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The Pit, 5 parts

Started by The Good Reverend Roger, March 18, 2014, 05:28:10 PM

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LMNO


The Good Reverend Roger

Part 9

2 AM

Rita was back in university, in an empty lecture hall, with the sound of echoing footsteps approaching.  A moment later, a man walked into the hall, toward the podium.  He took his hat off, set his valaise on the table next to the podium, and began unpacking it. 

He placed a beer on the podium - draft beer, which had not spilled, somehow - and a pile of notes next to it.  He then picked a remote control off the podium and thumbed the controls.  The wall behind him lit up as he turned to face Rita. 

"Good evening.  Tonight's lecture will be on the structure of space.  While empty space has no mass, it does have structure", he began, as a picture of something resembling chain mail appeared on the wall, "The acclaimed physicist Dr Abhay Ashtekar proposed loops of space time, distorted by the wave front caused by the big bang.  Not coincidentally, these loops have a diameter precisely that of Plank's Constant when calculated for the smallest measurable mass."

"A school of thought believes that this series of interconnected loops is the scaffolding upon which the universe, all of space and time, is hung.  Therefore, it should not be possible to have two different centuries locally accessible to each other in the same universe.  However, this seems to be refuted by the refusal of the 20th century to fold up tents and leave town, if you'll forgive the expression."

The lecturer paused and took a long pull on his beer.  Ring.

"Another element of this dilemma which must be considered is this:  A human being appeared from the 20th century into this century.  If the other century is truly "out of time", then the amount of mass or information in the universe has changed.  This would of course violate conservation of energy."

He took another pull on his beer.  Ring ring.

"Now, we can accept that all of modern physics is wrong, or we can propose that the 20th century is in a separate universe and that a mass exchange is taking place of which we are not aware, OR we can assume that the 20th century is in fact a fugitive in THIS universe, occupying physical space and actually in the current time, but perhaps "bubbled off" from the rest of the universe, in the same manner that adding air to a soap bubble will sometimes cause a second bubble to form on the skin of the first.  This phenomena has been described as a "bubbleverse", appropriately enough.  And that's where things get interesting, and even a little hairy.  You see, a bubbleverse has a lifespan with respect to the rest of the universe which is in fact dictated by the amount of energy used to form that bubbleverse.  When that lifespan is reached, the bubbleverse will..."

RING RING RING

Rita sat upright in bed, fumbling for her cell phone.  "Hello?"

"Rita, this is Major Watkins.  I have been told by General Johnson that the anomoly...The person picked up in Chicago has arrived at the Baltimore facility.  You and Colonel Hurd are to go interview him at 0500.  There is apparently some sort of time limit.  I do not know any details about this limit."

"Thank you, Major."  Rita broke the connection and sat up in bed, as the memories of the dream faded, leaving her feeling as if something important were slipping through her grasp.

To be continued.

   
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

LMNO

Oh shit.  Things are getting hairy, on a Universal scale.

The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on April 09, 2014, 05:58:24 PM
Oh shit.  Things are getting hairy, on a Universal scale.

So you just said.   :lulz:
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

P3nT4gR4m

#79
Quote from: Nigel on April 08, 2014, 10:27:02 PM
The old folks can't quite grasp it yet, of course. They still think that the world is going to hell, that violence is on the rise, and that the world is a poorer place. And it is far from perfect, and we have our own brand-new problems in the new century. But it isn't the 20th century anymore.

I don't consider myself "the old folks" yet but I'm not quite dumb enough not to chalk a large chunk of that to denial. I only just started to cotton on very recently that I wasn't still living in perpetual end times. The cold war became a farce. Then the wall came down and it was easy to just look at the whole thing as some kind of sick fucking joke. Easy to forget that maniacs were pointing end of the world launchers at each other and screaming and hooting and waving their arms about, real close to the red buttons.

At some point in the proceedings the media cottoned on to the fact that the narrative was pulling in viewers and they just stuck to the story. I knew the story was a lie, long time before the planes hit the skyscrapers but I was still under the impression shit was getting worse. Somewhere along the lines they started wiping out the lowest forms of human wretchedness and cut waaaay back on the wanton murderfests and I missed it.  :eek:

Awesome series btw. Dunno if I've said that yet.

I'm up to my arse in Brexit Numpties, but I want more.  Target-rich environments are the new sexy.
Not actually a meat product.
Ass-Kicking & Foot-Stomping Ancient Master of SHIT FUCK FUCK FUCK
Awful and Bent Behemothic Results of Last Night's Painful Squat.
High Altitude Haggis-Filled Sex Bucket From Beyond Time and Space.
Internet Monkey Person of Filthy and Immoral Pygmy-Porn Wart Contagion
Octomom Auxillary Heat Exchanger Repairman
walking the fine line line between genius and batshit fucking crazy

"computation is a pattern in the spacetime arrangement of particles, and it's not the particles but the pattern that really matters! Matter doesn't matter." -- Max Tegmark

The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on April 09, 2014, 07:30:55 PM


Awesome series btw. Dunno if I've said that yet.

Thanks.  It was going to be a 5 chapter one-off, but I started having fun with the idea.
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

Pæs


Reginald Ret

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on April 09, 2014, 07:33:07 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on April 09, 2014, 07:30:55 PM


Awesome series btw. Dunno if I've said that yet.

Thanks.  It was going to be a 5 chapter one-off, but I started having fun with the idea.
I noticed and it made me very happy. Your writing shows that you are having fun and it is making it mch more enjoyable.
Lord Byron: "Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves."

Nigel saying the wisest words ever uttered: "It's just a suffix."

"The worst forum ever" "The most mediocre forum on the internet" "The dumbest forum on the internet" "The most retarded forum on the internet" "The lamest forum on the internet" "The coolest forum on the internet"

The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: Regret on April 09, 2014, 09:05:05 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on April 09, 2014, 07:33:07 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on April 09, 2014, 07:30:55 PM


Awesome series btw. Dunno if I've said that yet.

Thanks.  It was going to be a 5 chapter one-off, but I started having fun with the idea.
I noticed and it made me very happy. Your writing shows that you are having fun and it is making it mch more enjoyable.

I have a very deep horror and loathing concerning the 20th century.  Writing a story about nailing it into its coffin has really been cathartic.
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

Mesozoic Mister Nigel

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on April 09, 2014, 09:06:27 PM
Quote from: Regret on April 09, 2014, 09:05:05 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on April 09, 2014, 07:33:07 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on April 09, 2014, 07:30:55 PM


Awesome series btw. Dunno if I've said that yet.

Thanks.  It was going to be a 5 chapter one-off, but I started having fun with the idea.
I noticed and it made me very happy. Your writing shows that you are having fun and it is making it mch more enjoyable.

I have a very deep horror and loathing concerning the 20th century.  Writing a story about nailing it into its coffin has really been cathartic.

I really like it.
"I'm guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk," Charles Wick said. "It was very complicated."


Mesozoic Mister Nigel

Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on April 09, 2014, 07:30:55 PM
Quote from: Nigel on April 08, 2014, 10:27:02 PM
The old folks can't quite grasp it yet, of course. They still think that the world is going to hell, that violence is on the rise, and that the world is a poorer place. And it is far from perfect, and we have our own brand-new problems in the new century. But it isn't the 20th century anymore.

I don't consider myself "the old folks" yet but I'm not quite dumb enough not to chalk a large chunk of that to denial. I only just started to cotton on very recently that I wasn't still living in perpetual end times. The cold war became a farce. Then the wall came down and it was easy to just look at the whole thing as some kind of sick fucking joke. Easy to forget that maniacs were pointing end of the world launchers at each other and screaming and hooting and waving their arms about, real close to the red buttons.

At some point in the proceedings the media cottoned on to the fact that the narrative was pulling in viewers and they just stuck to the story. I knew the story was a lie, long time before the planes hit the skyscrapers but I was still under the impression shit was getting worse. Somewhere along the lines they started wiping out the lowest forms of human wretchedness and cut waaaay back on the wanton murderfests and I missed it.  :eek:

Awesome series btw. Dunno if I've said that yet.

They really dig deep to try to maintain the fear, in the hope that it will distract us from the concentration of power. It's not really working anymore, though.

And of course there's the new threat that's lurking; the one that the folks with most of the money would really rather we continue knowing as little about as possible, which is that we have polluted ourselves into a really shitty corner and it's way, WAY worse than most people think.  :lol:
"I'm guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk," Charles Wick said. "It was very complicated."


The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: Nigel on April 09, 2014, 10:08:57 PM
[
And of course there's the new threat that's lurking; the one that the folks with most of the money would really rather we continue knowing as little about as possible, which is that we have polluted ourselves into a really shitty corner and it's way, WAY worse than most people think.  :lol:

If that's the case, though, there's no SENSE worrying. 

If this crazy-ass deff cult of ours has any value at all, it should be some manner of discouraging fear.  Not sure if I'm saying that right.
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: Nigel on April 09, 2014, 10:05:06 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on April 09, 2014, 09:06:27 PM
Quote from: Regret on April 09, 2014, 09:05:05 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on April 09, 2014, 07:33:07 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on April 09, 2014, 07:30:55 PM


Awesome series btw. Dunno if I've said that yet.

Thanks.  It was going to be a 5 chapter one-off, but I started having fun with the idea.
I noticed and it made me very happy. Your writing shows that you are having fun and it is making it mch more enjoyable.

I have a very deep horror and loathing concerning the 20th century.  Writing a story about nailing it into its coffin has really been cathartic.

I really like it.

Thanks.  I'm really having difficulty keeping it from turning into some misery-guts shit (exactly the opposite of what I want), so the challenge has been a lot of fun.
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

The Good Reverend Roger

Part 10

Janet

I had been called to General Johnson's office.  Normally, you get called to a general's office, you worry.  Not so much with this one, though.  The public has this image of generals as buffoons or comic book villains.  General Johnson was neither...He was a smart guy who seemed to be genuinely interested in his work, and viewed the unknown as curious, not something to smash and burn.

When I walked into his office, he was buckling his pistol belt on.

"Are we going somewhere", I asked.

"Yes.  Rita is on her way to talk to the poor bastard who popped into this century.  You and I are going to have a word with our lost lamb."

"Very well.  Last I checked, he had managed to avoid our sensors again.  That guy can be creepy as hell.  You know how he did it last time?"

"That was the blindfolds thing, right?"

"Yeah.  That's pretty twisted", I said, as I took my very non-regulation revolver out of its holster and checked the action, while we walked out of the General's office and toward the elevators.

"Yes, but it's also fascinating.  By the way, why do you carry that antique revolver around with you, instead of an automatic or an assault rifle?"

"Because if I wanted something that blows its whole load in 30 seconds, I'd have stayed married."

The General barked laughter and shook his head, as we got on the elevator.  "Suit yourself."

Rita

Rita got into her government-issue sedan and pulled out of her driveway.  As she headed for the freeway, she turned on the radio to a pop channel.  Some generic band was singing a generic song.  As she got on the on-ramp, the song ended, and the DJ came on.

"That was Undanceable Guitar Misery, with their newest hit, The Woes of the World Make Me Impotent.  But now we have a special request for a 'Colonel Rita', from an old friend."

Rita did a perfect double take at the radio, but what followed wasn't a song.  It was a very static-y voice speaking in pedantic tones.

"Now, to form a bubbleverse, as has already been mentioned, takes a great deal of energy.  Consider, though, how many nuclear weapons were set off in the second half of the 20th century.  Also, Schroedinger's work has been interpreted as some to say that consciousness may have a direct influence on the universe itself...SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

The blast of feedback ended, and different man started talking, in a French accent.

"We have your friend, Colonel.  Soon we'll have your partner and your precious General."

"What the actual FUCK", Rita said, narrowly missing another car on the highway.

"Such language from a lady and an officer", the voice said with a laugh, "Bring your prisoner back to our time, or we shall kill your friends."

At that point, the voice cut out, and the song Funeral for a Friend picked up halfway through.

Rita shivered, and drove towards Baltimore.

To be continued
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
- TGRR, shaming himself forever, 7/8/2017

"Billy, when I say that ethics is our number one priority and safety is also our number one priority, you should take that to mean exactly what I said. Also quality. That's our number one priority as well. Don't look at me that way, you're in the corporate world now and this is how it works."
- TGRR, raising the bar at work.