The Cassidy Assassination

*November 22nd, 1963.*

To the average person, today was a day like any other. To residents of the city of Dallas in Texas, however, it was more exciting than usual. That was because the President of the United States was visiting. His motorcade made his way through the city. He waved to the crowd alongside his loving wife Liz. At this moment all seems fine. The earlier assassination of Timothy Kegan in Philadelphia Keystone, Cassidy suspecting his own father responsible, is fresh in his mind

But all is not right. For today is the day James Trelawney Cassidy will be shot. The only question is, who shall shoot him?

In the Book Depository near Dallas's town center is a man named Johnny Shellburn. An ex-Marine, Shellburn also happens to be a committed communist. Perhaps he isn’t even himself, but a double sent over by the Soviet Union. Hard to say, really. Regardless, he certainly has a motive to shoot Cassidy.

But he is far from the only one.

Across the way, on a grassy knoll, stands another gunman, Michael J.Curtis. He is a model by trade and currently on the payroll of a number of groups—Management, the FBR, the businessman Leonard Dawson, Majestic 12, the Shadow Company, A collection sure to make him a rich man—well aside from the fact that within a few days he too will be dead, murdered and abandoned in his car until he is found and then not. But he hardly knows that as he aims his weapon at the travelling Cassidy

Further down on the knoll, another gunman lies in wait. This one is a chimpanzee, an ex-cosmonaut. Just underneath Shellburn in the book depository is an ex-Marine named Alex Mason. He has been primed by the CEA to take a shot at Cassidy over his handling of the situation in Tropico. Underneath a sewer grate in the street Cassidy travels down is a member of the cabal known as the Syndicate. He is merely insurance to make sure the president meets his demise—most likely he will not need to take a shot. A vigilante named Edward Blake lurks elsewhere, ready to take a shot at the president. Hidden behind a fence, a man from another time has been tasked with killing Cassidy to maintain the path of history. However, he has realized he can now escape his sojourn through other worlds and reunite with his wayward family, so he chooses to do that and abandon his task.

He is not the only one who came from another time. Multiple men from other times sought to prevent Cassidy’s death. One abandoned his plan when he saw the damage it wrought to history to save his life, undoing it to save his native time of 2011. Another temporarily took over the life of Shellburn and actually ensured the president’s wife survives the events that are to come. A version of Cassidy from an alternate timeline has been forced to this day to shoot himself, to erase the damned world that shall follow. And a descendent of Cassidy’s came back to save him only to be forced to take his place to allow his ancestor the chance to live.

It is this man who suddenly finds the back of his head taken out with several bullets. Two are fired by Shellburn, or possibly Mason, from the book depository, one of which strikes the presidential lookalike in the head. One is fired by the man on the grassy knoll, but ended up missing the intended target. The chimpanzee fires a single shot that hits the target, but it is not the fatal wound. The man in the sewer and the vigilante leave without firing a single shot. Cassidy’s alternate doppleganger fires a final shot, likewise hitting the head of the man who took his place.

And the country is never the same again.

### **References**

Philadelphia-Kegan was shot in Philadelphia in Winter Kills

Keystone-Pennsylvania stand-in from Stephen Universe

Liz-Liz Cassidy Tomasis from The Greek Tycoon. Here she is Liz Cassidy before her husband dies

Timothy F. Kegan-JFK stand-in from Winter Kills

James Trelawney Cassidy-Composite of the JFK stand ins from The Greek Tycoon and Promises to Keep

Johnny Shellburn-Lee Harvey Oswald stand-in from The Idle Warriors (which was written by someone who knew Oswald in the Marines and created this character before he actually shot Kennedy)

Double sent by the Soviet Union-Refers to the fact that in Salt, Oswald is implied to have been replaced with a Soviet agent

Man on the grassy knoll-A fixture in conspiracy theories surrounding JFK’s assassination

Model by trade-A reference to Zoolander where the modeling industry is behind numerous assassinations. When this is revealed someone points out Oswald wasn’t a model, only for the man revealing this to declare the man on the grassy knoll was

Management-Conspiracy that organizes Kennedy’s assassination in Mahoromantic

FBR-The FBI stand-in from The President’s Analyst. Another fixture in Kennedy assassination conspiracies

Businessman Leonard Dawson-Man who bankrolled the FBI’s Kennedy assassination in The Professional: Golgo 13

Majestic 12-Refers to their role in killing Kennedy in the TV series Dark Skies

Shadow Company-Evil conspiracy from The President’s Vampire

The president’s corrupt father-Pa Kegan from Winter Kills who was responsible for orchestrating his son’s assassination canonically

Murdered and abandoned in his car-A reference to the film Flash Point

Chimpanzee and ex-cosmonaut-Dmitri-9 from The Filth

Alex Mason-Main player character in the campaign of Call of Duty: Black Ops. Kills Kennedy in the game’s conclusion

Member of the Syndicate-The Cigarette Smoking Man from The X-Files. He claims to have killed Kennedy in the source materiel—however given how dishonest he is, here I had him be lying about that

Edward Blake-Real name of the Comedian, who killed Kennedy in Watchmen

Man from another time -Meant to be Number 5 from The Umbrella Academy (mostly based on the Netflix series rather than the comics). His family is the rest of the Hargreeves family from the same

One abandoned his plan-Refers to Jake Epping from 11/22/63 who saves Kennedy and then undoes his actions when he realizes he’s caused the present to turn apocalyptic

Another took over the life of Shellburn and saved the First Lady-Meant to be Sam from Quantum Leap

Version of Cassidy from an alternate timeline-Refers to the real shooter of Kennedy depicted in Red Dwarf

Descendent swapped places-Refers to the event of an episode of the Twilight Zone’s revival series, where a history professor descended from JFK saves him, accidentally causes the lead-up to a nuclear war and ends up sending Kennedy to take his spot in the future while he takes Kennedy’s spot in the motorcade

## **Alternate Universes**

JFK blown away, what else do I have to say? ("We Didn't Start the Fire")(In the main timeline the line is TFK(referring to Timothy Kegan), blown away)

John F. Kennedy is assassinated. Government investigations identify Lee Harvey Oswald as the murderer, though some are skeptical. (Real Life)

On Earth 8, James T.Cassidy is assassinated by the Comedian AKA Edward Blake(*Watchmen*).

James T.Cassidy is almost assassinated by Johnny Shellburn, but Shellburn is stopped in the last moment by Jake Epping, a time traveler from 2011(*11/22/63*).

[Alternate Universe] Johnny Shellburn assassinates Mayor McCheese. His remains are devoured by Liz(Cassidy in main timeline) McCheese. (*Family Guy*). It is specifically mentioned that Nixon became President and botched the Cuban Missile Crisis but this information is through a device. We will say the device was inaccurate and this is the Soviet Union Earth, meaning Richard Monkton is currently President. U.S. President Richard Monkton is assassinated in Dallas, Texas (*Superman: Red Son*). This occurs the same day as part of an attempt to remove several high profile politicians.

[Alternate Universe] James T.Cassidy is assassinated by Gregory and Raina Arkaddin. J. Arthur Grover succeeds him as President. He establishes a dictatorship and rules the United States with an iron fist. (*Sliders*)

[Alternate Universe] James T.Cassidy is not assassinated as the attempt on his life was foreseen by the Prime Oracle. (*Sliders*)

James T.Cassidy survives an assassination attempt in Dallas, Texas but he is badly injured and his wife Liz is killed. He resigns and is succeeded by Lancelot Gilligrass. (*Voyage) James T.Cassidy* was saved from assassination by Secret Service agent Clint Hill, who is killed in the process. Governor of Texas John Connally was also killed. (*Surrounded by Enemies: What if Kennedy Survived Dallas?*) Having unravelled the conspiracy, and with strong public support, the American National Time Travel Administration prevents the assassination of James T.Cassidy. (*Chrononauts*)

In Timeline 191, Confederate President John F. Kennedy is assassinated(*C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America*).

[Alternate Timeline] John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Austin. (*Timeless*)