Chapter 1

My Name Is Sam

Three years ago: August 26, 2031

"Today instead of boring everyone with the contents of the syllabus, let's talk about the possibility of a multiverse," the professor declared in a deep voice.

My name is Sam Hunter, and I am attending my first lecture in Physics. Exciting right!? The instructor looked to be in his late thirties with a commanding aura as he stood in the center of the auditorium. His face was long with a squared jaw, knowing eyes behind a small pair of glasses and hair uncombed even though he wore a suit.

"That's a load of crap!" "Isn't this Intro to Physics?" shouted a couple of students in the back.

The professor thought for a second before answering, "Well then before we begin, we will treat this as a thought exercise and will ignore any discussion on God. If you guys think this is unfair or do not want to participate, you can leave now."

About half the class got up and started leaving. The remainder sat, and seemed genuinely excited. I stayed for several reasons, but mainly because there was something odd about the professor.

"Now, let's begin. Several experiments, such as the double-slit experiment in the early 1800s, were performed on the properties of light. The results have shown that we have massive interference in the micro level, which forms the basis of Quantum Mechanics. Despite our level of technology, the University still forces us to attend class. Here are further readings, for anyone who is looking for a good night's sleep", with that he slapped his palm on a stack of paper.

His breathing was unnatural, I couldn't place it.

The professor continued, "The key concern today, is how much interference? Is it just gravity? If universes are sharing gravity, why not other properties? How do you feel that your safety or entire existence could depend on people you will never meet? Maybe someday we can interfere with others ourselves and open a door to their side. Maybe these doors already exist."

By now the entire class was skeptical as he continues on with other laws and variables found in nature that do not fit into conventional macro physics.

"Alright, it's been fifty minutes. Your instructor couldn't make it, today. I am just subbing, so anyone that took notes wasted their time. Thank you."

He walked out a side door, leaving a roomful of pissed off students.

I slowly fitted myself into the long line of students heading towards the main dining area for lunch. Later, I settled down reading a textbook for class. I was eating at the same time when I was interrupted.

"Hello Sam? You mind if we talk?" inquired a voice.

I looked up and saw the professor sitting across from me, with just an apple in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

"Um, sure..." I said hesitantly. He opened the bottle, poured a little bit onto the cap and started swirling the water by rotating the cap.

"So what did you think of my lecture?" he said as he pulled the stem off the apple with one hand while continuing to swirl the cap with the other.

"I thought it was alright; but many students there are freshman, and the material was over their heads. Few of them had any idea what you were talking about, and your topics were kind of unrelated to Newtonian physics," I said.

I watched his motions as he dipped the apple stem into the water of the cap.

"Ha, that may be true, but the topics are no longer fiction," he stated as he stared at me.

He placed his elbows on the table, and wrapped both hands around the apple.

"There's an underwater lab named Atlantis Station, which was originally built to study micro-organisms in the deep. They receive about 50% of their funding from the government. In return they let other researchers explore ideas that they think are ... safer ... deep below. For example, one of their projects is to create a micro-black hole in order to harness the energy for tomorrow. They should succeed in about ... now."

As soon as he said that, his fingers strengthened, causing the apple to be split perfectly in half. He continued to stare at me as he took the stem, and started carving hemispheres into the apple's flesh, removing its core.

I got up and excused myself, saying, "I, uh ... I should go, now."

He bit into the apple and waved back, saying, "We'll talk another time."

I walked into the men's room and hid inside a stall. My eyes proceeded to glaze over as my mind envisioned a web of events. My vision quickly filled as an infinite number of threads continue to move in every direction. While my mind raced to focus on today, I saw an expanding hole growing in the near future. As the hole grew, threads around it were cut and disappeared. I locked onto the core of hole and memorized its coordinates.

<Shit, I'm going to miss the rest of my classes, > I thought as I changed the coordinates of my body.

10 minutes previously

Atlantis Station

North Atlantic Ocean

The Director of DARPA stood at the large bullet-proof window and watched as technicians inside the lab finished the last status check.

He glanced at the project lead and asked, "Have you created any singularity before during testing?"

"No, sir, but we are confident that the science checks out. Our preliminary results were very promising," the leader stated nervously.

"Good. I have some bad news, though," he sighed and continued, "For years we have been keeping this operation on a need to know basis; but the Church found out, today. They have insisted on being present."