《LOST IN SPACE》 Teleportation and Time Chapter 1: A distant voice broke through the stillness of the night, growing louder and more distinct. ¡°Mathews¡­ MATHEWS! Hey, kid, are you still staring at the stars? It¡¯s late. You should get some sleep now.¡± Mathew blinked, momentarily snapping out of his trance. He turned to face his father, James, a brilliant scientist with an air of mystery about him. ¡°Dad, I saw you working in the lab earlier. You were talking about teleportation. Is that¡­ is it really possible?¡± James chuckled softly, his face lit by the faint glow of the moonlight. ¡°You¡¯re too young to understand these things, Mathew. One day, when you¡¯ve grown, it¡¯ll all make sense.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll understand if you explain it,¡± Mathew replied eagerly, his eyes wide with curiosity. James hesitated for a moment, then gave a small smile. ¡°Well, your Uncle Carlos and I are working on it. If we succeed, it¡¯ll usher in a new era of science¡ªsomething that could change the very fabric of our world. Carlos is funding the project, and he¡¯s as invested in it as I am. When the time is right, you¡¯ll learn everything.¡± Excited, Mathew nodded and dashed back to his room, his mind buzzing with possibilities. But sleep was the last thing on his mind. James tiptoed past his door and made his way to the lab beneath their house. There, in the dimly lit room, Carlos stood by a glowing monitor, his face illuminated by the shifting colors of a holographic display. He was analyzing swirling patterns of quarks, each movement reflecting a dance of the unseen universe. Carlos looked up as James entered. ¡°Hey, James. I¡¯ve been meaning to talk to you. I think I¡¯ve found a way¡­ but it¡¯s risky.¡± James¡¯s brow furrowed in curiosity. ¡°What is it?¡± Carlos leaned against the counter, his expression serious. ¡°Do you remember the quantum hologram you were building? The one designed to encode an object¡¯s entire structure and reconstruct it at a different destination?¡± James nodded slowly. ¡°Of course, but that project failed. The distances were too short, and the machine needed immense power. The risk of the entire lab blowing up was too high.¡± Carlos¡¯s eyes gleamed. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been running new calculations. Using Einstein¡¯s equation, E=mc2, we could theoretically convert matter into energy and back. Alternatively, we might manipulate extreme gravitational forces to alter an object¡¯s dimensions and relocate it. But¡­¡± He hesitated, his voice dropping to a near whisper. ¡°There¡¯s a problem. Higher dimensions are inherently unstable. The one person who claimed to have discovered the fourth dimension warned that no one could survive there.¡± A shadow passed over James¡¯s face. ¡°Noah¡­¡± he murmured. ¡°His theories were groundbreaking, but he disappeared twelve years ago. Some say he was kidnapped, others think he¡¯s dead. Either way, his work has been lost to time.¡± Carlos straightened, determination in his gaze. ¡°If we want answers, we need to trespass into Noah¡¯s old lab. There might still be clues left behind.¡± James nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Carlos grabbed his coat, heading out to the car without another word. Meanwhile, James lingered for a moment. He walked into Mathew¡¯s room, watching his son¡¯s peaceful expression as he dreamed. James knelt by his bedside, brushing a hand through the boy¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡¯ll make this world a better place, Mathew. One day, you¡¯ll be proud of your dad.¡± In the vast, infinite void of space, silence reigned supreme. Nothingness stretched endlessly in every direction, an abyss of complete isolation. Morgan floated weightlessly, adrift in this silent expanse. The oxygen levels in his suit were dwindling, each breath feeling heavier than the last. His mind flashed with fragments of memories¡ªvague, foggy images of a woman walking away. The faint echoes of her departure haunted him, a sharp pang of loss in the otherwise empty void. A crackle broke through his radio, shattering the silence. ¡°Hey, Morgan¡­ are you alive?¡± With a weak chuckle, he replied, ¡°Kinda dying here.¡± The voice on the other end grew steadier. ¡°We¡¯re tracking you. Hold on. We¡¯ll reach you immediately. Your safety is our priority¡ªthe mission can wait.¡± Morgan drifted in thought, his body weightless but his mind heavy. The peace of the void wrapped around him like a shroud, eerie yet strangely comforting. For a moment, it felt as if he had already crossed into death. Then, a soft glow emerged in the distance, faint at first but steadily growing brighter. It pierced through the darkness behind him, snapping him out of his reverie. Relief washed over him as he realized it was his team. The spacecraft approached, its metallic surface gleaming in the dim light of a distant star. Once aboard, Morgan sank into a seat, exhaustion etched into his face. ¡°Mind if I take a quick nap?¡± he asked, his voice faint. Harrison, one of the crew members, was already preparing for an external check. ¡°You rest,¡± he said, strapping on his safety harness. ¡°I¡¯ll inspect the ship for any damage.¡± As Harrison moved cautiously along the spacecraft¡¯s exterior, tethered to it by thick, reinforced ropes, Morgan made his way to the control room. The screens displayed streams of data¡ªtrajectory readings, fuel levels, and mission parameters. His focus was broken when Sophie, a team member, emerged from the galley. ¡°Hey, Morgan,¡± she said, leaning casually against the doorway. ¡°About Planet 9¡­ what¡¯s the deal with this mission? Why¡¯s it so important?¡± Morgan turned, a faint smile playing on his lips. ¡°You¡¯re part of the crew, and you don¡¯t know?¡± Sophie laughed. ¡°I know the basics. I just want to hear the full story from you.¡± Morgan gestured for her to sit. ¡°Planet 9 used to be a hypothetical concept until 2042, when its existence was finally confirmed. It¡¯s a distant object, nearly 800 astronomical units from the Sun. For comparison, Neptune is only 30 AU away. Planet 9 is far beyond even that¡ªand what¡¯s fascinating is that it bears a striking resemblance to Earth. If life is possible there, it would be humanity¡¯s greatest discovery. Right now, we¡¯re just 12 AU from the Sun. The journey to Planet 9 is long and uncertain, but it could redefine our place in the universe.¡± Sophie nodded, her expression thoughtful. ¡°It¡¯s incredible¡­ if it¡¯s anything like Earth, imagine what we could learn.¡± She stretched and yawned. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let you get back to work. I¡¯m heading to bed.¡± As Sophie left, Morgan turned back to the monitors. Jay, member of the team stationed near the observation window, called out suddenly, ¡°Something just passed us!¡± Morgan frowned. ¡°What was it?¡± Jay squinted, his eyes glued to the glass. ¡°It looked like a comet¡­ or maybe an asteroid.¡± Morgan leaned back in his chair, considering the possibilities. ¡°Could¡¯ve been a main-belt comet. Maybe Elst-Pizarro.¡± Sophie, who had paused in the corridor, raised an eyebrow. ¡°Those orbit in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. We¡¯re way too far out for that.¡± Morgan closed his eyes, piecing the details together. ¡°It wasn¡¯t moving like a comet. It seemed to accelerate unnaturally¡­ like a spacecraft. One the same size as ours.¡± Sophie laughed, her tone dismissive. ¡°You¡¯ve been floating out there too long, Morgan. Get some rest.¡± The crew exchanged weary smiles before heading to their respective quarters. The ship grew silent again, the hum of its systems a faint background noise. Meanwhile, far away on Earth, James and Carlos moved stealthily through the shadows of Noah¡¯s abandoned research building. James and Carlos crept into Noah¡¯s abandoned lab, their footsteps echoing softly in the vast, lifeless space. Dust coated every surface, and the air smelled stale, as if the building itself had been forgotten by time. Once a hub of groundbreaking research, the lab now stood in eerie silence, a relic of its former glory. Carlos, ever the explorer, wandered through the room with childlike excitement. His eyes darted from one piece of forgotten equipment to another, marveling at the remnants of Noah¡¯s genius. ¡°Can you believe this place, James?¡± he exclaimed, running a hand over a rusted console. ¡°It¡¯s like stepping into a time capsule.¡± But James wasn¡¯t distracted. His eyes scanned the room with laser focus, searching for something specific. As he moved deeper into the lab, he stopped abruptly. There it was¡ªa massive, circular machine, its surface gleaming faintly in the dim light. Unlike the rest of the lab, it was strangely untouched by dust, as if someone¡ªor something¡ªhad been using it. ¡°Carlos,¡± James called, his voice steady. ¡°Come here. You need to see this.¡± Carlos jogged over, his face lighting up with awe the moment he saw the machine. ¡°Oh, my God. This¡­ this is incredible!¡± He ran his hands along its surface, taking in every detail. ¡°We need to name this. Something big. Something unforgettable.¡± He grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s call it¡­ the Portal.¡± James barely acknowledged him, his attention shifting to a stack of manuals resting nearby. He flipped through the pages, scanning diagrams and notes written in hurried scrawls. ¡°Carlos,¡± he muttered, ¡°this isn¡¯t just a machine. It¡¯s a gateway.¡± Carlos looked up, puzzled. ¡°A gateway? To what?¡± ¡°To higher dimensions,¡± James replied, his tone serious. ¡°Travelling in higher dimensions would be exponentially faster. Imagine this: in our three-dimensional world, space is like a flat sheet of paper. Draw two points on that paper¡ªtwo ends of a line. To travel between them, you have to move across the paper, which takes time. But if you bend that paper and make the points touch, the distance is effectively zero. That¡¯s what higher dimensions allow.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Carlos frowned, rubbing his head as he tried to process the idea. ¡°You¡¯re saying¡­ a fourth-dimensional being could bend our three-dimensional space like we bend paper?¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± James said, his voice growing more animated. ¡°Think of it this way: a shadow on a wall is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object. What if what we see in three dimensions are just the shadows of four-dimensional beings?¡± Carlos paused, his mind racing. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ possible. If Noah was working on this, we might be closer to unlocking it than we thought.¡± James nodded, his determination unwavering. ¡°We need to figure out how to operate this. If we succeed, it¡¯ll be humanity¡¯s greatest invention. The world will never be the same.¡±
Meanwhile, in Space Morgan sat in the control room, watching the monitors with quiet intensity. The ship had covered nearly 15 AU¡ªan astonishing distance, yet only a fraction of the journey ahead. The hum of the spacecraft filled the room, a constant reminder of their mission. At the observation window, Jay floated weightlessly, his gaze fixed on the endless void. His thoughts drifted to his family, and he spoke softly to himself, his voice barely audible over the ambient noise. ¡°They expect so much from me¡­ I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m doing with my life.¡± Suddenly, Sophie appeared behind him, breaking the silence with a loud, playful ¡°Boo!¡± Jay jolted, his body twisting in midair as Sophie burst into laughter, clutching her sides. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen your face!¡± she said, wiping a tear from her eye. Jay forced a weak smile, his disappointment evident. Sophie noticed and softened, reaching out to take his hand. ¡°Hey,¡± she said gently, helping him steady himself. ¡°We¡¯re all in this together, okay?¡± Morgan, oblivious to the interaction, rummaged through his bag in the corner of the room. As he searched for tools to fix a control panel, his fingers brushed against something crumpled. Pulling it out, he found an old photograph. He smoothed it out, his breath catching in his throat. The picture was worn and faded, but the faces in it were unmistakable. His eyes grew red, and tears welled up as the memories came rushing back. A single tear fell onto the photograph, smudging the ink slightly. Without a word, Morgan crumpled the photo again and walked to the airlock. He opened the hatch just enough to release it into the void. The photograph drifted away, spinning slowly, until it vanished into the endless darkness of space. Morgan stood there, watching until it was completely gone. Weeks had passed. James and Carlos, now dressed as security guards, slipped into Noah¡¯s abandoned lab under the cover of darkness. The facility, though deemed worthless by the government, held secrets far beyond what anyone had imagined. To them, this place wasn¡¯t a failure¡ªit was unfinished genius. Noah¡¯s death had sealed its fate, but James and Carlos were determined to rewrite that ending. James worked tirelessly, his fingers stained with grease and dust as he fine-tuned The Portal. Sparks flickered, circuits hummed, and then, finally¡ªa pulse of light surged through the machine. It was alive. Meanwhile, Carlos had stumbled upon an old, nameless diary in the staff waiting room. Its pages, yellowed with time, held hurried notes and calculations. As he flipped through it, realization dawned¡ªthis was written by someone who had worked alongside Noah. Someone who had seen the project unfold from within. ¡°It¡¯s incomplete,¡± Carlos murmured, scanning the last few entries. ¡°There¡¯s no conclusion. Just fragmented thoughts, research details¡­ like the writer disappeared before they could finish.¡± James took the diary from him, skimming the notes. ¡°Still, this could help us. We can check if anything in the research was flawed before we move forward.¡± Carlos nodded, gripping the diary tightly. If Noah had been onto something¡ªif his research had merit¡ªthey would be the ones to see it through. --- Back at Home Mathew lay awake, staring at the ceiling. His father had started a new job¡ªone he hadn¡¯t fully explained. A night guard? It didn¡¯t make sense. James was a scientist, not a security officer. Something felt¡­ off. He rolled out of bed, restless. Wandering into the kitchen, his eyes landed on a note stuck to the refrigerator. The handwriting was unmistakably his father¡¯s: "I will be back back by tomorrow morning, If you''re awake, there''s food for you in the oven." But Mathew wasn¡¯t thinking about food. His mind fixated on nearby. Where exactly was his father working? Curiosity ignited, he grabbed the warm meal from the oven¡ªnot to eat, but to bring to his dad. If he was working late, he might be hungry. Locking the door behind him, Mathew set off into the quiet streets, scanning every building his father could possibly be guarding. His search led him to an old, flickering sign¡ªNoah¡¯s Laboratory. Though the years had dulled its glow, he remembered stories of how Noah had spoken of great discoveries before his mysterious death. The lab had once been a place of ambition and promise. Now, it stood like a ghost of a forgotten dream. Mathew hesitated, then stepped forward. --- Meanwhile, in Space The spacecraft drifted deeper into the abyss. Pluto was far behind them now. The further they traveled, the darker and more silent the cosmos became. The weight of distance pressed on their souls¡ªhome was nothing but a memory. Jay¡¯s voice crackled over the intercom. ¡°We¡¯ve crossed Pluto.¡± Morgan, seated in the control room, barely reacted. His fingers hovered over the console, his thoughts elsewhere. ¡°This silence¡­¡± Harrison muttered, staring into the void. ¡°It¡¯s unnatural.¡± Morgan finally spoke, his voice low and deliberate. ¡°There was another spacecraft sent out years ago¡ªlong before Planet 9 was even confirmed.¡± That got their attention. Sophie raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re saying we¡¯re not the first?¡± Morgan nodded. ¡°That probe drifted nearly 900 AU, but it never found any trace of Planet 9.¡± Sophie scoffed, arms crossed. ¡°So a planet just¡­ appears out of nowhere?¡± Morgan ignored her sarcasm. ¡°Another spacecraft, decades later, hovered around 800 AU. This time, there was footage¡ªgrainy, distorted. But when we enhanced it, something appeared in the frame.¡± He exhaled slowly. ¡°Something blue.¡± The room fell silent. Harrison¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°Two spacecraft vanished out there. Are we just going to be the third?¡± Sophie smirked, trying to shake off the tension. ¡°Relax, Harrison. We have Morgan here. He¡¯ll keep us alive.¡± Jay, watching her closely, caught the teasing lilt in her voice. Harrison, always the instigator, leaned over and whispered to him, ¡°You like her, don¡¯t you?¡± Jay¡¯s expression embarrassed ¡°GET OUT.¡± Laughter echoed through the room, but Morgan remained unmoved. His mind was elsewhere, trapped in memories and pain. Alone in the control room, he let his thoughts drift back¡ªto the past, to the things he had lost and what remained was just sadness. The playground stretched endlessly under the golden dusk, laughter echoing through the air. A young boy ran across the field, his small feet kicking up dust, his heart light with joy. Morgan¡ªjust a child, untouched by the weight of the world, his eyes still alive with wonder. That was the day it happened. A man approached him. A stranger, yet somehow familiar. He said nothing at first, only watching Morgan with a sad smile that the boy didn¡¯t understand. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he spoke. "You will make us both proud." And then he was gone. Morgan never saw him again. As he grew, the colors of his world dulled. His mind, once free, became caged in shadows he couldn¡¯t escape. Words faltered on his tongue, stuttering and breaking, refusing to come out the way they should. They mocked him for it. The whispers behind his back. The laughter in the hallways. The loneliness that clung to him like a second skin. Then, for the first time, someone treated him with kindness. A girl¡ªpretty, warm, different. His heart, battered but still beating, found itself drawn to her. Yet every time he tried to speak, his voice collapsed under the weight of his insecurities. The day he finally gathered the courage to confess, his throat closed up. His hands trembled. The words shattered before they could reach her. He could only watch, helpless, as she walked away¡ªtoward someone else, toward a life that didn¡¯t include him. "Is it... is it too embarrassing to be my friend?" The question never left his lips. Then came the fire. It spread too fast. Too violently. It swallowed homes, streets, and lives in an instant. It took his parents. By the time he arrived, there was nothing left¡ªjust ashes, embers, and the choking scent of everything he had lost. The investigation yielded nothing. No cause, no suspects. Just an unexplained disaster that left him orphaned, staring into the ruins of what once was home. Morgan stood in the aftermath, his eyes hollow, his world stripped bare. It was as if the fire had taken more than just buildings¡ªit had burned away whatever was left inside him. So, he turned to the stars. He devoted himself to astronomy, to the vast and silent universe, where nothing could hurt him anymore. Years later, he returned to the graveyard. A lone tombstone stood before him, half-buried in fallen leaves. The names carved into the stone were fading, but he didn¡¯t need to read them. He already knew. This was where it all lay¡ªnot just his past, but everything that had once made him feel alive. His happiness. His trust. His love. All of it, gone. All of it, buried. And as he stood there in silence, the bitter truth settled over him like the cold wind that brushed against his skin¡ªhis dreams had turned to dust, and the love he once longed for had long since chosen someone else. "So, James, you completed the manual, right? What exactly is this machine?" James took a brief pause before answering. "It was once called a Ring¡ªa Hyperfield Containment Ring. Since traveling in four dimensions is faster, this machine uses a spacetime inversion field, momentarily folding space. Remember the example I gave you about the paper and the two dots? You can connect them by bending the paper. But connecting spacetime requires Quantum Bounding Stabilizers¡ªwithout them, it''s like an ant falling into an abyss." Carlos walked up to the system, scanning the machine''s modifications. Meanwhile, Mathew noticed the front gates were open, as if to show the guards were stationed inside. He hesitated, then stepped in cautiously. Moving downstairs, he heard voices. His heart pounded. He crept closer, staying behind a stack of boxes, his curiosity growing. He peeked out, watching in silence as James and Carlos worked on the machine, unaware of his presence. Carlos and James were ready. James powered on the machine, programming the controls as he spoke. "It generates a hyperdimensional field¡­ so step back a bit." The interior of the Ring distorted, space bending unnaturally. James instinctively stepped back¡ªbut too late. A critical error. The stabilizers failed. The pull surged violently, stronger than expected. Objects around them¡ªtables, boxes¡ªwere yanked toward the center. Carlos grabbed a railing, barely holding on. His breath caught as he saw James'' legs shrinking into pinpoints, his body distorting, spitting out blood. "James!" Carlos shouted, reaching out. James clung desperately to the edge of the Ring, his fingers trembling. That was when he saw him¡ªMathew. A brief moment of shock. A deep, silent sadness in his eyes. With the last of his strength, James slammed his hand onto the emergency stop, and said."Take care of Mathew..." The machine powered down¡ªbut the damage was done. He vanished. Only a bloodstain remained. Mathew screamed, his voice raw, pounding his fists against the machine, trying to reach his father¡ªbut it was too late. Carlos rushed to the boy, holding him as Mathew sobbed uncontrollably. --- Meanwhile, in Space Morgan sat in his control room, lost in thought. Jay walked in, breaking the silence. "Hey, Morgan¡­ how are you so smart? I wish I had that. It¡¯s amazing, but¡­ I¡¯ve lost so much in life, I can¡¯t even comprehend it. Never even got time for myself." Morgan didn¡¯t look at him, but he still responded, his voice quiet. "Losing so much only means you had so much to lose. You gained so much, too. Nothing is permanent. We always lose our hope." Jay sighed. "Your wisdom¡­ I think I need that now." The ship suddenly jolted. A violent quake rippled through it, alarms blaring. The entire spacecraft trembled, moving at an unnatural speed. Morgan rushed to the control panel, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the readings. The data sent a chill down his spine. Major structural damage. Fires breaking out. Speed nearing 0.5 times the speed of light. A shockwave. A sudden collapse of localized energy. A singularity event. Though the exterior was heavily damaged, the ship''s internal structure held¡ªbarely. Harrison, standing at the observation window, recorded the unfolding disaster. That¡¯s when he saw it. Their ship. But¡­ far away. It was moving slowly, yet intact¡ªundamaged. Harrison¡¯s hands trembled. His mind reeled. How was that possible? He opened his mouth to speak but found himself paralyzed by his own disbelief. The ship''s velocity finally dropped, the chaotic turbulence settling. They crash-landed on a planet¡ªlarger than Earth¡¯s moon but smaller than Earth itself. Despite the impact, no one was severely injured. They prepared to step outside, to explore this unknown world. A dimly lit lab. Shadows stretched across cold metal floors. A figure lay sprawled, coughing blood. Weak, barely breathing. James. His vision blurred as footsteps approached. A shadow loomed over him. A voice, deep and distant, yet familiar. "Lost in space?" James struggled to lift his head. His body refused to move, but his mind clung to recognition. He forced out a whisper. "N... Noah?" (End of Chapter 1) [chapter 2 will be uploaded soon]