Quantum Duck is a strange visitor to our world from the tiny planet of Taito. His home planet is an electron orbiting an Oxygen atom. His is a technologically advanced culture. They have mastered powerful energy collectors to create a seamless housing and transportation infrastructure. They even have rudimentary time travel devices. They also have a Quantum Substring Scalar Mass Exchanger. This simple device allows Quantum Duck to change size at will (battery power willing). Quantum Duck's mother was the high matron of the Guild of Pure Sciences, and he has been given her post since she disappeared. Though just a boy, he now directs all pure science research in Taito. He works from his post on Barge, the largest telescope on all of Taito. It is powerful enough to view an entire dust mite from the surface of an electron!

Unfortunately Quantum Duck's home was the unfortunate subject of human experiments. The nucleus of Quantum Duck's Atom - somewhat analogous to our earth's sun - has been struck by a high energy beam in a linear accelerator. Quantum Duck was sent back in time by a small group of renegade scientists to convince a young human to avoid firing his particle beam in the first place. Sadly, Quantum Duck did not manage to do this. Now his only hope is to learn enough about macro-particle physics to build a time machine in our world, then use it to try once again to fulfill his mission.

Given all this, one can understand why Quantum Duck can be cynical, worried, and panicky.

Wiley Eggbert
11 years old. 3' 11'' tall
Distinguishing Characteristics: Giant bifocal glasses, giant bifocal ears, giant bifocal ego

Wiley is a child genius. His parents moved to the New Mexico based Quantum Research Group Labs to study the mass of neutrinos. Wiley fancies himself the smartest person in any room. Even more annoyingly: he generally IS the smartest person in any room.

Wiley knows English, Latin, Greek, French, FORTRAN, and Esperanto. In case you wondering, Wiley wants you to know that Esperanto is the international language (not love). It has only 16 rules of grammar, and no arbitrary exceptions like those other pesky languages.

Laura's parents run a small general farm near Quantum Research Group Labs. Actually, QRGL set up shop right on top of several farms in the area. The Greenwood farm is two miles from the entrance to the labs, but portions of the 5 mile long linear accelerator overlap the farm proper. The Greenwoods rotate crops in large fields, but also keep chickens, horses, and two goats. Laura helps keep up the farm, but has become fascinated with the labs, and has befriended several key scientists through her interest in local geology.

Laura currently attends the ad-hoc school set up at the labs to educate the many children of scientists visiting the labs from around the world. She shares the class with Wiley, and often Qunatum Duck too. She hates know-it-alls.

Al the Janitor
Age Unknown. 5' 11'' tall
Distinguishing Characteristics: Baseball cap worn at all times. Slow deliberate speech and action, that whole American Indian mystique

As near as anyone can tell Al was once tribal elder to the local Indian tribe. He continues to advise many local tribes, but concentrates his efforts these days on cleaning up around the labs. His strong silent presence gently guides many scientists at QRGL. If you have a question he is the guy to talk to. If you don't have a question then he will just stand there while you think of one - unless there's some cleaning to do.