UNKNOWN GUEST

#45 Professor Cho

Uncle Tony was deep in his work, as always, surrounded by a dizzying array of holographic 3D screens. The air in his lab was buzzing with energy, almost as if the machines themselves were alive, waiting for his next command. He was in the middle of explaining one of his latest obsessions: nano-tech.

"Nano-tech is the future," he said, his eyes flickering between screens, "We could have a car in our pockets, like a pen."

I couldn't help but chuckle at the image of someone pulling a sports car out of their pocket like it was a ballpoint pen. The idea was so Tony Stark—grand, futuristic, and just a little bit absurd.

But I had something else on my mind. I cleared my throat, trying to sound casual as I asked, "Mr. Stark, what do you think about time travel?"

He paused, his focus breaking from the screens as he turned to look at me, narrowing his eyes as if trying to gauge how serious I was. "Time travel? It seems impossible. I mean, nothing really is impossible in science, but... changing the flow of time, traveling to different points... it just sounds impossible."

I leaned forward, deciding to test the waters with a subtle hint, after all, if anyone could crack the code, it would be him. "What about quantum theory?"

He sighed, his expression growing more thoughtful. For a moment, he seemed lost in the possibilities, then he met my gaze. "Establishing real-time variance has never been done before."

I couldn't help but smirk, "Couldn't be done in the near future?"

He shook his head, now more curious about my line of questioning. "Boy, are you into technology? Are you interested in it? If so, then tell me. I can set you up at MIT. I know some well-established professors there."

I chuckled, shaking my head quickly, "No, no. I'm not that serious."

He sighed, still eyeing me like I was a puzzle to be solved. "You seem like you are, though. You're talking about replicating quantum theory in time travel. Gosh, it gives me chills." He returned to his screens, but there was a lingering curiosity in his expression.

As he got back to his work, it suddenly hit me. "Professor?" he had said. The word echoed in my mind, and an idea began to take shape. Professor... 

Flashback

I continued walking down the hallway, my eyes skimming over the labels on each lab door, searching for the one Nate had mentioned.  Finally, I spotted the sign for Lab-8. Nate had said he would be working alone, but as I got closer, I heard muffled voices coming from inside.

Curious, I peeked through the small window in the door and saw Nate with another boy and a girl, along with a woman who seemed to be their professor. Nate's eyes met mine, and he gave me a quick wave, signaling for me to wait. I nodded and leaned against the doorframe, feeling a bit out of place. After a few moments, it seemed like their session was wrapping up. The professor must have noticed me because she said something to Nate, who then waved me over.

Trying not to feel too awkward, I walked into the lab. As I approached Nate, I pulled out a set of papers from my backpack. "Here," I said, handing them to him.

Nate took the papers with a quick nod and passed them to his professor. "I forgot these back at my parents' place last weekend when I visited, so I asked him to bring them," he explained casually.

The professor barely glanced at me, her focus entirely on the papers Nate had handed her. She flipped through them, then looked up with a small, approving smile. "This thesis is great. Prepare a model if you can," she said, her tone warm and encouraging.