Sunday, May 9, 2010

What if the battle of Gettysburg had never happened?

Announcing the release of a very special Science Fiction novel:
It has taken centuries to recognize that all humans possess certain unalienable rights. There will come a time when we have to consider whether others deserve those rights as well.

That time will come on July 4rd 1863.
 =============================================================
When a stranger carrying a shiny,metallic valise steps aboard a train carrying Abraham Lincoln home from a 2 year stint in Congress, everyone stares, wondering about the stranger's odd clothing and strange footwear with the word Nike emblazoned on them.

When the strange man shows up in Lincoln's office at the White house 14 years later, still wearing the same clothes, carrying the same valise and looking not a day older, the president and his staff know something is odd.

But when Edwin Blair opens his valise and projects a 3d image of the Earth on Lincoln's wall, then proceeds to tell a fanciful tale about time traveling aliens preparing to land at Gettysburg on July 3rd, they are sure they've met a lunatic.

Unfortunately for them, they're wrong.


~*~

Read an excerpt from A New Birth of Freedom
When Blair reappeared precisely ten seconds later, everyone, with the exception of Lincoln, was still staring at where he had been. Lincoln had immediately faced the window, and thus saw him fade back into existence. A faint smile touched the president's face and he cleared his throat. Everyone else whirled around and stared at Blair with eyes wide and mouths agape.

Uh oh. Blair slipped the device off his arm. "Gentlemen, it may seem like I've preformed magic, but I assure you, I have not. The scientists who explained things to me said that every place and time has a unique set of vibrations. They said a lot more than that, in fact. It seems like scientists are never capable of giving simple explanations, but what they said boils down to you just change the settings and it moves you from one place and time, to the other."

"How...," breathed Washburne, "does it do that?

"I can't explain it very well, Mr. Washburne, and certainly not like they explained it to me. My understanding is that it re-situates a person, and anything or any other people that might be connected to that person, from one place and time to another. You can schedule your re-situation for a time or place of your choosing and you can go back to where you began, but you can only take back what you brought with you. It's dangerous to do this, however, so if you don't mind, I won't repeat the demonstration." Dangerous for you, that is, and I don't want this to turn into a circus.

Washburne's face had turned ashen gray and he was shaking, but he managed to stumble over to Blair and touch him on the shoulder, as if to confirm his existence. All the others continued to stand motionless.

Not good. Either they're going into shock or they're on the verge of worshiping me. Let's try this. "Think of it this way," Blair moved over to his valise and replaced the object into its compartment while talking. "Every tick of your pocket watch is unique. All this device does is allow me to pick out the specific tick I want to visit, and go there."

Lincoln raised his brows and observed in a voice that exhibited both calm and awe. "This reminds me of Hamlet when he tried to explain the apparition of his murdered father to his friend. To quote, 'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.'"

"And so there are, Mr. President," Blair said with a nod. "So there are." He shut and locked the valise.

The others, gradually recovering, found seats, but continued to stare at Blair.

After a few more moments of strained silence, Lincoln drew in a deep breath. "Now, Mr. Blair, what has this marvelous contraption that moves you through time got to do with the problem you mentioned, or the one confronting us? What advice can I possibly offer you? What do you want from me?"

"Let me answer the second part of your question first, Mr. President. I wish to borrow the entire Army of the Potomac for several hours on the third of July. This coming Friday."


Buy books. Mention this post when ordering any book from a Cyberwizard Productions imprint, and receive 10% off your next order.
Bookmark and Share

No comments: