Post by leonardzx13 on Jun 6, 2019 10:11:14 GMT
It all started on a warm Summer evening shortly after my 29th birthday. I had just finished tinkering with my latest project in the lab: nanites designed to rework molecular bonds in order to repair and strengthen various materials, using the metallic compounds found in common dirt if the repairs are serious enough. So far, I'd gotten them to work with various old tools that I'd found, but that's about it. Well, after that, I decided to-
Oh, wait, I should have introduced myself first. My name is Leonard. And I'm a feline scientist. I'd grown an interest in science and technology from an early age, and as I've grown, I've made a living selling some of the gadgets that I'd invented. Anyway, back to the story. Where was I? Oh, yes...
Well, after tinkering with my nanite project, I decided to relax and unwind in front of the television. All of a sudden, in the middle of the show I'm watching:
"Breaking News! All the power on the National Mall seems to have gone out! Let's go to our reporter on location."
"Thank you. Not only has the power gone out, but a man, what some individuals in this crowd might describe as a madman, has climbed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and seems to be berating the crowds assembled on the lack of love and charity left in the world. I'm now going to direct audio so that you can hear some of what is being said."
"People of this land, listen to my warning, for soon the cold of night will fall, summoned by your own hand!..."
My ears perked up at the wording of this statement, and as it went on, I got more and more nervous, but I couldn't quite say why, until I heard him say, as the audio was fading out:
"People of the land, love is still the answer, take my hand..."
Unconsciously, I found myself saying "Listen to the madman...". As the report went on:
"In other news, international peace talks have taken another turn for the worse, and questions have started to arise on whether this latest downturn will lead to the beginning of a new world war-"
At this point, I turned off the TV, my head spinning with questions and thoughts, until one came to the forefront of my mind, and I said: "Dear God, no. Queen was right with 'The Prophet's Song'. I've got to warn my family, my friends, my girlfriend..."
I tried. I sincerely tried to warn them all, but they all just thought I was either joking or crazy, or both. So, I did what I had to do. I resigned myself to the thought that no one would seriously heed my secondhand warning.
Me being the slightly paranoid person that I was, I had built a doomsday vault for just such an occasion: the potential end of the world. Surrounded with a Faraday cage in case of massive EMPs, Prototype fusion reactor for internal power, sensors to take measurements and recordings of the outside world (they would probably be knocked out by said EMPs, but I installed them just in case they wouldn't), and a prototype cryonic chamber, to preserve myself via a lowering of both core temperature and metabolic rate.
Oh, and I brought some of my latest projects with me so that I could work on them after I came out of suspended animation.
Anyway, I'm just about to enter this cryonic chamber as the first test subject. I don't know when, or even if I'll return from suspended animation, but if I do, this test will be a success. I'll just pop these headphones on, as music helps me relax, and since I transferred my entire music library to digital. Well, here goes everything...
"Breaking News! Things have steadily gotten worse, and World War III is finally upon us. This now concludes our broadcast day, as well as any in the foreseeable future. This is your anchor, signing off for-" *KZZZZT!*
TO BE CONTINUED...
The Prophet's Song (C) Brian May, Queen, 1975
Oh, wait, I should have introduced myself first. My name is Leonard. And I'm a feline scientist. I'd grown an interest in science and technology from an early age, and as I've grown, I've made a living selling some of the gadgets that I'd invented. Anyway, back to the story. Where was I? Oh, yes...
Well, after tinkering with my nanite project, I decided to relax and unwind in front of the television. All of a sudden, in the middle of the show I'm watching:
"Breaking News! All the power on the National Mall seems to have gone out! Let's go to our reporter on location."
"Thank you. Not only has the power gone out, but a man, what some individuals in this crowd might describe as a madman, has climbed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and seems to be berating the crowds assembled on the lack of love and charity left in the world. I'm now going to direct audio so that you can hear some of what is being said."
"People of this land, listen to my warning, for soon the cold of night will fall, summoned by your own hand!..."
My ears perked up at the wording of this statement, and as it went on, I got more and more nervous, but I couldn't quite say why, until I heard him say, as the audio was fading out:
"People of the land, love is still the answer, take my hand..."
Unconsciously, I found myself saying "Listen to the madman...". As the report went on:
"In other news, international peace talks have taken another turn for the worse, and questions have started to arise on whether this latest downturn will lead to the beginning of a new world war-"
At this point, I turned off the TV, my head spinning with questions and thoughts, until one came to the forefront of my mind, and I said: "Dear God, no. Queen was right with 'The Prophet's Song'. I've got to warn my family, my friends, my girlfriend..."
I tried. I sincerely tried to warn them all, but they all just thought I was either joking or crazy, or both. So, I did what I had to do. I resigned myself to the thought that no one would seriously heed my secondhand warning.
Me being the slightly paranoid person that I was, I had built a doomsday vault for just such an occasion: the potential end of the world. Surrounded with a Faraday cage in case of massive EMPs, Prototype fusion reactor for internal power, sensors to take measurements and recordings of the outside world (they would probably be knocked out by said EMPs, but I installed them just in case they wouldn't), and a prototype cryonic chamber, to preserve myself via a lowering of both core temperature and metabolic rate.
Oh, and I brought some of my latest projects with me so that I could work on them after I came out of suspended animation.
Anyway, I'm just about to enter this cryonic chamber as the first test subject. I don't know when, or even if I'll return from suspended animation, but if I do, this test will be a success. I'll just pop these headphones on, as music helps me relax, and since I transferred my entire music library to digital. Well, here goes everything...
"Breaking News! Things have steadily gotten worse, and World War III is finally upon us. This now concludes our broadcast day, as well as any in the foreseeable future. This is your anchor, signing off for-" *KZZZZT!*
TO BE CONTINUED...
The Prophet's Song (C) Brian May, Queen, 1975
