234 of 290

Write now Article Tools

Page 4 of 4

happens." said McNealy "They turn away from the window... we can almost see their faces before it goes dark."

"And then it happens again, in the next window," said Sanderson. "And then the next."

"And we're standing here waiting our turn," said Duncan.

"I could almost see my face that time," said McNealy.

"Never mind that; look at the windows. If we can find out what that darkness means-"

McNealy paid no attention to the remainder of Sanderson's comment... OR to the looming darkness that remained in each window as the world it used to display vanished. It was happening very fast now, with multiple planes darkening every second, each one closer to them than the one before. As each window went black, the scientists watching it reacted by turning away from it and looking back... back through the infinity of recursive windows... back at the infinite string of themselves that was still looking forward with mounting curiosity.

And as the successive darkenings got closer, the images became large enough for McNealy to SEE those horrified faces.... SEE those expressions of abject terror screaming at them... warning them... as yet another world went black.

"Turn it off." McNealy's first attempt barely made it past his suddenly dry tongue. But when he tried again- "FOR GODS SAKE, TURN IT OFF!"

Duncan darted for the wall of buzzing equipment.

"NO!" Sanderson shouted. "I CAN ALMOST SEE!"

"TURN IT OFF!"

In the quantum window, the same actions played out across thousands of parallel worlds:

Duncan running for the controls.

McNealy trying to grab Sanderson and pull him away from the window.

Sanderson screaming in protest as the wheeled cart with the magnifying glass fell over-

But the string of alternate planes was not infinite... and in that final plane a DIFFERENT sequence was occurring. A sequence that began with howls of panic and horror... and ended in darkness and a new "final" plane.

"I CAN SEE!" Sanderson screamed. Now only a handful of planes separated them from the darkness, and the shattered magnifying lens was no longer needed. Mere seconds away from direct observation, Sanderson would not be moved from the window... even as the darkness surged forward, consuming world after world like a ravenous shadow. He watched unaffected as all of the Sandersons before him vanished screaming into its mouth.

"DUNCAN! NOW!" McNealy screamed, tugging harder on Sanderson's arm. Sanderson struck out blindly, catching his superior across the face and knocking him aside.

He would have been too late. So many of him already HAD been too late... though they all moved as one, fractions of a second still separated each plane as darkness swallowed them one by one. The very tips of Duncan's fingers caught edge of the EMERGENCY STOP button on the power supply.

A relay tripped, and as Sanderson... THEIR Sanderson... began to scream-

The Everett/Wheeler bridge vanished.

Duncan leaned heavily on the control board and stared at the empty space where the window had been. He had seen it out of the corner of his eye.

A hovering black rectangle.. a window into nothing.

It was gone now, vanished back into the quantum chaos from which he and Sanderson had summoned it... but it had taken something with it.

Sanderson lay in a fetal position on the floor, gibbering incoherently and spasming at the touch of things that either weren't there... or that only he could see. McNealy, who's own sanity had been saved by Sanderson's flailing blow, stood over him.

He listened, but none of the sounds from Sanderson's mouth approached even the most liberal definition of language.

"What did he see?" McNealy turned to Duncan. "My God, what did he SEE?"

"Maybe..." Duncan replied. "Maybe that IS what he saw."

Learn more about this author, Dark Icon.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

Add your voice

Know something about Short stories: Science fiction?
We want to hear your view. Write now!