Escape Artist

After departing from California, Zal had spent a large part of her pregnancy in England. After traveling through parts of Scotland and Wales, Zal took a part-time position as a visiting scholar at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge. One day, while examining an ancient artifact that had been catalogued as {carved ivory. Blaubeuren. collected ~1746 ancient or modern?}, Zal noticed an odd inscription. On one side of the piece was a carved bird while the opposite side had what looked like tiny letters in some unknown system of writing. Zal recognized the written text as being from a script of the Galactic Core, one that she knew from her time spent on the planet Tar'tron. Zal laughed and muttered, "Trysta?"

the ivory piece

Zal was vaguely aware that Trysta Iwedon had lived out her final days somewhere in Europe, about 10,000 years in the past. The inscription was almost too small to be read. Zal placed the ivory under a magnifier and saw that the tiny letters had been precisely etched into the surface of the ivory. Translated into modern English, it read, "My dear Grean, like you, I am lost in Time." Zal flipped over the piece and again looked at the carved bird that was on the back side of where the text had been carved.

Zal's spirits were boosted by the inscription. Before being sent back into the far past, Trysta must have Viewed a future Reality in which Grean had found this artifact. Zal had grown comfortable thinking of herself as "Zal", but her real name was Grean. If Trysta had viewed this very moment in Time, then Trysta would have recognized Zal as "Grean". For a moment, Zal thought about stealing this piece of Ivory, but then she returned it to its storage box. Suddenly, Zal felt the future pressing on her and she was anxious to move on and finally visit the Continent.

Using fragments of memories from her future, Zal had constructed a rough outline of how she would live for the next 40 years in Europe. In particular, Zal knew that she would eventually move to Germany, but until Mahasvin appeared that day in Cambridge, Zal did not know exactly when she would depart from England.

After leaving the museum, Zal felt compelled to go the The Eagle pub. Why else had Trysta put her engraved message on the back side of a carved eagle? Waiting there near the front door was Mahasvin. The two women entered the pub and dined together, at first talking about Trysta and how she had been fated to die in the far past. Mahasvin said, "Trysta lived a long life. To her final day she held on to the hope that Ekcolir might find her, but he had died another 10,000 years in her past."

Zal asked, "What made her think that she would get one final visit from Ekcolir?"

Mahasvin explained, "Like you, Trysta was not entirely alone in the past. Ekcolir's replicoid was watching over her and occasionally helping her. There was a type of weak technology-assisted telepathic connection between the replicoid and Trysta. Trysta clung to that link and imagined that it might be possible to once more see Ekcolir, the great love of her life."

For a moment Zal used her own Reality Viewing ability to confirm that she had not managed to upset the required timeline of events. She said, "I can't begin to understand why Trysta had to send me that message from the far past."

source

Mahasvin sighed. "It is not necessary that you understand. In fact, your ignorance is important. If you knew too much, you could cause all sorts of trouble. Actually, that ivory carving is just one of many ancient artifacts that are knitting together the Final Reality and stabilizing it with vast amounts of temporal momentum. Combined, they form a Spindle of Necessity."

Zal snapped her fingers, "Of course! The Aristocles Intervention. It was Plato who wrote the first description of replicoids."

Mahasvin nodded. "And we had to tone that down. Still, the version of the myth of Er that will make it into the Final Reality contains the basic idea of mysterious guardian watching over each person on Earth. Sadly, Plato's account now includes no hint that there is a technological basis for the replicoids of Earth."

Zal added, "Yes, a technology that was obtained from the alien Phari."

The waiter came and cleared away their dinner dishes. For a few minutes Zal and Mahasvin did not speak of aliens and replicoids or time travel. Then Mahasvin pulled an envelope out of her pocket and slid it across the table to Zal. "Your ticket to Germany and some money. Tomorrow you travel to the Continent."

Zal cried out, "Tomorrow?" Then she calmed herself and realized that there was no need to say goodbye to all of her friends. She could just walk away from England without discussing her departure with anyone. Glancing into the envelop, she saw that the ticket was for a steamer that would go from Liverpool the Bremerhaven. She put the envelop into her purse. "So, my baby will be born on the Continent." She patted her large belly. "I was starting to imagine that she might be born British."

Mahasvin shook her head. "For the next 40 years you will be tied up in the horrible events that will engulf Europe. Actually, your actions in Germany will help prevent much agony here in England. You will prevent a man named Hulsmeyer from developing radar-jamming technology. That will shorten the second world war and allow it to end in 1945."

Zal had no memory of ever having heard about someone named Hulsmeyer. "How will I find this Hulsmeyer?"

Mahasvin, as usual, was constrained in what she could tell Zal about the future. "After you arrive in Bremerhaven, continue on up the river to Bremer. You'll have no trouble finding Hulsmeyer."

Zal could sense that Mahasvin was not going to provide additional details, at least not at this time. She asked, "So, I will be able to return to America in 1945?"

"No, you will not escape from Germany until 1947. I want you to stay long enough to help with the birth of your greatgrand-daughter, Roz. However, because of your actions, there will be a significant event in America in 1945."  Mahasvin activated a specific differential analysis algorithm in Zal's Viewer.

In the Buld Reality. Cover art by Williams.

Now Zal could see two versions of a magazine cover illustration from 1945. In one version, there was mention of a story by Isaac Asimov called "Psionic Escape". Mahasvin said, "Without your actions to alter Earth's timeline, Asimov would publish a story that gives far too many details about how the telepathic powers of positronic robots were able to control human thought processes."

Zal said, "That is a story that will ultimately be included in Asimov's book, I, Robot?"

"Yes, but first it will be published in a science fiction magazine. Also, in that version of the story, there is too much detail about the mechanism of faster-than-light space travel. All mention of sedrons must be removed."

Zal was aware of the decision to make sure that in the Final Reality it would be a man known as "the Editor" who first published an account of how hierions and sedrons can make possible fantastic technologies for teleportation and space travel. Zal suggested, "Asimov's time in the military will be altered by my interference with Hulsmeyer's work on radar?"

in the Final Reality

Mahasvin explained, "I can't go into details, but it will be the existence of Juanita's baby in America that alters the shape of Asimov's writing career, preventing him from writing about sedrons. In the Final Reality, Asimov's story will be called "Paradoxical Escape".

Zal peered into the details of the future using her Viewer. "I see... you are making use of Campbell to alter the story slightly." That was about all that she could see for the year 1945. She asked, "Why are you blocking my access to the details? Does Juanita's son have his influence by shaping the life of Campbell?"

Mahasvin waved her hand dismissively. "Don't bother asking, I can't share the details with you. Juanita's grand-daughter will meet Asimov in New York and slightly perturb his life."

Zal said rather wistfully, "Fascinating. That sounds like fun."

Mahasvin shrugged, "You will have your own fun. Through your interference with Campbell, you will cause a story called 'Time and Time Again' to be published in 1947. That will alter Asimov's thinking about time travel, but you must do one more thing in 1947. Steal Asimov's old copy of his story 'Cosmic Corkscrew'. That will allow him to begin thinking in new ways about time travel."

Zal complained, "My last effort as a thief was something of a debacle."

Mahasvin chuckled. "In 1947, you will take the only existing copy of 'Cosmic Corkscrew' and depart from Earth. Your mission here in the past will be complete."

Zal was skeptical. "That's all? It seems like a small change."

"It is a small change, but it triggers a sequence of events that ultimately leads to Asimov including an account of how Reality Changes work in a story that the Editor will read."

"What sequence of events?"

"There is no reason why you cannot know the general sequence of events. In 1949, Asimov will imagine a book about time travel called 'Time and Time and Over', but he will only publish that title as the name of an imaginary book. However, that will lead to another story called "Time and Again" that will be published in 1951 by another author. That will, in turn, provoke Asimov to write his own time travel story in 1953 with enough details about Reality Changes to get the Editor interested in time travel."

Zal shook her head in dismay. "That still seems like a small change."

providing Ek'col, Asterothrope and Kac'hin genes

Mahasvin nodded. "It is only a minor detail. Of course, what is much more important are the effects of you inserting your genes into the population of humans on Earth. Some of your genes will end up in the genome of the Editor's grand-daughter, Rylla."

Zal asked, "Are you serious?"

Mahasvin replied, "I can't go into any details."

Mahasvin stood up and headed towards the door. Zal followed along and they walked from the pub out to the street. Zal said, "It seems like the act of inserting these Kac'hin genes into Earthlings might derail the entire Pact."

They walked towards the train station. "Don't worry. Your future self has taken great care to be sure that no such problems will arise. And remember, in the end, Nora will be the only Interventionist agent remaining on Earth and she will be allowed to retain none of her memories of having been an Interventionist."

Related Reading: The Zal Intevention
                             1945 "Escape!" by Isaac Asimov
Next: the Foundation Reality

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