Prelude into the Blank
On May 1, the 24th century, mankind was still unable to make significant progress, caught in the same concept of the 21st century, stubborn and inefficiency. Time passed with little effort expended. It's the Dark Ages.
The only force that propels the globe is the pollution caused by industrial corporations in order to make newer smart phones, televisions, and other products to satisfy their customers' needs. Until one day—the day that changed the face of human history entirely—"Shifter."
The government sees these juicy opportunities to gather more and more for their own greed. The "shifter" is the machine that connects our three-dimensional world to the empty fourth-dimensional one known as "Blank".
It is just like the sea—an ocean of darkness and unknown. One tries to get in, but never heard of him ever again. He's exiting in the past, the present, and the future at the same time and cannot desire where to go. Which way could lead him back to the shore? The answer: The way I've came.
Anyway, enough with chit-chatting. The governments around the globe see this as an opportunity to expand their territories above and beyond; unfortunately, they are just like children, fighting over a toy, just to be the one and only ones that have access to this technology. The war occurred.
Many have lost their friends, houses, families, and lives, until at last. They are all weak and tired, but unexpectedly, a new side has joined the war at this very moment. The souls of those who suffered from this third-world war gathered to end this meaningless battle.
Led by the CIA's and KGB's agents, who have enough of this war. They secretly contact one another and carefully plan the attack. where you might ask? On their central government, all of it at the same time. Getting attacked by their own people and their own weapon leads to the confusion, which means the greater succession of this outlaw operation.
They win with little to no effort and lose little to no men. But well, they might already have enough sacrifice in their lives. After the match, they meet one another, and lastly, they formed a group of people, men and women, who knew the consequences of unnecessary conflict.
The "Regulator of Humanity Advancement" was born.
The label "Humanity" in their name does not imply that they are a merciful organization that protects all humans no matter what, but rather that they are an observer, an overseer for humans to be aware of their action. They are neither leaving criminals unpunished nor leaving innocents despised. Time passes, but the same problem still remains.
Starvation, after the war occurred, burned every last bit of food supply and resource with it. Habitat lost; before the war, humans destroyed their land. Woods got demolished, replaced with facilities that either send black smoke in the air or send toxic water back to the ocean. The soil is filled with microplastics or other chemically dangerous substances, leaving it unable to be used for agriculture.
The earth was done for.
To solve this problem, they have one and only solution, leaving it behind. They plan to conduct research on "Shifter" technology immediately, building many prototypes, launching many tests, and failing many times.
until it is time for testing with human subjects, and I'm the volunteer in that test. To be sent into the "Blank," I need to be prepared physically and mentally. Equipped with a thick space suit, a first aid kit, and one survival pistol, I walk up the stairs to the platform that holds a 20-meter-diameter gate that multiplies my excitement hundreds of times. I stand there in awe, looking back at the people who were behind the room with ballistic glasses. I gave them a thumbs up, said
"One small step for man." I chuckle.
"Conducting the first human test, date: 1/5/2340 at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Volunteer number 1, please step on the yellow line, activate all security measures. Initiated Shifter in 10."
9...
8...
7...
6...
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
"Launch the Gate"
I picked up the pistol in my holster and cocked it, bullet chambered. "Here goes nothing." I put it back and walked toward the portal. With my blood pumped into every cell of my body, it felt hot.
Step into the Blank.
I float in the dark. I feel the wind hit my face in this empty space. I.....I want to throw up so bad. No direction, no gravity, and the only light sort is one on my helmet. I look back at where I came from. only to see the "Darker" space.
"William, do you read?" the head scientist's voice pierce through my intrusive thoughts.
"Loud and clear, chief." I answer him with dizziness in my mind.
"We're going to pull you back in 3 seconds." He said.
So I wait for his count.
3...
2...
1...
As the strong forces pulling me back. Even though I only moved about 3 meters from the darker point, it feels like one hell of an experience.
"Chief, I felt weird." I speak back to the radio.
[No response]
"Chief, my hair turned gray!" I said it, not realizing the dry voice of an old geezer that was coming out of my mouth.
This is bad, no. This is FUBAR! But all of a sudden I got back to my 20s and slipped out of the Shifter, bumping on my ass with my face shocking. The last thing I see in medical staff rushes to me as I pass out from extreme exhaustion and completely forget everything.
The first human experiment was declared a partial success because they received all audio and visual logs from me. They said that I pulled almost 3 kilometers of reinforcing rope in one stroke. and they have to pull against me for 4 hours, even though I tell them it was just a few seconds.
This experiment has shown them that they have so much to learn about this "Blank" and what William has faced after all the earlier tests. They started to conduct more research on the question "How to prevent the Williams effect," and at last they came up with two ideas.
The first one is the special material called "Tempus Fiber." To ensure the safety of another pathfinder from the harmful effects of the Blank, to prevent them from the sudden time shift. This material can be used as clothing; it works like a wedge to pin the wearer's time in place.
The second idea is protocol and strict intuition to avoid or reduce the risk of the Williams effect, such as the use of a quantum computer program or a highly intelligent artificial intelligence for traveling in the "Blank."
After many decades of research, the Regulator of Humanity Advancement has announced that Shifter technology is a success and ready to operate. The new age of mankind has started.
.
.
.
William T. Monarch, the leading scientist and the first pathfinder of his time, left a lasting history of venturing into uncharted territory.
Born in 2315, William's life was dedicated to exploration and discovery, along with that of his fellows. He is the first to experience "Blank" without proper protective equipment. He tragically passed away in the year 2426, at the age of 111 years old, leaving his legacy to the next generation.