A lifetime ago…
'With enough energy, you could rip a hole in the fabric of reality.'
A simple enough idea and an equally simple phrase, yet it rang aloud in my head. I'm a man who believes anything is possible. Anything at all. The laws of physics be damned, they were written by people, by humans. Imperfect beings who could not possibly see the whole picture. Theories, very good and very accurate, supported by good evidence, but theories nonetheless. An educated guess, effectively.
As I sat there, staring blankly at my computer screen, the idea snowballed inside my young and thoughtful mind. More ideas were tacked onto it, sucked into it, rolled up all into one giant idea. And question after question popped up, too. Eventually half of my brain started playing the pessimist. All the laws of physics would say 'no,' Einstein would say 'no,' we don't even know if the multiverse theory is correct, and even if it was and we could, we would need an impossible amount of energy to do it.
After who knows how long of both sides of me fighting with each other tooth and nail, the pessimist had beaten the optimist to a bloody pulp. But then, in his darkest moment, when things looked the most grim, came a tiny ray of light. A beacon of hope. A new weapon that the optimist could wield in his defense of the terrible pessimist.
A simple memory, obscured by only a few years' time. A bit of actual knowledge, a rarity from my brief tenure in college. Something my chemistry professor once said.
"What's wrong with this reaction class? Hmm? That's right, it defies a law of physics."
At the time, my mind was blown. I don't remember what reaction it was, or what law it was. But what I thought was an infallible law, and unbreakable wall, was, well, broken. Proven by experimentation. So I thought, the 'laws' were actually just our best guesses, not stone, but fluid. Constantly being altered and added to. But if even one could be broken, who says the others couldn't at least be bent?! And so the optimist stood tall with renewed vigor, and cut down his opponent with every weapon he had at hand.
"Laws of physics…"
"Imperfect!"
"Other dimensions cannot exist…"
"Unknown!"
"Not enough energy…"
"We'll engineer a way around it!"
After all, why couldn't we do it? Humanity has had a long and winding history of performing the impossible, and we do it almost on a daily basis.
We built monumental pyramids without iron tools.
We built ships and sailed across vast oceans.
We built aircrafts and conquered the sky.
We have weapons that can wipe an entire city off the map.
We construct buildings so tall they touch the sky.
We can travel the circumference of the Earth in less than a day.
We have perfected nuclear fission to the point of being able to reactivate dead radioactive cores, providing nearly unlimited energy recycling.
We can use light, fucking light, to send information anywhere we want instantaneously with the lightest of touches on a pane of glass.
We defied the restricting forces of our own planet and sent astronauts all the way to the moon.
We built a thinking machine, then sent it into outer space to tell us about another planet... twice.
We have gazed upon the structures of other galaxies around us.
We have looked straight into the black hole in the middle of our galaxy.
WE CAN CREATE LIFE!
Where there's a will, there's a way. That's the genius of the human mind. We don't limit ourselves to what we have. When we want something more, we reach out and take it.
So I reached out, and grabbed my cell phone.
"Hey Bob, it's Dane."
"Argh… It's two in the fucking morning!"
I glanced at the wall clock. "Oh shit, I'm sorry man!" I really lost track of time while I was thinking."
"Yeah, yeah, fuck you." He yawned. "Whatcha need?" He said in a tired and gravelly voice.
"Hey, uh, don't you know a physicist?"
"…Yeah."
"Can I have his number?"
"It's a 'she' actually, her name's Julie."
"Is she hot?"
"…"
"You know what, never mind."
"She's married anyway, hang on, I'll get you her number. Ok, it's 555-555-5555, ya got that?"
"Wait, 55…55?"
"Yeah, please tell me you're not gonna call her at this time of night…"
"No, of course not! Don't be ridiculous. Thanks buddy!"
"Go fuck yourself with the pointy end of a rake, Dane."
"Will do, toodle-oo!"
I hung up and immediately dialed Julie's number. It went straight to her voice mail, so I decided to call her in the morning.
There I was, sat at a table with Julie the physicist. I was all jittered-up on coffee because I hadn't slept at all the previous night. She agreed to talk to me over lunch, but only after I made a few exaggerated claims about a new age of physics and the like. I had been losing her ever since she found out I had more questions for her than she did for me.
"...well that's because Einstein's theories are supported by a ton of physical evidence, you know," she said with a snarky tone, as she took a bite of her tuna sandwich on whole grain bread.
"They're called theories for a reason, why would you automatically accept them as fact?"
"Yeah, ‘theory,’ not ‘hypothesis.’ The difference is that one is supported by evidence. You know, by actual science?"
"But just because they hold true for some things, doesn't mean they will for everything. At the end of the day, a theory is just a theory. To accept it as 100% fact is just… ignorant, I'm sorry to say it that way, but it is."
She stopped mid-chew and glared at me for a few painful seconds, then swallowed and continued, "Well like I said, they hold up under any experiment." She finished by giving me the stink eye.
"But we aren't capable of pushing those experiments farther. We're limited by technology, aren't we? And what kind of scientist says to himself 'No, I can't push the boundaries of human knowledge because everybody tells me I can't.' Does that sound right to you?"
"Ugh…" She was thoroughly done with me right then. She even grabbed her purse in the motions of getting up and walking away.
"I-If you look into this and it leads to a discovery, you could be famous!" I desperately attempted to change her mind.
She took a final swig of her latté and slammed the paper cup down on the table in a manner of finality, she was done with it. And me.
"Aren't you even the least bit curious that any of the crap I've been talking about could be done?"
She pushed herself up out of her chair with a hand on the table.
"Don't you even want to know? Where's your scientific curiosity?"
I don’t know what happened. But right then, something I said struck a chord in her. She stood stock still, frozen in the motion of getting up to leave. Julie stared at the hand she had placed on the table, on her ring finger was a simple gold wedding band with three tiny diamonds set into it.
She sat back down and leaned her face into her palm, sitting like that for several seconds.
"I… guess I see your point about pushing the boundaries. I still don't think it's possible…" she looked me in the eye, "…but I suppose… that's the point of experimenting, isn't it?"
"THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" I clapped my hands together in excitement.
"I'm going to regret this, but what now?" She asked, looking utterly defeated.
"Ok, so, we need to rip a hole," I demonstrated with hand gestures, "in the wall separating our reality from other dimensions!"
She sighed dejectedly and put her face in the palm of her hand. "Jesus. You're insane."
Two years later…
"Why are you science-y types so adamant about your laws of physics anyway?" I asked Julie who was sat across the table from me.
"Um, maybe because it's all we know? They define our entire world and everything in it, everything we know is governed by those laws. Take them away and you destroy our notions of reality, all that's left is chaos." She smiled. "It's kind of a frightening concept, to be honest," she giggled at her response. She knew damn well that she had helped start the fire that would bring that frightening concept to life.
Bob said, "Chaos, huh? Well Newton can kiss Discord's ass!"
Everyone around the table laughed.
"You bronies, I swear," Julie shook her head, "you're all nuts."
"What do you mean, 'you bronies'? You watch it too!" I accused.
"Yeah, but just because you jerks got me addicted. I'm a victim of circumstance," she insisted, feigning innocence.
John, another physicist we found, leaned over the table, looking at Julie with a sly grin. "You know, you never did tell us who's your favorite…"
Everyone looked to her with bated breath. She rolled her eyes. "I guess if I had to pick one, it'd be Rarity…"
"Fluttershy is best pony," Bob quickly stated.
"Vinyl Scratch," Mick said.
"Gil~da," Eve sang.
"Spike!" John proclaimed.
"Come on guys. Everyone knows that one does not simply pick a favorite pony!" I stated with appropriate hand gesture, true to the meme.
"Oh please, Dane…" Eve protested. She was an enthusiastic physics student, at the time.
The waitress brought out our drinks.
"Guys, how 'bout a toast." I held up my bottle of Miller. "To the theory!"
"TO THE THEORY!" They all said together, raising their bottles and glasses up high, and clanging them together in a toast to our finished product.
It was little more than a pile of paper at the time. But we were all confident that it was a polished product. A theory with very few holes in it. Something that, although outlandish on the surface, could be taken seriously if it was read and understood. Not accepted – hah! – but taken seriously.
Julie sighed. "You do realize that it's not an actual 'theory' until there is factual evidence to support it. It's currently only a hypothesis and not even a particularly good one."
"Yeah, like I said, a theory," I answered.
"Why do I even bother… you know, I really liked working on this with you guys, but you do realize that this will never make it through peer review, right Dane?"
"Who the hell said anything about peer review? Hah! I'm not gonna let a bunch of real scientists walk all over our Theory."
"I hate you so much right now."
"Well," Mick spoke up. He was a quiet guy, but a damn genius. "If the Theory is ready, what do we do now?"
"Don't worry Mick, I know a few people."
"Well the 'Theory' is ready then. Looks like you got your wish, Dane," Julie said.
"Heh… not my whole wish…"
"Are you alright Dane?" Fluttershy asks me with the cutest, most adorable look of concern in her eyes, and a hoof gently placed upon my knee.
I sniffle a couple times and nod, smiling under bittersweet tears.
"Never better!"
Oh, poor guy. That's a hell of a flashback..
I wish it was longer, but, it'll do.
Wow, I forgot about this story. Good to see more of it.
Construct additional pylons.
2601180 ikr
2601224 I was going to add more, but I felt it was long overdue.
2601334
2601365 lol
Um... mister negative here. We can't create life. All we can do is borrow it and change around it's DNA.
So who here thinks what Dane did is actually possible, Because i think it is possible.
Spoken like a true champion.
don't forget, we can make brain cells using pee!
i.qkme.me/3uh8ch.jpg
at least, we know the fic isn't dead
this is a feel good moment
I saw this in the feature box and zoomed straight here, I know the ending to this story will be sad...please don't make it too sad
2601418 Oh, a new guy! Well, it hasn't yet been discussed what, if anything, Dane brought with him
2601432 What is 'creation' but the altering of things that already exist? You don't truly 'create' a beautiful painting, you merely take existing materials and arrange them in certain ways. (Mr. Philosophical here )
2601472 lol!
2601510 Well I sure as hell do. lol.
2601518
2601522 WE CAN!?
2601557 Oops...
2601566 Aw, glad you think so!
2601568 No promises.
FFFUUUUUU! Don't quote Gaben! You'll make him delay HL3! He knows when you quote him!
*Flails pan about wildly*
I really liked this whole flashback. Gave a nice view on Dane's drive to create the machine he made and to bend the laws of physics. Glad to see the story finally got an update.
Well a hell of a chapter... MOAR! AND MAKE IT SNAPPY!
2601619 It was a pretty dirty trick
2601661 Nope, just me, Gabe Newell.
2601669 Glad ya liked it!
2601788
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!
personally i prefer semi HiE's in which they get ponified. this one however dosent need it
Pretty damn epic to see this pop up again. I hope you don't run into too many issues with The Theory and all that it. It's understandably vague and lacks specifics but it's a crucial part of this story. I could easily see more issues appear if The Theory and the technology behind making it reality are put under more scrutiny. All in all, it's perfectly passable. In my opinion, at least.
Quick question though, did Dane just pop out of your mind or is there any form of inspiration for him? (Sorry if that question has been asked before. I don't normally lurk in comments long. >.<)
2601224
That's what she said...
Why do I keep imagining the old guy as Johnny Cash? Hmm....
This Mick, has my respect. Vinyl all the way.
Regardless, great story so far. Looking forward to more.
I sense that this may come back to bite Dane in the ass in future chapters. Keep up the good work.
2601786 WOW!
2601804 LOL (Who is this Mark?)
2601831
2601836 Hey, you know, it might be.
2601842 Nice to know I have exceeded your expectations!
2601876 Well, naturally the theory is left mostly vague. I won't be going into details about it anyway. I like to think as well that Dane only really understands the bare basics of it himself. He's not a genius, he's just a problem solver. As for Dane, the name is the alias I use for myself as a character in many stories. This is a self insert lol. Granted, I'm not 82 years old, but still. This story and old Dane are the product of many inspirations. Many are obvious. Like Cave Johnson. Doc Brown and BTTF in general. The old guy from Jurassic Park. Things like that.
2601945 Kinky...
2602210 Whatever floats your boat man. Seems like everyone has a specific voice picked for Dane.
2602217 lol
2602297 What's that?
Welcome to the story, everyone new!
Yep
2602340
I had a comment about how pissed off and jealous I am of your success, but I withheld it, since I didn't want to incite any rage.
EDIT: I didn't (and will not) read the story, for that reason.
I totally agree with Bob, Fluttershy for ever
2601945
Damn right she did.
What sorcery is this that brings back dying fics?!
Oh wait it's not sorcery. I would know.
In any case, I have a feeling that this will continue to eat away at poor Dane till he is not but a hollow shell. . . For what use are a purpose and destination if you betray them upon the road?
2601945
Dammit! I was going to say that!
2602340 I mean the guilt the main character is feeling will surly come back to haunt him in future chapters.
2602344 GABEN.
2602346 I'm... a little insulted. Don't get me wrong... there are LOTS of stories that I refuse to read because of their success. But those are stupid fics, shameless clopfics, and shitty fics with cool names / pictures, like that one with the pokemon. Has more upvotes than this. Those I don't read, because I feel like they don't deserve their success. (Though I could be wrong sometimes). But the reason I feel like some stories don't deserve their success is because here I have this story. A story that I have poured my heart and soul into. That I've cried writing. That I've intentionally put myself into a deep depression, just to make my writing that much more believable for the sad parts. And some stories are more popular than this and you can tell... they just didn't have that effort put into them.
That's why... I'm rather upset to know that someone would feel the same way about MY story... Thank you for removing your previous comment though, and I would like to politely ask you to give this fic a shot.
2602356
Ah...
AH!
choo!
2602393 How insightful! No comment!
2602437 Perhaps... perhaps...
I really like the story so far. I've read all the chapters in one sitting while listening to these songs that seemed to fit:
Sleepy Ghosties
Dash's Empty Sky
I can't wait for the next chapter! Hopefully the wait isn't too long.
Aasah to remember the lost ...
Anyway its a good thing to hear from you again!
And what do you mean follow!? I can't follow you twice!
2602454
I seem to be on a role with insightfulness lately. Funny, since I appear to have been born with a Perception score of 1
my ass, HURRY THE FUCK UP WITH HL3!
Don't you just love BS science? I know I do!
Are you going to go into detail about what the 'theory' is, by the way? I'm just wondering if you already have a notion of what it is or if it's just a term at this point.
2601432
We have actually taken it a step farther than that. Check this out: SAY WHAT?!
Congratulations, everyone! Deserving or not, the human race is now considered god-tier. As Imagine Dragons would say, "Welcome to the New Age."
dat phone number... couldn't you have come up with something a BIT more creative like 123-555-7890?
Ahhhhh, memories
Dane's been watching a lot of Fringe, hasn't he?
wow this fic is why I joined
2602593 Magic. *snort snort*
2602669 SEEMS LEGIT!
2602684 *inhales through clenched teeth* Ooooh. Yea... about that... Great soundtrack though, shit now I'm depressed again. FUCK. And here I was just coming out of it from finishing writing this chapter. And you guys wonder why I take so long to update... Glad you decided to read this though!
2602817 YES YOU CAN. MAKE ANOTHER ACCOUNT! (lol I'm just kidding)
2602876 What's the high score? lol
2602947 GABEN.
2602979 lol like I told that guy, what is 'creation' but the rearranging of what already exists? Even writing, taking non-tangible ideas and creating art with them, is still based on preexisting notions, ideas, scenery, and the like. And thanks again for that quote! I changed it around a bit, but damn, it was just what I was looking for!
2603018 lolwut?
2603054 Sad music, now sad thoughts. Now I'm sad again. THX GUIS.
2603117 As possible as it is to sting a bumblebee or rain on a cumulus.
2603160 I know... I'm so ashamed...
2603177 That was a joke in itself lol. Some part of me wonders what would happen if I put my own phone number there. How many people would have the balls to call it?
2603297 Yep. And all those people are dead now.
2603384 I'm afraid Dane has never seen Fringe. Dane wonders what exactly makes you say that?
2603429 Joined what? Fimfiction? If so, I am flattered sir/madam!
2603464 Alternate universes
Saying fuck-all to reality's laws in the name of science.
You have a story. This is an accomplishment. I got writer's block on mine before it was even published!
Actually, I was just thinking of this story yesterday. Kinda freaky how it got an update now.
It LIVES!
(Actual meaning understood, but then I thought of Frankenstein's Monster)
To the Bat Mobile!
As I'm reading this chapter, I start wondering if they could have encountered realities that resemble fan fictions like Project Sunflower. Then we'd have a big 'ol mess of crossovers.
2603464 How blunt of you
I'm slightly irked at all the "it's just a THEORY" because as far as I remember in science a theory is not, in fact, a mere hypothesis, but a collection of gathered knowledge on a subject or something like that. I wish you would've phrased those arguments of "it's just a theory, not a fact" a bit differently, because that reminds me waaaaay too much of my earlier years of reading creationism vs evolution and other such debates, where the ignorant side would always go for the "but it's called a theory, so it's just an idea!!11" and the side that actually knows their terminology would facepalm.
2602593allmystery.de/i/t1af69a_ta72027_youre-right.gif
Laws of physics cannot be broken. If we apparently break the laws of physics, it is because we do not understand physics.
Fact, theory, and hypothesis are not used correctly:
Facts are observations.
Hypothesis is a stab at how it works:
“I hypothesize that all members of the species dies after mating.”
One cannot prove an hypothesis, only disprove it. Scientists try to disprove their hypotheses. Science is pruning.
Theory is an hypotheses which survived all attempts at disproving and has great explanatory power. As an example, General Relativity:
Einstein came up with General Relativity almost a century ago. We have tested it (tried to disprove it) 10s of thousands of times over the years, but General Relativity survives all assaults. It explains how the universe operates to the limits of observations.
When CreaTards (flat/young-Earth geocentric creationists) say that a Round Earth is just a Theory, Scientists facepalm because the statements is fractally wrong:
It is wrong on all scales, like a fractal. It misunderstands theory. It ignores millions of observations of the Earth being roughly spherical. It is wrong on all levels in every way.