POV: Time Variance Authority

Elias Crane really wanted to ask just how long it would take for a real cryonics chamber to be mass-produced. After all, Professor West's daughter, Kate, was still in a vegetative coma. Could she hold on until the day such a device emerged?

Yet West seemed unconcerned. He smiled reassuringly:

"It'll likely still be quite a long time—maybe humanity will never create the sort of chamber we see in sci-fi, letting someone sleep for centuries or millennia.

"But that's no big deal. We everyday folk don't need to snooze away hundreds or thousands of years unless we're off on deep-space voyages. Ten or twenty years is more than enough for patients like Kate, or for terminal cancer patients needing extra time until medical science advances."

West pressed a hand thoughtfully against the cryo unit housing the recently awakened white mouse:

"I figure if the country invests properly, we might develop a prototype that reduces human metabolic activity by a factor of ten in just a couple of years. Even that would be huge. Imagine Kate living in stasis for a decade but only aging one actual year of her body's clock. Meanwhile, medicine and technology keep pushing forward. Then she could exit one day to find a more advanced cryonics chamber or a groundbreaking therapy."

Elias nodded at West's practical perspective. Indeed, a short-term approach seemed vastly more realistic.

"When do you plan to announce your research publicly, then?" Elias asked.

West shrugged.

"Probably I'll take at least a week. I need to tidy up my paper and finalize experimental data. But as for the general news, I suspect it'll break sooner. I'm sure rumors are already swirling."

As though reminded of something, West grabbed a small folder and handed it over:

"By the way, during my experiments, I stumbled on a side product—I shared it with a friend at NASA, and they confirmed the same findings."

Inside were pages of dense formulas and molecular structures—completely unintelligible to Elias.

"What is this?"

"It's a hafnium-based compound—an entirely new alloy. This might be useful for aerospace, given its extreme hardness and heat resistance. If you don't mind, I'd like to publish these results too. We never know how it might contribute to some technological breakthrough."

Elias encouraged him. Any cross-pollination of new discoveries could only benefit the scientific community.

Soon, he said his goodbyes:

"I'll let you get back to your work, Professor. I'll be looking forward to reading your paper."

***

A few days of hard work later, Elias realized fate had lined up a trifecta of good tidings.

First, news of Professor West conquering a key cryonics hurdle became a viral sensation—worldwide. The idea that a seemingly futuristic technology, akin to sci-fi winter-sleep, was on the brink of reality startled the planet. Headlines blared:

"NASA Confirms West's New Aerospace Material—Has Already Received Samples."

"US Government Launches Top-Level Lab Focused on Cryonics, Vowing to Lead This New Era."

"Nobel Prize Committee Expresses Great Interest in Professor West's Work—Cites Potential Nomination If All Data Holds."

"A Father's Decade: The Story Behind Professor West's Struggle."

The once-maligned, penniless West soared to become the world's new scientific superstar.

Second, MH Cosmetics successfully held their new product launch and introduced the Rhine brand in a blaze of success. Thanks to West's endorsement, their new moisturizer pre-orders went through the roof, and the included Rhine Cat plush was a surprise hit that fueled fresh hype. Orders were backlogged for months, crowning the Rhine brand an overnight phenomenon.

Third, Elias himself was now reaping the rewards.

***

22nd Floor, Ms. Harrington's Office

Miranda Harrington sat behind her desk, smiling. "You've seen the internet chatter about Rhine Cat—people are full of praise. Your designs are a breath of fresh air for the fashion world. We're getting collaboration requests from all over, even international brands want joint designs."

She paused, studying Elias. "So, your IP development group is about to expand significantly. Given the scale of incoming business, we'll have to bolster staffing and responsibilities."

She leaned back and folded her arms. "Elias, you'll have full authority over hiring, firing, salaries, and performance appraisals for the entire department. All compensation is at your discretion."

Elias blinked in surprise. That was unprecedented authority. Ms. Harrington read his thoughts and gave a slight smile:

"It's just our top management's expression of trust in you. As for your title, since you enjoy the creative aspect, you can remain as 'group leader.' But your pay aligns with a deputy executive level, plus annual stock incentives."

It was almost too much good fortune at once. Like a character in an RPG receiving one level-up after another—his status soared overnight.

But Elias also knew Ms. Harrington wanted to keep him in the fold, afraid he might just quit. Though he had no intention of leaving—he liked MH Cosmetics and admired Ms. Harrington's leadership. Plus, if he left, he'd lose any link to that TVA invitation locked away somewhere in her top-security office.

He'd never uncover the secrets behind that letter. So it was better to stay.

She lifted the phone to confirm one last detail: "Oh, and your new office is on the 20th floor—bigger than your old one. Facilities has probably set it up. Take a look."

With that, she waved him off. He stepped away, the heavy automatic door sealing behind him.

***

He headed up to the 20th floor and found a spacious corner room, triple the size of his old one. It had a partitioned rest area, a coffee table, a large plush sofa, two bookcases, various greenery, and a sleek wooden desk with both a new desktop and a laptop. Everything was top-tier, a major upgrade.

He retrieved his personal belongings from the 17th floor, rearranging them in this plush space. Laying back in the cushy executive chair, he let out a sigh of relief.

"No more working overtime till midnight. At last, I can get back to my dream… and cut open that box."