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William Joyce posted:

Okay, May 17th, 1998. This is William Joyce, and I'm about to conduct the first animal test of the machine prototype, using my trusty pet mouse, Schrödinger, in order...

What? He's gone. Where'd he go? Shit.

Come on Schrödinger, come to Willy... come on, come on, come on, you're okay, you're alright, you're alright.

Okay, finally, we're sending Schrödinger into the machine, clockwise, through the corridor, which will send him five minutes into the future. Meaning he will re-emerge exactly five minutes after he enters the machine.

It has now been three minutes. No sign of Schrödinger, this is a very good sign. Two minutes to go!

Okay, so... yeah. Turns out he just kinda sat inside the corridor for five minutes, took a shit on the tubing. This reveals a very clear flaw in my test: my mouse is an idiot.

Okay, the machine is warming up again. Should be able to activate Test Number Two in around about five minutes and fifteen seconds. It's now clear that the only quantifiable test will be travel to the past. The machine is now calibrated to send Schrödinger five minutes into the past, which means that he will now be travelling counter-clockwise, through the corridor, and when he comes out the other...

Holy shit!

Holy shit, it worked! This, this is clear proof, that it's...

What I'm... what I'm now looking at is a future version of the same mouse that has successfully travelled five minutes into the past.

Schrödinger, meet... future you!

Ow! Ow. Little fucker bit me.

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RIVERPORT DISCREET MOVING SERVICES
“No questions asked. You pack, we move.”

MOVING DATES: March 1st – March 28th, 1999
FROM: Workshop of William Joyce
821 Industrial Lane
Riverport

TO: Bradbury Swimming Pool
261 Bradbury Street
Riverport

CLIENT’S NAME: William Joyce

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: Extremely delicate boxes. Contents are confidential. Packed boxes not to be inspected. Pickup and drop off only.

SHIPPING: 17 truck loads over the course of 17 days.

TOTAL COST: $12,713.00

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Will,
I put all of your paperwork regarding the purchase of the Bradbury Swimming Pool in this folder. I knew you’d lose track of the documents otherwise. I’ve made sure that the purchase can’t be traced back to funds from your research grant. I don’t know what you’re up to, and it’s not my business to ask, but we’ve known each other long enough for me to say this: I trust that you know what is best for you but I can’t pretend that I’m not concerned. Your career is showing so much promise and your recent actions feel like a drastic turn in a direction I can’t begin to understand. I kept my promise and haven’t told Jack (or anyone else) about this, but he’s worried about you, even if he doesn’t know how to show it. Jack hasn’t heard from you in months. He needs you.
Your attorney and friend,
Alison Cunningham
March 29th, 1999

Theresa Sedmak posted:

Hello Riverport! Theresa Sedmak here, filling in for Bobby Radford, about to brighten your day with some good news.

The victims wounded during the terrorist attack on Riverport University are being treated in the Monarch Solutions Medical Center in downtown Riverport, and the hospital has released a statement saying they are all now stable, and out of critical condition. I'm sure they are thankful for all your good thoughts and prayers.

As for those who didn't survive the attack, we still don't have a final death toll, but we do know
that most of the dead are security personnel from Monarch Solutions, whose quick actions saved countless civilian lives, at the cost of their own.

While Jack Joyce, the terrorist responsible for the carnage, is still at large, authorities are saying that he
is believed to not have left Riverport, and thanks to a number of solid leads, his capture is imminent.

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William Joyce posted:

RE: Where are you?
TO: Beth Wilder


Beth

The time has arrived. It’s here. Everything you warned me about is about to come to fruition. Please give me a sign that you’re still out there. Put my mind at ease. Tell me you have the countermeasure. I’m losing my mind over here. I spent years trying to convince myself that you were wrong all this time and that I built the countermeasure for nothing. I tried to move on, pick up the pieces, but now I have seen the proof.

Paul Serene brought me in to advise on an experiment at the university. They’ve built it. They’ve built another time machine, almost an EXACT replica of my own design, but with key flaws in the calculations. Just like you said. If they activate this machine then the Fracture WILL occur.

How is this possible? How have they followed my designs so closely? Somebody’s been watching me all this time, haven’t they? Somebody is orchestrating this, all of it. I’m being followed. At first I thought it was paranoia but it’s true. A man has been watching my every move. I secretly took his photo, ran a search. His name is Liam Burke. He works for a security division of Monarch Solutions. I first noticed it weeks ago, but this could have been going on for YEARS. What does he want? What does he know? How is he connected to this? I need answers. I don’t know who I can trust anymore. I don’t know who else is involved, what they want, why.

I need to hear from you. I need to know that I’m not alone in all of this. If what you once told me is true then the onset of the Fracture may be inevitable, but I can’t simply stand by and allow it to happen. Not until I know the countermeasure is safe.

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TO: BETH WILDER
FROM: WILLIAM JOYCE
DATE: OCT 4, 2016 – 8:38pm
SUBJECT: RE: Where are you?

I’VE SEEN IT. THE CAUSE OF THE FRACTURE EXISTS. IT’S HERE. ARE YOU STILL OUT THERE??

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TO: BETH WILDER
FROM: WILLIAM JOYCE
DATE: JUL 3, 2012 – 6:38am
SUBJECT: RE: Where are you?

I’ve given up hope that you’re still listening. I’m not sure why I’m writing this. Maybe to get some closure.

You changed the course of my life when you entered it. I spent over a decade devoted to your cause. I sacrificed every relationship I had, pushed away everyone I love, all in the name of a lie. There is no threat coming. There never was. I have to force myself to believe this. It’s the only way to move on. It’s the only way to pick up the pieces and start over.

This is goodbye.

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TO: BETH WILDER
FROM: WILLIAM JOYCE
DATE: JUL 6, 2011 – 6:42am
SUBJECT: RE: Where are you?

It has been a year. I still haven't heard anything. You know where to find me.

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TO: BETH WILDER
FROM: WILLIAM JOYCE
DATE: NOV 4, 2010 – 2:58am
SUBJECT: RE: Where are you?

Hello?

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TO: BETH WILDER
FROM: WILLIAM JOYCE
DATE: AUG 9, 2010 – 011:55am
SUBJECT: RE: Where are you?

The number you gave me is now disconnected. Where ARE you??

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TO: BETH WILDER
FROM: WILLIAM JOYCE
DATE: JUL 11, 2010 – 012:55am
SUBJECT: RE: Where are you?

I can’t sleep. PLEASE call me.

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TO: BETH WILDER
FROM: WILLIAM JOYCE
DATE: JUL 6, 2010 – 04:26am
SUBJECT: RE: Where are you?

Fuck. CALL ME. Email me. Something.

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TO: BETH WILDER
FROM: WILLIAM JOYCE
DATE: JUL 5, 2010 – 11:13pm
SUBJECT: RE: Where are you?

I’m freaking out. Still trying to call you.

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TO: BETH WILDER
FROM: WILLIAM JOYCE
DATE: JUL 5, 2010 – 3:01pm
SUBJECT: RE: Where are you?

Where are you?? Have you taken it? It’s not safe in the open! You don’t understand the power of this device. I dialed the number you gave me in case of emergencies. You aren’t answering. What is going on??

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TO: BETH WILDER
FROM: WILLIAM JOYCE
DATE: JUL 5, 2010 – 9:33am
SUBJECT: Where are you?

IT’S GONE!

The countermeasure is gone! What happened?? Call me immediately!

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RIVERPORT PHYSICIST ON THE RISE
June 4th, 1997

Dr. Joyce and Dr. Meyer became household names earlier this year when their paper on the proposed existence of a chronon field became one of the most hotly debated theories in the quantum physics community since the Higgs boson. William Joyce, born and raised in Riverport, wasn’t satisfied with simply being a part of the discussion and decided to actively search for proof. His proposed research project led to him obtaining the highly prestigious Harold Steinberg Fund, with an estimated value of $150,000.

Dr. William Joyce is officially the youngest recipient of the Harold Steinberg research grant to date. While the specifics of his research proposal remains confidential, it is likely that Joyce aims to demonstrate clear proof of the so-called Meyer-Joyce Field, as well as potential applications for the manipulation of this field. A research timeline has been established with milestones that point to early 1999 as the period when this research will be ready for public unveiling.

We will continue to follow William Joyce’s story as part of our Riverport Rising series.

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A CIVILIAN’S GUIDE TO TIME TRAVEL (CLICHÉ WORKING TITLE)
By William Joyce
Rough Ideas – February 28th, 1999

OPENING STATEMENTS
-Open with a zinger. Schrödinger cat joke?
-NOTE: Find appropriate accompanying cat photo.
-NOTE: No cat photo.
-No science explained here. Marketing bullshit. Time machine = works. Implications = limitless.
-Give me your money spiel. Build up existence of time machine.
-Content here dependent on findings from first human test later tonight.
-Findings, facts dumbed down for the mouth breathers who will inevitably want to invest.
-Purpose of guide – to explain to mouth breathers how the machine works and why.
-NOTE: proof-read and delete all “mouth breather” references.

TIME MACHINE OVERVIEW
-How research started. Include gratuities for research grant. Sucking ass – community and investors.
-NOTE: Also thank Jack for his patience. Now that this is over I promise to be there for him.
-NOTE: Too personal.
-Basic overview of time machine.
-Parts.

CHRONON PARTICLES
-NOTE: Nobody will give a shit about this or understand. Skip it.

HOW TIME TRAVEL WORKS – SIMPLEST TERMS
-Subject activates time machine (step 1: core, step 2: the corridor)
-Subject sets the desired time travel date.
-Subject enters the corridor.
-Compare corridor to donut in shape to explain.
-NOTE: Add joke: “You don’t want to eat this donut or your body will suffer terminal chronon saturation leading to your slow but inevitable death”.
-NOTE: Cut joke. Disturbing.
-Subject walks around the corridor.
-Walking clockwise around corridor = travel to future.
-Walking counter-clockwise around corridor = travel to past.
-Clock-like design.
-Subject arrives at new time in future or past.

SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM – TRAVEL ACROSS SPACE
-Time travel is not a portal. Spatial destination will not always be the same as entry point.
-Time travel is tied to a rotating black hole core.
-NOTE: Explain the core first?
-NOTE: Fuck it. Just compare the core to a car engine.
-NOTE: Look up info on car engines.
-Subject will arrive in future/past at the location where the time machine and core were located in that time.
-Cannot travel to a time when time machine and core are not active.
-Cannot travel to a time before core was first activated.

EXAMPLES OF HOW TIME TRAVEL WORKS
-In 1999 a time machine core is first activated. The time machine is located on an island. In 2000 the same time machine (with the same core) is moved to a circus tent. Teddy enters time machine in 1999 and travels to 2000. He exits the time machine and is in a circus tent.
-NOTE: Use better examples. No circus tent.
-Teddy cannot travel to a time before 1999 because the core was not active.
-Will bang my goddamn head against the wall every time somebody uses example of not being able to go back and kill Hitler to try to sound clever/funny.
-NOTE: A dinosaur joke, though?
-NOTE: Explain you can't go back and see dinosaurs. Fucking sucks.

CLOSED LOOPS
-In theory all actions resulting from time travel = already accounted for.
-Should not be able to change the past. Any attempt to change things was always part of the chain of events in the 1st place. Already happened. Explain Novikov self-consistency principle until heads go pop.

METAPHOR TO EXPLAIN CLOSED LOOPS
-Time is an egg. You can move the egg but no matter where you move it the same chicken will hatch.
-NOTE: Terrible example. Plus you could just eat the fucking egg.
-“An egg is sitting on the table. You leave the room, come back, and the egg is broken on the floor. You aren’t sure how this happened but it saddens you. The egg was important to you because (insert reason that makes sense here later). You travel to the past to prevent the egg from breaking. When you arrive in the past you rush over to the table, accidentally bump it, the egg falls and breaks. You caused the very thing you tried to prevent. Closed loops. Why the hell do all my examples end up being about eggs?
-NOTE: Replace egg with something else.

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December 22, 1999
PARENTS KILLED IN BRADBURY CAR CRASH

Holiday cheer is in short supply in the Riverport community of Bradbury after a tragic car crash claimed the lives of a married couple, Anthony and Kathryn Joyce. The accident took place within walking distance of the family’s front door on Princeton Street in the early afternoon. Kathryn Joyce, who was driving, lost control of their car after a collision with another vehicle and crashed into a utility pole. The other car left the scene of the accident.

The Joyces were both well-known in the Bradbury area as prominent members of the community. Last year they were recognized by the mayor for their charity efforts, particularly the Riverport Multiple Sclerosis Walk they have organized every year since 1993. The couple left behind two children: the promising young physicist Dr. William Joyce and Jack Joyce (still underage).

A candlelight vigil will be held for Anthony and Kathryn on Sunday to unite the grieving family, friends and the community during this tragic time.