Quantum Poppers (15 page)

‘What?’

‘Your visions.’

‘Quantum
shadows.’

‘That’s right.
Those visions were of people trapped in the past. The girl in the red dress for
example had jumped six minutes and seventeen seconds back and was one of the
ones who was unaware. The second girl you saw retuning to the table that no one
else could see was the real girl stuck in the past. The one I hear that you
ended up poking on the shoulder was her quantum shadow on the quantum plain -
your present. It carries on as she would and fills in the gap she has left.’

‘How does that
work? They make their same decisions?’

‘We believe so;
this isn’t an exact science. We may never know the exact intricacies of how
these shadows work. In essence it is the exact same person, but made of
different matter. In this world there is matter and anti-matter. Put simply,
all the true selves are a variant of matter, all the shadows are a variant of
anti-matter. These anti-matter shadows are virtually the same person, but a
shadow, a negative self that is an echo away from being a true reflection of
the person’s positive self left upon the plain. We’ll come back to that in a
minute. Are you keeping up?’ Bartley suddenly smiled. ‘I do realise how crazy
this must sound.’

‘I’m humouring
you, you sound like you need someone to listen to all this. So, I am seeing
people in the past.’

‘Correct. The
red dress girl was extracted after you saw her leave, but the girl you saw talking
to nobody was the real girl trapped in the past interacting with a bunch of
quantum shadows upon her own strand which it sounds like you couldn’t see.’

‘I could only
see her.’

‘It sounds as
though you can only see the positive - the actual self. All your visions - the
ghosts, the doubles - are the positive selves trapped in the past. They
interact with anti-matter selves, shadows, that apparently you cannot see. That
no one can see.’

‘I still need
proof of this.’

‘Don’t worry,
we’ll get to that.’

‘I can see
through time.’ Tony muttered this to himself rather than to Bartley. There was
no acceptance whatsoever to what this guy was saying but on some bizarre level,
whilst not making sense, it did fit. His visions were of twins doing the exact
same thing as themselves just moments later, as if they were carrying on the
motions in the past. The kid who had panicked, he must have been aware. The
real kid, or his shadow now in the present, must have left the play area
without Tony noticing and left the restaurant with his real parents. It was
anti-matter parents in the past who had to deal with a screaming child. It made
no sense, but Tony wanted to believe. In fact, he quite liked the idea that
maybe there was a larger than life explanation for all that had happened.

‘To a certain
extent yes, you are able to see people trapped in the past from the quantum
plain. Whilst we are capable of tracking and extracting people who have jumped
back, sometimes it’s not enough. We need speed. We need to find these people as
quickly as possible and someone with your skill would be invaluable to us.’

‘Ok, so the
next obvious question: why can I see these people at all?’

Bartley sank
into the sofa and glanced out of the window. His baffling words that had flowed
so smoothly now seemed stuck in his throat. Either that or they had reached a
dead-end that even Bartley couldn’t get out of.

‘Honestly? We
don’t know. We have theories. The sea of time can be disrupted due to huge
emotional events which can jolt people back. It can also happen for no apparent
reason. Has a large emotional event occurred with you recently?’

Tony stared in
silence. It couldn’t be related to Emma. This surely couldn’t come back to her.
One of the good things about this chat was that it had taken his mind off of
her...and now this. She had been dragged back into the conversation, into a
place he thought he was safe.

‘When Aaron
accosted me the other day, I was returning from a funeral. My best friend.’

‘I’m sorry to
hear that, but that could be the reason. Although, I know it’s tragic, but I'd
be surprised if that was all it took to disrupt your alignment.’

‘Alignment?’

‘Yes. This
emotional event appears to have altered your quantum alignment. Rather than
physically jolt you to another strand, it has disrupted your inner being so
that you can see these images.’

‘But I was
seeing the visions before the death.’

‘It’s possible
future occurrences could send ripples through time, to climax when the event
was triggered. It could also be something else, something ahead that could
trigger these events. It may not have happened yet. I don’t want to trivialise
his death, but there could be a greater event approaching.’

‘Her's.’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘
Her
death, it was a girl. She died in a car crash recently and it certainly feels like
my quantum alignment is now beyond repair.’

Bartley stared
at him in silence. His expression more unreadable than ever. He edged once more
to the front of his seat and opened his mouth as if to say something but
appeared to force himself not to speak.

‘What is it?’

‘Nothing,
nothing.’

‘Is it about
Emma?’

‘No, it’s
nothing, I’m just sad to hear of your loss. That may be the only reason for
your visions. In fact, I’m sure it is.’

But he sounded
as though he couldn’t be less sure to Tony. He sunk into the sofa. ‘I’ve nearly
finished, for now. If you’ll let me continue.’

‘Be my guest.
Hearing all this has passed a few otherwise dull moments in my life. Quite
interested to see your proof.’

‘The visions
themselves aren’t proof enough?’

‘Not of an
ability to see through time with the death of my best friend being the cause of
my disrupted inner self. But please, continue.’

‘Ok. As I have
said, we go back and retrieve people. And that speed helps. Some people
automatically return when they hit the point in their strand from which they
jumped but most don’t, in fact, more people than ever aren’t. There are some
very grave consequences to all this.’

‘So staying in
the past is bad?’

‘Yes, at least
theoretically. I devote my life extracting, or popping people back, due to a
scientific constant. If anti-matter and matter meet, it results in
annihilation. This is scientific fact. And hopefully something we will never
see proven in its extreme, but we can’t take that chance.

‘Let’s return
to Mr. X. Whilst Mr. X's actions would have no impact on the present he can
affect every other quantum strand. Let’s bring in Mr. Y. Mr. X has jumped back
five minutes, Mr. Y has jumped back five minutes and ten seconds. This means
the real Mr. Y is always ten seconds behind the real Mr. X and he never catches
up. However, there is now a quantum shadow of Mr. X on the quantum plain. There
is the real Mr. X stuck five minutes in the past and there is also a quantum
shadow of Mr. X on the quantum strand that the real Mr. Y occupies ten seconds
behind him. Does that sound confusing?’

‘A little.’

‘Exactly. We
don’t believe that time itself fully comprehends exactly where everyone is
meant to be. There must be some process governing all this and like all the
most powerful computers it’s prone to crash. But only in certain conditions. If
the real Mr. Y comes into physical contact with any of Mr. X's quantum shadows
then those pretty bad consequences take place.’

‘Meaning?’

‘Time crashes,
shuts down, we get a paradox and put simply: the whole universe implodes on
itself.’

‘Nice.’

‘That is a
worst case scenario; only that individual strand could be affected and
collapse. Of course, this can also happen if two people who have jumped from
the quantum plain end up inhabiting the same quantum strand. If the real Mr. X
and the real Mr. Y land on the same strand and physically touch, then...’

‘So you find
these people and go back and extract them to the present before they
involuntary implode the universe.’

‘Yes.’

‘What are the
chances of that actually happening?’

‘Admittedly,
very small. And as I say, we have no ultimate proof. The universe hasn’t
imploded yet. I used the word variant earlier to describe the matter and
anti-matter selves. We say this because whatever is governing the rules around
the space-time continuum - for there must be something - it accepts where
everyone is supposed to be. If someone has jumped back, there is now a matter
being in an anti-matter world. The strands somehow remain strong, on the whole.
The anti-matter selves upon that strand have been created, so fail-safes have
been put in place for protection when inevitable contact is made. It is
contaminations we need to root out, such as two matter beings on a single
strand, the accumulation of matter and anti-selves across numerous strands,
plus additional factors we are yet to witness. But it’s scientific fact that
annihilation will be the result, and that’s a conclusion none of us can risk.’

‘Annihilation,’
Tony said to himself. Didn’t sound too bad to him.

‘The chances of
two people existing on the same strand are very small. Even if they did, or
inhabited different strands that interlinked, the chances of them physically
meeting in the same location are minute.’

‘But that must
occur when you go back to retrieve.’

‘I’m glad you’re
paying attention. We use precautions. And we’re very careful. It’s not as if
you have much choice when attempting to save the universe.’

Bartley finally
collapsed into the sofa. He rested his hands on his lap and looked at Tony. The
sense that Tony wanted to believe was greater than ever, but it was more of an
excuse not to face what could really be the issue. The fact that Emma had been
drawn into things and Bartley’s unconvincing assertion that there was nothing
linked to this also increased his hope. Maybe this nonsense just might be his
destiny.

‘You really are
going to have to prove this. If you want me to believe.’

Bartley stood
and smiled.

‘No time like
the present.’

1672.6

Words fail me.
Whilst I knew in theory the test would work, the sensation is indescribable -
not the most useful piece of journalism I admit. I feel like a kid reporting
back on what I did for my summer holidays; not a physicist blamed for wasting
the university’s money on my pointless time travel theories. Firstly, I didn’t
destroy the universe. Secondly, I believe I have become the world’s first time
traveler!

Location: the
lab. A test of ten seconds. At precisely 090000 hours I switched on The Device.

There was no
noticeable difference visually. A gentle hum occurred and I knew I was in the
presence of an otherworldly essence. The entry point of the wormhole had been
created. I couldn’t see it but the particle acceleration within The Device
ignited as planned and the readings were erratic, off the charts. I had created
the opening of the wormhole at the test location at 090000. I waited the ten
seconds (090010). Sweat flooded from my brow and my heart hammered to a point
where I thought I might collapse. With no one here to help who knows what would
have happened if I hadn’t been able to maintain control? At 090010 I
reactivated The Device. As theorised, a second wormhole, the exit, was created.
Not only that but the digital conversion capacitor fed by the matter absorber
located its twin throughout space-time and I was instantly transported back the
ten seconds. As mentioned, the sensation was indescribable. This is mostly due
to there being hardly a sensation at all. A blinding white light and what I can
only describe as a silent sonic boom (all sound was instantly ripped from
existence) engulfed me and my world disappeared. I should have panicked - had I
created the paradox I feared? Had I been sucked into oblivion? These thoughts
were in the forefront of my mind - a period of doubt as to what I had done. But
then the world faded in around me. I noted the test clock now read 0900001 and
knew I was back.

I could have
cried. It worked. It actually worked. I was back. Ten seconds in the past.
Clearly nothing visual had changed except the time. I was frozen, unsure whether
to risk moving or what to do next. Now, this is the new piece of info. I
originally foresaw two possibilities to the outcome of my journey. Either I
would reactivate The Device and be returned back to the wormhole entrance from
where I came, or would simply be stuck ten seconds in the past. Could I live
with that? For the sake of science I might have had to. I took a step forward
in an attempt to ascertain this world had substance and reached out to touch my
desk. That’s when it happened.

The clock hit
090010 and in a flash of white and that silent sonic boom, eternity exploded
around me. I was back. The test clock now read 090020. It would appear that
when I caught up with the time at which I activated the exit wormhole in the
past (the second time I hit ten seconds past 9am) I was instantaneously
transported back to the present. Not only that but a present which had moved on
the duration I had been away. The present had continued on without me for ten
seconds and so I returned to where, or should I say when, I would have been if
I had never left. It appears the present is a constant. Interesting.

1704.7

Test number
four is complete. The longest yet. I left the quantum plain at midday (120000)
with three objectives.

i: longer jump
period. This would be thirty minutes (113000).

ii: activate
The Device before the thirty minutes has elapsed to see if I could successfully
transport back to the present.

iii: leave the
lab.

I wasn’t sure
which of these was the most risk filled. Probably leaving the lab and
interaction with whatever/whoever would be outside. The results are mostly as
expected, with one major exception. It’s almost as if I know what I’m doing. My
sponsors at the university should probably be made aware of my results. But I
can’t let go of this knowledge yet.

The jump went
smoothly. The trip was again instantaneous regardless of the time I had
traveled and the sensation of light and non-sound remained. The clock
registered 113000 and I began phase three straight away. I headed for the lab
door with the intent purpose to return to the lab and reactivate The Device
within twenty-five minutes.

I could have
still been on the plain. Everything was the same. I never doubted that it
wouldn’t but I was expecting some kind of addition to the world. That’s incorrect;
I was expecting some kind of subtraction. Perhaps the world would be off
kilter, offset from the one I was accustomed to. As if a veil had been removed
and the world would appear transparent, thinner, less defined. It didn’t,
everything remained. The echo of the university's hallways, the breeze that
follows you up the staircase to the ground floor, and sunlight which burnt
brightly through the south facing entrance as it always did. And also the
people.

This is the key
factor of this experiment, the people. I have assumed the present and its
occupants still exist once I have left (need confirmation). Therefore the
people I passed, fellow students who ignored me and professors who acknowledged
me with reluctant nods, must surely be in addition to those left on the quantum
plain. I can’t be egotistical enough to assume that all on the plain ceases
whilst I’m away, others must continue without me. So my strand was populated
with beings somehow replicated from the present. I was hesitant at first to
touch, or make any contact with the world around me. Each footfall felt like a
muddy footprint I was leaving upon this world in which I didn’t belong.

As I entered
the reception area, the large wooden clock to the right chimed, indicating ten
minutes had passed. I was paying particular interest to each of the intricacies
of this strand, noting the shake and reluctant shimmer of the foot-long minute
hand as it creaked towards the number two. The woman on reception eyed me for
my apparent reverence of the clock; this somehow relaxed me. I was accepted
into this world by being singled out by her solitary glance. I left at speed to
go outside, heading towards the bright light of the sunshine. Again a selfish
notion on my part: I imagined that this strand I had created was like a bubble,
keeping me secure within. There would be nothing at its edge; all around me was
for my benefit. Would I be able to see its fabricated boundaries whilst viewed
in the extremities of a near endless view of the town? Of course not. There was
no sudden drop off of reality at a certain distance. The town, the church, the
supermarket, and the university’s square were all held firm in reality, as too
was the endless vista I saw before me of the road leading south and the
hundreds of people going about their lives oblivious to the time traveler
amongst them.

Apart from the
sheer wonder of where (when) I was, all was mundane. Life carried on.

I began to head
back to the lab at 115000. Students continued to flock in and out of the main
door which looking back now I must have avoided contact with. I once more
glanced up at the clock, its hand creeping nearer to eight minutes to twelve.
I’d be in my lab for 115500, reactivate The Device and return home. That’s when
she pounced.

‘I suppose in
your field you are always aware of time,’ she said, or something similar. She,
as well as most on the university's staff, knew I was kept around for studies
into quantum mechanics and the apparent folly of examining the manipulation of
space-time and wormhole diagnostics. She assumed that looking at clocks was a
large part of the program. I made pleasantries to expedite my departure and
return to the lab, making a joke I no longer recall regarding the time it took
to get to my office and an experiment I had set up to do with time dilation.
She smiled, at least I think she did. It turns out she was only a part-time
receptionist and was interested in pursuing a course within the physics
department. I said I’d be delighted to help her out but that I really was in a
hurry. She smiled politely and held out her hand. ‘Another time perhaps?’

‘Most
definitely,’ I replied.

‘My name is
Eleanor,' said she, and I said I was Dixon. We shook hands.

I never
returned to my office by the stairs, never felt that breeze drifting down with
me as I headed back along the deserted lower level corridors. At the point of
contact I was surrounded in that bright whiteness. The world around me once
more faded and I could feel myself being sucked out of existence. The sensation
was much more jarring than before. I was truly forced back to the present and
found myself instantly transported to my lab. Why? I don’t know, surely I
should have remained in the same physical location but returned to the present!

Not so. I was
returned to the quantum plain, in my lab, at the touch of another person. This
is where the basics of quantum mechanics come into play as explanation. I was
real, I am matter. She was not real. Her real self would still be on the plain.
She would be a representation of the true self, anti-matter. We touched,
annihilation. I believe that strand was destroyed by that touch in a localised
paradox which thankfully returned me to the present. Would this always be the
case? After all, wouldn’t everything be anti-matter? The floor I was walking
on? The air I was breathing? Perhaps there was something more significant in
our touch, something time could not even comprehend.

One fact
remains. As I’m now writing this, I clearly haven’t destroyed the universe.

Yet.

3045.8

I am replacing
myself in the past. I can’t go back to see me five minutes ago. I am the actual
self once upon the strand.

2821.14

If people are
randomly jumping, the shadow left on the plain must always be unaware. I am the
only individual consciously choosing to go back. My shadow which remains is the
only one consciously aware that a self has jumped. How does it feel? I guess
we’ll never know.

1709.18

Wow. This is
the humdinger. Perhaps the greatest realisation of all these tests. As
mentioned many times, the quantum plain is moving forward regardless of
whenever I am in relation. I am interacting on a strand with shadows
independent to the plain. This should have been obvious from the start but: my
actions are causing no (at least recognisable) effects to the present once I
have returned. This is a groundbreaking revelation. No matter what I do I
cannot change the present. My actions in the past have no effect. I am a god. I
can do anything!