Button in the Fabric of Time (24 page)

“Do you think that it is possible for the
humans we will bring forward to overcome the greed and religious
fanaticism that almost destroyed the earth in the twenty-first
century?” Lani asked.

“Yes, I do,” Jan-3 replied. “They’ll have to
be shown that there is a better way, and they’ll have to be trained
to live and work together for the benefit of everyone.”

“This would be a wonderful place to start,”
Lani said. “The soil is rich, and it seems that minerals of every
type are here in abundance. If the people we bring forward can
learn to live in peace, either of the two planets we have found
could be a paradise. I’m afraid there will be some who are greedy.
What should be done with them?”

“That is a matter for the Council,” Jan-3
answered.

The crew spent weeks examining and surveying
the planet. We found bipeds in the tropical and subtropical areas,
but no humans or humanoids. Giant lizard-like carnivores lived in
the jungles and in the tropical waters. There were mammalian
carnivores also, but humans with modern weapons would be able to
deal with them. When Earth becomes overpopulated, this would be a
good planet for people from Earth to move to.

I called for a meeting and told the crew that
I thought our mission had been a success, and that it was time to
get our records, pictures, and samples in order, and return to
Earth. Everyone understood that our first stop on Earth would have
to be the purification chamber. Even the keri would have to be
purified. The crew had final tasks they wanted to do, so Jan-3 and
I took a stroll in the twilight which, on this planet, was like a
children’s hour that lasted all night.

Jan-3 said, “I like both planets, but I like
the first one best. Isn’t it wonderful? People can now enjoy the
whole universe.”

“The universe is so vast, I doubt that
forever is long enough to explore all of it. The phrase ‘all of it’
doesn’t seem to apply. We’ve moved into the fourth and fifth
dimensions, and I think we’re getting our first glimpse of the
possibilities. So long as there are people with minds capable of
imagining the unlimitedness of space, and capable of loving as we
love, there will always be new lands to explore and new adventures
to live.”

“Let’s share that with people everywhere,”
Jan-3 affirmed.

* * * * *

Chapter 29

When we returned to the keri, everyone was
ready to go and excited about returning to Earth. They wanted to
show the pictures and tell their associates of their findings. They
were looking forward to sharing the adventure with their friends,
family, and people everywhere. Everyone who had made this journey
would be in demand as a lecturer. The expedition had been a huge
success. Jan-3 and I had made new friends, even among the
primitives of Etu.

* * *

After going through the purification chamber,
Jan-3 and I reported to Roc-2, who had called a special meeting of
the Council. Instruments for viewing our pictures, records, and
samples were set up. Nobody wanted to adjourn until everything had
been seen. Even the most reserved members of the Council were
excited about bringing their loved ones forward from times long
past.

Roc-2, calm as usual, said, “There’s much we
must do before we can indiscriminately bring people forward. Each
case will have to be reviewed by especially trained and equipped
committees. When there are questions about the qualifications of
the person being brought forward, that person will have an
opportunity to stand before those judging them and speak in their
own behalf.”

“What should we do with the incorrigibles?”
Tena, one of the female Council members asked.

“That will have to be determined by Council
vote,” Roc-2 replied. “Is there anyone who would like to make a
suggestion for the Council to consider?”

Several members glanced at me. I stood and
said, “I feel that I’m the least qualified among you to make a
suggestion, but I will comment on the matter. Other than by
observation, I have nothing upon which to base my opinion, but it
seems obvious that there is a power greater than humans. Perhaps
that power should make the final decision. I recommend that those
too difficult for us to work with be sent back to their place of
origin. Let the power of the universe make the final decision.”

My comment was met with silence for a long
time. Then, in unison, the whole Council stood and bowed their
heads.

Roc-2 spoke in a commanding voice that
reverberated through the hall. “The suggestion Gus has made is
unanimously approved!”

He continued, “The meeting is adjourned. Now
go to your families and friends. Ask them for their thoughts, then
return tomorrow, and we’ll discuss this further. We’re going to be
busy for a very long time. Gus and Jan-3, please wait for a few
minutes—I have a favor to ask.”

All the Council members but Tena put away
their robes and left. After everyone else had gone, Roc-2 asked,
“Gus, would you and Jan-3 do Tena and me the honor of dining with
us at our residence?”

Stunned, I turned to Jan-3. Her blue eyes
were sparkling when she smiled and nodded. I said, “Yes, of course.
The honor is ours.”

Tena, her red hair and green eyes glowing,
said to Jan-3, “You didn’t know we were a pair, did you?”

“We were married,” Roc-2 said, “much like you
two were married, many years ago. For political and social reasons,
we’ve kept our marriage a secret. We want to share our secret with
you because we see how happy you are, and we know that you’ll
understand.”

A keri for four whisked us away to a small
satellite city, and we stopped at a humble home on a quiet
passageway lined with trees. Two beautiful children, a boy and a
girl, were playing beside a fountain. When the children saw us,
they came running and jumped into the arms of Roc-2 and Tena,
laughing and chattering like magpies. I could see by the expression
on her face that Jan-3 didn’t expect Roc-2 and Tena to have
children, but nonetheless, she was pleased.

Tena explained, “I had, what in the past, was
considered a normal childhood. My mother bore me the old-fashioned
way two hundred and twenty years ago. Both she and my father helped
to develop the method of keeping the human body functioning
perfectly, but they died before the method was perfected. Roc-2 was
born at about the same time. His father was a scientist, and his
mother a biologist, who worked on the DNA project. Roc-2’s mother
chose the DNA of the best minds she could find to combine with her
baby’s already superior DNA and,” pointing to Roc-2, Tena
continued, “that’s what she got, a wonderful mind combined with a
magnificent body. Our children will need no improving.”

Roc-2 beamed. “Doesn’t she sound like a proud
mother?”

“She does sound like a proud mother,” I
answered, “but I think she’s right. These children will be among
those who will lead humanity into exploring and settling the
universe.”

* * * * *

Chapter 30

“That’s what Tena and I want to talk to you
about. With your and Jan-3’s help, we have placed humanity on the
threshold of immortality. Tena and I believe in a divine Creating
Force. By taking the action you have made available to us, and
bringing our loved ones forward, will we be doing something that
would violate the right and authority of that power?”

Jan-3 turned to me. “Gus, we would all like
to hear your thoughts.”

“I’m speaking to three of the greatest minds
I have ever known. I’m just a farm boy educated in engineering, and
you want to know what
I
think about the ultimate
question?”

Roc-2 was always a serious man, but this time
he was intensely so when he said, “Even the Antons, who had vast
knowledge themselves, and the whole universe to choose from, chose
you as their emissary, because you have no preconceived ideas or
affiliations to cloud your thinking. Both Tena and I want to bring
our parents forward, but we don’t want to do something that we
shouldn’t be doing. We would like to hear your thinking.”

I explained, “Jan-3 and I have already spoken
briefly on the subject, so she knows how I feel, but I’ll share my
thoughts with you and Tena, and again with Jan-3. . . .The universe
exists. . . . It is so vast that no human and no group of humans
can measure it, so there is a power greater than the accumulated
power of humans. If the universe cannot be measured by humans, how
then can we measure the power that created the universe?

“Reason tells me that nothing happens without
the approval of that power. Many things happen that defy human
understanding, but nothing happens that defies divine
understanding. Therefore, if humans have been given knowledge, it
was given with the understanding that we would use that
knowledge.”

“Thank you, Gus, for sharing,” Roc-2 said.
“Your thoughts are reasoned, but they are not unique. We have
presented the same question to others, and they have expressed
similar thoughts, perhaps in words less well-chosen.” Then, looking
at Jan-3, he asked, “Is it right to allow people to bring their
loved ones forward? This is the question the Council must find an
answer to.”

“Now that there are planets for people to go
to so that Earth will not become overpopulated,” Jan-3 said, “I
think it would be wrong to deny that privilege, but those bringing
their loved ones forward must understand that no one can be forced
to come, and no one can be denied the right to come, and that
whoever is brought forward must make a contribution, and obey our
law, DO NO HARM.”

“What should we do with those who refuse to
obey the law?” Tena asked.

“Send them back,” I said, “and let the
Creating Force make the final decision. I think there are many who
will not want to be brought forward because they believe that they
will be resurrected and go to heaven. I hope they are right, but I
fail to see how extending their life on Earth will deny them the
right to go to heaven. For the last two thousand years, people have
been living longer and longer, and I don’t think it has endangered
their right to go to heaven.”

Everyone smiled, and Roc-2 said, “Let’s have
supper.”

The children joined us at the table on the
veranda. The meal was not elaborate, but the food was delicious.
The children were encouraged to contribute to the conversation, and
they wanted to know about the new planet Etu.

Jan-3 told them about the pre-Stone Age
people, and about the child who had been captured by the pterosaur
and carried away to be fed to its babies. Then she told them how I
had rescued the child. The children wanted to visit the planet
right away. Tena explained that they would have to grow up and
complete their education first. After listening to Jan-3’s stories,
the children ran into the garden to play.

Roc-2 opened the conversation on a subject
that both he and Tena were eager to discuss, by asking me what I
thought would be the best way to proceed in bringing people
forward.

“I think that the first thing we should do is
to ask the ones
we
want to bring forward if
they
want
to be brought forward. And before they can make such an important
decision, they’ll want to know what they’ll be coming forward
to
.”

Tena said, “We could show them pictures of
what Earth is like now, compared to what it looked like in their
time, and then show them the display of the new planets that you
and Jan-3 showed us. That would help them decide. Would you escort
us back to talk to our parents?”

“Jan-3 and I will be pleased to do that, and
it will be easy to show your parents what Earth is like at this
time. But it’s a little more complicated to bring them forward than
it was just to bring their portrait forward. It will not be just a
photograph; it will be your
actual parents.
They’ll be
living here just as we are, and after their cells have replenished
themselves, they’ll be in the same physical condition as everyone
else.”

“Now I understand that there are many things
to take into consideration,” Tena said. “Death will occur for all
of us at some point in the future and, if there is a resurrection,
we’ll hopefully be a part of it.”

“There’s much to be done,” Roc-2 said. “It’s
wonderful to know that it’s possible to bring our loved ones
forward, and because of the exploration you and Jan-3 have done, we
know that there are countless other planets for them to go to.
We’ll work out the difficulties in Council chambers and have
thousands of crews trained and ready to assist the ones who want to
be brought forward.

“Who can know what time will bring?”