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Blended

A 2 Chapter Preview

By Jake SnyderPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 12 min read
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A Preview of my Upcoming Novel

Prefix

A startling voice from what could be considered the cruelest hell rings out over the intercom.

“Restrain and sedate subject seven-two-seven, immediately.”

As you look within the confines of this facility, you find a thick door protecting the three walls inside each cell.

Following a matter of moments, four figures arrive to address the awaiting individual.

Each is dressed in white robes with surgical masks effectively hiding their faces from recognition.

All four figures are armed with different manners of weaponry.

After very little struggle, they force their victim onto the cold, unforgiving concrete.

Bound at the wrists and ankles, a single needle is inserted as injection brings about the painful, yet familiar sensation of sedation.

We watch subject seven-two-seven’s eyes roll back, their next few moments spent succumbing to bittersweet blackness.

Everything that takes place between those three walls is thoroughly detailed and documented.

The year is now 2043.

Avon Corporation discovered and effectively monopolized the practice of time travel.

As the ability to travel along the timeline became more reliable, those involved with its primitive state were deemed the “Pioneers of This Generation.”

There is a belief that, without them, the opportunities currently available to humanity would not have been possible.

“In the case of accidental disappearance, Avon Corporation assumes no responsibility.

Chapter 1

Thomas Kemp

The first human being given the opportunity to experience time travel was Thomas Kemp Junior.

In Avon Corporation's eyes, Thomas was the ideal individual.

Being single, having no next of kin, and the last of his bloodline, Thomas’s existence could have otherwise been unremarkable.

When presented the opportunity, it was later revealed that Thomas “jumped on board immediately.”

Living a life of meager means on farmland in Sequim, Washington, neighbors described Thomas as a man who, “often kept to himself, fearing, as some do, attachment.”

During initial meetings between Thomas and Avon, he explained that after being struck by a drunk driver late one evening, both of his parents passed away during his youth.

He had grown up in rural Wyoming and was taken to live with his grandfather in Sequim.

His grandfather, having been ill-prepared to properly care for Thomas, was particularly abusive towards him both physically and verbally.

As the only child born to Maria and Thomas Senior, he experienced life seemingly alone.

He occupied himself with the livelihood of the farm by tending to the animals and crops, particularly enjoying the lavender growing season.

Going into his sophomore year of High School, his grandfather passed away from a heart attack.

Thomas was willed the estate in its entirety.

Continually struggling in school and eventually dropping out, Thomas lived on the farm, relying on hard work and self-sufficiency.

As the memories of his parents grew faint, he looked back on them with fondness.

On February 14th, 2030, Thomas Kemp Junior signed the necessary paperwork for Avon Corporation.

He believed that Valentine’s Day was the perfect day for doing so, commemorating his eventual return to the ones he loved, knowing they loved him as well.

From that moment forward, he received more attention than he felt comfortable with.

It was noted that his slightly awkward, yet humble approach could be considered the perfect fit for Avon Corporation’s proceedings.

If ever asked where he hoped to go, Thomas simply replied, “to see my family.”

Significant measures were enacted to ensure Thomas was mentally and physically prepared for everything that lay ahead.

Throughout exercising and rigorous testing, he met and exceeded all expectations.

Despite Avon’s constant reassurance, he felt a sense of uneasiness regarding the circumstances.

Avon made it clear that at the moment of entering the portal, his body could endure extreme conditions of an “exceptional” nature.

Furthermore, if the two portals were to collapse, the increased pressure and lack of sufficient oxygen within the vortex would inevitably suffocate him.

Certain promises were made to Thomas that the remainder of his life would be taken care of in every regard, should he fulfill their requirements.

By the time Thomas was set to travel, Avon Corporation had successfully moved objects between one portal and out the other with no precise time measurements.

The first object to enter and be retrieved from the other side was an apple, which upon exiting appeared to have aged a significant amount.

Due to the cold temperatures within the connection, they estimated the apple had aged somewhere between four and six weeks.

Having thus far been unable to control the rotational speed of the Tipler Cylinder, there was no clear way of knowing how far the apple had traveled along the timeline.

To better determine the exact amount of time traveled, they measured the rotations per second of the vortex and fired a laser beam between the portals.

With an assumption that the laser would move at the speed of light through the vacuum, they could potentially calculate, based on milliseconds, how much time had elapsed from the moment of entrance to exit from the portals.

If the vortex was rotating at higher speeds, the laser beam would exit at speeds much slower than the speed of light.

Conversely, lower rotational speeds ended in the beam traveling much faster than the speed of light.

Thomas learned nothing of this.

Avon Corporation had breezed over their research with Thomas, choosing to focus on present matters.

After receiving training on how to use their technology, Thomas had been asked to communicate his whereabouts and was issued calibrated equipment designed to create an operational portal for returning to the current timeline.

During the quiet morning hours of March 11th, 2030, Thomas awoke having dreamed of his parents' faces, smiling and welcoming him into their arms.

The day's proceedings were to be televised on every social media platform around the world.

The broadcast began at 1 PM Pacific Standard Time and by 1:20 PM, a record-shattering 3.9 billion active viewers had been confirmed.

At 1:30 PM, the President of Avon Corporation, Walter Indigo III was standing at the microphone, prepared to address the media.

Being more nervous than ever before, Thomas was singularly focused on his ability to breathe, scarcely hearing Walter speak.

As his heart began racing, he thanked whoever would hear his silent prayer for the black jumpsuit, otherwise, the crowd would have certainly seen the sweat around his entire body.

The beads on his forehead began to trickle down his face, rhythmically hitting the floor below.

His vision narrowed and his breaths were far too shallow to fill his lungs.

Then came a gentle tap on his shoulder.

“Water?”

The calm, familiar voice of Veronica Van Fleet, Avon Corporations Chief Operating Officer, brought Thomas back to reality.

She gently reminded him the importance of remaining focused.

After finishing the water as if he had been deprived of it for the course of many days, Thomas gathered himself in time to rise, walk to the podium and address the media before him.

The flurry of overlapping voices and questions layered amongst one another overwhelmed him.

When order was restored, one solitary question came from the crowd.

“Thomas, you’ve spoken of wanting to see your family, but what if they don’t recognize you?”

With that, Thomas fainted at the podium.

The harsh smell of ammonia filled his nostrils, his eyes jolting back open.

To his surprise, a large gathering of Avon Corporation’s doctors surrounded him.

Disgusted with the smell, he shoved their hands away from his face.

“Breathe Thomas,” they stated, attempting to console him.

Thomas made note of the silence that currently permeated the room.

As Walter quickly made his way towards the podium, the words he spoke next would be the following day's headline for nearly every news-related source.

“We will carry on!”

The mixed energy and excitement from the audience as well as the smelling salts helped Thomas arise and pump his fist into the air, garnering a fit of noise.

Under his own power, Thomas and a few individuals with cameras in hand were abruptly escorted away from the podium, through the Main Hall, and into the McDowell Wing.

Everyone in the McDowell Wing was prepared for Thomas to arrive.

Upon entering, the doors were closed and secured behind them, barring access to any unwelcome individuals.

Thomas laid down on a rather uncomfortable bed and was instructed to relax.

The doctors injected the first serum followed by a second in the opposite arm.

A sense of warmth and hydration coursed through Thomas’s veins.

The Head of Communications within Avon Corporation ensured everything was in order and all equipment accounted for.

“Are you ready, Thomas?” Walter asked over the intercom.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied.

The last words he heard were spoken by Veronica.

“Safe travels, my friend.”

Chapter 2

Avon Corporation

Founded in 2023, Avon Corporation hit the ground running.

Using concepts and theories such as moving at extremely high speeds, the Einstein Rosen-Bridge Theory, Tipler Cylinder Theory, Cosmic String Theory, and the Black Hole Theory, they began their work.

Initially, Avon relied heavily upon Einstein’s Theory of Relativity which dates as far back as 1905.

Einstein claimed that if we were able to move alongside a light beam at its measured speed of 186,000 miles per second, we would see a set of oscillating electric and magnetic fields hanging stationary in space.

Unfortunately, the ability to move at that speed was impossible during the era.

Avon had thoroughly discussed their “Lightning Induction Theory,” affectionately known as “The LIT Theory.”

As we know it, induction lighting is a version of fluorescent technology that uses electromagnetic energy to begin a chain reaction, eventually causing phosphors to produce light.

Unlike its fluorescent counterparts, induction lighting uses no electrodes or filaments, is more efficient, and is sustainable for significantly more extended periods of time.

Avon attempted to use lightning rather than an electromagnetic conductor to excite the mercury particles suspended within the noble gasses.

Based on this, they presumed that energy and light could be preserved long enough to observe stationary electric and magnetic fields.

The speed of lighting in its leader and return strokes never eclipsed the speed of light.

In the process of attempting to capture and observe those fields, it also became apparent that the only visible aspect of the strike was during the return stroke.

Their theory and all subsequent experiments were considered failures in 2026.

Avon went so far as to provide no funding for any experiments or research pertaining to the theory.

Arthur McDowell, Avon Corporation's lead engineer and scientist, remained diligent in his personal research despite Avon’s stance.

Well before his meteoric rise within the corporation, Arthur, alongside his fellow colleagues, was required to analyze, research, and understand what “dark matter” consisted of.

Laborious discussion concluded in unanimous agreement.

However, an interesting segment of their findings documented research on baryonic matter, stating that only a small fraction of dark matter in the universe contained baryons.

In order to provide further detail, they produced extensive documentation in regards to protons, neutrons, and electrons.

His later published autobiography claimed that Arthur had been visited by Zeus, the God of Lightning, in a dream.

Through the guidance of Zeus, Arthur awoke with an understanding that lightning, which had been calculated to burn the surrounding air at 27,000 degrees celsius during its strike, would increase in speed if introduced to an atmosphere much hotter than Earth’s surface.

Using his own financial resources, Arthur endured immense difficulties creating a near-freezing cumulonimbus cloud within his heated system.

After careful consideration, he decided that existing conditions must allow for connection between negatively charged clouds and positively charged surfaces.

The accumulation of the positive charges must overcome the existing insulating properties of the heated air and the system itself.

His prior knowledge allowed Arthur McDowell to experience a breakthrough after artificially producing electrons and protons within his heated system.

Throughout his experimentation, he wrote detailed records of his findings in a personal journal and kept them safe in a locker at home.

On June 16th, 2028, Avon experienced what the media would later deem, “The Great Collapse.”

While operating unsupervised, Arthur McDowell had forgotten to account for the rapid expansion of the air surrounding recurring lightning strikes.

Each began appearing in overwhelming succession, resulting in an instantaneous explosion.

For those unfortunate enough to witness the event from the eastern wing, each who chose to share their experience on social platforms separately claimed to have seen a “warped hole” suspended in the air, being no larger than two feet in diameter.

It hovered for enough time to reflect light back towards them while absorbing the surrounding debris into a vortex before disappearing.

Avon Corporation’s investigation reached its conclusion after searching Arthur McDowell’s home.

Little time was wasted in rebuilding the destroyed western wing.

When construction ceased and every testimony had been read through, Avon arranged the wing to the exact specifications Arthur McDowell desired prior to his death.

Eventually, they chose to name it “The McDowell Wing” in honor of their fallen scientist.

Deep pocket books notwithstanding, Avon knew that the severity of another catastrophic event could cripple the organization and against all recommendations, financially backed future research to the fullest extent.

Under intense micro-management and strict protocol, their group of new scientists began working to recreate what Arthur McDowell had desperately attempted to do.

In 2029, one, solitary warped hole was created within a confined space.

Soon after, they discussed creating two portals in precise, predetermined locations and connecting them using a Tipler Cylinder in order to potentially make a path along the space-time continuum.

Before a secure connection could be established, each newly formed connection would grow stronger and last longer than the one before.

Those involved marveled as light cones emanating from both portals illuminated the time axis forwards and backward.

The death of Arthur McDowell would not go in vain.

humanity
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About the Creator

Jake Snyder

An avid writer specializing in poetry of the soul and a life long Bi-Polar Type 1 advocate and survivor.

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