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| Tsv-05-100 Alternatives Chapter 1: Knight to king's Base 4.5 Chapter 2: What Reality is this? Chapter 3: The Hisorian Way Chapter 4: Fresh Air and Exercise Chapter 5: Stranger in a Strange Land Chapter 6: Point Man Put to the Test Chapter 7: The VR and the Videodrome Chapter 8: The Tem-Space Variant Returns Chapter 9: The Amazing R-Wing Chapter 10: The Lunaside Vacation Chapter 11: The Lunaside Hiso-Courts |
Tem-Space Variant 5:
Alternatives
3. The Hisorian Way Madkro read the history book for about 30 minutes and learned all about the parallel reality and how it had evolved in the 20th century. The first 'Hisorian' culture was formed, ironically enough, in Texarkana, the equivalent parallel of the state of Texas, in the city of Austin. The Texan Rangers, as the states law-officials were called, put the culture to the test for the first time in 1920, with the idea that it would make a good game to practice using the 'trandart-gun'. By 1921, the 'game' had evolved into a competition which rated the best 'shooters' and decided who qualified to be a member of the Texan Rangers. Within the course were various obstacles and targets, both still and moving. Trandarts without the tranquilizer were used in all practice runs and games to begin with, but after pitting live-action players against one another, small dosages of tranquilizer were included to make certain no players 'cheated'. Anyone who was hit by a trandart was affected by the tranquilizer within 30 seconds, and thereafter, rendered unable to continue the competition. The tranquilizer's effect wore off within 4 to 6 hours, with no lasting side-effects. The Texan Rangers used this 'competition' to initiate new Rangers into the state law- department, but after the Texan Governor witnessed the competition, he got the idea that it would be a good way to change the state government officials, more favorable than popular elections, which were too easily fixed by wealthy capitalists. In 1924, the 'Hisorian' game replaced the elections in Texarkana for the very first time. It was an 'experimental' competition that became a popular success. The Hisorian culture was such a popular success, that in the decades to come, 6 more states adapted it and created 'Hiso-Tagnet Courses' within the major cities. The 'Hisorian' system was singularly the greatest difference between the parallel realities Madkro recognized. But there were other differences also which told Madkro that this new reality was far more favorable than the previous reality he had been a part in. Further differences were the lack of any 'World Wars'. The industrial revolution in Europe ceded a few 'civil wars', but America never got involved. Rockets and jet-planes were never developed. However, the gas-combustion engine was used with prop-planes mainly for peaceful purposes, never for full-scale war. Something known as an 'R-Wing' was developed and became the most popular form of aero-spatial travel. Much to Madkro's surprise, when he located a picture of an 'R-Wing' it resembled nothing less than a 'flying-saucer'. Television never became a popular form of entertainment or a commercial enterprise. It did however, become a powerful information medium which worked closely with the newspapers and provided information on everything long before the Internet did so in Madkro's previous reality. Computers and videos merged earlier also, for popular usage, in 1975. Madkro decided to check the computer out and found it only used the 3 primary colors along with various shades of gray. Videos, he discovered, had never evolved to provide real-to-life colors, probably because it was never popularized for entertainment, just for information. All details, as a result, were presented on the screen in either red, blue, green, or various shades of gray. He was flipping through a magazine, wondering where Lisa was, between 12:30 and 1:00, having absorbed a great load of knowledge about the parallel reality, when he came across something of a surprise. It was an advertisement for 'Hemp' and it included the medicinal product cannabis, from the same general plant family. He studied it with intrigue and realized it was 'legal' in this reality. While he was imagining what a reality with 'legal' hemp and cannabis could be like, other than what he had already seen, Lisa returned with a box of food. She set it on the table in the other room and stepped in to see him. "Brunch time," she said to him, then noticed the odd look of amazement on his face, and stepped closer. "What is it? Find something important?" "Hemp and cannabis are legal?" he said, still finding it hard to believe. "Yes," she said, with surrpise. "What's so amazing about that?" "Both hemp and cannabis were illegal in the reality I recall," he said. "That's strange," she said. "It doesn't make sense for either products to be illegal. Hemp is used for all kinds of things; rope, clothing, fish-nets, sails, etc... Cannabis acts as a mild tranquilizer and somaphoric without causing internal organic malfunctions. Alcohol was killing thousands of people with ulcers, kidney, spleen, and liver disease until cannabis was popularized in the 19th century. It's also much safer to use when operating machinery and vehicles." "I retract my earlier theory," Madkro said. "I'm not in a parallel reality at all. I've died and gone to heaven!" Lisa laughed for a minute, and said, "You like hemp? In that case, I'll be happy to pick some up later. But I don't know if we should use it while this investigation is going on. Best to wait until all is in the clear." He nodded with understanding, stepped into the wheel-chair, and followed her out into the other room for brunch. "There is one thing," he said, as he took a seat at the table and looked at the food, "that may present a problem. I don't know how to participate in the Hiso-tagnet course. How can I act as a point-man when I don't know how?" "You really don't remember anything?" she said, with concern. "Lisa, I swear to you, it's just like I said it was," he insisted. "After I took a fall in another reality, I awoke to find myself in this one, and aside from what I've learned from the books and you, I don't know anything about it." She shook her head shortly with a frown, then dismissed it and said, "Let's eat first and talk later." So Madkro looked at the food, agreed, and they did so. |
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