2 comments/ 4054 views/ 5 favorites Balancing the Equation By: dhh37363 A short traditional Sci-Fi story, no sex and I hope you like in spite of that. Jump in, the water's fine! ***** Chapter 1) "You know, it's not like we haven't heard similar predictions before. I must say though, you two are certainly the most calm, what is that marvelous term, Prophets of Doom? I've ever encountered." Allgar thought the whole thing preposterous and was considering leaving but his purpose today wasn't fulfilled, soon though, he thought, soon. One thing was very disturbing though; he realized he still had a carrier but no communications. "Is this a threat? And what proof is offered that your claim is credible?" asked Allgar. After a moment of silence, Freddy looked steadily at Allgar then responded with "Allgar, don't consider this a threat to your people. Well, I don't really see that you've asked the right questions. The fact is that it will very likely happen. Maybe you should be asking something along the lines of why now and what happens next." As he finished talking he put his beer to his lips while maintaining his gaze at Allgar, not staring, just looking. Allgar looked in disbelief at Freddie and then at a very casual Maggie as she reached over and put her beer can back on the painted wood picnic table. She was sitting in a comfortable folding camp chair next to the picnic table as she listened to the conversation but watched with interest as her grandkids and family played or just quietly enjoyed the day. Maggie did not react to either Allgar's question or to Freddie's response, just kept watching the activities as though the only thing going on really was a simple family outing. The afternoon was simply brilliant as the southern U.S. can be in the springtime, comfortable temperature, very light occasional breeze, and best of all, no mosquitos yet. The picnic table was placed under a very old oak tree which spread its limbs out and provided wonderful shade. Littered around were all the coolers, fishing rods, tackle boxes, balls, blankets, folding chairs and things that current day folks deemed essential to a day in the countryside. The meeting site was on the grounds of Camp Shelby since the government watchers wanted some modicum of environment control for Allgar. Freddie had spent many summers there, but his side of the camp had a decided military flavor to it. He had been a member of the Mississippi National Guard for many years and Camp Shelby had been his usual summer camp and served as one of his pre-deployment training locations for his two tours as a Federalized Guardsman in far-flung parts of the world. Even though she lived nearby Maggie had never been there but liked the picnic area. Allgar was merely comfortable with the setting, neither liking or disliking it, after all it was Earth. The government watchers were at a distance from the three at the picnic table, but nevertheless, there. Out of sight over a slight rise were their black Tahoes and an assortment of non-descript government cars with the various drivers, guards, and general government hangers-on. Many of them mildly to highly pissed off that they could not control and participate in the on-going conversation. The ones that weren't pissed off about the participation issue were pissed that they were working, again, on a wonderful weekend afternoon. Since the family had known Freddie for years, they were OK with one white face in a sea of black and chocolate ones. The atmosphere of the day had taken a decidedly different turn with the sudden and mostly unexpected appearance of black Tahoes leading other vehicles. Activity stopped and everyone watched and waited for something to happen. The appearance of Allgar had caused great excitement and they had all come rushing when it was apparent who the visitor was and that he was being welcomed by Grammah and Freddie. Maggie had waited patiently until everyone had met and talked with Allgar and most had pictures taken or had made selfies of themselves and a real honest to god alien. Maggie had told the family to give her and her companions some space and then the quiet conversation had begun among Maggie, Freddie and Allgar. "God damn" said Freddie suddenly "I'm really gonna to miss fishin'." Allgar just looked back at him in disbelief. Maggie's head snapped around with a big grin on her face. "Like hell you will white boy! You as bad at fishin' as you is at golf and you truly suck at golf! What you gonna miss is chasin' tail and drinkin' cheap beer all day while you hang with those fools you call friends!" "Careful you broken-down old woman" Freddie retorted indignantly as he rose to the bait, "You married one of those fools! And then stayed with him for over 30 years and it wasn't cheap beer it was always Michelob or Heineken!" Maggie just cackled and started to toss another verbal barb but the sight of Allgar looking from one to the other of them sobered the moment. Since his very public arrival on Earth some 50 years ago, Allgar had very little contact with humans outside of diplomats, government types, and industrialists and here he was far out of his element. The entire population of Earth knew about Allgar and his shipmates, and everyone knew the aliens did not allow security or privacy policies in any country to interfere with their comings and goings. If some government wanted them kept under wraps or tried to "encourage" them to do or not do something, some circumstance always allowed them to do what they wanted. No one was ever hurt, well, maybe a few egos were bruised along the way, but if the aliens wanted to go somewhere or do something, it was done. Counter to the general expectation of the populace, the aliens never appeared to influence anything. They had just shown up one day and seemed content doing whatever it was they were doing. Eventually this was accepted as the way it was going to be and people generally did what they could to accommodate their wishes. Sometimes the ship would disappear for two or three years at a time but it always returned. There was even a gossip industry built around the aliens and their activities, both real and imagined. Every supermarket check-out lane had their publications right next to the Hollywood scandal sheets. Allgar's invitation for today had been unsettling and most curious. Curious and unsettling enough that Allgar and his comrades had quickly agreed to this meeting and the terms as requested by some human named Freddie. While he understood English very well, he had little experience with typical Earth people, the ones that made up 99.9%+ of the population. He was desperately playing catchup with the casual language and everything he had heard today. Had Maggie and Freddie just insulted each other? Again, just didn't know. Was his understanding correct? Were he and his shipmates in danger? Would it be possible for him to influence events and if so, how? And if he could influence things, to what end? What exactly did these humans know? He started to think maybe he could use a beer himself. Maybe he should ask the questions Freddie had indicated were actually important, why now and what's next? Trying to bring the conversation back to the apparent topic Allgar asked "Maggie, why now?" As he spoke those words Freddie's statement about fishing brought a flash of understanding. "Freddie, are you saying you will be one of the ones affected? You are going to die?" Freddie just looked at him evenly and said "Yes." Chapter 2) Maggie looked sadly at Freddie for a long moment and thought of their history. Her family accepted Freddie so easily at their family gathering because as far back as anyone could remember Freddie had always been there. For most of the kids Freddie had been the first adult white man they had ever talked to in a comfortable and familiar way. He had been there for each of Maggie's deliveries and was a frequent dinner and weekend afternoon guest. The kid's dad and Freddie frequently went fishing or golfing or just hung out. They were in the National Guard together and when one was called up so was the other. While both had other friends, neither one had a friend as close or dependable as the other. Turns out they worked together too. Someone once wrote that a friend is one that would help you move, but that a true friend would help you move a body. Freddie and Maggie's late husband had been true friends. As point of fact, Maggie and Freddie were close before Maggie and her husband met. As a finer point of fact Maggie's oldest was Freddie's. This fact led Maggie to marry and the bond that Freddie, Maggie and her husband had continued on in a way that was acceptable to their families and the decidedly southern small-town sensibilities. Sad, but family and community are strong. Maggie had found love after a fashion, while Freddie married and never had. Freddie and his wife had called it quits after a couple of years and he never tried again, rather filling his life with achievement and sharing as he could with his one love and her family. Freddie had eventually started a business at just the right time, in the right place, and in an industry that allowed him to provide meaningful work to Maggie's husband and as many of their kids as wanted it. As it turned out, Freddie's connections and contacts were the ones that had led to today's meeting. Maggie turned to Allgar and looked intently at his face, and then started talking. "Allgar, I don't know much about your people and I hope that we're enough alike for you to understand what I'm gonna to say. Freddie and me think we got this figured out but I might get parts of this wrong." After a pause to gather her thoughts, she started again. "Our people are all connected through our ancestors. If you were able to trace our family histories back through time, the number of people gets smaller and smaller. Maybe it would be possible to trace everyone on Earth back to just two people, I just don't know. But there is a thread of humanity from far in the past to the present." Allgar just sat there listening as Maggie said "Freddie, why don't you take this up, I need to tend to grandbabies." With that she got up, looked directly into Freddie's eyes and nodded slightly with a very sad look in her eyes. Freddie acknowledged her nod and noticed her sad look and gave her a weak smile. With that, Maggie turned around and walked over to a small knot of kids playing. Two of the kids in the group were the youngest of Maggie's oldest. Freddie watched her walk away, and upon seeing where she went said "this is really hard on Maggie. Due to one of the ancestral connections she is going to lose me, her oldest daughter and all her oldest daughter's kids." Allgar had followed Freddie's gaze as Maggie walked away and jerked his head back to Freddie upon hearing those words. Allgar asked "What do those connections have to do with the deaths you mentioned? Why would your death influence those others? And why do you think you are going die?" Freddie kept looking at Maggie and the kids and picked up Maggie's story. "There is one person on Earth at any one time that we're calling The Moderator. The term is awkward, but it appears Maggie has the ability to moderate the effects of certain things. We've uncovered the story a bit at a time in seemingly random places all over the world. I've spent a very large part of my assets in the attempt to learn all we could and there are big gaps in our understanding. When The Moderator dies, another person becomes The Moderator. We do not know how the person is chosen and have not uncovered the origins of this process. All we do know is that it goes back before our written history. The Moderator gains certain gifts that the individual may not be aware of, but apparently the younger the individual at the time they become The Moderator the more powerful those gifts can become. So if a very old person becomes The Moderator they can never be as powerful as a young person who becomes The Moderator. It appears that many selected for the gifts never use them. It also appears that some are aware of it early in life. Maggie is The Moderator. She is unique on our planet." Allgar had become very still while Freddie spoke, not wanting to believe what he was hearing, his thoughts competing for time in his mind. He no longer looked at Freddie, afraid he would give himself away, and there were so many strange things being said one after another. Some of the humans had turned out to be very perceptive. Freddie just looked evenly at Allgar, thinking back on how he got the stake that allowed him start his business. The poker gods had smiled on him that week. Maybe Maggie had something to do with that. Maybe not. Doesn't matter anymore. Freddie continued. "Throughout our history some have attempted to keep track of their ancestors, create a written record called a family tree. Some are more successful than others for our history in general is full of information gaps, times of war, ignorance, accident, or indifference, whatever the cause. Maggie has the ability to decipher ancestral relationships. She became aware of this ability when she was very young. She could walk into room and see someone and tell you which other people in the room were in their ancestral line up or down. Further, she came to the point where see could see people on the street and know if she had previously seen someone else in their line. There were some other abilities she came to recognize as well." Freddie paused apparently to put his next statement correctly. "Your question to Maggie was to ask why now. Well, maybe the answer to that is because a confluence of abilities, events, knowledge, and determination has come to a point where some action is required. The time is soon, very soon." At his point, Alllgar glanced up into Freddie's eyes and Freddie felt, no, he knew that he had made some very accurate guesses. And he glanced again at Maggie, sighed and continued, "When Maggie was 10 or so, she witnessed a horrific crime, the murder of a storekeeper in her neighborhood. She saw the shooter and witnessed the act. She later told me that she just froze in place, not moving from the spot. As she watched the shooter run away, she just began to wish that the shooting hadn't happened, praying for it, scared to death. As she stood there, she says she saw a blur and suddenly the storekeeper was in the place and doing the things he had been doing before the shooting. This scared her more than the shooting itself, just multiplying her fear and she collapsed." "Over time she and I figured out that she had simply wished the action hadn't happened and suddenly it hadn't. She had for lack of a better term moderated the event of the shooting. Except for the fact that she saw it happen, no one else knew anything about it. Her parents tried to console her, just chalking it up to an unreasonable childhood fear but she knew better." Then Freddie stopped and asked Allgar him if he was following him. Allgar replied that he certainly understood the words, but not the context or what this had to do with the previous revelation of catastrophe. Freddie looked at him again, pointedly this time and started his story anew. "Maggie and I met as kids in school. I was from the good side of the tracks." Do you know which side of the tracks is the good side?" After Allgar shook his head, Freddie continued "Well, the good side of the tracks was originally the side that was generally upwind from the smoke and ash generated by the early railroad engines. A totally useless but possibly entertaining bit of trivia for you Allgar. Well, over time the good side of the tracks came to mean the more affluent area of town while the bad side of the tracks became the much less affluent and poor areas of town." Maggie came from the bad side of the tracks but that didn't prevent us from liking each other. We were about 12 years old or so and for some reason just hit it off. I had been taught right by my parents and one thing I did learn was how to spot good people. Maggie was good people. She's still good people. Raised a houseful of kids, taught them right and wrong and generally let them go their way. However, even during her school years her abilities, her gifts, continued to grow. You guys had showed up just after her first conscious experience with her abilities in that shop and your presence began to influence many things. Religion was really impacted as you know, and bigotry started to shift focus from the neighbor to the stars." "Technology, while not directly benefitting from your presence really started to take off because people came to realize that maybe some seemingly crazy ideas weren't so crazy after all. One of the benefits of that technology burst was in the ways of record keeping and data search and as a removed example, historical studies in general and genealogy in particular. Maggie realized some benefit from that technology spinoff especially from her "natural" ability to see familial links. She found she could also see linkages to people she knew or had seen in data about their ancestors. So if she knew someone, she could pick out an ancestor of that person from a list of names or from the name on a gravestone or even from a photograph in a newspaper." "There was a one particular and very interesting ability that she had that made me an absolute believer in her abilities. She had learned at an early age she could wish an action hadn't occurred and suddenly it hadn't. I called this the ability to "negate" or to moderate an action. Keep in mind that she kept the memory of the event but no one else did. One of the many things she learned she could do was to give a memory to another person. As an example, we were at a lake one day with a group of kids our age and someone fell in the water and hit his arm on a rock. No broken bones or anything but it was very painful injury. Maggie "gave" me the memory and then wished the fall away. Poof! Maggie and I remembered it, but no one else did. So it seems that her gifts were adding up to quite a number of useful and sometimes odd abilities." "Now" said Freddie, "let me pose a question to you". Allgar looked at Freddie somewhat nervously and nodded. "In all you travels, have you or your kind ever encountered abilities like Maggie's?" Here was a question Allgar could answer easily enough and answered "No." "OK" said Freddie, "Have you suspected abilities like or similar to Maggie's?" Here was a question Allgar suspected was coming. "Yes. We have long heard rumor or myth that had enough substance to make us consider that powers or abilities exist in the universe." Again Freddie said "OK. Go on." Allgar thought that a little misdirection may be beneficial. Since Freddie thought it important to know about unusual powers, give him something to chew on. And Allgar expanded "Our visit to Earth has been prolonged by persistent rumors and myths unlike any other at any place we've ever been. It was thought that a continued presence here may lead us to find out if the rumors and myths had any basis of fact. The more we search the more we were certain that there was enough fact for us to continue our search. Your discussion this afternoon confirms, at least to my satisfaction, that Maggie is in fact what you say and that she is the latest incarnation of a form of the power we have long wondered about." Freddie thought about his next line of questions carefully. "So I can assume that you have visited Earth over a period of many, many years? Want a beer?" Allgar thought furiously and realized he was being asked to confirm the partial lie he had just told Freddie. He finally answered "Yes. No beer, but thank you." "How many years? Before you answer let me tell you that I know in the last 51 years, every time your ship has returned to Earth, you are the only one of your race that has returned each time. From that fact I figure that you are the leader of the expedition, and I'd further guess that every trip to Earth your kind has ever made you have been a crewmember. Am I correct in my guesses?" Freddie sat back and waited for the answer, hoping against hope that the sad nod he had gotten from Maggie did not mean what he thought it would mean. Balancing the Equation Allgar knew his next answer could affect his work but did not really understand all the possibilities. Truly unknown territory, terrifyingly unknown in light of learning about Maggie. Slowly Allgar raised his head and looked Freddie in the eye and nodded his head to confirm that all of Freddie's guesses were indeed correct. Freddie sat still for a moment then stood up and walked to the cooler nearby to extract a Michelob. "You gave only a partial answer, how many years?" "Thousands" said Allgar. Chapter 3) Freddie now had confirmation of most everything he had suspected. Algar's race was indeed very old and had either very long lives or some other mechanism that allowed them to visit a place many times over an almost geological period of time. It really didn't matter to Freddie other than intellectual curiosity. He had a couple of additional points to get to but they could wait for the moment, he needed to take a leak and wanted to talk to Maggie and her oldest for a few minutes. He asked Allgar if they could take a brief break and got agreement. The government guys looked antsy, well they had looked that way all day, and the kids here and there were starting to run out of gas. He walked over to Maggie after his first need was cared for and hugged her tightly. She did not look at him, just asked "So everything we talked about is true?" "Yeah" be replied. "I love you." As a tear trailed down, he whispered "I so wish things were different. I feel that I've failed you and our kid and your kids and your husband, everybody." "Suga'," said Maggie, as a similar tear rolled down her cheek, "I love you too. But you know this ball got rollin' thousands of years back, there was nothin' and there is nothin' you can do 'cept what we done decided. There's nothin' you can do different and that's not gonna stop me lovin' you. Now, get yo white butt over there and talk to your daughter." Maggie leaned back to look Freddie in the eye and said "She knows who her daddy is." Freddie gave her a weak smile and a quick peck on the cheek, then ended his hug and turned toward his daughter. As Freddie came close, she looked around quickly and walked to meet him on the way. "Daddy" she said as she embraced him. Freddie just stood there and held her tightly. "I'm so sorry for things baby girl" he told her. "I feel that we've missed out on so much." "There's nothing to be sorry for." She replied "I've missed nothing, you always brought birthday gifts and were always there when I needed someone besides a parent to talk to. It doesn't change how I feel about my daddy, I've just learned that I've really got two daddies, not just one. Besides" she said with a little grin, "now I know why I'm not as dark as my brothers and sisters! Momma and me talked about this a lot and I feel good about it. I understand it, I don't have to like everything, but I do know what you two mean to each other, and to me." Freddie really didn't expect this to turn like it had. He had grown to accept things over the years, and like his daughter, he didn't like them but he understood them. Life's logic was a cast iron bitch sometimes. Like now. Best let things go. "I love you, baby girl." And with that he slowly released his grip on her and turned back toward the picnic table and Allgar. Allgar had given only passing thought to the possibility that one day his actions over thousands of years may be discovered by Earth residents. His race did indeed have life spans of thousands of years, the result of technologies gleaned over millennia. And his race did indeed have the ability to travel very rapidly through space. He had not yet hinted at the true reason for his prolonged stay on Earth, but he suspected someone as bright as Freddie could have a reasonably good approximation of the reasons. He was almost tranquil now, having thought through many possibilities during Freddie's absence. While he certainly did not know the final outcome of his day's discussions, he did not envision a scenario that would impact his mission severely. Even if the general population knew he had a long-term, OK, a very long-term presence on Earth it likely would a much smaller impact than had their open arrival 50 or so years back. So, with this fresh in his mind he watched Freddie walk back to him. Before Freddie got to the table again, he made another stop at the cooler and got two cans of Michelob and handed one to Allgar as he sat down and looked intently at him. Allgar was from every appearance boringly human. Freddie knew Allgar was more than his appearance, but he was not disturbed by it. He was disturbed by what he thought was the hubris he associated with the alien. If his guesses were right, and he intended to find out quite soon, he didn't think the term hubris came anywhere close to covering it. Well, he thought, only one sure way to find out. "So, you're a farmer then." Said Freddie. Allgar didn't understand where this statement came from and asked for clarification. "You know", Freddie began "someone that makes plans, prepares the soil and plants seeds so they will grow and transform into something more useful." Freddie sat back and watched Allgar's face and body language as he progressed though the many meanings and possibilities in the statement. Finally, Allgar focused on Freddie's face and said "Farmer. I've never thought of what I do as farming. But maybe there is some merit to that analogy, especially considering your perspective." "And what is that perspective?" Freddie could feel his body tensing up as he sensed the discussion had just turned his real point of the day. The end of a years-long journey he and Maggie taken always knowing of only a few possible outcomes. None of the possibilities were remotely desirable. "Well" started Allgar. "Maybe you've just discovered that many things you have held as true over the years may not be true. Maybe you feel manipulated, maybe not in a person way, but in a more general way. Maybe you just feel used. Maybe you feel none of these things, I just don't know. From my standpoint, I never thought I'd be having this discussion with anyone from Earth, well maybe not for some thousands of years." "So I'm just moving the timetable up some looks like." Said Freddie. "Let me understand part of the scope of the farming if I may. I have to assume that some level of selective breeding has been part of the farming process?" "Yes, you are correct in that assumption." "I also assume that certain philosophical ideas may have been planted as well?" "Yes, you are also correct in that assumption." "So, if I extend this line of reasoning, I can also assume that a certain level of culling has been necessary along the way." Freddie was now absolutely certain that he knew the answer to this and all of the next questions. Allgar had not expected this line of questioning and was again entering uncharted territory. Allgar's response was too long and rambling. He felt certain that there was something very important coming his way and had no clue what it could be. If his need to understand the invitation weren't so strong he would have stopped the discussion and left long before now. Freddie sat there staring at Allgar while his bullshit answer kept coming. Now he knew Allgar was very uncomfortable but just a few more answers were necessary before Freddie fully committed. "So" Freddie began, "given that culling is a necessary part of farming, and from your rather interesting answer, I will further assume that not all of you efforts have been successful and further, that your extended and repeating presence here on Earth at this time is part of a remediation effort to try to change course and possibly correct some number of failed experiments?" Freddie knew everything now. Allgar just sat impassively, but Freddie had his tells now. Some poker skills are useful well beyond the walls of a casino. Maggie's nod had confirmed most of the story but Freddie wanted, no, needed to get the admissions from Allgar. Would it matter, probably not, not in the long run. Maggie had another gift that would be explained to Allgar as soon as everyone packed up and left. Freddie looked over to Maggie who had been watching closely. He nodded, she nodded back and called out to everyone "Time to pack up and go everybody!" The matriarch had spoken and since most of the family that were still there had been hoping to get a few more minutes with Allgar, Maggie made sure they got their wish. Goodbyes were exchanged, more selfies taken, hugs all round and eventually everything that needed to be packed up was carried back to their cars and they departed. Only Freddie, Allgar and the government guys were left at the site. Freddie glanced at his watch. Freddie and Allgar resumed their seats at the picnic table. Soon Freddie went back to his cooler and brought back a piece of metal. "If I'm not mistaken that part goes with the one I sent you with the invitation." Freddie said. Chapter 4) Allgar's mouth dropped. "How did you get that?" Allgar asked. "Well, I've got the rest of it and some other items in one of my buildings back in Jackson, but that's no longer important." Freddie stated flatly. "It has given me much, not the least of which is you being here today." Allgar sputtered "But you cannot have possession of that! It is not allowed, strictly forbidden! I'll have my people find it and retrieve it immediately" and he gazed off in the distance. Freddie chuckled and waited. Allgar snapped his gaze back to Freddie open-mouthed. "What's the matter Allgar, cat got your tongue? Can't talk to your team? Well, guess what, you haven't been broadcasting since you got here. Seems we've learned a little about your communications from our investigations. Like I said, the item in Jackson has given me much. Well, as will become clear some it has given others much, me nothing beyond the next few minutes. Your silence is what I have gotten, a prize more valuable than gold in fact. You know you really shouldn't assume your old gear and discards are out of reach of everybody." Suddenly, Allgar knew danger was near but couldn't identify the source. Freddie wasn't a physical threat and Allgar knew Freddie had no weapons. Well, none he could identify anyway. Freddy again looked at his watch and noted the time. Freddie just sat there watching attentively. He could see emotions run through Allgar, but wasn't certain of all of them. One he did know though was plain naked fear. He remained sitting, not moving, just watching Allgar as he apparently ran though his options. Finally Freddie told him that it was time for another story. "Maggie and I were in high school, in our junior year. Maggie had a really close friend that was going through a very rough time at home. Times progressively got worse and Maggie slowly learned some details. The girl's step-father had taken to beating her mom. The beatings got worse and over time Maggie's friend came to school wearing long sleeves all the time. Remember this was before air conditioning was widespread and Mississippi early summers here are not pleasant. Well long sleeves in hot weather tend to mean only one thing and it wasn't good, especially when abuse is present in the family. Maggie's friend missed a couple of days from school. She finally came back to school and looked like hell. Bruises, scrapes, and a black eye told the story. The father needed another victim and Maggie's friend was it. One thing led to another and each thing was worse than the one before." "Maggie and her friend talked a lot about the situation then one day the girl was gone, just gone. We later heard that she had died from injuries resulting from a fall. No one bought that story for a second. I'm telling you this because I have no recollection or knowledge of a step-father or, as it turns out, his son who I had apparently played baseball with. It seems that Maggie, in a fit of emotion had wished that the evil sob had never existed. And then he didn't. Seems his son never existed either. Maggie's friends mom had never remarried, no one ever heard tell of the guy. Nothing in the paper about the guy or his son's passing. Nothing. Anywhere. It was like they simply never existed. But Maggie's friend was still dead." Freddy had tried to really understand what had happened. He had not been a geek or anything in school, oh he did well and liked to read, but he really didn't understand the whole thing. He had read about paradoxes of all sorts, like The Grandfather Paradox and Multiple Universes and other mental gymnastics, but eventually he just let it go. Somehow the Universe had balanced some equation to its satisfaction. He just guessed the Universe really was something that was simply beyond the grasp of mere humans. Now, it really didn't matter. "More than a year later Maggie came to me and talked about it. We came to the conclusion that not only could she negate events or actions, but she could also negate people. She had moderated another situation." Freddie simply sat there and watched Allgar's reaction. His face slowly worked as though evaluating various possibilities and rejected them one by one. Finally, Allgar flushed slightly and looked at Freddie very, very closely. Freddie continued "Remember that Maggie can see ancestors? Remember the nod she gave me just before she went to her grandkids? She already knew, but wanted to get face-to-face to be absolutely certain. Well, hello, great grand-dad. However many greats there should be in there." Freddie paused for a long time. "It seems I have a lot, and man, do I mean a lot, of grandfathers and grandmothers and cousins and great uncles and great aunts scattered all over the place. You, sir, have been a very busy boy. Well, I guess you had to do something while you waited for the next suitable charismatic prophet-in-waiting to come along so you could plant some more seeds, huh?" "So improving the breed is just a hobby? Or were you trying to beef up the numbers for the armies that have marched across time fighting and dying in the name of one or the other or both or your prophets and their preaching? I'm sure that I've missed some rather critical points but I think I've got the basic idea." Another long pause. "Which one are you trying to fix? Have you been able to figure out the one that's just right for your purposes, or are you intending to just start over? Has our technology advanced to the point that your superiors have become concerned? Gee, must be tough to have a lot of separate opponents to deal with rather than just one per planet. Which one are you going to pick or have all of your experiments turned out so bad that none will do? Must be a real ball buster decision you've got ahead of you." Freddie had run dry, just mentally and emotionally empty. So very weary. As he and Maggie had put things together over the past few years he had gradually turned his back on everything in his life to concentrate solely on this single thing. Now he felt that he had run the race and it was over. Only the cool-down walk remained. Freddy looked at his watch. Allgar looked to be depleted as well. He had looked away during Freddie's verbal assault. Several minutes passed while both parties reflected on what had transpired. How could an Earth man have figured all this out? Allgar knew the last story about Maggie had been important and important to him directly. What he was unsure of was to what extent. Added to the fact that he was incommunicado which was another thing to investigate and quickly! But what was Maggie in all this? Stories about her and her peculiar abilities had been upmost during their time together. Why? Finally Allgar asked "Are you expecting an explanation? What do you expect of me?" Freddy just looked at him. "Nothing. I expect nothing of you. From my perspective, your words remember, my perspective, you've already ruined millions if not billions of human lives over a span of millennia or more. What could you possibly say in the face of that? I was taught to set the value of a person on their deeds, not on their words. I can't possibly see how any words could set right, justify, or fix the deeds which you haven't denied." Several minutes passed while Freddy let the words sank in and he again looked at his watch. "Maggie should be home by now. In about a minute or so we'll find out the extent to which a really long life and screwing through the ages has on a population. That is the answer to the question you never asked what's next." Allgar suddenly understood the last story about Maggie and reality started to crash down on him. He was the father or progenitor of a great number of people back on his home planet and on Earth, as well as several other humanoid populations across the galaxy. How many generations? There was no way of knowing. The entire Distant Planet Experiments program was his idea, what would happen to it? He just glowered at Freddie and in blink he wasn't there, never had been. Neither had Freddie. No one ever knew they had existed save for a mature black woman in Hattiesburg Mississippi. She was lying on her bed softly crying and thinking about Freddie and their daughter, all the things they had shared and especially thinking about the things they could never have both past and future. She and Freddie had spent many long hours trying to understand what the effects would be if Allgar were negated. They eventually gave up the task because there were simply too many things they did not know and could never know. Maggie had eventually agreed to her role, but knew that she could not live with the knowledge. She knew that if Freddy ceased to be, so would her oldest and her children. Gradually her eyes closed, never to open again. The last thing she had done before lying down was to swallow the contents of a bottle of sleeping pills. The evening was heading toward an ideal southern spring night as the Universe set about to balance the equation once more. END