Justification For Killing (18 page)

Removing the phone from
his pocket, he placed it on the dining room table. Both Clem and
Penelope had stopped eating mid-bite. What was that small, shiny,
black talking box they thought? Even Lady perked up from lying at
the Captain’s feet, stood, head cocked to one side, trying to
figure out the source of the voice.

“
What... uh... uh... what
is that... uh... thang... John?”

At first he wanted to
fabricate some fancy story about the Iphone. Anything he told them,
he knew they probably would believe anyway, but the Captain didn’t
want to lie to them. He decided to tell them the truth. He knew he
could make them believe a lie, but he wasn’t sure how they would
react to the truth?

“
Clem, Penelope this is
called an Iphone.”

Clem slowly, even slower
than normal managed to say, “Iphone...! Yer sayin’, that... that...
gadget... is... a... tellephone? Ain’t it your phone?”

“
No, Clem... I mean yes
Clem it is my phone, but “Iphone” stands for Internet
Telephone.”

“
Inter... what? Now I must
tell you John, I only went to grade five in school afore I quit but
now Penelope shes high educated she finished her schoolin’ in grade
nine. She said she’d learnt about everthang worth learnin’. Ain’t
that right Penelope?

As she nodded her head in
agreement, Clem continued, “But I don’t thank she got to the part
about them thangs,” he said pointing at the Iphone. Penelope was
still nodding her head as Clem said, “go on about that ‘Inter’
thang.”

“
I knew this was going to
open up a whole new can of worms. Let’s go into the living room.
Later I will tell you something that’s going to amaze you. In some
ways, it is going to frighten you too.”

They had not finished
supper, but after seeing the Iphone Clem and Penelope no longer had
an appetite. They were just hungry for more information about that
marvelous little black gadget.

Following the two into the
living room Captain Scarburg pulled up a chair across from Clem and
Penelope, so he could better explain his ‘magic telephone gadget’.
They were as eager as two kids on Christmas morning, hardly able to
wait for what he had to show and tell them.

“
First I’m not the man you
think I am.”

“
Whats you mean, John? I
jest thought you wuz a man from up the road apiece whos truck had
broke down. Ain’t that right?”

“
Clem that is partially
correct - you see I am a time-traveler here from the year 2012 to
accomplish a task, which is going to astound you. To prove my
statement, I have, from 2012, this so-called ‘gadget’ lying here on
the coffee table. It is what we, in the 21st century, call a ‘smart
phone’. This model in particular is made by Apple and is as I said,
called an Iphone.”

“
Hold the fort there
Hoss... the year 2012? And apples make thangs? I thought people
just et apples.”

“
Yes... well no... yes I
am from 2012 and no... no Clem... Apple is the name of a 21st
century commercial company. They make Iphones and
Macs....”

“
Whoa again John... got to
tell us what this Mac thing is. Is it one of them big ole haulin’
trucks that I’ve seed on the highway?”

“
No Clem. That is a Mack,
M-A-C-K... this Mac, M-A-C... is just another name for computers
Apple makes.”

“
Computers? John I believe
this here is goin’ to be a long night. Better not worry ‘bout going
to prayer meetin’ tonight Penelope.”

“
Okay,
I’m going to start by telling you how I got here.” After this
statement, he began at the beginning and told his incredible tale
as slow and in as simple and straightforward fashion that Clem and
Penelope might understand. He told them about
Pegasus
landing in the field a few
miles from where he ‘borrowed’ the clothes and the spot where Clem
picked him up. Clem replied, “Yeah, I know that there place - old
man Simpson and his boney dried up, hussy of a wife live there. Her
face and a prune would run a good race. Ornery old cusses, I never
did like’em. Go on John.”

“
My trip from 2012 back to
1963 occurred without a hitch – without a hitch until I looked
outside when I landed.”

“
What did you see
John?”

“
Clem, it wasn’t what I
saw - it was how I saw it! For some reason, I cannot see things in
color - I have color blindness - I see everything in black and
white only! A new RCA would not do me any good.”

“
I’m sorry John, maybe yer
eyes will clear up directly. Go on tell us more.”

“
Thanks
Clem, I will continue. The day after tomorrow Friday, November 22nd
at exactly 12:30 in Dallas President Kennedy will have an attempt
made on his life. That’s why I took the chance to get here using
the
Pegasus
machine I told you about.”

“
So that’s why you’re in
such a gall-durn hurry to get to Dallas - you want to save the
President, right?”

“
Sorry... no you’re wrong
Clem. I hate to say this, but... uh... uh... I want to make sure he
gets killed!!”

“
What? Not killed? You
mean to say saved, right?”

“
No, I’m sorry, but the
word was... killed!”

“
Why John, that is
un-American!! You can’t be serrius? You aint one of them Communist,
er you John?”

Captain Scarburg tried to
explain how history got off on the wrong track when the assassin’s
bullet only wounded President Kennedy. He explained how the time
and space continuum had to be set straight. He talked about the
Parallel Universes, Einstein, time and space. He explained the
Viruchi War, the millions of people killed, the nuking of Saigon
and Moscow. He tried to explain how appalling the world of the 21st
century had become. Then he told them by allowing President Kennedy
to die how all this savagery would change to a more civilized,
yeah, that’s the word, civilized future. Not much of this
information soaked in to the un-educated heads of Clem and
Penelope. All they understood was the name President and the name
Kennedy and the getting killed part.

“
Okay, let me try to put
this to you both another way. President Kennedy is not supposed to
survive the attempt on his life. Things in 2012 will just work out
wrong if he survives - we were propelled into the wrong universe at
the instant the assassination failed. Yeah, I know it doesn’t make
sense, but I’m just telling you as it is.

“
John, me and Penelope
have been sittin’ here listenin’ to you fer hours... what I wants
to know is..., I mean I gots to know this one thang... would ye,
please tell me this - cause I’m gonna bust if’en I don’t
know...”

John’s mind was racing -
was Clem wanting more information about the type of people who
lived in 2012? What is the 21st century like? Who was the
President? What kinds of food were people eating? Did we still have
television? What was a computer? Not one of these questions was on
Clem or Penelope’s mind. Picking up the Iphone Clem wanted to know
what the square, shiny, black “me-phone” did. “And...”

Before Clem could finish
his next question, the Captain cut him off, “Clem, it’s an Iphone,
not a me-phone. We refer to them as ‘cell phones’ or ‘smart
phones’. ‘I’, like I said earlier, it just stands for ‘Internet’
and don’t even ask I don’t believe I could explain Internet or what
‘cell phone’ means either. Even if I wanted too.”

As the Captain was trying
to explain the Iphone, Clem inadvertently pushed the ‘Home’ button
at the bottom of the Iphone and the screen lit up covered with
Apple Apps.

“
Whoa! What did I do John?
Did I break this thang?”

Taking the phone
Captain Scarburg touched an App on the screen and selected the tune
‘
All My Ex’s Live in
Texas’
. “Here’s a nifty song you both
might like,” he said touching the Iphone screen again. The lyrics
and melody of George Strait’s number one country hit from 1987
began softly to play. George began singing:

♪
All my
Ex’s live in Texas and Texas
...
♪

“
What the... wher’d that
music come from?” Clem and Penelope just sat there, mouths agape,
starring at each other. “How’d you git a phonnygraph small enuf to
poke it into that there dinky, black gadget your,
uh...uh...iphony.”

“
I’m not going there Clem,
just believe your ears and just say it works! Here, let me quickly
show you something else,” the Captain said as he turned the Iphone
around and tapped the ‘Camera’ App and began recording both Clem
and Penelope. “Hey, both of you. Look this way and say
cheese.”

Startled, “Say what?”
Replied Clem.

Captain Scarburg recorded
for a few seconds then turned the Iphone around so Clem and
Penelope could see the screen. “Watch this.”

Instantly the screen
changed. As if by magic there in glorious color sat his two
hosts.

From the
Iphone,
“Hey, both of you. Look this way
and say cheese.”

“
Say what?”

“
Well dadburn, ain’t that
somethin?”

“
Oh,
here’s something else I want to show you,” he said tapping the
small, square Photo App. “Here is some of my 2012 world.” For the
next few minutes, he showed Clem and Penelope photos of a world
nearly fifty years in their future accompanied with music!”
Pictures of his family, co-workers, vacations spots and even a
picture of
Pegasus
were shown. Amazed is not nearly a powerful enough word to
describe the two sitting on the sofa taking in this entirely
magical world, but he also showed them pictures of the devastation
of the aftermaths of the numerous wars, the people dying of
starvation and even a picture of grandson Bud’s tombstone in the
unkempt Arlington National Cemetery that had been overgrown with
vines and weeds. The Captain explained America had been at war for
so long it had no time or money to properly maintain its national
cemeteries or even its national monuments around Washington. Most
all had fallen into a state of neglect and
disrepair.

Before Captain Scarburg
finished showing them his photos from the 21st century, Penelope
requested the Captain backup and let her see one of the pictures
again. It was a snapshot of Lonnie Joe standing in the Egyptian
desert wearing his green Special Forces t-shirt. “Which man is that
one?” Asked Penelope.

“
Penelope, that is Dr.
Lonnie Joe Wheeler. One of the best men I have ever worked along
side. He was a Special Forces captain in Operation Desert Storm. Oh
yeah, forgot - it was another war the United States gets involved
in during the 1990s. I recruited him after he was discharged, and
he has been with us at SCAR ever since.”

“
Hes purty… is he married?
Did he come with you on your trip?”

“
Sorry Penelope, he did
not come with me, but the good news is: no, he is not
married.”

The hour was getting late,
and the Captain had decided enough examples of his 2012 life had
been demonstrated to convince Clem he was indeed a time-traveler.
Not only was he assured Clem was a decent and trustworthy man, but
he also believed Clem would be willing to help him accomplish his
mission in Dallas the next morning.

“
Clem, I have shown you my
future... the future I just recently came from. What I have told
you and Penelope is the truth. The future, as it stands today, is
bleak. What I need now is your help to change what my future should
be. And, by the way, my future will someday be your future as
well.”

“
Shore John I seed all
them pictures, that world is terrible, I’ll help. I wont to help
change it. What can I do?”

“
Not so fast Clem - before
you agree you need to know all the facts. First, President Kennedy
will be wounded Friday at exactly 12:30 if we do not intercede. If
he lives, the world of 2012 I described and have just shown you
will occur; however, it can be changed if I can prevent the
assassin on the southwest corner of the Texas School Book
Depository from shooting the President. If I succeed that will
allow another man located on the sixth floor, of the same building,
to shoot the President and wound Governor Connally...”

“
Whoa, John you sayin’ our
Texas governeer is goin’ to git shot too...?

“
Yeah, he will be injured
either way - if the assassin on the roof shoots or even if I can
someway distract him, Governor Connally will be wounded regardless,
but I believe we can stop the shooter on the roof - that’s not what
is worrying me. Since I met you two, I believe you two are kind and
decent people, but your lives will be forever changed after
Friday.”

“
Talk to us in English
John - what’s likely to happen to us?”

“
Clem, nothing will
physically happen to you both - but your lives will never be the
same - trust me.”

“
Straight talk John, give
us the truth.”

“
Okay, after I take out
the shooter on the roof this will allow his partner on the sixth
floor to fire a couple of more shots with a surplus Italian rifle,
a 6.5 mm Carcano. He will flee from the building and travel
southwest into a surrounding neighborhood where he has an
apartment. As he leaves his apartment, he will be detained by a
police officer. This man will shoot and kill the police officer
whose name is J. D. Tippit. Then he will hurry up West Jefferson
Boulevard and enter the Texas movie theater where the police will
find and arrest him. He will be carried to the Dallas City Jail.
This coming Sunday, November 24th at 11:21 a.m., before live
television cameras he will be shot and killed in the basement of
Dallas Police headquarters as the police are attempting to move him
to a different jail.”