To My World and Back Again Chapter 1
Genesis
By Ghost
Who knows if it were an act of God, fate, or an act of the entity that set off the chain of events that would change Simmons's life. That [time gate] was a strange accident. Oh well, no matter how it happened, it happened, and that was one of Simmons first adventures.
From the journal of Taban Kepler
May 5, 2006
10:48 P.M.
SROC Building
Oxnard, CA
As the rain continued to pour down through the endless night in the SROC building, a lone scientist, from a lone computer counsel, observed flashes of blue energy at the back of the small lab. The pulsing energy came from cords in a nearby wall that fed into a strange machine. This machine resembled a large, useless circle on the wall with eight poles stretching toward the center of the circle, but the scientist knew better…because he built it.
Other wires were running to his computer obviously for controlling the flow of energy. This scientist, through the pale light coming from the flashes and the computer screen, was seen clearly. At the age of twenty-seven he had an average height, about five-foot seven, a large pair of blue tinted safety goggles covering his deep blue eyes, and short, combed-back blue hair to match. He had on a long white lab coat, a continuing trademark among all scientists.
"Come one," he demanded the coursing energy, "isn't that enough"
The energy started to pulse more rapidly, and beads of sweat formed on the scientist's forehead. The scientist in nervousness tapped his fingers on the computer monitor as he started to pray silently.
"Please…"
The energy continued to pulse only, the energy seemed to have found a medium.
"Isn't that enough…"
The energy pulsed quickly and steadily.
"I've come so far…"
The scientist started to walk, almost in a trance, toward the energy, but stopped himself. He stayed at his counsel.
"…To fail again."
The energy pulsed at an immeasurable rate, and a blue light filled the room. Then, the center of the circular machine glowed with a large blue orb of energy. The scientist smiled with excitement as the energy started to condense. It condensed increasingly until a bright flash of blue light filled the room, forcing the scientist to cover his eyes.
The light died down in a moment or two, and the scientist opened his eyes to a blue orb with, what he could estimate as, a thirty-centimeter diameter. He stared at the orb with awe for a minute then started laughing uncontrollably.
The scientist forced himself to calm down as he walked toward the blue orb. He studied the blue orb intensely while making notes on a small notepad he pulled out of his pocket. After making a wild conclusion that the orb would stay stable as long as the power was on he walked back to his station and tapped on the keyboard, "Now to open this baby," he said matter-of-factly. The scientist continued to tap commands on his keyboard, and with another silent prayer, pushed the ENTER key.
The blue orb started to hum in the small room in a way that made the scientist's skin tingle. The hum became loud and steady, and the orb started to expand to a blue circle, a gate. It expanded then contracted, expanded then contracted, and expanded and contracted repeatedly unsteadily. "No, no, please… NO!" the scientist yelled as the orb dispersed into a circular wave of expanding blue light. The light passed through him, leaving a strange tingling sensation throughout his body.
The scientist fell to his knees strangely weakened, probably from continuing failures he had experienced time and time again. However, he knew this wasn't a total failure. He had created an orb, and only failed on keeping the gate open. He had failed many times, like Lucca, that smart girl in Chrono Trigger, had, and he knew it. He would try again, and the next time, he would not fail. So, after gathering his notes and other documents and a small folded up laptop, he shut off the computer on the counsel, turned off the lights, and went out the door.
11:14 P.M.
The scientist came out of the locker room dressed much differently than a before. His lab coat was off revealing a green shirt and blue jeans with a black, leather belt. He walked down the hall for a minute or two until he came across two janitors. "Hello Bob…Sam."
"Hola hombre!" Bob called out with a Mexican accent while holding a ladder. He was a short obese forty-year-old Mexican man with brown hair, parted off to his right. He was also in a pair of gray overalls with black, steel-toed boots.
"How goes it?" Sam replied on the ladder, replacing a light bulb. He was a tall, slim teen of Mexican descent, with wild red hair, dyed of course, and as the scientist remembered, volunteering his time for a scholarship to the University of California. He was wearing gray overalls as well with white and blue sneakers.
"Okay I suppose. What are you two up to?"
Sam stepped down the ladder, "Just doing a few fix-ups."
"It kind of looked that way. You two having a good night?"
"It's cool!" Sam said.
"It's the usual quiet night" Bob smiled, "so I have no complaints."
"Well good night you two. I've got a date with the sand man." The scientist waved as he left the janitors' sight.
Bob's eyes shot open, and he turned to his comrade, "You did cut off the rope tied around the glass for the new office window, didn't you?"
"Of course I did…I think."
Bob slapped his hand against his forehead. He said something in Spanish that even Sam didn't understand, and probably didn't want to. He quickly looked at the corner the scientist, grabbed Sam's arm, and without saying another word, hurried down the hall with Sam in tow.
11:21 P.M.
As the scientist turned another corner, he approached a new office with only a wooden door and a glass window propped up under the frame where it would go. His mind was busy recalling the experiment that he failed on again so he did not notice a short rope ahead with a loop tied around the glass and at the other end. Nor did he notice when his foot slipped into the end loop and started dragging the rope behind him.
He didn't go far until the rope jerked causing the scientist to fall over, dropping his notes, documents, and laptop. He turned on his back to notice the glass breaking into several large and deadly pieces and falling toward him. In his only attempt, he covered his face with his hands in fear before the shock took over and everything went black.
Same
The two janitors, Sam and Bob, turned the corner to find the scientist passed out and broken shards of glass everywhere. They cautiously approached the scientist, avoiding the glass. When close enough Bob squatted down, removed the rope from the scientist's foot, and shook him several times. The scientist eventually opened his eyes and got to one knee while looking at the scene around him.
"What happened?" the scientist questioned.
Sam, while scratching his head, confessed his mistake, and helped the scientist gather his notes. The scientist thanked him as he bent down to get his laptop, which, thankfully, still worked. In the process, his hand touched something cold and wet. It was ice. The ice was in a small puddle of water next to the computer. The scientist wiped his hand on his shirt and looked up to see an air duct directly above him. He turned to the janitors saying, "I think you two had better check on that duct. I think it's mess up."
The scientist did a sharp about face started to the main hallway, which led to the lounge. Bob stared at the duct for a moment, shook his head and said, "But we just checked it, and it's fine…oh well. Come on Sam, we've got work to do."
11:33 P.M.
The scientist emerged from a door with "OFF LIMITS" on the front of it into a waiting room. The waiting room had many chairs arranged into four columns of six. The room also had two small ferns in the front of the room near the automatic doors. In the center of the room was a receptionist playing Solitaire on her computer.
"Leaving early Patrick" Michelle, the receptionist called, not turning from the screen, as the scientist closed a door in the back of the waiting room. Michelle was an average, slim, white brunet, who, one could tell just by glancing, never had trouble getting a date Saturday night.
"Yeah, I just need to get out and go somewhere," Patrick returned while walking toward one of the chairs. He lazily fell into it and buried his hands in his face.
"Mind bringing me along?" she asked sweetly, "I have a half-hour left before I'm off, and you know me. I always have lots of energy." Michelle turned from her screen and smiled with a smile that would lift even the lowest of spirits.
Patrick lifted his head and smiled at the brunet showing Michelle that her smile was not losing its magic. "Awe, Miss Miller," he drawled, "you know I would, but then I'd have to let all my other girls know that I was busy tonight."
"Oh you, acting like you're all that" she laughed. "By the way you just said that, I would say you didn't do so well on your experiment, huh."
"Yeah," he said with a somber look, "but I'm getting there."
"Like you'll ever succeed," someone spat out.
John Cindel, a tall muscular man stood at the "OFF LIMITS" door with his arms crossed and back propped up against the door. He had night-black hair combed neatly back except for two disorderly strands that fell in front of his face. "Why don't you just give up? You proved yourself a loser too many times to waste the government's money. Just like you proved yourself a loser against me."
"What is he talking about, Patrick?" Michelle asked.
"It's nothing. Just a game you missed several years ago." he said, a look of anger in his eyes.
John walked away from the door he had been leaning on the minute before. He walked all the way, to where Patrick was sitting. "Go ahead and tell her, Simmons," John egged, "or are you a total coward?"
Patrick got up and stood before his lifelong enemy. "Look, John, why don't you leave me be and quit wallowing in glory you…you…" Patrick had himself ready to throw a fist at John's gut but stopped himself short of losing his cool. His cool was something that he prided himself on everyday of his life although John was one of the few people that could actually test his patience.
"You what you blue-hair freak!"
Patrick turned to Michelle, defeated again, a hand rubbing the back of his neck, "All right, here's what happened. Several years ago, John boy, here, defeated me in the all state karate championship. You know the one you missed due to cheer leading practice or something. Now he thinks that he's some hot shot."
"But I am a hot shot," John snickered, "and you will always be second best."
Patrick picked up his things, the same weakening feelings from earlier coming back up into him again. He turned to Michelle with a faint smile and to the door, completely ignoring John. Maybe so Mr. Cindel, but my mind and body will always be stronger yours, and that's what matters in this world. He walked out through the automatic doors of the SROC building with his head high, hopes high, and Destiny quickly approaching.
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