Theorizing that travel between realities was possible within one’s lifetime, Dr. Sarah Thierau stepped into her machine, turned it on, and…
...Nothing happened. Damn! What had gone wrong now? This time she had been so sure… Sarah ordered the machine shut down and stepped out of the chamber. The assembled scientists and other staff began to disperse. This had been her life’s work, the focus of her career since she had still been in college. And now that she was so close to seeing it realized, there seemed to be an unlimited number of setbacks waiting to trip her up.
“Do you think the problem is mechanical, or have we miscalculated?” asked Dr. Kim, the project’s second-in-command. Dr. Hyun-sung Kim was a highly motivated, angel-faced scientist from Korea (though her English was flawless) who had joined the project a few years ago and quickly distinguished herself. She was close to Sarah in age and the two had become friends in short order.
“I don’t know,” said Sarah. “We’ll have to check everything.” Frustrating as it was, she couldn’t be too discouraged. They were close, and every try got them closer. And it had taken just a little over ten years to reach this point – Sarah had been fully prepared to be an old woman before her dream was close to reality, or even to die and trust it to the next generation to complete. Instead, it seemed highly likely that she would make the first inter-universal trip herself before her 37th birthday. Her emotions were a balance of anxiety and pride.
Her team spent the rest of the day double-checking and running various diagnostics, but it was obvious that it would be some time before they could give it another try. Sarah excused herself a couple hours early because she had a gala to attend. It was her hope that she could drum up just a little more support for her project by mingling with the stuffed shirts and bigwigs. As close as they were to a breakthrough, a sudden lack of funds or resources could put the whole thing to an unceremonious end.
An hour later, Sarah was at home and nearly ready to leave for the big event. She had squeezed herself into a little black dress, let her hair down, and was now putting on her earrings in front of the mirror. Looking at her reflected face, she hoped she hadn’t overdone it with the eyeliner. Sarah was naturally very attractive, but her job didn’t let her ‘gussy up’ very often. It paid to stay in practice, though, as quite a lot of wealthy donors were secretly dirty old men and ‘feminine charms’ were one advantage she had that many others in her field did not. That was one instance where being a pretty woman was an asset rather than a disadvantage, she supposed.
She adjusted her breasts. “Alright girls,” she said, “let’s see if you can’t get us another couple thousand.”
She was already in her car when she remembered. On her desk back at the office were some important files that she needed to review overnight. She’d been so distracted by the most recent failure, and by the gala looming ahead that night, that she’d forgotten to take them home. Oh well, she thought, I can swing by work and pick them up on my way to the party. It’s not too far out of my way.
The lab was empty and dark when she arrived. She unlocked the door and hurried to her office, the click of her high heels echoing in the empty building. She found the files right where she’d left them, but as she turned to leave, she noticed a peculiar sound. Is that…?
A quick peek into the testing chamber confirmed her suspicions. Somehow, the machine had been turned on. What the hell? Everyone knew to make sure that everything was shut down before they left. It was policy to double-check, and to have others check for you as an extra precaution. There wasn’t a single person working on the project that Sarah didn’t trust to be this careful. Could it have possibly turned on by itself?
Almost unconsciously, Sarah started walking towards the device. However it’d gotten turned on, it was clear she’d have to turn it off herself. The machine was between her and the controls, though, and getting close might be dangerous. She stepped carefully, but the machine’s hum was noticeably getting louder with each step she took. By the time she was next to it, still with half the distance to cross to reach the ‘off’ switch, the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up from a noticeable charge in the air.
Sarah decided to make a break for the switch. The humming was getting louder and louder, and there was a noticeable ionization smell. As she kicked off her shoes and broke into a run, a light started shining from the device. It was only a couple more feet, but the light would reach her before then. The light, now blindingly bright, washed over her with her hand just inches from the switch. Sarah’s body went numb, and her vision went white –
The flash of light faded, revealing the machine alone in a dark room. The machine powered down by itself, and all was quiet again. On the floor between the device and its control console was a pair of discarded high-heeled shoes.
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