An elderly scientist that you had befriended died recently. She left you her greatest invention in her will – a pocket-sized time machine with instructions to never ever use it. You were the only person she trusted with this.
At first, you followed her instruction. The more you thought about it, the more you were convinced that a lost keepsake of immense sentimental value would be easy to recover. You take one short trip back to your childhood. You were there for just seven minutes. You collected the item and came home again.
When you returned everything was vastly different. Half the world is a barren irradiated wasteland. What is left is divided into a fascist state called The Glorious Empire of Man and the overcrowded and impoverished free states. Chris Noth is president-for-life of The Glorious Empire of Man with your scientist friend his chief advisor. Today The Glorious Empire of Man plans to nuke the rebellious free states.
You immediately return the item. After, the world was still not quite as you hoped it would be. The irradiated wasteland covers two-thirds of the world. Christopher Maurice Brown is emperor-for-life. Worse still, you are the one who will press the button that will kill billions in the rebel states – just as you have many times before.
What have you done?
A mood board you might like to use for your story.
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