The Land Before Time: The March of Man
Prologue and Background Info
"The purpose of studying the new sciences is simple... We want to learn to understand war through the most powerful means available... to encompass the ideas contained in quantum mechanics, nonlinear systems, and chaos and complexity theories." ~LtGen Paul K. Van Riper
Devised in desperation, developed in the darkness, and designed to devastate dastardly enemies, secret weapons of both Axis and Allied nations were unleashed in frantic attacks trying to turn the tide of World War II. These secret weapons, ranging from Japanese Kaiten suicide submarines to Nazi Me163 rocket-powered interceptors, have successfully delivered deadly payload—and fear—to the heart of their enemies.
The Axis powers were famous for their secret weapons programs. The Allied powers, however, were not to be outdone. The atom bomb, the pinnacle of secret Allied technology, was—and still is—one of the most powerful weapons on Earth. However, unknown to most people, the Allies had another—even more striking—weapon up their sleeve. They had the ability to not only make ships and men invisible, but also to travel freely in time and space. Even today, details about this power are still shrouded in mystery, and the American military is still silent. Despite this, some facts are known. Below is a reconstruction of what happened.
Reconstruction:
It was World War II, and the world was in flames. In the Pacific, the US and Imperial Japan were fighting a long and bloody island-hopping campaign. In Europe, demagogues Hitler and Mussolini rained terror and tyranny over the land. In the North Atlantic, German U-boats were wrecking havoc on Allied shipping. The new innovations on these U-boats, including acoustic homing torpedoes and radar, only added to the devastation.
American conveys were a lifeline for the Allied powers in Europe, delivering men, goods, and weapons during their hour of need. However, the merchant fleets were slow, clumsy, and often made up of outdated and frail ships. The warships protecting them always seemed to be a step behind German subs. A U-boat could easily out-maneuver a destroyer, slip into the convoy, and destroy a helpless target. In 1942 alone, more than 1,000 Allied ships were torpedoed and sunk.
To help combat the enemy subs, the US Navy developed a more maneuverable type of warship, called a destroyer-escort. It was an anti-submarine vessel that traded speed for agility. Quick to build and well-suited to escorting conveys, destroyer escorts proved to be highly efficacious against Nazi U-boats.
However, the new ship was not the only thing in the works. There were plans giving these ships the ultimate advantage over enemy subs—invisibility to radar and magnetism. The project was called "Project Rainbow". It was the brainchild of none other than Albert Einstein.
Einstein, in fact, worked for the Navy at the time. Officially, he worked on conventional weapons like mines and torpedoes. However, this was only a cover-up for his real project, the quest for invisibility, codenamed Project Rainbow. Theoretically, Einstein's work could make ships invisible to radar and magnetic mines, but it had never been tested before in a practical environment. The US Navy, having learned about the new theory, was overjoyed and issued the order for such an experiment.
The experiment would be later named "The Philadelphia Experiment." The test took place on the USS Eldridge (DE-173). In October 28, 1943, in Philadelphia Naval Yard, the experiment was sent to go forward. Wrapped around the decks of the Eldridge were massive field coils that could produce high electromagnetic fields.
The US Navy used a variation of Einstein's unified field theory. The theory aimed to describe mathematically and physically the interrelated nature of the forces that comprise electromagnetic radiation and gravity. The variation used by the Navy suggested that when an object satisfies the requirement of a strong electromagnetism and gravity, a strong electromagnetic field could be formed. The field, at least in theory, could direct electromagnetic radiation around an object. This would make everything inside the field invisible to radar waves and magnetic mines. However, due to the scattered nature of light waves, optical invisibility was not expected.
They would get much more then they bargained for.
At 5:15 p.m., the generators powering the coils were activated. What happened next was chilling.
According to reports, when the experiment was initiated, a grayish-green fog enveloped the ship. As the fog dissipated, not only was the fog gone, but the ship also disappeared from sight. Neither radar nor the human eye could observe it. Not only did the ship accomplish radar invisibility, but also optical invisibility.
Shocked, the scientists gave the order to turn the experiment off. The ship began to reappear in the stygian grayish-green fog it disappeared in.
But then, something even more bizarre happened.
As the ship reappeared, there was a bright flash of light. The ship disappeared again and simultaneously reappeared in a naval yard in Norfolk, Virginia—300 miles away. She was spotted by many other vessels, including the Liberty ship, SS Andrew Furuseth. Their crewmen, including deckhand Carlos Allende, were stunned as they looked on in amazement.
After a few moments, the ship dematerialized in Norfolk and reappeared in Philadelphia in the same eerie fog she disappeared in. The ship had just accomplished teleportation, something else that the experiment was never designed to achieve.
As it turned out, the electromagnetic field generated was far stronger than expected. It was strong enough to bend light. Even Einstein himself was astonished by the achievement, but even the smartest brains in science couldn't explain the teleportation right away. It would take months for them to find an answer.
Observers were electrified, but their excitement soon turned to horror. The incredible power of the electromagnetic fields had wrecked havoc on the crew. Many were found dead, despite the fact that the ship was unscathed. For the survivors, there were horrible aftereffects. Men were driven insane. Men were scalded by heat. Men reportedly went invisible. The problem was that the unprotected human body could not take exposure to such high electromagnetic fields.
Many men were institutionalized, while being falsely classified as "missing in action." Others were forced into signing secrecy papers with the Navy. It has never released the truth. Records, including the ship's logs and crew diaries, were falsified. The Office of Naval Research classified all the records of the experiment. The Navy destroyed all records of the story.
Despite the horrible aftereffect, in November 1943, the US Navy chooses to continue the tests. The promise of invisibility and teleportation was just too much to ignore. This time, the test was done in a secret location in utmost secrecy. This is where our story begins.
Disclaimer: The Land Before Time characters are owned by Universal Studios. All other characters in this fanfiction, with the exception of the crew of Flight 19, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The names, incidents, dialogue and opinions expressed are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Nothing should be interpreted as expressing or representing the views of the U.S. Navy or any other department or agency of any government body. I am neither a conspiracy theorist nor a believer of Project Rainbow.
