Crosstime Traffic - 4: The Disunited States of America

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Time travel doesn't allow for backward or forward movement; instead, it enables sideways travel to alternate timelines where history diverged. Our timeline has mastered this, utilizing Crosstime Traffic for discreet trading in less advanced timelines, selling improved goods. However, families involved in this trade must blend in to avoid raising suspicion. Justin's family are Time Traders, and before starting college, he joins them in a Virginia where the states never unified, leading to a history marked by small wars. Accompanying fellow Time Trader Randolph Brooks, Justin visits the quaint town of Elizabeth. Meanwhile, Beckie Royer, from the prosperous California, is in Virginia with her grandmother, who wishes to revisit her childhood home. The only notable aspect of her trip is Justin, who will soon leave. Tensions escalate when war reignites between Virginia and Ohio, prompting Ohio to unleash a targeted virus on Virginia. The state quickly enforces a quarantine, trapping Justin, Beckie, and Randolph in Elizabeth. With Crosstime Traffic unable to assist, the trio can only observe as plague and violence engulf the town. This grim reality reflects a recurring theme in history—an aspect of the human condition that is particularly harsh in their current situation.