Not Possible

I couldn't believe what I saw. It was just not possible, given what I had known so far. There was no way that it could occur, given the current technological capabilities.

``Believe it,'' Susan said as she stared down into my eyes with a burning glare. ``You know that it is possible, even if you didn't know how it can be done.''

I shook my head. I had been working on the research behind the technology for many years, and so far all of the directions that I had taken to solve the equations associated with the time travelling engine were unsolveable, even in restricted cases of space-time geometry and other additonal simplifying assumptions, That she could claim that it was a working time travelling engine was one thing that I was not prepared to accept so readily, such was the extent of the disbelief that I had to suspend.

``No! I don't believe you! There's just on way that this can work!'' I hollered back in an attempt to fight against the burning gaze that was set upon my very self.

``Then explain how it got here.''

``Why should I? I'm not the one making an outrageous claim here---he who is making the outrageous claim has the burden of proof!'' I replied indignantly. It was of course a valid statement on my part---it was always the norm for the person making the claim to prove that the claim holds, and not for the unbeliever to prove that it does not hold.

``Well,'' Susan said, her voice rising in pitch, ``the mathematics is too complicated for you to figure out; it'd be a waste of my breath and time to attempt to explain it to you!''

``Then you are lying,'' I replied with an air of finality. ``You are merely a new hire; I've been through your resume for goodness sake. How can you know some theory that I cannot hope to comprehend? You should probably stop bluffing and show me something more concrete.''

``This engine is concrete!''

``You have not proven it works!'' That part was true. I had walked into the laboratory that morning only to find Susan standing next to the device, making the most outrageous claim that I had heard in a while.

``You weren't around when I was testing it!''

``Fine, I'm here now, so show me how it works.'' I said calmly, firm in my conviction that what she said was really a sham in disguise.

``It was only good for one trip; I need to make adjustments and fix it for the next trip,'' Susan started.

``Okay, then make the adjustments and repairs.''

``It will take time, and I don't want you to wait.''

``It's okay, I can wait here. If what you claim is true, then I think it is fine if I sacrificed some time just to witness how this amazing piece of technology works.''

``You'll only be in the way!''

``Stop stalling for time, Susan!'' I interjected with more anger and aggression than before. ``So far I have been taking your word for everything, but I've not seen anything concrete to show that your claim is true. You definitely need to show me something more concrete, a form of demonstration, to prove that you have indeed done what you had claimed.''

I took a breath before continuing.

``Otherwise I will just pretend that nothing had happened, and that you had not made any of the outrageous stuff that you had claimed and let you try something else instead of making a fool of yourself here.''

Susan stopped arguing and stared daggers at me, as though I were the unreasonable one and that she was the rational between the two of us. I stood there patiently, waiting for her reply. Susan was my best student, but lately she was starting to sound like a raving lunatic, making claims that sounded like something that came out of a science fiction novel than from methodical and meticulous science. I was naturally concerned of course, since it would be quite a waste if she did not pick herself up and continue the good work that she had once put up before her current excessive eccentricity.

``I'll show you, I'll show you what a fool you have been! Your unending meddling in trying to steer me away from my work will end one day, when I disprove your perspective once and for all.''

``Well,'' I began slowly. ``I am waiting for that day to come. Meanwhile, if you don't have anything else that is productive to say, I will go back to my office to work on other things.''

``You just wait and see; just wait and see...'' Susan said, in somewhat of a trance.

I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head subtly before heading out of the laboratory.