Twisted;Reality [IC/Always Accepting]

[Aix]

OoC

[hr]

[hr]James Wang, second-year university student and founder of the Time Research Lab, stood outside on the edge of the driveway of the moderately sized house which he currently rented a room and lived alongside owners themselves. He got along quite well with the family of four, Ms. Hayes was, in fact, grateful for his presence in the family as he would aid in chores, taking care of the two children and filling in the space left by the the family’s eldest child who recently left home. Though, these days, he was helping out less, he had a goal now, a mission to accomplish, and he couldn’t be spending his time on the idle tasks of daily life.

James took a deep swig from his bottle of Dr Pepper before turning parallel onto the sidewalk and heading towards the laboratories located near the center of campus. It was a long walk, though it suited him just fine as he was given the opportunity to enjoy this gorgeous October day. The sun felt just right, warming him nicely between intervals where the light breeze cooled him down again before it got too hot. After just a minute, he had walked through the large, impressive school gates and entered the university grounds. Being one of the most prestigious of schools in the world and funded by the multi-billionaire Victor Qondria himself, Victor Qondria University was a scenic spotlight itself, especially in autumn where the trees arched over the paths forming natural canopies of vibrant yellows, oranges and reds, the street side bushes were constantly being tended to, and James spotted two gardeners as he walked through.

The University also boasted the incredible labs with the latest state-of-the-art technology, not surprising, being the leading science school. James was very glad, honoured almost, to be able to research and conduct experiments there. Space was tight, however, and he, and the Time Research team, had only been allowed use of the facilities and a research grant at the end of last year after James's constant prodding and persuasion.

Though the most recent addition to the Lab had certainly strengthened their case in the eyes the administrative board and almost guaranteed their continued support from the University. One of the University's star students, Chris Smith, had joined their mission in the creation of a time machine. James himself was rather smart, but Chris was a genius who already, at the age of 18, held multiple Master's and Bachelor's degrees and was working towards a Doctorate. The guy himself was quite amicable, it was not long before James counted him amongst his friends, and he was very helpful, contributing with his vast knowledge. James felt that their experiments would soon bear fruit. James's luck only got better. Perhaps the research grant was less of a need now as they were granted funding from an upper class gentleman who took interest in their research. And finally, the cherry on top of the cake, there had been rumours on the internet, from credible sources, that SERN was going to offer a reward of a potential 100 million dollars for working and usable time machine. The stakes had been raised and everyone was out seeking the secret to time travel, James intended to show them and be the first to present the world with the first functional time machine.

He required the money, soon, within the next few months. James's father was in dire need of a heart transplant and an expensive operation, amounting up to a grand total cost of 1.3 million dollars. Perhaps it was a pipe dream to create a time machine, but he had to make this dream a reality. The fact that SERN appeared to be seriously offering this reward made him think that they may have proof that it is possible. He had no time to lose and was spending all his free time in research.

With a sense of purpose, James strode into the laboratory, donning a pristine white lab coat from the hooks beside the door. The others should be arriving soon, but James was already ready to get to work.
[hr]
[spoiler=Opening Theme]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NOLO5p-LZ0

[/spoiler]
[hr]

[TatteredSleeves]

Roy was not having a good morning, he had woken up with a start after a terrible nightmare. His dreaming mind had put him through losing his arm all over again. When he awoke, he was suffering from a bout of phantom limb pains and he took some painkillers to give himself some relief. He let out a tired sigh as he approached the lab. The keys in his pocket dug into his leg next to his wallet, he dug his thumb into the palm of his still-human hand, a gesture he made when he was not at ease with himself. His mood lightened a bit when the lab came into view.

 

Roy shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut trying to force the thoughts from this morning from his mind. He ran his hand through his hair before walking into the lab. He looked around for a short while before his eyes fell on James. Roy took off his brown overcoat and traded it in for a labcoat similar to the one James was wearing. "Morning Mr.Wang, how're you doing?" Roy asked as he washed his human hand, keeping his hand of steel out of the water. Roy reached into his pocket and attached a dextrous, human-like hand to his prothstetic arm, he wiggled his 'fingers' about for good measure. He kept a few of his 'hands' in the lab and they each had their uses. Feeling sufficiently prepared, Roy went right to the notes he had been taking on what teh framework of a time machine would look like.

[ListenToLife]

"But if I...no...what about...? Nope. That'd never work..."

 

The continuous muttering was coupled with a constant scratching of chalk on a black board, the squeaking of bed-springs and the occasional sip at a mug of coffee. The source of all of these noises happened to be a teen boy, his right hand holding a piece of white chalk and his left a half drunk coffee. His pale face showed large bags, revealing his lack of sleep that night, and the redness of his hand showed the cramps he had sustained from writing. To be expected, really. For the squeaking of bedsprings was due to his current position. That being, him stood on his bed, his neck craned upwards to stare at a blackboard imbedded into the ceiling. Half of said blackboard was covered with scribbled equations and aggressive crossing-outs.

 

And the reason he was drawing on the roof? The rest of the walls were full. The room was fitted with large blackboards on each wall, and each was full of strange equations and seemingly nonsense words. Unusual symbols adorned his walls with great number. And each equation had a massive white line through it, effectively dismissing it.

 

With a sigh, Christopher Smith, one of Victor Qondria University's resident Genii, lowered his mug to his bedside cabinet and tossed his chalk across the room, where it hit a small pile of empty chalk packets. He proceeded to drop onto his bed, continuing to stare at the ceiling, his eyes drooping slightly as his body tried to force sleep upon him. No such luck, sadly, for as he dropped his head to the pillow, essentially giving up for the day, his alarm clock rung out, signalling his need to appear at the Time Research Lab.

For that, of course, was what was puzzling him. As it had many people of similar ability to himself for the last hundred years. Time Travel. A miracle if achieved, and yet a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Many books lay open on Chris' floor, each having some relevance to the topic, but none giving any sort of enlightenment.

 

Groaning, Chris rose from his bed again, trudging solemnly into the nearby bathroom, where he proceeded to splash his face repeatedly with the water in the sink, in an effort to keep himself awake. He opened a nearby cabinet and removed a large box of painkillers, taking double the suggested dose in an effort to dim his headaches. Following that, he quickly pulled on a newer set of clothing, consisting of a plain t-shirt over a pair of comfortable jeans, and moved into the kitchen, grabbing but pear to eat on his way to the Lab.

 

The day was already looking to be a good one; the sun shining high in the sky, but covered by clouds at the perfect intervals to avoid too much of the light. The simple breeze blew at a perfect rate which prevent extremes of temperature, and the trees displayed a sort of beauty that wasn't apparent in any other season. Indeed, Autumn was probably the most beautiful of the seasons, at least in Chris' eyes. The apparent randomness, and yet predictable falling of the golden leaves; the mixture of rain and sunny days, appearing after relatively easy to calculate intervals.

 

A smile crept up on Chris' face as he walked, and fellow early risers greeted him kindly, as he did them. Most did so more out of politeness than actual affection, but there were a few in the maths department who he classed as friends or close, and many of his colleagues in the Astrophysics department were fellow insomniacs, and the rest were generally nocturnal anyway, so most could be seen walking around the grounds on this particularly beautiful morning.

 

Strangely, despite being troubled by the formulae for this particular challenge, the morning made him feel confident. He looked around, seeing the maths in everything, and he could almost visualise the necessities for his problem. It was so close, so...touchable. Tangible. He could pretty much taste it.

 

He arrived at the Lab with a smile on his face, and though obviously tired, he seemed to have relative enthusiasm, and strode to his own desk briskly. He nodded his greetings to Roy, the project's main engineer, and openly greeted James, their founder.

"You ain't half thought up one heck of a task here, James." Chris said, smiling and seating himself in his revolving chair, surrounded by a multitude of computer screens, though none were currently on.

 

"I haven't got much news yet. Gotta say, I've been racking my brain for stuff, and it's proving elusive." Chris explained, turning around to face his central computer and pressing the button to turn it on. "And everything I have got, we'll need more than a hundred million for it."

[Enrise]

As the clock slowly turned to 6:00 a.m., soft, slow, melodic electric guitar sounds emitted from four speakers that surrounded the room in the top corners. Within a minute, the music escalated into loud, full metal band that continued their same melodic structure. In the middle of the room awoke a man, surrounded by 5 cats of different colors, who groaned waking up. "Hmm? Oh, Ensiferum? From Afar... Good choice." Slowly getting out of the bed and stepped onto the carpet floor, Miro walked over to a pair of large curtains on the other side of the room. Sliding the curtains apart, the room shone with the light from the sun, and his black boxer briefs for the world to see. Turning his back to the sun and walking back towards a dresser that stood next to his bed with a stereo system on top of it. After quickly shuffling through a list of songs, he selected Twilight of the Thunder God by Amon Amarth, and walked over to a rack that had several dress shirts and pants hanging. Two of the cats were awake and looked at him walking, then at each other, then back to Miro.

 

Dressed in a white suit and tie, Miro turned off the music, toke his iPod, and placed it in his pocket. He sat on the bed to put on his shoes, and all five cats awoke, and walked over to him. Meowing, they all rubbed against him, purring. One even got on his lap and sat on it. "Hey now, c'mon. You know I gotta get ready to leave. Upsy daisy." Removing the cat from his lap, Miro was lucky no hair stuck. "Glad these were hand-tailored so hair would not stick to it." He walked out of the room leaving the door open, and walked into the living room area where a large L-Shaped desk stood in the corner with several screens and a laptop laid with an iPad tablet and some notes shuffled around. Taking a briefcase from underneath the desk, he stuck the laptop inside where there's already a charger in it, put the paper notes in a side pocket, and the iPad inside a smaller pocket. Closing it and locking it, Miro quickly walked around the house to make sure everything was shut, locked, and covered. The cats had their food out and the litter boxes clean, so they're going to be good for a while. Grabbing his wallet, campus ID, and a pair of headphones that were sitting around on the edge of the desk, Miro took a hold of the briefcase, while shoving the wallet and other items into his pocket. Leaving the apartment and locking the door, Miro started to walk for the university.

 

--

 

Arriving at the steps of the university with his headphones in his ears, he headed towards the direction of the laboratories where the Time Research Team would be located. The Time Research Team was something Miro wouldn't normally take part in, but however, he had his reason. Obscure and yet incredibly overbearing to what could happen to the time continuum, he believes that his intentions were indeed a noble one. He helped funded the team, lessening the need of a grant for their research. While under normal circumstances a Time Machine would be highly valued, it can't be certain as to how it would operate to it's full extent. Sure the physics behind it wouldn't be of much use to him, since he's not a devoted expert to that field, but it does concern him as to how it would affect individual life forms, or multiple if there was a possibility. Luckily, the team will have a devoted research of the Biological field of the science and the time machine's effects on life. Not only that, but Miro has been privately researching the human mind and its conscious, so to see how Time Travel would affect the human mind would be something even more exciting. After all, the team that was giving so much money from Miro can't afford to fail with all the resources at their disposal.

 

Walking up towards the door of the lab, he quietly open the door, and took one ear bud out of his right ear, and heard "...more than a hundred million for it."

 

"Hundred million for what?" Miro suddenly question turning to Chris who probably said the words. He quickly turned to the other two, James and Roy, and gave them a nod and greeted them. "Morning James. Morning Roy." Walking to the closest table, Miro carefully set down his briefcase on it, and opened it, taking the notes he had - quickly brushing through them - and his iPad, and placed them aside for later. He left his laptop inside and closed the briefcase, locking it.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

6:30am... not the best time to for Amelia Therein to get up, but she kinda had to for today; after all, she didn't want to miss out on the Time Research Lab's first meeting like she did with several of her classes, or else she'd never get to know what it was like. But first thing's first: get ready for school. Amelia had already packed her lunch, and stuffed her swimsuit in her purse ready for her gym class. Now all she had to do is hit the shower, freshen up and then run out the door.

 

She was out of breath by the time she arrived, but at she was on time for a change. So far so good. But before going to the meeting, Amelia made a quick trip to her locker to double-check her timetable for the day and quickly store some things. However, Amelia had found her old diary in amongst her purse and, curiously, read through it, only to find a particular entry that she never remembered writing. She continued flicking through the pages, finding some entries that she vaguely remembered, some she actually had a decent memory of and more that she'd forgotten altogether. But there was one particular entry that stood above the rest, all because of the way it was written. Amelia could tell that she was angry at the time she wrote that particular entry; the pencil that she used at the time was pressed down onto the page, and the entry, a hastily made and sloppy mess, had stopped abruptly, presumably because the pencil had snapped.

 

"Surely I wouldn't write something like that... would I?" Amelia mused in a worried tone.

 

All of a sudden though, it all came back to her; where she was at the time, what she did and what happened afterwards. She even remembered several details that she didn't manage to write down. But it all became too much. Amelia gave the diary a panicky toss into her locker and slammed the door, taking time for a breather before locking it and trying to go about as if nothing had happened. She opened the door to the lab as quietly as she could, before closing it again just as quietly and taking a seat, unaware that she was meant to sign up to take part in the Time Research Lab before attending the meeting.

[~Tico~]

The time was now day. Though the curtains were shut for the most part, a few stray beams of sunlight still managed to poke their way past the gaps and enter the room. The room in question was relatively plain in appearance: a writing desk tucked against one corner, a bookshelf opposite the door, another (smaller) bookcase next to the bed, and the bed itself pretty much in the center of the room. A simple woolen rug lay on the floor towards the left of the room, and an open door in the side hall leading to the bathroom revealed a medium-sized closet packed with clothes.

 

On the bed was sprawled a girl of about 19 years old. Her relatively slim figure was currently covered by her attire of blue checkered pajamas. Strangely enough, she had neglected to sleep under the covers, a fact easily distinguishable due to the bed being just as neat as if it had just been made moments ago. An open book lay close to her open left hand.

 

For another few moments, Charlene Yukuhashi did not stir, still held within the confines of slumber. At long last though, a slight twitch of her limbs indicated that she was now awake. Slowly and laboriously, she opened her eyes and then, with a slightly increased vigor, pushed herself up and off the bed. For a brief moment, she felt light-headed; this was accompanied by an unsteady gait that left her almost stumbling across the room. Then she recovered and stretched for a long moment even as her mouth opened in a sleepy sort of yawn.

 

Still blinking somewhat groggily, the girl trudged to the bathroom and began the normal morning routine of washing her face, brushing her teeth, and otherwise preparing herself for the day. After that and a quick visit to her dresser, Charlene was now fully dressed and neat as normal. Pausing to check the digital clock on her desk, she confirmed her suspicions: she had overslept. Today was the day she had intended to join the Time Research Lab and to that end, she had sent in her application form to the group’s founder. However, she had also intended to show up bright and early at the lab today. Charlene could only hope that the rest of the members were not assembled there yet, as she sorely doubted showing up last would make a good first impression.

 

Stopping now only to seize a few cereal bars as a makeshift breakfast, she now flung open the door of her decently-sized apartment, quickly turned about to lock it, and then set off down the hall, to the stairs, and then out the building’s front entrance two stories below.

Some minutes later, Charlene was now headed in the general direction of the university’s labs. Save for the messenger bag containing her tablet computer, a notebook, and a few other things, she was empty-handed. Her hair was slightly disheveled as the result of its brief tussle with several strong gusts of wind on the way here.

 

The few minutes needed for her to reach the particular lab used by the Time Research Team passed much quicker than they seemed to be, and soon enough, Charlene was pulling open the door. As she had supposed would be the case, what seemed like the rest of the team was already assembled, and some hard at work to boot. The young woman would’ve sighed if it weren’t for the fact that she was practically gasping for air already, having run the whole way here and not being the most athletic person out there.

 

Still leaning on the wall next to the entryway, about another minute and a half passed before she ceased her panting and finally straightened. Looking slightly abashed, she stepped forward and said, “Excuse me, which of you here is James Wang? I’m here to join the Time Research Lab, so…” Her voice trailed off towards the end of her sentence, leaving it unfinished and only leaving Charlene more flustered. Flushing, the girl practically shrank back a little as she awaited the response, although given her anxiety about it, one might’ve thought she were dreading a verdict.

[Aix]

James turned around to face his fellow lab member who was just coming in. "I'm fine, thank you," he said. "Good morning to you, too, Roy." Roy went to his desk, fast to work, and James decided to leave his colleague in peace, turning back to his own table and settling down again. A minute later, his phone beeped, notifying him that he received a new email and James picked it up. Glancing at it, he found that it was from a student who had emailed him not to long ago asking to join, but told him that she was busy and would meet them all later, however, she had been pursuing a matter of her own which she assured him would definitely help their cause. James had been perplexed by this, but he had then replied that he would gladly accept any help and any new members to their team. She was free to come whenever she wanted. She appeared to have decided to give them a visit today.

----------

Dear Mr. James Wang,

 

I am very pleased that you would accept me into your ranks and allow to participate in the creation of a time machine. I apologize that I have not been available recently and would be very glad to come visit the Time Research Lab and meet everyone else anytime today and perhaps the next few days as well.

 

I believe that I have something that may be of help in the manipulation of time and would gladly donate this item to the cause. I hope to be of help and you can figure out how to create a time machine.

 

Sincerely,

 

Selena Collinwood

----------

James stared at the email for a moment. Interesting... something that can help us? Some sort of item, huh? Before he could ponder it further, or respond, Chris entered the lab with a greeting. “Hey, Chris,” he said, rather cheerily, but proceeded to crease his eyebrows. Chris looked somewhat tired, though it was to be expected of any university student, even a genius like Chris. Though as it turns out, he had been contemplating different possible methods of time travel and to no avail, because everything was beyond the range of their resources, even with a research grant and outside funding.

 

“One hundred million for what?

 

James looked at the newcomer with surprise. Miro Vlad, the adoptive child of the upper-class gentleman who provided their funding. It was quite rare for him to stop over. James didn’t know too much about him, but it was as if the pale man rarely ever went out into sunlight with his pristine snow-white skin. “Hello, Miro,” James said in response to the Miro’s greeting. “We were just discussing time machine possibilities, and Chris calculated that any sort of thing, like, a synchrotron and stuff would cost more than 100 million anyway, so there’s no point trying that and we wouldn’t be able to anyway, even with your family funding us. Anyway, I’d like to announce a new member today, she...” He trailed off as a black haired girl, clad almost entirely in black, walked into the lab, looking flustered and anxious. It appeared she had come to join the lab, though thinking back on it, she didn’t match the university ID appearance of Ms. Collinwood and James could only assume that this is a different person.

“Two new members then..." He corrected himself and before turning facing the newcomer. "Hello, welcome to the Time Research Lab, I am James Wang, allow me to introduce you to Chris... Miro... and Roy," he said, pointing each of his friends out in turn. "May I ask your name?” The girl seemed really shy and James decided being extra polite might be a prudent way to respond.

[ListenToLife]

Chris swivelled his chair around slightly to see their mysterious funder, Miro Vlad, enter the room, and proceeded to muddle his words slightly. "Well, err, y'see, like James said, err...funding and, err, stuff." Truth be told, he found the man particularly intimidating, especially compared to the enthusiastic, up beat personality of James, and the hard-working attitude of Roy. The man was...mysterious. Calm, quiet and his pale face was unscrutible, with an almost vampiric appearance to it. It perplexed Chris, and so it worried him. He didn't like being confused.

 

He was also off-put by the arrival of more unfamliar faces. A pair of girls, one who seemed to go unnoticed by everyone else, a blonde girl who sat herself down not far from the exit. Perhaps she's just lost? Or maybe she doesn't know whether to join? Chris didn't know, and he wasn't sure of any of his hypotheses, so he decided it was best just to leave her be, until one of the others spoke up.

Instead, he gulped and focussed on the other girl, who had immediately made her self known. While obviously flustered and a bit confused, Chris was again rather intimidated by her all black attire, a quality he had long associated with depression and darkness, as most people had.

 

He nodded politely at her in greeting, smiling politely, before turning back to Miro, to fully explain his predicament.
"Err, well, to be exact, most of the theories surrounding time-travel aren't totally...err...possible. F.T.L, Wormholes, Closed Time Curves. The Kerr Solution would be a very interesting method, in particular. All of them are technically allowed by the laws of physics, and relativity means all of them are physically possible. But none are possible for us, and that's the problem." Chris explained, sighing and fiddling with a pencil in his hands. "F.T.L would require us to build a machine that could bypass the laws that stop matter from moving faster than light. Wormholes aren't even proven to exist, and Closed Time Curves are even more of a conjecture."

 

He sighed and turned to James. "You got any contacts that have something useful? Because as far as I can tell, our only plausible option is flying through a singularity ring, which only form in the centre of a rotating black hole."

[Enrise]

When James mentioned his name, he immediately turned his head, only to find two new girls that were in the room; one dressed in black, and a blonde who seemed lost. He gave a small wave without a introduction.

 

Returning his attention to Chris' explanation of the dilemma that was before them, he only responded with an, "I see..."

 

Miro was reclining in his chair, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, and slowly shaking the foot up and down. He took a few minutes to ponder about what this Chris character has mentioned, though it wouldn't do much good for him. His expertise lied within the human body and mind. Taking the iPad off of the table and waving his fingers around, he set it down with the power once again off. It seems he only wanted to check some emails or whatever, and finally got up off the chair and walked over to Chris.

 

"Well, I think I can understand what you're saying, so some extent. It's a shame that we don't have such resources, even with the funding I've managed to squeeze out of my father. But, more importantly..."

 

He got up close to Chris and saw the bags under his eyes, and sighed.

 

"Y'know, it might be just me saying this, but frankly, with the way you're treating yourself, you won't be getting any father than that. Those bags under your eyes, it's a clear indication you're overworking yourself. I admire your determination, but please, get some rest, refresh your mind. I'm not just saying that out of sheer concern for you, though a huge part of the reason. I know what you're capable of, and it's more than what I am, concerning time travel. I mean, I can't imagine anyone on this campus who doesn't know you."

 

He backed up and walked over to his briefcase, unlocking it, and putting everything he took out back in, and closed it, locking it tight.

 

"Your body is like a highly advanced computer. Sure it can process enormous amounts of data and so forth, but eventually, the computer will slow down, from all the data it's processed, clogging up the drives and memory. If you clean up the space, and give it some rest, it'll operate better and more efficiently."

 

Miro finished giving his little lecture, and say back in his chair, and looked back at the two girls. The blonde and the raven-haired seemed new, so it'd be better to know them better.

 

"So we have someone who wants join? Well, alright. Guess we got another person to initiate. And you, blondie!"

 

He used the derogatory term in such a way only to get the girls attention. 

 

"You seem lost. Need a hand?"