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Back Whirlwind Save as PDF
Chapters (95)
  1. Title Page
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. 85
  87. 86
  88. 87
  89. 88
  90. 89
  91. 90
  92. 91
  93. 92
  94. Also by DAVID KLASS
  95. Copyright Page

But with the presence of time travel, the unfolding present is influenced by both the past and the future. The time traveler is not just making a one-way trip—he’s making a loop. So he can’t change something that will alter the future part of his loop. Gisco looks at me sympathetically. All you need to know is that Novikov got that part right. You couldn’t go back in time and do something that would wipe out your own ancestors or parents or yourself, because you have already lived in that future.

I’m so dizzy I have to sit down on the floor of the gondola. So you’re saying there’s no multiverse?

None.

Time is like a river, flowing in one direction? And if a person makes a journey upriver to change something, he can’t wipe out everything downriver because that place exists since he came from it?

Broadly correct. The dog nods. And it is therefore possible to journey back in time and change the future in predictable ways, just as you could go upriver and change a watercourse knowing that it would have certain foreseeable effects downriver. Your father knew what he was doing when he sent you back. We could predict that using Firestorm to save the oceans would change the future world in the way we needed.

But you were wrong? My father was mistaken?

No, we were right. He was astonishingly correct in his calculations.

But the world didn’t get better? You said it got worse.

Much worse, Gisco agrees sadly. Horribly, nightmarishly worse.

24

24

Gisco’s convoluted explanations have brought us to a final conundrum. If my dad was right, and I changed what needed to be changed, why didn’t things get better? I ask.

They did start to improve.

What do you mean “start”? If we fixed the problem in the present, why wasn’t it long gone in the far future?

Gisco hesitates. You look like you’ve already gone twelve rounds. Are you sure you have the stomach for more?

I look up at him from the floor of the gondola. I am dizzy and light-headed, but I try to shake it off. Ring the bell for round thirteen, I say. I need to know why, if we fixed the problem, the world got worse.

When a significant change is made in the past, it takes a while for the fabric of time and space to reshape itself in the future, the dog explains. Go back to your river analogy one more time. Let’s say the water in the stretch of river where we drink and fish is polluted. So someone is sent far upstream to remove the source of that pollution. Even if they’re successful, the water where we live doesn’t immediately become clean. It’s a gradual process. The river cleanses itself day by day and hour by hour. Got it?