Ensemble [Book 1: SEKTOR V Trilogy]

Chapter 28: Third Time's a Charm

Chapter 28: Third Time's a Charm

Stanley still thought it was a bit odd that all Jumps were conducted outside as he found himself sitting on the ground again. They'd told him this was necessary to minimize "Jump risk". Since the atrium was enclosed by four Institute buildings, there was no chance anyone from the outside could witness his disappearance, re-appearance, or the associated time distortions. And by having the Jump take place open-air, there was also no risk of materializing into a burning building, or showing up in a structure under Ministry siege, or experiencing some other random, yet equally calamitous act of man or nature. He thought it was essentially an overkill exercise, but he still appreciated their consideration, given the fact that he was the guinea pig doing the actual Jumping.

Stanley's first two Jumps had turned out to be very bizarre. No one at the other Institutes knew who he was, let alone expected his arrival. Those alternate realities—or "Ensemble member outliers", if one used the geekier terminology—were purposefully and sufficiently different two and four months into the future than his originating timeline. And since none of the three Jumps, including this one, were on the exact same timeline, there was no chance of a "later" Jump being paradoxically impacted by an "earlier" Jump.

The fact that no one on his four-month Jump recognized him had the scientists breathing a sigh of relief. Fine-tuning the machine to Jump to an alternate timeline was difficult enough. Jumping consecutively to two very similar but not identical timelines had never been attempted before. These Undergrounders weren't perfect, but there was no question that they thought things through with extreme detail when it came to time travel, advanced numerical modeling, and all things potentially paradoxical. Stanley was sure that the attention to detail associated with this Jump, once again, would be exemplary. He was confident that his experience would be drama-free and well-predicted.

Stanley was more relaxed this time around since it was the third time in sixteen days he found himself in this same position. He was starting to feel like the classic movie, Groundhog's Day. And just like the last two times, people from the Institute cautiously approached him, trying to figure out who he was and how he managed to turn up unannounced within the secure location of the Institute.

"Hello, Dr. Karak," Stanley happily announced to the Director of the Alternate Institute, as he stood up and brushed off his pants. "How are you doing on this fine, sunny day?"

Karak, who happened to be clean-shaven and looked ten years younger in this world, looked at him quizzically. "Do I know you?" he asked.

"Nope. The other version of you sure does. Quite well, in fact."

"Time traveler..." Karak smiled at his two assistants. Stanley didn't recognize them, which was a bit odd since he knew almost everyone on the earlier—well, actually chronologically later—Jumps he'd previously made to this nearly identical reality.

"Come inside and meet our team, Mr...?"

"Dial, Stanley F. Dial."

By now, Stanley was used to the routine. The first Jump freaked him out. It was beyond weird to see exact copies of the people he'd just left minutes ago, in the same physical space, and yet be in what amounted to a completely different world. No one here knew who he was...at all.

"Please come this way, Mr. Dial," Karak gestured to him.

Stanley casually followed Dr. Karak into the lab he knew quite well. Not everything was the same this time, however. Some of the indoor plants were different and the color of the south-facing wall wasn't the same. He didn't recognize a few of the tech and student staff, or at least he didn't think he recognized them. He couldn't be 100 percent sure since on any given day, 20-30 support staff visited the facility he was familiar with. None of that mattered, however, since everything was being recorded and documented for subsequent analysis "back home". Like before, all the key doctors and scientists were present. Even the crazy Sir Edward Smithson was on hand.