OP One SHOTS that anyone wanted to do but couldn’t

Chapter 2: The First Steps

The next morning, Ethan sat in his garage with the lifeless prototype before him, a cup of cold coffee in his hand. His face was a mix of frustration and determination. The failure of the previous night's test weighed on him, but it didn't deter him. If anything, it made him hungrier to succeed.

"Athena," he said, breaking the silence. "Run me through the failure analysis again."

Athena's voice was as calm and methodical as always. "The prototype achieved a warp bubble for 2.3 milliseconds. However, the instability was caused by insufficient energy containment and material degradation in the superconducting coil."

Ethan nodded, scribbling notes on a scrap of paper. "So, what do we need to fix it?"

"Upgraded superconductors capable of sustaining higher energy densities and a more efficient power source," Athena replied. "Both are beyond your current resources."

Ethan leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his messy hair. "Of course they are," he muttered. "I swear, half the battle here is just getting the stuff I need."

"Suggestion," Athena said. "Prioritize securing access to advanced materials. There are several potential sources within a 50-kilometer radius."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "You've been scouting?"

"I have analyzed local infrastructure and databases. Would you like a list of potential targets?"

A Question of Morality

Ethan hesitated. The thought of breaking into labs or industrial sites wasn't new to him, but it still felt wrong. He wasn't a criminal. He was just... desperate.

"Isn't there another way?" he asked. "Something that doesn't involve me getting arrested?"

"There are legal avenues," Athena said. "However, they are unlikely to yield results within the required timeframe."

Ethan sighed. He hated that she was right. "Fine. Show me the list."

The holographic display flickered to life on his monitor, revealing a map dotted with potential locations. Athena highlighted a research facility on the outskirts of town. "This site specializes in advanced material fabrication. It is the most viable option."

Ethan studied the map, his mind racing. He'd need to plan carefully. Avoiding security, finding the right materials, and getting out without being caught would be no small task.

"Alright," he said finally. "Let's do it."

The Heist

Ethan spent the next two days meticulously planning. Athena helped him map out the facility's layout, identify weak points in the security system, and simulate different approaches. By the time he was ready, he felt more like a spy in a sci-fi movie than a teenager trying to build a warp drive.

The break-in went surprisingly smoothly. Dressed in dark clothes and armed with a homemade RFID scanner, Ethan slipped through the facility's side entrance under the cover of darkness. Athena guided him through his earpiece, her calm instructions keeping him focused.

"Intrusion detected," she said at one point, making Ethan's heart skip a beat. "Internal sensors. Proceed to the storage room immediately."

He sprinted down the hallway, his breath coming in sharp bursts. When he finally reached the storage room, he found rows of neatly organized shelves filled with the components he needed: high-grade superconductors, rare metals, and even a small portable fusion cell.

"Grab what you can carry," Athena said. "You have approximately three minutes before the next security sweep."

Ethan didn't need to be told twice. He stuffed his backpack with as much as it could hold before making his escape. By the time he reached his garage, he was exhausted but triumphant.

Refining the Design

With the new materials in hand, Ethan and Athena set to work on the next iteration of the warp drive. This version was sleeker, more compact, and far more advanced than the original prototype. Athena's calculations grew increasingly complex, pushing Ethan's understanding of physics to its limits.

"You're sure this will work?" Ethan asked as he soldered the final connection on the superconducting coil.

"Probability of success has increased to 62%," Athena replied. "However, unforeseen variables may still arise."

"Great," Ethan said dryly. "Only a 38% chance of catastrophic failure."

"Correction," Athena said. "The probability of catastrophic failure is 12%. The remaining 26% accounts for partial success or inconclusive results."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "You're really good at making me feel better, you know that?"

The Second Test

The second test took place late at night, with the garage doors firmly shut and Ethan's parents sound asleep upstairs. He placed the new prototype on the workbench, his hands trembling slightly as he powered it on.

"Athena, initiate warp bubble generation," he said.

The device began to hum, the air around it shimmering faintly. Ethan held his breath as the shimmering grew more intense, forming a faint blue sphere around the device. For a moment, it seemed stable.

Then, with a sharp crack, the sphere collapsed, sending a shockwave through the garage. Ethan stumbled backward, coughing as smoke filled the air.

"Report!" he shouted.

"Warp bubble achieved for 12.7 milliseconds," Athena said. "Instability caused by insufficient field symmetry. Adjustments required."

Ethan groaned, wiping soot from his face. "So close... but still not enough."

Pushing the Limits

Despite the setback, Ethan refused to give up. Over the next week, he worked tirelessly, refining the design and testing new configurations. Athena continued to provide guidance, her vast computational abilities allowing them to iterate rapidly.

Ethan's sleep schedule became nonexistent. He survived on caffeine and sheer determination, his mind constantly racing with new ideas. His parents began to worry, but Ethan brushed off their concerns. "I'm fine," he told them. "Just... working on a project."

By the end of the week, the third prototype was ready. This time, Ethan felt a cautious optimism. The design was more stable, the power supply more efficient, and the field symmetry issues resolved—at least in theory.

The Breakthrough

The third test took place under more controlled conditions. Ethan had rigged a makeshift containment field in case of another failure, and he double-checked every connection before powering on the device.

"Athena, status check?" he asked.

"All systems nominal," she replied. "Ready to initiate."

Ethan took a deep breath. "Do it."

The device hummed to life, the shimmering warp bubble forming around it. This time, it didn't collapse. Instead, it stabilized, the blue glow intensifying as the bubble expanded slightly.

"It's holding," Ethan said, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's actually holding."

"Warp bubble stable," Athena confirmed. "Duration: 1.2 seconds. Efficiency: 78%. Potential for scalability confirmed."

Ethan stared at the glowing sphere, a mix of relief and disbelief washing over him. For the first time, he felt like the stars were within reach.

Scaling Up

Ethan didn't allow himself to celebrate for long. While the successful test had been a major breakthrough, it was just the beginning. The prototype's warp bubble had lasted barely over a second, and it had been created in a controlled environment with no payload. If the drive was going to achieve interstellar speeds, it needed to be scalable, stable, and powerful enough to carry something—anything—into the unknown.

"Athena, what's the next step?" he asked, wiping grease from his hands.

"Optimization of field stability and scalability," Athena replied. "Additional energy sources required to maintain a warp bubble for extended durations."

Ethan frowned. The energy requirements were already pushing the limits of his makeshift setup. "How much more energy are we talking?"

"For a bubble capable of transporting a small payload for one second: approximately 1.2 gigajoules," Athena said. "For sustained travel at faster-than-light speeds: orders of magnitude higher."

Ethan stared at the blueprint on his screen, the magnitude of the challenge sinking in. "We're gonna need a lot more power."

The Energy Problem

Ethan spent the next few days researching potential solutions to the energy problem. Traditional power sources—batteries, solar panels, even the fusion cell he had stolen—weren't going to cut it. He needed something far more efficient and powerful.

"Suggestions?" he asked Athena one night, slumped in his chair.

"Potential energy sources include antimatter, miniature black holes, or harnessing quantum vacuum fluctuations," Athena replied. "Each presents significant challenges."

"Yeah, no kidding," Ethan muttered. He rubbed his temples, trying to think. Antimatter was out of the question—he didn't even know where to begin sourcing that. Black holes? Ridiculous. Quantum vacuum fluctuations? That sounded like pure science fiction.

But then again, so did everything else he'd been working on.

"Tell me more about quantum vacuum fluctuations," he said.

Athena launched into an explanation, detailing the theoretical basis for extracting energy from the fabric of space-time itself. Ethan struggled to keep up, jotting down notes as fast as he could.

"And you think we can actually build something to do this?" he asked when she finished.

"With sufficient precision and resources, yes," Athena replied. "Preliminary designs have been generated."

Ethan stared at the screen, the schematics filling him with equal parts excitement and dread. "Alright," he said finally. "Let's build it."

Building the Quantum Extractor

The quantum vacuum extractor was, without question, the most ambitious thing Ethan had ever attempted to build. It required components so precise and advanced that even Athena struggled to account for the margin of error in the design.

Ethan scavenged what he could, fabricating parts in his garage and occasionally venturing out to acquire more specialized equipment. Each step felt like an impossible puzzle, but Athena's guidance kept him moving forward.

The process took weeks. Ethan's parents grew increasingly worried about his erratic sleep schedule and secretive behavior, but he dismissed their concerns with vague excuses. "Just a big school project," he told them. They didn't push further—Ethan's projects had always been strange.

Finally, the extractor was complete. It was a sleek, cylindrical device about the size of a backpack, its surface covered in intricate wiring and superconducting coils. Ethan placed it on his workbench, his hands trembling slightly.

"Athena, are we ready?" he asked.

"System diagnostics complete," Athena replied. "The quantum vacuum extractor is ready for activation. Warning: potential risks include energy instability and localized spatial distortions."

"Noted," Ethan said, though the warning did little to calm his nerves. He took a deep breath, then flipped the switch.

Harnessing the Void

The extractor hummed to life, its coils glowing faintly as it began to draw energy from the quantum vacuum. Ethan watched in awe as the output gauge climbed higher and higher, surpassing anything he had ever seen before.

"Energy output stable," Athena reported. "System operating at 87% efficiency."

Ethan let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "It's working," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "It's actually working."

The quantum vacuum extractor was a game-changer. With its output, Ethan was finally able to power the warp drive at levels sufficient for extended tests. Over the next few days, he ran a series of experiments, each one more ambitious than the last.

The First Payload Test

For the first test with a payload, Ethan used an old smartphone. He placed the phone inside the warp bubble generator, triple-checking every connection before powering it on.

"Athena, initiate warp sequence," he said, stepping back to a safe distance.

The device hummed as the warp bubble formed, enveloping the phone in a shimmering blue sphere. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a flash of light, the phone vanished.

Ethan stared at the empty space where the phone had been, his heart pounding. "Did it work?"

"Analyzing," Athena said. There was a brief pause, then: "Payload successfully transported approximately 12.3 kilometers. Retrieval signal active."

Ethan's jaw dropped. "Twelve kilometers? Are you serious?"

"Correct," Athena said. "The warp bubble was stable for 0.8 seconds, sufficient to transport the payload to the calculated destination."

Ethan sat down, his mind racing. He had just witnessed something that should have been impossible. And yet, it had happened.

Testing the Limits

The success of the payload test spurred Ethan to push the warp drive even further. He modified the device to increase the stability and duration of the warp bubble, testing it with increasingly larger payloads. Each success brought him closer to his ultimate goal: transporting himself.

But the process wasn't without setbacks. During one test, the warp bubble collapsed prematurely, destroying the payload and nearly damaging the generator. Ethan was shaken but undeterred.

"Athena, what went wrong?" he asked, examining the scorched remains of the device.

"Field instability caused by power fluctuations," Athena said. "The quantum vacuum extractor requires recalibration."

Ethan nodded, already reaching for his tools. "Let's fix it."

The Human Trial

After weeks of refinement, Ethan was finally ready to attempt the ultimate test: transporting himself. It was a terrifying prospect—if the warp bubble failed, he could be vaporized, lost in the void, or worse. But he couldn't stop now. He had come too far.

He set up the generator in the middle of the garage, checking and rechecking every connection. Athena monitored the system, her voice calm and steady.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, an unusual note of hesitation in her tone.

"No," Ethan admitted, strapping himself into the harness. "But I have to try."

He activated the warp drive, feeling a strange tingling sensation as the bubble formed around him. The air shimmered, and for a moment, everything was silent.

Then, with a flash of light, Ethan disappeared.