Author's Note

This story is written by @jae5086, one half of the Scratched and Burnt team. Originally created for the WoX writing competition, the plan was to make every subsequent challenge entered a new chapter in an ongoing story. There is no active competition at the moment, however, so I decided to use AI generated art instead. Enjoy the story and leave a comment with your impressions.

Now, on with the show. We hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4: A New Dream

The sun had barely peaked above the horizon, bathing the dew-damped lawn in its subtle orange light. The grass was well maintained with a simple but orderly line of small bushes lining to edges of a short lane that ended at the edge of a private runway. Three men dressed in business attire waited silently as the sun made it's daily trek slowly higher, shadows of the nearby hanger receding so that the private plane standing by behind them reflected a dazzling light.

One by one, in quick succession, the men put on their sunglasses and continued to gaze down the short lane. The tallest of the onlookers raised his hand to shield his eyes and, squinting, proclaimed to the others "he's here". Turning to face the plane behind them, he made a whirling motion with his fingers. Within seconds, the staircase began to protrude from the fuselage and slowly lower to the ground.

Meanwhile, the sounds of an engine grew louder until a black Cadillac came to a stop just as the lane ended at the runway. The driver exited the vehicle and scurried around the pristine looking vehicle but, before his outstretched arms could reach the handle, the door flung open. Exiting the vehicle was a large man, both in stature and in girth, who looked in every way the part of a rancher. A white cowboy hat adorned his balding head while a large buckle forged from silver affixed to his belt, securing his tucked in shirt and extra girth. He was only missing spurs on his boots and a duster to complete the look.

Rich, and a pure-blood Texan through and through, Clive Blakely didn't make his fortune in the oil industry. Having been born to a wealthy family who died while he was still young set him up with more money than we would ever have needed to live out his life in comfort, but the young orphaned boy was not seeking comfort. Taken by a drunk driver, he first sought revenge. He dreamed and schemed of what he would do to the man when he was released from prison. Ten years in prison wasn't justice for stealing his parents, but it would be enough time to grow up, to become stronger.

He would never get the chance to know vengeance. The man responsible for the accident that killed his family would never see freedom, instead taking his own life halfway through his sentence. Coward. Clive felt cheated but, with no one left to point his anger towards, he found that the hold it had over him slowly faded. He would later come to realize that his anger was holding him back, so he set new goals and began investing in the medical industry hoping to reframe his life and leave a different legacy. By the time he was in his 40s, his net worth afforded him the luxury to do virtually anything he wanted to. He had become one of the richest men in the state and his holding company the largest in the industry. It was then that he truly started to dream.

"How are we looking?" he asked without specifically addressing either of the men in front of him.

"We will be ready in five minutes Mr. Blakely," the tall man who motioned the plane responded.

"And the flight, how long?"

"It should be an hour and forty minutes, though there are storms in Virginia that may delay our landing slightly."

"Let's hope that is not the case. I don't want to be late for this meeting, and I don't want to spend any more time even remotely near that cesspool they call our nation's capitol than I need to," Clive lamented in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I don't understand the point of this meeting in the first place," a second of the men in waiting muttered. "Their lab is small and their work has nearly no medical application at all. They haven't produced anything that can turn a profit. It seems they need our investment to keep the lights on with very little to offer in return."

"Ha! Quite true!" Clive chuckled as he walked past the group towards the plane. "They should be desperate enough for me to buy them out; probably save a few million too. They don't need to keep the lights on. If this meeting goes well, they'll be out of jobs by next quarter. All but two of them anyway..." Mr. Blakely ascended the staircase with two of the men in pursuit.

The tall man pulled a folded up bill from his pocket and handed it to driver of the Cadillac, who had been dutifully waiting by the vehicle. They both entered the car and drove away at the engines of the plan could be heard warming up for flight and the staircase nestled back into place within the fuselage. Clive and the others took their seats as an attendant brought them a round of drinks.

"These two men must be geniuses to be going through all this trouble for them. Why not just hire them away from their company? How are physicists even going to benefit our company?" the conversation continued.

"Oh, I am counting on their genius. But, I need their research too, Bob. You just let me worry about the bigger picture," Clive responded with a smile and a raised bottle of Shiner Bock. Bottles clinked in agreement as their imminent departure crackled over the speakers.

---

It was a morning unlike any other. Their was always plenty of bustling about at the laboratory, but never with such a stench of unease. At least, this is how Sandy Arquette felt. It was all anyone was talking about these past weeks. Some meeting between the execs and an outside party. Was this a buyout? Would there be a huge payday coming? Excitement was in the air as most of the researchers dreamed of huge boosts to both funding and bank accounts. Sandy just felt annoyed and was relieved to enter his lab, shutting out the noise and getting back to his research.

Dimitri was already at his computer quietly pouring over results. For only a brief moment, Sandy felt concerned. While the rest of his colleagues were wondering if this meeting would lead to fame and fortune, he wondered if these would be his last days of peace with is trusty partner. There was still so much important work to be done.

"Today's the big meeting," Dimitri needlessly informed without glancing away from the monitor.

"Yup," Sandy responded. That was all that was said about it. There was nothing else to say...only work to be done.

---

Chapters

Chapter 1: They Came From The Deep of Space
Chapter 2: Fate Mismanaged
Chapter 3: Traversing Time