Chapter 5

I finally made it back home to my proper time, after resting for another couple of days. The headache I had suffered had been a bad one. It went away the next day, but I had felt wiped out, still. I waited another day before coming back.

When I returned, I set my new computer to resolving a problem for me. What would be the probable outcome of my changing the future, of something that had already happened. The AI had responded it had already done extensive research into this very subject, but an answer with any specific conclusion was not available at this time.

In the meantime, my computer informed me that it had capabilities that could let me increase my fortunes. It knew the stock market and the best places to invest for the next several years. If I so desired, it would create a plan for multiplying my fortune in such a way as to make me seem a little luckier than average, but not suspiciously so.

The computer also resolved the problem of getting my car licensed. It was done by filing the proper waivers, and getting approval from the appropriate offices. When I presented my paperwork to the local licensing office, the result was one 'future car', legally registered. I'd had to post a $100,000 bond, though, which aggravated me. I did not have anyone who would provide me with insurance.

It was getting along in the year, and I was thinking about advanced flight classes and training with Bell, to give me a better chance of surviving a possible disaster scenario. I also had a possible craft spotted.

It had been previously owned by a company that monitored the pipeline. It had been turned back over to Bell, and the price was reasonable. I would have to do a little more research on it, but it seemed to have the abilities I desired. The truth is, if I had access to my regular money, I could have bought a new one. But I had to be picky, since Tom was officially dead now, damn it!

For some reason, whenever I 'time dived' and returned to my present, I always returned to the point I departed. I was always within a second as near as I could figure. The AI informed me as I was speaking to it one day, that my older self had reasoned that since I had not yet personally lived past that point, I would return to that point and no farther.

Yet, my future self had come back. Since he had lived that time, could I not somehow access up to his future point?

"Ok computer. Explain to me why I can go back into the past, a past I never lived or interacted in, and I can even bring back items... yet I can't go further into the future," I asked it curiously.

"It has been postulated that you utilize energy from a field that is unique. It is everywhere, but is strongest where living beings gather. Everything gives off a bit of this energy, and it accumulates over time.

"You are able to see, decipher and utilize this energy, up to a point in the past. Thusly you are able to see or travel to the distant past. The mechanism in your brain that recognizes and uses this energy does not, or cannot, recognize energy of the future. Your future self decided it had to do with living through whatever changes and fluctuations happened in this energy field while he was living his life. His brain kept a record of this energy, subconsciously, and was able to recognize it. This made it possible for both he and you to see and travel to the past.

"Being able to recognize the energy field is important to being able to use it. While you have not personally lived through the far past, the energy is just an older version of the energy that you already use. All the changes up to the point of "now", are incorporated into today's energy field. Thus you travel the past easily," the computer stated.

Well, well. That actually made sense. I had been wondering about that, off and on, for a while now. It was easily understood once it was explained. Well, perhaps I was better off not being able to travel to the future. No telling what trouble I could get myself into up there.

Since my death as Tom Wilshire, I had to find different suppliers for items I wanted that were 'period'. I found a company in Canada that could provide everything I wanted in one stop! They were a major supplier for the Canadian movie and TV companies, as well as myriad other entertainment people, the world over.

I had teleported to the underground 'missile silo' home I had bought, and cleaned it out of several items I wanted. But I left enough behind to seem realistic for whenever someone would come to check on it. I knew someone would. I put everything I took into the perfect storage of the 'between'. I regretted losing what I had to leave behind, but my current reality and situation dictated it.

Some of the equipment that my future self had brought back with him, had to be seen, to be believed. I had an "ear bud" for the car. Through it, I had a link to my computer at home. It had an effective transmitting and receiving range of one thousand feet, which allowed me to communicate with my new car's computer. Through that computer, I could access my home computer. As long as I was within that thousand foot range of the car, I could talk to my home computer by relay. The car was able to contact the home computer from anywhere in the world, via satellite link.

It was this "ear bud" linking to the car, that let me drive to town, and start playing 'day trader'. My AI would inform me of items of interest to buy then sell. I would sit at the terminal and do what it told me. I made sure I didn't make a lot, but I made enough to give me what amounted to a monthly income of close to $5000 a month.

As I said, I did make sure I lost money, too. As a matter of fact, I lost large enough amounts, often enough, that no suspicion was ever cast my way. If I had just gone in and played to make a killing, it would have been noted immediately. I made sure I lost on some deals that were hefty. After establishing myself there for about six weeks, I told them I wanted to do this via my home computer. It took a little time, but I finally got my account set up to do my trading, via my home computer. My AI then took over the investing for me. This new monthly income, along with an annuity, made sure I could meet the mortgage payments on the rest of my land. I could also purchase items I wanted, without dipping into my remaining principle. All in all, I was at a comfortable level of life.

I was outside chopping firewood for the fireplace, when I heard a truck moving up my driveway. I had been informed a few days before, that my custom ordered tent was finished, and was on its way. This was the delivery truck.

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