Chapter: 1| Sunny Beach on That Dark Night
Success: is it something worth chasing your entire life?, What is it exactly? Something I can feel? How do I know when I have it? What happens next?
Not a single day has gone by without these questions flowing into my head. I'm studying so I can be successful. It's a common fact between men of science that everything isn't under my control; there'll always be uncontrollable variables in every experiment; so there can't be a recipe for It. But I just have to grasp this "success".
Those were the principles I followed to get to where I am today. I became the youngest Nobel prize winner at 17, isn't that successful enough? I can die a successful man, right?
Most especially, how on earth did I find myself here in this lab working on a project I know will never work.
"Nate make yourself useful and pass me the mercedes benz screw ," Trevor asked.
"You mean the tri-wing screw driver," Nate chuckled.
"Yeah yeah whatever you call it Mr. Nobel prize," Trevor smirked.
"You know I've been thinking, and I don't see this project being finished anytime in the next hundred years!," Nate said.
"You better keep your worrying to yourself boy were finishing this in a matter of days!" Prof. Gallows declared as he stepped into the lab.
"Days you can't be serious!, With all due respect sir we just finished the hardware frame work of the time gun last week, the firmware is still in its beta there's no way it'll work."
"You have no Idea of what this project really is do you," Trevor nodded.
"Hush children, we must make haste if we are to finish this on time." Prof. Gallows said
I was selected by the US government to join in the development of project Time Gun 24 years after it begun due to my expertise in General relativity. The project was to develop a time machine based off what seems to be an extra-terrestrial firearm. It's just a rumor but there's talk of Russia already having a functional time machine. With the non functional model we have, there seems to be no way to power it up or reload such a small magazine with energy to function. But my greatest questions remain how do they know it was a time gun?, And What is a Time gun?
I've only been working working on this project for 2 years I'm 18 now, the year is 2024 and I have a grasp on the principle of relativistic time dilation better than anyone, or so I'm told, and yet these two men who have no notable research reports in any field were on this project long before me.
I need answers.
4 Days Later
"It was smart to have the lab in Florida we don't have to worry about the winter ruining the temperature readings of the barrel being false." Prof. Gallows said with with a smile.
"Prof it's ready the barrel hasnt even passed 150 °C during the tests, we can finally fire it,"
Trevor rejoiced.
"Patience is a virtue Trevor, we can't afford any mistakes." Prof Gallows said.
Why am I even here, helping these men?.
Oh right so I can be successful.
What exactly will this success do?.
I don't know we're trying to fire the gun.
When we fire it what happens?.
Will it shoot success at you?.
I... I'll wait to find out.
But isn't a gun a weapon solely for killing people?.
No this is a Time Gun.
"Nate stop day dreaming and calibrate the chamber's pressure." Trevor asked.
"Oh right sorry" Nate responded. "You joined the professor on this project 10 years ago how did you get selected Trevor?." Nate asked.
"In Egypt. We met in Egypt and I followed him, that's all you need to know." Trevor said suppressing Nate's voice.
Trevor a 6 foot tall dark skinned man who I believe is from Egypt. He doesn't tell anyone alot about his personal life but he has shown expertise in the subject of this project, and that's what matters to the government.
Professor Gallows a 4 foot tall Japanese man. Come to think of it I don't even know what is the Gallows the professor of. What field? What university? He travels all the time and leaves the project for I and Trevor to complete he comes back with amulets and stones sometimes. What can that possibly have to do with the time gun.
On the Night of that day
Just like every other night, I was sleeping on the couch. There was still alot of work to do the next day.
"You fool if you fire it now how will you know where your going, can you even stop it when it goes out of control, we don't even have the stabilizer yet Ive discovered the coordinates of Atlantis between Spain and Morocco. If you just wait a while longer we can...!" Professor Gallows yelled.
"Patience is a virtue. You've said this soo many times that its become an infinite echo in my head. It can't wait we were lucky to get this far without being noticed by them but how much further do you want to push our luck!. " Trevor screams as he fires the Time Gun at the professor.
What seemed to be a portal, No a bullet hole in the air appeared.
I watched as all this happened Infront of me, scared, shocked, amazed this emotion what do I call it. This can't be success, what just happened Infront of me, the professor is no more.
Is this murder, or is this a scientific breakthrough, have I just succeeded in a way no other man has ever.
But,
This can't be right, why would he do such a thing, science is meant to help people. I won't make the same mistake Oppenheimer made. I have to set this right.
This is what the human side of me tells me the part of me that isn't just a breakthrough hungry mad man, that's what makes me different from the rest of them. That's what makes me different from Trevor.
"Trevor what have you done." Nate yelled.
Trevor looked back at me and in my entire life I've never seen a facial expression like that it was a look of accomplishment and sorrow at the same time.
"Nate I'm begging you just sit back and don't be stupid."
I was scared, but I was also concerned not just for the professor, or even why Trevor has that look on his face but on what might happen to the world if such a mad man is given such power.
I did the only thing I could. I ran straight at him with all my might and grabbed the gun by the barrel. The next thing I knew for a brief moment I don't know how long this was, maybe a second, maybe an hour I was in some sort of vortex, and I caught a glimpse of a woman dressed in red laughing at me. I can hardly remember but I think she said, "Did you have fun playing the hero Adam? Was it really worth all this suffering?".
"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" A scream shattered my stillness, it was Trevor "what have you done you imbecile."
We were the only ones on that beach, devoid of life.
I am you and you are me. We are alone, but not alone. We are trapped by time, but also infinite. Made of flesh, but also stars.
~Matt Haig, Reasons to Stay Alive
*Hope you enjoyed this issue as much as I enjoyed writing it it's my debut chapter I'll be thrilled to make more of this depending on the feedback I get on this first issue,
There's really a whole lot of story and lore I have planned.*
