Chapter 14: An Open Door To The Garden Of Eden And The Gates To Hell

In a conference room at Kiasha Corp., 2027:

"Here is where all the rules will be broken and the future becomes today.", Badger says to his friend, Harvey.

"And what a day it will be.", Harvey responds as he goes over the figures on piled up papers in front of him; knowing that it was just only a test run, but if successful, a test run that would prove the validity of time travel as a fact and not some science fiction fantasy.

"Still worried, about possible consequences?", Badger asks.

"One can ask if this will be another apple that god does not want us to eat.", Harvey stated.

"You really think that there is a possibility that this experiment would fail?", Badger asks.

"Do you remember your history: Day of Trinity?", Harvey continued, "Where Enrico Fermi and Edwin Teller placed bets on the possibility that the bomb would ignite the Earth's atmosphere, and thus end all life?"

"I have heard that reference before.", Badger answered, "But if the latter were true, and the atmosphere ignited, how would one collect on that bet? Then again, how does it apply to us in the here and now?"

"In my mind one of 3 things could happen today: 1) the portal works and a permissible temporal gateway is opened. 2) the portal does not work and all we have is a ring of bright and shiny energy...", Harvey began to say.

"Be glad we don't have any ferrets on staff...", Badger saids to himself, interrupting Harvey. For a second Harvey freezes in his thought, about to laugh but realizes the it would be in poor taste.

"That was not funny...", Harvey complained.

"Well, I can see where this experiment could pass or fail, giving 2 possible scenarios. I do not understand how there could be a third?", Badger stated and then asked.

"What if, the portal partially works. The portal opens, but does not allow the passage of matter to go through, or the energy levels within so high, that anything that does go through gets cooked at the other end, but we are allowed to view the past through it as long as nothing goes through.", Harvey stated.

"That would be an interesting concept.", Badger says.

In silence and deep thought for the moment, both furs were rudely interrupted by the unexpected loud sound of the fire alarm. Both furs get up and run top the room's security control center, and take note of where the emergency was coming from.

"Its the temporal portal control lab...", both of them say in slightly different sentences. Before they can turn to face each other to decide the next course of action, a very loud but muffled explosion can be heard as the building shakes upon its foundation.

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"Holo Display Pause", L'zerdah says, freezing the image of the two furs on the screen. "This is history as Kiasha Corp. and you individual members know it.", she continued.

"That was supposed to be a confidential meeting between Badger and I. How did you manage to get.... uhm... never mind.", Harvey complained but realized the validity of his comment.

"You forget, she's hundreds of years into the future, for them anything's possible.", Richard explained the obvious.

"At this point, gentlemen, history could have gone two ways; Holo Display- project time sequence minus 45 seconds at temporal portal coordinates and freeze frame.", L'zerdah said. The display changes to view the portal and the Temporal Central Complex from the furthest point in the room, looking down at it.

Everyone was in their appointed placement, members of the staff of only a few remember: Samuel Ordenzia was to be the test subject, walking in and then back into the portal. Beth Beyer and Reginal Cohen was at the controls, while everybody else were at their stations, reading various diagrams and figures of their screens.

"Holo Display- 1/2 motion speed; proceed to time reference incident zero.", L'zerdah stated. Everyone on the display went about their business behind the controls of their stations; and the portal begins to open slowly.

Samuel can be seen closing his eyes for a moment, and taking a deep breathe before stepping into the portal, shortly before the plasma conduits blew. Everyone in the room cheered as communications with Sam was conveying data about the conduit, then the explosions started to happen. First came from the portal itself, seeming like it threw up its contents into the control lab with a bright flash of light, then the plasma conduits connecting the portal ring ignites, shutting down the portal. They appeared to have snapped off the portal itself, spraying hot plasma everywhere into the room. The sudden increase in temperature sets off the automatic fire suppressant system and the fire alarm. But it was not enough to contain the fury of energy that escapes from the hoses, despite that liquid nitrogen was also spraying out from the hose's cooling vents.

Between the extreme heat of the plasma and the ultra cold of the liquid nitrogen, the barometric pressure in the room expands to nearly double within a micro second span of time. The room explodes as if somebody detonated an atomic bomb from within. With the light levels returning to normal, where the Temporal Central Complex once was, a charred and gaping hole stands, with the outdoors visible from within and the company's security and emergency teams arriving at the scene, followed by the city's emergency services.

"That ladies and gentlefurs, was a successful attempt on the first time travel in 2027.", L'zerdah explained.

"I knew it was a success", Richard said to himself.

"What exactly happened?", somebody from the board of directors stated.

"Holo Display, time reference minus 45 seconds at temporal portal coordinates and freeze frame.", L'zerdah said. Once again, the view of the Temporal Central Complex is seen, with everyone at their stations. "Holo Display, zoom in on Subject: Samuel Ordenzia; right profile at 3 meters.", L'zerdah continued. The Holo Display adjusted itself to view Samuel from his right side just a few feet away from him. On his shoulder, a silver duffel bag filled with instruments and recorders, it had an odd hour-glass distortion at its center.

"Who's that guy?", another voice, that of General Vulpin, stated.

"He was one of our interns", Harvey stated.

"Thank you Mr., Rabbit.", L'zerdah stated then continued on with her statement as she pointed at the holographic display. "The one you think to be as Samuel Ordenzia, aged: 28, species: Spotted Leopard, was replaced with one of our own and with him, carried an small Orion Rift Generator into the portal. It was programmed to go into run-away mode and supernova once it was inside the temporal conduit."

"Why was that allowed?", another voice complained from the board of directors, that being of Senator Squirridae.

"if you want to play 'What If' games, senator, I'll gladly show you the possibilities. Holo Display, return to time reference minus 45 seconds at temporal portal coordinates and freeze frame. Replace Subject Samuel Ordenzia with his real counter part and access alternate time sequence.", L'zerdah stated with much conviction.

The scene on the display returned to normal, as if it was never changed. Everyone was at their station, and everything as it was. Perhaps the only difference was the lack of the hour-glass deformation on Samuel's instruments bag, which no one seemed to have noticed.

"Holo Display, run time sequence, 1/2 motion speed.", L'zerdah said.

The events played out again, like a Science Fiction Horror film, the portal can be seen opening, but instead of Samuel stepping into the portal, a look of fear fills his face and he dives away from the plat form.

Energy beams shot out of the portal, as Beth and Reginal yelled at the crew to shut down the portal. A short humanoid figure covered in a silver environmental protection uniform steps out onto the platform and starts shooting at everyone that was standing in the room with a shoulder mounted energy weapon. Beth somehow managed to make it to the door as an energy beam tore out her mid section and ripped her in half. The figure on the platform signaled at the portal, and many others like him poured out from the portal, leaving the Temporal Central Complex, and continuing with the hunt for others."

"Holo Display, freeze frame.", L'zerdah stated, "Gentlefurs and ladies of the board, these are the Orions and the Temporal police. On another time-line, they succeeded in making sure that Earth would not be time-travel capable, and easy picking for enslavement within the next 200 years. Once on Earth, they went after every known scientist, theorist and story writer, and eliminated the very notion of time travel itself from our minds. But it is also known that at the time of the Orion enslavement of Furmanity in 2217, we fought back so hard that their victory cost them very dearly as it was very difficult to distinguish the difference between victory and defeat. Members of the Board of Directors, welcome to Hell."

From the back of the room, a voice speaks. "Do we have permission to go on with this project?", Tabitha says as she stood outside the private chamber with Dr. Brunner at her side.

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