The experiment of Nuel chapter 5- The last step
Seventy-nine Cycle of the Eighteenth Medriono
"This is madness Sisap!"
"What are you talking about Laria?" his mentor was playing dumb as usual.
"You know very well what I'm talking about, doing the test now with what we got, that is madness!" Laria had raised her tone of voice. her accusation of the instability of the experiment had been going on for weeks now, and no one was listening to her.
"Not to do so would be madness! We've gone through a cycle and a half to get where we are now. It's certainly not going to be interrupted because the current reactions do not convince you."
Meanwhile, a few scientists had appeared at their station. Now three or four people were looking at them in curiosity.
"But do you realize the risks? Not, otherwise, you would support me. I know the deadline is near, but we have achieved great results. We have found some triple basic essences, this is a great achievement we can arrange for more time."
Sisap responded in an almost somber tone to that statement, "Laria, what we achieved under other circumstances would have filled me with joy and I would have been pleased. But we have a blade over our heads and it holds only one thing, being able to provide tangible results on Hisey's triple advanced essence!" his mentor paused, perhaps to gather his thoughts to calm himself "I have given too much in this period to stop at an uncertainty of yours. I have not spent entire months sleeping here to be told that the trial is risky and cannot be continued."
Laria was silent for a moment; she knew that Sisap had been pulling all-nighters; every time she returned to the lab she saw him with dark circles under his eyes and a gaunt, pale face. She certainly didn't think, however, that he had spent months at a time doing this-what had driven him to go that far. Was the job worth that much? She could not know, and indeed, Sisap would never tell her.
He decided to plead his case anyway, "Listen to me, this is not one of those times where we can afford to experiment all over the place. The essence we are putting into play is so much and it is crystallized! We are trying to create artificial essence from other artificial essences!" to be fair this was possible, it had been a very important discovery half a cycle ago. It was possible to bring essence back from a crystallized state to a fluid state, for a short time, with specific energy alterations. This added untold complexity to the experiments as one had to provide divine energy levels.
He continued his speech, "There are too many variables in the experiment, and if this goes wrong there will be a giant explosion. We are putting part of the entire third level at risk!"
Sisap wasted no time in pondering his words and answered him aloud in an annoyed tone " Laria, if you want to be part of this project fine, you are a smart girl and you have brought a great contribution in these cycles. But if you are to be a malfunctioning cog in this machine that will lead to a discovery, get out of the lab and come back when you have figured out what is important or what is not!"
Amazed at how her mentor, whom she so admired, had responded, Laria stood staring at him for a few brief moments. Finally, she took off her gown took her bag, and walked away followed by her gaze by all the onlookers who were listening to them.
Stupid Sisap, he is jeopardizing everyone to maintain his position.
I am not a cog...much less a malfunctioning one
She was furious...and she felt she was being treated like a nobody. She wanted to leave the laboratory immediately. As she was about to get to the stairs she heard her name being called, she kept walking without turning around but because she heard footsteps, a sign that someone was reaching her, and kept calling her name she decided to turn around
In front of her was not Sisap, who she hoped had come to apologize and acknowledge her words, but Neid. The man was considered by all to be a loner, but Laria, throughout her time at the lab had gotten to know him. He was taciturn but often knew what to say and was very passionate about his work. He also had a very kind side, which many in the third level, including Sisap after today, lacked."
Neid as soon as she turned spoke again "Are you all right Laria?"
"Yes, beautifully, look! can't you see?"
"Here, dry yourself," handing her a handkerchief.
Only then did Laria realize that she was crying, the anger and shame she had felt had caused her to lose touch with her body and now she was realizing that she had sobs, tears, and probably a red nose.
She faintly hinted at a thank you before taking her handkerchief and wiping her cheeks and eyes.
Neid waited for the girl to finish drying herself and said, "Would you like to talk about it?"
"Neid sorry but I'm not going to stay in this place another minute more today."
Without missing a beat Neid replied, "Well, then I would say we can go to 'Kedros' their breakfast does not consist of bread from the day before at least."
A laugh escaped Laria "A breakfast could sweeten the day you know?"
And so they walked toward the stairs to exit the third sub-level.
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"He doesn't want to listen, what's worse is that I think he knows I might be right but chooses to ignore it," finished speaking, Laria bit into the sweet bread.
"Hmm...the way you put it it would seem that way. I have to tell you, though, I hadn't thought of a twist like that either. Maybe it just seemed very unlikely to him. After all, we had more positive results in this last cycle than from any other since the project itself started."
"Listen Neid, I know I can't say I have your experience, nor do I know as much as you do. But the calculations I have made, I have reviewed hundreds, if not thousands of times. The energy we would have to provide for the reaction would require much more than the maximum the current ritual can give. I know it has been enhanced lately but it is not enough and apparently, you do not have time to enhance it further."
The colleague grabbed his chin with one hand as he spoke "So basically you are saying that the ritual cannot of the structure provide enough energy. And if the assumed threshold is not reached..."
"The reaction bursts," she concluded.
"And given the elements so charged with essence, it won't be a small explosion as it normally is. But a much worse one."
"Exactly." He was starting to understand her worries, well.
Neid took a few moments of pause "it's plausible that the structure doesn't give enough energy, but if I'm being honest I'm still not convinced" Laria was about to break down at those words but Neid continued "But you are also one of the main reasons we found many advanced essences, so I know your ideas carry weight. Give me the sheets with your calculations, I'll take a look at them as soon as I get back to the lab. If you're right I need to do some tests."
Perhaps someone was really listening to her "Thank you Neid" and extracting the papers from her bag she gave them to the man.
"Wait to thank me, I'm still not convinced. It's only fair to check though" he hinted with a smile "Take these days off Laria, you've been working almost as hard as Sisap, it's only fair that you take a moment for yourself, especially after today"
"How can I be comfortable if I know that in a few days the experiment will take place?" She told him looking up at the sky.
"Trust me, if I see problems in the facility I will point them out. If they are fixable I will upgrade the facility vice versa I will close it. Can it alleviate your fears a little?" Neid terminated his speech with a smile.
Laria heaved a sigh, she didn't have many other choices in all sincerity, especially after the outburst of Sisap, and Neid was one of the people she trusted the most within the lab. She replied to the kind colleague " All right, I'll be here at the same time in two days. Please let me know."
"A second date with a bright young girl? how could I refuse?" laughed Neid.
Laria blushed slightly and got up and greeted her colleague with a smile. The direction was toward home where she would stay for a few days to take care of her nerves a bit before getting back into the game with all the energy at her disposal.
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Neid was just finishing sipping his tea when in Laria's chair, now vacant for a good half hour, sat the man who, a cycle and a half earlier, had been the spokesman for the ultimatum, given by the government, to Sisap and the entire third sub-level.
"How nice to see you 'Teor'." he said as he finished sipping his drink.
"No pleasantries today 'Neid'. Why did you call me? you know I'm very busy lately" with a hint of bitterness in his voice, he had probably been tasked with unraveling some very complex situation as only he knew how to do
"You don't sound at all like the gentleman who went to talk to Sisap the last cycle," said Neid with a not-so-veiled hint of sarcasm.
"And you don't look like the usual introverted and idiotic doctor behind their experiments, now tell me why we are seeing each other in this place in daylight. it is unnecessarily risky to see each other out in the open, no one should know about our possible connection"
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"Relax, I have set up a barrier that prevents sound from getting out, as if anyone sees us who can connect our faces, we will simply say you wanted to talk to the leader of the experiments about how things are progressing" putting down the teacup he looked at Teor in the eyes "As you said, let's cut the pleasantries, I have news for Shera. Tell her to keep an eye on a certain Laria Godetr, she is an asset who entered the lab almost two cycles ago. she is very smart and alert, in a few cycles she may be the one to replace Sisap."
The well-dressed man brought his hand to his chin reflecting and speaking at the same time "Hmm...and you think she can take the reins? I wouldn't trust too much putting too young resources in charge."
"Wasn't I by any chance his age when I started the project?" said Neid in a conciliatory tone tilting his head slightly to the side
"You have trained all along for this Ges..." a sudden whistle in his left ear forced him to interrupt himself
"Mind the words 'Teor'. You say my real name and I will say yours" the smile was gone, and although they were on the same side they did not see eye to eye so well, he had to cooperate for the sake of Shera who had made them what they were.
"And you never touch my ears again if you hold on to your hands," roared Teor in response.
Cooperate, not fight, must keep calm
In a peaceful tone, Neid replied "Understood. You warn Shera. Also tell her that she better not show up for the experiment in four days. There might be unforeseen events in the reaction and I don't know how serious they might be yet."
"Still not sure of the outcome? Shera will be furious at you!" Teor was somewhat worried.
"Don't blame me." said Neid raising his hands "The government has put too much haste, this has definitely brought good results on one side but it seems there might be problems on the other side. Finished here I will go and check that everything went smoothly."
"It had better, 'Neid.' I'll see you in four days at the experiment," Teor finished before getting up and leaving.
Neid dissolved the sound barrier he had erected when Teor sat down, before getting up and leaving. He had things to attend to.
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Sisap had woken up in a bad mood. Although he had finally slept in, he had not been able to get to sleep immediately, and rest had been meager. Looking out the window he could see gray and cloudy weather that aligned with his mood today.
Getting rid of her nightgown, before benefiting from a brief bath, she did not even look in the mirror and stepped into the shower. The water was cold, it had been a long time since he had replaced the crystallized fire essence and the current one must have lost the energy needed to heat the water. After that brief, freezing moment had passed, Sisap got ready to get dressed and then went downstairs, he was not hungry but he had to eat something if he was to have the strength to get the experiment going today.
He went downstairs and arrived in the kitchen looking for something to put under his teeth. Food was almost nonexistent as he had not been grocery shopping for a long time and since Pelina, his wife had left no one had been doing it. He heaved a sigh and sat down, picked up an apple found near the sink, and took a bite.
All of a sudden the door opened and Sisap leaped onto the chair where he had gone to sit. Pelina had just returned "Hey, I didn't expect to find you awake, I came to get some things I forgot."
"No...No worries, go ahead. This is your house too..." the last sentence with a hint of bitterness
"Fine" his wife looked at him for a brief moment before going to the closet to look for whatever she had come to get.
If he was not hungry before, now Sisap had a completely closed stomach. Since a few months, her life partner no longer wanted to continue the marriage and had moved in with her parents while waiting for the divorce papers.
"I'm off then, have a nice day Sisap."
"Pelina wait please" getting up he turned to look at her, his wife was as beautiful as ever, groomed but without excessive makeup, dressed in sober but never sloppy clothes. "I know I was wrong...I know I should have been more present and-"
"Yes Sisap, you should have." his wife interrupted him abruptly "But you chose to devote your life to your work, and as long as we could find moments together I was also okay with that. But for a cycle and a half, you made a choice that I could not follow. You chose to live alone with your work."
"Pelina I did not choose it, I was forced...I explained it to you..." he tried to reason with her, to make her understand that he had suffered as much as she had that estrangement
"No Sisap you chose that. I lost my grandfather while you were working, and you didn't have the decency to come to his funeral... Because you had to finish work. Because ... humanity needs the great brain of the smartest man Sisap. So you know what I say to you? Maybe you can live like that, but I can't. I've given you time to figure it out, I've been understanding and patient but this...this I don't deserve!" finishing his speech, now with a trembling voice and red eyes, his wife walked out of the house slamming the door violently.
Sisap would have liked to follow her, but Pelina did not understand the importance of what was involved. Once the project was finished he would make his wife understand the importance of what had been done. He would make her understand that he had turned the world around. Everything depended on today.
Finally, he finished getting ready and left the house to go to the workshop. He walked down the same street, bustling as usual and full of life, to get to his usual workplace, which he had hated for the past few months.
He should have been happy that he was about to achieve a great accomplishment, but if he had to be honest...he was just happy that it was coming to an end.
Having passed the usual checkpoints he finally arrived at the third sublevel. Waiting for him in the restroom were Dans and Giosc, who had arrived before him as usual, but not Neid, strangely enough. Also missing would be Laria, who had not been in the lab for the past five days after their fight. Once he was done, he would have her back at full speed.
Arriving near his colleagues he greeted them both "Good morning everyone, ready for today?"
"Sisap! how are you big brain man?" exclaimed Dans "I have to give you some bad news this time my dear friend."
Immediately anxiety took a grip on his stomach "What's going on?"
Dans calmly replied, "Neid is ill and cannot attend the trial, we will have to find a substitute."
Damn it Neid! did you really have to go on sick leave today?
He had to calm himself and think. It was not the optimal event but certainly not the end of the world, it could be solved. yes, it could be solved with no problem at all. After a moment Sisap replied, "Okay, not the best of things I wanted to hear but it's not a drama either. Can you do it Giosc?"
The younger colleague immediately replied, "Yes no problem, I have witnessed the process thousands of times, and plus with your directions it certainly there won't be any issues."
"Good" breathing a sigh of relief "Is there any other news I need to be made aware of?"
Dasc shrugged "Not that I know of Sisap."
"This is already something, so as soon as the morning break is over we will get to work. Mr. Shera should come to witness the experiment, and I don't want her to have to wait for the preparations "
So the morning was busy setting up the third sublevel laboratory. By now there were no longer four rooms but one that grouped them all, created to support a more advanced ritual to provide more energy output.
The afternoon came faster than expected, and Sisap had to interrupt his preparations to welcome, begrudgingly, Shera's messenger. Teor introduced himself as usual from the entrance that gave onto the stairs in his usual gray suit. Sisap walked up to the man and extended his hand "Mr. Teor, welcome back. hope you had a good journey, please take a seat" forcing a hint of a smile
Teor replied to Sisap with the same forced smile, "Thank you for your warm welcome, Dr. Kol. The trip was very smooth. But forget the pleasantries, what I am interested in is the experiment. May I ask how soon it will take place?"
"The preparations are almost finished, I thought we were waiting for the Honorable Shera to start. May I ask when he will arrive?"
"Unfortunately, the Honorable nn will be able to delight with her presence. You know, he has many other commitments and cannot attend, but I will suffice and advance to see the progress," widening his smile.
First she made them work like dogs and then she didn't even deign to show up?
Sisap would have liked to tell Teor to go to hell, go straight to his wife, make it up to her somehow and change city, if not country. But by now he had given too much to that project; results had to be achieved, so he just smiled and replied, "I'm sorry, she is going to miss a great experiment. If you want to wait a moment, I will let you know when the preparations are finished."
Teor grimaced and after a positive nod went and sat down in one of the chairs in the restroom.
Preparations continued smoothly, and a few hours later Sisap again found himself talking to Teor. "We have concluded, if you would be so kind as to follow us into the laboratory."
Teor nodded and rose from the chair where he had lain a few hours earlier. They walked in silence all the way until they reached the laboratory area. Once inside they performed the various pre-entry tasks and then made their way to the area for experimentation.
Upon arriving inside the area they found Dans, Giosc, and four other resources arranged to the side, ready to carry out the various directions. Inside the reinforced glass case were already the elements to form the experiment, two crystallized essences and a cube containing fluid essence.
Teor looked at each individual resource for a long time and then turned around and checked the entire room, almost frantically.
"Is something wrong Mr. Teor?"
Perhaps he feared that Sisap had become suspicious of whatever he was doing or perhaps he was just worried about the surroundings, the fact remains that he resumed his normal gaze and replied, "Just my curiosity, I thought Dr. Glasop was the director of the laboratory, but he is not present as far as I can see. May I know why?"
Of course, he had to ask about the only problem of the day.
"It is as you say, but unfortunately Dr. Neid Glasop is on sick leave and will not be able to attend the experiment in person today. Don't worry it won't be a problem, we have already found replacements."
Teor's eyes had widened slightly and he had opened his mouth as if to say something. Curious, why did he care so much whether Neid was present or not?
"Is it a problem for you Mr. Teor?" Sisap was surprised, he had not seen the man make a single grimace out of place and now he seemed caught up in some irrepressible anxiety.
As he recovered again, the man replied in the calmest tone possible, although a note of concern was still present in the tone of his voice "No way, go ahead."
After a few moments Sisap decided that he didn't care much about the matter, he just wanted to get the experiment over with as soon as possible and so he left aside the nervousness of the man who was not even that sympathetic to him to be honest.
"Well, short introduction, we'll try to combine the essences in the case. We are talking about lightning, storm and water. These elements will be forcibly united through the energy we will now provide. Do you have any questions Mr. Alonfir?"
The stiff man did not respond, and Sisap taking this as a yes, initiated the experiment.
Giosc began to supply vital energy to the process, first to break down the crystalline essences into fluid essence.
Gradually the crystals in the case began to dissolve, a sign that the process was going as planned.
"Giosc, now increase the energy to four circles, let's start the real iteration. As soon as you see them rise increase by two more circles as a minimum." The colleague followed his directives precisely, and an additional wave of energy hit the essence particles, which began to whirl in the air, as they were wont to do during the experiments.
Slowly, but faster and faster the particles began to swirl around a common center.
It was working! The resulting light was bright, so bright that even with goggles on you couldn't look directly at it, but Sisap forced himself anyway. He had to look into the core to figure out how best to get Giosc to regulate the energy output.
The particles were whizzing by so fast that they could not see their trajectory, in front of them a vortex of energy had formed inside the glass case and was shrinking more and more by increasing the intensity of the light, so strong that Sisap had to turn his gaze away by impulsively closing his eyes.
"GIOSC, INCREASE THE OUTPUT, IT NEEDS MORE ENERGY," Sisap shouted to be heard.
The light was so wide he could not see if Giosc was following his directions, raising his arm and squinting his eyes Sisap again forced himself to look at the center of the case
"ONE LAST PUSH AND WE'LL MAKE IT, WE'LL MAKE IT!"
The light continued undaunted for the next few moments and small cracks were starting to spread around the glass protection. Then the light went out all at once. The dark descended as quickly as the light went out and all illumination of the room was given by a small globe, which had appeared in the center of the case right after the halt of the intensive light. A perfect globe furrowed with lightning and what looked like air currents sat midair in front of their eyes.
Sisap stared at it ecstatically at that globe of pure perfection, as did all of those present in the lab.
Today we have made history, today-
A crash.
Sisap did not have time to finish his thought or to exult.
The orb later broke and a wave of energy swept over everyone present, clouding their vision in the brightest white ever.