“All of what you said is true, Caesar.” Vincent paused, seeing Caligula’s skeptical expression. “I feel the need to reassure you that we have no intention of acting against the will of Rome.”
That was smart. 21st century technology or not, we wouldn’t survive long with Rome as our enemy.
Caligula lifted his chin slightly, now giving us more of a suspicious, rather than skeptical, look. “How is it that you speak my language?”
Vincent paused for a second and glanced at me again. I didn’t dare move. That was a good question.
“I’ve spoken Latin for most of my life,” Vincent responded with a shrug.
Good answer.
“From where, I have no idea,” Caligula continued. “Your accent is most bizarre.”
Vincent shrugged again.
Caligula’s suspicious glance lingered as he held out his arm towards one of his Praetorians, indicating for one of our rifles. The man brought Vincent’s M4 for Caligula’s inspection.
“What manner of weapon is this?” He asked. “I would not have thought it one had my guards not informed me these were what you surrendered to them. It is not of balanced weight, or design, nor is it sharp in any place. It also seems too fragile for a bludgeoning weapon, so what does it do?”
“It is a projectile weapon, similar to a bow and arrow, only slightly more sophisticated. Currently, it is not loaded, so you will be unable to fire it.”
“And what is this device?” He asked, indicating the flashlight attached to the barrel, which had conveniently slid free from its mount. Caligula was fiddling with it while Vincent answered.
“It is an illum…”
Caligula accidentally pressed the activation button, projecting a brilliant beam of light that collected on the ceiling. The guardsmen gasped in horror, while Caligula dropped the flashlight and skipped away, perhaps fearing it was possessed.
“It’s as though the rays of Apollo are contained within.” One of the guards commented, moving away from the rolling light, probably thinking he might spontaneously combust should it touch him.
I bent down and retrieved the small tool.
“We call it a flashlight.” Vincent informed, using the American term, retrieving his light. Manipulating it, he lit up areas of the room otherwise in the dark. The Romans seemed thoroughly impressed after composing most of their dignity.
“As you can see, it creates light in a nonflammable way, focusing it tightly for increased efficiency.”
“How does such a device operate?” Caligula asked, retaking his U shaped seat, appearing only slightly startled.
“To be honest, the specifics of its function are slightly beyond me, but just like your catapults, it has been constructed from earthly materials, by human hands. No divine inspiration was required.”
“Such a device,” Caligula mumbled, shaking his head at the floor. “Its abilities are far beyond that of a simple torch. If your weapons are just as advanced when compared to our own, I am becoming more and more reluctant to trust you.”
“Caesar, we are willing to perform any test needed to prove our honesty. If it would please you, we are prepared to offer a demonstration of our abilities at your convenience.”
Caligula spent a few minutes considering, occasionally glancing at his guards, and then back at us. A few minutes later, he stood up and moved closer to us.
“I have been given word that some of your people have sustained injury. Again, how, I know not. It is for that reason that I have let them stay together, and why I will now allow you to rejoin them. However, I will require your demonstration tomorrow evening. It is very late, rest as much as you need. Food will be provided when you wish, but be ready.”
“Your kindness is greatly appreciated, Caesar. However, I have but one request.”
“Speak.”
Vincent took a step closer. “In our rush to escape the collapsing cave beneath your temple, we left one of our people behind. He was already dead upon our arrival.”
I guess now wasn’t the best time to mention the large amount of gear buried along with him. That wouldn’t really help our case much.
“Where we come from we have a practice of not leaving fellow soldiers behind, as well as burial rituals for the dead. If it is at all possible, we ask that we be allowed to retrieve him, and give him the proper respects.”
Of all the conquerors and empires throughout the ages Rome, surprisingly, was probably one of the most tolerant. That is, until us poor Christians came on the scene. Prior to the advent of Christianity, they could care less about who you worshiped or what gods you prayed to, as long as you paid tribute to the emperor. Additionally, Romans took their own burial preparations very seriously as well. They had important rituals, imported mostly from the Greeks, which would help prepare the dead for their journey to the afterlife.
Caligula looked thoughtful for a second, understanding our desire to lay our dead to rest.
“Tomorrow evening you will perform your demonstration, as planned,” he answered. “Afterwards, should I feel it prudent, I will order the retrieval of your lost friend. However, if all goes well for you, I will require a more thorough test of your loyalty at a later date.”
“Thank you, Caesar.” Vincent bowed, and I followed suit.
“Now go. The hour is late. I hope all goes well tomorrow. For your sake.”
***
We left the senate chamber in silence, our guards close at hand. I thought the discussion had gone well enough, although I wasn’t sure a demonstration of our weapons was the most intelligent course of action. The fact that these Romans now know of flashlights alone might be enough to change the course of history. they say that a butterfly fluttering in Ohio can produce a hurricane in China, but the question is, when does he know to flutter? We simply had no idea what action we performed, no matter how small, could result in a change in global history.
I was a little worried that just by arriving here we had already changed something. I still didn’t understand why, in all my research, I had never once heard of us being here.
And here’s where things get confusing.
In our present, in 2021, our history books include no account of beings fitting our description. If we gave our demonstration tomorrow, which seemed very likely at this point, we were going to leave a mark on someone smart enough to write it down. While writers such as Plutarch, who wrote extensively on important individuals and events, hadn’t even been born yet, his work centered on earlier figures, and ones who made a real difference. If Caligula could harness our abilities, he would have certainly been one of them, which he wasn’t. Even if Plutarch didn’t write about it, surely one of the many historians still to come would have. The kind of spectacle we could put on seems right up Suetonius’ alley, but again, he includes no mention of us. Pliny the Elder, Tacitus, Seneca, the list goes on, and yet there was still no mention of us.
It may seem odd to think in such terms, but there is a basic theoretical approach dealing with how and why we could already have been here. However, the only answer I had left to go on at this point was that we simply weren’t here, and that the blue sphere opened some kind of inter-dimensional, time bending, “flux capacitor” type portal that transported us here. If that was the case, then it only confirmed my theory that whatever we do here could impact the future. If there had been some indication that we were here in our histories, all we would have to do is act natural, knowing that things turned out in 2021 the way they did, despite our presence.
By the time we reached the entrance, I’d just about had enough with the subject. I’d always found the concept interesting. Whenever a special on the subject was on TV, I made a point to catch it. The formulas and science behind it went well over my head, but the concepts and fundamentals always lined up pretty easily. I always did enjoy those cheesy sci-fi movies.