Chapter 18 : Explanations

Location : Columbia Mountains, Unclaimed Territories, Earth
Era : Wednesday, 9th March 2163CE

<How long have you known about this?> Mark asked as they sat on a brightly colored blue couch while Var's parents sat on a green one opposite.

<Well there was always a certain resemblance, the way you scratch behind the ear when you are getting tense, the way you cock your head when you are annoyed, the way you get calm and ultra-focused on details when other people would panic and people have always told me how similar I am to Auntie Saffron. I became good at mimicry as a way of being different from her. When I found out neither of them existed before 2246 it sort of sealed the deal.>

<And you didn't think that you should have explained that I was your uncle before this?>

<We are not blood related. Darren, Saffron, Anne, Corny, Mum and Dad just lived together for about 38 years.>

<That's just great. So you and I are predestined to get involved with your parents?>

<Could we talk about this later? They are waiting for you to explain to them why we kidnapped them.>

<This was why you waited until now to tell me. So that I couldn't call you on it. And why I do have to explain this mess to them?>

<Because they don't trust me.>

<Oh I wonder why?>

<Darren, they are getting impatient.>

<I am Mark. You were the one who decided I was going to be Darren.>

<The alternatives to you being Darren could be very bad. We can argue about this later. We have two frightened and bewildered people who also happen to be my parents. As a favor to me could we just reassure them.>

"Could you finish your argument later? And just explain what is going on?" asked Mary Jane.

Mark was reminded of Cloe and Jupe and how observers did not need to hear the content of the conversation to know that a couple was arguing. Although, as always, Var's poker face wasn't giving up much. Pity he could not say the same about himself.

"You were in danger. If we had not removed you from your, uhm, the house you would have been killed. A petrol tanker crashed through the house and exploded."

"But that's impossible. Tankers don't just crash into houses. Their LIDAR won't allow that."

"Love," said Roger pointing to Mary Jane's damaged arm and raised an eyebrow. "You and Var do look as if you caught the edge of some kind of explosion."

Mark sent both of them the feed of the visuals in his enhanced short term memory storage showing the tanker hitting the house and exploding.

"That's got to be faked," exclaimed Mary Jane.

"I don't think so," said Roger.

"That still doesn't excuse knocking us out and transporting us to the middle of nowhere. Where are we by the way?" asked Mary Jane.

"We weren't knocked out. At I least I wasn't. Check your logs. We were teleported," said Roger.

"But that's impossible," objected Mary Jane.

"You keep using that word," began Mark.

"But I don't think it means what you think it means," completed Roger.

"If you are quite finished quoting Darren's favorite screener?" asked Mary Jane.

"I wouldn't call it my favorite," objected Mark.

"Oh, please you made us watch it enough times," complained Mary Jane. "And the quote is to do with someone overusing the word 'inconceivable' not the word 'impossible'."

"Still, if an event has happened," began Mark.

"By definition it cannot be impossible," finished Roger.

A chill passed though Mark as Roger completed one of his sentences for the second time in as many minutes. Roger knew him far better than Mark knew Roger. <Oh, crap. I really have spent 40 years with these people. Or I will spend 40 years with them. Yeah, English doesn't have enough tenses to deal with time travel, > Mark sent to Var. A sense of claustrophobia tightened around Mark as he contemplated a future with the next 40 years set in stone.

<That's one of the best case scenarios. Darren you need to focus. They trust you. You need to talk them around to agreeing with the plan.>

Mark looked at Var as if for the first time. Var also knew Mark far better than Mark knew her. They were from two different cultures separated by 300 years but there was relatively little misunderstandings and they were comfortable with each other. It wasn't just the excitement of a new love affair. They were relaxed around each other. Var trusted him. She was paranoid, she didn't trust anyone. Cassie said they moved as if they had been together for decades. He thought that was because of the training Var had given him, but it was more than that.

<What!? You are only just now freaking out? I have been freaking out for the last couple of days. Stop looking at me in that weird way and focus.> sent Var.

Mark mentally reviewed the last few minutes of conversation and tried to get back on track. "The crash wasn't an accident. Remember the series of damaging leaks about the Palmer government over the last few weeks from a source the media is calling Tinderbox."

"Var is Tinderbox, isn't she?" asked Roger.

"That's impossible, she is only 16. She has only just finished her first degree.> objected Mary Jane.

"Most people are still in High School at 16, not starting their doctorate. Everyone thinks that Tinderbox is an inside source, but you hacked into their comms didn't you?" asked Roger.

"Well it involved a lot of social engineering and once I had dirt on a few people it wasn't hard to get them to roll over on others," said Var. Realizing that they weren't interested in the details she finished lamely with - "Yeah pretty much."

"Saffron taught you how to do this didn't she? I always knew that all that crazy stuff she was teaching you would get you into trouble," said Mary Jane.

"Shut up, Mother. It is all my fault from start to finish, if you must have someone to blame, blame me. But finger pointing won't fix the mess we are in."

"Well I never! As long -" began Mary Jane.

"As long as I am living in your house. Was that what you were going to say? There is no house. It blew up. You are in my house now and you can follow my rules for a change," shouted Var.

"It's a tent, dear. And we are not living in it, we are just in from the wind. Are you sure you are feeling alright?" asked Mary Jane showing concern.

"This is a trying time for everyone and you're not helping." complained Var.

"Teenagers! Always thinking it is the end of the world. Don't worry whatever it is, we'll sort it out in no time." stated Mary Jane.

"Someone tried to kill Varija. You were nearly killed as collateral damage and your home was destroyed. You are officially dead and legally non persons," Mark said quickly before Var could explode again.

"It was your home too, Dear. Where are Anne and Corny? How are Luke and Channy? We both miss you all terribly," said Mary Jane.

"You didn't ask about Saffron," said Mark.

"I miss Saffron too. Last time we talked I think we both said some things we should not have, but I still love her. Where did you go? I never understood why you had to leave." asked Mary Jane.

"That part of the story will have to wait. There is much we have to explain before you could hope to understand our answers," said Var.

"As to us being dead, we will explain things to the authorities and soon fix that," said Mary Jane.

"No. You can't. You are still in great danger. You are safest if everyone thinks you're dead," said Var.

"Why would anyone want to hurt us? Who is it that you're afraid of? The Palmer government? That bunch of twits couldn't organize a county raffle. I'm surprised they had the balls to try to kill you, but I'm not surprised they botched the job," said Mary Jane.

"People would use you to get to me. As to who? There is rather a long list. I have offended a lot of people over the years," said Var.

"And when were you acquiring this multitude of nemeses? In between your university classes?" asked Mary Jane.

"I think that is another part of the story that is going to have to wait until you get more background information," said Var.

<Var, don't take this wrong. Your parents seem be nice enough, but I am not sure I want to spend the next 40 years with them, > sent Mark.

<How do you think I feel about it? It is not my idea of a good time, > sent Var in frustration.

<But you chose to adopt Darren and Saffron as aliases. We didn't have to become them.>

<Yes, we did. Can we shelve this until later?>

"So what can you tell us? What is this mysterious background information, we must understand before you can tell us anything?> asked Mary Jane.

"You could start with our rescue. We were at home and then we were up on this mountain. I am pretty sure we don't have anything this height in Oceania. We have come a long way instantaneously. There is only one way I know of to teleport someone from one place to another and that requires a Chowdhury Shmakov particle," said Roger.

"Since when do you know anything about particles and teleporting and all that sciency stuff? You're a historian," asked Mary Jane.

"Zamil Chowdhury and Kristine Shmakov have both been dead for 150 years so I think they count as history. Besides I have other reasons for being interested in their work," said Roger.

"Yes, we have a C-S particle. That is how we rescued you. Darren discovered one," said Var.

"If you knew they were going to blow up the house why didn't you just stop the tanker? Surely it would have been easier than kidnapping us using super science," asked Mary Jane.

"Because we needed everyone to think you are dead," stated Varija.

"Why? Because you outed some politician's dirty little secrets?" asked Mary Jane.

"It might be because I broke some very inconvenient to the status quo people out of prison," said Var.

"When did you do that? Oh, don't tell me! Now is not the time to explain it because we are too dumb to understand the explanation," said Mary Jane with some annoyance.

"How long has it been?" asked Roger.

"It has been a while. It's well into the second decade since I have seen you both," said Var.

<Really! Eleven years is well into the second decade, > sent Mark.

<Give me a break. I need as much of an advantage as I can muster. If I told my mother I was 50 she would tell me that a 50 year old is just a child and that a girl needs her mother, > sent Var.

"What are you talking about?" said Mary Jane.

"Time travel. Chowdhury and Shmakov figured out how to travel in time. All you need is a C-S particle. Scientists have been trying to create one for 150 years. That is Nobel Prize winning research, Darren. How did you manage it?" asked Roger.

"I discovered one in nature. It was an accident really," said Mark.

"Time Travel! It would certain have a stabilizing effect on the stock market. It would make Intellectual Property laws very problematic," said Mary Jane.

"Stop thinking like an economist, mother. The military and criminal applications are horrifying. An army with this would be unstoppable. We need to make money obsolete. We need to move to a post-scarcity society, otherwise, when this technology gets out, the past will be looted for its treasures," said Var.

"I am an economist and moving to post-scarcity is harder to achieve than you might think. We thought we had the problem solved in the 40's but it eluded our grasp," said Mary Jane.

"Children are the scarce resource of this age and the Population Control Council has the monopoly," said Var.

"That is all very visionary and high-concept, but what will we be doing while you are off saving the solar system?" asked Mary Jane.

"We have set up a base in Newstock in 2246. We can give you new identities, and an apartment. You will be safe there. None of my enemies will be able to reach you there," said Varija. She grabbed two drink containers from a storage unit and tossed one to each of her parents. "These will upgrade your Tarka to something a couple of decades more advanced than the 2288 era Jet Tarka that you are running."

Roger unsealed his drink and downed it with no hesitation. Mary Jane eyed hers with suspicion then sipped it cautiously. "Ugh, Tarka supplements. Yuck," complained Mary Jane.

"They will help the new Tarka colonize your body. Someone suggested using Aniseed to disguise the flavor," said Varija.

"Oh, please no. I can't stand Aniseed," said Mary Jane.

"That's why I didn't put any in yours."

"The Aniseed did help a little," said Roger. "If we have to be Shanghaied, being trapped in 40's Newstock won't be too bad. We enjoyed it a great deal when we there the last time. That's where we met Darren, Anne and Corny."

"You can say Saffron's name, dear. I am not going to explode. And I don't see why we should agree to all this," said Mary Jane.

"Perhaps the answer lies in the 2298 snapshot of the Mesh that has just been made available to us," said Roger.

"You are got that already?" asked Varija sounding surprised.

"Our little Varija has been very busy. Why does the data stop at 31st December 2298?" asked Roger.