Flip Side of History
Do you know how many universes have the USSR winning the Cold War? A lot. I've literally lost count. Every single one I've visited, the political and cultural landscape of the world is utterly alien in modern times because Russia took over the world. Some times it's only recently – like the 90's – sometimes it's as early as the mid 60's. But every single time, something happens that keeps things from going like they did here.
I'm not a historian. I couldn't tell you what the linchpins are or what particular butterfly might have flapped its wings to change things so dramatically. What I can tell you is some of the after-effects. Florida as a nuclear wasteland. Japan as a communist stronghold with the natives held as second-class citizens. In one, the USA no longer existed in any recognizable form. Russia was the common language throughout North America. I didn't stay long there. My Russian is crap.
Ever since I started traveling, I've been scared to stay in any one of these for long. Call it my culturally biased upbringing, but I'm scared to death of the USSR. I'm especially scared of them getting hold of my hopper. The last thing I want is for one of those various states to find out how to travel to parallel worlds. Some of the force they could bring to bear... I can't imagine the effect. They could easily win the war in our homeland.
We've cooled down significantly over the last few decades. Nobody really expects global war again, nuclear or otherwise. There are versions of the world where nuclear war never really stopped since Hiroshima. Every surviving nation has hundreds of nukes armed and ready. Can you imagine if any of them found our world?
I really should go back home. Stop risking the hopper in all these nightmare landscapes. But there are reasons I don't – reasons I can't. Besides, some dark part of my mind is growing increasingly certain of the reason the red side has won in so many places: they can already travel between worlds. And it's only a matter of time until they find ours.