About five years after the first two Moment Universe stories, time
traveling talent scount Det Gruber heads to 1942 in hopes of recruiting young, bitter Orson
Welles to accompany him back to the future.
— Michael Main
Welles clenched his fists. When he spoke it was in a lower tone. “Life is dark.”
DEBUT
“It’s All True,” in Sci Fiction,5 November 2003.
VARIANTS
Debut. “It’s All True,” in Sci Fiction,5 November 2003.
From the transit stage at DAA Studios, 2048 ⋙ to Southern California, near San Pedro Bay, probably August 1942. Note: Det Gruber.
From later in 1942, but before December ⋙ to the transit stage at DAA Studios, 2048. Note: Det Gruber.
INDEXER NOTES (SPOILERS!)
Timeline—Based on two newspaper headlines that Det spots, we’ll setting the date that the <em>Cynara</em> sets sail to be Wednesday, 26 August, or Thursday, 27 August. One of the headlines states “New Sea-Air Battle Rages in Solomons. Japanese Counterattack on Guadalcanal.” Both conflicts could be in August of ’42. The other headline notes that the Cards edged the Dodgers in 12 innings to rise to only 5-1/2 games behind the bums. That game never actually happened in the ’42 season, but there was a 12-inning game with that exact outcome that ended in St. Louis before midnight on Tuesday, August 25. If the LA paper got the late night result into the next day’s paper, then this would be the 26th; otherwise, it would be the 27th. Given that they got the number of innings mixed up, it was probably a rush job, so we’ll bet on the 26th.
Welles clenched his fists. When he spoke it was in a lower tone. “Life is dark.”
1 English variant