Time Wars: Manifest Destiny

By Jason Fairchild

When Bill Gross, the Nobel-prize winning CEO of Idealab—a pioneering technology incubator in Pasadena, CA—teams up with the head of the Caltech Theoretical Physics Department, Dr. Paul Sinclair, to develop a next-generation quantum computer, they stumble upon the greatest discovery in human history: time travel. As they begin experimenting with their new quantum time travel technology, they quickly learn that Earth is facing the threat of imminent attack. Using their newly developed time travel technology, the unlikely team of quantum physicists and high tech entrepreneurs must devise a plan to address the impending invasion by the most dominant civilization in the universe.

With the help of the United States Special Forces, DARPA, the President and some extraordinary men from Earth’s past, their team must travel between the past, present and future to find technologies and allies that can help them save the world in 2015. But altering timelines to save the future yields unexpected results...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jason Fairchild
• Release date: Aug 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9780692379844

Jason Fairchild

Jason is the Co-Founder of OpenX, a global advertising technology company, and has been a founder and/or held senior executive roles with seven other Internet-related technology startups, and has served as a board member or advisor for many others. Jason holds several patents around Internet search, behavioral marketing and online advertising.He lives with his wife and two teenage boys in southern California, and enjoys reading, writing, hockey and hiking in his spare time.

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TimeWars: Manifest Destiny

A Novel by Jason Fairchild

TIMEWARS: MANIFEST DESTINY

First published in the United States of America in 2015 by Quantum Press

Copyright © 2015 by Jason Fairchild

Edited by Jenny Jensen and Rebekah Goodyear

Typeset in Garamond by Rebekah Goodyear

Cover Art Design by Erika Gizelle Santiago

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

The names Idealab, GoTo.com and Bill Gross are used with express permission of their rightful owner, Mr. William T. Gross.

ISBN: 978-0-692-37984-4

For more information, please visit the author’s official website at:

http://timewarsmanifestdestiny.blogspot.com/

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."

—Albert Einstein

This book is dedicated to imagination. Without imagination there would be no human progress, because it’s imagination that drives us to explore what's possible instead of resting in the world of what is. It’s the pursuit of the possible that drives us to gain knowledge, and with knowledge comes a greater understanding of the universe around us, and that greater understanding improves the human condition.

Our imagination charts the course; hard work, knowledge acquisition, discipline and courage let us take the journey.

TimeWars: Manifest Destiny

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Afterword

About the Author

Chapter 1

NORAD Nuclear Bunker Command Center

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado

1402 hours, Jan 21, 3544

The six soldiers of Special Ops Team One appeared in the dormant underground bunker, interrupting 1510 years of total stillness. The blue laser glow of the TimeCast machine revealed a massive, dark and deserted cave. The air was stagnant. The laser glow from the TimeCast platform faded, leaving the LED lights on each man’s helmet the only source of illumination in the endless dark. The soldiers crouched in defensive position, automatic rifles anxiously trained on their assigned quadrants. The pinpoint of their helmet lights scanned for threats.

Perimeter check, Major Brad Reardon whispered in a crisp, urgent tone.

Corporal Tom Tomlinson and Sergeant Vinny Connessa nodded as they shuffled off the platform, still in their arrival crouch, weapons pointed forward.

Major Reardon impatiently glanced at his tablet and frowned. No signal. He then scanned the perimeter of the cave, his high-powered LED flashlight cutting through the darkness. It was obvious that the base was not in the same condition as when they left in 2015. The long isles of supply racks and shelves to the left of the platform area were toppled, leaving piles of supplies and boxes strewn about. Broken lights dangled from the ceiling. Large piles of rubble could be seen on the floor in several locations where the ceiling had partially given way. He looked to the right towards the second TimeCast platform and it was completely covered with debris.

Not good, he thought to himself.

Ellis, make your way to the command center control room and connect to Father, Reardon ordered.

Yes sir, said Sergeant Ellis, the team’s communications specialist. He took off towards the operations center, his helmet light cutting a path through the darkness, paving his way into the inky depths of the long sleeping underground complex. Connessa followed at a nod from the major.

Reardon continued to fiddle with his tablet, but it was no use. There were no signals in the base, which was disturbing since it had been outfitted with Father, a system with multiple wifi and secured peer-to-peer network broadcast points set specifically for these missions.

Connessa and Ellis reappeared, flashlights betraying their approach from the adjoining command operations center.

Sir, said Sergeant Ellis, everything is totally dead in ops. I got nothing. No live systems. No power. Nada. We set up the portable satellite comms and there are no live satellites in orbit—at least not sending signals.

What? Reardon snapped. That can’t be right. Get down to the nuclear power plant and plug in. Reboot the command center generators and let’s get some information pulled out of the computer logs. Get going.

Yes sir, said Ellis, and he was off.

Reardon ordered the remaining team members to scope out the base just to keep them occupied, but he was on edge and deeply troubled. The mission plan called for them to arrive, connect with the satellite system and download the local files, which would provide them with the full history of the invasion. But there was nothing.

Tense minutes expired, and Ellis returned, anxious and agitated.

Sir, I think you better see this, he said, his gloved hand passing his tablet to Reardon as if the tablet contained nuclear waste.

Reardon studied the information and visibly recoiled. What? This can’t be right.

Sir, we rebooted Father by connecting it to our portable generator. This reading comes directly from Father. It appears to be accurate.

Reardon reviewed the screen more closely.

What the fuck? he muttered under his breath.

Sir, this says we’re in the year 3544. Weren’t we supposed to hit the platform in 2114?

Jesus. Okay, we’re aborting the mission. Get down to ops and retrieve whatever you can get from the computer systems and get your ass back here. Fucking pronto.

Yes sir, Ellis said. And he bolted towards the ops center, fear motivating him to reckless speeds.

Ten minutes later Ellis met the rest of Team One on the TimeCast platform. They assembled into their departure formation; each man crouched with automatic weapons guarding their flanks.

Reardon punched the year 2015 into the TimeCast computer to initiate the launch sequence. Blue laser light engulfed the platform and they were gone, never to return to that timeline again.

Ten seconds later the time machine light faded, signaling their arrival at a new destination time.

Reardon knew instantly that something was wrong. The cave was completely dark and deserted—there were no operations personnel to meet them on the receiving platform. They had not arrived in 2015 as intended. The TimeCast machine had betrayed them again.

Ellis, Reardon whispered urgently. Get to Father. Get it up and running and download the date reading. We need to know what the fuck year we’re in this time.

Yes sir!

Ellis hustled off towards the operations center.

Reardon pulled out his tablet hoping to access the network. Nothing.

Damn it, he thought. What the hell is going on?

The team held formation until Ellis returned, his breathing hard.

Sir, you’re not going to like this. The nuclear clock says we’re in the year 3916.

"What?" Reardon exclaimed, grabbing the tablet from Ellis and reading the data from the file he had downloaded.

You got to be kidding me. Fuck. Fuck! His face did not betray the panic rising from the pit of his stomach.

What does this mean? Ellis asked, his voice nervous and tenuous.

It means something went very wrong. It looks like the TimeCast machine has sent us to the wrong time again.

"Sir, what does that mean?" Ellis begged, grasping for solid ground.

It means that we may be lost, Reardon responded, betraying his own ethical standards by sharing this alarming news with his junior.

Lost sir? Ellis asked, his fear evident.

Yeah, Reardon responded distractedly as he reread the information displayed on the tablet in his hand, disbelief evident in his tone.

We’re in the wrong time. Again. And I don’t know how to get us home.

Chapter 2

Caltech Particle Theory Group

Pasadena, CA

1329 hours, March 21, 2015

Nobel Laureate Bill Gross, Founder and CEO of Idealab in Pasadena, took several short, deliberate strides toward the center of the stage and clenched one hand around the microphone. His other hand held a piece of lined paper with his talking points neatly outlined. Bill looked out at the Caltech audience of more than three hundred graduate students from various classes and fields of study related to advanced physics. Bill was in his late forties, a man bursting with life energy and enthusiasm. He stood about five foot six and with thinning hair and wire rimmed glasses, looking every inch a science professor.

He felt at home here, his alma mater, and even though he wasn’t fond of public speaking, it was reassuring that Lauriston Hall was familiar ground. Bill looked down at his notes and up to his audience and began.

Our understanding of the world around us is based on science, and most science is fundamentally flawed. He paused, scanned the audience, and continued:

"Science is built on the power of observation. Bad conclusions are driven by poor data or false observations, and false observations are a function of the tools available to the observer. Fourteenth century mariners navigated waters based on the firm belief that the world was flat not because they were less intelligent than we are, but because they didn’t have the tools available to prove otherwise. World history is filled with such examples of false observations and conclusions, and those conclusions have shaped our civilization from the very beginning of time.

As technology has advanced, our observation tools have improved, and our conclusions have improved with them. For example, we’ve just verified the existence of the Higgs Boson, dubbed by the media as the ‘God Particle.’ This discovery was made possible by a 30 year coordinated pursuit by the scientific community. That pursuit included 10,000 scientists from across the globe and culminated with the development of the $6.5 billion CERN particle collider in Switzerland—by far the largest construction project undertaken in human history. This again shows us that better observation tools—in this case an extremely advanced and expensive particle collider—drive better observations and conclusions.

And if we needed more examples, Gross went on, "just think of what the Hubble telescope has done for humankind's understanding of the cosmos. For the first time in history we have the ability to see into the vastness around our home galaxy to understand that our corner of the universe, the Milky Way, is but one of billions of spiral galaxies within view of Hubble. This observation is only a few hundred years removed from a common belief that the world was flat. Again, better observation tools allow for better conclusions.

"So in a very real sense, the rate of technological advancement drives our understanding of the universe around us, and improved understanding of our universe advances civilization and evolves the human condition.

"We’ve seen this play out over and over again throughout history, including the invention of the wheel, harnessing electricity, food production technology, the industrial revolution, nuclear technology and the microchip, to name just a few examples. Technology shapes our civilization and our social condition.

Therefore, one could conclude that if we increase the rate of technology advancement we can positively impact the rate of human advancement. So, the question most interesting to me as a computer scientist, and as a human being, is how can we positively influence the rate of technology development and advancement?

Professor Paul Sinclair and his graduate student, Ian Penner, were seated in the fourth row of the Lauritson lecture hall with several of Paul’s other graduate and postgraduate students. Paul could see that his old friend Bill Gross might appear nervous talking to the group of 300 plus students and faculty, but he knew better. There was a natural intensity and electricity about the man, as if he had so much kinetic energy bottled up that his body could barely contain it. He was bursting at the seams with excitement and passion when he talked about technology. Paul smiled to himself because he was so impressed with the improbable charisma Bill projected—this slightly geeky, brilliant man was delivering a casual speech that captivated the auditorium of physics students and, he had to admit, captured his own imagination. There was no question about it: Bill Gross was an inspirational figure.

Gross went on, "As a computer scientist my perspective is that technology advancement is centered on one thing and one thing only: the speed with which we are able to process information. In other words, technology advancement, especially in the digital age we live in, is based on our ability to improve the rate at which we process massive amounts of data—bits and bytes.

"So, how do we process data? The answer of course is microprocessors—or computer chips—and as we all know, Moore’s law postulates that computer processors double in processing power, or speed, every two years. That law has been universally accepted as truth and has pretty much defined the pace of technology innovation across our planet for the past 50 years.

I’m here to tell you that Moore’s law is false. It’s a measurement of a limited paradigm from within that paradigm. No, Moore’s law is not a law at all, it’s merely a hypothesis that has been accepted as fact, but this conclusion is false and will be proven wrong by the next generation of processing technologies.

How? Gross challenged. "From a technology point of view, what I’m talking about is eliminating all friction around data management, and replacing the outdated, linear computational model with a system built on unlimited parallel processing so that data can be processed and managed at the speed of light. Yes, data processing at the speed of light; an idea also known as quantum computing.

"If that were possible, what would happen to the pace of innovation? How would quantum computing impact science and research? How would it impact everyday life for people on this planet?

I’ll tell you. Every aspect of our lives would be transformed within a couple of decades as the pace of innovation would accelerate, powered by unlimited data processing speed, leading to faster, better decision making across everything that technology touches, resulting in a technology renaissance unlike anything the world has ever seen.

He paused for effect. Seeing the sea of rapt faces, he continued: We live in an incredible time of unprecedented change in human history. Technology has advanced more in the last 30 years than in the previous 3,000. As scientists, we have an obligation to ourselves and humankind to lead this period of technology driven change. So, my challenge to you is to embrace this unique moment in world history and apply your minds and life energy towards innovating technologies that result in a greater understanding of the world and universe around us. There has never been a better time in history to innovate, and if you do that well, you will help usher in a historic period of technology renaissance that the world has never seen before.

Thank you, he concluded.

Gross did not wait for applause. He folded his piece of paper, shoved it into the pocket of his short sleeve button down shirt, and shuffled off the stage.

Dr. Paul Sinclair, head of Caltech’s Theoretical Particle Physics department, left his seat and walked up the stairs to the stage, standing behind the podium.

Thank you Bill, for that wonderful talk. As always, we appreciate valuable perspectives from accomplished leaders in technology, especially Caltech alums. That will conclude today’s session. If you have any questions or would like to talk with Mr. Gross, please feel free to come on up, he’ll be here for a few minutes.

Paul stepped down, striding over to where Bill waited for him in front of the stage. Shedding his formal veneer in favor of his natural sophomoric persona, Paul said, Jesus Christ, Bill, we need to loosen you up—you looked a bit uptight up there. You getting any action these days, or what?

He flashed Bill a shit-eating grin. Paul loved to assault his conservative friend with outrageous and wildly inappropriate comments. How about we fly to Vegas this weekend to check out some strip clubs? The Hard Rock pool scene is hoppin’ this time of year.

Bill rolled his eyes, shaking his head. How do you stay employed around here, Paul? You have to be the most crude, vulgar person I’ve ever met. And you don’t seem to change with age—I’ve been waiting for you to mature for 15 years and I remain completely disappointed.

Paul’s face wore that mischievous smile that old friends share. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to disappoint you. That’s one of my life’s great ambitions. And while I may be crude and vulgar, they keep me around here because of my good looks. Obviously. He paused, adding with a smile, That and maybe the fact that I’m one of the most brilliant physicists on the planet.

Bill smiled and shook his head. Yeah that helps. But I think it may be your modesty that wins the day.

Before Paul could respond with a counter punch, Bill continued his offensive. I’m surprised you’re still going back for more in Vegas, Paul. By now, everyone has heard of the legendary $25,000 Vegas strip club incident—something about your CEO declining to sign off on that expense report due to her stubborn ethical standards. So, yeah, I’m surprised that you keep going back for more after such epic failures. And just how is it that a man of your intelligence can’t learn from such colossal life mistakes?

Billed eyed Paul, wondering why on earth a man of his intelligence wasted time drinking, chasing women and gambling? Such a contradiction.

Paul smiled, loving every minute of this battle of wits.

There’s no need to dig that old story up, Bill, and besides, you’re missing the most important point about that incident.

And what point is that? Bill asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

I made all of that money back in three hours at the blackjack tables! So at the end of the day my reputation was greatly enhanced and I didn’t lose a dime in the deal. That’s why I love Vegas, Bill. Even when you’re a loser, you can be a winner!

Bill frowned at Paul. He knew the professor liked to use his near photographic memory as an advantage in Vegas from time to time. Paul, in all seriousness, you need to stop that card counting business. Those guys don’t mess around. If they catch you, they’ll do more than escort you out of the building. They’ll hurt you. For real. I really wish you’d grow out of that behavior, Paul. You’re a role model for God’s sake.

Thanks for the warning, and for caring, but I know what I’m doing. The trick is to never hurt them too much or too often, and never go back to the same place more than once a year or so.

Bill shook his head, smiling but still concerned. You’re unbelievable.

Paul was a unique character; a child prodigy in math and science, he’d attended Choate, then Princeton at age 16, graduating with dual degrees in computer science and physics. He earned his MBA at Wharton, and his PhD at Caltech. Standing 6’5, his thinning hair pulled into a signature ponytail, he was a gregarious, imposing personality. With his unique gifts it had been incredibly easy for him to master his chosen fields and achieve an amazing level of success in each. As a result, he struggled with boredom. Even now, running one of the world’s most advanced research institutions, he could find himself unchallenged, and when that happened—which was often—he tended to fall into the colorful, rather risky persona his friends referred to as bad Paul, the party animal with a dark side. For Paul it was a constant struggle to contain bad Paul." He needed to find new challenges that could engage his intellectual horsepower. It was that search that had led him to Caltech many years earlier.

From his position at Caltech, Professor Paul Sinclair presided over some of the world’s most advanced research on quantum theory in general, and String Theory in particular. The scientific community viewed his ideas, research and publications on the topic to be the cutting edge of this new field of research. He was widely acknowledged as the world’s foremost authority on String Theory, the most revolutionary line of thinking since GTOR, Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

Dr. Sinclair taught his students that after authoring his General Theory of Relativity, Einstein had worked the rest of his life trying to explain certain phenomena that couldn’t be explained under GTOR. Einstein and every major 20th century physicist struggled to come up with a theory that unified the four universal forces—Electromagnetic Force, Strong Nuclear Force, Weak Nuclear Force and Gravitational Force. These forces bore no resemblance to each other, sometimes conflicting, leaving holes in the overall understanding of our universe.

Since 2005 new ideas had been circulating in the scientific community about the Grand Unified Theory. Paul was at the forefront of developing those concepts, the names for which ranged from the Theory of Everything, to String Theory, Hyperspace and M-theory. Each included the very real possibility that our universe (or dimension) was just one of many dimensions that were somehow interconnected. Where these dimensions were located, and how they connected to our universe was the subject of much scientific research and theoretical debate around the world, and Caltech led the way.

Many years prior to taking the position at Caltech, Paul worked as a Chief Technology Officer for one of Bill Gross’s companies at Idealab, where the two developed a close relationship. They remained friends over the years and Paul had consulted for several of Bill’s startups before moving back to academia at Caltech, where, in his own words, he could teach kids and be a kid at the same time.

As he studied Bill, Paul wanted to change the subject from counting cards. You know, Bill, I can’t let you leave here without knowing more about what you’re up to with that quantum computing project you referenced. He smiled broadly. Was that your usual aspirational vision thing? Just hot air? What’s the deal?

Bill flashed a grin. Ah yes, I expected that you might have some questions about that, and, as always, I appreciate your skepticism.

Paul laughed. I’m a scientist, Bill. We’re naturally skeptical of you marketing types. Hype, hype and hot air are all I hear from you guys.

Bill shook his head. You have an awfully short memory, Professor. As I recall, you did pretty well working for Idealab companies, so you’re guilty of hype-by-association. And remember, I have a computer science degree from this fine institution that you now work for, so take care where you throw your rocks.

Okay, okay, you got me there, Bill. Anyway, out with it. What are you up to? Paul asked.

Well it’s early, Bill responded, but the company I recently started is called QuantumData, and as its name suggests—and as I mentioned here today—I’m interested in solving the Big Data problem. The basic idea is to develop ways to process data at exponentially faster rates than current state of the art technologies. I want to shift the current data processing paradigm so we can move faster into new technologies across the board. The silicon-based chips and processors that run the planet are simply outdated.

Paul took this in. Interesting. How are you approaching the problem?

I’d love to show you what we’re up to. Actually, since it’s summer how about you come and spend some time with me at Idealab with QuantumData as an advisor? He shot Paul a sly smile. It would keep you out of the Vegas strip clubs. You know the drill, I’ll even give you some founders’ shares in the company—it’ll be just like old times.

Bill liked Paul a lot; he was well aware of his flaws and made an effort to send interesting challenges his way to keep his mind occupied with healthy distractions.

Paul smiled; of course he was interested. Great. I get to work for you for next to nothing, you make all the money and get all the glory. Sounds wonderful.

You know me, Bill replied with a twinkle in his eye, "any time I can exploit an academic. And if my memory serves, the last time we worked together you were the Chief Technology Officer of one of my companies that sold for a lot of money. I think that exploitation paid for your house and that nice Audi R8 parked in your garage. He paused for effect. Yeah, I really exploited you on that deal, didn’t I?"

Paul laughed; it was true—his relationship with Bill had made him a lot of money.

Ok, Bill. Let’s set a time and I’ll come over. But in the meantime, I have someone who can help you out. His name is Ian Penner and he’s one of our best and brightest grad students. He’s maybe a bit burnt out on abstract theory, so I think he would be glad of some hands-on work. It would be a good fit. He’d be cheap and could help you with anything to do with quantum technologies.

Sounds great. I look forward to meeting him, and also look forward to seeing you soon, Bill replied.

Chapter 3

Caltech Particle Theory Group

Pasadena, CA

1614 hours, March 28, 2015

A week had passed and a start date was set for Ian to begin at QuantumData. To help prepare for his new job, Ian had been reading and was now meeting with Paul to learn more about Bill and Idealab.

Ian was tall, with a runner’s physique, and messy, dirty blonde hair. A casual dresser—usually wearing jeans and a t-shirt—he was your typical starving student, PhD candidate. And yet he was also one of the most brilliant students Paul had ever taught, if highly complex. Through an incredibly improbable series of circumstances, Ian was identified as exceptional by a teacher at his inner city Detroit grade school. Through the teacher’s relationship with the headmaster of a prep school in New England, Ian was shipped off to an elite boarding school on a full scholarship. After graduation he headed west to major in physics at Caltech. During his time there, Ian excelled, establishing a reputation as an up-and-comer in the academic community. Even as an undergrad, he had several papers published in Scientific Journal, Advanced Physics, and other publications. He graduated with degrees in both physics and computer science, the latter a hobby since childhood. He remembered those early summers hiding out from the sweltering Detroit heat in the cool basement, writing programs while his friends were out raising hell.

By his second year of graduate school at Caltech, Ian was on track to become a professor or work for a technology company in advanced research. Whatever path he chose he would never need to worry about money, a striking contrast to his poverty-stricken childhood.

Yet something was missing for Ian. The theoretical and abstract nature of the work had become uninspiring. He had always been driven by an inner desire to influence the real world, beyond the lab, and he couldn’t see academia leading him to his idea of meaningful work or contributions to society. The idea of spending his life as a physics teacher just wasn’t stimulating enough.

Ian struggled with the issue, even considering dropping out of the doctoral program at Caltech, which led to deep discussions with his mentor, Paul Sinclair.

"What is it about your life that you don’t like?" Paul had asked Ian. More specifically, what is it about the path you’re on that doesn’t excite you? You wanted to pursue physics because something about it was exciting and inspiring to you at the most fundamental level. What was that?

"I’m not sure, Dr. Sinclair," Ian responded. I think I’ve always believed my life would mean something. That I would help change the world for the better. And that vision has always inspired me and been my true north. But when I look at my life’s direction today, all I see is a future of teaching and class work, which is great and noble and will provide a good living, but it’s somehow not enough. I want to change the world for the better. Even more than that, I have always believed that I was put here to change the world, and I don’t feel like I’m headed in that direction. I feel like I’m off track.

Dr. Sinclair felt Ian’s pain and tried to encourage him. "I understand. Most of us get into science because