William Borgman, Mad Scientist

With an intensity of focus that surprised even him, William Borgman (Bill to his friends) aimed the fifth neutrino beam at the crystal. The crystal itself had taken William over a year to grow, but now that it was finished, he was certain that it was perfect.

Housed within a chamber shielded by two-inch-thick lead walls, the crystal was bombarded by the cleverly aimed neutrino beams, each hitting at just the right angle. To anyone else, William's machine would have looked like a piece of garbage, a strange construct made as much of madness as materials. To anyone else who didn't share his genius, that is. What William was about to do would change everything.

Turning a dial on the large grey console before him, William increased the intensity of the beams. Then, after a few moments, he hit the large red button. The lasers, one from above, one below, both hit the crystal at the same time.

That's when he heard it. The crack. The crystal cracked.

Only that wasn't the only thing...