Lambda - Prologue & Chapter 1

Prologue

"Don't worry. *inhales deeply* All these words will eventually make sense to you."

-  Mirana Augusta, Patient Zero of Earth 2.2

"I didn't care. I saw what our machines were doing to Duskrise and I just wouldn't try to think in a different direction. Now I realize where I and others could have gone if we pursued studying physics instead of that stupid magic. What a waste of time!"

- Biros Dimagi, Ultimate of Duskrise

"It's like one of those masquerade balls I love so much. Everyone puts on a different mask and goes on dancing and having fun. Our masquerade partners are kids with their grown up masks hiding the immaturity. And if their way of having fun means massacres happening every day, then the ball must come to an end."

- Patricia Mirage, Victus Morti of Duskrise

"These notes represent me and start with mi, and the true meaning of Requiem they shall be."

- Anton Nerath, Death Bringer of Earth 2.2

"How do you know sex with another man is horrible if you haven't tried it?"

- Mordagon Vonneghaut Junior, Nightstrider of Auroria

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

- The NOISE of Duskrise

"How could I possibly imagine three different histories happening at the same time? GET AWAY FROM ME!"

- Jade Quinn, Phoenix of Earth 2.2

"I know how to end the pain and start immense pleasure. Remember? Now think of the pain you're currently in. What do you think will come next to you, after what you've done?"

- Irene Strange, Lauriel of Auroria

"Would you get a grip of yourselves? We have the privilege to meet aliens. No. To meet people, other human beings just like us, from another world. If you keep behaving like that, you are all going to reinforce the idea that our world, our marvelous Auroria, was truly inhabited by nothing else than a group of peasants waiting to be ruled over!"

- Aurelia Powerglade, Tink of Auroria

"Even the seas have changed. All of our water creatures face extinction. Only some species of jellyfish manage to thrive in this new environment. Those goddamn brainless creatures."

- Garry Ulbert, Too Stronk of Earth 2.2

"With their technology, the possibilities are endless."

- Claire Benton, Madness of Duskrise

"Listen to me carefully now. This is the fourth time I ever needed to repeat myself, and I'm doing it only because some people are going insane in the new world circumstances. I can get you anything. Anything you'd ever need."

- Mordrang Thrall, Silence Gatherer of Auroria

Chapter 1 - The Last Experiment

Location: Earth 2.2

Scientist 02 was feeling dizzy again. He knew that once the setup of the experiment was over, he'd reacquire his name and the related memories. Nevertheless, his mind resisted the idea that he was "just a number". Even though it was the second best number - right after 01, the leader of the experiment. And despite being the second most important person in the facility, he still felt empty.

Sitting at his desk in the office 02 he thought:"How stupid it is to share the name of an office space. Like I'm nothing more than a piece of furniture, or a door, or, perhaps," he then looked around for possible comparisons and poured himself another cup of coffee "Or another mug, just like the the other 95 people of this team. We are all just cups of coffee".

He tasted the energizing taste of the brown liquid and thought: "The fuel of every hard worker that frequently works long nights". This always helped him focus, and his mood shifted towards a more optimistic one and related to the task at hand: "The Greek letter lambda symbolizes a decay constant of a radioactive element, inversely proportional to the half-life. It can also symbolize the wavelength of a wave. Lambda can also be used to indicate eigenvalues of matrices in Mathematics. It is one of those Greek letters that are in use across a wide spectrum of fields."

He sat for a while, rearranging the words and ideas in his head. While deeply in thought, he started frowning and in all his years it started to show on his forehead. Even more so, because there were hardly any hair left on the top of his head. He promised himself several times to go to surgery and have his hair re-grow. And in the meantime, the hair on his side, that were still resisting the baldness, grew almost to his shoulders. This particular look of his cost him many frowning glances, but he didn't particularly care.

"No, no no. It's not good. I can't start the last log entry like that. Should I tell about all the good times we had together? Should I write an explanatory log entry hoping that it won't be destroyed by something or someone? Should I give instructions? What?" He sighed out loud and stretched his hands  and legs. He then looked out of the window and saw a beautiful sun shining and bathing the office in warm light.

"Too bad it's just a hologram and an imitation of the heat radiated by the sun and not the real deal. We've been closed in here for far too long in order to guarantee a hundred percent bias-free experiment. Every parameter under control, nothing that could go wrong. And yet there's always the chance of human error. Surprisingly enough, given the right people and right circumstances, errors can turn into enormous successes. No, I won't talk about what I did. Someone might try to interfere and abort the experiment." Even though the sun was shining, outside it was still dark. And the early hours together with hard working conditions took a toll on his brain. He started having conversations with himself in order to remind him what's real and what not.

"Right. Let's do this," he heard himself say, while his fingers approached the surface of the desk. There, a keyboard appeared. As he moved his fingers in the air, tapping gently, the keys lighted-up in response and produced words on the screen. And the screen itself was placed atop two heavy books, to be at the appropriate eye-level. As he typed, the text began to show:

Log entry number 365

How does one start the final log entry for an experiment so important that because of it, we, the humanity as a whole, have decided to change the name of Earth 2.1 to Earth 2.2?

If we fail, then there was no point in renaming the Earth. Nothing new would be discovered.

If on the other hand we succeed, then calling it Earth 3.0 would be far more appropriate. The next stage in the human evolution. Will it be one or the other?

The humanity is facing an unprecedented crisis. The current leading theory supposes Earth 2.2 is being slowly drawn away to an invisible and undetectable super-massive object. It's not important which year is it, if all we've got left is 25 years before the impact. And since nothing in the current collective knowledge pool points to a possible answer, the society is falling apart.

We're decaying as an organized and intelligent race, and this is the only reason why the λ-ex, or, the lambda experiment, has been allowed to exist and is in the final moments of preparation. An experiment so unethical and of dubious nature that we'll have our recollections of it erased permanently and no credit will be given to the people who conducted it. Its existence will be kept hidden for 20 years.

Here's to hoping the second outcome will come true, and that the last 5 years on Earth 2.2 will ensure humanity lives on. On a more personal note, regarding all my colleagues in the team, here's to hoping our year worth of sleepless nights will save us.

Log entry by scientist 02.

"Heyo two, it's four in the morning and you're still up?" the scientist 02 was visibly shaken by the sudden appearance of a voice that was not in his head. While he was typing and editing the text, his younger colleague known to him only by the label scientist 57, perhaps once his student, entered the room. After receiving no immediate answer, the younger scientist moved towards the nearest chair and made himself comfortable. He was a middle-aged man, with brown hair neatly combed and always wore a shirt to look smart and classy as he'd describe it.

"Why are you so tightened up?" he asked, jokingly.

Two responded:"I've been trying to round up this whole nightmarish experience."

"Why so serious?" was the response, and soon after, the scientist 57 burst out laughing: "Come on, in two hours time it will be all over for us! We'll remember our names, our families if we had them. No, wait, you look like a real lady killer to me. Like in a parallel universe where ugly dudes are considered hot you have plenty of fangirls. Please get a haircut, will you?"

And this was the end of the scientist's 02 good mood until the dawn arose outside of the experimental complex, in the real world. Until that time however, two hours remained.

"Watch your tongue boy. Why do you take the matter of universes so lightly?" 

" 'Cause they are shit. Well, not literally. But seriously, for how long have these theories been lying about? 150 years, 200 perhaps? And even if it turns out there are actually parallel universes, what makes you even remotely think that our theories are correct? But don't change the subject. Why are you not preparing a bottle of champagne and some glasses, or partying?" The younger of the two tried to put on a serious face in an effort to have a serious conversation with a person he knew he admired immensely and yet didn't know why. He'd learn about it soon, when his memory would be regained.

"Why should I be excited? It's true, I'll regain my old memories, but I'll forget what we did here. Why on Earth would something like this make me happy? It will be like we lost a year of our lives."

The scientist 57 made a grimace before responding:"That's exactly the reason why you should be happy. You'll forget what we did here! I know for one I'll be finally able to have a good sleep, and there's nothing in the world I await more! Well, perhaps my girl or wife if I have one. I can't wait to get hold of my old memories!" Soon after he continued with a more worrying voice:"You thought this through, haven't you? There's something you're hiding from me. What is it?"

The second scientist tried his best to smile - and failed:"Don't worry, it has nothing to do with you. It's a personal problem."

"And now you said the only word that could possibly make me worry more. Personal you say? By default, this experiment was designed to be detached from personal opinions and other subjective bias, in order to guarantee a higher success probability and now you're telling me there's something personal involved? It has everything to do with me and with the whole world as well. You know full well the nature of our experiment. Tell me what you did." While saying this, 57 tried to sit straight and face his older colleague with a determination in his eyes.

The 02 mirrored the movements of 57, and tried to reinforce his authority with a firm and strong voice:"Ah, I've chosen the wrong word to describe it. At any rate, stop over-thinking it, we'll be free soon as you said. Now that I think about it, why are you not sleeping or partying like the rest of the team?"

"I wanted to see if you were awake. I think that we've had a past story before this experiment. I have a feeling of particular friendship towards you and I don't remember why. Such a funny feeling." He smiled before continuing in a more serious tone:"And yet you're trying to sidetrack me again. What is it that you're hiding?"

Two grunted in response. "Don't you think you should use some of that friendship feelings towards me and trust me?"

"Normally, I would. And I would trust you even during this experiment, for the whole year. I have trusted you and everyone else on this team based exclusively upon feelings of respect, friendship and sometimes pride. I think the whole team worked together before. Or perhaps we met during a symposium. Either way, I knew I could trust you all, as scientists and as people." The scientist 57 paused for a moment. He was hesitating to continue his speech, even though there was no more doubt about his older friend's dishonesty. He was fighting his friendship feelings of unknown origin with the evidence of what was happening. And then, as a sudden realization happened in his head, fifty-seven froze in shock.

The second scientist saw his reaction and quickly started talking:"All right, I can't hide it from you it seems. Well, you're not the first one. Here's the plan B. Try to convince you to see that I'm right, and join me in my cause."

The scientist 57 gripped the handles of his chair in order to quickly stand up. But the second scientist was, despite his age and appearance, quite fast. In a split second he was standing, with a swiss army knife ready in his hand:"Don't. This is your warning. If you'll stand up, I'll stab you. Please remember that even though I threaten you with the knife, I'm doing it only to stop you from doing something foolish.  Consider this me saving your life, because I feel like you did the same a while ago. Will you listen to me?".

Fifty-seven remained still during all of this, and observed his perhaps ex mentor, who was now completely calm and with a confidence of a winner. Still, behind that appearance, 57 spotted hint of a dubious and restless mood, which gave him food for thought:"Ok, so he's crazy, but it seems like he's regretting parts, or all of what he's done. He seems to be able to control himself easily, but deep inside, he's fighting with whatever he's done. Perhaps I can talk my way out of this and alert others."

"Ok. I'm all ears." he finally said.   

The second scientist relaxed a bit and lowered the knife, knowing full well his colleague did not have the possibility to leave unless he decided so:"Let's start at the end. Let's start with the premise that there's nothing you can do right now to change the course of events. You're bound to the chair, unless I change my mind. Keep this in mind during the remainder of our conversation, will you?" He then closed the door to prevent a quick escape and went back to his chair where he made himself comfortable before continuing. But he was struck short of words, as the scientist 57 suddenly spoke:"How did you bypass the memory wipe to carry on your plan?"

The 02 was visibly confused and answered with a cryptic:"Well, I didn't really. I had my memory erased, like we all did."

"Ah come on. You said it was personal, therefore you must have some recollection of who you were before this. And I'm scared to think that the biggest flaw of this experiment was exactly what we thought would make it work. An experiment as objective as possible. This eliminated or perhaps only reduced the possibility of any of us meddling with the parameters. But you did it anyway. Oh, the irony."

"You got it all wrong. I don't have any idea as to who I was." the older responded.

"Then how?"

"I was getting to that if you'd let me continue." He said impatiently.

"Well, please do. I'm really interested to understand how and why you intentionally destroyed what we were set to do." The 57 was boiling with anger at this point, and couldn't release it in any way other than words. He was forced to sit upon the chair and stay there. He tried to interrupt his older colleague as often as possible in order to disorient him. He didn't care at all what his colleague was about to say. Optimist to the end, he didn't want to believe it was all over. Not like this.

The second scientist cleared his thought and continued:"Right. To answer your question, I didn't bypass anything. Well, that's not entirely true." He then pulled up his shirt to show a tattoo on his chest which was hard to read. There were some letters and numbers, as well as equations and drawings of mostly geometrical shapes.

"That's a tattoo. Congratulations, are you feeling any younger because of it?"

Forcing a false smile he patiently explained:"I'm not going to tell you the details. But I'm quite proud of the idea I had. They removed all the personal memories and stored them away. My tattoo however, is a puzzle, an enigma if you will. And I knew I'd be intrigued into solving the equations and understanding the meaning. That's how I carried on with my plan, despite the memory wipe."

"They seriously allowed you in with a cryptic tattoo on your chest?"

"Oh, but I didn't have it at that time."

"Ok, now you're really messing with my head. How could you remember? Where did you get that tattoo inside here?"

"I didn't have to remember it, I reconstructed everything. I didn't have the tattoo for the first month I was here. I assume that I've used some of those coloring nano-bots. They're considered harmless and didn't show on the scan, because they need time to grow. And the growth takes about a month, depending on a person and his or hers physiology. It all adds up."

"Shit," scientist 57 couldn't avoid swearing, while beginning to admire more and more the person before him. He said: "That's truly something. A temporarily invisible enigma. And what was your plan?"

"That's something I think you figured out yourself, when you seemed terrorized for a second, just before I stopped pretending."

"You have a son. Or daughter. And you made him or her part of λ-ex ."

"Correct."

"You idiot! Why? What is the point of ruining perhaps the most important experiment that we as a species ever devised? Why destroy it all?" the fifty-seven almost screamed in despair.

"Now that's where you're wrong. I didn't destroy it, I merely improved upon it. And I hope at least you come to see my reasoning. I'm not a monster, I want you to understand and simply do nothing until the morning, when you'll forget everything done here. Scientists 03, 04, 10, 33 and 42 also managed to discover my plans, didn't listen and so I had to kill them. Such a shame. I am too careless it would seem and I attribute it completely to the memory wipe. There's something that's disquieting about what I don't remember. Still, I'm in luck to be the second in charge and can easily prevent and interrupt communications." 

In his mind, brief flashes of images passed by, glimpses of the events he went through. 

The first memory was of scientist 03, trying to reach 01's office after he couldn't connect to his computer, only to find 02 waiting behind an empty crate that was used to transport electronics. A quick stab and it was all over.

The 04 was more prudent. After his computer's "malfunction", he closed himself inside his office. A few minutes later, an explosion emanating from the 04's office attracted the attention of the whole team. After close inspection they concluded 04 disabled the safety mechanisms in the equipment in his office. Some of the scientists still remained suspicious, yet most were reassured that it was a simple malpractice. None of them were aware of a bug that enabled 02 to disable the security from his office. 

The three scientists that remained suspicious were starting to investigate on. Luckily for 02, being in charge for most of the manual work, he sent them to certain deaths doing checks on security circuits that he intentionally left operative. They didn't have a clue.

Returning from his memories, 02's mouth stretched into a wicked smile and he almost wanted to pat himself on the back for the good work.

"Oh, so you're not an idiot. You're rather a murderous psychopath then? I assume you are not joking and in fact, it makes sense. I haven't seen any of them at the party. What if somebody else will notice?"

"Who? The last meeting was already held and most of the people on the experiment are now either drunk or asleep. Some perhaps both. Fifty-seven, I know who trusts who in this team, little groups of friends that have formed, and most of them prefer leaving me alone. And even if somebody else notices, I have something prepared just in case." He wanted to continue talking, when he was wildly interrupted by the 57 again:"Ok, I get it. There's intelect behind all this madness. But have you ever considered that perhaps you got your tattoo-riddle all wrong?" 

"Impossible. Were you even listening? I designed the tattoo, so obviously I let only one possible answer. I had almost a year of time to think about multiple solutions and there's only one." After this nobody of the two spoke. The pair of scientists just sat and had a staring contest with each other. Finally, 02 spoke again:"So will you sit in this office for the next few hours?" Then, looking at the watch, he corrected himself:"One hour and forty-eight minutes. After that, you'll forget about it all and we can be friends again, assuming that was the case in the past."

Scientist 57 began laughing all the while trying not to move too much. He was genuinely scared 02 will take any of his sudden movements as a sign of attack, and he learned once already how agile his older colleague was: "So my choice is to either allow you to doom humanity and live another 25 years, or simply die trying to stop you? Both solutions include me dying sooner that I'd like and I'm not agreeing with either."

"Why are you so stubborn in believing that I want to destroy us all? I'm a person, just like yourself, I want to live on and enable a future for our offspring. What I did will work, there's no doubt about it." The 02 said it while sitting with his arms crossed and a stern expression that demanded obedience. 57 observed that 02 still had the knife ready in his right hand.

57 started thinking fast:"Should I trust this madman? Of course not! He killed five people in hopes of covering his tracks, and he's prepared to kill some more. If his plan made any sense whatsoever, surely some of them would listen to him. Didn't he say he tried to explain it first? Perhaps my only option is make a run for it. I'll have to distract him somehow." What he said out loud was:"What if someone else comes to this office? What then?"

The 02 smirked and turned towards his computer screen:"I have everything under control. As I told you, my position of power gives me several advantages. One of them is easy control over security cameras and one of them is just outs-" he stopped when he heard a sudden movement and immediately prepared for an attack, with his knife at the ready, arm raised. 

To his surprise, 57 sprinted to the door, and tried to open it in vain.

"Did you know that the doors can be locked from the terminal? I set up a trigger to lock them automatically each time the door closes." 02 then stood up, to face a genuinely scared 57, who was deciding if it's best to try and bring the door down, or the crazy person that was sharing the room with him. Neither seemed like a plausible course of action, but knowing the doors were made resistant in case of any danger, he opted for the second.

57 darted towards 02, who swiftly avoided the attack, bringing the blade to 57's chest, straight through his heart. The impact of 57's momentum and 02's expert timing, the younger scientist only had moments left to breathe, before his mind went blank. 02 pulled the kinfe out and let 57's body fall down on the floor, where quickly, a pool of blood was forming.

"There's no use in explaining," 02 was talking to himself now, or perhaps, the body, that might still have a glimpse of conscience in it:"in the end, nobody listens to me. There's not a single person in this experiment that would think outside the box and listen to my reasoning. They're all blindly convinced I'm the bad guy." He then proceeded in disposing the body. He took the body by the shoulders and dragged it to a ventilation shaft. There, 02 opened the grate and shove 57's body into it, letting the blood act as a lubricant, for gravity to transport the body down the shaft. Afterwards, 02 went to one of his cabinets, where he took out a cleaning chemical and removed all traces of blood that could be seen, as far into the shaft he could reach without having to crawl in.

"Voila', last mistake I've made is undone," He passed the remaining of the time in silence, pondering on tonight's events.

As the clock was approaching 6 in the morning, he started thinking forward, and a smile crossed his face: "All right, I've done everything I could. Now only ten seconds remain before my brain will regain old memories and lose ones related to this place. And then I'll be able to leave." 

The clock turned 6:00 and nothing happened.

"I don't understand. What's going on?" He was staring incredulously at the clock. 6:01. "Why do I still remember everything?" He looked around, and everything was the same. He seized the invisible keyboard and immediately saw a sign on the screen: "Self-Destruction imminent. Thank you for helping us shape the future of mankind in the λ-ex."

"Whaaat?" he screamed out loud, and started panicking and clicking on different keys. Of course nothing worked. "W--why? Who would have done something like this? Who even knew? And I thought I was the mastermind!!" with every passing thought, he panicked more and more, and the last question that remained unanswered in his head was:"So we were, after all, merely cups of coffee for the puppeteer behind this charade?"

Everything went blank for him and the whole experimental complex imploded inwards, leaving no trace of the facility on the ground. 

Lambda - Introduction

This is the title of a book I began to write. If you're eager to start, just read these three guidelines and click on the link shortly after for prologue and first chapter of the book:

3) This book will contain adult content and will be explicit at times.

2) It is an original story, meaning that it's a product of imagination of the author, Tomo Umer.

1) It's free. And always will be. I believe that knowledge and information should be shared, because sharing is caring. When it's done (and it's done when it's ready, right?), for those who enjoyed the book I'll put up a kickstarter campaign for  printed versions.

LINK - prologue and first chapter.

Introduction

I thought I'd just start off with the book, but then a friend of mine was upset as to why there's no introduction. My plan was to write it when I'll be finished with the book, but f*ck it.

I can answer one question  "Why did I decide to write this novel / book?" at least partially.

In all honesty, here are plenty of reasons and some are still emerging at the time of writing. Therefore, I'll make a complete list of my motivations / reasons for writing this book once it's finished, as well as acknowledgements and thanks.

However, there is one key experience that irreversibly changed my life. Lucca Comics and Games, 2013. The whole experience was one of the best four days in my life and it continued straight on to Pisa for professional reasons, but that's another story.

At Lucca 2013, the guest of honor was Andrzej Sapkowski. During the questions and answers session, somebody asked him why did he start to write. You see, Andrzej was an economist before starting to write at the age of 38. He said something along the lines:"I think that if you are a writer, than you feel it inside you. It's like a beast trapped inside a cage. You can suppress it, but eventually it will break free."

Thank you Andrzey, for those words made me reflect deeply on my life. That's exactly how I have felt for years, but didn't quite understand it. I've always wanted to write, but never got anything finished, because I was always discouraged. By profession, I have a Masters degree in Particle Physics and for me math is easy - something that quite some people admire, but it has got nothing to do with writing.

Following those events, an online reddit contest was opened in February 2014, to celebrate 50,000 users on the Writing Prompts subreddit. I saw my chance to get a literary work finished and so I started writing a novelette. Due to my work as a PhD student in particle physics, I didn't really have time to do it properly. Colleagues from CERN will know full well what I'm talking about. The long hours, the unpaid extra work and sometimes horrible bosses.

The deadline for the online contest was approaching and I re-wrote the first two chapters of the novelette and continued on writing, finishing it in a single day, after the daily meetings ended. It just so happened that at the time, I was at CERN for the CMS week, which is always exhausting and time consuming. I uploaded the story the following day, on the Geneva airport (free wi-fi ftw), an hour before the deadline.

With the end of June 2014 I had finally decided to quit my PhD and start writing full-time. Immediately after, in July 2014 I decided I was going to write every day a different short story and publish it online. My plans changed, however, as I realized I wanted to write something bigger. Something where I'd have all the space and the words needed to properly develop characters and story, as well as an interesting world.

And now, as of October 2014, I started writing my first book / novel. It just so happened that the past 7 days were extremely exhausting, as I volunteered for the organization of Trieste Science+Fiction festival and therefore I couldn't write much. It was an amazing experience and I've met a lot of really great and interesting people. But I'm sidetracking again. What matters is that a week went by, without me having the possibility to finish the first chapter.

And so, again purely by chance, today is the 5th of November.
Remember, remember, the fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and plot. I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot.

What better day to begin than the 5th? V for Vendetta is an exceptional graphic novel and an outstanding movie in its own merit. And while Alan Moore is a genius, and I can't wait to get my hands on his new 1,000,000 words long book, I think it's downright retarded he hates movies based on his work. It's stupid because if I hadn't watched V for Vendetta, I would have perhaps never known the author. I wouldn't have bought and read The Killing Joke, the Watchmen and other works. And it would be bad for me as well, because Alan Moore and Frank Miller are undoubtedly the two great writers that convinced me graphic novels can be just as good, deep and inspiring as books.

As for the name of the book, lambda, I promise it will have a meaning inside the story. But another reason for choosing lambda as the title is that Half-Life, one of the best computer games of all time has a lambda as a logo (all hail our lord and savior Gabe Newell). This always bothered me - why is the game called half-life, while lambda is, speaking from the physics perspective, the inverse of the half-life? So I decided I'm going to do this properly. Call my book lambda, and have the Greek letter lambda somewhere on the cover (lambda has, by the way, a plethora of uses in physics). Here's to hoping Half-Life 3 will be released eventually. It would be awesome if I could be part of that creative process. I think I could bring great and fresh ideas on the team and perhaps that's what they're missing, since the game is on a good start to become the laughing stock Duke Nukem Forever is. Knowing that Valve is the most desired company on earth to work for, chances for that are slim, but who knows?

Having said that, the book is, as I said at the beginning, an original story. That means I have been undoubtedly inspired by some games I've played, movies I've watched, as well as everything else I did in my life and everyone I've met who made a lasting impression on me. It is in a way, a weird combination of parts of my brain.

I'm really excited to get this book started. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing. One last thing. I'd like to say THANKS to each and everyone of you that has already given me some great criticism, both online and in real life. I learned from it and I'm prepared to learn some more, so comments are welcome! Enjoy!

-Tomo Umer

Of Fire and Water - PART 6

Aias and Freyja were silent on the way back once again. Her mind was still processing the passing events and as a result, she felt completely disoriented. She was glad that Aias was leading the way to where the cliff once lay and when they first clashed. Afterwards Freyja took the stride and they went along the coast, further North.

In his mind, Aias was wondering:"So I have shown you the edge of my lands. Are you trying to do the same? Is that why we're not already swimming? Aah, I wonder how it is like." Still, the silence was prevailing between them and Aias became restless. He couldn't hold on to himself anymore, so he asked Freyja:"Hey, Freyja, where are we going? I cannot  keep guessing much longer!"

Freya continued her walking and merely turned her head towards Aias. He could not help but notice a vibrant smile on her lips, as she responded:"You held your calm for so long I almost thought you are one of us, water mages, in disguise!" Of course that was completely untrue, since the two factions were clearly distinguishable by the color of their skin. It was intended to provoke Aias even more.

And that's exactly what it did. The words started pouring out of him, with no intention to stop:"I learned how to be calm. I've learned that observing before striking can make an abyssal difference. I'm not afraid to be hit first by my enemy and therefore I'm in no hurry to be the first one to cause pain. But do you have any idea what you did to me by proposing to go for a swim? I've been dreaming for years how it must be like to move freely inside the sea. For me, the sea has always been incredibly close, and yet unreachable. I could only create a fiery bubble that would protect me for some time and even then I'd feel weak and attacked. In my dreams it would be nothing like that. No pain or suffering, only freedom and peace." He paused for a second, before asking in a genuinely worried tone:"Freya, is it painful to swim?"

Freyja almost stopped in her tracks. She didn't know if Aias was just messing with her, or if he posed her a real question. Looking at him, she was surprised to find a curious look in his eyes. "So he's not acting" she thought briefly. She chuckled and answered:"No, of course not! Unless a sea creature attacks you or if you completely strain yourself."

Happy with the answer he got, Aias blurted out:"You know, this is so unfair! Why are our lives predefined by our ancestors?"

Freyja curiously joined in:"What do you mean by that? To me it seems you do pretty much what you want to."

Aias laughed wholeheartedly before continuing:"Yes and so do you. That's why we are both still alive. But I was talking about the fact that I cannot tolerate water and that I live in a scorched land nobody really likes. That's something that our ancestors forced on us, and instructed us to fight for the lands in the middle, so that we could finally live in a habitable place."

"You do have a point." Freyja said. She started walking again and spoke over her shoulder, being sure that Aias would follow: "You know, it's not that our frozen lands are that much better." There was a hint of sadness in her voice, but Aias either didn't notice, or didn't care. She cast a glance back to see him intently looking at her and still smiling. She quickly turned her head, so that the fire mage wouldn't be able to see her blush. Suddenly she hated herself for the inexplicable change of mood, and a second after shrugged it all away.

They were advancing along the coast and bypassed a forest. Freyja occasionally looked back, and always caught Aias just smiling and checking her. She wondered if Aias even saw the surroundings. Yet somehow, she was not bothered by it, not in the least. In fact, the whole way she felt his look on her body and she raveled in the feeling.

The temperature decreased and as the forest cleared from their view, they could see frozen lands up ahead. Freyja turned - to find Aias with the exact same expression - and showed her left hand to the North:"Aias, this is my home."

Aias answered with a hint of discontent, and yet somehow still managed to keep his smile: "I know, I've seen it from here already. Will you drag me to an icy cave or what?"

Freyja laughed:"No. I forgot that you have been to the middle lands a few times before. Caves are boring, let's go for a swim that I promised you instead, shall we?"

Saying that she extended a hand towards Aias. He took it gladly, and a sense of coldness wrapped his whole body. He quickly pulled his hand away from her and all of his muscles started contracting from the feeling of the unusual lower temperature.

"Sorry about that, I'm used to the cold."

To his surprise, Aias heard Freya's voice in his head. Resisting the freezing feeling that was gradually subsiding he realized that Freyja was now glowing in blue - as he was himself. He asked her:"How can I speak telepathically to you? That's just awesome!"

Again, he heard Freyja's voice in his head telling him:"Just think about it. It's really similar to talking to yourself, you just have to focus and address the thoughts to me."

"Freyja, you .are really hot." and almost instantaneously, Freyja was visibly discomforted. "So it's working." Aias commented, smiling devilishly.

"Of course it's working! Did you doubt me? And I think I'm quite the opposite of what you said." the tone of the voice that Aias heard in his head was not menacing. In fact, Freyja seemed more than willing to play his little games.

Aias thought and directed the words to Freyja:"So. Swimming. How do I do it?"

Freyja smiled, and without answering simply run to the sea, which extended endlessly to the horizon and jumped in.

"Well then. Should be easy, huh?" this time Aias thought only to himself, finding the courage. "What if this was all a trap? What if she was leading him to his death?" He then shrugged all of his doubts as a laughing voice appeared in his head:"What now, you courageous warrior? Too afraid to keep up with a girl?"

Aias ran to the sea and saw Freyja inside the water, with only her head emerging from the blue color that surrounded her. And in a moment later, Aias was already up in the air and with a big splashing sound he disappeared in the waters below.

Freyja was already all around him, swimming gracefully and quite fast, compared to how Aias could move. "Oh, I forgot to tell you something Aias." And for a moment he was distrusting of her once again. They were natural sworn enemies after all. "You can breathe normally." And indeed, he opened his mouth and inhaled, without any problems whatsoever. He felt like the most stupid person in the world for having continuous doubts.

Aias tried imitating Freyja swimming like she did, but at first he was just falling and making a fool out of himself. He knew that Freyja was secretly enjoying herself while seeing him like this, but he was too happy with the new experience to care.

After some time Aias learned how to swim properly, and he would have been screaming with joy if it wasn't for all the water that prevented him from doing so. "Freyja, this is amazing!! I can feel the water on my skin! Your powers are truly something."

"Oh, but we're only just getting started."

"What do you mean by that?" Aias had his curiosity peaked once again.

"Follow me and you'll see." A glimpse of mischief was to be heard in her voice as she swam downwards, to the bottom. Aias didn't think twice and followed in suit.

As they neared the bottom of the sea, Aias stopped motionless, with his eyes wide open, while Freyja still continued swimming. After they were several bodies distant from each other Freyja discovered that he was not following her anymore, and turned around. She saw Aias floating like a dead body, quickly swam to him and with a hint of worry Aias heard in his head:"What's wrong? Why have you stopped? I'm not done with showing you around!"

"Freyja." he responded, thinking how to approach this:" Do you have any idea what's under the bottom of the sea here?"

Freyja was startled and impatiently asked:"Well, it's the sea bottom. There's a lot of sea animals living there, and underneath there's earth. But since you asked me I'm assuming there's something more. Something dangerous?" But before Aias could answer, she did so herself and her voice changed from being concerned, to one of genuine freight:"Since you sense it and I don't." A pause followed. "It's lava down there, isn't it?"

Aias nodded:"And there's plenty. I cannot even start to explain how much." His mind started racing and he was excited to tell it all to Freyja: "Do you know what this means? I could make it erupt in the form of an undersea volcano. I could lead the lava to melt the ice cap, even further North. Perhaps then your kin could have a habitable environment." But just as fast as the idea came to him, problems came just as fast, and the shift in Aias's voice was huge: "No. I spoke too soon. What would I do with all the water that would be risen with the volcano, as well as the melting ice? It would make for a catastrophe for the rest of the land. Damn it!"

And yet, amidst his anger, he heard Freyja laughing. He turned to look at her, awaiting an explanation. She calmed and assumed a more serious expression, with barely a hint of a smile:"And who said the water will cause any problems? Not if I have a say in it." Aias was bewildered, and asked the most overused question there is:"Are you serious?"

To this, Freyja started swiftly swimming around, to show off while she explained it to him. She was quite enjoying it:"Of course! I want to help you! But why stop there? Why stop with my lands? I can easily redirect the water that will already be flowing all around, and make it pass a detour to the South of the island. Perhaps then your kin would live in harmony as well?" While asking the last question she winked at Aias, clearly making fun of him.

Not even a moment later, Aias swam towards her and in a fluid motion grabbed her by the wrist and moved her closer to his own body.  She was still smiling, yet curious as what Aias's plans were. Her thoughts:"I can defend myself here, it's my natural habitat and a great advantage. But wha-" Freyja's thoughts were interrupted with Aias's hand finding a way onto her back and pressing her firmly together in an embrace. Blood surged through Freyja's body as she realized what was about to happen. She moved her head towards Aias and their lips met.

They didn't know each other for much time, and they were supposed to be natural enemies. And yet, they both enjoyed the moment, kissing passionately and slowly spinning due to underwater currents and their own movement. Their feelings prevailed over rational thinking and they were lost in each other.

To them, no further words were necessary. They both realized perfectly well what was about to happen. They were about to bring the destruction of the current world order, and start a new one. And the shared thoughts somehow excited them even more.

Aias will raise a volcano, burning lava escaping its earthly prison, flowing upwards towards the frozen surface. The ice will explode, releasing jets of unconstrained lava, vapor and water. Freyja will then divert all the water, like ripples in a still pond, creating a massive wave that will overrun the Southern lands. Blocks of ice will be dragged by the current and into the volcano in the south, transforming the lava into solid magma, effectively extinguishing the active volcano.

Meanwhile the lava would continue to surge from the underwater volcano and out from the sea, and continue along the Northen lands, commanded by Aias's powers, passing through the lands and melting the ice that was covering those parts.

Soon a new era would begin, and the only question that remained unanswered was how will the people react. Would they listen in to Freyja and Aias, or will they put up a fight, unhappy that a choice has been made without their consent?

Still tightly together in a watery embrace that seemed to last forever for the two mages, they smiled and kissed and didn't even start discussing the consequences. What if someone would put up a fight? There are still grudges between the two kinds of mages after all. Aias and Freyja both knew, from what they learned from each other that their powers combined would withstand even the joined efforts of all the water and fire mages. Nothing and no-one would tear them apart.

And in due time, when all the land would become habitable, perhaps similar to the middle lands, the survivors would understand that the end was just a new beginning, unconstrained by the laws of old.

THE END

Word count: 2288

Behind the keyboard

Woah, this brings the total word count to 8713. I definitely didn't plan for this story to be so big and it could now actually be considered as a second Novellette (7500 - 17500 words).

Perhaps I'll take some of my time in the future to polish it, but I'm not promising, because I'm eager to get started writing a proper novel, where I'll have all the time and plenty of words to properly develop the story and characters. Stay tuned and thank you all for reading!!

p.s. the only reason this took so long to get done is because I wrote the ending in my notebook, and amidst the vacations, it took me quite some energy to copy it on the computer. I won't make the same mistake again - notebooks are great for snippets and ideas, while stories should be definitely written on a computer. I'm not an old-fashioned writer, I'm a computer geek after all.

5 Things I learned when playing Minecraft

I'm writing this, because I want to detach myself from the story Of Fire and Water and think of the ending I envisioned, scrutinize it, and make it the best I can think of. Endings are important. They can destroy all that was good in the story and sometimes we even wish we didn't read, see, or play the ending, because it left us empty. I don't want empty endings.

Currently, over 16 Million copies of Minecraft have been sold for the PC / Mac OS. And there's some more to be found for the PS3, Xbox 360, PS4 and Xbox One versions.

To give an idea of how seriously some people take this game, Denmark instructed its ministry to reconstruct the entire state in an online version, and some American hackers attacked it. It's an interesting story, read about it here.

For those unfamiliar with the game, suffice it to say it's basically LEGO in a video-game. You control a single person, born into a world of cubes. There, you have to collect the materials and build stuff. There's another mode of playing, but survival is more adrenaline-packed, because unexpected encounters might happen.

Minecraft is, in a sense, the simulation of a world, made out with computer's logic. Zeroes and ones, a switch opened or closed, and the computer's visual (graphical) representation of the circles can never be what mathematicians consider "perfect".
In other words, pixels forming a screen are square. So instead of doing an incredibly large number of calculations in order to achieve the stunning quality of some of the today's best games, Minecraft opts for a simple cube approximation.
(for those unfamiliar with games, a link to Bioshock Infinite, one of my favorite games story-wise)

If you accept that, then playing the game lets you live a simulation of the reality. And you know, we physicists nowadays learn a whole damn lot on simulations - basically, all the particle physics today would not exist without computer simulations, and when I was doing my PhD, that's exactly what I enjoyed doing most.

Without further ado, here are the 5 things I learned playing Minecraft (you might be surprised)

5. Practical skills

I learned how to orient myself better. The first tries at playing the game were horrible: me and my friends immediately lost the map we began the game with. So I and others had to explore the world and return alive. Many times that was not the case. The journey was of no return, deep down in a god forsaken cave, at the bottom of a lava river.

So it was of uttermost importance to get to know the cubic surroundings better, and be aware at the dangers around (especially some stupid holes). And there's absolutely no difference with the real world, only the graphics are better.

Another thing I learned was planning and forethought. Yes, this is something everyone will probably tell you:"Think before you act." In real world, usually our choices are complex, affecting multiple people and things that surround us. It is, therefore, very hard to predict the outcome of our actions.

Minecraft on the other hand, is simple - it is only a game after all. And investing some hours in actions that could have been avoided if I optimized my work, made me realize how to better organize myself. Both behind the screen, and in my actual plans for the future.

4. On Time

Minecraft was, the final step of a realization that was boiling under my skin for quite some time. No matter how long I'll live, I simply won't have the time needed to play all the games I would like, read all the books I'd most certainly love, watch movies, and the list could go on for ages.

What this particular game made me appreciate was the time you invest in something. It doesen't need to be a new experience each time. I realized I won't ever be happy if I endlessly pursued this path. Sure, there are some stories I'd love to get into, and some I actually will (the continuation of The Longest Journey - I hope it will be worth the 8 years wait), while others will remain unexplored.

What Minecraft says is simple:"Countless possibilities with randomly generated worlds, and the limit is your imagination." If one wanted, this could be a go-to game when some relax is needed.

3. The "Ending"

I put the ending in quotes simply because the game continues after the end. So it's only a symbolic ending of the sorts. Here's a really interesting explanation of some parts of the ending (link). But really, it's something that leaves you thinking and without doubt one of best endings I've seen in videogames.

For me, it was a confirmation of what I thought throuought the game. It explained to me that what I was thinking was not an obsession or addiction to games and I'm not going insane, or trying to understand meaning where there's none. Minecraft is a simulation of reality, giving you elements for introspection.

2. Work is as boring as you make it

This is something really interesting that I understood while playing Minecraft. Because the play itself is quite repetitive, especially when you have to collect the materials needed to build something.

Go to a cave and dig. Cut down the trees. Get some animals. Etc. etc... You have to repeat the same actions again and again, and many consider this to be boring, and the prime reason for not playing Minecraft.

I admit it. It is boring.

But to be honest, I never found that to be a problem. It was always something that was needed to be done in order to build great things. And it's exactly the same with work in real life. Sometimes you just have to be patient and do some work that is excrutiatingly boring and perhaps demanding, but there's no way around it - if, that is, you are working towards a goal.

As they say, practice makes perfect.

1. Friends and Foes

The enemies in Minecraft try to kill you and some destroy what you build. Sometimes it's really annoying when you finish building something, and then a creeper explodes nearby, possibly killing you and destroying parts of the building you just spent hours on building. But you know, life's not fair, so there's no point in arguing with a video game. It simply portrays on a smaller scale the random destructive events that can happen in your everyday life.

As for friends, this is really quite astonishing. As I mentioned briefly before, Minecraft can be used as introspection. I played it with one and up to three friends at my home, and playing the game really made me understand the people that were in the room with me. I'm not going to share any names, because this is personal, but people who were there will know.

There was one friend that could not stay in a group. He didn't care much for building, nor making plans together. All he wanted to do was find a new cave and explore it. And as soon as others wanted to join in, he lost interest. For him the most important part of Minecraft was to explore, and return victorious, with rare minerals, needed for better equipment. What happened more than once is that he died alone, and there was noone nearby to collect the equipement.

It's scary how accurate this is to the real life. He's a person that wants to succeed with his own merit - and will undoubtably do so. But along his path, he's sometimes too stubborn to see that help from others might greatly aid his endevour.

Another friend was overly fond of the animals in game. Whenever he returned to playing, and the sheep or cattle were missing, he was all like "Where are the animals?" and that would be his uttermost focus untill all was in place again. He understood most than all, that if we had a farm ingame, that would supply us with food infinitely, and we wouldn't have to worry about it ever again.

Same as in real life, he wants to obtain a basic living standard and build on that. And he's in a constant struggle because in life it's not that easy, or at least, immediate.

Another friend of mine was hard to convince into doing anything. He usually had his own vision for the world. But when we agreed on something, he was one of the most dedicated people I know. Mostly silent in real life, but we started and finished some pretty crazy stuff together.

This made me realize that despite him being a quiet type and spending most of the time in silence, he's a valuable friend that won't let me down if we start a project he's interested in.

As for myself, I realized I'm a really shitty team player. There were countless occasions when I went exploring completely alone, or started constructing stuff on my own, only later inviting people in. This I knew already. I'm competitive and sometimes want to prove myself.

But the more I played, the more I wanted all of the people that were playing with me to join efforts and build stuff together. That way, we got to know each other better, and build monuments that are great to look at.

Word count: 1500

Behind the keyboard

I'm otherwise a PC gamer (yeah, PC gaming master race and all the jokes around it), so this for me was also an interesting experience, getting to know the ps3 controller better - a different hand coordination is needed for a joy-pad compared to the keyboard & mouse. I think this will help me learn to play the violin easier.

As a final note, some will object that playing games is a waste of time and that it's just for kids. Those people have an antiquated vision of the world, as the games are gradually becoming more complex in terms of structure, narrative and message, and are effectively becoming a new form of art and education.

Like it or not, the games are here to stay. The question is: are you prepared to learn something from them?

Of Fire and Water - PART 5

Freyja and Aias were now sitting in a cave at the border of the middle ground with the scorched lands on the South. From the outside, the cave could not be seen, as its entrance was covered by lava stones. Aias melted them and commanded the lava to flow away before entering and sealing the entrance once again. There was a single hole at the side of the cavern through which an exchange of the smoke of a newly lit fire and the fresh air, from the outside world, was taking place.

They both changed into new clothes, fire mage's robes and the only words they exchanged up to this point were of Aias complimenting her looks in the new outfit. Freyja was not used to much courting and was blushing harder than ever.

Still, she was the first to break the silence by blurting out:"Aren't you angry with me that I killed your..." the words got stuck in her throat. She was visibly annoyed, because she was not used to having speech problems. Freyja tried it a second time:"Don't you want to kill me, to avenge your, well, now ex-girlfriend?"

Aias, who was watching Freyja with fascination, changed his position from a relaxed one into an authoritative pose. His face was serious and his voice made Freyja knew he was not to be taken lightly:"I loved her with all my heart. But she was a fire mage and her emotions blinded her." While he was talking, his expression changed to mimic the disgust he proved towards reckless behavior:"I realized this today, and bear no grudge towards you. She was the one to kill herself in an attempt to destroy you as well - you merely prevented the damage."

Freyja was watching him intently, studying him and getting lost in his facial features. But when Aias mentioned Elektra's undoing, Freyja suddenly raised her voice to the point of almost yelling:"How is it possible that you're still alive?" Soon after, she lowered the tone and a nervous smile escaped her when she added:"Not that I'm complaining. Quite the contrary."

This made Aias completely change his serious attitude, he was relaxed again, and smiling like a kid:"I don't know." The look that Freyja cast him told him that she doesn't believe it, and more explanation is needed. So Aias continued:"Well, I do have a theory, which is in all likeness probable. We have a legend in our lands. One that tells of how our volcano was made. It tells of a legendary bird, the Phoenix, that was born from the ashes again and again, until it could not bear it any more. Can you imagine how it would be like to be completely alone? To be the only one of your species?"

He let the words hang in midair, before continuing:"The legend tells that the Phoenix, torn from eternal anguish and sorrow, gave up on life. He flew to this land and went straight down. Instead of being reborn, its ashes found new life in the form of rocks and lava, and a volcano was created at the Phoenixes death bed. The legend goes on to say that the ashes of the phoenix are still lying around in the volcano, occasionally bringing incredible powers to the newborns. There. I think I'm like the Phoenix and I was reborn from the ashes."

Freyja listened to Aias in silence, completely invested in his words. And when he was done talking, she wanted to know more:"Ok, what you're saying makes sense. You're here after all. But how did you feel it? Could you do it again? Will you live eternally?"

Aias started laughing in response:"Seriously? I was just reborn, and you expect me to know all the details? I don't know, but I'll be sure to tell you first when I find out." he winked jokingly at Freyja, who was shocked to find out that Aias is taking these matters so lightly. Before she could have any other questions in store, Aias jumped in:"What about you? Freyja, right? You are by far the strongest water mage that has crossed my path. And what worries me even more is that I'm sure you didn't even begin to show us your full powers during our little encounter."

Now it was Freyja who changed her attitude completely. From being a curious and lost girl, she transformed herself into a lady that has everything under control, and woe to whoever got before her determination. She used a calm voice that was almost chilling:"Yes, my name's Freyja and I'm the heir to the water mages. As to my power, your guess is correct, so don't even think that you took a defenseless girl with yourself."

Aias was still in a happy mood, responding with:"A fighter, huh? I like that. So what are your powers? What can you actually do?" His mood caught on to Freyja, who was startled at first - this was her first time speaking to someone that wasn't scared of her. She even thought if she should start fearing his powers, but his pervasive good mood was too hard to miss.

She thought for a moment, before replying, with a smile of her own:"Well, I play with water and that's about it."

The fire mage smiled dangerously:"Not trusting me enough, huh? Wise decision." Without giving it a second notice, he continued in a completely casual tone:"So, Freyja, what do you think is the biggest weakness of a fire mage?"

Freyja uncontrollably exclaimed:"WHAT?"

Aias didn't seem to take notice of her reaction. He patiently repeated his question, as if it were a common question to ask:"I asked you, Freyja, if you are aware of our biggest weakness?" pointing to himself while doing so.

The young girl thought for some time: "Is Aias playing with me? Is he analyzing my reactions? Or am I just being too paranoid? Fine. I'll play." She took a deep breath to calm herself, and responded with an equally casual tone: "Well, water of course. Including all of our water mages powers."

To that Aias responded with a thoughtful face:"Well, if you would have said beautiful young water mage of the opposite gender, perhaps." He waited for her face to turn red, before continuing: "But in all seriousness. No. Water is not our biggest weakness. It's the fire that makes us weak."

When he didn't continue, Freyja impatiently asked:"Go on. Explain. I'm not going to be shocked by everything you say, so don't wait for my reactions."

Realizing she was right, Aias started talking and waving his hands as he was getting to the heat of the argument:"It's the fire that makes us so passionate, reckless, fast, impulsive, and the list goes on. Just think about why Elektra died. She didn't have to and it was stupid. Wait, even better - think of my sacrifice which thankfully turned all right. Even though we adore the fire, it ultimately consumes us!"

Freyja remained silent for a minute and then continued talking:"Interesting point of view, I like it. And I can guarantee you that it's the water that makes us slow, realizing too late and crying rivers of tears, yet surviving and fighting. I wanted to strike you back even though I thought I felt something for you. My whole life I feel like being dragged in a current, not having the possibility to choose."

"Wow. Fre-" Aias didn't have the time to finish his words, because Freyja interrupted him with a wave of her hand. She spoke with an excitation in her voice:"Ok, so you dragged me here, to the edge of the volcanic lands, and blasted me unconscious. I'd say that was about enough fire for today. How would you like to go for a swim?"

"You can do that? Can you protect me and I could actually swim, without being harmed by the water?"

"Yes."

"Can we talk?"

"Yes."

Aias grinned:"I'm impressed. Well then, what are we waiting for! I am dying to know how it's like!"

TO BE CONTINUED

Word Count: 1334

Of Fire and Water - PART 4

Freyja was lying on her back once again, with the sea surrounding her. When she finally regained her consciousness, she tried realizing what happened:"I'm in the sea again? Have I ever moved in the first place?" Her spinning head confirmed that something extraordinary happened. She remembered an explosion, but the rest was blurry:"The fire mage! It all happened so fast! My powers were not enough to hold him down! Perhaps I was underestimating them. Him, not her."

Freyja tried hard to remember all the details she could manage and in doing so, she realized:"He could have killed me! Instead, he attacked the creature. And his actions were not as impulsive as were the girl's. He made a decision to let me go. And where's he now? Where's my creature? I cannot feel it anymore. What have I done? I'm at the starting point again, floating in the sea. The only difference is that now two lives were lost because of me!"

A tear escaped her eyes, and slid down her face only to be lost in the infinite sea: "Perhaps he saw something in me too?" she felt oddly excited by the thought, but only momentarily. She soon remembered she helped to bring the destruction of the fire mage, and her mind was racing full of doubts: "Is this how our people have been living for centuries? Bringing pain and misery to each other? But apart from weilding a different kind of magic, how exactly are the fire mages different from us?"

The water all around was motionless untill Freyja suddenly rotated around, to her chest, and started swimming towards the shore. She remembered that perhaps, the girl was still alive and they could talk. She wanted some answers desperately, and was prepared to even force them out if need be.

On the bay, which was now a weirdly-shaped crater almost as low as the water level, there lay Elektra. Her already dark skin was of an even darker shade as a result of the pain she endured. She was barely conscious, shifting between dreams and reality:"Is it over? Aias, what have you done? I was acting reckless, so why did you join in the madness? Did you willingly sacrifice yourself to save me? What happened to the water mage? Is she dead?" At that, she heard the sound of steps. "Aias?" she cried weakly, hoping against all odds that it was him.

Instead, she heard a womanly voice saying: "He's dead, and he took my creature with him into oblivion." Both remained in silence for a second, before Freyja asked:"Why did you attack me?"

Elektra bursted out laughing, which only made her more aware of the aching in her skin. She answered with:"Why? Both my parents were killed at the hands of the water mages! I won't suffer the same fate!"

Freya responded with a calm voice:"But that were my ancestor's fault, not mine. This is the first time I've ever visited the middle lands. You struck me first, and I responded. Is your hatred really so blinded by the past events? Are you prepared to die for what others have told you, without even understanding yourself?"

"Yes. And I'll take you with me. For Aias, that was killed because of you!!" was the answer that surprised Freyja. Elektra thought she was done for, and resorted to the last technique that a fire mage in a desperate situation uses. As Aias had done before her, she offered herself to the destructive power of fire.

But Freyja was no fool. She had already seen this technique, even if only momentarily. She knelt down to the fire mage, and positioned both her hands on Elektra's chest. She felt as if she put her hands into fire, but managed to hold still. Soon the pain subsided, and the blue glow started to spread from her hands and cover Elektra until there was not a single part of her body left free. Freyja took a step back, watching Elektra being consumed in a flash. Afterwards, the glow disappeared and it was all over.

Freyja wondered out loud:"So, Aias was the guy. And who was she?"

"Elektra." a familiar voice told her. She was surprised and immediately searched for the owner of the voice. When she saw him, her first thoughts were:"That's it, I'm dreaming!" But it all felt so very real that she did not believe her inner voice. She scanned him from head to foot and turned away as soon as she realized she was staring at a naked man. A second later she realized she was in no different state herself and this made her blush and cover her breasts with one hand and cross her legs in an attempt to hide her intimate parts.

Aias laughed and asked her:"So you're shy? Incredible, for such an extraordinary gifted mage!" Freyja felt her pride injured, but couldn't do anything against blushing some more, with red cheeks clearly visible against her pale skin. Aias took the initiative and told her:"I want to talk. A battle took place here and others are sure to come due to all the noise we produced. You seem kind of lost, so let me guide you."

"What if I turn you down?" Freyja asked, even though she didn't really consider this possibility. Her mind was too full of unanswered questions. Aias smiled and winked at her, saying: "Do you really think you can resist me in any way?"

With that, they started walking towards the end of the crater. Aias was looking at the desolation around and couldn't decide if he was proud of his destructive powers, or disgusted by the destruction he produced. He led her on a narrow path, and they both looked around for potential trouble. Freyja was still fighting her confused head:"Why am I trusting this man that should be dead? Why do I feel completely safe with him? Aias. What a strange name."

She stopped in her tracks, waiting for Aias to notice. When he did, he simply said:"Don't worry, I'm not leading you into a trap of some sorts. I have a hideout nearby, where we will be able to talk undisturbed." Freyja could not believe what she was hearing and couldn't hide it in her voice:"It's not that! I mean. Thanks for telling me. But. I'm Freya. It's a pleasure to meet you." Aias fell silent, not knowing how to respond. He took some time to look at the interesting girl and told her back:"The pleasure's all mine. Come, there's no time to waste."

The rest of the road they traveled in silence, each thinking of all the questions they had for the other.

TO BE CONTINUED

Word count: 1113

Of Fire and Water - PART 3

The creature was used to much higher pressures and more resistance from the body of water that surrounded it. But with the aid of Freyja, it was quickly handling the firm ground as well. And due to the conditions in which it was living, her movements were, despite its size, incredibly fast. Two tentacles were flying towards Aias and Elektra before they could act first.

Elektra was ablaze again, barely evading the first strike that shook the ground and created a hole. The impact made the earth trenbke slightly, which was enough for a person to have trouble retaining its equilibrium. And in fact, Aias, who remained on the same spot almost fell. Still, he readjusted himself, and just in time for the arrival of the second tentacle, created a fiery bubble around him. He listened in to the horrid scream of pain that the creature emitted when a part of its body sustained heavy injuries. Its whole tentacle would have been incinerated if it was not for Freya's healing abilities that managed to conserve it more or less whole. The sound of its cries was a sound that could be heard for kilometers around, and Aias started wondering if anyone will arrive at their position, joining the fight:"How may people are currently in the middle ground of our land? More fire mages or water ones?" He decided it was best not to risk it, and end the fight as soon as possible in order to have an escape route if needed.

Freyja could feel the pain of the creature as if it were hers. But she did not give in, as she herself had already sustained strong burns on the same day. She closed her eyes and imagined the cooling and welcoming embrace of the sea, thinking of her next move:
"They're both cornered, but I underestimated them. The creature even with her abilities boosted by my powers won't be able to do them harm. I have to wait for the right moment to wake the sea."

While in a state of semi-trance, she could visualize what the creature was seeing. It decided that the fire mage was best left alone, and three of its tentacles were now carefully circling around him. Ready to retreat them if he made a move, or strike if let the guard down. If the sea creature could feel the power of magic, it would have realized that Aias was, in fact, increasing the intensity of the fire that was surrounding him. He didn't bother attacking too soon only because the creature was protected by Freya's watery magic, and striking with with equal or lesser power was just a waste of energy.

Elektra was jumping left and right, fighting with the other three tentacles of the monster. She did not have the time to focus as she'd have liked to, and the element of surprise was on the opponent's side. She merely evaded a strike, jumping on one of the monster's tentacles. She seized the opportunity to run along the tentacle's length, and launch a fireball through her extended hand. As a result, the flames around her weakened a bit, sacrificing speed for an offensive strike aimed at Freyja. As she did, her thoughts were "She's not looking! Ha! That will teach you dozing off in the middle of a fight."

But to Elektra's astonishment, the fireball struck Freya in the head, disappearing in an instant in a cloud of steam. Freya opened her eyes and was smiling - her trap worked. She let her hands fall free, and in a similar motion the water started falling from the creature's shell. It wasn't physically possible that the shell held all that water, but such was the power of the water mage. Freyja then positioned herself in an aggressive stance, feeling her whole body pulsating in the rhythm of the water she released. And then she jumped toward Elektra, and all of the water that continued to pour from the shell, followed her, forming a tide extending high in the sky.

"ELEKTRA! RUN OR YOU'LL DIE!" they both heard Aias yell, over the sound of the coming waters. Elektra blinked, exchanging her bewildered expression with determination. She looked around and saw a wall of tentacles forming behind her back, preventing her an escape:"I'm sorry Aias," she thought: "but this is a fight to the end. You think I'm weak, but I'll prove you otherwise." She cleared her thoughts and focused on Freya, and her will to kill returned. Elektra readied herself on the monster's tentacle, and smelt the sensation of burning flesh as the creature caught flames. A moment later, she jumped towards Freyja.

At that, Aias moved. In contrast to his calm and reserved behavior from before, he was a raging beast now. The flames around him were glowing a bright light, almost white from the intensity. He made out a plan of attack in his head and wanted to follow it through, but now his priorities changed: "Damn it Elektra! I don't know if I'll reach you in time!!" Aided by his powers, he was almost flying over the ground, having to touch it only slightly, before being airborne again. Light and fast, but not enough. The pair of girls were already at each other, colliding with full force, and being absorbed by the tide that followed an instant later. "ELEKTRA!" cried Aias, hoping that she's strong enough to survive the powerful enemy.

When he reached the wall of tentacles, he jumped right through them, burning a hole that made the creature scream even more agonizing sounds. And suddenly, he found himself in the wave. He felt his powers weakening, something he did not feel for the past two years of scouting, interrogating, killing and looting. He always outmatched his opponents on the dry land. Now the playing field has been changed.

Aias looked around and through his weakening protective bubble saw Freyja who was relaxing in the water. The sight of her naked body aroused him, and the sensation intensified even more with the unfamiliar feeling of weakness. He concentrated hard to search for - "Elektra!"

The sight was terrible to behold. Elektra was trying to swim, but all her movements only spun her around. She was holding her breath, but the air in her lungs desperately wanted to burst out. Her skin was burning, but not with the flames she commanded. Her fire mage's skin was in direct contact with the water and as a result started boiling. Aias was terrified to see Elektra in such anguish and this put him in the present moment, ready to act.

What happened next could be described both as explosively fast, or excruciatingly slow, depending on who you asked.

Freyja ultimately remembered only the explosion that threw her unconscious.

Elektra mostly remembered the pain.

Aias had the most complete picture of them all. He ran towards Elektra in the water, but couldn't reach her. Freyja's spell made the water glow an unnaturally vivid blue color and opposed his movement. At the moment, he realized: "Damn it! There's too much water flowing from the creature. I have to destroy it. Or, perhaps, her." His thoughts guided his eyes towards the watery beauty. And that sight provoked a split-second decision, mixed with actual reasoning:
"We were the ones to attack her, not the other way round! Even though I'll never have the chance to get to know her, at least she should not be the one to pay the price for our actions."

Aias started running towards the creature's shell. The fiery bubble retreated into his body and started to consume his cells, feeding on him, building up to an explosive release of energy.

The explosion that followed left no trace of the creature, nor the cliff they were standing on. If there was a body of Aias left somewhere, he would have been smiling a victorious smile.

TO BE CONTINUED

Word Count: 1322

Of Fire and Water - PART 2

Standing atop a cliff in the middle ground of the land were a pair of two young fire mages of similar height and dark skin. Aias was nearing his 26th year of life, while Elektra Only recently passed her 21 years mark. Both wore similar red robes, suitable for sustaining the fire magic they were wielding. They were fiery both in their temper, and their skills. For her, it was the first time to be allowed to travel North from her scorched homeland. The excitement in her veins made her particularly needy, and she was not in the least restraining herself, when held in an embrace with her lover.

They were kissing wildly, and with their hands, they were feeling each other's bodies, getting aroused more and more. Elektra particularly enjoyed Aias's short strikingly light blonde hair,  to which her hands returned frequently, while his hands mostly traveled to her backside, not letting her go anywhere. Sparks were circling around them, occasionally burning some grass at their feet.

But suddenly something distracted them. They had the feeling of being watched. And in fact, when they simultaneously shifted their heads, they saw a young brunette that was silently standing there, staring at them intently. An unknown face, with a strong watery presence around her. Aias did not even have the time to think:"Why didn't she attack us when we were distracted?", before Elektra was already burning in flames, which greatly boosted her speed and strength. She immediately disentangled from the embrace and launched herself towards the lone figure.

Aias wanted to order her, thinking "Wait!!" and yet all he did was raise an arm, as if it could extend enough to reach Elektra and hold her back. He felt really stupid. He, the heir of the fire mages in the south, soon to be married to Elektra, in order to secure a strong legacy, was being hesitant! Against all the teachings of old, against everything he has been ever told. "To wait is to show weakness. Strike first and reason later," were the words of his mother time and time again, when she was trying to teach her stubborn son.

Elektra arrived at her target, striking with a strong right blow that made her enemy ablaze, and threw Freyja flying backwards. Before Aias could reason any further, he was yelling to his companion:
"STOP!! She was harmless! Perhaps she wanted to tell us something. What if she was an envoy? What are you doing Elektra? STOP NOW!!"

But in her anger-filled eyes, she would calm only when her opponent was not able to move anymore. She ignored his direct orders, and jumped forwards in a fireball of hatred. The water mage did a backflip in midair, landing softly on her feet. She had a bewildered expression on her face, trying to supress the cries of agony, as her skin was burning, and instantly turned, running towards the end of the cliff, not looking back for even a second.

Elektra pursued her with boosted speed, closing the distance, preparing to give another blow, perhaps lethal. But as she already clenched her fist, collecting the fire in it, suddenly Aias was before her, with his legs and arms apart, obstructing her path:"CALM DOWN!! ARE YOU CRAZY?? Don't you see she's not using her powers? Something strange is happening!" But to his amazement, the fury of his companion did not subside. She stopped merely centimeters from his face, resembling more a fire elemental than a human being.

"STEP ASIDE YOU MORON!" she was screaming back:"She's an enemy! Either we kill her or she kills us!" The flames around her made her words that more threatening.

Aias was completely taken aback by the person he was facing, thinking:"What happened to the sweet and passionate Elektra that I know? I've never seen this side of hers." Still, he put a hand into her flames, and onto her shoulder. He tried to redirect her feelings:"Let her be. She's no threat to us. Why don't we instead continue where we left off before being so rudely interrupted?" He managed to produce a faint and completely not convincing smile, only to be taken aback by her next move. Elektra was yelling crazily:"Why do you take sides with the enemy? Do you know her?? If you won't move, than I WILL MAKE YOU!" and with that, she plunged her fist into his stomach.

But nothing happened. Elektra blinked a few times in surprise, before realizing Aias gripped her shoulder harder. When she looked at him, all her anger and confusion let room for fear. All calmness has evaporated from him, he had a furrowed brow and an angry expression on his face. He then spoke, emphasizing the words clearly and loudly, with a tone that was reverberating from anger and disappointment:"Let this be my one and only warning for you Elektra. You are nothing compared to my powers. And for that reason alone, when I command you in battle, you obey. I won't hold back against a girl that's trying to hurt me." He paused, letting the words sink in, before adding a final thought, that was not to be contested:"I want to talk to her. If not anything else, I want to know my enemy. Is. That. Clear?"

Elektra was paralyzed by his response, and managed only to nod slightly. Aias then nodded in return, and left her shoulder, using his hand to gently take her clenched fist and put it away from his body:
"Good. You have some reason left after all. Now, let's look for the mage you provoked." As he spoke, his tone relaxed only slightly, and he turned towards the end of the cliff which was now only a few steps away from where they were standing.

His companion started trembling all over, and all of her powers did nothing to help her. She felt completely useless. When Aias was already standing at the precipice, looking down at the still water's surface below, Elektra found the courage to speak again. Her voice was trembling even more than her body, and was hardly heard. She had to repeat her request twice: "H..how? I.. you.. I thought... how's that possible?"

Aias decided that he was too late, and even if he vaporized some water, the mage was somewhere safe. He then turned his head towards her, saying:"Only idiots show off their full power. If you know someone in and out, he's bound to be defeated." Successively adding:"Or she."

At the provocation Elektra raised her voice some more:"But we are going to get married! And to me now it seems you are a complete stranger! I don't know you at all! What else have you been hiding from me??" His response chilled her to the bone in a way she did not know it could happen:"The feeling's mutual Elektra. You're insane."

The words seemed to freeze in midair, as something strange started happening. The patch of grass they were standing on was suddenly in the shade, obscured by something huge. Elektra saw the monstrosity first, as she was facing the sea. A cry of surprise escaped her mouth, as she was trying to understand what suddenly flew over the cliff. She could see enormous tentacles coming out of a shell not unlike those seen on snails. The creature was leaving a trail salty water flowing down from its body, while it was flying over them. Elektra was watching the creature with horror. Aias took some time to realize that hers was not a reaction of what happened. He looked upwards, to see the creature flowing over them, but still falling towards the ground - it wanted to block them off from the mainland! And on its back, there was someone familiar. He lost all interest in the monster from deep down below, and instead watched with amusement the water mage's pale skin. What remained of her blue robe were only some ragged remains, covering only her private parts. "Interesting. So che can use her powers after all. She shows no sign of burns on her body."

The creature landed, shaking the earth violently, before turning to face them. And on its shell, Freyja was standing, with her generous breasts - Aias noted - in plain view. She was ready for revenge, casting a quick glance towards Aias, before looking at the terrified Elektra, and commanding her creature to attack.

Word Count: 1401


TO BE CONTINUED

p.s. To those wondering what happened to "behind the keyboard", I simply decided I'll leave my comments at the end of the last part. It will make more sense that way.

Of Fire and Water - PART 1

The sea was calm. Not a slight indication of the wind was to be found anywhere. And in all this calmness, there was something strange there. Something resembling a dead body, at the complete mercy of the currents.

But in fact, the body was quite alive. It went by the name Freyja, named after the goddess associated with love and sexuality, as well as war and death. Full of conflicts, so was the young 21 years old, now lying silently, caressed by the sea. In her green eyes one could see the reflection of the sun, shining weakly in the sky. She was completely motionless, but in her head, a vortex of thoughts was wreaking havoc:
"I.. I couldn't strike them with my power. Why? What's happening to me?"

Her body was glowing with a bright blue light, visible to the darker shades of the water. She had light brown curly hair, falling to her back. In the water, the hair were flowing aimlessly around, and the bright blue glow around them somehow resembled a swarm of floating jellyfish, closely knotted together. It made for quite a surreal appearance. Her clothes were torn and burned down, a reminder of the flames that engulfed her not that long ago. Her pale skin was also burned and bruised, but with the aid of her healing abilities, was returning back to normal.

"I wasn't able to use my powers!! Something like that didn't happen to me since I was four years old and instructed by the confraternity of water mages in the glaciers in the North, on  how to control the magic, seidr. I remember it clearly as if it happened yesterday. I was standing before the death pit. On its bottom, icy spikes awaited those sentenced to death. I was standing there, looking over the precipice and trembling from fear and cold. I looked at my father, who back then seemed a giant, but his face was expressionless. Heh, still today he manages to mask his feelings behind that thick brown beard of his."

Returning her thoughts to the past, she resumed her analytical reasoning:"He told me then, that I was his daughter, and therefore posses the immense power of the water, and have nothing to fear from it. He used his deep and stern voice, that was full of affection I managed to appreciate only in time, to tell me that my eyes will deceive me. That I have to feel the power that's inside me, and believe. And Suddenly, the spikes gave way to the water that welcomed my fall. So did my eyes deceive me? What did I see that blocked my abilities?"

Indeed, she was the daughter of the leader of the water mages in the North, the most powerful family that still survived the endless battle against their sworn enemies in the South. She was stunningly beautiful, and many boys and men alike were prepared to kill for her. Trouble was, that she was the most skilled and talented magician to be seen around, surpassing her father at the mere age of 11 years.

So no one actually had the courage to court her, and there was no one to envy and battle in order to win her hand. If she would eventually fall in love with someone, it was to be of her own choosing. And yet, on this particular day, all of her powers seemed to disappear from her, and she was an easy prey to the couple of fire mages that were ready to kill. She was lucky enough that the encounter was taking place atop a cliff, and she managed to fight the flames long enough in order to jump from the cliff overlooking the sea, and disappearing into its depth. Even without the active use of her abilities, she was sturdy enough to survive it all.

"They were a pathetic couple of fire mages. So eager to provoke and attack, without knowing who they were facing. Usually I could disperse with both them, and the bond their shared. My water powers would wash away the smile from her face. Together with their display of affection. Why am I thinking of them?" Her heart started pounding once again.

The calmness of the surrounding water did little to calm it. It was quite a shock to her, because her body healed completely, and the glow disappeared with it. She was being caressed by the sea, and, by use of her magical powers, her internal organs were rejuvenated again and were tranquil. She spent her whole life in the freezing North, trained in the arts of water, before being allowed to travel South. To the paradise that was in the middle of the land, separating the ice-covered lands from the volcano and scorched earth in the South. The ideal land in between was in a constant struggle between the two sides, that couldn't possibly work together. The water extinguishes the fire, and the fire vaporizes the water. So she could not understand what was that immobilized her from hurting them.

"When I saw them, they were in a passionate embrace, kissing wildly and being at each other. I'm not used to such display of emotions. The people in our lands are far more reserved. Is this the fiery passion that our elders condemn? To me it didn't seem that wrong. And in that instant, they suddenly realized my presence. She jumped at me, with her burning red hair, and an intention to kill. I could tell from her eyes, that were glowing circles of fire. He extended his hand, in an attempt - no doubt - to launch a spell against me. But I could not strike nor defend myself. His pose, his looks, something around him that rendered me completely useless. Is this love?"

When she realized her thoughts, she immediately kicked with her legs, and bended her back, to swim to the depths, where colder currents laid. She was kicking, and her whole body synced with her legs, swimming in a similar motion to the fish. She used her spells to be able to see better and breathe underwater, as well as protecting her body with a thin magic field, and she swam down below.

Farther and farther she went, feeling the welcoming cold currents, and admiring the underwater life. Her heart was slowing down, and she was regaining control. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, thinking: "Perfect!"

Before her was what she searched for. In almost complete darkness, as she reached the bottom of the sea and lured the attention of the immense underwater monstrosities, able to withstand the immense pressure of all the water above. She raised her hands, which started glowing an almost white-bright blue, and one of the creatures neared her. The creature extended its tentacles and she repaid with extending her arm in a mutual greeting.

As soon as they touched, the creature started glowing with the same color. It was bound by her will, and her thoughts would be its orders until one or the other dies. "Come, my friend. It's time for the second round of the match. The fire may be the first to strike, but water persists!" Away went here feelings of love, replaced by the knowledge that what she felt was impossible, and doomed to destroy her. And she would not have that. She swam to the creature and locked on to its shell. A moment later, the creature was racing towards the surface, and what awaited above.

Word count: 1255

Behind the keyboard

This is a story that originated from a struggle of mine: water or fire? Which is more interesting? Which is more powerful? I turned it into a short story in a fantastic world. I'm planning this to be 3 parts long, though I might change my mind depending on how the story goes.

Thoughts? Comments? Thanks for reading.

Core Crisis - PART 3

LINK to part 1.
LINK to part 2.

Word count: 2525

Nikolai and Yevgeny followed the standard decontamination procedure, but their mind was already racing to the other side of a second metallic door, the last object in their path towards the core. The core was built as a source of neutrons, for the research in Nuclear Physics. Still, it implemented a 93% enriched Uranium 235, usable for the construction of a bomb. As the massive door before them started slowly opening, their Geiger counters started cracking more violently, signaling the presence of radiation. As soon as Nikolai saw this, he nodded to his colleague: "Good, the reactor is still functioning. Now we have to check all the different readings if everything is ok. You take the top floor, I'll go down to check the core from up close." Yevgeny was annoyed by this request, as he liked to admire the metallic construction, full of wires, that inside hosted something small, yet powerful - the destructive force of nuclear fission. But orders were orders, and when the doors were fully opened, he addressed his superior by saying: "Ok. If you need my help, give me a shout." And so they stepped inside the reactor room, the biggest open space inside the facility. It was around 30 meters tall, and extending for 40 meters in other two directions, it resembled a huge cavern rather than a man-made room. The air was hot and moist, filled with steam from leaks and cracks in the existing equipment that was showing its age.

Soon after, Yevgeny was walking the iron-grate floor, through which lower levels could be seen. He turned his head to see Nikolai resting his hands on the railing and looking at the core, which, at its almost 20 meters height ended only barely higher than their feet.  He wanted to reach the monitor positioned at the far left side of the room - if that was still intact, it would be a great place to start figuring out the situation that ensued. And it was easily accessible from the top platform. He continued walking and scouting the terrain forward, thinking: "Never too soon will the whole damn place fall apart!" Little did he suspect that people would give in sooner. While he was watching the road ahead, Nikolai sneaked on to him, with a rusty and pointed iron bar, that fell of the fence just a few hours ago. "One move, and I stab you. Whose side are you on?" As soon as these words reached Yevgeny's ears, he replied with a calm "Yours." And "Prove it" was an almost as immediate reply.

Yevgeny took a deep breath, and started talking: "I materialized in the locker 4 at 6:03 earlier this morning, finding my weaker self dressing for the scouting mission. There was no place and we were squashed together. Being in contact for too much time, the weakling has been annihilated." Nikolai didn't lose a second to add: "Materialized at 6:04 in the locker 1." and with that, lowered the iron stick. The two then faced each other and stood in silence, only to start laughing uncontrollably soon after. Nikolai was crying from laughter when trying to say:"A-aand we .." and Yevgeny jumped in:"Yep, we were putting up with this act all the way from the locker. The stern leader and the youthful almost-rebel." And he made sure to try and impressionate them again, while holding out the laughing. Nikolai recomposed first and concluded the chat:"Indeed, it feels strange to live like a single entity. Let's proceed." And they both descended the stairs to the core.

Anatoli exited the office with blood smeared over his face and clothes. He was tired, and breathing heavilly. And while his body pulsated with energy, what he was thinking produced him a bloodthirsty smile: "Oh shit! I've ruined my hair! Oh well, it was time to cut them anyway. More importantly, I won't allow Nikolai to treat Rozaliya like that anymore. That emotional deprivation that she's suffering is inhumane." He then calmed a bit, and realized Rozaliya was, in fact, the one he should be caring about. "And people say only men age like fine wine," thinking of her made him realize that perhaps, the servers room might not be a bad place to check:"Ah you idiot. She's a scientist, she'll worry about her babies." He was mocking her in his mind, but deep down knew and respected wholly her peculiar care for the electronics that enabled all the place to be up and running.

Rozaliya was on her knees, speechless. Cold, meditating, thinking "That bitch. She killed my babies." And while this was in part true, she neglected to acknowledge that she too did figt. In fact, much blood was spilled, yet few of it hers. The devastation they produced was visible all around. Most notably, the floor was covered with electronic devices that fell, and the wires were forming a web around the place. She just stood there in silence, and thought of all the work and time she put into this place.

"Why? Was this all worth it? So much time put into electronics that ultimately were destroyed? Should I be happy for the fun I had with them? Or was this just an escape from having to confront with my husband, but never finding the strength to?" she smiled a creepy blood-covered grimace while ending her chain of thoughts:"If that is so, if my escaping from the reality is now dead, so shall be my husband." She looked down at the floor and was surprised: "I'm sure that there was another woman here, looking like me, and I was kneeling on her dead body. Am I going insane?" And as if to confirm her madness, she thought that there was Anatoli screaming out her name! "Oh that sweet boy, does he really find me so desirable?" Still, while thinking it, she waved a hand blindly amidst the cables, and yelled as hard as she could:"If you're real and I'm not dead, here I am, come and get me boy!" And in that moment, something happened and Rozaliya hardly believed what she was saying, as it was coming back to her mind from a long lost memory:

"And from war came love," Anatoli heard her oh, so deep yet womanly voice, and he stopped thinking. He tore his shirt apart and started moving towards her. Faster and faster. She looked at him with growing interest in her eyes, following the thoughts:"Oh those young beautifull muscles! When was the last time Nikolai even remotely looked like that? And still, despite I accepted him as he was, he still didn't want me! I was wasting my time with him. Mmm I can already feel my body reawakening."

She continued: "but love went back again." and at that, Anatoli had her in his arms, taking her gently from the floor, picking her up in his grip, and holding her closely. "I'm lucky my name's not love, so that I don't have to go." he let her down, putting her on her feet, and simply smiled. At that, Rozaliya threw herself at him, pressing her lips on to his. The taste of blood only served to awaken their animal sides as they joined in a wild fury. She suddenly pushed herself away:"Oh, I'm impressed and flattered by your show boy, but I've learned some tricks as well. Let me give you something to think about!" and with that, she descended downwards and started unbuttoning his pants. And soon, the amazement on Anatoli's face changed into a big grin.

Grigory was sitting on the toilet floor, his back to a cold wall. The other Grigory was standing, arms crossed. One looked exhausted from the vomiting, the other fresh. And yet they both had one thing in common: they were smiling. They were passively in silence, and smiled to each other. Untill Grigory on the floor asked:"Woah, where did you say you got thiss stuff from?" The standing Grigory laughed:"Ah, it's too obvious that it was your first time smoking weed. You're completely!" and as of saying it, a thought crossed his mind and interrupted him. After realizing that he's left the weaker guy waiting, he added:"You're completely spaced off!" Grigory on the floor started to feel his back slide down the wall behind, slowly falling to his side, but still pointed a finger to his newly found friend and said "Haaa! And you're lecturing me about spacing off!".

The Grigory that was still in control of his body lost his smile for a second, but then decided to explain once again:"Yeah, so you see. Only by drugging you I could have made you listen. What do you think happened to your other colleagues? We're stronger, better versions of you! To fight us is a losing battle." To this, the Grigory lying on the floor was excited to say:"Yees! Yes, I remember! By experimenting with neutrons, oh yes, those fascinating building blocks of nature! Yes, the neutrons. And yes. We created a field! How is that possible?" His mind was working overtime, trying to fight the effect of the THC in his blood.

The other Grigory laughed, but less cheerfully than before. And he told him:"Would you look at yourself? Anyway, I don't know exactly how it's possible and that scares me! I'm supposed to be a perfect copy of you. So, take a genious and remove his inability to act, because he's a scared little chicken, and that's the difference between us. But right now I'm scared, and in what aspect am I better than you?" "Wooah, duude. Heavy and deep." Grigory let the words lying on the floor with him, hoping to receive a response. As his other self didn't, he continued talking:"Well, you know, you told me about a field being generated, that spread thruought the whole complex. And that if we were to be present on certain locations in a specific window of time, we, the five of us, would interact with the field, producing a new state of matter, that would, in its decay, produce you."

"The five of us, yes, the better versions if you want. And we were created with the knowledge that we can't coexist both. So your colleagues are probably dead by now."

"Well, I am not. Perhaps they managed as well. So tell me again, why didn't you kill me, and start to live?"

"Eh, why? So that I can live on by knowing I killed ... myself, essentially? What a great way to start a life." He accentuated what he was saying, to point out the sarcasm in his words.

"But why did you come to me offering me to smoke? Where did you get that from? Oh, actually, yeah, that's what I wanted to ask you before when I asked you where you got this stuff from."

"Ahahahahahahah. So that's what you wanted to know? What difference does it make? Why not? But if you want my honest opinion, I think it's because you wanted to try it before you die, and so I was materialized here together with the stash that we smoked."

"That's crazy talk. How come you seem to know this much?"

"What if the anti-matter could be organized so well that it could shape humanoid objects, able to withstand everything, all the matter, except their counter-part? What if, before appearing in this world, it had an infinite shared memory with all the other beings?"

"Clearly, you're insane to suggest that you're made of anti-matter. Following the laws of Physics, you would disappear instantly when in contact with matter!" He waved his hands around, showing that in fact all that surrounded them could disintegrate him.

"Well, that's true for subatomic particles. But the two of us are composed by an enormous number of them. And I cannot give myself a reasonable explanation on how I and the other four organized to form thoughts and shapes, before being brought to existance in this world. Something strange happened as well. Having a human body, I cannot communicate with the rest of the anti-matter that's not even present in this world. I'm alone." He then changed his tone in a more serious one and said:"You know, I was really curious to meet you, and you didn't disappoint."

"So then why are you saying it like you regret it?"

"I don't regret it. It's just that I know we both will soon cease to exist."

"What?"

"As I told you already, we can't both exist at the same time. As soon as I became part of this world, me and you started decaying and if I wasn't to kill you, or viceversa, we would both be gone. But at least, I could have granted you a last wish, and talked with you."

"Oh. In that case, it was a pleasure knowing you." the Grigory on the floor put up a hand, which the other Grigory looked at in disbelief. "See? Why are you not attacking me, knowing we'll both die? We are then ineed more similar than I thought." He approached his weaker self, an expression he grew to dislike, took his hand and said:"Good bye my friend" and they vanished, with all trace of neither of them to be found.

Yevgeny and Nikolai were standing near the core. From the bottom most layer of the room, it seemed infinitely high. Yevgeny was the first to break the silence:"But where are the others? They should have disposed with their weaker versions sonner and met us here." Nikolai looked around, as if to make sure they were indeed alone:"For the plan to work, we don't need them." Yevgeny laughed: "You sound incredibly like your weaker self!" And that was the last thing that they said between them. They knew what they had to do, and started opening their protective suits. The geiger counters they used before were on the floor, ticking manically. The longer they were exposed unprotected to the radiation, the sooner their anti-matter bodies would react, sending out a wave that would eat up the core's protective garment and ignite the insides. Once the cooling system was destroyed, this would start a chain reaction, that was sure to blow the whole complex up, pushing the field that created them throughout the world.

And while all this was happening, they watched. All the anti-particles that would like to be free in a matter-dominated universe were collecting informations throuought the world, plotting and planning. A single hieve mind, restlessly chatting, with infinite thoughts scatterd all over: "All has gone according to plan." "Yes, but only because Yevgeny and Nikolai were in a closed space, unable to avoid physical contact for a prolonged time." "And Grigory?" "Grigory, that traitor!" "He had the easiest job, and failed!" "We should be more preoccupied with people like Rozaliya and Anatoli!" "They killed us!" "They were supposed to be weaker!" "This doesn't make any sense." "We know too little of the transition from our collective perfect mind to single human's brains!" "Do we still proceed with the plan?" "Take back the universe from the matter that won over us so many years ago!"

Oblivious to all of this, Rozaliya and Anatoli were lying naked on the floor, covered in parts only by the clothes - or what remained of them. She was stroking the hair on his chest, with her head on his broad shoulder. They had no idea that by killing their doubles composed of anti-matter, they started something. Something that could perhaps yet save the humanity from what was coming in the form of a blast wave that engulfed them, and transformed the whole facility into an enormous crater.

Their last thoughts were of happiness and belonging.

Behind the keyboard

DONE. I promised multiple times to finish this earlier, and failed (though I still tried, I was awake all night, writing). I don't think I'll ever make such promisses again. I much prefer to look up to Valve, that takes its f*cking time, and leaves us hanging for years to come. But once what they do is ready and released, it's totally worth it. I'd rather not live up to deadlines, but deliver quality stories. And that's what I tried doing here. Did this part live up to the build-up in the previous two?

Also, now that it's finally written, I wanted to say something. This story is my first chance to say an enormous THANK YOU to all the incredible people I've met during my physics career and made my life more interesting.

I especially wanted to say thanks those amongst the physicists that helped me most with what was probably the hardest decision I made in my life and as a result of which I'm writing these lines. Massimo, Petra, Alessandra and Chiara, you were, and still are, of an incredible support to me.

I hope you enjoyed reading this short story. I was completely invested in it. So much that I sacrificed a night's sleep and closed my eyes only when it was already morning, not minding the open laptop still on my side. Comments welcome! :D

Also, PART 3 -> Half-Life 3 CONFIRMED!! *sigh* Even The Longest Journey will get a resolution to the incredible cliffhanger before Half-Life does.