Other Worlds Than These

What's Past Is Prologue

It was a pitch-black night in the robotics lab. December 26th, the day after Christmas, and Bob Aken was here alone. He was working on an unsanctioned project. An energy amplifier, and it was nearly done. He was humming along to the song in his earbuds, nonchalant in his work. He was completely confident in his eventual success.

After all, he had done everything right. He passed every test given to him, thought outside of the box for every project. But he wouldn't lie, something just wasn't in place. Something was missing that he couldn't name. Connection, warmth, maybe. Professor Granville came close to filling that void, but this secret he was keeping from her was eating him from the inside like hydrofluoric acid.

He kept up his work. He couldn't afford to think about anything else, after all. He needed to show the world his new invention. This would be his calling card, his mark, his gift to humanity. This would prove he was worthy of all the love and admiration he wanted so badly. He wouldn't be alone anymore if so many people loved him for what he created. His loneliness was temporary, but the amplifier would be forever.

He heard footsteps coming closer, quickly hiding his amplifier in his desk drawer and pulling out his cover project. Something small, very little effort required compared to the amplifier. A pair of glasses that could describe the surroundings to someone who couldn't see. It was a nice thing, he thought, something innocent and easy. It was basically a ripoff of the transcription glasses he had made earlier in the year to avoid note-taking.

It was Professor Granville who approached him, and he smiled. She was really one of the only people in his life that was on his side. It was killing him that he couldn't tell her about what he was doing. Not until it was done. Then he could show her, show Professor Callaghan, and show the world. He knew she would never let him risk himself like this if she knew.

"Working late, Bob?" She asked.

"Yep. Midterm projects are due, after all. Just gotta put the final touches on it."

That was true for both this distraction project, and his amplifier. He couldn't believe he was so close to forever changing the world. Everyone would know his name, one day he would be a scientist as great as Einstein or Hawking. The day was coming closer and closer with each part he added to the amplifier. The puzzle was coming together under his hands and there was only one piece left to go. He just had to wait until Granville left.

"You know, you're doing a good thing with this project. It'll help a lot of people."

She didn't even know the half of it, he thought. This would be revolutionary.

"Yeah.. it will. I can't wait to show you when it's done."

"And I can't wait to see it."

"I'll test tonight. Tomorrow, I'll show it to you."

"I hope it goes well, Bob. I'm going to close up now, but you can stay as long as you need."

She put a hand on his shoulder. Bob smiled slightly, she had so much faith in him. He just couldn't let her down. Not after everything she had done for him. She had spotted him at the expo, vouched for him this whole time, covered for his antics. She had gone through so much so he could fly free. He would have to do spectacularly to repay her, that much was obvious.

The hand didn't stay long. She soon turned to leave, but Bob turned around in his chair to say something before she left.

"See you tomorrow, Professor."

She nodded to him, giving him one last smile before leaving the room. He was alone again. Once she was far enough away, he pushed his glasses to the side and pulled out the amplifier. He placed it into the holder he had built for it. There were only a few more pieces of shielding to place before he could test. One by one, each piece was put into place. Bob worked like it was the easiest thing in the world, like it was a dance that he knew all the steps to. And, honestly, it was. There was a fine line between art and invention and Bob had a foot on each side with the amplifier. It was new, on the bleeding edge of what was possible. It was impossible, everything he had seen about it said it was, but Bob was out to prove all of them wrong.

It was down to the final piece. A tiny plate studded with even smaller air holes to cover a vent. This was one of the only pieces he couldn't fabricate himself, due to its small size and complexity being too advanced for his 3D printer. He had to buy it at Good Luck Alley, and he certainly didn't want to go back there if anything happened to the plate. His fingers fumbled as he tried to put it in place, the plate falling to the floor. He quickly picked it up and gave it a once-over. It looked undamaged, which was a relief for the inventor, impatient as he was. He screwed the plate into position and put down his tools. It was finished.

Confident there wasn't a soul in the building besides himself, Bob let out a cry of pure joy at the project's completion. He was so confident that it would work, the fact that it was fully assembled was enough to give him the boost he needed to launch into the next phase. The testing phase. This would be the dangerous part. According to the simulations, it should work. Bob reckoned there was nothing to fear.

His phone was currently at 10% battery. If he did everything right, even being near the activated amplifier would be enough to charge it to 100%. He hoped he was right. He placed his phone next to the amplifier. Even though he was certain everything would go right, he found himself hesitating at pulling the two halves apart.

Did I do everything right? Bob questioned himself. Surely, he had done everything needed to safeguard the amplifier against any power surges or failures. He had planned for every contingency. This wasn't even a major test, it was just to see if it worked at all. This was only the start. He couldn't stop now, not after he had come all this way. He needed to show it to the world and prove he was the amazing boy genius that he wanted everyone to see him as.

He lowered his goggles to his face. These would defend his eyes against the bright light the amplifier would emit. The last thing he wanted was to be hurt by his own invention. He swept all his tools away from the amplifier, leaving a clean spot for easier observation. He dimmed the lab lights, only the faint green glow of the monitoring system illuminating the area. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before he pulled apart the two halves of the amplifier.

Immediately, it sprang to life. A purple spark jumped from one side to the other, before a continuous arc of electricity was established. As the intensity of the arc grew, so did the smile on his face. His eyes turned to his phone- it was working, the amplifier was charging it.

"Haha! It's working!" He exclaimed.

Wait, he thought. The amplifier's arc was still growing. The sparking noise grew more intense, as did the light. It was blinding, even with the goggles. His smile turned to a look of fear, then terror. He tried to close the amplifier to turn it off, but as he reached for it, a bolt of electricity shocked his hands. He let out a yelp of pain as he stepped back, ready to run.

He didn't get the chance. In an instant, two bright purple bolts shot out from the amplifier, a portal opening above it and immediately sucking Bob into a dreamlike world of colorful clouds and smoke. As soon as the hole appeared, it disappeared. Bob saw the last glimpse of his lab vanish, and then his vision turned to pure white.