Justification For Killing (5 page)

This devastating war
finally ended on July 4, 1982 with the Russians exploding a nuclear
device over South Vietnam’s capital city Saigon, making South
Vietnam uninhabitable for the next one thousand years. Retaliation,
six minutes later, by the U.S. military was swift and just as
destructive... it annihilated the Russian capital Moscow. After the
detonation of these two nuclear devices, all parties finally saw
the possibility they were playing with the extinction of your human
species, and they sat down and drafted a peace plan. Peace in the
Viruchi War was officially declared on January 1, 1983. Shaky at
best, but a peace agreement never the less.

Captain Scarburg knew, a
slight spark could ignite the whole turmoil once again.

Through those years up to
the present there have been sweeping wars, famine, pestilence,
plagues and politicians who cared more about enriching their own
pockets than the welfare of their country. And do not forget the
Southwest Asian War from 1998 through 2008. Over 20,000,000 died in
a ten-year period with the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction. The
countries of Iran, Iraq and Syria, unleashed against the Allied
forces of the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom and Israel germ warfare
along with the deadly use of poisonous gas. This same germ warfare
Saddam Hussein of Iraq released in 2007 is still killing people
worldwide.

In the early 1960s,
Earth’s world’s population was nearly three billion people - at the
time Anhur was talking to Captain Scarburg it was only two billion.
If the events of the last half of the 20th century and first part
of the 21st had not occurred, the Earth’s population would now be
close to seven billion. The Captain’s world had lost five billion
souls!! Anhur related how those on Sunev thought of all the art,
music, literature and inventions that might have been produced if
those five billion people had not been killed or in millions of
cases were not even given the chance to be born.

“
I have accepted the
blame, the Supreme Council has already put the weight directly on
my shoulders, but they have given me one last attempt to set things
right on your planet and help to redeem myself with my Sunev
leaders.

“
You noticed when I
arrived I was carrying a device that can be placed on the head...
if you would be so kind to place it on your head
Captain.”

Captain Scarburg had been
sitting behind his desk, leaning back in his chair, absorbing all
Anhur had been saying. “I heard your explanation about the mistake
you made back in 1963, but President Kennedy survived, in fact, he
is still alive, living at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. I do not
understand - what do you want me to do Anhur?”

“
I put your world on its
current Parallel path. The current Universe you live in should not
have been its destiny. Please put on the Visiondome Captain
Scarburg. I believe the Visiondome can better explain why I was
sent from Sunev to contact you.”

Captain Scarburg picked up
the chrome football helmet, turned it over a couple of times as if
he were examining it, and finally slipped it on his head. It was
snug but not uncomfortable. Anhur pulled the face shield down and
snapped it shut, allowing the helmet to envelope the Captain’s
entire head.

At first the Captain
could see nothing. Faintly he heard a whisper of a sound, which
seemed far away. It made him think of wind gently blowing through
the treetops before an approaching storm, soft and extremely
soothing. It seemed to calm his anxiety.
Was this emanating from outside this helmet or from
inside
, he thought? Before he had a chance
to consider that question, the visor in front of his face began to
glow. The glow gently materialized into a picture, black and white
at first, but within seconds he was looking at brilliant scenes
unfolding before his eyes. Scenes as beautiful, and in bright High
Definition color, as any he had ever seen. If he had not known
better, he would have thought he was actually witnessing these
scenes happening in person.

For a few minutes, Captain
Scarburg was shown an entirely different world than the one he
knew, and grew up in. The ‘movie’, inside the helmet, began at
precisely the moment of the shooting of President John F. Kennedy
at Dealy Plaza, Dallas, Texas and progressed almost year-by-year up
to the present. He was shown a synopsis of Earth’s destiny that
could have, should have or might have been. When the face shield
dimmed back to its original state, the Captain removed the helmet
and sat back exhausted. He felt as if he had been in a trance.
Finally, he spoke, “Anhur, I cannot believe the future I just
witnessed, was this view of an alternate Earth’s future
real?”

“
Indeed it was Captain, in
another parallel time, and another dimension, a Parallel Universe
quite different from this one today. As earlier stated, the
universe you are currently living in has been named by my Supreme
Council on Sunev, but suffice it to say, its name, as I said
earlier, is unimportant.”

“
Well I must admit the
course of history is certainly more pleasant in your helmet
version. I just wish those events I saw had actually transpired. If
so, our Earth could have experienced peace and tranquility instead
of death and destruction. Peace and tranquility - what a wonderful
thought. Without the horrors of nuclear war, the U.S. and countries
around the globe would certainly have enjoyed a much more happier
and fulfilled existence. Oh, how I wish that had happened for real.
Let me get this straight - if the Earth were in the Parallel
Universe as displayed in the ‘Visiondome’, Bud, my grandson, would
be alive. Is that a correct assumption Anhur?”

“
Yes he would be alive and
well and do not forget - it can happen!! It is possible, it CAN
happen Captain Scarburg!”

“
What are you saying Anhur
- how can this be possible?”

“
With your help Captain.
It is possible to shift these Universes.”

“
What? How can we change
the path of the destiny of our world?

Anhur began to
explain how the Captain could use the
Timetraveler
. A machine, which had
the ability to jump between Parallel Universes, the same
Timetraveler
the SCAR
team had developed, using Sunev’s plans. He told Captain Scarburg
how he and his team could return to Dallas at exactly 12:30 on the
twenty-second day of November in the year 1963.

Anhur made sure the
Captain understood it was imperative when he got to Dallas to stop
the man on the roof of the building from shooting the President of
the United States of America. The projectile he fired must hit the
pigeon... the Captain must make sure the man on the sixth floor of
the building shoots the
second
bullet. The man in the window must fire the
second projectile and the Secret Service man will not be wounded.
In addition, the President will be fatally shot. That will allow
the person on the Grassy Knoll and the ones still in the building
to accomplish their missions. The alternate future the Captain
witnessed in the “Visiondome” will then occur.

History’s bumpy road
into the future split at the moment of that first shot by the
sniper on the roof of the Texas School Book Depository. Earth,
unwillingly, was diverted from the Universe it was traveling to the
Universe of today. Anhur pleading said, “You
can
put it back, you are living in
the wrong Universe Captain Scarburg.”

“
Anhur,” said the Captain,
“may I ask you a question? When the Universe jumps from one
Parallel path, say ‘A’ to another path let’s say ‘B’ would we
notice? I mean if one were aware this ‘leap’ was going to take
place at exactly 12:30 on November 22, 1963 will they notice or
perceive the change?”

“
Yes, Captain they
would... it is always accompanied by an intense, micro-flash of
blue light, but a person would have to know when it was going to
occur and would have to know what to look for. Most people simply
would pay no attention to it at all. It happens in the twinkle of
an eye as you would say.”

“
Thanks... I guess Anhur.
I believe I am more confused now than before.”

“
Captain, the Supreme
Council, believes your world should have stayed on its original
path. This original Universe is the world you witnessed in the
Visiondome. You can allow the Earth to return to this better world
by stopping the shooter on the roof from firing the first shot at
President Kennedy. Simple you think?”

“
Simple? Simple? Your
people are simple Anhur... simple-minded! Are you suggesting I
allow the assassination of the President of the United
States?”

“
No
Captain - you are not allowing your President to be killed - in the
original Universe this tragic event has already occurred. You are
just going to insure
that
Universe be allowed to continue just as you saw
within the Visiondome.

“
Anhur
you must have lost your marbles. The
Timetraveler
does not work. It has
failed the last three times we tried it. Who will guarantee it will
not fail on the fourth attempt?”

“
First, Anhur does not
play this child’s game - marbles! And second, I cannot guarantee it
will work, but I have faith your team of scientists at SCAR will
solve the time machine’s problem!! It is particularly beneficial
they understand – there is no such thing as ‘time-travel’ what your
people are trying to accomplish is ‘time-reassignment’.

“
Thanks, that is easy for
you to say Anhur, but I don’t know about our ability to correct the
enigma. We have already lost three machines – we got them to
dematerialize to another dimension, but we were never successful in
getting them to return,” the Captain said as he was turning in his
chair to a four drawer filing cabinet located directly behind his
desk. “Let me pull the lab reports on the first three flights and
see where our failure analysis stands.” He extracted the folder and
turned back to address Anhur, but the Captain was sitting in the
room - alone. Anhur was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished! He was
gone!

Captain Scarburg sat
for a few minutes contemplating the recent exchange - was a
different future possible? What if he actually could alter the
course of history back to the correct Parallel Universe?
What an incredible world we would
have
, he thought.
Can I change Earth’s destiny? Is it conceivable, just barely
conceivable I can prevent Bud from getting killed in the Southwest
Asian War? If this is remotely possible, I will try anything -
anything, even if it has only a one in a million chance of
success
, he thought as he mulled over the
idea.

The time was 11:30 a.m.,
Friday November 16, 2012.

Chapter Four

“
CALL A CONFERENCE
MEETING”

The Captain sat absorbed;
thinking (for what seemed were hours when in reality was only a
couple of minutes) then arrived at a decision. He waved his hand
over the black glass top on his desk - his Personal Communicator. A
facial image appeared in the glass.

“
Yes Captain,” the face
answered. It was Krista, the Captain’s office manager/chief cook
and bottle washer, but most importantly - his daughter-in-law. She
was married to the Captain’s son, Robert “Trey” Scarburg III.
Krista might be Captain Scarburg’s secretary but paramount above
all she was the mother of the Captain’s grandchildren. Robert the
III didn’t genuinely like the nickname ‘Trey’, but Papa Scarburg
had burdened him with it as a young lad, so he has lived with it
ever since.

“
Krista, call a conference
meeting for 1300 hours Monday afternoon, with all the SCAR
directors and include my family. I know Lou is in town for his
annual budget review.” The Captain usually referred to her as
‘Krissy’, but when upset or absorbed in deep thought he would
inevitably call her ‘Krista’. Krista knew something was up when she
heard him use her proper name. “Make sure Spook and Tinker are
there too.” He followed as a second thought, “you too
Krista.”

“
Why me Captain? Should I
tell them the subject of the meeting?”

“
No - you will all find
out at the meeting Monday.” He followed as a second thought, “I
want Trey, Lou, Forrest, Gabrielle and Olive Marie to attend this
conference also.”

Forrest, Krista’s son, now
there was a fellow - Robert Edward Scarburg the Fourth. He was the
fourth because there are three others Robert Edward Scarburgs,
which came before him. When Forrest, as he was known, was a small
lad his Grandpa Robert Edward Scarburg Jr, began calling him Little
Four. Little Four got to be confusing, so Grandpa began referring
to him as 4-S. Four S... Four-est... Forrest. He didn’t think it
was all that funny either, but he was stuck with it, like it or
not.

Forrest’s brother Dr.
Buddy (Bud) Edward Scarburg and his brother Dr. Louis (Lou) Edward
Scarburg served as SCAR Regional directors. Lou was director of
SCAR’s facility at Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado. Bud, before he was
killed, managed a SCAR laboratory located at the NASA Marshall
Space Flight Facility in Huntsville, Alabama. Marshall developed
the Saturn rockets that carried the men to the moon on Apollo 13.
The place was loaded with pointy-head rocket scientists and nerds
with plastic pocket protectors for their pens. Bud was a natural,
and SCAR fit in with NASA like a glove. During the early phases of
the Southwest Asian War, Bud had been a member of Headquarters and
Headquarters Company of the 20th Special Forces (Airborne), Alabama
National Guard. While serving in an in-active status, his Guard
unit in Birmingham, Alabama was suddenly deployed to active duty to
Iraq. He was killed in one of Saddam Hussein’s poison gas attacks
in 2007.