Scott was far too young to see father for he had become, and Gabriel knew that the vision Scott held for the future was tainted by the wishful thinking of a child. He lunged for Scott and scooped him up over his shoulder. Scott punched Gabriel's back as he was lifted.

Gabriel said, "forgive me, but this is what we have to do." Scott kicked and tried to knee Gabriel in the throat to no avail. Gabriel left the reactor room, and the deceased alien.

He carried Scott down the dimly lit corridor and followed the map which had been imprinted into his mind. He walked with determination to the Temporal Chamber, and eventually Scott no longer fought back. Tears fell from his eyes as he admitted defeat, and yet, he still clung to hope. There had to be a way to save his father.

Together, they arrived at the Temporal Chamber. The room was vast and inside of it were six circular platforms a foot from the floor. A thin film of blue light encased the circles and reached eight feet in height. Though Gabriel had never been here, he knew what these machines were for. Each platform is a temporal time displacement field where users can do one of many things.

Anyone who steps inside of the field can reexperience any memory they've ever encountered and change it. In doing this, one can enter a state of suspended animation and delve into their own mind and explore the depths of their desires.

Something else they can do is traverse the threads of the universe and peer behind the veil. See moments of time which have been captured and stored in the temporal archive. There, any being can bear witness to any event on any planet, in any dimension, so long as that information is stored in the temporal archive.

Gabriel studied the platforms and knew that this was it. Now he would learn of his esteemed god and its origins. Anyone who steps upon the platform submits the entirety of their memories, and Gabriel knew that this is how the temporal archive grew.

For millions of years, this species has collected enough information to simulate a universe in the mind, and to do it for eternity. For now, Gabriel has one mission: to glimpse into heaven and see what lies beyond. Driven by the lust of his curiosity, he stepped onto the platform and felt every memory, emotion, and experience be copied and ripped from him.

His mind ached as it was assaulted by technology unknown, and soon Gabriel found himself before two ants in combat. One ant was white and glimmered, and the other ant was black and concealed in shadows. They pressed upon each other, desperate to destroy the other. Gabriel studied them and asked to see Heaven. His answer was the two ants. Two insects in constant battle. Gabriel asked once more to no avail.

Behind each ant stood a vast army, brooding, taking more than it needed. Each side demands blood and conquest. If Gabriel were blind, and could only hear them, he wouldn't know there were two groups of insects. Only that there were insects. Creatures tucked away in its own dimension bleeding into his own.

Parasites.

Interdimensional entities fighting for their own survival. Jesters and kings and queens of their own like, embattled in a cosmic thread seated next to his own.

Gabriel's brows lifted as he realized what the answer to his question was. He stepped off the temporal platform and collapsed on the floor. His eyes drifted upward in a haze as he watched Scott float in the temporal field next to his own.

Without knowing, Scott delved into the bottomless pit of his greatest desire. Here, his heart stopped, his brain ceased, and he entered a state of suspended animation. Scott lifted from the platform, and he was transported to the deepest part of his mind.

His world became warm, and he was returned to the farm from which he was abducted. He stood in a barn. The scent of hay and the sound of a trotting cow broke him into his new reality. For a moment he felt like it was a dream, so he pinched himself. It hurt. His nails broke the skin, but, here, he was free. His father walked from around the bend and waved.

He said, "mom's workin' up a sweat trimming those horse hooves, so you'd best get on and help her." Scott smiled and ran into his father's legs. He wrapped him up with his arms and held tight. Scott cried as he held his dad.

Gabriel became aware and noticed Scott had placed himself on a temporal platform. His stomach sank, because he knew that if he removed Scott from that platform, or if the ship were to lose power, Scott would die. His brain is off, and so is his heart. In ways he cannot explain, the temporal field is keeping him alive in suspended animation. Gabriel took a deep breath in and pushed the thought of the demon removing him from the field out of his mind. If the demon did that, Scott would perish instantly.

Under normal circumstances, someone would monitor the temporal fields and can override the experience of another for safety reasons, in addition to the individual being aware of what they were experiencing, much like Gabriel knowing how to get into and out of the temporal field. Someone like Scott, he simply doesn't know that he's dreaming, and because of that he will not wake up, even if Gabriel begged him too.

As Scott floated in the air, he saw his mother and felt the dust of the barn blow against his skin. The sun felt warm, and as he took his first step, the thin straws of hay crunched beneath his feet.

His mother, Carol, beamed as he looked at her from beyond his father's shoulder. He did not want to let go but felt torn between his mother and father. He released his father and dashed for Carol. He dove into her arms, and she wrangled him into her loving embrace. She pressed her lips against his forehead and rubbed his back.

She said, "I'm done with the horse for now, and I got a few minutes before I have to go collect the eggs."

Scott bit his bottom lip and teetered forward as he said, "can—can I get them with you?"

Carol smiled, and the sun glowed against the silhouette of her hair. Scott saw her toothy smile and felt a rush of joy skip through his heart.

She said, "chores! Keith! What's wrong with our boy, he wants to do chores today!" Scott smiled, and together, the three of them left the barn and approached the chicken coop. 

https://youtu.be/ZoltmTANsk4