Worlds Collide
By Miranda L. Rebarchik/LunaTheFox
Prologue: Project Alpha Omega
Dr. Priel Franklin, once known for his brilliant mind and uncanny ideas, is now simply regarded as an insane nut. His downward slid in his career started when a fantastical idea arose in him: What if we could take entertainment to the next level? What if we could bring the movies to life? What if the story could jump off the pages? These questions caused him to think, to plan, to make this idea reality. He had many plans but the University of National Science would not have it and let him, and his unrealistic dreams, go. Priel swore he would see his so called dreams through and show the whole world he was right.
New York City, New York: Present Day
People crowded the streets of New York, busily hurrying form place to place like a hive of bees, focused on their tasks. The city was blurred with all kinds of noise, from car engines humming, cell phones buzzing, children laughing, and ringing footsteps, that all blended together in a loud roar. Lights went off all throughout the urban jungle, along with televised screens and billboards that depicted many colorful ads to catch the attention of the city dwellers. The city was indeed alive.
Though, far below the city streets and beneath the subway lay a hidden tunnel system, unknown to the busy inhabitations of the city above. It was these tunnels that Dr. Franklin called home. It was here he would make his name known.
Dr. Franklin sat at a computer in a large, dark, damp circler chamber, his ice blue eyes scanning the screen as random symbols scrolled down it. The green light of the computer reflected off his tired face, seeming to deepen his sunken cheeks and darkening the bags under his blood shot eyes. He let out a soft moan as he ran his hand through his jet black hair, which was starting to grey from the years of stress.
"Are you ready, sir?" a soft, gentle voice called to him from across the room.
Priel turned slightly in his chair to look at his young assistant, Dora. He stopped for a moment to take in her tall slender frame and to admire her glowing blonde locks. He then smiled, seeing the excited spark in her emerald eyes. She was the only one who had been willing to believe in his insane ideas.
"Just a moment, dear," he replied before going back to his computer. "I must recheck the data. It should only take me a few moments."
"I'll go get the machine prepped for you then," Dora said with a turn of her heels as she clicked off into the darkness.
Such zest for a young woman, Priel thought, grinning to himself as he finished the final touches on the data before taking a quick look at his notes. Everything seemed to be in place. Perfect! It's time to start the party! He quickly downloaded the finished data on a hard drive before pocketing it as he got up and left the room.
Dora was waiting for him in the next chamber, busy working on a giant cube like machine. Its edges and sides were clean cut, making it look like an oversized metal box with a funky antenna on the top. It didn't look very impressive from the outside but underneath this metallic shell it was a different story. Through all the wiring, cables, and equipment that called the box home there was housed an unlimited knowledge of books, television, drama, and the life of entertainment. The apparently simple machine held the power to bring anything to life, whether from the screen of a top blockbuster or form the very pages of Treasure Island.
Priel was grinning like a mad man as he pulled the hard drive out of his pocket and connected it to the clunky machine through a small computer on the side. He then put a couple commands in before stepping back. The scientist stood there in awe as his assistant powered up the monstrous contraption. His dreams were about to come true.
He had finally completed his project Alpha Omega.