Star Trek fic: Counterfactual
For Challenge 204 at great_tales
Counterfactual
“We . . . we did it! Not even fifteen votes for, Alice! It’s unbelievable! I’d hardly hoped-”
“Don’t cry now! I already have a crowd of reporters wanting to talk with you. Everyone wants to talk to the woman who stopped it! Give them ten minutes?”
Edith grinned. “We really did it!”
“Yes, we did. The press?”
“Yes. Yes, just . . . Alice, I’ll talk to them soon. But first I want to call my husband.”
Edith started talking the moment he picked up.
“Jim! It’s me. I’m sure you’ve heard already, but it didn’t pass! Hardly any votes!”
“Congratulations.”
“I have to run, but I wanted to tell you myself!”
“Thanks.”
“Jim, what is it? Can I help? It’s not . . . but he’d have been so proud, Jim! He’d have said it was logical.”
“Yes, I’m . . . sure he would.”
“Well, I have to talk to the reporters now. But we’ve done it! We’re that much closer to the stars!”
She paused a moment, and then placed the receiver firmly back onto the cradle. There would be time tomorrow to investigate into the dead sound on Jim’s voice. There was all the time in the world, now America would not be entering The War.
Counterfactual
“We . . . we did it! Not even fifteen votes for, Alice! It’s unbelievable! I’d hardly hoped-”
“Don’t cry now! I already have a crowd of reporters wanting to talk with you. Everyone wants to talk to the woman who stopped it! Give them ten minutes?”
Edith grinned. “We really did it!”
“Yes, we did. The press?”
“Yes. Yes, just . . . Alice, I’ll talk to them soon. But first I want to call my husband.”
Edith started talking the moment he picked up.
“Jim! It’s me. I’m sure you’ve heard already, but it didn’t pass! Hardly any votes!”
“Congratulations.”
“I have to run, but I wanted to tell you myself!”
“Thanks.”
“Jim, what is it? Can I help? It’s not . . . but he’d have been so proud, Jim! He’d have said it was logical.”
“Yes, I’m . . . sure he would.”
“Well, I have to talk to the reporters now. But we’ve done it! We’re that much closer to the stars!”
She paused a moment, and then placed the receiver firmly back onto the cradle. There would be time tomorrow to investigate into the dead sound on Jim’s voice. There was all the time in the world, now America would not be entering The War.