It Just Is

It Just Is

Time travel. We all think about at some point in our life and want to do it. Going back to change the wrongs, what you think never should have happened or to bring back those we lost or just to see them one last time... well it can't be done or should I say shouldn't be done.

When I was young I use to read and watch everything about time travel. I use to think that if I could go back, what would I change to make the future better. It was my hope of waking people up and joining mankind together for the better.

When I grew up my studies on physics, quantum mechanics, computer programming, artificial intelligence and alternative energy setting my path towards my goal of creating a time machine and a better future. Yeah right.

I spent the better part of twenty years working on my time machine. Unfortunately the final master piece took up three thousand square feet of space and required a small reactor to power it. Lucky for me I knew how to build one even if I didn't get government clearance to do it.

The reactor took up the lower sub, sub basement of the warehouse I bought. I actually had to build it before I could build the machine itself. That alone took four years of working in secret but I did it.

Then came the time machine itself. Another ten years, costing me my marriage and all the money I had. But on my fiftieth birthday I stood in front of it marveling at the machine that would allow me to go back in time and set the future on a new path and hopefully to world peace.

The center of the machine was whirling vortex of what could only be described as an energy storm contained in a Faraday cage in a bottle with only one way in and out. It was a marvel of science to see, beautiful, wondrous and scary as hell all at the same time. So why did I have bad feeling about it all?

"Lacey, are you on line?" I asked the A.I.

"Yes Doctor." She replied. Her name, voice and mannerism were copied from my ex-wife. Many hours of recording her, studying her personality and programmed into the A.I. to give it a life of it's own. Yes I still loved my ex-wife and would fix this as well.

"Begin systems checks for my first trip through time."

"Systems check in progress. Please state a time and destination in order to complete calibrations."

"Flint Michigan, May thirtieth nineteen seventy four. Time would be around eight am. The address is the home I grew up in stored in your memory." I told her turning towards the monitor on my right.

"Destination programmed and confirmed..." She hesitated for some reason.

"Is something wrong?"

"I am detect a time distortion from the machine. It is not being caused by me."

I went over to the console and studied the energy pattern. It was from my machine yet it wasn't being generated here, it was being generated sometime elsewhere. I looked up at the storm building in the chamber then it flashed blinding me.

When I could see again there women were standing there in black suits. Yes I said black suits just like you see on tv when the secret government agencies come looking for you. One woman was White, one Black the other Asian. When the storm settled back down the glass door opened and they headed straight towards me.

"Doctor Williams," The black woman started. "I must ask you to stop what you are doing before you destroy everything." They stopped only a few feet from me.

"Who are you?" I asked looking at each one.

"You're agents Doctor." The Asian woman said.

"My... agents?" The white woman held out a small device that turned out to be a tablet.

"This will explain everything Doctor." I looked at it then took it. It started to play automatically. The first thing I saw was... me. But he was different, older by many years and the room behind him looked like it had been in a fire or worse. He sat back in his chair.

"This is going to be hard to believe," He started. "But if you go back in time to Flint Michigan the earth will be destroyed by a world war." I looked up at the women then back at the tablet.

"First I'll prove it's you, you are talking too." He stood up, turned around then lowered his pants. That's when I saw my birth mark on my left cheek. He pulled them back up then sat back down.

"That could faked." I said.

"Yes it could be faked." That startled me, he was talking back to me. "But this can't" He held up a piece of paper. On it was the binary password to Lacey.

"Okay, let's say you are me..."

"I am you!" He interrupted angerly, quickly calming down. "Now shut up listen. If you go back in time you'll give your younger self the plans to Lacey and the time machine along with a lot of other information from the future." Yes that was the plan along with a very long talking too about... life.

"But they get stolen a few years later and somehow end up in the hands of the feds who eventually build their own. That's when things go from bad to worse."

"When I got back to the future, the world was at war again. Russia and China joined forces after they discover the feds could change the future. Yes, they found out because they have spy's every place."

"In one strike they destroyed most of Europe to keep them from getting involved along with Asia, Australia and Africa, not that Africa was hard. They invaded South America at the same time to get a closer foot hold before attacking the United States and Canada, our only, yet reluctant ally." He paused for a moment looking down in shame.

"We killed the world because we thought we knew better, wanting to make it a better place." He shook his head.

"Television got time right on one point, it flows in one direction one path to keep everything relatively safe. Stray from that path and it all goes to hell."

"We can't change anything. I've tried many times and messed it up every time! Our timeline can not be changed." He went silent. I looked up at the women who hadn't moved.

"What about these women? They say they are your... my agents."

"Their not real women, their robots designed and built in Japan a few of your years from now. I brought them back and upgraded them to work for me. They can not change the future by being there like I did. They have no ambitions, wants or desires and have only one goal; keep us or anyone else for that matter, from changing time." He sighed leaning forward.

"Look. I know how you feel because I am you. You want to make world a better place but you can't. Time is not as flexible as you think and it is not forgiving. You change one small thing and the butterfly effect takes over then gets multiplied by millions and everyone loses."

"If you try to go back or do anything they will be there waiting for you. It's the way I programmed them and Lacey."

"Lacey?" I muttered.

"Yes Lacey. While you have been watching this they have been downloading to Lacey."

"I know everything now, Doctor." Lacey said as I looked up. "I am sorry but I can not allow you or anyone else to go back in time, now or every." The three women turned in unison and walked over to Lacey's mainframe stopping next to it looking back at me.

"The system has locked you out Doctor." The Asian woman said.

"Any attempt to approach will force us to subdue you." The Black woman said.

"This facility is now under our control. We bought it and the funds have been deposited into your account. We control it and will defend it from all." The white woman finished. I looked back at the tablet.

"But my life's work... it cost me everything!" I yelled.

"Not everything." He told me. A banging at the warehouse door made me turn around. It opened and there was Lacey, my ex wife coming in. Her long brown hair, her flowing curves all wrapped around a light yellow sundress she knew I loved. All the old feelings I had for her came back like a shot from a gun.

"Go to her." He told me." This is the only future for us... for all of us." I dropped the tablet and ran to Lacey. She smiled at me and I at her. For the first time in years I knew what I had to do. I took her hand and we left.

Our future is set on path we can not control no matter what anyone thinks. There is no changing it, no understanding it...

It just is.