Log:A Professor Restored

2020/07/22 Arthur Aevus Torus 1

Summer session is just starting. Rumor has it passing Dr. Aevus' physics class is easy. And that his TAs do most of the work, including some of the teaching. This is one of those rare days that Arthur is actually in class to teach. Of course, he's off on tangents.

He's sitting against the front of his desk in the lecture hall.

"Time! Time doesn't pass. The passage of time is an illusion. It's all just a series of frozen moments, that you're only able to perceive one at a time in a linear fashion, due to the limits of," he waves airily at the class. "The way humans are capable of perceiving it."

Arthur goes on in a wibbly wobbly lecture about time. "You all exist on one and the same and every frame of time. Everything that ever was, is, or will be, has already happened as it will and always happened for those who take the linear path."

One student pipes up, "Is that why you never complain when we're late?"

Arthur snap points and smiles at the student. "Of course! Because you're always ON time! It's not possible for you not to be!"

It's also because the Professor never takes role and just isn't paying attention. But his attention is here today because these words will go on to confused many of his students, but inspire one in particular to make grand discoveries in the future.

And with that a distinct sound erupts from Arthur's pocket- a chime that used to indicate the User Interface had an important update for its Primary User.

Then an audible, 'Temporal Course Correction Confirmed. Torus User Interface restored.'

The mental link reactivates between Kat's slave-Torus & her current persona- Arthur Aevus.

Activate Psi-Link to Primary User? Y/N

"What was that, Professor?" one student in the front asks.

"Umuuaahhuuu class dismissed! Write me a paper on how this lecture changes your perceptions on the theory of relativity!" Arthur says as he presses a hand over his vest pocket to muffle any further announcements. In Arthur's excitement at the first time the Torus has spoken to him in ages (See Log:Catsequences), he accepts without remembering who he is at the moment. o O (Yes!)

Oddly enough the class remains glued to their chairs, listening to the good Doctor ramble on about the ramifications of a nearly unlimited time precariously woven in a finite space.

A few even respond to something Arthur did not seem to say.

The Psi-Link returns a familiar voice

<> It's Kat's mental voice that responds, squealing in delight. <>

<<"Confirmed." The Torus replies.

It continues in a much more conversational tone afterwards. <<"My programming required a number of events to transpire to confirm that the accident didn't cause a divergent timeline after that unfortuante accident between you, Griffin Freeman, Unknown Entity Designated 'Annie' and that wild pack of Next Gen Operatives. Now that the timeline has been confirmed your status is restored."

<<"Your second query is not so simple to explain as I do not detect his intelligence at any point I can access, though access beyond 4879AD is restricted & impassible, using the calendar system currently en vogue in this era."

Whatever his class is hearing seems to be rousing them to no end. Even the ones in the back with heavy eyes have sat up straigther.

<< Annie...? Which accident was that?>> Arthur asks, struggling to recall. Has it even happened yet in his timeframe? << Oh no. That damned barrier. I was supposed to meet Griffin at least once a year. It was my promise to him. And that bloody barrier is stopping me from keeping that promise!>>

<<"Perhaps it is best if you aren't reminded." The Torus replies. "Your good nature has won out & the worst has been averted so it is best not to dwell on it. Your many years traveling was clearly what was needed."

<<Sliding personal timescale forward. Maintaining Perception Field.

<<"My analysis of the barrier has yielded no notable results. Perhaps further investigation is required, Katrina Prince. Otherwise I'm afraid your promise will remain broken. I note that there the time we have access too is almost infinitely smaller than the time that we are restricted from. Even assuming a preference for events perceived using visible light." The Torus says as the class moves into 10x speed then 100x then they all get up and exit the room.

<<Restoring personal timescale.

As the last student exits the room the Torus drops its perception field and represents itself as a floating cube within Arthur's vision.

Arthur sighs softly as they're left alone in the room, now speaking aloud. "I know. We used to have all of time and space to travel. But this time barrier is ...relatively recent. As much as it is by my linear perspective. I've visited Griffin much farther in the future than where the barrier currently exists. Someone, or something, managed to erect a barrier in -time-. I can't even conceive how that would be possible, or who would do such a thing. Maybe it's a nefarious scheme," he says as he starts pacing.

"Perhaps the Mechanic is trapped beyond it? I've heard rumors that no one that goes beyond it is heard from again. What if I go right up to the time of the barrier, leave a recording device and...no, no! I haven't got a device capable of transmitting across time to the past," he grumbles. "And I can't just pick it up to see what it recorded. And where would I get something capable of scanning the temporal effect? No, the clues must be before it was erected. That's a massive effort. It couldn't have gone unnoticed."

The Cube remains easily in sight, it surface shifting subtly but never gets in the way of Arthur's vision. It's simply never 'underfoot' as it were- more a reminder that the connection is there than anything.

<<"Correct on all accounts." The Torus agrees. "My own analysis would agree with you, though the Intelligence of the Mechanic is not generally temporally bound as we are. He exists outside of space and time so should be able to restore connectivity to my systems at any point in the timeline we inhabit. His absence is a notable aberration to go along with this 'barrier'."

The cube spins as the Torus thinks.

<<Current Hypothesis: This 'sliver of spacetime' has been wrapped in on itself- making a pocket universe that diverged at some point before the barrier was erected.

The cube stops spinning and its mental voice says, "Now that User Functionality has been restored I can assist in your investigations as required or requested. At what point should we begin looking?"

"Outside space and time? Then how could...?" Arthur halts his pacing, not having to turn to keep track of the Torus. He blinks at the hypothesis. "That's...an interesting theory. Something like that may be why the Mechanic can't be contacted? I wonder if we shift timelines, does the barrier still exist? Or is it localized to this one? In that case...perhaps one could circumvent the barrier by hopping time streams? Dangerous to test, though. We should begin in the years leading up to the barrier's erect, I would suppose, to search for clues. I imagine one of the time bureaus must have some information on this."

The Torus' automated systems respond to the first 1.5 questions proffered:

<<Records INCOMPLETE.

<<"Unfortunately there is no data on how the Mechanic does what he does in my database. He too is a monumental anomaly though my systems prevent me from inquiring beyond what is required to facilitate my prime directives and to assist Users as requested." The Torus reports with no hint of disappointment.

<> he says eagerly as the Torus begins spinning up.

The Torus' cube form becomes manifest, going from hologram to real world object in a wave of teleported destreum matter.

The cube then flies in a circle slightly taller than Arthur, leaving a static copy of itself in various configurations behind it as it goes. A stabilized wormhole is established and the interstice is opened inside of the ring. The ring slides forward over Doctor Arthur Aevus, Time Traveler Extraordinaire before it eats itself, leaving nothing behind.

Arthur had forgotten this mode of travel, but it soon comes back to him. He smiles and waits as the Torus passes over him and shunts him to another time and place.

The duo is safely deposited on the far side of the 48th Century- in what was once known as Colonial Bay, VA.

On the other side the Torus assumes its holographic state- a state only visible from within 4 meters of Doctor Aevus.