Time Crime Redemption

(Picture Credit - Cyberspace by Compute Scotland)

In “Time Crime” our heroes Dave and Pete went back in time and prevented the inhabitants of planet Bellia from utterly destroying themselves. But on returning to their present, they find that the Bellians have decimated Earth! What next for the crew of Earth Space-Timeship “Leeds”?

“Where the Hell am I?” yelled General Jim White.

Minutes earlier Jim had taken himself to the “Gents” to have a think. The Operations Room was bouncing mad. Of all things an alien fleet of spacecraft was heading frighteningly fast towards Earth. They had tried to radio them but with no reply. Would this be the prophesied First Contact or annihilation for Earth? What sort of history was about to take place?

Everyone was clamouring for a “first strike”! Right now John had the “say”, but how long could he afford to insist on patience?

Yet now, bizarrely he appeared to be sitting in the cabin of a spaceship. No aliens to be seen, however, just three humans like himself.

Jim (Again): “What the **** is going on?”

“Relax Jim,” replied Dave Smethurst, in a re-assuring tone, “Nothing to worry about.”

Jim: “Answer the fracking question!”

Pete: “I’m Pete Smith, and that’s Dave Smethurst. We fly the Space-Timeship ‘Leeds’. We have brought you 95 years into your future.”

John: “And I’m John Wilde. When these two found me, I was living in a nuclear wasteland, caused by the bloody Bellians!”

Dave: “The Bellians are those aliens you have just encountered. As things stand, Sir, you will soon attack them and get wiped out by their superior armoury. Twenty years from now we will find John here, living in a nuclear wasteland.

But here’s the rub Sir. We have since discovered that the Bellians are completely benign. They had trouble tuning in to your radio frequencies. If you can but wait another fifteen minutes then you will make First Contact.

I implore you to just wait patiently and all will be well.”

After some more discussion the General agreed to delay any action. They put him back in the Gents from which he re-emerged and took the operational reins again. It was very difficult to keep control of everything, but he succeeded. Sure enough, the Bellians came through over the radio. The rest soon became history.

Another mission accomplished, Dave and Pete took John Wilde back “home”. Of course he was delighted to see that everything was now “normal”. Dave and Pete stayed with John for a couple of weeks to help him settle in to a new life. John had not met many people in his original life, but all those he had met were still alive. Many more were alive too. When they left John, he was very happy and grateful.

So they boarded ship again and headed home.

Dave: “Earth approach!” 

Pete: “Thank God! It looks back to normal.”

As the ship made its approach to their base, Pete began to daydream. He was looking forward to seeing Amanda Evans again. Pete really fancied her and loved to picture the girl at her station in the base Control Room.

Minutes later they walked into that very Control Room. All restored on this timeline. 

But no Amanda!

Pete: “Where is Amanda?”

Base Commander Tucker: “Who?”

Authoritative voice: “Exactly! Her she is!”

Suddenly the Control Room wall sort of melted, and through this new gap walked three officials of some sort, followed by about twenty people, including Amanda.

The Voice: “I’m Team Leader Varg of the Time Police. (He pointed to those behind him). And these are the people you obliterated with your unprofessional meddling! Yes, these! They never existed in this time line!”

Dave: “Sir, we can only apologise. I see what you mean.”

Varg: “Well, luckily for you we can integrate all of these individuals into this line. You two, come with me!”

Dave and Pete were ushered through the gap in the wall, and led into another timeship. They “took off”.

Varg: “Right, when you get home, I promise you will find all as it should be. But you two must promise me one thing in return...”

Dave: “I know, Sir. Don’t interfere again!”

Varg: “Exactly. We have inserted a monitoring device into your craft. Any further violation and we will know instantly. Oh, and Pete, your Amanda will be restored in full as before.”

Pete: “That’s great. There isn’t a better Communications Officer!”

Varg (nodded): “Of course, good sir.”

Varg winked at Dave.

With that they were beamed straight back into the Control Room. Sure enough, everything was now as “it should be”. Just the small matter of explaining where they’d been recently and why.

Paul Butters

PS 5\5\14 - See a disadvantage with blogging here - you will read this before my earlier pieces in this series. (Unless you scroll down first). Oh well...