Event Horizon Event
 Flashes of light above ORNL's main facility, captured by a nearby resident. | |
| Date | October 4–7, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location | Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, United State (initial incident); multiple locations worldwide affected. |
| Also known as | The Great Shift |
| Cause | Catastrophic failure during a teleportation experiment |
| Outcome | Global displacement of flora, fauna, and potentially humanoid beings; widespread power outages and communication disruptions; creation of new landmasses; establishment of internation response agencies |
The Event Horizon Incident, also called The Great Shift, which occurred on October 4, 2024, was a catastrophic event stemming from a failed scientific experiment at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, United States. The experiment, known as Project Event Horizon, was an international research endeavour focused on teleportation and matter transference. However, a catastrophic failure during a test triggered a cascade of events with global consequences, including the displacement of various lifeforms, some potentially humanoid, through what scientists believe to be a two-way portal to another dimension or world. This incident led to widespread power outages, communication disruptions, and the creation of new landmasses on Earth. In response to the incident and it's ongoing ramification, several domestic and international agencies were established to manage the crisis and investigate the emergence of otherwordly beings and phenomena.
Background
Project Event Horizon was a top-secret global research initiative with the goal of achieving teleportation and matter transference. The project, shrouded in secrecy, involved numerous international partners, including government agencies and prestigious research institutions. Among the key players were the United States Department of Energy, DARPA, NASA, Oxford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Leiden University, Technical University of Munich, and Cambridge University. Contrary to its disastrous outcome, Project Event Horizon was not initially perceived as posing any catastrophic risks. The project's initial focus was on the seemingly benign concept of "local matter transference". This involved exploring the possibility of transferring energy wirelessly across relatively short distances, such as from space-based solar collectors to receivers on Earth or even within households. The potential applications of this technology were vast, ranging from revolutionisin energy transmission and material transportation to eventually enabling the teleportation of people.
Early Successes and Warning Signs
Despite the seemingly insurmountable scientific challenged, Project Event Horizon achieved early successes. By 2015, researchers had successfully opened a portal for a brief three seconds. In 2019, they maintained a portal for ten hours, allowing them to send a robotic probe into what they believed to be a parallel world. The probe sent back images of idyllic landscapes, suggesting a peaceful existence. However, the probe's encounter with a humanoid being, who communicated telpathically and warned of dired consequences should humanity continue its exploration, cast a shadow over the project.
Growing concerns and the Drive for Innovation
Despite these early warnings, the allure of the project's potential benefits, particularly in the field of energy transmission, fuelled the project's continuation. Researchers envisioned a future where space-based solar collectors could wirelessly transmit clean energy to Earth, revolutionising energy production and potentially solving the growing energy crisis. The development of a miniature fusion reactor, dubbed "The Gateway" at Oak Ridge National Laboratory represented a significant step towards this goal.
Oak Ridge Incident
On October 4, 2024, at 12:40 AM Eastern Time, during a controlled test known as a "Flare Test" at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, contact with the facility was lost. Minutes later, bright flashes of light were observed over the facilities Spallation Neutron Source facility and the main laboratory facility. A "feedback event" occurred, preventing the severing of a conduit linking the two facilities, leading to uncontrolled energy surges. The incident caused widespread power outages, communication disruptions, and anomalies in Earth's magnetic field. Approximately 300 ORNL personnel went missing during the incident, presumed to have been displaced through the portal.
Global Cascade and Immediate Aftermath
The Oak Ridge incident triggered a Global Cascade Event, causing similar incidents at research facilities globally. Labs in Kyoto, Leiden, Frankfurt, Nice, Oxford, Tel Aviv, and others reported anomalies consistent with portal openings. The incident caused global communication disruptions, widespread power outages, and unusual weather patterns. Gloab sea levels rose by approximately 1.5%, a phenomenon attributed to the potential displacement of landmasses from Avesea.
Government and International Response
The government of the United States declared martial law in Anderson and Roane counties, Tennessee, and federalized the Tennessee National Guard. President Biden also established the Independent Agency for Otherworldly Affairs to manage interactions with beings from Avesea. International cooperation increased, with world leaders converging on Washington D.C. to address the crisis. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization activated the NATO Command of Extraterrestrial and Anomalous Activity while the United Nations established the Global Agency on Avesean Affairs.
Avesea
Avesea is the name given to the other world accessed through the portals, information about the world comes from eyewitness accounts, interactions with beings from Avesea, and leaked documents. Avesea is described as a world where magic and paranormal phenomena are commonplace. The world is home to a variety of intelligent species, such as Dragons, Dwarves, Elves, Vampiers, and Lycanthropes. The relationship between Earth and Avesea appears to be rooted in ancient history.