Time To Kill - Author's Notes

-Argument

In this story, there are a few different encounters with time travel; with each different encounter, the idea seems to become even more complex, and one might ask, “How does it all work?” In this small explanatory section, one can read about the basic dynamics of time travel. However, it should be noted that this does not give any scientific explanation for time travel; time travel does not, and likely will not, ever exist within anyone’s physical boundaries, so a definition of how it might work would be useless. What will be addressed is the issue of what might happen if time is changed. This is the argument.

The story’s depiction of time travel would imply that time travel was not performed by any manipulation of light speed or physics. Rather, the manipulation of universes was used. Of course, the idea of multiple universes can be confusing, so what follows is a better explanation.

When one is given a choice, multiple universes are created. These universes contain set patterns of choices, causes, and effects; in a way, fate might exist for a short while in each universe, but the choices are indeed made by the individual. When the individual chooses one universe, a different universal copy of him chooses the other universe at the same time. Thus, it is impossible for a choice to ultimately not be made, as long as the choice was originally presented. With all of this in mind, one can find that, with so many people in the world with so many choices to make with so little time between each choice, universes grow quickly.

There are many different universes to travel to, but as an important rule of time travel, one cannot travel back to his own universe or a universe that his own was generated from. The reason for this is that such an action would cause a paradox. The following is an example of what would happen if such actions were undertaken:

First, Person A2 from Universe A2 would travel to Universe A1. At that point, he would exist with—and possibly affect—Person A1, who is his past self. The paradox is created because if Person A2 was in the universe before Person A1 had decided to go back in time, then Person A1 might decide not to go back in time, thus affecting the actions of Person A2 because they are the same person. Person A2 would remember seeing himself when he was still Person A1, because he was Person A1 when he was in Universe A1. This was not supposed to have happened to him when he was Person A1, but since universes always follow a pattern and never change—they are static—it had to. For this reason, it is known that one cannot go back to his own universe or a universe where his came from.

Paradoxes do not occur if one travels forward in time in his own universe; however, once he has traveled to his future, the individual cannot go backwards. Time travel in one’s own universe can only move in one direction.

Because of the danger in universal paradoxes, the only real way to travel back in time is through a different universe or a different parent universe. Unfortunately, this can cause some inaccuracy because of the fact that the universe being visited is made up by a different choice. But despite this, it is possible to travel to a universe made by a minor choice; this ensures a closer resemblance to one’s home universe.

There are two main types of time travel: area-effective time travel and single-effective time travel. Simply put, area-effective time travel will affect the universes close to it; this is caused by streams of universal residue connecting universes that share a similar parent. The only close universes not affected are those that are made different by major choices. When a change is made in the past-time universe, the course of all affected universes but one will be affected. The universe that is actually being changed is static, while the related universes are actually changed at the point in time at which the individual used the time machine. At that point in time, all related universes will have their courses of events rewritten from the change, and the present and future times of the individual’s home universe will be changed. However, the course of events before the change in the home universe will not be changed. This prevents any paradox suggesting that the individual never really left their home universe at all, although it is true that the individual would return to his home universe with no memory of his actions once his actions in the past universe were completed.

However, another paradoxical question may arise: “If multiple universal copies of one individual set their destinations to a single universe, will they not all arrive there?” The answer, in brief terms, follows.

There are universes within universes—a near infinite number of true universes can be contained within one macrouniverse, and macrouniverses in another macrouniverse. Within each macrouniverse, identical universes are labeled the same. With this, every universal individual headed for one universe will be separated from the rest, heading for an identical universe in another macrouniverse. This prevents universal copies from all reaching the same universe and causing confusion.

The other form of time travel, single-effective time travel, is universally safer, as its name may imply. Using technology that was developed some time after the area-effective time travel technology, it prevents the effects of universal residue. Therefore, single-effective time travel will only affect the universe the individual has traveled to, and that universe will be affected statically.

Essentially, the future is always changed by one’s actions in the present; one’s actions and choices determine his future. While “fate”—a pattern of events that are out of the individual’s control—may exist, it is basically controlled by the choices of the individual. And while the past times of other universes may be changed—either statically or in a way that could affect other universes—one cannot truly change his own past.

Obviously, none of this information is actually true; complex time travel does not, and will likely never, exist beyond our imagination. Even so, if you should choose to use this concept in a work of your own, please contain the information between the black lines (editor's note: Horizontal Rules) somewhere in your work and give the name of the work you took it from. You do not need to include my name, although you can if you so wish.Thanks.

~Joey

-Dedication

This story is dedicated to God—especially since I used the Bible to get the whole “Time for everything” motif—and to Yoshata, since I probably wouldn’t have begun or ended this story without either of them.