Origin of The Infinite Man

Lucy Lockheart flipped open the golden heart shaped pocket watch that her fiancé  Mark had handed to her and, looking through its transparent face, saw the intricate network of tiny moving gears inside and, at its centre, a little cogwheel that seemed to flicker between visibility and invisibility.

“It’s very pretty, Mark”, she said to him, “But what is it?”.

“It’s the project that I’ve been working on at the University, Lucy, but in miniature”, he said.

“Your timewarp generator?”, she asked, familiar with the work he did as an engineer and applied physicist.

“Yes”, said Mark, “That flickering cogwheel at the centre is a tiny turbine turning in a time warp over and over and it will keep turning like that for eternity. With the big one that I’m hoping to finish building, I’ll be able to generate free and unlimited energy for everyone in the world and with that amount of free energy people will be able to do amazing things, break the light barrier, solve humankinds environmental and economic problems; it will change the world but I made this one just for you to represent my love for you that, like the perpetual motion of the turbine, will never end”.

“It’s wonderful”, said Lucy, turning towards him and looking lovingly into his deep, hazel brown eyes, “Thank you”.

The door to Marks apartment burst open with the sound of crashing and splintering wood and a group of masked men with guns forced their way inside, one of the men pointing the barrel of his colt 45 towards his fiancé’s head and cocking it.

“You’re coming with us professor”, said the man, gruffly, “You’re going to destroy that generator of yours and all the computer files you have containing information about the project”.

“But why?”, asked Mark dismayed.

“A lot of very wealthy and important people stand to lose a lot of money if your project ever becomes a reality”, said the man, “If people can generate free energy then no one will have to pay for it”.

“But can’t you see that what I’m doing will benefit everyone”, pleaded Mark, “Your children and grandchildren too”.

The masked man nudged his fiancées head with the barrel of his gun and Mark saw that her face was filled with terror.

“I don’t have time to argue”, said the man, “Just do as I say or I’ll kill your fiancé”.

“Alright”, said Mark, “Just don’t hurt her”.

But then, as he was starting leave, Mark thrust his right hand inside his jacket pocket and felt around for an object that he then slid onto his finger.

A bright golden light burst from the young engineer’s eyes and then the light spread out from his eyes weaving a golden mask of light across his face before continuing to spread over his body.

Noticing the glow, the masked man with the gun turned round; his eyes widening with incredulity as he saw Mark Turner dressed in a suit of light.

“What’s happened to you?”, said the man in a half gasp.

Mark, showed the man the ring upon his finger.

“My infinity ring”, he said with a smile like golden fire, “It gives me unlimited power”.

Pointing his gun towards him with a trembling hand, the masked man fired and at such close range that any normal man would have dropped to the floor but Marks glowing smile only widened and then the man saw the bullets, slowed down by an energy field that seemed to warp spacetime itself, begin to melt; glowing, white hot droplets of liquid metal falling onto and burning holes in the apartment floor.

“Run”, said Mark to the man.

Stumbling; frantic and bewildered, the man turned and ran towards the apartment door that he and his accomplices had earlier come crashing through and seeing their leader turn and flee the other masked men followed suit.

“Are you alright?”, said Mark turning to face his fiancée.

She looked at him, dumbstruck and just as bewildered and frightened as the masked man had earlier.

Mark slid the ring off of his finger and the suit of light that had surrounded him started to fade.

“Don’t be afraid”, he said, softly.

“What happened to you?”, she asked.

“My infinity ring”, he said, holding out his hand to show her, “Another one of my projects. It has the same perpetual energy device that is in your pocket watch plus a few other things”.  

“I was so afraid”, said Lucy taking his other hand, “I thought that we were both going to die”

Mark put his arms around her waist and held her tightly.

“I will never let anything happen to you I swear”, he said, gazing lovingly into her eyes of limpid blue, “We’ll be together for infinity”.