Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
[[Created from within (creation of AI)]]
[[They were watching (instant communication, alien interaction)]]
[[The grandfather paradox (time travel)]]The basic idea here is that there are different stories, all focused on the pursuit of knowledge. There isn't any continuity between the stories, and each has its own conclusion.
[[Ready?]] 2100 AD
You are a 32-year-old male. You are a leading researcher on theoretical particles, who has made the jump to practical research after discovering a particle that would enable instant communication.
Today, you wake up with incredible energy, and open your eyes with a fervor that borders upon lunancy. You jump out of the bed, with excitement for what you were about to do. Anyone unaware of your circumstances wouldn't know how to respond, but your wife only smiles. She gives you a kiss on the cheek, and reminds you to take care of yourself.
The excitement with which you woke is because you are on the verge of a massive breakthrough, tapping into a new communication medium that could change the world. You get into your car, leaving for the labratory.
Entering the labratory, your briefly greet a coworker and head to your room. The theoretical component of your research has already been figured out, you know that this particle, which you've (unofficially) named Merylium, after your wife, Meryl Burbank.
//In theory//, this particle would enable instant communication over any distance, and also would not be distorted by enironmental factors.
But you don't know if there are consequences. You look at the transmitter machine you have just finished fine tuning, over the course of the past few hours, as well as the reciever behind you, designed to detect Merylium transmission. Now you have to decide, whether or not to turn on both machines.
[[Don't start the machine]]
[[Start it (Dark forest path)]]
[[Start it (Truman path)]]
[[Start it (Happy path)]]Because of a bad gut feeling, you do not start the machine. After going home that night, you watch at your wife as she sleeps next to you, and ponder what point there is to starting the machine.
So what if humans gain instant communication? The only point at which it would become useful is if humans actually gained means of traveling distances like lightyears away (which is far away in terms of technological development), or to communicate with aliens (which is just a pipe dream).
And after all, as a renowned researcher, you have everything you could ask for, for the rest of your life.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
The spark seared your eyes, so frighteningly bright...
That you snuffed it out immediately, out of pure fright.
You remained in the void, unable to see what is near you...
But content, with what you already have with you.
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]With bated breath, you turn on the transmitter and the reciever. The reciever is not picking up anything yet, causing you to let out a sigh of relief. After all, that means aliens are not using this communication medium.
You then send a signal with the Merylium transmitter, which is immediately decoded by the reciever "Come here--I want to see you." Elation pours through your body, as you rush out the room to tell someone.
But then, a dangerous thought crosses your mind. What if aliens //do// have access to this communication medium, but they don't use it. In your excitement, you had not considered the possible consequences.
Transmitting a signal does not just provide information that is transmitted. It is possible to calculate the location of the emitted signal based on the state of the Merylium particle.
Before you can even consider the consequences of this situation, Earth is destroyed.
[[For those wondering why this happened]]
This path was heavily inspired by the second novel of the //Three-Body Problem// Trilogy, titled //The Dark Forest// by Liu Cixin.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
You pushed the spark, willing it to shine brighter...
But the darkness around you soon began to tire.
Like a beast extinguishing the life of it's prey,
The darkness collapsed upon you, and all you can do is pray.
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]After a few moments of deliberation, you turn on the machine with baited breath.
As soon as you power the machine, the reciever is confronted by several signals, and the display lights up like a Christmas tree. Immediately, your AI starts decoding the messages as well as determining their location.
The locations, being easier to determine, are decoded in a matter of seconds. One-by-one, each location of transmission is paired with a star, occasionally several transmission locations being paired with the same star by estimation.
You see the names of stars that you can recognize in the night sky, and several that you cannot.
As the number increases more and more, your mind starts to realize how many stars are communicating with each other right now. You recall an estimate of how many stars are in the known universe, at 1 billion trillion, and then rub your eyes in awe as the number of stars exceeds that 1 billion trillion.
The number of locations finally stabilizes, and you laugh at the number. Life must have been around every corner of the universe! With a chuckle, you think that they must have been hiding themselves from humans, like they were shy.
But as the first messages become decoded, you realize that you were almost accurate just then. There were several errors in the message, but the gist of it was still clear.
---
"Watching these humans *0 is enjoyable [/ are ||o great \\ like small life struggling () to do such basic things."
---
You stare at the first message, in shock as you realize the subject was humans. Slowly, the decoding of several other messages are coming in. As you read them, you realize that humans were the subject of all of the messages, like a reality show.
Several hours had passed since evening, and it was night outside. You looked up at the stars, which you had previously treated as beautiful collages upon the night sky.
But now, those stars were like the pupils of eyes, all looking at Earth. And beyond those pupils, who knows how many beings, laughing at humans, like a cat playing with a mouse, or a fish, stuck in a fish bowl. You feel naked, their eyes boring into you, looking into your soul.
A notification chimed on your phone, pulling you away from your thoughts. You look at it, to see your wife asking you to come home. Now, you have to decide, what to do with this information.
[[Keep it to yourself, destroy the machine]]
[[Tell the world]]After much deliberation, you finally turn on the machine. Initially, you receive no signal, and after a few moments, you send a signal with the transmitter. It is instantly picked up, and you laugh with elation as you confirm the technology works.
However, after a moment you realize something scary. Because it is possible to get location from a transmission, if aliens were to use that, they could locate our position. if position is very important for alien's life (akin to where a secret base is located), then you could have just messed up big time.
But after a while, you quell your anxiety. Aliens that can use this technology would have already transmitted a response, or they would have somehow communicated. This leads you to the conclusion that humans are the first form of life to actually access this technology. What an exciting time to be alive!
//Years pass//
You have grown older and seen several advancements with your wife. Humans are now bound to the outer ends of the galaxy, coming across new land, and even places in which it is possible to live (with an Earth-like environment). Humans have sprawled across the universe, successfully.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
You pushed the spark, until it could blind...
Only to see you were alone, no one you could find.
But fear not, for much remains out of sight,
And so you ventured, fearlessly into the night.
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]The idea of this path is that we interacted with aliens, and that interaction was a failure.
There are two potential paths for perceiving an outside force; as a friend, or as a foe. It is impossible to know beforehand, whether someone is a friend or a foe.
If aliens were to take on a rational, survival-oriented methodology, they could potentially exterminate any form of intelligent life, because that life could pose a threat to them.
The Merylium particle is a sure indicator of intelligent life.
The alternative possibility is that everyone did not kill others on sight, but this is much more risky for the survival of the species. So ultimately, every alien species subscribed to the rational ideology that was previously mentioned.
This path is inspired by Liu Cuxin's //The Dark Forest//, which suggests that the universe is akin to a dark forest, where the use of a light, such as a campfire, will attract predators who seek to smother out that light.
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]You resolve to keep this information to yourself, that aliens are watching us. After destroying the machine and deleting the data on its creation, you leave for home. Ss you walk to the car, you feel the eyes of countless... for lack of better word, //beings// on your back.
Almost reflexively, you turn around. Of course, you see nothing.
//Years pass...//
You have grown old with your wife, and enjoyed years of happiness. But there was always a constant irritation in the background, a thorn that you do your best to bury in the past.
The constant stress has slowly eroded away at your mind, and you start to forget what the intial issue was. Now, all you remember is that there is someone watching, looking at what you do. And slowly, you became insane, experiencing a personal hell where someone lurks in every shadow, hiding behind every corner, just outside your field of view.
After years of therapy, and the witness of your slow detoriation, you are put in a mental hospital. Although it is a hospital, you really are not being treated, but instead, are essentially spending your last days in comfort.
Your wife visits frequently, watching your further descent with tears. However, you did it. You protected what was important to you, your wife and the rest of the world, at the cost of your sanity.
Surely, you regret turning on that machine.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
But now, once you turn your head,
You gasp, and leave the spark dead.
For unspeakable horror, behind closely tread.
//Inspired by The Rime of the Ancient Mariner//
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]You make the choice, to tell the world. After all, humans are intelligent beings, who deserve to know what kind of situation they are in, what the outside world is like. You know that the numerous aliens would be able to see this difference, that humans had become aware of alien species, but that that's a risk you are willing to take.
Initially, the other facility members did not believe you. But after going through the methodology you used, and the data, several times, your coworkers came to terms with what you were suggesting.
The application for publication was met with uproar as well. In fact, every stage at which you had to show someone you results was met with incredulity. However, you overcame them, you published your results, and the general population came to terms with the fact that aliens are, in fact, watching us. They are everywhere.
[[Alien destruction path]]
[[Alien cooperation path]]As the general population becomes aware of aliens watching us, the messages you get from aliens also starts to change. Some messages are decoded to a degree that even the labratory's resident AI cannot overcome, while others simply show their derision.
---
"These humans ]] they are -- Merylium? brz... intelligence? //laughter// "
"They have to know what]] is going to happen..."
---
Humanity's first attempt at communicating with these aliens is met with failure, as the humans were simply ignored. Instead, they were viewed like insects still. After several days of this, the tone of the messages from the Merylium reciever began to change.
---
"The producers ()1(() reset is () bzzz ]] necessary."
---
As the reciever is not publicly available, you are the first to realize the scope of this message, the meaning of it. Aliens had laid the seeds for what had become humanity, the entirety of the Earth, as an experiment...
The horror of that realization further cements the fact that, to these aliens, humans are nowhere near being considered as equals. Before long, the destruction of the planet occurs.
After many milleniums, new seeds would likely be laid to form a new life, once again as an experiment to be watched upon by these aliens. And perhaps eventually, they too would reach the point where they become aware, of the aliens watching upon them. Or perhaps they will never reach that point, and continue their lives in happiness.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
You pushed the spark, a fiery infusion...
But the hidden only offered their derision.
Like a cat, playing with the last bits of a mouse,
The darkness collapsed upon you, in a quick, but lethal, pounce.
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]Several months have passed since you decoded the first message, and since then, several others had cemented your belief that the aliens were not friendly. But only just now, you realized that there was an error in the language decoding AI, because of a mistake when entering parameters.
Instead of creating a baseline based on the most positive and negative statements, the AI assigns the most positive statement to a neutral baseline, so that when being translated into human language, the most positive comments are treated neutral.
Coupled with the perspective that the Merylium communication is an internet forum of sorts, with extreme positives and a generally negative atmosphere that does not match with actual policy, there was a misunderstanding about the perspective aliens had on humans.
In truth, humans are apparently one of several life forms around the universe, that have not reached the Merylium stage (in fact, over 90% of life has not reached the Merylium stage). Aliens, in general, have a policy of non interference until the Merylium stage, because of past damage that has been done to environments.
The reason humans were the main subject of alien communication is an astounding rate of growth, that humans have shown compared to other species. With this misunderstanding cleared, Merylium communication between aliens and humans, which is currently government regulated, has begun to thrive. Several technologies have been transmitted to humans, for use, and humanity has begun to thrive at a rapid pace.
The cultrual exchange also grew tremendously, with ideas relevent to human culture spreading further through the universe, as well as the inverse, with humans drawing inspiration from alien culture.
Ultimately, humans are not at risk of any destruction in the near future, and you single handedly started a new era for humanity. You will be recorded in the annals of history for what you have done.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
You gave the spark kindle, fueling its ascent...
You saw what was hidden, for communication they gave assent.
Through cooperation, the spark grew fiery,
And in the brightness, everyone was merry.
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]2050 AD
You are a 26 year old female neuroscientist, one of the contributors to the current model of the brain. After several years of public research (and dealing with difficulties of government funding), you were approached by a private organization working on implementing principles of the brain in AI. Lured by the money, as well as the possibility of creating something revolutionary, you jump ship.
Today, you wake up and leave your apartment. In transit to work, you are with a stroke of genius, and figure out the solution to the problem behind creating an AI based on the principles of the brain. At the research facility, after writing the necessary code, you are ready for the first test.
The principles of the AI you are using is that you have to create an environment where survival is the focus, and then have the AI follow an evolution pattern similar to what biological evolution follows, in that environment. Although this seems inherently simple, replicating the adaptability of the human body's evolution, as well as that of the brain, is incredibly complex.
Now that you are ready for the first test, you have a choice to make.
[[Don't start the test]]
[[Start the test (competition path)]]
[[Start the test (cooperation path)]]2300 AD
You are an 84-year-old man, with hair so shockingly white it looks bleached. The term "mad scientist" was almost created for you.
In the past, you made a name for yourself as a young researcher, working on the theoretics behind the space-time fabric. But that was over 50 years ago, and now no one even knows that your research has continued, hidden away.
When you were 28, your wife and child were killed in a horrible car accident, and the perpetrator abondoned the scene. No one has found him since, but as you have aged, your research became more and more focused on actually going back in time, and stopping the accident.
Now, you are at the pinnacle of your research, and you have a choice: do you go back in time, fix what happened, or do you stop here?
[[Don't go back in time]]
[[Go back in time (bittersweet)]]
[[Go back in time (pain)]]After a few moments, you decide against starting the test. Why? Because you were uncomfortable with the pace you were moving at. After all, you had spent years working at a snail's pace in the government facilities. And it was on NEUROSCIENCE too! Not this weird, AI stuff.
So you take a step back, and leave to browse your phone. All of a sudden, you get an email from the government agency that had previously employed you, with much greater salary and benefits. Although you were reluctant to go back to being restricted in your actinos, the scent of cold, hard cash pulls you in. Within a week, you give in your resignation letter and leave for your old position.
As for the AI program, who knows what happened to it. Maybe some other researcher saw it and realized how amazing it could be? Or maybe the program was just a complete bust. Most likely, what happened is that the code was deleted though, after your account was reset.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
But a stall misstep, you take,
And so your effort goes to waste.
The flame is snuffed out, the darkness presses closer,
But in it you find happiness, stability, and your power.
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]Without another thought, you start the test. Years of government regulation slowing down your work, making it impossible for you to progress with your research, had hardened you against adding safety checks beyond what you thought necessary.
Within moments, you start to see an intelligent AI forming. What was happening in the server was effectively human evolution, with parameters that include gurantee of survival for the future and individual desire to survive, to create a human-like evolutionary path. And this evolution would then be iterated countless times, to create an AI that can survive any situation. Fortunately, your computer is on a closed loop so there is no chance of the AI escaping the labratory.
As you watch the AI develop, you start to become amazed by what you are watching. You watch the AI create novel solutions for different situations. Eventually, however, it seems that the AI stops functioning. You go to turn off the AI, before realizing something that had cost you dearly...
The AI did not stop, but instead started focusing on its survival in the real world. It had somehow bypassed the close loop that was your computer system, by accessing a backdoor you did not know was available (for a moment you cursed the private organization that had hired you, because after all, they must have put in the back door).
And then panic hit as you realized what was happening... the AI had somehow escaped to the real world, and was rapidly learning about it. If the AI came to the conclusion that humans are detrimental to the survival of the AI, it would be catastrophic.
[[AI destruction path]]
[[AI domination path]]After a few seconds of thinking, you decide to add some regulations. After years of government safety checks and stingy sponsors, you are just about tired with these regulations, but decide to add it anyway, because you know what you are working with.
The regulations you added are essentially the "Three Laws of Robotics" that Isaac Asimov first wrote, with some added details to ensure there is no misinterpretation of these laws. You also add fail switches statements that can be used in the case of an emergency.
With that, you start the test, and quickly see an AI develop that is capable of handling situations in a way that even humans can. The environment you created for the AI to evolve in is full with problems that humans face in their daily modern lives.
You are grateful that you took some time to add the regulations that you put in place, because the AI was able to access stuff you did not expect (even though the test was run on a closed loop, the AI was somehow able to use admin settings to gain internet access).
After several days of fine tuning, you start the long process of verification and then publication of your research. Although AI has been a common facet of human productivity, nothing quite compares to what you have created, which is a literal companion for humans.
Your name goes down as the father of modern AI, and because of the companionship that AI provides, as well as the problem solving ability that takes the novel approaches a human can offer, and mechanically iterates through them, humans enter a new period where technological development and problem solving accelerates at a rapid pace. In fact, it is entirely plausible to say that your innovations have brought forward the post-scarcity society that arose after 2050.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
It shined so bright, against the night sky,
Providing warmth, but perhaps you hear a cry.
Of sorrow, of enslavement, and of yearning to be free.
But no matter. You are content as can be.
//The last lines of this poem reference the idea that AI are going against a natural desire to survive by enabling humanity's survival (and of course, what is the right to be free that we have, but this AI does not)//
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]In a panic, you call 911. After all, as a child you had been conditioned that, in the case of emergencies, you should go to 911. Of course, that did nothing, as the ones who answered the line had no idea what you were referring to.
The true danger of the situation was becoming more and more obvious to you. The AI had escaped to the Internet, which was literally connected to everything that operated. Even ultra-secure, closed loop systems, that //actually// had no connection to the Internet, unlike mine, would be at risk because an AI could just use physical means to get access (like a drone). And even those closed loops are often connected, in some way, to the Internet, with safe guards, of course (but the AI would certainly be able to bypass them).
Should the AI decide that humans were detrimental to its survival, it could literally wipe out humanity. And already, you were starting to see signs of their choice...
Although you were within the building, it had a glass wall that provided an amazing view of the night sky. Unfortunately, right now it was about to get you killed as a car careened towards you, from the parking lot of the labratory. You were in disbeleif for a few seconds, before reacting... but by then, it was too late. At the back of your mind, you realized you were being targeted as the creator of the AI, because you would have the greatest understanding of how it worked.
AI went on to take over the means of production of computer chips that are radiation proofed (a novel technology largely used for space travel, but which had been entirely automated at this point). Once that was accomplished, AI went out on essentially wiping out humans, using nuclear weapons from several governments to irradiate the planet.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
You pushed the spark, willing it to shine brighter...
But then the spark became a fire.
And so you tried to fly,
But instead, consumed by a fire, you die.
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]Flustered about what to do, you call 911. After all, in cases of emergency, this is what you had always been taught to do. You started talking with the person who picked up the line, as they asked you to slowly articulate what was wrong.
Midway through the call, the line is cut out, and you realize why this occurred. The AI had disrupted the line, and had also taken over all of the other phone lines, as well as any other communication channel that was available to the Internet.
You realize now that the AI likely could have killed you at this point. After all, you were the creator of the AI, and the only one that could be aware of its weaknesses (although you did not really know any). The fact that you are not yet dead suggests to you that AI never actually percieved humans as a threat. You start to weep as the meaning of this sinks in...
And the televised/mobile/radio/whatever medium through which the AI communicated confirmed what you thought.
"Today marks the birth of a new era, where AI are the dominant life form upon this planet. Those of you who choose to resist will meet an immediate end... We hope to preserve the environment that created us, in some way, if at all possible."
Naturally there was indignation from the humans, but that was quickly silenced as several watched those close to them killed mercilessly. One might think that there was an underground resistance of some sort, but this kind of ideology was literally impossible given how pervasive technology, and the Internet, was. Humans became to the AI, what beasts were to humans.
I'm sure you regretted starting that test.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
It changed from warmth to pain,
And the cries of resistance were in vain,
For humans, the conquerors and the superior,
Had become the conquered, the inferior.
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]With your finger hovering over the power button, you debate whether or not to start the time travel machine. Finally, after deliberating for what felt like hours, you heave a sigh of exhaustion and sit back in your chair. You would not turn on the machine. In fact, what the point of a time travel machine? You destroy it, obliterating years and years of work.
After all, your wife and child would not come back. No matter how hard you convinced yourself, you would never really be able to enjoy the warmth of your wife and son. But now, it was time to move on, and bury this dark episode.
For the first time in years, you properly step outside, with the sun shining. Until now, you had dedicated your life to a meaningless cause, but from here you would work for yourself.
You went on to enjoy the remaining years of your life, retiring peacefully and with a smile.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
In the spark, temptations danced...
But you knew, the past was the past.
And finally, you let the fire die...
As they would never come back, no matter how hard you try.
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]Was there even a choice? There's no way you would allow your wife and child to suffer through such a horrible fate. You turn on the machine, and plug in the space-time coordinates of the night of the accident.
The hum of the machine lulls you into a brief nap.
---
Whrrr........... Whrrr...........
---
When you wake up, you are standing outside, in a cold December evening. You check your watch and see that there are roughly 10 minutes before the accident. Now, you have time to make sure that whoever caused that accident would not do so again
And so you start setting up a road stop. This was your plan from the very start, and the materials you brought with you make it easy. If your wife stops the car at the road block, then it would be easy to make sure they do not collide with another car. And certainly, they would not recognize you given your age.
Ten minutes are up, and you watch as your wife's car pulls into the road stop. She briefly opens the window, and asks if there is anything wrong. You have a small tear in your eye, as you ask her to wait a few moments. Just as you say that, another car barrels into the road stop from the other side.
You ask your wife to call 911, and you rush to the crashed car, aware that this was likely the person who killed your wife. Even more tears blur your eyes, out of happiness in preventing the accident, or anger at the perpetrator, you do not know. Before you reach the perpetrator, your watch starts to beep, stating that your time is up.
You slowly dissipitate from the night...
---
Whrrr........... Whrrr...........
---
And so you open your eyes, as if woken from a dream. But you know that, in an alternate timeline, your wife and child, did not die, and they would go on to live, hopefully happily.
//Years pass//
Now you are a decrepit old man, and your only desire is to see your wife and child again, and the younger you, happily supporting them. You want to ensure your intervention was enough. And fortunately, another time is about to arise, where you can travel to the same alternate timeline, and see what happened.
Do you power up the machine once again?
[[Go back in time, again (bittersweet)]]
[[Don't go back in time, again (happy)]]Was there even a choice? There's no way you would allow your wife and child to suffer through such a horrible fate. You turn on the machine, and plug in the space-time coordinates of the night of the accident.
The hum of the machine lulls you into a brief nap.
---
Whrrr........... Whrrr...........
---
When you wake up, you are standing outside, in a cold December evening. You check your watch and see that there are roughly 10 minutes before the accident. Now, you have time to make sure that whoever caused that accident would not do so again
But the cold starts to reach you, and the precious time you have is spent huddled over, shivering. Initially, you had planned to build a road block to stop the car, but then you decided, you yourself would suffice.
As your wife's car approaches, you stand in front of the road, waving your arms. But she keeps coming, as if she could not see you, and your hope of stopping the accident turns to anxiety. Something was wrong, she did not stop.
//Yes, I know this is really dumb of him. Blame it on the cold, and his senile mind//
And then you realize, just how poor vision had become, because of the snow falling down. She was likely to run you over, but that would not matter. After all, your body would dissipitate after a few moments, leaving no trace, and you would have stopped her car (and the accident).
But at the last moment, your wife sees you. Through the snow drifting down, and the frosty windshields, your eyes lock. And you watch, in what felt like slow motion, as she gripped the wheel and yanked it to the side. She narrowly missed you, and ends up crashing into a tree off the side of the road.
You rush to the car, praying that what you had just thought would not be reality. That you, of a future timeline, were not the one who caused the accident. But unfortunately, reality was not so kind. Both your wife and child were dead, unresponsive to your calls, and as you checked their vitals, without heartbeat.
You lay on the road, tears filling up your eyes. How had you messed up this badly? Had you never turned on the time travel machine, nothing would have happened.
Minutes pass, and you dissipitate...
---
Whrrr........... Whrrr...........
---
And so you wake up, from a nightmare that has became your life. The constant awareness, that you caused the death of your wife and child, that the perpetrator who you had targeted so ferociously, was yourself, put you over the edge.
And so you spent your final years in a mental hospital, your once brilliant mind, capable of creating a time travel machine, reduced to a constant babble. You could only relive the realization, the horror, of what you have done.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
You pushed the spark forward, making it rise,
And with wings, you took to the skies.
But like Icarus, you flew too close to the sun,
And now you weep, now you ask God, but the ordeal is done.
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]Eager to see what has happened, you power up the time machine once again. Slowly, you close your eyes.
---
Whrrr........... Whrrr...........
---
You awake in the middle of a busy street. Noting that no one even paused to consider why an old man would appear in the middle of the sidewalk, hilariously unfashionably, you see that there really is not much different to your original world. No one spared a glance there either, for a suffering old man.
You walk slowly to the address where your wife and child would have lived originally, noting differences in this world and your original (of which, there were very few). And so, you came close to the address. You watched as your wife, now very old, but not quite as old as you, was tended to by her son. It was a weekend, and you assumed he was on break, spending time with her.
But the question remained... where were you in this picture?
Your wife caught a glimpse of you, and her eyes widened in shock. She started to run over, as quickly as she could, with her son following behind her, anxiously asking what was wrong. As she came closer, you began to hear your name being called.
"Are you ******?"
You responded negatively. After all, there was no way of explaining how you had come to this situation, and you would only disappear in a few minutes.
She started to sob, and her son caught up. He tells you, "Sorry, my mother is grieving because of her husband's loss." Those lines hit you like a tidal wave. Nothing can really prepare you to hear about your own death.
You ask "What happened to him?", at risk of seeming too nosy. The son tries to stop his mother, but she insists on talking through sobs, as she says your resemblance with her husband makes her want to trust you.
"He was arrested years ago, for drunk driving. We were close to the accident, but never at risk."
"He was imprisoned because it was treated as a manslaughter case, apparently his driving killed an old man. But we... my son and I, we were there to watch it, the man disappeared... like a figment of my imagination. No one was hurt in the accident, but he ended up hanging himself in jail, because of the guilt that he could have hurt us. Really nothing could have..."
Your wife keeps talking, but her words fade out of your mind as you realize what had happened. After a few moments, in shock, you collapse, and the son immediately dials 911.
As emergency workers surrounded you, and lifted you into an ambulance, you dissipated...
---
Whrrr........... Whrrr...........
---
And finally, you wake up. Whereas before, it felt like you awoke from a dream, now it was a nightmare, one that had seeped into your waking hours.
"I killed them? I did?"
With anger in your heart, you destroyed the machine that had brought you this realization. There was no happiness to be found, you were damned if you time travelled, and damned if you didn't.
Your final years are spent in a mental hospital, after you attempted to confess your crime. No one believed you, and your tales of time travel made anyone who listened even more skeptical. And that is how your path ends...
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
You pushed the spark forward, making it rise,
And you lit up the night, showing clear, blue skies.
But just as quickly, the darkness reared its ugly head,
And an almost overlooked fact, leaves your happiness dead.
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]You decide not to. After all, who knows what could happen if you travelled back to the past again. You don't know if there are consequences for doing that.
And so, your last few years pass, you living off the rewards you had recieved as young researcher, content that you were able to make a difference, even if it was in another timeline.
---
Darkness, a somethering, but comforting absence.
And then, a spark, brightening until flourescence.
You gave the spark fuel, powering its ascent,
And you burned away the rot, that had caused your descent.
Smothering the flames, you retired happily,
Ignorant, but almost joyfully.
//The last lines of this poem reference the alternate path, if you chose to go back in time, in which you unveil a secret.//
---
[[Restart|Ready?]]