R&D
Janice smirks, "Have fun with that."
She pauses a moment, "I didn't explain Bermudans, did I? Oops. It actually isn't a very accurate term, or even really politically correct. Its just that the crystal was randomly activating and causing disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle prior to being discovered and brought here in 2002. We figured out that the vanished cases actually appeared in other times...time travel, essentially. When they later settled down in their new time and had children, those children and their descendants have the same energy signature in their brains as the crystal and a high probability of developing psionic ability. Telekinesis, telepathy, that sort of stuff."
Janice retrieves a crystal sliver from a locked specimen case in the back of the room, "We have a very limited supply of these things so any experimentation you need to do will have to be cleared through me, be done with this single shard, and very carefully documented. Ok?"
The Mess Hall
Danny frowns, "The higher-ups won't believe me. I'm just a tech. And, I admit, it is a little far fetched. See, those aliens in the portal room, they are fairly prominently featured in that D&D game I was telling you out about. I know, I know, it sounds insane, but the creatures in the game have the ability to make darkness, just like the ones that attacked the portal room. That can't be coincidence."
Lt. Jameson's Quarters
Howie finds Lt. Jameson in one of the temporary officer quarters on the second level.
"Hey, Howie. Hell of a lot to take in, isn't it? Well, it'll probably make more sense when you watch the video you left for yourself."
Medical
The med-tech on duty shrugs, "Your ears aren't pointed enough for that." She calls back to the x-ray room, "Prep the MRI equipment for Mr. Spock here."
Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, Ohio
[sblock=The Contents of the Manilla Envelope]The envelope contained photocopies of personnel reports and mission briefs on the first trip through the Shadowgate, one year ago.
The mission personnel were...
Mission Leader, Air Force Lieutenant Peter Jameson
Army Specialist Howie Blaise
Army Specialist John Williams
Navy Petty Officer Danica Greer
Marine Corporal Thomas Morgan
Air Force Staff Sergeant Caleb Martin
Civilian scientist Doctor Zachary Logan
Each personnel file contains a picture. The report is written by Lt. Jameson.
"The initial activation of the crystal device sent us to an unexpected destination. According to Dr. Logan, we overshot our planned time period by about a thousand years.
The environment we found ourselves in was under a floating land mass of massive size. The perpetual darkness made land navigation difficult. We were attacked regularly at night by blind, humanoid creatures with primitive weapons.
We survived in this environment for more than a year, encountering other, less hostile, humanoids of several, apparently different species.
Dr. Logan was finally able to locate the shadowgate crystal to get us home but we were attacked by highly advanced creatures of unknown origin. Humanoid, black-skinned, that demonstrated the ability to create darkness.
Our team was seperated, Blaise and Morgan captured by the enemy. Rescue operation was a success and we also retrieved a human infant being held in the alien compound.
Dr. Logan reactivated the Shadowgate from our end but we again overshot our mark, this time arriving in 1984. We were forced to make contact with Dr. Logan's younger self, as well as his research assistant, Harvey Storm. Although it took a couple of months, we were finally able to travel by boat to the site where the Crystal was found in 2002 and the older Dr. Logan successfully activated the crystal to send us home.
However, the younger Dr. Logan was lost at sea. The older Dr. Logan opted to remain in 1984 with the infant we discovered in the alien compound. It should be noted that from our perspective, Dr. Logan was the scientist in charge of the expedition that discovered the Shadowgate Crystal but when we returned we learned that Harvey Storm led that expedition.
I'm not an expert in time travel, but that indicates to me that we made a change to the timeline when the younger Dr. Logan died in 1984."
Morgan included a hand-written note, "While Howie and I were held captive in the alien compound, we were tortured and interrogated. Howie was killed and replaced by some sort of shape-shifting humanoid creature. After we returned home the government forced us to undergo hypnotherapy that made us forget the entire mission. Williams committed suicide. Greer attempted suicide and is currently in a mental institution. Martin killed four people and was himself killed by police. I'm currently AWOL. I've made contact with Dr. Logan and the girl, who Dr. Logan raised as his daughter, naming her Karyn. Dr. Logan was able to reverse the hypnotherapy on me. I now remember everything. I'm going to attempt to make contact with Harvey Storm's son, Max. By my reckoning, if it weren't for the changes we made to the timeline Max wouldn't even exist...in the world we returned to, Max's mother is Michelle Storm. In the world we left, she was Michelle Logan, with no kids."[/sblock]
Harvey catches up to Max as the wing of the hospital is evacuated and a fire truck arrives, "I don't suppose you know anything about this, do you?"