Jump Gates

Nobody knows who or what built the 7 Jump Gates that exist on Earth 16, nor why they built them underground on the exact spots where great cities would someday sit. Still, there they are, very well hidden 500 feet down, but still functioning after an estimated 7,500 years.

Each Jump Gate connects to some spot on Earth, usually in a remote area. The location in space never varies, but the location in time can vary by up to 10 days either forward or backwards. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict this effect. Even more unfortunately, it is impossible to go back to your proper time unless you go into the past and just hang out until time catches up. (Note: Do not EVER go try to communicate with your past self. This will always result in the time traveling you popping out of existence.)

If you should go into the future, then you just lose that many days. This can cause all sorts of problems from the minor (missed the season finale of you favorite tv program) to the serious (you went missing for ten days just before your 20th anniversary) to the catastrophic (you weren't there to enter the shutdown code when your tacyonic power generator went critical and turned New York city into a smoldering crater).

When using a Jump Gate, remember to dress in an appropriate manner for your destination. Don't wear winter clothing if the gate takes you to the Australian Outback.

All Jump Gates look the same and function the same. They are 20' wide, 12' tall ovals of stone and metal set into a cavern wall. You simply touch it with your hand, wait until it shows an image of your destination and then step through. Several people and/or animals and/or machines can pass through, since the gate remains open for a full minute. Of course, getting a bunch of people, animals or machines 500 feet underground might be a tricky thing.

It is rumored that there is an 8th Jump Gate that can be programmed to take one anywhere on Earth with no temporal drift. So far, it has not been found.