Sarah. "Or rather, the lack of development of antibiotics. In the year 1928 John Fleming accidently discovered penicillin."

"Accidently?"

Sarah nodded. "Fleming was a very promiscuous man. His wife could never satisfy him sexually. He had numerous lesions on his penis from prostitutes in the seedier districts of London. He searched for a cure, which he discovered by accident. He went on vacation with his wife to Scotland, leaving exposed petri dishes right next to an orange. The orange started to decay, and the resulting mold got into one of his samples. And thus antibiotics were born, and Fleming was able to cure himself. Though not, apparently, his wife."

"But all that has changed?" Daniel Acton asked.

"Yes. For some reason, Fleming worked on a cure, but never found one. Antibiotics were never discovered. People died of ordinary infections by the millions. The present day Earth, which should have a population of over 40 billion, has less than half that now."

They all listened in a stunned silence. Twenty billion people had just been wiped from the face of existence.

"Major Castleman, take your team," said Strayker. "Find out what went wrong, and fix it."

"Yes sir," said Castleman.

Major Bernard Castleman was Calle's new team leader. He was a big, beefy man, an ex-Survey Service marine, and was Major Reynold's replacement.

Karin Mulhbaum was another addition to their team, replacing Erica Green. Like Castleman, she was a former Survey Service marine, with closely cropped hair. It was an open secret that Muhlbaum was in a relationship with Nurse Jenny from Medical, a beautiful blonde with long flowing hair like Sarah's. It was rumored that Karin was the "strap-on-er" and Nurse Jenny was the "strap-on-ee", though the exact truth was obviously only known to themselves.

Calle welcomed the additions. With the loss of Reynolds, the team no longer had any racial diversity, but with Mulhbaum, the team gained a sorely needed sexual minority which would at least partially compensate for that. Calle had met Mulhbaum and despite her fearsome haircut, she seemed very friendly; she didn't seem to hate men, she just didn't want to sleep with them.

As they waited in the control room for the Binochi Corridor to open, Sarah said, "You realize what this means if you fail on your mission?"

"20 billion people will never exist," said Calle.

"That, and due to the lack of antibiotics, I won't ever be able to safely have sex with anyone again but you," said Sarah.

"Does that mean you want me to succeed, or fail?"

"I'll leave that up to you," said Sarah, turning away.

With Sarah, the sex was always good, but the flirting was incredible.

********

They entered Fleming's lab in the year 1928. There was no one present. Nor did they expect anyone to be present. Fleming was on vacation. Sure enough, they found the open petri dishes and the famous orange. The orange looked to be in a state of advanced decay, growing white fuzz all around it. Some of the flakes were clearly on the petri dishes.

"Everything looks the way it should be," said Daniel. "Petri dish. Check. Orange. Check. Mold, check."

"Then why hasn't, or rather why will Fleming fail to discover penicillin?" Major Castleman asked.

"Maybe we should jump ahead in time a week and ask him," said Calle.

"Don't bother," said a new voice.

A man entered the lab, pointing a compression pistol at them. "Please, don't move," he said, as he saw Castleman and Mulhbaum going for their side arms.

"Who are you?" said Calle.

"My name doesn't matter," said Bob Novato. "What does matter is that I can tell you why this project didn't work. It's the orange."

They looked at the moldy orange.

"It's not real," said Bob.

"Not real?" said Castleman.

"All right, it is real, but it has been genetically modified. To produce harmless mold."

"A genetically modified orange," said Daniel slowly.

"It's made to look authentic, to fool all of you," said Novato.

"And how would you know that?" Castleman asked.

"Because I put it there."

Castleman's eyes narrowed.

"Some of us think that we've gone a little too far," said Novato. "We want a safer, cleaner planet for our children, and our children's children. We just don't think that wiping out half the population of the planet is the right way to do it. All you have to do is replace our orange with a real orange, and time will be restored as it once was."

"Thank you," said Castleman.

"You're welcome," said Novato.

"Now tell us your point of origin," said Castleman.

"No," said Novato, shaking his head. "I'm not going to betray our cause."

"You already have," said Major Castleman. And he drew his compression pistol so fast that his hand was almost a blur. "Drop it."

Novato held his pistol shakily in his hand. "No... I can't."

"He's quite mad, you know," said Castleman.

"I know," said Novato, still backing away. "But I still can't tell you."

"Yes, you can," said Castleman, taking a step forward.

And then, all of a sudden, a man appeared out of nowhere, yelling at the top of his lungs. He grabbed Bob Novato from behind and twisted his head. His neck snapped with a loud crack.

"Now he certainly can't tell you!" Oliver Wayfairer 3 laughed.

"Who are you?" Castleman demanded, pointing his pistol straight at him.

"A friend!" said Oliver Wayfairer 3, not intimidated in the slightest. "I'm afraid I can't permit you to interfere with this operation. The herd must be culled. If you try to interfere, I'll have to kill you, my friend." He spoke in a calm, ordinary voice, as if talking about a meal he were having or a holomovie he would be watching later that evening.

"That's not the act of a friend," said Calle.

Oliver Wayfairer 3 turned his head to face Calle. "That's because you don't have the right kind of friends, John Calle." As he grinned, Calle felt a chill down his spine.

And then Oliver Wayfairer 3 leapt into action, charging towards Major Castleman. Castleman got off two shots with his compression pistol on setting number three, but Oliver Wayfairer 3 barely noticed them. He picked up the heavy man and threw him against the wall. Oliver Wayfairer 3 turned to feel more compression impacts, and saw Karin Mulhbaum firing her pistol at him.

"You too? All right, now it's your turn!" he shouted as he charged her. Karin was in the process of resetting her compression pistol when he rammed into her, and threw her across the floor. Her head hit a countertop and she cried out as she fell to the ground.

Daniel had just finished resetting his compression pistol to setting 8 when Oliver Wayfairer 3 grabbed him and smacked his head against a wall, not once or twice but three times. "Knock some sense into you!" Oliver grinned. But then Oliver Wayfairer 3 cried out as he felt a blast in his back. He turned to see John Calle, his legs spread and his arms out in the classic firing position, his compression pistol smoking. John Calle's jaw dropped. His pistol had been set to setting six.

"Your turn, John Calle," said Oliver Wayfairer 3. He ran into Calle just as Calle succeeded in resetting his pistol to setting eight. He raised the pistol but Oliver Wayfairer 3 knocked it out of his hand. He gave Calle a big smile as Calle realized he was now defenseless against this madman.

Oliver Wayfairer 3 took Calle and rammed his head against a nearby wall. "Time to knock some sense into you too, John Calle!"

Calle was dazed even as Oliver Wayfairer 3 grabbed him and smacked his head against the wall again. "IS THIS STARTING TO MAKE SOME SENSE TO YOU, JOHN CALLE?" he yelled, as Calle was knocked to the ground.

"Get up, John Calle! We haven't even begun!" said Oliver Wayfairer 3

Calle stood up, with rage in his eyes. "You're so right." He landed a right hook, which sent Oliver Wayfairer 3 spinning across the room. Oliver Wayfairer 3 looked at Calle with rage and surprise in his face. He got up, roared, and charged Calle... who by now had recovered his compression pistol, and fired.

On setting eight, Oliver Wayfairer 3's head exploded like a pumpkin. His headless body fell to the ground, as pieces of his skull splattered Calle's uniform.

********

"They all have head injuries, but I think they will be all right," said Doctor Vladek. "I'll need to keep Sergeant Mulhbaum for observation for a few days, though."

"Very well, Doctor," said Strayker. He looked at Major Castleman and Daniel, who had bandaged heads, and Karin Mulhbaum, who had a heavily bandaged head, and then Calle, who was sitting up in bed while Sarah held an atomic ice pack on his head. "Good work, men."

He turned and left.

"We just saved 20 billion people... and all he could say was 'good work'," said Calle grimly.

Sarah's eyes widened. "Well, it was."

"Ow!" said Calle, as he felt the sting of the atomic ice pack.

"Don't move," Sarah advised.

Chapter 38: New Recruits for Goodlife

"I saw her again," Calle whispered. He was in bed with Sarah.

He felt Sarah tense, as she did every time he mentioned Marion. "Where?"

"A vision in the Binochi Corridor, just as we were returning from the Panama Canal mission."

"What did you see?" Sarah asked quietly, as one of her hands played over his chest.

"I saw her... in the control room."

"With who?"

"I'm not sure. Not with people I recognized. You weren't there, nor was I."

"What would Marion be doing in the control room?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know," said Calle. He looked down at Sarah. "Is there any way Marion could still be alive?"

Sarah didn't answer immediately, instead content to trace lines on his chest.

"Sarah?"

She looked up at him. "No."

********

Goodlife:

It was time for some fresh blood.

They had lost Nigel Roman 2 at NORAD in 1961. They had lost Nigel Roman 3 when Mercury had callously pushed his head into a glowing time vortex in the Binochi Corridor. Mercury had also shot Alina Sestacovika 3 and Andrew Wyatt 1 dead when they had become infected with mind controlling parasites. Nigel Roman 1 had disappeared trying to recruit John Calle. And now they had just lost Oliver Wayfairer 3. All they had left was Alina Sestacovika 1 and 2, Andrew Wyatt 2 and 3, and Oliver Wayfairer 1 and 2. And of course Mercury. Their little group was getting smaller by the day.

And so they needed fresh blood.

Mercury had sat cross legged in the Binochi Corridor for days, as had the others, reaching out, sensing, and feeling. That's how he had first located the others. And now he felt he had a mental lock on someone new.

And that someone new was named Angie Moore.

********

Angie Moore was different. Her mother told her that as a child she was practically unresponsive the first three years of life. And then, when she snapped out of it, Angie had a habit of laughing inappropriately, at seemingly random times. It was as if she saw things that others didn't.

Like those glowing orange eyes.

Despite her oddness, or, perhaps, because of it, she met a lovely man named Dennis with an understanding nature and a somewhat thin but long penis who she eventually married. And then they settled down into a life together, he as a Happiness Claims Adjustor for the World Government and she as a supervisor of robot accountants.

And then one day, Oliver Wayfairer 1 and 2 showed up in her home. They just showed up, appearing out of nowhere as she and Dennis were about to sit down for dinner.

"Just look! They have dinner ready for us!" said Oliver Wayfairer 1, sitting down at the table.

"How considerate!" said Oliver Wayfairer 2 sitting down with him.

"Who are you people?" Angie asked.

"Are you twins?" Dennis asked.

"Twins, ha ha," said Oliver Wayfairer 1.

"Twins, I like that," said Oliver Wayfairer 2, spooning some soup. He suddenly made a face and spat it out.

"That bad?" Oliver Wayfairer 1 asked.

"Quite good, actually," Oliver Wayfairer 2 grinned.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Dennis asked.

"We are here for Angela Cartright Moore," said Oliver Wayfairer 1, standing up in front of Dennis in a deliberately intimidating way.

"That's my wife," Dennis growled.

"You must be so proud," said Oliver Wayfairer 1. And then he grabbed Dennis, and slammed his head against the wall. Once. Twice. Thrice.

"Dennis!" Angie cried, as she reached out for him. But Oliver Wayfairer 2 was quicker. She cried out as he grabbed her.

"She squeals like a pig," said Oliver Wayfairer 2. "Ow!" he added, as Angie stepped on his foot. "She kicks like one too."

Oliver Wayfairer 1 put his face next to Angie's. "Don't worry dear, you're going to feel much better, very soon." He activated his recall device...

********

Oliver Wayfairer 1 held a trembling Angie in his arms. Angie had just gotten through the shock of travelling through the Binochi Corridor for the first time. Her mind didn't know how to process what she had seen. And now she was in some kind of laboratory, surrounded by raving lunatics who were dragging her closer and closer to a glowing, vertical shaft.

"Welcome, my dear," said Mercury Jones, bowing. "And you must be... Angie Moore... 1." He turned to Oliver Wayfairer 1. "She is Angie Moore 1, isn't she?"

"Angie Moore 1," Oliver Wayfairer 1 confirmed.

"Or is she Angie Moore 2?" said Oliver Wayfairer 2.

"Come to think of it, she might be Angie Moore 3," said Oliver Wayfairer 1. They both laughed.

"Welcome my dear, whichever one you are," said Mercury.

"Who are you? And what do you want from me?" Angie asked, her eyes full of fear and terror.

"Who am I? Who am I?" said Mercury. "I am everyone, my dear. And soon, so will you." He gestured with his hand. Oliver Wayfairer 1 dragged Angie to the Time Shaft.

"I... I don't understand."

"You will," Mercury promised. And then he nodded, and Oliver Wayfairer 1 shoved Angie against it.

Angie cried out as a blue spark outlined her body. She screamed, and screamed and screamed, as everyone around her laughed.

********

Angie Moore led a quiet life as supervisor for tax preparer robots. She was married to a kindly man named Dennis who had a short but thick penis and who was a Senior Procrastination Coordinator for the World Government. She and Dennis were just sitting down for dinner when two men appeared in her dining room.

"Who are you?" Dennis asked. "What do you want?"

"Shall I bash his head in?" Oliver Wayfairer 2 asked.

"I did it last time," said Oliver Wayfairer 1.

"Then you are probably good at it by now," said Oliver Wayfairer 2. They both laughed, and took a step forward, their arms outstretched...

********

Angie Moore didn't know how to process what she was seeing. After taking a fantastic trip through brightly lit mists, she was in some kind of laboratory with strange people. And one of those people was.. herself.

"Hello, dear!" Angie Moore 1 cackled, as she hugged herself.

"Who are you?" Angie Moore asked.

"Who am I? Who am I?" Angie Moore 1 laughed hysterically. "Don't you know yourself when you see me?"

"I don't understand," said Angie Moore.

"You will, dear, you will," Angie Moore 1 promised, as she led herself by the hand to the Time Shaft.

********

Angie Moore was a lesbian stripper who worked for the Education branch of the World Government. Her job was to go around to grade schools and teach children about alternative careers in the arts. Angie lived with a dominatrix named Mandy, but she was surprised to come home one day to find Mandy tied and gagged to her harness, and two very strange individuals cackling in her living room.

Individuals who looked just like her.

********

"Just reach out and touch the shaft, I guarantee, you'll love it," said Angie Moore 1.

Angie Moore looked from Angie Moore 1 to Angie Moore 2. They both looked like her, but it was obvious that they were equally insane. She looked at the glowing Time Shaft in front of her.

"Will it hurt?" Angie Moore asked.

"Not at all," Angie Moore 1 assured her.

"Immensely," said Angie Moore 2. They both turned and faced each other and laughed.

Angie Moore tried to use this opportunity to escape, but Angie Moore 1 was quicker. "Now now, you're simply going to love it."

"But... I don't want to do it," Angie Moore cried.

"Let's vote on it!" said Angie Moore 1 brightly. "You vote no, I assume."

"That's right," said Angie Moore desperately.

"I vote yes," said Angie Moore 1. "How do you vote, Angie Moore 2?"

"Hmm..." said Angie Moore 2, considering.

"Come on, Angie Moore 2, get off the fence, you're the deciding vote!" said Angie Moore 1.

"Uh..." Angie Moore 2 stamped her foot nervously. "Can I vote both ways?"

"Vote already!" Mercury Jones yelled.

"Yes!" Angie Moore 2 cried.

"That's two Angie Moore's in favor, and one Angie Moore opposed," said Angie Moore 1. "Sorry dear, you outvoted yourself!"

Angie Moore 1 tossed Angie Moore against the Time Shaft. Angie Moore screamed exquisitely. It was like music to all their ears. Angie Moore 1 and 2 danced, arm and arm, until it was done.

Angie Moore 3 was now on the floor, looking dazed. Angie Moore 1 helped her up. "How you feeling, sister?"

"Yeah, tell us," said Angie Moore 2, sifting through Angie Moore 3's hair, searching for lint.

Angie Moore 3 looked at Angie Moore 1, and then Angie Moore 2. Then, a slow smile started to cross her face. "Heh heh, hehheheheheheheheheheh."

Mercury smiled. It was always a beautiful thing to welcome new Goodlife into the fold.

Suddenly, Nigel Roman 1 came out of a gateway opening which vanished behind him.

"Nigel! I haven't heard from you in a while," said Mercury. "We thought you were dead!"

"I was, or I will be," Nigel Roman 1 laughed.

"You were sent to collect John Calle," said Mercury. He looked past Nigel Roman 1. "I don't see him!"

"He got away," said Nigel Roman 1.

Mercury got a wild look in his eye. He walked casually up to Nigel Roman 1. Nigel Roman 1 bit his lip as Mercury Jones put an arm around him, and whispered into his ear. "Then we're going to have to do something about it, aren't we?"

Nigel Roman 1 burst out laughing, as did Mercury Jones, and they watched, arm in arm, as Angie Moore 3 started to nibble on Angie Moore 2's hair.