Tempus Frangit Ch. 03

"George, a long time ago, our society decided that if any one individual wanted to rule the earth, then they are the last person in the world that should be allowed or trusted to do so. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

"I've heard that quote before, or something very similar, anyway," I commented.

"Yes, it's an old saying and one our society has been constructed around. Each Simul chooses her successor, always female, and one who doesn't want the job in the first place."

"You're kidding me. Surely someone has claimed they didn't want it, when they really did?"

"Some people have tried to fool the system, of course. But up until now, none have succeeded. It's very doubtful that anyone ever will, we have checks and balances in place that few of our inhabitants will ever understand.

"We've even had a few males try to pretend that they are female so they might be eligible. Unfortunately for them, our reproductive system makes that deception virtually impossible before they even start. Ah, that's raised your curiosity hasn't it? All that will be explained to you later. In a way that is why you're here, we believe.

"Sorry, we're confusing you George, aren't we? Yes well, we always knew that this was going to be difficult.

"George, you are going to ask why we brought you here. The answer is, that we don't exactly know. History tells us you came here, stayed for some days and then went back to your own time; but we don't really know the reason why you came."

There was something distinctly odd about the way Simul spoke. Besides realising that there was, I couldn't put my finger on why it struck me as so strange at the time. While what she actually said to me sounded so casual and relaxed, every so often she left distinct pauses between her sentences. Kinda like she was... I don't know, maybe calculating and discussing with herself, what she was going to say next. Her speech came out sounding rather unnatural and disjointed anyway.

"Well, we do know why you have been brought here, and we don't know at the same time. Perhaps you will know when it's time for you to return. Please make it clear to Thomas, if you do?"

"Thomas, who's he?"

There was a distinct delay before Simul replied, as if she was in two minds whether to tell me who the Thomas she had just mentioned was. I thought, she even regretted mentioning him; but eventually she decided to half tell me. Well, I thought she did.

"Oh yes. We're confusing you again, aren't we? I'm sorry this is very difficult for us. Thomas is part of your own future and our history. Much like Professor Pemberton is."

"Pemberton, Adona mentioned him."

"Her, George. Jean Pemberton is your great granddaughter; or will be one day. Oh my, I wonder if we should have told you that yet. Perhaps you could clarify that with Thomas as well?"

"Look, you are confusing me more than a little, Simul. But am I right in assuming that, if Jean Pemberton is going to be my great granddaughter, then Thomas is a what... grandson or great grandson?"

"Well we're not exactly sure, but we believe that you're on the right lines. This is very awkward for us, George, there are some questions that we know that we should not tell you the answers too; not yet. And some we do not know the answers to because... Well you didn't tell Thomas. But in time... your time, the answers to those questions will become obvious to you, I'm sure.

"What we are able to tell you is all in Thomas's records of your visit here, and we have been in possession of those records for many centuries. Indeed it is they that must guide our actions while you are here... how much we may tell you, and when."

"Yeah, stands to reason. I guess somewhere, that history guy who was kicking around with Adona, he's got to have a book or diary that Thomas wrote hundreds of years ago, and you people are trying to make what happened in the diary actually happen. Am I right?

"You've got the basic idea, George. But you, Ciera, Chaise and your offspring have been the basis of myth and legend for many hundreds of years."

"Ciera and Chaise?"

"Yes, they both go back with you, and bear you five children between them."

"Both of them?"

"Yes! Oh, of course, monogamy is the norm in your time isn't it? Well, you must live outside the norm, I assume. Between them they bear you five children; according to Thomas's account anyway."

"And Sylvia?"

"She stays here, and as does Rose. Myra, the young woman who was with Chaise this morning, goes back to your time with your friend Douglas. They have three children we believe. Thomas was more than a little vague about certain facts, purposely vague we believe."

"Oh my, but we can't just dump Sylvia and Rose here, and take three strangers back to the twentieth century with us. They're our wives. I love Sylvia."

"You don't dump Sylvia! Sylvia effectively abandons you, or so we believe, and..."

Simul suddenly stopped herself mid sentence, and then remained silent for a considerable period of time. I got the distinct impression she was debating with herself again. Then she nodded her head and went on. "No, I afraid that it's too early, we shouldn't be telling you this, yet. History must run as it has already run. We must be careful what information we do give you, but we are afraid that Adona's impatience and attempts to hurry things along, might have..." another untimely interruption, "But of course it can't have done, can it. Well, we think, not yet, anyway."

"You are confusing me again, Kay."

"George, you can never understand how difficult this is for us to do. We're charged with ensuring that history goes as it should, or did. And that isn't easy when you are dealing with the emotions of others that you little understand to start with. Many years ago our society developed along a different path to yours. We live with the consequences of that change of direction. Now. our duty is to ensure that life goes on as it has been.

"There is much I can't tell you yet, but I'm sure that Ciera and Chaise will, after you have returned to your own time. They do not know that they both fall in love with you; or you with them for that matter. A Simul long before us, had some careful alterations made to the history as taught to our children, to ensure that the girls would not recognise themselves, when the time came.

"Adona in his exuberance, has tried to... well rush things and pushed you all together far too early we believe. I'm just praying that he hasn't messed things up completely.

"You see, my problem is, George, that we cannot know if Adona has broken the cycle until you do return back to your own time. And if he has, effectively, he has already done it. So far everything's fine because you are here. But Douglas and your demand to be returned back you own time at this instant does not fit with Thomas's recorded scenario, and that's why I've stepped in. Do you understand?"

"No, you've lost me completely, Kay."

"I feared that you wouldn't. Let us put it this way, no matter what does happen in the next few days, at this moment, you are going to return to your own time with Ciera and Chaise in about seven or ten days time. You have to, because you already have; we have Thomas's written account of the fact as proof.

"Our problem is, Thomas did not go into enough detail. He just says that you were returned to your own time after spending about seven or ten days here. He's a little vague on that point; it could be much longer. But he clearly states that you had Ciera and Chaise with you. He also implies that you were somewhat chastised by some of the populace in your own time for cohabiting with the two women for the rest of your life."

"Ah, I see, what you are saying is, that if it's Sylvia who goes back with me, then, most likely, Thomas wouldn't have been born and therefore he would not have been able to record it, and therefore you wouldn't be able to tell me that it happened."

"You're there, George. You and Douglas are going to leave Sylvia and Rose here. Of course it will be their own decision to stay, of that fact I can assure you. Thomas is adamant about it. As things stand at present, you and Douglas are going to take three women from our time back with you to yours. It has to be, because it has already happened. If you didn't, then you would not be able to be here with me in the first place. Possibly there would not be a here and now, anyway."

"Oh my god, what a responsibility."

"My responsibility, George, not yours. Now, if you would, I'll ask you not to stop Sylvia from... I know that you love her, but let her go, please? And spend some time getting to know Ciera and Chaise. Apparently they both fall in love with you very quickly, why else would they choose to return to your time with you, if they didn't. They have everything they need or could possibly want here, except for you. By the time you leave, you must surely be taken with them as well, or why would you ask them to go with you? And you will. You know that now, don't you?"

Well, I hope I understand you, Simul..."

"Kay!"

"Right, Kay, but it sounds a little too familiar for me to call you that."

"My people think that I'm the chosen one, George. You know otherwise. You know that I'm just another person who is charged with keeping this society going."

"Simul. From what you've told me, you are the chosen one. Your predecessor chose you, very carefully I'm sure. And I'm also sure that you will take just as much care over choosing your own successor. And I really don't envy you your job, woman. Why a female anyway, you implied that men weren't eligible?"

"You saw the world as it is now, George. Were not males the..."

"Kay, say no more. There never has been anything more stupid on this planet than an egotistical male who's full of his own importance and thinks he knows it all. There's not a war that I can recall that wasn't started by a power hungry male."

"There were some in your history, George, you can be sure of that. But we weed that kind of mentality out very early here, and they don't become eligible to become a Simul."

"I won't ask how."

"Thank you, George," she said, smiling at me.

I found myself smiling back at the woman. I'm not sure why, perhaps I'd begun to understand her, and maybe even the society she ruled over.

"But George, even if you don't realise it, you are in control here; you and Douglas. As we understand our history, your wives... well they find they enjoy our lifestyle here, more than the one back in your own time. I know this is awkward seeing that it hasn't happened yet."

"Simul, I think I understand all that side of things.

"Oh, right then. Well, it's up to you and Douglas, and whether you allow your spouses... is that the right word?"

"It is!"

"Yes well, if you let them... well, do what they would like to do in the next few days..."

"Give them enough rope to hang themselves!"

"You're confusing me now, George."

"Sorry, just a saying from my own time. Roughly it means to allow someone enough latitude of action that eventually in testing how far you are willing to let them go... Well, eventually they will go so far that even they realise that they can't go back."

"I think I understand you, you are saying that Sylvia will know that she's... well done something that your marriage rules will not allow..."

"No, not exactly Kay, I think Sylvia thinks that because she's not in our own time, she can ignore her marriage vows completely. No, I believe that eventually she's going to realise that I will not forgive her those transgressions and then Sylvia will decide to take the easiest way out she can find."

"And that would be to stay here, with us."

"You got it, sister!"

"You won't be happy about that."

"Kay, I haven't been happy about any of this. I haven't been since about ten minutes after Adona arrived at the sphere. But as you tell me all of this has already happened, then there is sod-all I can do about it, is there? I wonder if this an example of a true chronoclasm?"

"I have no idea, George. But it could be that you being here is a paradox. You are in our present, yet you are part of our past at the same time. What you do now, you already have done, many years ago. All you have to do now, is persuade your friend Douglas to do what I hope you believe is the right thing."

"No, Kay. I don't think I have too. Douglas doesn't know he's got a choice, and I prefer not to give him one. Well, not to ask him to make one, anyway. He's angry that Rose is doing what he construes as showing him disrespect. He is angrier than I was really; they've only been married for four years. Rose has just about used up all the rope she needs to, if you understand me. We just have to make sure that... Myra did you say?" Simul nodded, "Well that she's close-by when he needs comforting. The rest we leave up to nature."

"And you and Ciera and Chaise?"

"You assure me, that they have no idea that they are the two women I'm supposed to take back with me."

"Totally George. They all know that Sylvia and Rose are supposed to stay here. But very few people are aware that anyone goes back with you and Douglas; not even Adona is sure of that. A predecessor of mine made sure that information was removed from the public history records. Your importance to everyone here, is that you are the great grandfather of Jean Pemberton."

"And her importance to your people, in the here and now?"

"We don't know George. Thomas didn't tell us. All he says is that sometime in your year 2058, she spends about a year here with us, and that she is returned to her own time at the same instant she left it. As you will have been, of course!

"Why a year, and what she does here during that time we have no idea, because Thomas did not tell us in his record. We assume he did that for a reason. There are many things in Thomas's record of events that we do not fully understand yet.

"For instance, he insists that you and Douglas in particular must never discover the date here now. Our historians believe that is because your arrival here might have been... well, looked on as a sort of coming of a saviour or something."

"A saviour from what?"

"Ah, now George, we don't know. You're from the time when people believed in that kind of thing."

"Yeah I think I get the idea. Thomas had worked it out, that your people would have been looking forward for centuries to a non-event."

"It's most likely that you would have told him that, George. The development of time-shift has gone on at a pace for centuries, our scientists knew they had a goal, but they did not have a deadline. Actually some of them thought it impossible. Others think it... well dangerous, and I'm sure that after Jean has visited, the technology will be destroyed."

"Destroyed!" I gasped, in surprise.

"Yes, naturally, the time shift was developed solely to bring you and Jean here. There will be no reason to continue with development or the research after that goal has been achieved. There are no other... anomalies that point to further visits here of people from the past in our history records. Besides, our facilities are needed elsewhere, there is still a lot more decontamination to be done."

"You could visit your own future."

"George, are you happy with the knowledge that several hundred years after your lifetime, almost the entire land surface of the planet is rendered contaminated desert wasteland by your descendants. Thousands of years have passed, and in spite of all of our efforts, still a good third of the planet's land surface is uninhabitable. We are working hard and eventually we might win and be able to return all the world to nature, but it's a long hard battle.

"Now, I hope and trust that you and Douglas will do as our history dictates; we are in your hands. But you should get back to him now, I believe he surely must be getting a little fractious. If you wish to speak with me again, just tell Ciera and she will arrange a meeting."

Taking me by surprise, Simul leant close and kissed me on the cheek. I gathered that I was being dismissed, so summoned up my best formal manners. Well, what I thought was good etiquette anyway.

Standing, I turned to face Simul, reached for and gently took hold of her right hand; raising it slightly, I kissed the back of it.

"My, George, I do believe."

"Such niceties are old fashioned and almost obsolete even in my time, Simul. But they do have a little something, don't they?"

"My, my, are Ciera and Chaise going to meet their match in you."

"Milady, 'tis what you requested, I believe?"

"Thank you, George. Until we meet again."

-----

Back out in the first floor foyer, I found Douglas sitting between Myra and another woman looking somewhat nervous.

Leaving the two females he rushed over to me.

I guided him down the stairs, out of the building and onto the parkland while we talked. Signalling Myra and the other girl, and Ciera and Chaise -- who I believe had been waiting on the lower floor for us – to stay out of earshot.

"What was he like?" was the first question out of Doug's mouth.

"He, is a she, Douglas!"

"You jest,"

"Nope, the whole damned world is governed by one woman. Well, she makes all the major decisions I gather. But unfortunately it looks like the likes of Adona appear to stick their noses in further down the line."

"Well, is she going to send us back to our own time now?"

"No, Douglas, she can't. Not yet anyway."

"Why not, George? You know what is going to happen to our marriages if she doesn't."

"Douglas, have you any idea what a chronoclasm is?"

"A chrono-what?"

"It's a kind-of paradox, Doug. In our case a paradox that's hooked up with time travel, or time displacement anyway."

"So?"

"Well we're living one of the ruddy things. We're slap bang in the middle of it and there's sweet FA that we can do to change what happens. Or maybe I should say, that we should not try to, because we have no idea what would be the outcome, if we did."

"I'm not with you, George. Where're you going with this?"

I went on to explain to Douglas that -- whether we liked it or not -- what was gong to happen in the next few days, had already happened, and that that was the paradox. Eventually he sort-of understood; I think.

Mind you, I still wasn't convinced that I fully understood myself, but I wasn't prepared -- or maybe brave enough -- to try to change what Simul had told me had... would happen.

Then I tried to explain to him, that... well, if our wives did forget their vows and overstep the line then they had already done so, many millennia ago; so there was little point in Douglas or I getting all out of shape over it.

Yeah, I know; it still doesn't sound convincing to my mind, either.

Doug had a little more difficulty swallowing that pill. You know, I think he thought that I was asking him to ignore Rose's behaviour in the beginning. But when I reminded him that infidelity was a game everyone could play and told him that forgiveness did not necessarily have to be part of the equation, his expression changed.

"Are you trying to tell me...?" He began to ask.

"Douglas, I am not trying to suggest anything to you. I'm just saying that Jewish law says an 'eye for an eye' doesn't it? You do as your conscience sees fit. I'm pretty sure that is what I'll be doing!"

"You know that our wives are definitely going to betray us don't you?" Doug finally asked.

"No, I do not know what they do in that respect, Douglas. But I do know that we have to let their actions dictate what we do over the next few days. And now, I'm thinking that the concert, or recital, or whatever it's suppose to be, that our minders told us about last night, might be a good place for us to spend this evening. With some pleasant company to boot, of course.