"October Surprise"

pt. 10/30, "Atomic"

Lila stood back from Ian, put her foot up against his backside and shoved. He barely swayed. “Okay, time to get real.” She tackled him from behind and pushed him toward the floor.

It was as though she was caught up in a time warp. As soon as her skin made contact with Ian’s, everything once again swirled around her. Through the mist of colors she could see one of the research men watching her and Ian.  He moved toward them, reaching out to touch her arm, but his hand seemed to pass through the air directly in front of her.

Wondering if he could hear her, Lila called out to him. “Hey.” Not the most compelling statement she’d made, but whatever. His eyes widened and he turned to some of his fellow workers, who seemed oblivious to what was happening right in front of them.

Trying to take clues from the environment, Lila looked at the consoles that surrounded them through the orbiting colors. She saw 1960’s style computers with large brackets holding them to the wall. It appeared to be a cleanroom, with people dressed in white outfits, head garments and protective goggles.

Nudging Ian, she tried to get a reaction. Nothing. Either he was in shock or it got easier each time one – what should she call this? Viewed? Visited?  Was she here or there, or both?

She extended her hand to the man standing in front of her in the suit. He reached his out at the same time and there was almost a breeze as they passed through each other. She could see his greenish blue eyes dilate and his lips firm as he looked more determined to reach her. Slowly he began to fade out and Lila returned to the white research room.

Exhausted, Lila once again fell to the floor, Ian collapsing beside her. She tried to cushion his head as they fell, but barely had strength to raise her hands. Lying beside him, she tried to reach her backpack and tug it closer toward her. She managed to pull out one of the water bottles she had packed, fumbled with the lid, and poured half the bottle over Ian’s head. He finally stirred, shaking the water out of his eyes.

Ian gasped, “What the…” He looked disoriented and slightly green as he pushed his hands underneath himself and crab walked back to the wall, which he then leaned against. “You weren’t kidding about that motion sickness.” He swallowed hard.

“Gets easier the more you do – it – whatever it is that we just did.” Lila scuttled back against the wall to join him, leaning against his shoulder for warmth, as she felt suddenly cold. “Pretty nifty, eh?”

Ian snorted. “That’s one of the things I love most about you. Your ability to bounce back quickly.”

She looked triumphant. “I told you!"

He closed his eyes and rested his head on the hard, cold surface. “What – no, where was that?”

Lila looked straight ahead, thinking about his question. “More importantly, when was it?”

Ian appeared bewildered and shook his head slowly. “What do you remember?”

Lila dug in her ever-present bag for paper and pens. Handing him one set, she began to write on the other. “Record everything you saw, even if you don’t think it’s important.”

Ian began to scrawl a series of words, while Lila concentrated and wrote full sentences. When she finished, she passed her paper to Ian and took his. Reading silently for a moment, she turned to him, her eyes wide with astonishment. “You saw something completely different!” She said excitedly, “This totally fits the world line description – people see the same event differently based on their specific positions in spacetime.”

“Oppenheimer,” Ian read slowly, “Physics, atomic bomb guy, right?”

“And you saw,” Lila read from his paper, “'An island, a few palm trees, a bunch of guys standing around waiting for something to happen.’ Bikini Atoll ring a bell?”

Ian swore. “So we’re seeing the development of the atomic bomb?”

“I think so. And the visions seem to progress in time each time we look.” She turned to him eagerly. “Ready for another go?”