September 14, 1985, Eldorado National Forest, Earth
9:21 PM
The Hellbender settled into a small, secluded clearing in the dense forest, the old trees towering above it. To the east, a narrow dirt road wound its way between the tree trunks, tracing a path downhill. McCarter knew the United States Air Force would have picked up the radar signature of the ship as it landed, but he wasn’t concerned. They would be long gone before the authorities of this new timeline could respond. In the end, he mused, it would all be chalked up to another UFO sighting.
Smythe and the brothers carefully maneuvered the barrel out of the ship and opened it up. A metallic smell filled the air. It was tingy, but not unpleasant. Together, they tipped the barrel, allowing its gooey contents to flow out onto the rocky ground, forming a large puddle of minced meat floating in a pool of thick, dark sludge.
In the distance, a lone coyote howled.
Then, without a second thought or concern for what they had just done, the crew of the Hellbender left.
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November 6, 1986, Sacramento, Earth
8:53 AM
Roger McBrian held his newly adopted daughter close to his chest, surrounding her in the warmth of his embrace. She was such a tiny bundle, with delicate fingers and a soft tuft of ginger hair peeking out from beneath the thin blanket swaddling her. The little one had already suffered immensely. Someone had callously left her alone in the dense woods, abandoned and vulnerable. A passing car had discovered the naked infant lying helplessly beside the road. Thankfully, the drivers had seen the child and stopped to pick her up, then brought her to the authorities. That was three months ago. Now, at last, the McBrians had finally been allowed to adopt her. She was their daughter now, and Roger vowed to himself that he would never let anyone harm the innocent little person he held tightly in his arms, no matter what challenges might lay ahead.
“Ellie,” he whispered softly into her tiny ear. “You’re my Ellie now.”
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July 23, 1999, Sacramento, Earth
10:49 AM
It was Friday, late morning, and the warm rays of the sun filtered through the windows of her classroom. Ellie McBrian sat slumped at her usual desk in history class, her elbow propped on the desk, her head resting in her hand, desperately wanting to be anywhere but here. This was boring. What was happening in Washington, D.C. right now was far more interesting. But here, she was stuck listening to a lecture about the Civil War, fought in a time she had trouble even picturing.
Suddenly, Ellie shot upright in her chair, her back straight and her shoulders squared, as if she had been snapped to attention.
The voice in her head was clear as a bell. It was unmistakably in her head, not something she heard with her ears. Around her, no one else in the classroom had reacted. Despite the bizarre situation, it didn’t even occur to her that she might be losing her sanity. No, the voice was real, it was in her head, and it was addressing her.
“This is Sunguard Special Agent Paul Williams, operating on a training exercise from 2347. Unknown Special Agent, please identify yourself,” it said.
For a second, she didn’t know what to think, or what to do. Then, carefully, she tried to answer with her thoughts. It just seemed like the natural thing to do.
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“Hello?” she whispered in her mind. “I’m Ellie. Ellie McBrian. What’s… happening?”
For several seconds, there was only silence. When the voice finally returned, it sounded surprised, almost thrown off by her response.
“My apologies, Miss McBrian. We appear to be having some sort of miscommunication here.”
A couple of seconds passed in silence again. Then, the voice continued.
“I am hazarding a guess you are aware of the events currently unfolding in Washington, D.C., Miss McBrian? I am the person responsible for them.”
Ellie’s mind raced. The alien… or whatever, the one on television, the one who had vaulted over the White House fence and attacked the President.
“You’re him?” Ellie gasped in her thoughts. “Are you… an alien?”
The voice chuckled warmly. It was a kind laugh, and Ellie started to relax. Despite the absurdity of it all, she felt like the conversation in her head was perfectly natural.
“No, “ the voice replied, still amused. “An alien named Paul? Well, maybe in my time, but not in this one.”
The laugh came again, light and friendly.
“No, I’m human, just like you. In fact, exactly like you. I am what is known as a biot - an artificial life form, grown from a single cell. But not a biological cell - a biotic one. They’re made from self replicating, micrometer-sized computer chips, their program code corresponding to the DNA in a biological cell. While I am modeled after the genetic code of a human being, I am, in fact, made from silicon, titanium, and iron. I am stronger and faster than a biological human. Just like you are. Because just like me, you are a Sunguard Special Agent from the future.”
And suddenly, Ellie’s entire life made sense.
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July 23, 1999, Washington, D.C., Earth
4:12 PM
The emergency sessions of the Senate and the House of Representatives were ongoing. Some members of Congress were too ill to be present, incapable of controlling their vomiting as they refused to support the ban. Others, who had made a career of advocating for gun rights, conveniently shifted their positions in anticipation of the vote. And then there were the others, those who genuinely believed that allowing a private citizen both to own and to use a tool specifically designed for the singular purpose of killing another human being was morally wrong.
Among those present, the votes for amending the United States Constitution were unanimous in favor. As soon as the vote was cast, ratifications from the State Legislatures began to pour in.
At 8:04 PM Eastern Standard Time, July 23, 1999, on the secondary timeline designated AEW32TR, the United States of America implemented a total ban on private ownership and use of firearms.
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July 24, 1999, Sacramento, Earth
3:52 PM
Roger held his adoptive daughter tight in his powerful arms. He didn’t know what was happening. He didn’t understand. Maybe, maybe this was the last time he’d ever get to hold her again. He just didn’t know.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” she whispered softly.
Roger squeezed her even tighter. “No, Ellie. No, you have nothing to apologize for. Whatever has happened to you, and whoever you are, we’ll always be here for you. We will always love you.”
She was crying, producing small, silent whimpers that escaped into his broad shoulder. He stroked her head, like he had done countless times before, when she was a young child.
“I love you, Dad.”
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July 24, 1999, Sacramento, Earth
5:13 PM
“You’re one of those… those monsters!”
There was confusion and fear in Sally’s eyes. Fear, and resentment. For close to a decade, Ellie had been her best friend. They had shared laughs together, cried together, endured hardships and learned about life together. Best friends, forever.
Except Ellie wasn’t fourteen. Sally wasn’t even sure how old she was, couldn’t quite understand what Ellie just had told her. But fourteen, she was not. And she wasn’t even human…
“You’ve lied to me! All you’ve said, and all you’ve done, all of it has been a lie!”
Sally was beside herself with shock, as if the very ground she was standing on had collapsed and she was plummeting into a bottomless dark pit. Nothing she knew was true, nothing she had believed was real. And Ellie was at the center of it all.
“I’m… I’m human. I’m sure I’m human,” Ellie said. Paul had said so. But how could she explain it in a way that made sense to her friend?
“I’m just like you. But a little bit different. I’m still the same Ellie.”
Sally just stared at her.
“Go,” she said. ”Just go. You were never my friend.”