Alice Carter was a young and brilliant student who worked as an assistant for Dr. Robert Langdon, a
genius scientist who had invented the first time machine. She had admired him and learned from
him. She had shared his passion and vision.
But she was also a survivor, a witness, a victim. She had escaped from the Time Enforcement
Agency's raid on Dr. Langdon's laboratory, where they had killed him and confiscated his time
machine. She had hidden in a safe house, where she had found another time machine that Dr.
Langdon had secretly built for her. He had left her a note, explaining everything to her.
She read it:
*Dear Alice,
If you are reading this, it means that I am dead and you are alive. I am sorry for putting you in danger
and leaving you alone. But I have also given you a gift: A second chance.
You see, this is another time machine that I have made for you. It is based on the same principles as
mine, but with some improvements and modifications. It is more stable and accurate than mine, and
it has some special features that will help you survive and succeed.
One of them is the temporal shield, which protects you from paradoxes and anomalies. It prevents
you from being erased or altered by your own actions in the past or the future. It also prevents
others from detecting or tracking you through time. It is your best defense against the Time
Enforcement Agency and their agents.
Another one is the temporal scanner, which allows you to see and analyze the effects of your actions
in the past or the future. It shows you the changes and consequences that you create or prevent by
your interventions. It also shows you the optimal points and methods for your interventions. It is
your best tool for changing history and creating a better world.
I have also programmed some coordinates and instructions for you, which will guide you through
your missions. You can access them by pressing the button on the side of the device. They will tell
you where and when to go, what to do, and why to do it. They will help you achieve your goals and
avoid your mistakes.
But remember, Alice, you are not bound by my plans or my choices. You are free to make your own
decisions and follow your own path. You are the master of your own destiny. You are the only one
who can decide what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil, what is worth fighting
for and what is worth dying for.
You are the only one who can save yourself.
And maybe, just maybe, you can save me too.Alice, I have loved you since the day I met you. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. You
are my inspiration and my hope. You are my reason for living and my reason for dying.
You are my paradox.
Goodbye, Alice.
And good luck.
Robert.*
She cried.
She wiped her tears.
She put on the time machine.
She pressed the button.
She entered the time portal, determined to change everything.
She emerged in a different place and time.
She looked around, trying to figure out where and when she was.
She saw a familiar sight: Dr. Langdon's laboratory, but in an earlier state.
She realized that she had traveled back to the day he had invented his time machine.
She felt a surge of sadness and anger.
She decided to save him from his fate and stop him from his mistake.
She entered the laboratory, avoiding the security cameras and guards.
She found him, working on the final adjustments of his time machine.
He was a tall and handsome man, with brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a white lab coat over a
black shirt and jeans. He looked focused and determined, but also tired and stressed.
She approached him, trying to be calm and convincing.
She was a short and pretty woman, with blonde hair and green eyes. She wore a blue jacket over a
white dress and sneakers. She looked nervous and scared, but also brave and smart.
She spoke to him.
"Hello, Dr. Langdon. I'm Alice Carter, your assistant from the future."
He looked at her, shocked and confused.
"What? Who are you? How did you get in here?"He heard her voice, soft and sweet. He saw her face, familiar and beautiful. He felt a strange
sensation in his chest, warm and pleasant.
She sighed.
"I know this sounds crazy, but it's true. I came here with this."
She showed him her time machine, a small device that she wore on her wrist.
It was a silver bracelet with a black screen and several buttons. It looked sleek and elegant, but also
complex and powerful.
He stared at it, stunned and curious.
"Is that...a time machine?"
She nodded.
"Yes, it is. And it's based on your design. You see, you're about to finish your own time machine in a
few minutes. And you're going to test it for the first time. And you're going to fail."
He frowned.
"Fail? What do you mean?"
He looked at his own time machine, which was a large metal box with wires and tubes. It looked
bulky and crude, but also ingenious and innovative.
She shook her head.
"I mean that you're going to create a paradox that will destroy you and everything around you.
You're going to meet your younger self and show him your time machine. But that will create a
contradiction in the origin of the time machine. And that will create an anomaly that will explode
and erase you from existence."
He laughed.
"Fail? What do you mean?"
He looked at his own time machine, which was a large metal box with wires and tubes. It looked
bulky and crude, but also ingenious and innovative.
She shook her head.
"I mean that you're going to create a paradox that will destroy you and everything around you.
You're going to meet your younger self and show him your time machine. But that will create a
contradiction in the origin of the time machine. And that will create an anomaly that will explode
and erase you from existence."
He laughed.
"That's ridiculous! That's impossible!"She nodded again.
"It's not ridiculous. It's not impossible. It's what happened. I saw it with my own eyes. I was there
when it happened."
He looked at her, incredulous and skeptical.
"You were there? How? Why?"
She sighed again.
"I was there because I was your assistant in the future. I worked with you for two years, helping you
with your research and experiments. I was there because I loved you."
He blinked.
"You loved me?"
She nodded again.
"Yes, I did. And I still do. That's why I'm here now. To save you from yourself."
He looked at her, speechless and moved.
She smiled sadly.
"Dr. Langdon, please listen to me. You have done something amazing. You have invented a time
machine. You have opened a new frontier of science and discovery. But you have also done
something dangerous. You have violated the laws of nature and the rules of society. You have
created paradoxes and anomalies. You have endangered the fabric of reality."
He looked at her, curious and interested.
"How do you know all this? How does time travel work? How do paradoxes and anomalies work?"
She smiled again.
"I know all this because you taught me all this. You explained everything to me in the future. You
showed me how time travel works, how paradoxes and anomalies work, how temporal physics
works."
He smiled back.
"Really? And how does it work?"
She smiled once more.
"Well, it's complicated, but I'll try to simplify it for you. Time travel works by using a device that
creates a temporal portal, which allows you to travel to any point in the past or the future. The
device is based on the theory of temporal physics, which states that time is not a linear and fixed
dimension, but a flexible and dynamic one, that can be manipulated and altered by external forces.The device uses a combination of quantum mechanics and relativity to generate a wormhole, which
connects two points in space and time, and allows you to pass through it.
However, time travel also has its risks and limitations. One of them is the paradox, which is a logical
contradiction or inconsistency that arises from changing the past or the future. There are different
types of paradoxes, such as the grandfather paradox, the bootstrap paradox, or the predestination
paradox. The paradox that you created is called the ontological paradox, which is a paradox that
involves the existence or origin of something or someone.
The ontological paradox that you created is as follows: You traveled back in time to meet your
younger self, who was about to invent the time machine. You showed him your own time machine,
which was based on his design. However, this created a paradox, because the origin of the time
machine became unclear. Where did the time machine come from? How did you invent it, if you
learned about it from your future self? Who invented the time machine first? The paradox created a
causal loop, which is a sequence of events that causes itself. The paradox also created an anomaly,
which is an abnormality or disturbance in the space-time continuum. The anomaly grew and became
unstable, until it exploded and destroyed everything in its vicinity, including you and your younger
self, and your time machines. The paradox also erased you from existence, because you never
existed in the first place. The paradox eliminated itself, by preventing its own creation."
He listened to her explanation, fascinated and impressed.
"That's amazing! That's incredible! That's...terrifying!"
She nodded.
"It is amazing. It is incredible. It is terrifying. And it's what happened to you."
He looked at her, scared and regretful.
"So...I'm dead?"
She nodded again
"Yes, you are dead. But you don't have to be."
He looked at her, hopeful and curious.
"What do you mean?"
She smiled again.
"I mean that I have a way to save you and change everything."
He looked at her, eager and intrigued.
"How?"
She smiled once more.
"By using this."She showed him her time machine again.
He stared at it again.
"What is it?"
She nodded again.
"It's another time machine that you made for me. It's based on your design too, but with some
improvements and modifications. It's more stable and accurate than yours, and it has some special
features that will help us survive and succeed."
He looked at her again.
"What kind of features?"
She nodded once more.
"One of them is the temporal shield, which protects us from paradoxes and anomalies. It prevents us
from being erased or altered by our own actions in the past or the future. It also prevents others
from detecting or tracking us through time. It's our best defense against the Time Enforcement
Agency and their agents."
He nodded too.
"That sounds useful."
She smiled again.
"Another one is the temporal scanner, which allows us to see and analyze the effects of our actions
in the past or the future. It shows us the changes and consequences that we create or prevent by
our interventions. It also shows us the optimal points and methods for our interventions. It's our
best tool for changing history and creating a better world."
He nodded again.
"That sounds useful too."
She smiled once more.
"And finally, I have some coordinates and instructions for you, which will guide us through our
missions. You can access them by pressing the button on the side of the device. They will tell us
where and when to go, what to do, and why to do it. They will help us achieve our goals and avoid
our mistakes."
He looked at her again.
"What kind of missions?"
She nodded once more."Missions that will make a difference. Missions that will save lives and prevent wars. Missions that
will improve society and advance science. Missions that will create a better world, where we can be
together and happy."
He smiled too.
"That sounds wonderful."
She smiled back.
"It is wonderful. And it's possible. With this."
She showed him her time machine again.
He stared at it again.
"So...what are you saying?"
She looked at him, earnest and sincere.
"I'm saying that I have a way to save you and change everything. I'm saying that I have a way to
escape from the Time Enforcement Agency and their agents. I'm saying that I have a way to explore
time and space with you. I'm saying that I have a way to live with you and love you."
She paused.
"I'm saying that I want you to come with me."
She held out her hand.
"Will you come with me?"
He looked at her hand, then at her face, then at her time machine.
He hesitated, but then decided.
He took her hand.
"Yes, I will come with you."
She squeezed his hand.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. You won't regret it."
He smiled.
"I hope not."
She smiled too.
"You won't. I promise."
They hugged each other, relieved and hopeful.They pressed the button.
They entered the time portal, ready to change everything.
They emerged in a different place and time.
They began their adventure.
They had traveled to the year 2020, to attend the New Year's Eve celebration in New York City. They
had arrived at Times Square, where they had blended in with the crowd of revelers and tourists.
they had watched the countdown and the ball drop, which marked the beginning of a new decade.
They had cheered and clapped, along with everyone else.
But then, they had seen something else.
They had seen another person, who looked identical to them. He had appeared out of nowhere, in
the crowd behind them. He had walked towards them, at a fast pace and a calm demeanor. He had
reached them, in a matter of seconds.
He had smiled and waved, as if he knew them.
"Hello, Mom. Hello, Dad."
He had said to them, in a familiar voice.
They had stared and blinked, in shock and disbelief.
"Who are you?" Alice had asked him, in a trembling voice.
"I'm your son. From the future." He had answered her, in a confident voice.
"What? That's impossible!" Dr. Langdon had exclaimed, in a loud voice.
"It's true. I came here with this." He had shown them his time machine, which looked identical to
theirs. It was a silver bracelet with a black screen and several buttons.
He had worn it on his wrist.
"How? Why?" Alice had asked him again, in a confused voice.
"I came here to warn you about something. Something terrible that will happen in your timeline.
Something that you have to stop before it's too late." He had answered her again, in a serious voice.
"What? What are you talking about?" Dr. Langdon had asked him again, in an angry voice.
"I'm talking about the paradox project. The secret project that you have been working on for the
past few years. The project that will destroy everything that you have created." He had answered
him again, in a grave voice.
"The paradox project? What is that?" Alice had asked him again, in a curious voice."It's a project that involves creating paradoxes and anomalies on purpose. Paradoxes and anomalies
that will alter history and reality in your favor. Paradoxes and anomalies that will give you more
power and control over time and space." He had answered her again, in a bitter voice.
"That's ridiculous! That's impossible! We would never do such a thing!" Dr. Langdon had exclaimed
again, in a defiant voice.
"You would. You will. You have." He had answered him again, in a sad voice.
He had pointed at his time machine, where the screen was showing some coordinates and
instructions.
"That was one of your anomalies. You created a wormhole that allowed me to travel back in time to
this point. You wanted me to come here and meet you. You wanted me to tell you what I just told
you. You wanted me to trigger your awakening."
He had looked at them, with a mixture of pity and anger.
"You see, you are not really Alice Carter and Robert Langdon. You are not really human beings. You
are not really alive."
He had paused for dramatic effect.
"You are paradoxes."