Thomas was only 10 when the first Matter Reassembly Device was unveiled to the world. To say it caused ripples was an understatement, because with one device manufacturing workers around the world began worrying about their jobs. Corporations lashed out, decrying the device, saying that it would destroy economies around the world. The common chant of protestors was that the “MRD’s would Murder jobs”.

Some cooler heads argued that with these miracle devices, people wouldn’t need jobs, a few scoops of dirt, trash or anything really, and you could have anything you want, so long as the machine was large enough to make it. Unfortunately for them, the idea of money was too strongly embedded in the human consciousness and society at all levels. So the device was seized, and the long court battles began, and young Thomas watched them as he grew to adulthood.

Years passed, society shifted and changed and the world grew, and so did Thomas. He was enamored by technology and how it can help the world, and so he pursued that goal with passion. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and, after graduating with a double Masters in Applied Physics and Nano-Robotics, was swept up into the military industrial complex almost immediately. His first project, code named HopScotch was something he dreamed of since he was a child watching sci-fi movies, teleportation. While he dove into this project with all his passion, the world continued to move.

A rogue scientist released the schematics for the Matter Reassembly Device on the internet and became an international celebrity and fugitive overnight. World tensions increased to levels not seen since the lead up to the second world war. Economies were collapsing as people built their own Matter Reassembly Devices, and much to the devices creators' chagrins, began to immediately produce firearms, ammunition and explosives.

News of the hotspots of various civil strife were being played on nearly all television channels, even on the TVs in the corner of the lab space where Thomas was working, albeit muted. So focused on his work fine tuning the device he had spent the better part of five years building and testing, it took the General physically grabbing his shoulder to drag him back to the present.

Embarrassed, Thomas stood and greeted General Greddon, “sorry about that sir, i was just in the zone on some fine tuning and final checks”.

With a deep laugh, the General replied “son, if this works the way you say it will, I'm prepared to forgive you any lapses in decorum”.

Thomas looked around, taking in the sight of several high ranking military personnel and department heads of his own company arriving. With a final glance at the device, Thomas turned and strode up to the little podium setup before the gathered VIP’s, and with a broad smile began addressing the group, “Good Afternoon ladies and gentlemen, please be seated and we will begin this briefing and demonstration of project HopScotch”.

After they had taken their seats, he continued, “What you see behind me is the mark 17 prototype of a Matter Transferral System, MTS for short, or for those more inclined to science fiction, a teleporter”

Thomas looked behind him at the two hexagonal platforms, 2 meters in diameter with a thickness of 1 meter. Massive bundles of cables snaked out from underneath the sides and back, running to several server racks or disappearing into the walls.

Turning back to the crowd, he nodded to one of the military advisors who asked with disbelief in his voice, “so you’re telling us that you have developed a means of instantly transporting something between two places, that is rather hard to believe”. Most of the other VIP’s nodded along with that statement, and honestly Thomas expected questions like this.

Thomas nodded as well, “you are correct in that it can transport an object between two points, it is not however instantaneous” he replied to the advisor, “but we are working on that as well”.

Shuffling his notes, Thomas continued “before the development of the Matter Reassembly Devices or MRD’s, you would be correct that this is pure science fiction, but, and I cannot stress this enough, MRD’s technology is the key that will open the doors to the future”.

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Looking at each one of the guests as he spoke to drive the point home. “The ability to break down and reassemble matter is a key element to project HopScotch, and I believe you will understand better after a quick demonstration” Thomas added.

Stepping back from the podium, Thomas walked over to a lone computer terminal setup between the two platforms, inserted his ID card and began entering commands. Turning his head, he continued to speak to the guests, “while todays meeting was originally planned to be a simple project reveal and status report, the scope of this goes way beyond what simple words can convey''.

Turning and waving to a couple of assistants standing off to the side behind a partition, they came trotting over carrying a large, obviously military looking storage crate between them. As they placed it on the platform, Thomas entered a few more commands and low hum could be heard building up within the platforms. Walking back to the podium again, he rolled it out of the way so that the guests could have a clear view of the platforms.

“What we are going to demonstrate for you today, right now actually, is a practical example of what the Matter Transferral System can do.” he said with enthusiasm, “we will move that large crate from one platform to the other with the push of a button”. With a smile, he turned and moved back to the terminal and with a click of a key that seemed to echo across the room, the low hum began to increase.

A mist seemed to rise up from the two platforms, enveloping the boxes on the first platform until they were obscured. Lights could be seen flashing within and the boxes appeared to be dissolving before their eyes. Quickly the boxes vanished from the first platform and then from the server racks along the wall, a sound that could be described as a jet engine throttling up could be heard and within the mist on the second platform, strobing lights began flashing as the boxes began to re-materialize before their eyes.

There was a moment, after the boxes had fully reappeared on the second platform, as the machinery began to quiet down, where you could feel the pregnant pause in the air. The disbelieve being physically forced out of a group of people who just witnessed something that, until now was firmly in the realm of science fiction or fantasy.

Then the dam broke and the VIP’s immediately began talking over each other, and Thomas stood there proudly basking in light of victory. He had made an impossibility possible. Of course the expected questions were asked, such as what its range was, how much it could teleport now or in the future versions, and the big one, can it teleport living beings.

With that last question, Thomas gestured for the guests to return to their seats and rolled the podium back to its spot. Looking at the group, he put a serious look on his face and said, “at this time, we have not tested living beings. We do plan testing for that further down the line, but for now we have focused on the successful transfer of materials”, letting the serious look slip into a grin, he continued, “but theoretically it is possible”.

After that, Thomas answered a few more questions before ending the meeting. The General congratulated him and jokingly warned him of further meetings, paperwork and demonstrations. It was a dream come true, a vindication of his passion and dreams to create something that could make the world better, even if it started off as a military project, the civilian uses for this were world changing he thought to himself while going over the post test checklists and powering down the machine.

Thomas climbed onto platform one to perform the physical inspection and thought he could hear some loud commotion coming from outside the building. Looking up in confusion, the building began to shake violently and a massive electrical surge passed through the lines connecting to the machine. The last thing he saw was a bright flash of light, followed by an extreme feeling of vertigo before nothing at all.

Slowly senses began to return to Thomas. First was a weightless sensation, followed by nausea that made him want to vomit. Then came pain, as if someone had run an electric current over every inch of his body. Finally he heard a choked scream followed by a wet splattering. The scream was his own, abruptly cut off by his nausea finally winning out and him throwing up what felt like every meal he had ever eaten.

Slowly the tingling sensation in his limbs relented and feeling returned and he found himself on all fours on the second platform, a cool and breezy wind tugging at his clothes. As his vision cleared he took in a sight that made him blink in disbelief, it resembled the test chamber if someone had taken a wrecking ball to the building it was located in.

Great holes exposed the space to the outside revealing a sky filled with dark, boiling clouds, dust and debris was scattered across the floor and platforms. The wall where the servers once stood was intact but the servers had a melted appearance and were sparking wildly. The smell of vomit and ozone filled the air.

Standing up, Thomas took this all in, and out loud said the first thing that came to mind, ‘what the fuck…”