On the outskirts of Core City, stood a giant citadel where the most mysterious man of the time resided. Four sky-reaching towers stood firm at the corners of a sunlight reflecting glass pyramid, the diagonal of which was at least a half of kilometer. Because no common man had ever met the man living inside or had solid information on him, only rumors were spoken on the streets. The one thing everyone knew was that the second name of the man was Kerr and the company, Moonrise Enterprises, to which now belonged the world, belonged to his family.
The company was established the mid two thousand two hundred by a little-known group of people. For years, it belonged to everyone and the board members were elected by voting from all around the world. Yet fifty years ago something happened in the shadows and the company went into the firm clasps of Kerr family. And as it happened, people mysteriously lost their vote rights.
In the time of their rule, the world in the eyes of the common folk had gone for the worse. Many hazardous and powerful power plants were closed. That action severely interfered with peoples' freedom to enjoy things such as fly cars or levitation elevators everywhere. A system of traveling permits was introduced. Now, to travel long distances with the high-speed plane or a ship one needed to go through a line of bureaucracy. Travels to solar colonies had become almost impossible. More and more constraints were introduced and almost no new freedoms provided since Kerr took the full control.
Everything to prevent the global warming, Moonrise Enterprises said. But if there had ever been the global warming, why was the world still fine? The smog got thicker and thicker every day, yet everyone was living as they had been. During winter, the temperature was positive in all places of the world, summers became unbearable without conditioning, but there was food to eat, there was a job to go to and entertainment to see or attend after a hard day at work.
"Food and games, that's what the people need," someone in the past had said. But now it was different. It was the small things people needed and cared about. Just you try to tell them that they will not be able to do what they were entitled with and they will step forward in mass to fight for their rights. They would not fight for the planet they lived in, yet they would fight for the lack of biscuits in the shops or closing of quazilopath.
Because there were no more countries, there was no need for armies and the only form of control Moonrise Enterprises had on the inhabitants of the smoky planet was that of the mutual understanding. And people did not understand when their privileges were taken away. They did not understand why the magnetic traveling systems were shut down in their cities. Why there were limits on the electricity consumption per household being introduced all over the world? Why the selection of food products has become less diverse and in the local shops only products from local regions were sold? Why were the nights in the greatest cities getting darker day by day? Fifty billion people, little by little got fewer clues on what was Moonrise Enterprises doing with this world. Everything for the sake of saving our planet, the Enterprises said. But was it the truth, or only a hoax, as the global warming has always been in the eyes of a common man?
Now that the colony on the Moon was in shambles and the supply of Helium-Three was gone, many power plants were rendered useless escalating the hate people had towards the Enterprises. But this and many other changes had only been a tip of an iceberg.
"Dude, why don't you believe what I tell you for the n-th time?" asked the potato sitting in his chair. "There is only one way out of this."
"To destroy everything we created, that is your solution?" replied Alfonso, standing on the other side of the table, his posture tired, eyes exhausted.
"To reshape the world from the roots, man. Look at it, how crappy it has become."
Alfonso shook his head, slightly shivering as he did. Pain and suffering covered his face. He did no longer look the same man he was back on the Moon, nor did he feel the same the same inside.
The potato went on, "Man, I have saved the world many times. You can't imagine how long I have searched for the solution, to save it once and for all, yet the most logical conclusion always lead to this. You know, logic is my thing, and no one should doubt it.
So one day I sat down and thought a lot. You see, we always bring the world to the end and not just normal end, we make our planet an uninhabitable wasteland. There was this stupid nuclear war in the past, no one but I had seen, that had split the earth in half. I had witnessed the sun choke the last idiots on our planet, burn the life away from its surface. And I swear that is about to repeat itself. The planet we have here is amazing, we cannot allow ourselves to spoil it and waste on our selfish needs. I have a plan, Alfonso, this plan, to make everything right. It's a cool and amazing plan to make the world at least a hundred times more awesome. Why don't you believe in it?"
Alfonso continued trembling, his watery eyes stuck on the ground. He said, "But the clean energy, the helium three is gone. And only because of me. Did I make you come to this? Was my action the first step in the path of no return?" A tear dripped down his cheek.
"Calm down, man. It's like... No environmental power plant is ever clean. Dude, the clean energy is an illusion. Perhaps it was a real thing before there were less of us before the Earth had become one giant light bulb." Joyfully, the potato added, "Listen, without even knowing it, you did what was needed to be done. You have become one of my greatest assets. Take that role once again, let's be friends, let's save the world together. Moonrise Enterprises was initially built for that purpose, you know. I just made it remember its roots"
"There must be another way."
"Wow, hey, told ya. I tried many ways and believe me, this is the only way"
All sad and silent, Alfonso nodded. He turned and walked away. On the way out he passed the one-eyed man wearing a tight black suit, a tiger, the height of the man's waist, walked beside him. The one-eyed man extended his hand as if asking to shake Alfonso's. When the giant gave a despicable glance at the person and tried to knock the hand away, the man effortlessly avoided his touch. Alfonso increased the pace and strode out of the room.
"You called for me, father?" asked the one-eyed man as he approached the table. The lion followed him step by step and curled up by his feet after he stopped.
"Yeah, boy. I did. I want you to finish the job with Alfonso."
"You sure?" Kevin turned the way he came from to stare at the empty hall. "There is not much left of him. There will be nothing left if I do."
"Everything's cool. Do what it takes. We need someone like him. Alfonso has the right mindset and brains. In the world full of wussies, it's difficult to find a man who can get the job done."
"Why him? Why don't you let me do it? Or do it yourself? It would not be the first time."
"C'mon Kev, it's not like I haven't thought about it. That deep past is dangerous, especially for me. I might get injured there or something. Talking 'bout you, well your character is not suited for the job. To be frank, you are not a very social person and no one can do great things on their own. And Alfonso, well, I have the feeling that he is meant to do great things, he might succeed he might not. If he succeeds it's awesome, but if he dies trying so be it. He's just the plan B."
"What risks might there be in those medieval ages that even make you afraid?"
"George Bottlemore. Kev, he is not to be underestimated. You know that what history is talking about him are only crisps, right? There are so many wrinkles and twists in time for which history does not account. See?" A projection of the thick timeline opened up inside the center of the hall. The lines wrapped and twisted and turned around the center, going to the yellow zone and back, not leaving it, but at the top of the projection there was a period where no loop on the center line existed. Only tiny lumps of green could be seen sitting on the green center line.
"It's totally clean," Kevin replied, a slight awe in his voice.
"Yeah, kid, it is. Think you could make a branch there if I sent you back? Think you're tough enough?"
"But the guy is an idiot. Saw him when I was a child."
"He is the father of all time travels, how can he be an idiot?"
"Got lucky or something. I tell you, he's a fool." Kevin did not try to hide the disgust in his face.
"Dude, that's why your sister controls our company and you don't. You underestimate people and their potential. You do not see—"
Kevin interrupted, "— the whole picture clearly."
"Don't—," the potato tried to start a sentence but was once again interrupted.
"–start this?"
"You're dumb and stubborn. You provoke people for no reason. That's so damn stupid thing to do. I told you many times: it is better to solve problems rather than create them. I'm like... Well, I always tell you many clever things and you never listen just for the sake of not listening."
"Oh, please, stop teaching me. You have done that long enough. And now, when I have to listen to it two times in a row it's almost unbearable."
"So, why start the argument. We were chatting 'n stuff and you started it. You love conflicts too much."
"It is always this son-father conversation with you. If you treated me as an equal, the results of our conversation would be different," were the last words Kevin said, before walking away.
When he was left alone in the room. The owner of this place turned off the hologram of the potato surrounding him. He had one of those faces on which the age was hard to guess. He had a soft skin, high cheeks, and a pointy nose. He wore an expensive velvet black suit and white shirt. There was a snow-white napkin tucked neatly in the front pocket. The dark wet looking hair was combed up. His eyes were of soul piercing black.
He spun on his chair slowly, thinking. After making a few circles he stopped to stare at the timeline, still in his deep thoughts, he whispered, "Round 3, Time. Let's see who wins this."
------
Sitting by a window frame, Alfonso stared at the image outside. He knew it was only an illusion, yet for a moment he allowed himself to forget it and let his mind grasp its beauty. It was the view of Core City seen from the highest building, with all the smog removed, full of life and murmur. Fly cars were scorching the sky, levitating trains rushing one after another in different directions every few seconds, bridges between the tallest buildings filled with people going around their daily business.
Behind him, was a totally different picture of the identical view. Everything was covered in a thin gray smoke. As a thin gap was revealed every few minutes, a building or a fly car could be seen. As Alfonso got closer to the image, he could hear identical sounds coming from inside as from that of the clean view. Contrary to the clear view, he knew that this one was real.
The moment of peace was abruptly broken, as the lights inside the room went out.
In the darkness, Alfonso shouted, "No, no, no. Not again!"
First came the sound of the door opening up, multiple steps walking in. It was followed by the sound of Alfonso struggling and moaning, then forcefully being dragged out. With a given up voice, he said, "I'm tired. I understand. Just let me go. I only need a little time."
"Time is a luxury," replied Kevin, "A luxury we don't have."
Alfonso found himself sitting strapped to a chair inside a room of white walls filled with intense brightness. Tubes with needles at their tips went up from the ground and were stuck into his veins. Wires ending with suckers coming from the same place were attached to his heart and forehead. Alfonso's eyelids were forcefully opened and held by two little claws made of tiny wires. The only cloth he had on were his trousers.
He did not shiver, did not move, nor did he resist. A few sessions ago he had learned that resistance brought only pain and trouble. Alfonso was no technician, he did not know the peculiarities of the machine he was sitting in. The only thing he knew was that the machine was in control of the one-eyed brat and pain would come if he tried something stupid or unorthodox to resist the procedure.
Slowly, he felt dizzy and tired, and his whole body became numb. As if looking from the eyes of the doll he stared at the white wall in front of him. The lights dimmed and then it came: images, experiences, and emotions. The room changed instantly into a cut-down forest, into a view of animals suffering from the draught, into burned down crops, into a sea covered in dead fish. Each frame lasted no longer than a split second.
Every experience was as real as it could get. He could feel standing in those places, watching from the eyes of the observer, feeling what it felt, the despair, the sadness, and the pain of the rotting world.
The experience had lasted forever. Alfonso wanted to scream, to shout but knew that it would only make things worse. He endured it for forever, losing a part of himself every second that passed. Not the happiest of men he was, and after each session the sadness inside him grew.
After what seemed an eternity, it all ended. He was finally allowed to rest, to fall asleep, dream the nightmares he had just experienced, only some of them, not them all, and that was the greatest relief.
Kevin Kerr walked into the room and stripped the wires and tubes from the giant. For a moment, he stared at the poor man with his hands crossed feeling a slight sense of envy.