Within a sprawling, opulent high-tech laboratory, numerous individuals were immersed in diverse tasks: exchanging findings, drawing schematics, refining theories, and engaging in a flurry of scientific endeavor. Among this diligent workforce, one scientist in particular stood out: the globally acclaimed David Shield.
David, a man of considerable stature (185cm), had honey-brown hair and a beard that consistently appeared unkempt. His round, pale-blue eyes, peering from behind his spectacles, held an amiable yet profoundly intelligent gleam. He was presently clad in a dark red shirt, grey trousers, black shoes, and a white lab coat draped over his attire. He occupied his private office, perusing recent reports concerning I-Island, with a particular emphasis on site security. As a leading representative of the world's most technologically advanced location, he bore the weighty responsibility of safeguarding thousands of ongoing projects, and, discreetly, concealing the more… unconventional ones.
While reviewing one such report, his thoughts drifted to the Quirk Detection Machine he had co-developed some time ago with his close friend, Winston. Regrettably, their communication had been infrequent lately, primarily due to David's own demanding professional obligations.
'Perhaps being awake for nineteen hours a day isn't the most judicious course of action... Should I devise a pill to negate the need for sleep?' David mused with a touch of humor, continuing to scroll through the reports.
Beyond the official documents, he was simultaneously monitoring his daughter Melissa's academic progress. Her unbroken streak of perfect grades, which had even allowed her to advance several academic levels, filled him with immense paternal pride. David firmly believed she could effortlessly complete her college degree before reaching the age of thirteen, a testament to her extraordinary intellect.
Glancing at the side of his computer monitor, he noticed a photograph of himself, appearing somewhat younger, holding a Melissa who couldn't have been more than four years old.
'How swiftly time marches on...' David reflected, a wistful smile gracing his lips as he contemplated the image.
RING~ RING~ RING~ RING~
Abruptly, a flashing red phone icon materialized on his computer screen. Beneath the icon, he could discern the caller's identity: Winston Oxton, his long-time friend.
"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear... I wonder how young Lena is faring?" David murmured, accepting the video call with a good-natured disposition. He was about to offer a greeting to his friend, but upon observing Winston's appearance, his expression instantly tightened with alarm.
Winston's current state could be summarized in a single word: emaciated. Deep, dark circles marred the skin beneath his eyes, which were bloodshot, as though he hadn't slept in days. His clothing was disheveled, and his hair was in utter disarray.
Winston's eyes widened with profound relief upon witnessing the swift acceptance of his call. "DAVID! I REQUIRE YOUR IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE!" Winston cried out, his voice tinged with desperation. "I—"
"WOAH! What has transpired with you?!" David exclaimed, genuinely perturbed by his fellow scientist's deteriorating health.
"That is irrelevant! Are you going to assist me?! Yes or no?!" Winston roared back, his eyes weary, and David could perceive his physique expanding, black fur beginning to sprout, and several pairs of sharp teeth emerging.
"WINSTON!" David bellowed, compelling Winston to regain his composure and, crucially, to calm down, as he wished to prevent his friend's Quirk from fully activating in such an agitated state.
"Grrr..." Winston growled, fixing David with a brief flash of blind fury before it swiftly receded.
David had successfully seized his attention. "Winston, breathe... inhale, exhale, inhale—" David quickly offered reassurance to Winston, gradually yet effectively guiding his friend back to a state of tranquility.
After a few moments of regaining composure, Winston profusely apologized to David. David, however, dismissed the apology, his mind consumed by curiosity regarding his friend's gaunt appearance.
Winston exhaled deeply, exhaustion radiating from his entire being. "It's Lena."
"Lena? What about her?" David questioned with immediate concern. Though not officially recognized, he considered Lena his niece. "Is she unharmed?"
"I—I don't know, alright?... she pushed her Quirk beyond its limits and..." Winston began to explain, taking a desperate sip from a coffee cup in an attempt to remain awake, though it seemed to have minimal effect. "I don't know, I knew something adverse would occur, b-but I didn't anticipate this..."
Possibilities raced through David's mind as he recalled his niece's peculiar Quirk. "Temporal displacement?"
"You'd best witness it for yourself..." Winston replied, a heavy sadness in his tone. He rotated his computer camera to focus on a large containment capsule, hundreds of interwoven wires connecting to it. It appeared to be constructed from a highly durable material and featured small, illuminated windows that offered a view inside.
Initially, David failed to grasp the capsule's relevance to Lena until...
Shizz
David's stomach lurched as he observed Lena uncontrollably teleporting within the capsule. Each posture she assumed was distinct, yet every sight caused David's heart to clench agonizingly. In one manifestation, Lena seemed to be staring into the void with an air of boredom. In another, she was weeping. In yet another, she appeared terrified, attempting to break free from the capsule. And in one particularly disturbing instance, she seemed to be endeavoring to smash her head against the capsule wall.
David's breath hitched in his throat as he stared at the camera. "What the— Winston... I—what precisely am I witnessing?"
"I am unsure... you are aware that Lena can manipulate 'Entropy'. The further Entropy progresses into the future, the more chaotic it becomes, reaching a point where comprehension is impossible, and only eternal chaos persists... while I believe Lena did not reach the state of 'Eternal Chaos,' she came halfway, and this was the consequence... The alternative theory posits that since Lena possessed the 'Secondary Quirks' of 'Entropic Union' and 'Entropic Resistance,' she might have instinctively imposed a limit upon herself... Assuming 'Endurance' relates to her physical body's capacity to withstand the temporal distance from the future to the present, while 'Union' is what anchors her to the present and maintains her physical stability, as well as facilitating her 'Recoil' and 'Acceleration' abilities... but this remains purely speculative, and none of it is substantiated..." Winston articulated, gazing at Lena's capsule with profound guilt and remorse. "I know nothing... it's infuriating... even with all my knowledge, I am powerless to help her... haa... this is my responsibility..."
"Winston, it is not—"
"YES, IT IS! I should have restrained her! I should have supervised her more diligently! I—I am her father, damn it! If I cannot even care for her myself, then I am a failure..." Winston's voice cracked, and tears welled in his eyes.
David clenched his teeth tightly. "Do not cast blame upon yourself, Winston. You could not have foreseen this outcome; no one could have known. You have been an excellent father. You have cared for Lena since her infancy; you have supported her every step of the way, have you not? You cannot surrender now! Lena requires your presence more than ever!" David implored Winston, striking his desk loudly. "You are her hero, Winston! But above all, you are her Father!"
Winston regarded the capsule for a minute in complete silence before emitting a deep sigh and wiping away his tears. "You are correct... I cannot afford to yield, not for her sake..."
Observing Melissa's photograph, David was infused with resolve to assist his friend, even if it necessitated delaying his own projects.
<#$%(¿1 / @#%%& / 872:234>
Lena experienced profound confusion and terror.
She comprehended nothing.
She felt nothing.
Yet she perceived everything.
Yet she understood everything.
Her body felt as if it were in a perpetual state of flux. In one moment, her limbs seemed to liquify, then transition into a gaseous state, and finally solidify, only for this cyclical process to endlessly repeat.
Worst of all were her sensory perceptions. She heard cries of anguish, joyful laughter, weeping, and laughter without any discernible rhythm—all concurrently, yet not simultaneously.
Her fingers would occasionally appear to bend at peculiar angles, making contact with various surfaces; some were smooth, others abrasive, and some elicited pain.
Her sense of taste and smell... remarkably, these were the only normal aspects, a strange anomaly amidst the surrounding pandemonium.
And her vision... she barely grasped the unfolding events, only that the world around her was in constant disarray. First, there was an aged basement, then she was confined within a capsule, then she observed Winston cradling an infant, then she was engaged in combat with robots...
The shifting visual parade continued without cessation. She no longer knew her location, and on several occasions, she almost forgot her own name. Her body sometimes began to ache inexplicably, with an intensity surpassing anything she had previously experienced. She felt her sanity ebb and flow for minutes at a time, only to be entirely restored, then to vanish once more.
She had lost all concept of time, day, or year. She could scarcely form a coherent thought; only indistinct, unstable notions persisted. She felt as though she was plunging into an irreversible quagmire, only to be perpetually drawn backward. She was, quite literally, enduring hell itself. There were some things she simply could no longer comprehend. She witnessed a teenager, approximately sixteen years old, delivering a powerful punch to a colossal green robot, utterly demolishing it. Then, she observed a bald man obliterating a planet with a mere sneeze. Next, a diminutive man with a prominent forehead, clad in unusual garments, engaged in a struggle with a spiky-haired individual dressed in orange.
Then...
...
..
.
FUUUUUMMM!
With a resonant sound, everything abruptly ceased.
Lena felt as though she had awakened from a dream—no, a nightmarish ordeal.
Standing before her was a person with black hair and green eyes, regarding her with an expression of joy and profound relief.
"Lena!" The individual exclaimed, drawing her into a tight embrace. She could feel a portion of her clothing growing damp from the man's tears.
It took Lena a moment to recognize the person embracing her; she felt as though she hadn't seen this individual in years. Slowly, Lena reciprocated her father's hug, sobbing heavily.
After a few minutes, they separated, finally able to perceive each other clearly. Winston appeared as though he hadn't slept in weeks, with enormous dark circles beneath his eyes. His hair was disheveled, and he emitted an unpleasant odor. Lena, conversely, seemed to have undergone a slight growth spurt; her previously brown eyes now glowed an unsettling sky blue. Her clothing was tattered in several places and inexplicably appeared to be a different hue.
Lena felt something gently prodding her hand. Glancing toward the source, she observed... a substantial machine that appeared to emit a type of blue energy, swirling in a vortex. Instinctively, Lena recognized that blue energy: it was Entropy, her own Entropy.
Winston perceived Lena's confusion and inquisitiveness. "This is Prototype 4.0, an invention designed to help you maintain your stability. I call it: Slipstream."
Lena was struck by the fact that a machine was required to maintain her stability. She turned her head, attempting to speak to her father, but...
"..." No sound emerged.
Winston was perplexed, as his daughter seemed to try to communicate but no words came forth, until he recalled David's earlier words.
"There is a possibility that due to Lena's constant traversal between past, present, and future, she may experience some memory loss. For us, a day spans 24 hours, but for Lena, who is perpetually time traveling, a single day could encompass up to a year... indeed, I would be surprised if we could fully restore her without any lingering mental side effects... The other possibility is that the Slipstream cannot completely reverse everything that has been affected by Entropy, including memories, instincts, movements, speech, hearing, senses, among a multitude of other things."
Recalling this, Winston decided to conduct a diagnostic assessment on Lena to ascertain whether she had lost more than just her command of language.