The Unofficial Biography Of Kimmay

Book 3: The Nature Of Time

by G. L. Hudson

 

 

Kimmay's alarm went off at six. She showered and began dressing when the phone rang. "Kimmay, it's Kristal. I think I've got the speech down to the 99.9% point. I'd like to send it to you to review. While you look it over I'll get ready and we can meet in my room for breakfast. How does 30 minutes sound?"

"Kristal, we're you up all night?" Kimmay asked.

"It's the most important speech I'm ever going to give. I thought it deserved a little extra thought. I'll have a secret service agent bring it over in a minute."

The three of them met for breakfast and Kristal nit-picked over words and sentence structure. After breakfast, a helicopter picked them up and took them to the airport where they boarded Air Force One. Kristal made Kimmay and Tiffany sit next to her while she fussed over the tiniest details in her speech. Meanwhile Jennifer and Traci sat on either side of Ginger in the back cabin. They didn't talk at all.

Air Force One landed at Kennedy airport and the usual entourage of limos and secret service escorted Kristal and her guests to the U.N. They were ushered into a ready room and everyone picked a seat except Kristal. She paced the room and talked with everyone. She was a regular chatterbox as she made small talk with Jennifer, traded jokes with a secret service agent, and handed a few compliments to her hairdresser. The speech was finished and it was being entered into the teleprompters. It was too late to change the speech. There would be no ad-libs; the speech would be handed to the press after she spoke and it would have to go word for word into history.

Kristal had decided to wear a dress for her most important speech ever. She chose a dark lavender color as if she were determined to stay away from the typical and stuffy gray or black color. Her hair was hanging straight and every single hair was in place. About thirty minutes before the speech, she was pulled into a studio chair in front of a lighted mirror where her hairdresser/beautician prepared her for the speech. Extra color was added to her cheeks so that they wouldn't look washed out under the harsh TV lights. The beautician's job was simplified by the fact that even though Kristal was approaching her fifties, she was still one of the most beautiful women in the world.

Five minutes before the speech, Kimmay and group were ushered out to their places on stage. The humming in the audience stopped as they walked out. The first thing Kimmay saw was the empty seats in the front row. Neither the Seekers nor the Builders had arrived. Everyone took their seats and waited for the start. The cameras were already going, and up in the pressrooms the talking heads were beginning to prep their audiences for the speech about to come.

One minute before Kristal's entrance, the Seekers arrived. Five of them appeared in the front of the room. Linda was with them, although she appeared to be the junior member. An usher quickly ran to them and escorted them to their chairs in the front of the room. Less than fifteen seconds after the Seekers arrived, the Builders popped in. There were seven Builders, and again an escort quickly took them to their seats. The court and jury were seated. It was time for Kristal.

Kristal had specifically said that she did not want an introduction. There was still a bit of murmuring spreading through the audience when she walked onto the stage. She did not smile and she did not acknowledge anyone as she reached the podium. Kristal was all business as she began her speech. With just the smallest of smiles, she began, "As usual I would like to thank the Secretary General and the entire United Nations organization for inviting me here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging our guests, the Seekers and the Builders. And most importantly, I want to greet every human being on the face of our beautiful planet. I am here today to declare the greatest moment in the history of the human race. Today, together we declare our emancipation. Today we step forward into our future. A future so grand that our light shall shine forth like a beacon over a fogged draped sea. Today we lift the fog and throw off the chains of uncertainty and servitude. We cast aside the darkness of mysticism and manipulation. From this time onward, we will never again kneel nor succumb to manipulation and control by an oppressor.

"Today we cast out our nemesis." Kristal pointed at the Seekers and the Builders, "Today, on behalf of every human being on the face of this beautiful Earth I say to you, leave. Leave and never come back. You are no longer welcome on our planet."

Kristal had gotten right to the point of her speech. It was an audacious move. There was whispering among the off-worlders. A few frowned and a couple smiled in contempt. They remained seated, waiting to hear if Kristal really understood the Thirteenth Prophecy and had anything worthwhile to say.

Kristal's expression and mannerisms changed from the inspirational to the educational with just a bit of darkness thrown in. "Before us today, are the beings who have sought to control our species and steal our world. Even now, they conspire to destroy our race. They sit in front of us in their smugness believing that they are all powerful and we are weak. My fellow Earthlings let me tell me you the story of arrogance so great that the worst episodes in our entire history pale beside this black shadow. Let me tell you of a race of beings that have infiltrated our very society and twisted it to destroy us from within. For thousands of years the beings sitting in front of us, the beings that call themselves Builders, have tried to destroy our very essence.

"They have lied to us for so long that our very culture bears their imprint. They have stolen the greatness of God to subvert, to divide and to bend man against man. They have infiltrated our religions to reach their own egregious ends. Our greatest legends, folklore, and stories have been bent to portray God as mean and vindictive. We have pitted religion against religion, brother against brother to foster the negativity of their meanness and hatred. They have done this to stop man from walking forward. They have done this to stop man from truly and honestly embracing God and walking alongside Him as we move forward to embrace knowledge and truth.

"They desire to squander our potential and our love, and bury us in hubris and mediocrity. They have tried to bind our hearts, our minds and our hands so that they can control us.

"These ill-named Builders have competed with those who call themselves Seekers. They have competed to manipulate and control us with religion on one hand, and science on the other. The Seekers have thought themselves altruistic and honest because they opposed the Builders. But their goal was no less insidious and harmful; they too wanted to control the entire human race."

Kristal paused and surveyed her audience. The groundwork had been laid. Once again her attitude changed. To the teacher's voice was added a tinge of awe.

"Why?" she asked as if totally mystified by the reasoning of the off-worlders. "Why?" she said softly. "Because they fear our planet. They fear our race. They fear their own insignificant existence in this universe. But to put a name to their dread, they fear the Thirteenth Prophecy." That solidified the attention of Kristal's guests.

"A prophecy so old that the language it was originally uttered in no longer exists. A prophecy handed through so many generations that no one in this universe knows the original words or meaning. Only the fear and awe remain. The fear, and yes … the awe of something that staggers the imagination of everyone who encounters this prophecy."

Krysallis was no longer looking at the aliens, she was staring directly into the cameras and talking to her fellow Earthlings, "The Thirteenth Prophecy says that in this galaxy, our galaxy, a planet will be found. That planet will be fruitful and bring forth life like no other planet in existence. And on this planet there will be beings that will reach the pinnacle of existence itself. And upon that pinnacle they shall 'Open the Universe'.

"Open the Universe," she repeated in a soft whisper while looking directly at Linda. Kristal paused for effect. Her timing was perfect and she had her audience totally in her control – even the Seekers and Builders.

"What does it mean?" she raised the volume to break the mood. "One of us may know. Or maybe no one knows. Maybe no one will ever know. But this great Prophecy scares these beings sitting before us. They fear us because we may indeed be the center of that Prophecy. And they are so fearful, that they conspire to destroy us. Even now, they plan to steal our planet and kill us. Our entire race! Complete and total annihilation they wish upon us! Extinction!

"Not today!" she screamed as she lifted her hands towards the stars. "Never more shall we be the puppets of liars. Today, we step forward and accept our God-given place among the stars. Today, you will leave. You are no longer welcome on our Earth," and she pointed directly at the off-worlders. Kimmay and Tiffany both stood and walked towards the delegations. Each held her hands open in front of her and carried a cube that reflected all light like a mirror. They stopped in front of each delegation and offered the cubes to them.

The head of the Builders accepted the cube and stood before Kristal. "What is this thing?" he demanded with contempt.

"Sit and learn!" Kristal shouted back. She took her cube and held it in her fingers, one finger or thumb against each corner. The lights in the room began to dim, and the apertures on all of the cameras opened automatically as they tried to keep up with the ambient light. The book opened before her and extended from floor to ceiling. She pointed at one of the icons and a familiar noise began growing. It was annoying to the humans and grew even more so as it became louder. Just as it reached an unbearable level it ceased.

Kristal grasped the cube in the palm of her hand and the book closed. The lights climbed back to their full luminance. The effect on the off-worlders was obvious. They were leaning back in their chairs and staring at the closed book. The smiles and contemptuous glares were gone. Eyes were dilated and mouths were agape. Cheeks were drained of blood and hands were clenched together.

Kristal gave them a few seconds to totally absorb what they had seen, and then she returned to her audience. "We have just witnessed the law of the Travelers. Like our Constitution, their laws are laid down in immutable details. And their law ends this illegal occupation of our world. Leave! Leave now and do not come back, not until you are ready to accept the responsibility that you claim to honor.

"And to all of my fellow citizens of Earth I say rejoice! Today is Emancipation Day!"

Kristal was finished. It was a strange feeling. The spirit wanted to soar, but the mind was numb. What exactly had just happened? What had everyone just learned? Kristal had stayed away from most of the details; there would be time for that later. Confusion raced through the mind and paralyzed the limbs. What should happen next, extreme celebration or sober introspection?

The Builders interrupted the thought process of billions of Earthlings. Their leader stood and shouted, "This changes nothing!"

"It changes everything, and you know it," said the leader of the Seekers. He was quiet and calm, but stood ready to face down the Builders.

"No it does not. We shall continue immediately." He took out his controller and motioned the others to join him. "Goodbye," he said ferociously. And they stood there. Nothing happened, no one left. They looked confused and glanced around the room.

Standing on the podium was a new person. A woman as beautiful as Kristal stood next to her on the podium. She wore an ankle length dress with a full flowing skirt. Her hair was more appropriate looking than the first time they had seen her. A beautiful woman with self-esteem and an aura of power had replaced the young awkward appearance of yesterday's teen.

"Yes," she announced. The room came to a standstill as every eye focused on the newcomer. "Yes it does change everything. And for your insolence you shall pay. Your ship will be forfeited. You have 24 hours to remove your people and belongings. Then I shall destroy it."

"Who are you?" the builder demanded, his voice full of contempt.

"You know who we are. We are the Keeper," the woman said with the confidence of one totally in charge.

"Nonsense!" He turned to Kristal. "Your tricks are as transparent as you are. There are no Keepers. They are a rumor and legend of the same vapor we used for your legends."

The Keeper wasn't amused. "Before you leave, the people of Earth have the right to see you for what you are. Let's start with your big lie." One of the Builders transformed into an angel. "We'll start with the angel of Ginger. And now let's add the bullets." Seven bullet holes appeared in the angel's chest. One after another they appeared in her chest and then began to flow red blood down the front of her white gown.

"Behold the angel savior," the Keeper announced. There was whispering in the crowd as the Keeper demeaned the Builders. The leader of the Builders stepped forward as if to confront the Keeper. The Keeper was neither amused nor intimidated. "But enough of angels," she continued, "let's see the truth of who and what the Builders are." All of the Builders reverted to their true appearance. They were much shorter and rounder. They were all bald, including the women. Their ears were elongated and the upper point extended above their baldheads giving the illusions of short horns. Their appearance did not instill fear or respect.

The seven of them stood frozen in confusion. Fear was obviously starting to seep into their psyches, and it was apparent in their alien faces.

A three dimensional picture filled the wall to their side. It showed a picture of their spaceship in orbit around the earth. The picture froze, almost. The earth continued to revolve, but it was apparent that the ship was not moving. It should have fallen towards the earth as it stopped orbiting the planet, but it did not. The Keeper spoke again, "You have 24 hours to leave. Your ship will be plunged into the sun, and you shall not return to this planet for one thousand years. Now go." They disappeared, as did the Seekers.

The room had been totally silent and very still. Even the Earthlings realized that the Keeper was a power that deserved their utmost respect. As the Keeper turned away from the cameras and audience, the room slowly began buzzing with conversation. The numbness was fading off. The Keeper turned to Kristal, "Do you remember what I told you? Review the archive and say 'Next' to turn the page."

"I understand," Kristal said. Kristal looked into the audience and saw many small groups of people talking. She wasn't sure how to end the press conference. There were going to be numerous questions about the woman who had arrived at the end of the conference. She wasn't sure if she should try and answer those questions now, or do it in a question and answer format with the press. She turned towards the Keeper to ask her what she might want to do, but she was already gone. It took Kristal several moments to realize that Kimmay was also missing.

The press conference was ending in total confusion. This was no way to end the most important speech in the history of the world. She couldn't just walk out now. There was only one thing she could do, she stepped up to the podium again. "Let me have your attention one more time. Please, sit and give me your attention for just a moment." She waited for the audience to settle down while she thought as fast as she could.

"It should be perfectly clear to everyone that the battle is over. We have won our freedom. This should be a great day of rejoicing and celebrating. And we have a new friend, a true friend named Keeper. We should look forward to greeting her again one day."

Kristal ran out of words and ideas. The speech had been what she had wanted, short and emotional. She had deliberately wanted to rouse the emotions of her fellow citizens of planet Earth as she confronted the off-worlders. And she wanted to keep the speech short, so as to keep everyone focused on the enemy. But the ending was unplanned and totally chaotic. She wondered how it affected her message. Since she could think of nothing else to say or do, she quickly walked off stage. The others followed her.

In the warm-up room she collapsed in a chair. An assistant handed her a bottle of water, which she opened and gulped. "That could have gone better," she said disconsolately.

"I don't see how," Tiffany answered.

"You don't?" she asked incredulously. "It was a mess! No one has the slightest idea who the Keeper is and they will wonder if we merely traded Linda and one meddler for another? And there was no conclusion, no finish. Everything was left hanging out there. There will be more questions than answers now."

"Maybe," said Tiffany, "but no one can doubt the truth about the Seekers and the Builders. The Keeper exposed them perfectly. She took away all of their magic and mystique. And she eliminated all of your religious fanatics with her exposure of the angel. Ginger will no longer be a political force. She couldn't be more neutralized if she had confessed."

Ginger listened but said nothing. Kristal thought about Tiffany's words but just couldn't coax enough courage to hope that she might be right. "Jennifer, what do you think?" Jennifer was her best friend and most honest confidant. Jennifer told it as it was.

"It's a tough call at this point. I agree with most of what Tiffany just said, but my opinion doesn't matter. It's world-opinion that you have to sway. I think you need more spin. You need more people out there talking facts and forming that opinion. And you need to do it quickly."

"Should I call in a camera crew now?"

"I think you should stay behind the scenes for right now. I think your people here need to talk with the press. Your press secretary Janice, Tiffany and Ginger should go out and answer questions."

Kristal recoiled at the idea of Ginger speaking to the press, and Ginger sensed that immediately. "Please, let me join them. I will admit my mistakes and I will publicly hand you all of my support. I can enforce the image that the Keeper showed the people."

Kristal thought about it for a moment. "Janice, take Tiffany, Ginger and Jennifer to the press room and answer questions. Don't try to BS anyone. If you don't have the answer let Tiffany or Jennifer answer the question. Ginger, I appreciate your help, but I ask that you minimize your participation, please."

Jennifer balked, "I'm not your press secretary, Janice is. Let her handle the conference."

Kristal knew Jennifer all too well. Jennifer didn't like talking in front of people. She did her work out of the public's eye. Kristal gave Jennifer a smile and told her, "You're my most trusted friend, and you know more than Janice. Let Tiffany handle the questions concerning any direct contact that we have had with the Seekers or the Keeper, and you can answer any questions internal to our decisions. Janice, you field the questions and involve Jennifer only if you have to, but don't try and BS your way through anything. Ask Jennifer, she knows much more than she admits. Go, and good luck to all of you. I'll listen in here."

 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

A week later Kristal was preparing for bed. It had been another hectic day in the public view. She was still holding exclusive interviews with selected members of the press, trying to convince people that the world had just changed and new ideas and beliefs were required. Today had been devoted to the foreign press. It had been tough sledding because many of the questions came from such different points of view, that she didn't always know what they were driving towards or how to answer them.

It was late and she was exhausted. She fell into bed and was just relaxing when the Keeper changed her life. For an instant she felt as if she were falling through a portal, and then just as quickly the feeling ended. She was still lying in her bed but a shudder passed through her body and frightened her. Something had just happened. She felt different but wasn't sure why. Her hand instinctively reached under the sheets and tentatively slid between her legs. "Oh my God," she whispered.

She jumped out of bed, ran to the full-length mirror and lifted her negligee. There was no doubt or question; she could see the truth. Kristal was no longer a transsexual, but a complete woman. She looked at the smile on her face and marveled at how pretty and how young she looked. This just couldn't be true she thought. What in the world had just happened, and how?

As she looked into the mirror and marveled at her new image, a thought jumped into her mind - the cube. She had to go check the cube. She put on her robe and ran down the hall to her office. As she ran down the hall, a secret service agent followed behind her, mumbling into his lapel and alerting the entire staff. Upon reaching her office, an agent was already standing there, holding the door open. He closed the door behind her, as she ran to her desk and grabbed the cube.

Kristal walked to the middle of the room and held the eight corners of the cube in her fingers. As the cube came to life she released it and watched it hold its position in mid-air. The book opened and bathed her in a red glow from its internal lights. "Next," she whispered. The book disappeared and she found herself standing in her White House office with Kimmay and Tiffany as they watched Kristal answer the phone. The Keeper entered the office in her prom dress. It was their first meeting with the Keeper. "Next," Kristal said and she found herself standing between the Seekers and the Builders, waiting for Kristal to begin her speech at the U.N. She watched a few minutes as the entire scenario again played out before her. She could hear the Builders whisper as she announced they were no longer welcome on planet Earth. She had not realized that the conference had been recorded and placed here. It was fascinating being able to watch everything repeat in perfect, 3-dimensional reality.

As the conference came to an end she heard the Keeper tell her to view the cube and use the command word 'Next'. Then she saw Kimmay and the Keeper disappear. "Next!"

 

The Keeper turned to Kimmay, "We need to speak. In private." Kimmay looked around the room and it was completely empty. No one was left in the room except Kimmay and the Keeper. The Keeper placed her hand on Kimmay's shoulder and said, "Kimmay, first things first. Do you truly intend to clone yourself?" Kristal gasped as she watched the three-dimensional recording.

"What makes you think that?"

"Answer our question. Are you intending to clone yourself?"

"Yes."

"You know better, don't you?" The Keeper's voice was calm and even, but it penetrated into Kimmay's psyche. "You know the danger in what you are doing."

"Yes, but I think …"

"Nonsense, Kimmay. There isn't anything worse that you can do. We are going to ask you once, will you put an end to this madness?"

Kimmay looked at her shoes and with shame in her voice said, "Yes. The first thing I do will put an end to it."

The Keeper removed her hand from Kimmay and said, "That is a wise decision. You will need to do nothing, we have corrected the situation already. On any other planet cloning would have been acceptable, but not on Earth. The variables of life here are way too dangerous. You cannot even contemplate the potential damage that could be caused by an errant mutation.

"We will allow you to reproduce, but you will have to do it the correct way." As Kristal watched, Kimmay blinked out of existence, and two seconds later reappeared. Kimmay looked startled and shaken. Something had obviously changed and she didn't yet understand what it was. Her hands pressed against her body and felt their way to her hips and then slowly between her legs. She looked at the Keeper and asked the question with her eyes.

"We have made you a complete female. You are fertile and now have complete control over your body."

"What does that mean?"

"You will learn. You may now reproduce. We have done the same for Tiffany, Ginger and Krysallis. In the case of Krysallis, we have given her thirty Earth years."

"What does that mean?" she asked a second time.

"Krysallis was past her prime biological age for reproduction. We have removed thirty years from her biological age so that now she is better prepared to reproduce." Kristal now understood, and she realized that she would have to share this projection with the others as soon as possible. They would need to know what had happened to them this wondrous day.

"May I ask a favor?" Kimmay requested.

"Perhaps, tell me what it is."

"Can you do the same thing for my mother and Jennifer?"

"It is an unselfish request. Yes, it is done."

"Thanks, for me and I will thank you for them also."

"Is there any other unfinished business that you would like to share before we talk?"

"Before we talk?" Kimmay muttered to herself. Kimmay looked confused and the Keeper could obviously see this in Kimmay's eyes.

"Do you have any additional favors you would like to request?"

Kimmay thought for a minute. "Can we have the Builder's spaceship?"

The Keeper looked disappointed. "Kimmay, you know better than to ask such a question. Did you learn nothing during your lessons with Linda?"

"It was worth a try," Kimmay said with a little grin.

"No it wasn't, and you know it. 'Knowledge that is not earned is not respected.' You have made positive progress in your theories and understanding of basic physics, but the Builders technology is more then one thousand years ahead of yours. They have transcended your understanding of science and it is well beyond your capability to comprehend. Even on your best day you could not comprehend their knowledge." The Keeper's face softened and in a quiet voice she said, "But I would have been disappointed if you hadn't asked."

Emboldened by the Keeper's comment, Kimmay asked, "Could you at least leave the spaceship where it is? I promise that we will not try to enter it."

"So you can test your new weapons? We will save you the embarrassment, Kimmay. You can not harm their ship. Your weapons do not have that capability."

"Not even thermonuclear weapons?"

"Even with their ship in its lowest standby power configuration, you could not reach their hull. They have several layers of static protection that you cannot breach. And if you reached the hull and detonated a thermonuclear device, you could not penetrate more than a hundred meters into the structure. Their construction materials are stronger than you can possibly imagine, and their materials are built with memory that would instantly seal any breaches."

"Then how are we to learn to protect ourselves? You said that we would probably encounter other species with advanced technology, and you even said that they would possibly be aggressive."

"You will have to determine how to proceed. We will not help." The Keeper again paused and let Kimmay absorb her words. The Keeper stared at Kimmay while she thought. "Is there anything else that you need now?"

Kimmay shrugged her shoulders and indicated that she could think of nothing. "Good, then let's talk," the Keeper said. Instantly the room emptied; the stage, podium, chairs, artwork, chandeliers, everything. Next to the two girls appeared two plush, leather chairs. They were so plush, that when the girls sat in them they almost disappeared. After they were seated, a table appeared next to each chair. On the Keeper's table was a tall glass, filled with a golden liquid, and next to the glass was a stack of chocolate bars.

Kristal walked to a new location where she could see both women. On the wall behind Kimmay was a large clock. The hands were spinning much faster than a normal clock. Kristal quickly deduced that the clock was there for her benefit, since Kimmay couldn't see it.

"We have grown very fond of your scotch and chocolate. They are some of the best delicacies that we have ever enjoyed."

"You do know how much alcohol is in that scotch, don't you?" Kimmay asked.

"Of course."

"Won't it affect you?"

"Actually, it does a little. We enjoy the slight 'buzz'. Is that the correct word for it?"

"Yes, but if you drink too much it goes from a buzz to inebriation and loss of control."

"Never fear, we understand totally. We can easily eliminate the alcohol from this body. May we give you something to eat or drink?"

"I don't drink," Kimmay told her. "I don't care for the taste."

"That's too bad," the Keeper responded. "Let me give you something to try. It does not contain alcohol."

A small glass appeared on Kimmay's table. She picked it up and took a small sip. Her expression made it clear that it was very good. Kimmay licked her lips and asked, "What is it?"

"It's a drink from the home planet of the Builders. Ironic isn't it? But be warned, it contains a molecule that can have the same effect as alcohol. Plus it has an interesting side effect."

"What might that be?"

"In large enough quantities it is an aphrodisiac," the Keeper said as her eyes twinkled. "Do you like it?"

"Yes, it is good."

"Excellent, we will send several bottles to your home in Milwaukee."

"I have a question," Kimmay announced.

"What is it?"

"Why do you always say we?"

"Because the Keeper are plural." She dismissed the question with a wave of her hand. "But that isn't important today. Now, let's chat. I guess the first thing that I would like to say is congratulations, and thank you."

"Congratulations for what?" Kimmay asked in a perplexed voice.

"Congratulations on saving your planet and your species."

Kimmay's expression turned sour again, "Haven't you been paying attention? We ended up in this mess thanks to me." She placed a strong inflection on the 'me'. The anger in her voice was apparent. "It was my arrogance that pushed the Travelers to the point where they decided to come to Earth with their spaceships."

"Kimmay, there is no one here but you and us. Why do you say such things? Are you still trying to act modest, or do you really not understand?"

"I'm not being modest, you've seen everything."

"Then you still do not understand. Most interesting. Kimmay watch this." The Keeper projected an image to the side of them. It was the meeting between the Keeper and Kristal. The Keeper entered the office, curtseyed to Krysallis and introduced herself. Then she greeted Tiffany and finally Kimmay. "And you are Kimmay, it is a pleasure to see you again," the Keeper said to Kimmay. The scene disappeared and the Keeper asked, "Do you remember that?"

"Yes, I do. Why did you say that?"

"Because I had met you before, but it appears that you had not met me."

"How can that be? Where did we meet?" Kimmay asked.

"The correct question is when did we meet?"

"Ok, when?"

"We met about two thousand years in your future. You came to us and asked us to help you save Earth. We were intrigued, but we were very reluctant to become directly involved in a matter with Prophecy implications. But you insisted, and we asked what was in it for us. Your answer truly intrigued us. It actually wasn't much of an answer. You said that something unique was going to happen, an anomaly in time. When we pressed you for details you were very evasive. We soon realized that you did not know what was going to happen."

The Keeper stared at Kimmay as she continued to explain, "We studied you and realized that you were not lying and you were not trying to deceive us. You truly believed that something would take place, but you didn't yet know. So we decided to give you a chance. You sealed that opportunity when I met you in Krysallis' office. Even though we had met you before, you had not met us." The keeper finally blinked and finished, "Do you remember how we asked for scotch and chocolate?"

Kimmay nodded yes.

"We were stalling, trying to comprehend the situation. We were running through potential explanations. You obviously had not previously met us; we could read that in you. That raised a serious problem. Either you had changed the relationship between cause and effect, or something else unique was happening."

"Why did you come to that decision?"

"Kimmay, you had come to us and asked us for help in saving your planet and species. When we met again, you had only two days left to find us and ask us to help. If you didn't act quickly, the Builders were going to begin the destruction of humans, and that included you. Once the Builders began, you would be dead and unable to come to us for help."

"So somewhere between that time in Kristal's office and the Builder's scheduled attack, I must have contacted you, right?"

"Wrong, you never contacted us. How can that be?"

"I don't understand," Kimmay said.

The Keeper took another bite of chocolate and washed it down with a gulp of scotch. "If you don't understand it, imagine how the Travelers felt. They sent their spaceships backwards in time only to find their past had been changed. They were totally confused when they arrived."

"Wait a minute," Kimmay interrupted. "What do you mean they sent their spaceships back in time?"

"The Travelers that you have been dealing with are from over nine hundred years in your future."

"They're from the future? They lied to me!" Kimmay almost stood up as she pounded her fist into the plush arm of the chair. "They said they had no idea what I was going to design. Amanda said she couldn't see into the future and so she didn't know what was going to happen, but she was from the future! She did know what was going to happen." Kimmay was angry to find out that once again she had been misled.

The Keeper tried to calm Kimmay by reverting to her slow methodical mannerisms. She slowly sipped her scotch and meticulously unwrapped another chocolate bar as she spoke. "Kimmay, why are you surprised now? They have lied to you continuously. But you turned the tables on them. When they arrived, the Seekers learned that their Supreme Leader Amanda was dead, and they were dealing with you instead of Tiffany. You changed their past and they were stunned, to say the least."

Kimmay tried to calm down also, as she took a sip of her drink and tried to understand what the Keeper was saying. She scratched her head and tried to work together a meaningful question. "What exactly do you mean I changed their past?

"You own your own past. Everyone owns their own past. The past cannot change its self. Do you know what I mean?" Kimmay did not respond, she just listened. "You can move backwards in time and undertake actions that change your past. As soon as that change is made in your past, in your present you know that change. It becomes reality and is part of your past. Period." Almost as an aside, the Keeper waved her glass and said, "If you are the person making that change in the past, you do not recognize the change as your past, until you return to your future - to what we would call your base. Ok so far?"

"Yep, I follow the concept. It's logical and makes sense."

"Excellent, Kimmay. I enjoy talking with you. You are emotional but still intelligent."

Kimmay was embarrassed. Her face turned red as she reached again for her intoxicating drink. Kristal smiled as she watched the show. She too knew how moody yet how intense and analytic Kimmay could be. Kristal had a slight tightness in her chest as she filled with pride for Kimmay.

"Now comes the impossible. An individual in your past cannot change her future or your past. It is a slight paradox, in that everyone thinks they have free will and controls their own future. And the paradox is in the fact that this is true. But once the choices and events have occurred, they are locked in time. You, looking back into time can see these events, you can see the mistakes and the wins. But the person who makes those choices cannot look forward into her future, decide she made a mistake and change anything."

Another pause as the Keeper finished her chocolate bar. "Has that sunk in?"

"Of course. That is all true and equally it is common sense," Kimmay answered. Her confidence was evident again.

"Fine, so can you change your past?"

"Yes, I can go back in time and change that past. When I return to my home time, it becomes a fait accompli and it existed forever. Right?"

"Perfect. Can that past be changed any other way? Can the principals look forward, decide they don't like what they see and change their 'free-will'?"

"No," Kimmay said confidently.

"I agree, but you are evidently wrong. It has happened, and I suspect you are the cause. When the Travelers brought their spaceships and their leaders to Earth, they expected an entirely different scenario. They expected Amanda to still be alive, and they expected Tiffany, not you, to be their primary contact. You were a backup to Tiffany in case of a miscalculation or mutation. They knew as we do that life on this planet can be totally unpredictable, but they didn't think time was unpredictable." The Keeper gave Kimmay a wink. It was rather humorous but Kimmay did not pick up the humor, as she was thinking.

"And it was Tiffany that was supposed to take the trip with Linda and learn her lessons." The Keeper paused again, to allow Kimmay to finish her thinking. Then she changed the subject, "Why did you never study time?"

"I don't know … I guess I was intimidated by the potential paradoxes it caused. I felt more comfortable with physics instead."

"Let me explain something about time. Using the analogy of your String Theory, time consists of open-ended strings. These two-ended strings represent the currents of time. They carry loops of string that represent events. The currents are not laminar, and at times can be very turbulent. The loops of string can get caught in eddies and lost or they can collide with one another. When they collide with one another the first can influence the flow of the second, or they can even destroy each other. This prevents events from flowing forward forever.

"Amanda used a similar analogy with water. She told you that an anomalous event would spread out like ripples in a pond. The ripples could be large and cause a great disturbance initially, but eventually the waves would turn to ripples and finally die out all together. The Travelers understood this concept and realized that past events could ripple forward to affect the present. That is why they legislated a limit to time travel. They decided that most anomalies could be damped out in less than 25,000 years. And that is why they set their time limit; they do not permit time travel of less than 25,000 years.

"It was an intelligent move on their part. They could foresee the problems of two parties fighting to control the present by changing their mutual past. One party jumps back two thousand years and makes a change. The second party jumps back one thousand years and cancels the first change. The first party jumps back 500 hundred years and on it goes. It was obvious that this type of war would destroy both parties, so they wisely ruled it illegal."

"That makes sense," Kimmay said.

"But that is exactly what they were doing on Earth. The Seekers and Builders had maneuvered themselves into exactly that scenario. Kimmay, do you know why they had to stop their plans to attack Earth? Do you know what their law said?"

"No. What?"

"It was simple, they were breaking their own 25,000 year rule. That should have forced them to call off their plans and return home. The peer pressure from their fellow Travelers should have forced them to stop. Of course you saw what happened. Their pride interfered with their common sense. That is when the Keepers interrupted. But right now, the Builders have returned to their time and they are analyzing what happened. They will convince themselves that they caused the change in their own past. The two sides caused so much commotion in the time continuum, that they must have interacted with each other and caused the unexplained changes. At least that is what they want to believe."

"But that's not right, is it?" Kimmay asked warily.

"No, Kimmay. It is not. Do you know what caused the change?"

"Me?" she asked very timidly. It was obvious that Kimmay was afraid of the answer, because she had no clue as to how any of it had transpired.

"We believe it must have been you Kimmay. We have no other explanation."

"How could I have done it?"

"We can find only pieces of what happened. We believe that in your first reality, Tiffany and Amanda undertook the trips and lessons that were to prepare Tiffany to move forward your science. She was chosen to find the scientific solutions to your problems and she was supposed to implement them. Tiffany was chosen by the Seekers to save your planet. But she failed.

"She was destined to fail, just as anyone in her place was destined to fail. The Builder's plans were much more entrenched and finalized. There was nothing Tiffany could have done about it. But you saw the future. You must have, because you changed everything."

Kimmay listened with wide-open eyes. Her expression indicated a bit of fear was crawling into her mind. Kristal looked at Kimmay and started to worry for her.

"You stepped forward and took on the responsibility of changing your fate. The key is the picture. As the Builders were annihilating you humans, Tiffany was crushed with remorse and pain. As she covered herself in the blood of another human, you took the picture of her. And then you took that picture back in time and gave it to Tiffany's mother. You broke the first reality that you encountered."

"But how did I do that? How did I go back in time? How did I even know what to do?"

"We are trying to reconstruct the circumstances surrounding your changes. We are not sure, Kimmay. But you do remember your horrible nightmares? Not the ones from Linda's trip, but after that. The picture in your mother's hand?"

Kimmay shuddered and a tear filled her eye. "I remember."

"And when did the nightmares end?"

Kimmay had to think about that. "It was around Christmas time, I think."

"Was it maybe after Tiffany finally showed you the actual picture?"

Kimmay thought for a moment, "Yes, I think it was."

"And so do we. The return of the picture to you sealed a loop in time. We believe that it was your loop. You made it."

"How?"

"We don't know how. But we further believe that your loop acted like a bubble in the time line. It moved forward in time at a very slow pace, and that is why the Travelers were unaware of the changes in their past. Your bubble had not reached their time before they moved backwards and entered it. And it may have been the bubble effect that kept Linda and the Seekers from knowing what you were doing. Your detection grid and your device to block inter-dimensional tunneling were not seen. The Seekers were still in the first reality and they were watching Tiffany, not you."

"Is that possible?" Kimmay asked apprehensively.

"No," the Keeper said bluntly. "At least we don't think so." She paused and emptied her glass of scotch. She set the empty glass on the table and it was instantly filled again. "At least we didn't think so," she finished.

Kimmay listened quietly and said nothing. When the Keeper said nothing for over a minute, Kimmay asked for a piece of chocolate. The Keeper smiled and handed her a bar of Swiss chocolate. They sat in silence as they ate their chocolate and drank their drinks.

Finally Kimmay asked, "So where are we?"

"We are at the point of conjecture, Kimmay. One question that still bothers us is how did you contact us? When did you contact us, and how did you even know of us? How did you move two thousand years into the future and find us?"

"I don't know," she mouthed silently.

"We can speculate that you contacted us while you were inside your time bubble. Maybe you could have done it then, and we just haven't seen it yet. But how you became aware of us and how you found us we do not know."

Again they sat in silence. Kristal watched the clock on the wall behind Kimmay as it spun at an unreal speed.

"Kimmay, let me ask you a question."

"Of course," she said as she sat up straight in her chair.

"What do you think the Thirteenth Prophecy says?"

Kimmay was caught off guard by the question. "Me? How should I know?"

"Because there is something very special about you, Kimmay. Time flows through you. You are a nexus that pulls time lines to you and around you. You are wrapped in time. It bends around you and hovers over you. If the Builders could see what we see, they would have never attempted what they did. They would have kneeled before you."

Kimmay was shocked. Kristal had never seen Kimmay so profoundly shook. Her body language recoiled at the concept. "No," she squeaked. "That isn't possible. I see nothing. I feel nothing. I don't understand any of this, it can't be true."

"It's true Kimmay. You and time are intimate. We did not see it before. When we came to Krysallis' office and met you, we did not see this, but as the days have passed our eyes have opened. The time lines grow stronger even as we watch. Since the confrontation with the Builders, it has accelerated. Look at the clock behind you."

Kimmay turned and looked. The hands on the clock were spinning even faster now. Kimmay turned back to the Keeper, the unasked question written across her face.

"No, we are not responsible for that. You are. Kimmay I ask again, what do you think the Thirteenth Prophecy says?"

"I really don't know."

"Guess. Speculate."

Kimmay sat and thought. The Keeper ignored her scotch and chocolate as she stared at Kimmay. The hands on the clock spun around several times before Kimmay answered.

"I…think…I mean…maybe it has to do… with…uhm, maybe time. Maybe it concerns not the physical limits of the universe, but … uhm…time and how it moves? Or how it propagates? I don't know, maybe…maybe it has the potential for being multi-dimensional like the physical universe?"

"Maybe it can loop?" the Keeper asked.

Kimmay just shook her head. "I have no idea, I'm just guessing. But I think that would be bad. Chaotic. I think that instead time change becomes impossible. Time travel would have to become limited … or maybe impossible." She finally became very exasperated and spurted out, "I don't know. I'm not the person to ask!"

"Kimmay, I know that you are just speculating, but your intuition is worth something. Let me ask you a different question, if time is multi-dimensional, what would that mean in the real universe?"

Kimmay looked exasperated, but thought for a moment then said, "Multi-dimensional might indicate the possibility of concurrent realties. Multi or alternative dimensions in space are infinitesimal. Only our three dimensions can support life at the universe's current energy level. But with the addition of multi-dimensional time the question becomes could adjacent dimensions that are more than just infinitesimal in size be created? If the physical dimensions could support actual time, you could have parallel universes." She gave a flip with her hands, gesturing that she was only guessing.

"One last question, Kimmay. If all that was possible, could you travel between them and interact in both?"

"I guess so, but time travel would become extremely messy. That would have to be rectified to satisfy some semblance of balance and conservation laws."

The Keeper sat back in her chair and relaxed. She took another sip of her scotch and sighed. "Thank you Kimmay, we are reforming our thoughts as to how you contacted us. Your explanation makes more sense than a time bubble."

"You're not taking anything I said seriously, are you?"

"Yes we are. The time concept makes more sense if you used an alternative universe to contact us. It is certainly plausible." The Keeper stopped to finish her chocolate and scotch. "Kimmay, it was a pleasure meeting you. You certainly upheld your part of the bargain. Before we leave, there is something we need to show you."

"What?"

"Things that you will need to know before you act. We need to take a short trip."

"Trip? Before I act? No Keeper, I've already done that. I've traveled around the galaxy and it was horrible. I don't want the responsibility…I can't."

"Don't worry, this trip will be different. You will learn the context to judge your future actions."

"My future actions?" She emphasized the 'my' part.

"Yes, Kimmay. You're just beginning to realize your potential. We would like to teach you as long as we can … then we would like you to teach us. There is much that we don't understand."

The Keeper had no idea how much they did not understand. But they were correct about one thing; Kimmay.

 

The scene faded into darkness. Kristal was once again standing alone in her office, the Keeper's cube floating in front of her. "Next." Nothing happened. She said it again, "Next." Again nothing happened.

 

EPILOGUE

 

Krysallis took the cube along, as she visited each of the girls. They were all amazed and frightened with their transformations, and the cube answered many of their questions, and assuaged their fears. All were apprehensive at first, but they soon accepted and enjoyed their new lives. Melissa, Tiffany and Krysallis all married eventually, and they each had children. Krysallis and Tiffany had concerns about their children. Their children were certainly talented and very intelligent, but their abilities never wandered into the wunderkind range. In many ways it was a relief for them, but deep inside there were some regrets. How could there not be?

Jennifer's devotion to Krysallis interfered with her private life, and her ability to settle down. While Jennifer had many opportunities to enjoy her new life and take many lovers, she never married.

Melissa turned out to be the wild-card in everyone's future. Once again, Melissa would supply the fulcrum that would move time and future.

Ginger served 7 years in a federal penitentiary for income tax invasion. It was a plea bargain that saved her from a complicity to murder charge. Krysallis agreed to the plea bargain only after Ginger showed remorse for her actions, and attempted to rectify some of the harm she had committed. Ginger was very helpful in hunting down the more aggressive and dangerous criminals.

Ginger upheld her end of the bargain, and did her best to re-educate the public concerning religion. She used every opportunity afforded her to condemn the use of organized religion as a tool to grab political power. She researched the abuses of religious institutions throughout the ages, and she had excellent presentations, arguments and documentation to share with anyone who would listen. But as much as she preached, many people couldn't accept that interaction with one's God was personal and didn't need the approval of a group. Many people still needed to believe in human leaders who parceled their approval onto people's personal decisions, in exchange for power, money and authority.

That worried Krysallis. As word of Kimmay's feats slowly began to permeate the public perception, Krysallis could see the unmistakable signs of a cult-like devotion to Kimmay beginning to form. Krysallis soon became sorry that she ever made public some parts of the conversation between Kimmay and the Keeper. Krysallis worried that she had destroyed one cult, only to replace it with another. One passage from the cube particularly worried her; "If the Builders could see what we see, … they would have kneeled before you." People were clinging to that one sentence, and beginning to build Kimmay into a powerful oracle and prophet. The longer Kimmay remained away with the Keeper, the stronger the following grew.

What Krysallis did not comprehend was what Kimmay really was. Krysallis need not have worried about the Keeper's affect on Kimmay. Kimmay was beyond the influence of the Keepers. She was far beyond their reach.

Krysallis had even more to reflect upon when she received word that the time machine projector that Linda had given to the Museum d'histoire naturelle de la Ville de Geneve had stopped working. 'Is this the beginning?' she quietly asked herself.

 

The end

  

  

  

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