(Turq) An Orb of Possibilities

11:45PM...... Awakened by a bright light... and a voice.

Damn am I dreaming... "Who turned on the Light".. rubbing eyes.. can't see.."Who is there?"

"I have something for you" a strange almost female sounding voice said from the blinding light. "WHAT?" I shouted.. "who are you?" I demanded still can't see anything but whiteness and it is painful to the eyes.

"I have traveled here to share a gift with you" the strange unknown voice said. "Who are you am I dreaming?" I asked almost confused and afraid. "I have something to share with you and you will only have access to it for one day" the voice said only adding to my sense of confusion and fear. "You and only You will be able to see it and use it, and it will be only for 24 of your hours" the voice added... "this must be some sick F'n joke, Who the hell are you?" I asked still trying to see through a bright haze.

"You will find it in the place where you keep your car. Get inside and ask your questions there all will be explained to you"... The voice then faded and was gone and the bright painful light was gone. I sat there in my bed wondering what the hell was going on for quite a while. Then giving in to my curiosity I got up and began to wander around the house picking up a baseball bat and holding it ready to swing at anything that moved.

Where I keep my car? I thought... what the hell I went to the garage... and there I found what looked like an orb or strange sphere. and on the other side what looked like a door and it was open, on closer inspection inside was a seat and what looked like a small screen of some type that was glowing blue. I looked around me trying to figure out where the camera was because this must be a joke... feeling stupid I stuck my head inside and asked "Is there anyone in there?"... Then a voice came back from inside the orb. "Hello Robert, Please take the seat in front of you" I jumped back and looked around again, this is a damned good joke I thought. "How the hell did you know my name?" I asked laughing. "Please take the seat and I will answer your questions"

Ok I'm going to play along. I thought and climbed inside the orb and sat in the seat... Then the door closed and I was struck with a deep sense of fear I began to pound on it. Like a little kid I began shouting "LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT OF HERE"

"Calm down Robert, relax, no harm will come to you here" the voice assured me. although I was afraid I did sit back and then thought again that this was just a stupid joke. It was dark inside and the only thing I could see was the blue screen in front of me.

"I am a transport vehicle, I am programmed to take you to any place and any time you wish to go" The voice said... then I smiled and said "yeah right" Then the blue screen changed to black and with that the orb became transparent and I could then see everything in my garage and the only thing I could see in front of me was the screen.

"I am a transport vehicle, I am programmed to take you to any place and any time you wish to go" The voice said again.

OK, This is stupid I thought but what the hell I'll play along. "OK transport vehicle, Take me to the planet Mars"... Then the black screen began showing star charts and then an image of the planet mars. "Do you have a specific place on this planet you wish to visit? if so use the touch pad at the bottom of the screen to rotate the image and select the spot you wish to go" the voice directed. I new nothing about Mars geography so I just touched the middle of the image of Mars and the screen went to black. "Do you have a specific time you wish to visit this area, on this Planet Mars?" the voice asked as a clock with all zeros showed up on the screen and month date and year like this:

Time: 00:00

Date: 00/00/0000

"Now" I said with that the date and time changed to the present and a loud hum and strong vibration began then the orb around me began to oscillate with glowing colors, blue, yellow, red, and though I had no sense of motion it began to move and through the glowing colors I could see that the orb was starting to move up, then in an instant I was seeing stars in front of me, still no sense of motion. I leaned forward and looked back and I could see the planet earth growing smaller by the second then the moon in a flash passed by, then it accelerated very rapidly and my home world was gone. I turned back around to see the stars in front of me yet they no longer stars but streaks of light showing the spectrum of color at the farthest ends. Then the orb began to oscillate with colors again and in an instant I could see the Martian surface below me.

As I sat there stunned and in shock at what I had just been through, looking at the martian landscape getting clearer as the glowing patterns began to fade and the hum got quiet. My mind began flooding with the possibilities of what I could now do with this vehicle and the fact that I was told that I could also go any place and "any time" I wished.

Looking directly in front of me I could see what looks like a sand dune and the grains of sand look more like very small lava rocks.. above the hill I could see what looks like a distant mountain, to my left rocks and boulders just like those seen in the images sent to earth from the Mars rovers. I was speechless and shaking.

Then the voice said "Would you like to explore this world? Or select another place or time?" I tried to form words and I still was unable to speak "do you need more time?" the voice asked "yes" I said.

I could only sit there looking around me through this strange orb with a seat me and a screen and wonder what it all meant.. is it a dream? why me? what should I do next? Jupiter? Saturn? Their moons? Any where Any TIME? Explore the Milky Way galaxy? Other galaxies? ask the vehicle if it can take me to other worlds where life like my own exists? and what about time? could I go back and forward through time and see events on my own world both past and future as they actually happen?

The possibilities seem endless and I am about to explore them all......

To Be Continued.

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Edit: forgot to add (turq) I am shooting for last place I guess

Gazz

Edit: Minor corrections two words removed and one word added.


[edit on 12-6-2004 by UM_Gazz]

Bump for John bull 1, I forgot to add the (turq) thing. sorry.

Gazz

just sizing up my competition
good story..good luck to you

Thank you worldwatcher

Really I am happy just knowing someone read this and thought it was at least good.. as this is only the second time in my life I have tried fiction. I really like your story as well. and I must admit that I have been focused on other things here in ATS and had all but forgotten about this.

Gazz