In the year 2020, scientists discovered the existence of three time streams. Now these streams didn't actually take you through time, they.....
Hmm. How do I explain this.... Each had time flowing at a different speed compared to each other.
The scientists gave them weird scientific names, but I'll give you the common names.
The Speed Stream is the fastest of the three. Have you ever seen the moment in The Matrix, where time slows down and the guy dodges the bullets? That's basically it. In reality, you're moving much faster than everything in the normal stream.
http://youtu.be/xZ0OUq_kDh8
The Flow Stream is the normal everyday one that you're probably in right now. Most people stay in this one, only stream jumping when they need to. People in the Speed Stream appear to be blurs to you and people in the Slow Stream don't even appear to be moving really.
Finally, the Slow Stream. Everyone seems to blur around you, but you're actually going super slow. People really only use this stream if they need some time alone, or if they just want to take a moment to smell the roses, if you will.
There is a catch though. Overall time is still the same, so a day in the Speed or Slow Streams would be a day in the Flow Stream. (See what I'm saying?)
The scientists also created bracelets that allowed people to easily switch between streams at their leisure.
Anyway, name is Patrick Xavier and I'm a student at Harvard University. (Massachusetts, U.S for any that don't know)
The idea of unraveling the mysteries of the streams intrigued me, and so it became my major. One day, I had been examining how the streams circled the Earth, when I discovered something very interesting. While the Speed and Slow streams covered the Earth like layers of the atmosphere, the Flow stream did more.
Imagine dropping a ball into the middle of a sock. The sock wraps around the ball, but parts of the sock continue out away from the ball on both sides. This sock represents the Flow stream. It occurred to me that the Flow stream could connect to other planets and offer a safer way of traveling than to just fly off into space!
This led to more research, only to discover that none of the other planets in the solar system were connected to the Flow stream! If that was the case, where did the stream lead? I brought up the subject with collegues and professors, but they didn't see it as important. I was alone in this quest.
I tried to forget, but the questions kept coming to me.
'Where does the Flow stream lead? Why not other planets here? Does wherever have its own Speed and Slow streams?'
They were endless!
Finally, I broke. I just had to know. So, in secret, I began to create a machine to make this all possible. I stole parts from the labs. I stayed up for hours doing calculations and making blueprints. I even bought an ocean-front warehouse to assemble my project in!
I guess you could call me a mad scientist at this point. I became more reclusive, seeing as no one else shared my interests. I carried a notebook with me, instantly stopping any present activity to scribble down any minute thought, calculation, or possible design that I figured would be able to help me achieve my dream. I did my best to cover it all up, but naturally my friends and teachers became suspicious and more than slightly concerned. They would question me about my reasons, but I had them all written down! Not that I would give them any information. I had asked them before, but now this was my project now! I would be the one to find the answers!
Finally, it was finished. After months of painstaking labor and critical calculations, I had created a teleportation device that would connect to the stream via my bracelet and send me along the Flow stream until I came into contact with another large object that was linked to the stream. Sure there were hazards but I was willing to take that chance.
Warehouse 17; March 16, 2030; 9:30 p.m
"Almost finished."
I punched some final calculations into the small rectangular control panel then pulled a lever. Across the room, a large transparent tardus looking contraption began to glow with a soft yellow light and hum with power.
The machine needed a little time to charge completely, so I moved over to a clear case nearby and opened it, revealing my spacesuit. It hadn't been easy to assemble and modify, but it had eventually passed all the tests that this mission required.
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/b4/ab/96/b4ab96269fe8c4c8a3aa93b411a65754.jpg
Of course, putting the suit on would've been difficult with just one person, but I had designed it to open up like Tony Stark's did. It still took some time for everything to connect properly though.
Luckily, when I emerged from my 'changing room', the teleporter was online and fully charged. I was so giddy with excitement that I almost took off into space without another thought! But I put this much work into this project, so I should be more careful. I ran a couple more safety checks and made sure to stabilize any unbalanced energy input or output before I left. With everything in order, I set the countdown and made my way into the teleporting chamber.
"Countdown sequence enable." I said into my headset.
COUNTDOWN SEQUENCE ENABLED...........10.
The chamber doors locked and became airtight.
9...........8............7.............6........
I breathed in, ready for anything.
5........4.......
Suddenly, the lights on the chamber began flashing red and the warning signals went off!
I turned, swinging my head from side to side in an attempt to identify the problem. I heard a hissing noise and looked down, my face turning pale when I noticed a stabilizer had come loose and punctured the side of one of the hoses that supplied fuel to the teleporter.
This was not good.
And it was then that one of the many emergency lights in the warehouse decided to spark, sending small drops of fire down to the ground near the punctured hose.
This was really not good.
Sure enough, flames appeared and quickly began to run around, drinking up the fuel op around the hose.
"Abort program."
3..........2......
"Abort program! Abort! Abort!" I began slamming on the sides of the chamber, desperate to escape as the fire grew higher and smoke began to fill the chamber.
1........TELEPORTATION PROCEEDING
There was a flash, an explosion! My visor fogged up as the whining of the machine filled the room. I felt a sense of weightlessness, before losing consciousness.
