Science Fiction Smack Down 2017

01: The Man Who Never Existed

The challenge was to complete the provided story in 500 words or less. For the sake of context, I've included their prompt within the text.

Science Fiction's Prompt:

"We're remaking the world, Frank. I don't know why you can't get your head around the fact this is a good thing. We're doing this for everyone. For us, for our ancestors and for our kids.

"We're remaking the world the way it should've always been and don't worry, Frank, I feel kinda' bad for the people who've gotta' die to make it all possible, too. It's not just you carrying that weight, it's every single one of us. But we all knew what we were signing up for, we all knew there was gonna' be blood on our hands. All of us, each and every single one of us, knew we were gonna' carry the trauma of committing genocide to our graves.

"And you know what, Frank? I'm all right with that. There's plenty enough inhibitors for me to be able to say I honestly don't give a damn about anyone I've killed an' those who're still to meet their end at my hand.

"Do I know what I'm doing is murder? Sure, 'course I do. I'm not an idiot, Frank. There's no denying that we're bad, bad boys an' girls. There ain't even a circle of Hell for what we're guilty of.

"Thing is, Frank, it's the way it's gotta' be. Come the twenty-first century, FUBAR ain't even gonna' come close to cutting it with regard to the state of the world an' you know that just as well as I do. That's why you're here, same as me an' same as every bloody grunt who signed on for this gig.

"We all know, Frank, that the only way to save the world is to make sure that by the time the twenty-first century rolls around, though a lot earlier would be a lot bloody better, Earth ain't the only planet we've got an' we do that by going back a hundred thousand years an' carrying on developing our technology.

"Masters reckons that within a few generations we'll have colonised the Inner Solar System. Mercury, Venus, Mars, the Asteroid Belt... They'll all be ours and there'll be no need pillage the resources of any of 'em. That's his best guess, anyways.

"Ain't gonna' make any difference to you an' I of course, Frank. I mean it ain't like we're gonna' be around to see that. You an' me an' every other screw-up here, we ain't gonna' live that long. We'll be long gone, dead an' buried with trees planted an' park benches erected in our honour.

"See, Frank... Future generations are gonna' see us as heroes. Us; lads an' lassies like you an' me. It'll take time but soon enough our grandkids' grandkids' grandkids'll forget all about the atrocities we gon' done to give 'em a fightin' chance an' they'll immortalise us, Frank, I guarantee it.

"Don't you wanna' be immortalised, Frank? Don't you wanna' die knowin' your name's right up there with the names we remember? Don't you wanna' live forever, Frank?"

"Nope," the man replied, his expression exactly the same stoic, disinterested expression it had been since his incarceration thirty-six hours prior.

"Nope? That's all you gotta' say for yourself?"

"Depends," said Frank, flatly. "What time is it?"

"Almost three. Why? What's that got to do with anything? You got somewhere to be, Frank?"

"Nah." Frank smiled. Doing so felt unnatural after hardly changing the alignment of his facial muscles for several hours. "Just that you're right about one thing, Davey boy."

"And what's that, Frank? What's the one thing I'm right about?"

"You and me, we ain't gonna' be 'round for none of it." He stared deep into the other man's eyes, perhaps searching for a flicker that would allude to there being remnants of some level of humanity, but Frank saw nothing except the darkened, empty soul of the man for whose children he was Godfather.

"Oh and one more thing, Dave."

"What's that, Frank?"

Frank grinned, inhaling slowly and deeply before he replied and when he did so, he ensured eye contact with Dave was maintained...

----------------------

My 500 word completion:

"I only played along until I could accomplish my objectives."

"What might those be, Laddie?" Dave asked. The confidence in his voice never wavered, but Frank saw it in his eyes, Dave was concerned.

"All of us agreed to change history, to cleanse the evil before it could take root," Frank explained. "We knew there'd be casualties, but you're killin' everyone in the world who might threaten you and your ambitions. You ain't savin'; you're conquerin'."

"What's it to you, Frank?" Dave demanded. "You know the world we left behind."

"Yes, I know," Frank admitted. "After the war of 2023, most of Europe and Asia had been reduced to cinders, and the eastern half of the United States was a collection of radioactive craters. We used the time device I designed to jump back in history before it all fell apart."

"But instead of going back a hundred thousand years, we only went back a hundred years," Dave criticized. "Couldn't have the locals gettin' our tech, so we cleared them out. Afterwards, did you really think I'd wanna' stop?"

"No," Frank denied. "It's why I kept my prototype temporal facility hidden. Constructed outside of time, any changes you make won't affect either the station or my people inside. They were under orders to go back further in history than we did. They went back to nearly the very beginning of human civilization. However, they ain't gonna' be conquerors and killers; they'll be advisors and guides for humanity, helping them prevent our mistakes before we ever make 'em. Champions will be trained to face threats before they arise, limiting the damage caused to the world and the people in it."

Dave went pale.

"You, me, and all the terrible things we've done here are 'bout to be wiped out and replaced," Frank finished.

A wall of white light surged across the world from horizon to horizon as time caught up with the present day, sweeping away the recently constructed prison and everyone inside. As the light faded away, the world left behind was quite different. Instead of a prison, a pristine park with trees and a gently gurgling stream. Children played and laughed while their parents watched. In the center of the park stood a tall statue of white marble. It depicted a man holding a large hourglass.

"Weird to see your face there," Dave remarked.

"True," Frank agreed. "I wonder what he was like."

"Don't you mean what you were like?" Dave corrected.

"Ancient records say he changed history, making it what it is now," Frank stated. "The person he was ceased and I took his place. Who knows how similar we might've been, or how different."

"We need to go," David suggested. "My company is launching the first deep space transports today. If all goes well, the solar system will be colonized before the twenty-first century."

Frank nodded, sparing a final glance at the statue's plaque that read: "Humanity will prevail." - Frank Sorenson, The Man Who Never Existed.