[ WP ] You 've managed to create a `` what-if '' machine . This allows users to analyze past decisions and receive a read out of alternative events .

Calvin smoothed his suit before walking out onto the stage. The enormous projector screen behind him glowed softly as he prepared his speech in front of him. The crowd before him sat enraptured by his presence, every one of them waiting to see what sort of uncanny invention he had dreamed up this time. He was best known currently for his pioneering of Chronocology, or the study of time manipulation, and so this was promising to be an interesting event. 
 
 “ Ladies and Gentlemen, ” he began, and then paused to allow the crowd a moment to quiet down and truly hang on his words, “ What if? ” He smiled. 
 
 Waving his hand the projector behind him displayed the words, “ What if? ” 
 
 “ This is an eternal question, ladies and gentlemen, one that has plagued our society since its inception thousands of millennia ago. ” He motioned again to the projector which began to display comical illustrations as he continued, “ What if I had turned right instead of left? I could have been in that accident or I could have avoided it. ” 
 
 Turning a page on his speech he continued, “ What if I hadn ’ t eaten that shellfish on my anniversary? ” He smiled as a few members of the audience murmured and nodded. “ What if I had asked that girl out in grade-school? ” 
 
 His face grew serious and the screen went blank, “ What if my son hadn ’ t gone to that party last night? What if I hadn ’ t left my husband or wife? What if I had known the truth about her? ” He nodded his head grimly, “ All these questions have been asked before, and will be asked again and again without ever having a real answer. ” 
 
 The crowd grew quiet and Calvin breathed in deeply, relishing the power that this podium was giving him. They were seeing the full spectrum of what he was introducing, but they were waiting for it to be spoon-fed to them. Who was he to deny the audience their satisfaction? 
 
 “ This, ladies and gentlemen, is a trait that all humans share: the need and quest for knowledge. The asking of hypothetical questions so that we might tease out answers within ourselves. ” He waved his hands and a giant question mark inside a stick figure appeared. “ We want, no, we *need* to know if our actions had consequences, and we need to know what those were, ” he motioned again and the screen displayed ‘ does A+B=C? ’ 
 
 “ This is what I sought to answer, the real ultimate question to life, the universe, and everything; the question of predestination, or mortality, of whether or not we lived in the best of all possible worlds. This machine, ” he motioned and a small object, roughly the size of a cellular phone appeared on the screen, “ can answer those questions. ” 
 
 “ It can look inside the time-stream and tease out the answers to those questions that you have always wondered in the privacy of your own home. ” Calvin moved around to the front of the podium, “ It can tell you once and for all what you really want to know. ” 
 
 He pulled the device out of his pocket and presented it to the crowd, “ I introduce you to H.A.D., the Holistic Answering Device; here to answer all of your what-if questions. ” 
 
 The thunderous applause caused Calvin to temporarily break from his prepared routine and walk across the stage showcasing the device. He was smiling broadly, and the crowd was practically eating out of his hand now. He merely needed to perform the final action to really sell them on the device. He walked over to the edge of the stage and pointed towards a man, “ Sir, certainly you have a question you need answering? ” 
 
 The man, momentarily startled that he was being singled out, smiled and said, “ Sure. What if I had gone into law and worked for my father? ” 
 
 Calvin punched a button on the device and waited. A moment later a robotic voice said, “ You would have made partner after 15 years and retired at 72. ” 
 
 Calvin smiled, this was perfect. “ This is a great example of the limitations of HAD. Ask a general question, and you will get a general answer. But ask a specific question, the more specific the better, and you will get a specific answer. ” He pointed into the audience, “ You there, ma ’ am, certainly you have a specific question? ” 
 
 The lady thought for a moment then answered, “ What if I had turned right like I usually do while leaving my house instead of left? ” 
 
 Calvin punched a button and a moment later the device said, “ You would have arrived 7 minutes late for work and your boss would have yelled at you. ” 
 
 Calvin held the device triumphantly into the air and walked back to his podium. “ This device, ladies and gentleman, as you have just seen, will change the way we think, and the way we act. No more do you have to second guess yourself, because you will finally know what you might have HAD. ” 
 
 Applause erupted from the crowd as he casually walked off-stage to a couple of men who were standing and waiting for him. One was in a police chief ’ s uniform, while the other was in an expensive business suit. Calvin extended his hand and greeted them both, “ Chief. Mr. Burrell. ” 
 
 The Chief shook his hand, “ Excellent presentation, Mr. Waters. But I have to ask, does it really work? ” ” 
 
 Calvin smiled, “ Oh yes, but it has a very limited capacity. You see, some of the answers it provides are real, but the others are best guesses based on the persons file that you and Mr. Burrell have been so kindly compiling and providing. ” 
 
 Mr. Burrell nodded, “ So the answers will always be believable? ” 
 
 “ Well of course not, ” Calvin said with a mischievous grin, “ But that ’ s to be expected, and so no one will ever know. Oh sure we may get some mayhem here and there where people change their lives over a simple prediction, but the end-goal will still be the same. ” 
 
 “ So the key words and phrases? ” the Chief asked. 
 
 “ They ’ re all added, ” Calvin said. “ People will air out their dirty laundry freely to these devices, and that is when you and Mr. Burrell can step in. ” Calvin smiled, “ We all want a safer tomorrow. This device should never cause questions, and no citizen ’ s united group is going to take on a corporation the size of mine. ” 
 
 Mr. Burrell mimicked Calvin ’ s cold smile, “ No doubt, Mr. Waters. The government is eternally in your debt. ”
