The world-mover

Les Ackerman, a researcher performing nuclear bombardment on a newly discovered transuranic element, witnesses an inexplicable energy phenomenon that produces overlapping versions of reality; although he survives, different groups from three alternate worlds claim he alone can correct the disturbance he inadvertently created. As he navigates simultaneously perceived, conflicting scenes—an intact laboratory and a cataclysmic explosion—he struggles to understand the event and its consequences while others react with fear, curiosity, and official caution. The narrative examines the unintended risks of experimental science and the dislocation of identity and responsibility when multiple possible outcomes collide.