Heros, Monsters and Knights in rusted armor

The Leap

*DISCLAIMER* I AM NOT A SCIENTIST.

The year was 1983. the cold war was winding down from its peak, but the red scare was still in full effect. patriotic americans nationwide did everything they could to contribute. Some with service in other nations fighting off the commies, others on more...scientific fronts. whether that be making brand new weapons, bigger bombs or finding new ways to stop a bullet, or finding subversive technologies to stop the war altogether, a lot of out of the box thinking was going on.

Having just quit his job and with nothing better to do, a former theoretical physicist and certified handyman named Francis Roice began work on a piece of technology that got him laughed out of lab in which he used to work. He would show them, all he needed was time, parts and a little bit of elbow grease. Francis aspired to make a time machine.

The first step was the plans. Francis layed out the blue grid sheet, stretched, lit a cigarette and switched on the radio on his desk. he would make this work. Francis would show them. Francis stared blankly at the paper, ran his fingers through his hair and let out a sigh. where would he even start? This is nothing like building a rocket or an atom bomb, This one is gonna take a lot of brain work. Leaning back in his chair and smoking his cigarette Francis listened only partially to the broadcast. same bullshit everyday. yadda yadda, relationships with the kremlin have soured, threats of nuclear war, blah blah blah. its all just a bunch of horse shit to keep people scared and listening. Suddenly, he had an epiphany. with a grin, francis lurched quickly forward in his chair, grabbed and uncapped the white chalk pen he kept on his desk.

"lets do this." francis smirked confidently, and got to work.

After Several hours, equations, Mistakes, rewrites and plans, Francis dotted his i's and crossed his t's, unwinding his now fully fledged blueprint over his lightboard, placing his hands on his hips proudly admiring his work. hes got the plans and the knowhow, now all he needs is the parts...but how would he go about getting his hands on them? Pondering once again, he thought of a few sources, maybe the scrapyard would be a good framework to start, and francis has a few bucks saved up, but he needs a huge power source and a few components only found at his former place of employment, the lab.

Just the thought of it brought a nervous, yet excited tremble to Francis's hands."Quite the caper it would be, wouldn't it?" he thought to himself, but soon began to wonder to himself how he would even go about pulling this off. Its not like he could just waltz in there and take it...or could he? He still had his old key pass, badge and uniform, maybe, with a bit of luck ,Francis could do just that. Not everyone in the lab knew he had quit, and it was very possible the bureaucracy of the lab's higher-ups prevented them from deactivating his pass this soon. so long as no-one asks any questions, he might, with just a little bit of luck, be able to pull this off. Deciding to attempt his heist under cover of night to avoid as many wandering eyes as possible, Francis propped his feet up on his desk and leant back in his chair, napping until his departure time was most ideal.

Rousting from brief but restful slumber, Francis donned his recently departed lab coat, smart pants and shiny black shoes, and excitedly tossed a duffle bag into the passenger seat of his Cadillac. He chuckled to himself as he thought of his former colleagues faces when they find their experimental portable nuclear generator gone like smoke in the wind without a trace of where it had gone. Francis put the keys into the ignition, hesitated only momentarily, before starting the engine and putting the car in drive.

Having left his house at night, Francis arrived at his destination in the very early morning. his determination wavered ever so slightly, intimidated by the sight of the looming alabaster building before him. A lump began to grow in francis' throat. swallowing to remove it to no avail, he wiped his sweaty palms on his pristine white lab coat and fumbled in his pocket for his access keycard. Francis was nervous, yes. even if he didn't get caught, what if it didn't work in the end? He shook the thoughts from his head. now was not the time for negative thinking. he had work to do. Approaching the entrance, he held his breath, closed his eyes, then crossed his fingers.