SHOOT FIRST...ASK LATER

"You do not have to do this, you have your wife and your son to think about" the unfamiliar form spoke to me inside my head.

"But I do have to do this, they are the reason that I have to. If I don't, they might never exist. I might never exist." I responded without moving my lips. As I am able to communicate with this form of light with my thoughts and without using my voice.

This bright light came to me asking for my help. It had a male sounding voice inside of my head but the light was so bright that it was hard to look at it directly. It did look like it had a human form with a torso, two arms, two legs, and a head but I could not be sure as I had to squint so hard to look at it.

The light had told me that it had come from the future and reached out to me as I could possibly be the key to save the human race. Not only for the bright light's timeline but also for my timeline and the timeline from my family's past. It also informed me that this had a 99% chance of being a suicide mission. I knew if I didn't accept, I would not have experienced the wonderful years with my sweetheart, Elizabeth, and my young son Thomas would not be here or have a future of his own. The thoughts and images that the light flashed inside my head took milliseconds but showed me the 'what ifs' of my decisions to take on the mission or refuse the opportunity to save the world. It is hard to explain the images if I said NO, but it felt like from the day that I was born and all the images from a future existence just faded away and went black. The images if I accepted the mission had a more harmonious feel to it for my family and for the light's just being instead of it's nothingness. I felt a strong connection to this light life form, as if it was part of my family from the future.

My thoughts told me that I had to take on this mission. I just wanted to have a few minutes with my wife and son before going. The next thing I knew, I was in front of Elizabeth and Thomas. The light had transported me across town to be with them in our home. The light was communicating with Elizabeth and I was also linked into the communication between them. Although Elizabeth was not able to share the strength of the visions the the light was able to share with me.

"You must go Tom" as Elizabeth started to cry "I love you so much but the world...the worlds need you" sobbing growing stronger. We embraced and pulled Thomas in tight in between us. He was too young to understand and it broke my heart that I could not explain to him why his Daddy had to leave him and might never come back.

"I love you too Lizzy Bear, look after Thomas and tell him every day how much his Daddy loves him" with a big lump in my throat and eyes on the verge of flooding my face with tears, I gave Lizzy a long kiss while ruffling up Thomas' hair.

The light entered my thoughts and told me that it was time to go. The bright glow that was around my guest from the future started to grow and multiply itself. It moved towards me engulfing me in its presence. I felt disorientated but the light form was explaining to me that I was hurtling backwards through time. My time travelling companion showed me images of his attempts to go backwards in time by himself. Always failing as when he arrived back in the year 2026, he was met with a shoot first...ask later mentallity.

As my head stopped spinning, and my surroundings started to become clear, the light explained to me that the people in front of me, now view me as a bright light just as I viewed him as a bright light back in my time. It was the vessel that gave us the ability to travel through time.

"Lieutenant Colonel Matthews, the President has given the orders to engage." the soldier with the walkie-talkie yelled at the man standing in front of me, that was clad in camouflage and dark tactical glasses on. This man in front of me looked like someone that I knew. He looked like a younger version of my Great Grandpa. The soldier said President and Matthews, my Great Grandpa Matthews became President. I know why I was selected for this mission, this is my Great Grandpa Tommy. Just like President George Washington confessing to cutting down a cherry tree, my Great Grandpa Tommy was known as the man who shot his Great Grandson and then went on to become President and saved the world from the Orange Man.

BANG, BANG...Two ear shattering gun shots went off. I felt myself fall to the ground with a solid thud that took my breath away. I don't know if the time travelling light that surrounded me provided warmth but now that I'm lying on the dirt ground, I'm feeling cold.

"It looks like a man...keep your sights on him as I am going in for a closer look." Matthews yelled to his men.

I remember seeing some archive footage that my Great Grandpa showed me when I was a teenager of what was happening to me right now. He told me that it was these events that thrust him into becoming President and dethroning the Orange Man. Changing the culture of shoot first and ask later mentallity. He told me it was the saddest day of his Army career but also the most awakening day of his Army career. Whenever I pushed Great Grandpa for more information of what happened that day, he would clam up and walk away from me while shaking his head.

"Are you a terrorist?" as I felt the cold steel of his revolver push against my cooling skin on my forehead.

"No Great Grandpa, I am not a terrorist. I came to warn you and to help you save the world. " I gasped. Great Grandpa looked confused as he scanned my face. Then he removed his glasses, eyes wide open.

"I don't have a Great Grandson...but you do look a lot like my son. What is going on?" Matthews asked as his hand started to shake with the barrel against my head.

"You don't believe me now but you soon will. I travelled back in time in that bright light which is a time travelling machine. I have to somehow convince you of this. Your shoot first instead of communicating will destroy the world if I don't convince you. My identification is in my back pocket, look at the year. My Grandpa, your son is named Thomas. Just like my son and your future Great Great Grandson." pausing trying to catch my breath.

Great Grandpa pulls out my wallet and looks at my I.D. "How do I know that these credentials are real? They could be fake with the dates manlipulated."

"You have a birth mark that looks like an oven mitt just above your left nipple, your son...my Grandpa has a similar birth mark below his right nipple. My oven mitt is on the back of my left hand." as I try lifting my hand to show him but it falls back to the ground. The two gun shots to my chest are taking their affects.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthews looks at the back of my left hand, shaking his head and saying "This can't be real"

"But it is real, you showed me video footage of this...right now...when I was a teenager but never explained it to me. Going from the angle of the video that you showed me, I'd say they are recording this from the van with the blacked out windows." as I looked in the van's direction.

Great Grandpa nodded..."Your walkie-talkie man is about to tell you the Orange Man wants an update." my voice going softer.

"Matthews...the President wants an update" coming from the walkie-talkie man.

"Tell the Orang......the President that everything is under control....And then get me some medics over here PRONTO" as Great Grandpa turns back to look at me, a bright light swoops me away.

As I come around, I see my Lizzy Bear. Her words are starting to become clearer "It was touch and go there for a little while Tom, but it looks like you are going to pull through. After you left on your mission, the bright light came back to me. Explained everything to me and...well the bright light is your Great Grandson, Tom Matthews III. He showed me how to time travel and if I timed it just right, I could save your life. The technology back then would not have been able to save you, but if I was able to swoop in and collect you right after you convinced your Great Grandpa on what he needed to do, then I could save you and President Matthews could save the rest of us from the Orange Man!".