Incomprehensible
Chapter 1: Creation
I always liked to consider myself as abnormally lucky. Things just seemed to go my way when I most needed them to. I'd be rushing to school to print out an important essay before class and manage to have green lights the whole way to campus, or leave my wallet on the bus and not realize it for several hours, only to find it right where I sat that very morning with everything still inside. Of course, usually this meant that something would always go wrong afterwards in a very inconvenient way seemingly proportional to the original gain. I might make it to school early, but find that the first printer I go to doesn't have any toner and I'd have to find another one. Considering the negative seemed to be lesser than the positive, I still considered the situation as a whole lucky. Internally, I liked to describe this as having an eight out of ten luck stat. While I couldn't close my eyes, pick the answers of a test randomly, and come out with an A, I could at the very least guess correctly roughly sixty percent of the questions I didn't know. Not exactly A grade, but definitely better than average. It would be this very same luck that allowed me the opportunity to win the national raffle to decide who would be one of the first people in the US to use the Entanglement Network.
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At the tail end of the year 2017, tensions between nations were at heights equal to that of the Cold War during the sixties and seventies. The President of the United States was in an escalating war of words with the Dictator of North Korea, neither willing to back down. Europe was having terrorist attacks left and right, anything from bombings to U-Haul trucks driving through crowds of people. Russia was busy hacking different countries, fanning the flames of any civil unrest within them, further increasing tensions. And most of the Middle East as a whole was on fire due to almost two decades of civil war and insurrections. The world held its breath, waiting for the spark that would light the powder keg.
In hopes to prevent what would inevitably become World War III, the U.N decided that the world needed a common goal, something that everyone could work towards under the same banner, that would bring it together and prevent the spiral into oblivion. The goal that was decided upon after much deliberation would become known as the Entanglement Project.
At its core, the purpose of the Entanglement Project was revolutionizing the transportation industry through the use of Quantum Entanglement. Or in simple terms, near teleportation. Quantum Entanglement is a principal of molecular physics and quantum mechanics that when boiled down means two particles wrap around each other in a certain way to become Entangled. When it occurs, they can be moved away from one another and, regardless of distance, will send information between one another instantaneously. If one particle is vibrated up and down a hundred meters away, the other will vibrate in sync without delay. The theory was that if scientists could find a way to do that with objects like boxes or, if they dared to dream, people, it would unlock the door to instantaneous transportation, or as it's more commonly known, teleportation. The allure of being able to achieve that which people only dared dream about in science fiction movies proved too great for the nations of the world to ignore, especially when increasing public interest of the subject allowed politicians to tout their own support for it as grounds for reelection.
Progress at first was slow going, while nations may have been brought under the same banner for a common cause, working together on it was something else entirely. Differing rules and regulations on how things were meant to be done, political backstabbing over who would work on which area of the project, and disputes over all things funding were some of the major hurdles. It would eventually be decided that an impartial governing committee would be formed to handle all logistics of the Entanglement Project, from regulations to funding, answering only to the U.N as a whole. This smoothed the logistical side of the project enough to actually start making progress on the research and technical side. Unfortunately, one of the largest pitfalls with large-scale research projects such as this, people will still want instant results.
When no word was given on what progress, if any, was being made, public support began to wane. After roughly a year, polls showed that the average support for the project worldwide had fallen by nearly fifty percent. After another year, the project was down to having only eighteen percent of its original support groups. Something needed to change soon or else the Entanglement project would be shut down, and the funds moved to more immediately useful purposes. That something came from the first ever trial success.
On March 23, 2020, two years, one month, and seventeen days after preliminary research began, scientists had successfully entangled a particle of dust with a series of atoms and transported the dust particle two miles away by firing the atoms at near light-speed, and thus dragging the dust with it. Immediately Entanglement Fever took over the world once more. Funding increased, more scientists were dedicated to the cause, and public support of the project was renewed. In an effort to not lose out on the hype again, researchers began a monthly update newsletter, detailing progress made and problems solved. After another year and a half, they had another breakthrough, this time with a three-millimeter diameter pebble. Soon after they had moved up to a bottle cap. Then finally, after months of arguing and explanation, the researchers were given the green light to start using lab mice as test subjects, with the hope that eventually the process could be scaled up to fit humans.
The first clinical trial came with odd findings. Unlike previous tests, the mice took roughly three to five seconds to reach their destination points, and ending locations began to deviate from projections by as much as twenty-two meters. After debate and smoothing over media exaggeration, it was determined that the increase in travel time and decrease in accuracy was due to the increased mass. Thanks to a little principal known as relativity, when a mass travels at near the speed of light, time for the object slows down. The greater the mass the greater the slow down. Until that point, everything had been of minute mass, and therefore minute slowdown. But the mice had enough mass to make the slowdown of time noticeable. And when things are traveling at near light-speed, nanoseconds of difference mean wildly different positions, hence the decrease in accuracy. After several weeks of debate amongst the Regulations Committee, it was decided that the deviations from projections were acceptable, and that all further tests would be done with a margin of error taken into account. Thrilled that the research would continue, the scientists began work anew, each day becoming more accustomed to the slight deviations from expected outcomes.
It would be on June 17th, 2023 that a new record distance would be reached. The scientists had spent 2 months planning this test, one that would determine the viability of (what at that point was being called) Quantum Jumping between countries. They successfully managed to send the lab mouse all the way from London, to CERN in Meyrin, Switzerland. Over five hundred miles away from the starting location. The test proved that the technology was applicable for country to country transit. Construction began on designated points in participating countries to use for permanent sending and receiving. These would go on to be called Quantum Gates, and the system as a whole to be called the Entanglement Network.
Progress began increasing rapidly after that, and soon there was a Quantum Gate in almost every major city across the globe, ready to send and receive transported mice and eventually small packages. People became more and more sure that Human Transportation would work, despite there not being any tests with anything more massive than 30 grams. It would be after immense public pressure that the Regulatory Committee would give in and allow for the grand opening and first human use of the Entanglement Network. On March 30th, 2025, seven years and one week after the utterly massive and nearly indomitable project started, 500 Quantum Gates around the world would be turned on, and the first 500 people would be transported to destinations of their own choosing.
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As I stood there, in front of the great machine that would send me catapulting at nearly the speed of light away from Houston, Texas, and towards Edinburgh, Scotland, I thought about how utterly ridiculous this situation was. I'd only signed up for the raffle mostly because my friends wouldn't stop bugging me about it. I did have to concede their point at the very least. What's the worst that could happen if I enter? I lose and the money I spent on tickets gets spent by the government on new roads or something. So I bought a couple tickets, got them scanned into the national database keeping track of all the entries, and carried on with my life.
Went to work making 3D animation and CGI, walked the dog I had gotten after college like I had wanted to all my life, played more League of Legends than I probably should have, and hung out with my three best friends. I had some other acquaintances and people I liked at work, but Tristan, Richard, and Isaac were the only ones I ever hung out with in my free time. While not a social outcast, I always felt kind of awkward around people I didn't know out of fear that I would make a fool of myself. I had a tendency to restrain myself in social situations, trying to match my energy levels with that of the people around me, not wanting to stand out. Until things started getting excited that is. Once the energy of the room started increasing, then I'd start trying to be the center of attention and have a good time.
So naturally, standing there in front of the crush of people surrounding the Quantum Gate waiting for it to be used by a human for the first time, I was having the time of my life. My energy was so high, I was contemplating breaking into a dance routine right then and there. There was so much excitement in the air, and the noise was incredible, hundreds if not thousands of voices clashing together to form a cacophony of sound. The people closest to me, most of them with cameras and microphones, shouted questions at me to be heard over the noise.
"Where do you plan to go?!"
"What was your reaction to winning the raffle?!"
"Are you at all afraid that something could go wrong?!"
"What does it feel like…"
"Do you want to tell…"
"How are…"
More and more questions bombarded me as I stood in front of the Gate, waiting for the scientists to finish final preparations. The plan was to have all the gates activate at the same time, that way no one would appear without warning in the middle of another person's send off. The Gate itself was shaped like a big rib cage. There were a series of 3 arches that met a spine of sorts above me. Hanging from the spine on a set of rails was the chair I would sit in while my body became Entangled. When the wireless signal that would activate all the Gates reached this one, the atoms entangled with mine would be fired at nearly the speed of light towards the receiving Gate in Scotland. There was a screen next to the Gate entrance with red lights next to the names of cities all over the world. Fairly rapidly, the lights were starting to switch from red to green as more and more cities signaled they were ready to go.
One of the scientists ushered me away from the clamoring reporters and into the chair. It reminded me of a roller coaster seat with the way it hung down on the rails, and the harness came over me to keep me in place during the Entanglement process. Trying to figure out what it felt like to be Entangled was interesting, to say the least. As the chair moved slowly along the rails, it felt like my entire body was starting to tighten, like I was flexing every muscle at the same time, the skin could only just stretch far enough to keep everything covered. But it wasn't just my muscles and skin that felt clenched, it was my bones, my organs, even my hair somehow. The experience wasn't painful per say, just… tight was the best way to describe it.
Once the process was complete, I was let out of the chair and stood on a raised dais in view of the entire crowd. Part of me was pretty sure this wasn't necessary for the process to work and was more for the audience members. One of the scientists flipped a switch, turning a big red light on top of the machine into a green one. Immediately, the crowd erupted into cheers, knowing that the light signaled the Quantum Gate was ready to fire. After waiting for another minute, the scientist who flipped the switch spoke into a loudspeaker set up specifically for this event and addressed the crowd.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my absolute honor here today to inform you that all four hundred ninety-nine other gates have given the green light, and we will be firing in sixty seconds!"
The crowd erupted into cheers, yells, and applause. It was so loud I actually took the effort of moving my stiff limbs to cover my ears. When the noise had died down, he continued.
"Before we send this young man off, I'd like to pass him the mike."
As he handed it to me he said,
"Be quick, you've got thirty seconds before the signal comes and you get sent off."
I nodded my understanding and addressed the throng of people.
"SO! Before I leave on the maiden voyage of what I shall dub the USS Millennium Falcon," There were gasps of horror at the sin I had just committed. "Yes, I did just cross the streams; I would like to just say a quick 'Thank You' to my friends who told me to sign up for the raffle," a grin split my face, "I bet you're absolutely kicking yourselves for it now! See ya in Scotland nerds! It's time for the countdown!"
The crowd immediately knew what I was getting at and joined in. This was Houston after all, the birthplace of the "T-minus Ten" countdown.
"T minus Ten!"
"Nine!"
"Eight!"
"Seven!"
"Six!"
"Five!"
"FOUR!"
"THREE!"
"TWO!"
I vanished before the "One!" had even formed in my mouth.
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When the signal was sent around the world, and the Quantum Gates were used for the first time on Human passengers, it was the most televised event in recorded history. More people had tuned in to watch it than the Apollo 11 rocket launch, World Cup, and Super Bowl combined. It was the beginning of a new chapter in Humanity's history. As the world waited with bated breath for the five hundred passengers to return, ten seconds passed, then twenty, and then a full minute. After two minutes had passed, crowds gathering around the Gates began to get restless, wondering why no one had shown up. Not a single Gate had reported someone showing up where they should have, or at all. After ten minutes had passed, it was clear to everyone that something had gone terribly wrong.
Everyone has different reactions to witnessing the unknown and unexplained. Some will react with curiosity, and try to understand it. Some will react with denial that it occurred at all, refusing to believe the thing outside their understanding existed. But most people will react with a mixture of fear and anger. Reacting with fear towards the unknown is something humans have done for centuries. It's what any living animal does as a quintessential survival instinct. And when that many people are gathered together, all feeling that fear and anger, things have a tendency to go south very quickly.
The fearful masses started to quickly grow restless without any forthcoming explanation of what happened. The situation was similarly mirrored around the world, crowds of people gathered together to see what some had been dubbing the eighth wonder of the world, all growing more fearful and restless with every passing second. It was only a matter of time until something set them off. In the case of Houston, that "something" was more of a "someone" shouting.
"So where did they go?!"
Like a starting gun, the crowd immediately started to react with similar shouted questions and accusations. The fear of the people built upon itself, each person feeding off the panic of those around them until eventually, someone reacted violently. No one knew who started it, but soon the shouting mass of people devolved into a full-blown riot. Pandemonium ran throughout the city as the rioters spread out and caused chaos to brew elsewhere. Some went up to the Quantum Gate where the scientists remained and began to attack them, blaming them for the disappearance of those who would later be memorialized as the Forever Five Hundred.
As Police, Riot Control, and even the National Guard were brought in to contain the panicking people, countries around the world were facing similar situations in their major cities. All with one major driving question. What. Had. Happened? The hours passed with still no explanation; and while most of the rioting had ended by nightfall in Houston, tensions remained high. In the coming days, governments would scramble to find answers. When none presented themselves, they did what came naturally and pushed the blame onto someone else. Fingers of national leaders were pointed at each other, accusations were thrown, and the world had suddenly found itself back where everything had started. Only this time, there would be no common cause to bring them back together.
The U.S blamed North Korea and Russia, who in turn each blamed the U.S back, with Russia also blaming China. The countries of the Middle East all blamed each other. In the end, it would be the assassination of a North Korean general that lit the fuse. Without knowledge of who was responsible, but suspecting the United States as the most likely perpetrator, they lashed out and sent a squadron of bombers to destroy the U.S military base on the island of Guam. Coming to the aid of their ally, South Korea retaliated and soon, once again, because of a complex web of allies and enemies, World War III had begun. China came to North Korea's aid. Russia saw the turmoil in Asia as the perfect opportunity to take back the Ukraine while the world had its attention elsewhere. The U.K would be who came to the Ukraine's aid, along with Germany. The fragile peace between Israel and its neighboring countries was quickly shattered, and the Middle East was once again thrown into chaos. Japan closed its borders, putting missile defense systems all along the coastline, and refused to get involved unless directly attacked.
With all the madness, escalating fighting, and rising fury, it was only a matter of time until the nukes were dropped. They rained down upon the world, wiping out entire cities, covering lands in ash, and reshaping the very land itself. The massive shockwaves sent tremors through the earth, reawakening long slumbering volcanoes and dormant fault lines. The increased fault activity created earthquakes, seaquakes, and consequently, tsunamis. Islands were sunk and washed away, California broke along the San Andreas fault line and drifted out to sea. Underwater volcano eruptions created new islands. The continents themselves began shifting, breaking, and moving. The face of the earth had been changed forever.
When the fighting finally ended, the remaining remnants of humanity started to rebuild and nature itself began to change. Radiation and hostile environments caused mutations, forced adaptation, and accelerated evolution. After all the continental drifting and shifting had finally died down, the continents had created a ring around the world, rising high into the sky and baked an angry red from the explosions and fallout. Numerous new islands had formed thanks to the undersea volcano eruptions and seaquakes. Many of the islands near the equator brought long-buried mineral deposits with their ascension, causing them to have their own magnetic fields. This had the effect of making the weather in between the islands erratic and unpredictable as the different fields interacted with one another as well as giving each island its own climate, irrespective of those near it.
No one could say what the future would bring, but all agreed that the remnants of the past could not be allowed to repeat itself. The twenty remaining vestiges of civilization came together and formed a unanimous agreement. To prevent the calamity that befell their world from repeating itself, all information of the previous century would be erased. Books were burned, paintings destroyed, cultures wiped out. No traces of the past would be allowed to remain in the world, their world. A world where history was rewritten to fit a preferred narrative.
There was just one small problem, scattered throughout the world were thirty blocks of stone, super-heated and condensed by the atomic blasts and made virtually indestructible. Inscribed on the blocks were pieces of very history the twenty kings wished to erase, including knowledge of the Atomic War. It was believed they were made by the Followers of U, a cult that formed during the fighting. All attempts to destroy or move the blocks failed, and after elimination of all known remaining members of the Followers, it was decided that all knowledge of the stones, and the language they were written in, would be banned. Breaking this law was punishable only by death.
After that matter done, the last remaining task before civilization could begin to rebuild was name the alliance of the twenty kings. After much deliberation and arguing, the name decided was The World Government.
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AN: So, there you have it folks, the first chapter of what I hope to be a long-running story. I've been waffling back and forth for about two weeks on if I would actually write this, and eventually decided to just say screw it. The idea's been bouncing around in my head for a while and I just had to get it out on digital paper. My goal is for every chapter to be a minimum of three thousand words long. Preferably closer to four thousand. It would be awesome if I could do more, because who doesn't love more book, but it's not exactly likely to happen with my current school schedule. I am but one man. Anywho, Y'all know what to do. Review, follow, and be sure to never be the first one to use a Quantum Entanglement Gate. Or do, at least then you'd be able to escape World War III. Meh.