Where the Wind Comes Sweepin' Down the Plain

Down to One Liter of Wine Per Day

I heard you crying loud, 

all the way across town
You've been searching for that someone,
and it's me out on the prowl
As you sit around feeling sorry for yourself
Well, don't get lonely now
And dry your whining eyes
I'm just roaming for the moment
Sleazin' my back yard so don't get so uptight
you been thinking about ditching me

-- Green Day (When I Come Around)

=/\=

"Marisol, are you all right?" it was Boris's voice. He was leaning over her with a medical tricorder as the rest of the department looked on.

"I – oh – there is so much that has changed! I can't keep up with it!" She figured she'd make it look good. Her guesses, in this area, were actually fairly accurate.

"That much seems clear," Carmen said, "people, let's brainstorm! What are events that could cause such a cascade of changes?"

"A war is prevented," Deirdre offered.

"That might be too megaotric," Sheilagh said.

"No, we'll just list ideas. It doesn't matter if they're farfetched for now," Carmen said, "We'll settle details later."

"Natural disasters," Crystal said.

"Diseases," HD offered.

"Maybe a major invention?" Tom asked.

"A leader," Rick said, "but it's gotta be someone really big."

"All of those seem plausible. And some of those can be intelligently broken down," Kevin said.

"Sure. Wars break down into battles. Natural disasters might break down into rescue or relief efforts, and the others can probably be broken down by time," Polly said.

"My family's wiped," Levi Cavendish said, looking up for the first time. He had Asperger's and adult ADHD. It was a wonder he ever looked in anyone's eye.

"Wiped?" Dan asked, "Does that happen often?"

"It can," Rick said, "but it's not necessarily an intended consequence. When we fix the main issues with the timeline, families magically reappear. I guess most of us are used to it now. We're not fazed."

"Well, I know your family's intact, Rick," Tom said.

Rick just nodded. Of course Tom meant Eleanor, his sister. He'd been meaning to ask both of them about that, but this was neither the time nor the place.

Kevin clicked around a bit on his PADD. "Carmen's okay; so's Sheilagh. As mentioned, Rick's family is intact, too. Mine's gone, so's Polly's and Levi's, as he said. Uh, Deirdre, you're okay. Crystal, it's, uh, still compiling. Tom, yours is okay. HD, yours is okay. Boris, Marisol, you're both fine, but Boris, I think your wife may be wiped."

"A pity", he said, and it sounded as if he thought anything but that. He was the only married member of the department.

"And me?" Dan asked.

"Hang on," Kevin said, "oh, Crystal, looks like you're okay. Huh, Dan, your family's gone, too."

"The consequences – they can be pretty severe," Sheilagh said, "it's weird to hear that one's family is gone. I know how I felt the first time I heard that. And it's only your first day."

"Yeah," Dan sighed, "everything just goes and goes, it seems. It's like, they do their thing, or we do ours, and how can anyone ever hope to see the end?"

"And this isn't even the end," Carmen said, "for after all, isn't there going to be a tomorrow?"

=/\=