The God Plot: Timekeeper's Tale

By Gary B. Boyd

Baker Standish knows his world-time, his reality, the culmination of his history is at a crossroads. He also knows he is destined to play a pivotal role in choosing the right road. His experience tells him that meddling with realities can do more harm than good, but from his vantage point, meddling is the only reasonable choice.
Traitors within Lineal Chronology are hell-bent on controlling the quantum elevator and the secrets that surround it. Whoever controls the elevator controls reality. With no one to trust, Baker must discover the identities of the traitors. That single task proves daunting because the traitors are not inclined to be stopped.
Professor Bill Jamison set Baker on his journey. From all indications, the journey cannot be denied. Once a path is chosen, small events compound to reshape the present and the future. Baker must move forward as rapidly as possible, even though time is seemingly on his side. The risks are real, and the stakes are high. Failure is not an option … because a reshaped reality will eliminate those closest to him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665568449

Gary B. Boyd

Gary B. Boyd is a story teller. Whether at his cabin in the Ozark Mountains, at his desk in his home or on his deck overlooking Beaver Lake near Rogers, Arkansas, he writes his stories. His travels during his business career brought him in touch with a variety of people. Inquisitive, Gary watches and listens to the people he meets. He sees in them the characters that will fill his stories … that will tell their stories. A prolific author with more than a dozen published titles and a head full of tales yet to share, Gary submits to his characters and allows them to tell their own stories in their own way. The joy of completing a novel doesn’t lessen with time. There are more stories to tell, more novels to write. Gary expects to bring new characters to life for years to come. www.garybboyd.com

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© 2022 Gary B. Boyd. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  08/16/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-6845-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-6844-9 (e)

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1     The Plan

Chapter 2     Upper Management

Chapter 3     The Code

Chapter 4     Teddy

Chapter 5     Time to Consider

Chapter 6     I’m Dead.

Chapter 7     Risk of Failure

Chapter 8     A Link in the Chain

Chapter 9     Timekeeper Search

Chapter 10   A Time to Dig

Chapter 11   Ultimatum

Chapter 12   Questions

Chapter 13   Death Relived

Chapter 14   Missions Accomplished

Chapter 15   Digging Deeper

Chapter 16   Six Degrees

Chapter 17   The Nixon Mission

Chapter 18   Simone Under Fire

Chapter 19   It Never Stops

Chapter 20   Saving Suzanne

Chapter 21   Saving Nixon

Chapter 22   Suspicions

Chapter 23   The President

Chapter 24   Timekeeper Confusion

Chapter 25   Reality Revisited

Chapter 26   The Captured Traitor

Chapter 27   Sentencing

Chapter 28   Escape

Chapter 29   Debriefing

Chapter 30   Everyone is Suspect

Chapter 31   Plotting Against the Plot

Chapter 32   Counter Plot

Chapter 33   Unraveling the God Plot

Chapter 34   To the Ends of Time

None of my work would be worthy of publication without the help

of my wife Shirley and my daughter Tina. This particular tale was

also made worthy by our high school friend, Penny. Their inputs to

correct my mistakes and keep the story straight were invaluable.

Preface

Time is in short supply.

Or so it would sometimes seem.

Time is running out.

Or so people sometimes say.

Immutable and relentless. Time is a constant. It does not change, though everything around it is in a constant state of flux. Yet, time is fluid. It flows from one moment to the next like a river of water. Water without substance. Time has no flavor. It has no smell. It lacks tactility, though some people claim they can feel time slipping away.

It’s about time that Baker Standish is learning. With each passing minute, he learns more. What he learns is not always what he wants to know. Only time will tell if he has learned what he needs to know.

The adventure Baker Standish and his alter-ego, Prader Knowles, embarks upon is fraught with dangers he can’t imagine. And if he can’t imagine them, he can’t fully prepare for the consequences. But … he has no choice. Everything he knows about time tells him he must act regardless of personal consequences. His reality, his world-time, and his history depend upon him.

Baker doesn’t know why he was chosen, though he questions himself for accepting the assignment. He also questions whether he actually accepted, or if the assignment was simply foisted upon him, and he was too guileless to realize he had a choice. None of that matters anymore. He understands the gravity of his situation. He owns the assignment. He presses forward one step and one minute at a time.

With no one to trust, Baker is on his own. He finds himself caught between having all the time in the world and time running out.

Let the confusion begin.

1

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The Plan

You know that’s not part of the plan, Jim chided, his dark brow furrowed disapprovingly.

Baker pressed his lips together to force himself to think before he responded to Jim Stanton. Jim was still his supervisor regardless of the past couple months of training for his new job. Sometimes it is difficult to separate today from tomorrow. That’s definitely a problem for someone who knows what the future holds. Twenty-five-year-old Baker Standish knew about his future. He knew his future not because he had seen it; rather, he knew his future because Professor Jamison told him what it would be. Even so, he knew it still had to come to pass before it was real.

Baker knew he was too young for the assignment given him by Lineal Chronology. Not so much in years, but in experience. He was barely qualified as a Timekeeper, yet he was being groomed to replace Bill Jamison, the Founder of Lineal Chronology. That replacement was years away … hopefully. It would not happen until Bill became too infirm to function … or dead. Bill was in his sixties, though the job had physically aged him. He had a lot of years left to live. There was time for Baker to learn. In reality, time as a concept is ephemeral, but it still holds sway. He nodded calmly, I understand that, but sometimes plans have to be changed.

The grayed Black man exhaled heavily and smiled wryly. Bill said we would probably be having this conversation.

The Professor is the smartest man in the room, Baker replied with a sly grin. You told me that yourself.

Jim shook his head. One of many things I’ve said that I regret saying out-loud from time to time. He inhaled deeply and continued patiently, So … what makes you think the plan to keep you off the elevator should be changed?

If we’re going to keep my planned ascension quiet, I need to make a show of being a Timekeeper. An elevator trip every now and then will allay suspicions. Baker was sure his simple rationale would suffice.

Maybe. Maybe not. The only thing we are purposely keeping quiet is your assignment to ferret out the traitors. That’s the only secret. With all that, the risk of you becoming lost in time has to be considered.

I could be hit by a dump truck on my way to work, Baker replied lamely.

Jim grinned, peered over the top of his reading glasses, and slowly shook his head, We can nudge that away. We can’t always nudge away getting lost.

Baker twisted his mouth in thought. He knew he couldn’t easily win an argument with Jim. Lord knows he had tried more than once. I understand all of that, but the investigation has become a tangle.

Like the carnival strings?

Jim was referencing the simile used to describe the random entanglement of alternate world-times, the seemingly infinite number of possible timelines that make up the universe of time … all of which are inside the quantum elevator. Baker’s biggest struggle since being shoved into his new assignment was understanding the quantum nature of Lineal Chronology’s product. As intelligent as he was, quantum physics boggled his mind. Sure. Like the carnival strings. Somewhere in this mess, he waved his hand to indicate the world at large, is the solution to our problem. I worry if we don’t solve it sooner rather than later, we may be unable to solve it at all.

Jim nodded thoughtfully. We will solve it. It will just take time, and we both know we have time. Besides, Bill has faith you will go to the ends of time to solve it.

If we can find the right string to pull.

We’ve always managed to locate the right strings. We will again. We have time to ensure the links in the chain of events that create our reality are in the proper order. We’ve proven it time after time.

Jim’s words briefly flared a refrain from a Cyndi Lauper song that once plagued Baker as an earworm. Time after time. The earworm hounded him for the first three years of his employment with Lineal Chronology. The only thing that pushed it from his brain was another refrain from a Rolling Stone’s song, Time. Time. Time is on my side. He shook his head rapidly to clear his mind. He didn’t want … or need … a pervasive earworm to distract him. We failed the Timekeeper at the Battle of Little Bighorn … and as I understand it, we lost control of that entire event. Use of the quantum elevator was not without failures. Timekeepers lost in time, worse … Timekeepers dead in time, were hard to accept, but they happened.

Jim averted his eyes toward the top of his desk. Sadness melted his face for a moment as he lifted his eyes to reconnect with Baker’s. I attribute that to our lack of understanding of the elevator. We are getting better at sorting the timelines.

Baker raised his eyebrows inquisitively, Do you think we will ever be able to rescue the Timekeeper? He knew the pain of losing a Timekeeper, dead in time, weighed heavily on his supervisor.

Jim shrugged. Someday. Maybe. That will likely be during your time, somewhere in your future. If we can get better at pinpointing a moment in our world-time, we could entertain that possibility. But … we’re not there yet. Besides, we have bigger issues to address.

And me going on the elevator will help us address those issues, Baker replied smugly. He felt confident about his request.

Jim shook his head. Let’s talk to Bill … and Kara. I’m not going to authorize it. Too much could go wrong.

Baker smiled coyly, And a lot could go right. I think it’s worth doing. He knew how Lineal Chronology management worked. He knew nothing would change without a meeting with Bill Jamison and Kara Leflar.

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Bill Jamison smiled warmly at Baker when he entered the room. The room was more secure than the normal briefing room. Very few knew its significance. It seemed to be just another conference room that was used for meetings that Jim or Bill decided required secrecy. The room was secured with biometric locks and security cards to limit access. As with most of the Lineal Chronology building, the area was soundproof and guarded against electronic surveillance. Anything could be said or shown with the understanding that only those people inside the room could access it. And the room had a serving table with a seemingly bottomless urn of fresh coffee. Bill walked straight to the table and began filling a cup.

Bill’s gray eyes sparkled as he grinned widely at Baker, exposing his tobacco-yellowed teeth. The university-History-Professor-by-day Founder and Leader of Lineal Chronology sat in a chair next to Baker. His shaggy, professor cut, gray hair covered his ears – and an earbud. Jim Stanton and Kara Leflar, HR Manager, sat on the opposite side of the table. Only Jim’s earbud was readily visible. Kara’s was hidden by her blonde hair. Bill blew across his coffee, then sipped lightly to test the temperature. I suppose we are ready for the real work to begin, huh?

Baker stammered at the start of his response. I … uh … yes. I think I need to get out in the field for a couple of reasons. He waited for his old college professor to give him permission to continue. Old habits die hard.

Bill sipped his coffee. His mouth was accustomed to hot coffee. Let’s hear your argument.

Baker studied Bill’s face. He saw a blank page, a receptive mind. He wondered what Jim and Kara’s faces showed. He didn’t want to look away from the Founder of Lineal Chronology. Approval, if he got it, would come from Bill. The most obvious, though maybe not strongest reason, is to avoid suspicion of being a Timekeeper who is not engaged in elevator missions.

You’ve been on medical light-duty for the past few months, Bill said casually. He glanced toward Kara, seeking affirmation.

Kara smiled, her lips parted to expose even, white teeth. Kara was a Board-certified psychiatrist, hired to serve as HR Manager … but with a larger objective to understand and treat a phenomenon she dubbed Timekeeper confusion. Timekeeper’s were troubled by memories they attained while using the elevator. An event Bill called out-of-time was during the period when Timekeepers in the elevator were not physically connected to any reality. Timekeepers also were the few people who could remember time and events both before and after they elevated on missions to nudge historical events into the proper order. The dichotomy of their mixed memories could become mentally and emotionally overwhelming – to the point of mild schizophrenia. If their memories created confusion while on a mission, they could easily become lost in time … or worse. No treatment had been found other than recognition of the symptoms and acceptance of the fact that it was normal for Timekeepers to be confused from time to time. Compartmentalizing real and supposed memories was the only way Timekeepers could maintain their sanity. Kara’s short blonde hair bounced at her neckline as she replied to Bill’s invitation to interject. The light-duty assignment has probably run its course. She made eye contact with Baker. The fact that Simone was more severely injured on the same mission allowed us to use light-duty as an excuse longer than it was merited in Baker’s case. She grinned at Baker. I have heard a few grumbles that Baker is milking the medical.

Bill laughed. Someone is always grumbling. Baker, I see your point in general, but you said you had other reasons. I take it those reasons weigh heavier.

Baker smiled nervously. He felt strengthened by Kara’s comment. Poking around here is getting me nowhere. I’ll not find the traitors if I stay grounded here.

Bill’s calm … and calming … face held a hint of a smile. We think we’re sure the traitor is here in our midst, or have you uncovered evidence that says otherwise?

The question flustered Baker for a moment. Yes. No. I haven’t found any evidence of anything. That’s why I need to take the elevator. To find evidence, proof of duplicitous activities.

Go on.

If I could go back to San Francisco in 1906, I could watch your grandmother. Maybe I could see who nudged her path and put her in that house at that time.

She lived there, with her mother and father. My great-grandparents. That’s why she was in the house at that time.

True, but something changed. The house they lived in. The fact that your grandmother was in the house that killed her during the earthquake – if not for Simone’s shove. Apparently, she did not die before she was nudged to be in that house at that particular time … otherwise you wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

We lack the ability to ferret out precise moments, something we must have if we are to find that world-time and the precise event that changed my grandmother’s reality. You learned that the hard way when you saved Simone.

Baker knew the elevator technology, as fantastic as it was, was limited in its capabilities. He knew the quantum computations required to find a precise moment in time were far beyond the understanding of anyone, even Bill Jamison or Jim Stanton, the physicists who created the elevator technology. The only thing he understood about the elevator was that a twenty-two-character code allowed someone to elevate to a point in the past, albeit an imprecise point. Once there … and then … the Timekeeper could interact with the people in that time. The Timekeeper could nudge a specific behavior to keep an event on course to maintain the flow of history as it was in his reality. That was Lineal Chronology’s product. Order. The proper order of historical events. Maybe that’s a bad example, one that isn’t possible, but I can elevate to surveil Timekeepers on their missions – like Luis did for me during training.

Bill glanced toward Jim and grinned. That was a training exercise, here in Staging. He didn’t actually follow you back in time.

Baker shook his head in frustration. He knew better than reference that event from his training. "Okay, but my point is that I can follow a Timekeeper. I can see if any Timekeepers are deviating from plan. I can see which Timekeeper is deviating from plan. We know it’s happening. We just don’t who or when."

Bill thoughtfully replied, Following a Timekeeper is possible, though risky. Our elevator codes are not precise enough to guarantee you would arrive before, after, or during the Timekeeper’s arrival. You learned that when you elevated to 1906 to rescue Simone.

I know, but it’s the best I’ve got. If we’re going to find and stop the traitors, we have to take some risks.

I’m not prepared to risk you. Bill replied firmly.

I’m not prepared to risk me either. I think it can be done without risk.

Using the elevator is always a risk. Too many variables involved.

I understand that, but what else can we do?

Narrow the search. We have over one-hundred Timekeepers. It could be any one of them … or maybe more than one. To ameliorate our exposure, we’ve limited missions pending your discovery of the traitor. Even so, we are still running missions that we consider critical.

Kara interjected, I don’t doubt that fewer missions is adding to the grumbling. I suspect some of the Timekeepers are blaming Baker and Simone’s injuries for the downtime. They’re bored, and idle minds … well, you know how that works.

Bill sipped his coffee with less concern about the temperature. He watched Baker twitch and squirm. His eyes had the ability to make his students squirm as he contemplated his next move. That ability translated very well into the meeting rooms of Lineal Chronology. Aside from his brilliance, his eyes gave him a distinct advantage during any interaction. Provide a plan for our review.

Baker exhaled heavily and smiled. Before he could respond, Bill continued.

But first, you need to engage with upper management. You need to understand who is calling the shots … and how.

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Baker Standish’s assignment was relatively simple. Find the person or persons who were trying to change history, specifically, trying to change Bill Jamison’s history to eliminate … or control … the elevator. One blatant attempt had already been made on Bill’s life. There were likely other events already nudged into motion as yet unknown. Finding them before they became reality required searches of the infinite possibilities of random events not in the proper order. That required the awesome computing power of Bill Jamison’s quantum computer. And secrecy. The traitors were undoubtedly employees of Lineal Chronology working under the guidance of someone powerful enough to gain from the endeavor. If they were to be caught, they couldn’t suspect Lineal Chronology was aware of their treachery before it was contained.

An anomaly in history was discovered by Lineal Chronology’s research department. Timekeeper Simone Taplin, acting in her elevator persona of Suzanne Blum, was dispatched on a hurried mission to 1906 San Francisco to prevent the death of Bill Jamison’s grandmother as a teenager. If Bill Jamison was never born, the quantum computer capable of the immense calculations required to create time travel would not have been invented. At least not by Bill Jamison, a man with a strong moral compass that prevented him from using the machination he dubbed "the elevator for personal financial or power gains. Simone, as Suzanne, was successful in saving Bill’s grandmother, but the elevator timing was off. Simone arrived at the outset of the first major tremor and became trapped under rubble. Baker, in his elevator persona of Prader Knowles, was sent on a rescue mission to save Simone if he could. He was successful … barely. He and Simone were touted as a pair of guardian angels by the teenaged girl whose life was saved. One of many instances of guardian angels in the disaster of the San Francisco earthquake. The others were probably normal people performing heroic rescues, definitely not like Prader and Suzanne who blinked out" of existence using the elevator in front of a witness.

The fact that Bill’s grandmother was targeted actually helped management of Lineal Chronology realize the threat against the elevator. Until that time, Bill Jamison, Jim Stanton, and Kara Leflar thought another elevator existed and was being used to further the finances of the users. They even considered the possibility that another world-time had a Bill Jamison who was either accidentally or purposely interfering in their world-time … though the rationale for the interference was difficult to imagine. Supposedly, only one other person in the world knew of the elevator’s existence. The President of the United States of America and, by natural order, the President’s living predecessors. The knowledge of the elevator was passed between Presidents orally, undocumented to prevent accidental leakage.

Even within Lineal Chronology, not everyone knew the product they produced. To the outside world, they were producers of history training, focused on detailed accuracy. Many within the facility believed that as well. The Timekeepers knew the truth. Some Researchers knew, but not many. Stephanie Tremaine, Research Manager, knew. Calvin Cordova, Staging Manager, knew. The members of upper management knew. Somewhere among the people who knew was a traitor, or two. The only people not under suspicion were Bill Jamison, Timekeeper Supervisor Jim Stanton, Human Resources Manager Kara Leflar, and Timekeeper Baker Standish – the newest Timekeeper on staff.

Baker was recruited from a U.S. History class by Professor Bill Jamison. Baker didn’t know he was being recruited at the time. He thought The Professor was simply helping him, mentoring a student. Professor Jamison did offer advice and further mentoring even after Baker started working for Lineal Chronology. He became suspicious of the Professor’s connection long before Jim Stanton finally revealed that Bill Jamison was actually the physicist who developed the quantum computer and used it to create time travel. Bill Jamison was the founder of Lineal Chronology but by design, no one other than Jim, Kara, Baker, and the President of the United States knew that. Bill Jamison realized early in the development of time travel that the elevator could … probably would … be weaponized by the government. That’s what governments do, wrapped in the mantle of "for the common good." Bill approached the President in office at the time of his discovery in a secret, one-on-one meeting. In that meeting, Bill established the ground rule for guaranteed independence of the elevator. If the President revealed the secret, if the President decided the government should have control, Bill would nudge the chain of events that led to the President’s election and prevent his election. In essence, the President’s career would end ignobly at some obscure point in his past. That was a serious threat to any politician, people who thrive on self-aggrandizement and ego stroking.

Soon after Jim revealed Bill’s role as Founder and leader of Lineal Chronology, Baker learned the revelation was the prelude to his assignment to ferret out the traitors within Lineal Chronology, traitors who were apparently receiving orders from The President. But there was no evidence to prove or disprove Bill Jamison’s suspicions. That’s where Baker came into the plan.

Implementing the plan to complete the assignment required finesse. Baker couldn’t barge through the investigation. He had to find the traitors without raising alarms prior to their discovery. If they knew, they would tell the President … or whoever was leading them, and the efforts to eliminate Bill Jamison would escalate. They would also turn their efforts to nudge history against anyone who might stand in their way. That would likely include Baker as well as Bill Jamison. But first, the Professor believed Baker needed to meet upper management. He thought Bill and Jim and Kara were upper management.

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2

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Upper Management

Baker followed Jim from the elevator data room and down a hallway toward the elevator lobby. Bemusedly, he wondered two things. Why wasn’t Bill taking him to meet upper management, and were they going to take a real elevator? He vocalized another question on his mind. Who is upper management? I thought that was you, Bill, and Kara.

Jim grinned. "We’re top management. Upper management is an entirely different group. They manipulate the nuts and bolts of the elevator."

Why isn’t Bill taking me to meet them?

Closely guarded secret. Remember? They don’t know anything about him, not specifically. As far as all other employees know, he’s just a kindly professor who mentors his former students. There have been several, by the way. Jim smirked. Besides, if he went into their dungeon and they knew he was the man who created the algorithms they use, it would probably make them nervous in the presence of greatness.

How can they be upper management and not know Bill is their boss?

Jim laughed as they approached the elevator lobby. They aren’t management in the normal sense. They dig into the details provided by Research, the indicators of anomalies. After exhaustive study, they determine which anomalies require action. They manage the code calculations for missions that are assigned. Without them, we would probably make errors every bit as disastrous as our first mission on the elevator. The repercussions of that mission are the primary reason they were established. Initially, they were included in Research. Their role was further defined over time. Now, they pick the wheat from the chaff.

Baker watched Jim select an elevator door and press the call button. It was a real elevator. Inside, Jim pressed a designation button, a double circle, like a bull’s eye. A small red indicator light flashed. Jim waved his employee security card over the light. The door closed and they dropped.

The door opened. They entered a dimly lit hallway. Baker softly commented, I guess this is why you call it a dungeon. Dark and deep. The hallway led to a large, rectangular open area lined with office doors. The area was not brightly lit. Within it were four conference tables large enough to accommodate six hardbacked chairs. Each table had access to a large section of wall. Baker assumed the walls held computer screens, likely activated and controlled from a black box on each table. It was a work area for groups.

Almost on cue, three people came from one of the offices and chose chairs at a table. They waited until two more arrived from another office. They didn’t notice Jim and Baker until Jim spoke, Good afternoon, Macie. Do you have a minute to meet someone?

Macie was a slender woman. Her age was hard to guess. Definitely mature, but not aged. Her brown hair was pulled back in a short ponytail. No gray, but bottled color could be the reason. She wore dark tights and a loose top. Her make-up was understated and as casual as her dress. A look of confusion crossed her face before she smiled. Jim and Baker had interrupted whatever was on her mind. Of course. She extended her hand to Baker, I’m Macie Grayson.

Baker shook her hand. Hi, Macie. I’m Baker Standish … a Timekeeper.

Oh! Timekeepers don’t get down our way very often. About the only people we see are Jim, Stephanie from Research, and Calvin from Staging. And HR occasionally. Glad to meet you.

Glad to meet you. I hope I’m not interrupting. I’m curious about what you do. How you do it.

Well, you came at the ideal time to see what we do … and how. Macie glanced askance of Jim. If you have time, you can sit at the table with us and observe. That might be better than a long-winded explanation.

Jim smiled and nodded, Great! I don’t have time to linger, but Baker has been wanting to learn how missions are selected while he is on medical downtime. If you don’t mind. Besides, all I’ll provide is a distraction.

A faint wave of relief swept across Macie’s face. There was no doubt she saw Jim as her superior in the company. No one liked the feeling of being observed by a superior. Absolutely! I’ve often wondered why more Timekeepers don’t come see how the mission selection process works. Baker, grab a seat. If you need something to drink, there’s a cooler and a coffee pot in the breakroom. She pointed toward a doorway on the opposite side of the large area. I heard you suffered an injury on a mission – to San Francisco, I believe it was.

Baker nodded his head, unsure why his injury was notable. Minor. Doctor’s worried more than me. On the drink, I’m good … for now. I don’t want to delay whatever you’re doing.

Okay. Good. Everybody, this is Timekeeper Baker Standish. Let’s show him what we do. Everyone smiled and exchanged greetings while Macie settled into a chair and became the titular head of the table. Baker was seated in a chair opposite her. The position offered a good view of everyone. In truth, the crescent-shaped table allowed every chair to have a good view.

A few taps on the black box lit a computer screen built into the wall. All five of the upper management team focused on it. A string of sixteen characters appeared across the top of the screen.

1948? asked one of the participants.

Baker sized up the questioner. Black. Fifty-something … if he wasn’t a former Timekeeper, younger chronologically but with elevator aging. The idea that a Timekeeper could elevate from this world-time for ten minutes yet physically age days, months, even years … however long the mission required in the elevated world-time … was disconcerting.

Pre-election 1948, responded another participant, a slightly younger man, but still within the half-century age group.

Baker noticed everyone in the group was probably fifty or more. He leaned forward and held up his hand politely. Macie saw him. Yes, Baker? Do you have a question?

All eyes were on Baker. He blushed lightly. He felt like he was in a classroom. His career path changed from history teacher to Lineal Chronology employee because of his fear of standing in front of a classroom filled with students. Being watched was an uncomfortable feeling. It didn’t take him long to realize someone would always be watching, looking to him for answers, no matter what job he had. Yes. Are those the characters that represent an elevator code … minus the locator?

Macie nodded and smiled. Yes. More or less.

Baker looked at the second man who spoke. He was sure the man introduced himself as Kenneth with a Hispanic surname. You’re Kenneth, right?

Kenneth smiled. A good smile with even front teeth, possibly caps or crowns, but not dazzling white. Yes. Kenneth Paz.

Baker nodded and asked, How did you know it represented some point in 1948? Is the code a smart code? He had used several codes as a Timekeeper. He understood their significance, but he had never studied the content or order of the characters in the codes.

Kenneth grinned. Crow’s feet crinkled around his eyes. The codes are relatively smart … if you know the code to the codes. But this particular string is very similar to a code I’ve worked with in the past. I’ve been at this a long time.

What would the codes tell a novice like me?

The first six characters define century. The next four define year. After that, it becomes too specific for me to remember everything.

Interesting, Baker nodded and leaned back. He was sure Kenneth was being modest … or evasive. Trade secret or something. Masters of any trade jealously protect the knowledge that makes them masters.

After a polite pause, Macie continued the meeting. Kenneth, do you mind explaining why this code is significant? Her eyes cut toward Baker, to indicate the explanation was for his benefit.

Kenneth leaned forward, elbows on the table. Certainly. Research sent a string for further consideration. An anomaly was exposed regarding the Berlin airlift after the Soviets imposed a ground blockade on West controlled Berlin. It was our job to delve a little deeper. In this string, General Wedemeyer does not recommend Major General Tunner to take command of the airlift; rather, he leaves Brigadier General Smith in command.

And that could be a show-stopper, said the first man. He smiled at Baker and continued. I’m Keenan Mahler. He nodded his head toward the others at the table. We’re the team assigned to study this anomalous string. As a bit of background, the intrigue of that era, post-World War Two, was tense.

Yes, Baker nodded understanding. "I’m a U.S. History major, so I’m familiar.

Good. Then you know that there can be no deviations from what we know or else everything in our reality will be different. As history tells us, General Smith, though capable in his own field of expertise, was the wrong leader for something as daunting as the airlift was to become. General Tunner had the logistics skills to make it a success.

A woman, Betty, asked, What happens if the replacement doesn’t take place?

Baker wondered if she was asking her question just to demonstrate how their process worked. Or maybe she was simply exercising the process without consideration of his presence.

Kenneth replied, The Western Alliance was faced with two choices. Either concede their part of Berlin or be drawn into a war to save West Berlin … and ultimately, West Germany. Berlin will starve and collapse without food, fuel, and fiber. That potential reality is supported by the fact that the Soviets already had Communist organizers infiltrated into West Berlin. They could make quick work of inciting the population to join the Soviet Union. Starving people are easily manipulated.

Macie nodded thoughtfully. Those things would certainly impact our reality. What are our options?

Nudge Wedemeyer, Kenneth replied.

Can it be done without risk?

The risk is war if we don’t. The U.S. has fewer than nine-thousand troops in Europe. Germany generally has nothing. Imposed by treaty. Great Britain and France aren’t ready for more war. The Soviets could take Berlin by force if they want to. Germany falls to them, and Europe follows quickly. Truman’s response to the blockade will dictate the Soviets’ next step.

In the long term, what does that mean to the U.S. … to the world? Betty asked, her brow furrowed. She showed her age more than most at the table.

Kenneth was the center of attention. If the U.S. … if the West allows the Soviets to have their way, it could easily result in paralysis when faced with the Communists in Korea.

No Korean conflict?

Possibly.

No Vietnam?

Anything is possible.

Baker listened intently. He was enthralled with the exchange. So much so that he blurted, No dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. All eyes were on Baker for a long moment. He squirmed and blushed. He had inserted himself into upper management’s work uninvited.

Macie smiled softly. And that, Timekeeper Standish, is what we do and how we do it. From here, we determine if a mission is necessary by brainstorming possible outcomes.

Baker cleared his throat. This one seems obvious.

Kenneth grinned. "They all seem obvious at first glance. That’s why we get them. We do a lot of what-ifs. There’s no guarantee a failed airlift would result in acquiescence in Korea or Vietnam. Those Communist incursions were backed by China, with some Soviet prodding."

But if the U.S. backed away from the Soviets in Berlin during the forties, that would surely send a message to embolden the Chinese in the fifties as they demand a place on the world stage, Baker posed.

That’s what we have to consider, Macie replied. Now, what else do we know?

Betty said to Macie, Second graphic. She waited until another code appeared.

Keenan caught Baker’s eye and said with a smile, 1956.

Baker stared at Betty and waited for her to continue. The graphic was hers.

I was able to locate this string. It’s unclear if it is directly connected to our initial code, but I believe it bears consideration. This string presents the fall of South Korea to Kim Il-Sung’s Chinese backed forces.

Were the Soviets involved? Kennan asked.

They were initially, but they withdrew to stage aggressive maneuvers in Europe.

Hungary and Czechoslovakia?

No. Those were already Soviet influenced states, Betty replied.

But the Soviets invaded Hungary in 1956 … in our world-time reality, Keenan said pointedly.

Only to suppress a rising clamor for liberties. Same thing in Czechoslovakia a decade later. Technically, the Soviets were within their sovereign rights to do so. No, this string indicates full blown aggression by the Soviets against Belgium, Germany, and France.

Everyone else at the table winced at the information. Baker felt his face pale.

Macie calmly asked, Betty, what transpires in Europe?

Baker was sure Macie, as the group leader, was already aware of Betty’s findings. The question was for his benefit.

Napalm. NATO unleashes a napalm attack that incinerates tens of thousands of Warsaw Pact soldiers and materiel. And significant portions of the civilian population. Napalm is indiscriminate.

The table was silent as all the participants considered the information presented.

Finally, Kenneth spoke, It would appear that a mission is merited.

Macie cleared her throat. What else did the string indicate, Betty?

U.S. involvement in Vietnam doesn’t happen, Betty replied.

The Communists don’t start a war?

"Not exactly. The U.S. and its NATO allies are too involved in Europe to care. Vietnam turns communist after its own bloody civil