Chaos and madness swept over me. A maelstrom of fractured images took over my senses, their meanings slipping away before I could grasp them.
A red-headed boy scout stood before me, his smile as warm as a summer's day. "There's nothing to fear when there are two against the devil," he promised. For a moment, I believed him.
Suddenly, a new image: a red-haired superhero in spandex perched atop a building, a figure silhouetted against the moonlit sky behind him.
Then, the scene shifted abruptly. Two boys were at a forge, crafting a peculiar tube-like weapon of metal and crystal. Their song echoed in my ears, "When the Dark Lord comes, we shall bring out our laser guns…"
Next, a grotesque sight. A castle comprised of squirming insects stood under a blood-red moon. A sign nearby boasted, "Welcome to Happy Wormland."
A golden angel then appeared, his wings adorned with countless eyes. To my horror, he offered me his severed genitals, pleading, "I don't want it!"
Then, as if seeking solace, the vision shifted to a bearded man who suggested, "The best way to learn how to swim is to just jump in." And just as his words began to comfort me, he pushed me off a cliff into a sea of vivid, morphing colours.
The next image was jarring. A camp counsellor, wielding a massive crucifix of wood and iron, demanded, "Will you let the devil in!?"
A sudden change of pace brought a goth girl surfing on a coffin, a striped snake draped over her shoulders, her face lit by a maniacal grin.
A white-haired, dark-skinned man emerged next, standing inside a glowing circle marked with occult symbols. Clad only in a leather collar, he queried, "Are you my Master?"
And finally, a golden ring. Simple and profound, beautiful and terrible, a captivating perfection that was so very precious.
A touch of stone on my lips jerked me back to reality. I was no longer merely a passive observer of this sensory onslaught.
Before me, held in a firm, well-muscled hand, was a stone grail. From the fragments of my shattered consciousness, memories began to coalesce. It had originated from my workshop on Io. It had healed Terry. These recollections had weight, they were tangible, far from mere figments of twisted kaleidoscope.
Following the trajectory from the grail, up the sinewy arm, over the sculpted shoulders, past the graceful neck, my gaze landed on a face. A handsome face, albeit etched with concern.
A flash of recognition surged through me like lightning. I knew that face. I also knew whose face it was. It was not his only one, but this face was familiar.
"Archer?" My voice held a note of confusion. He had not been there before, had he? My recent memories were a jumbled mess, fragmented, and scattered.
"You spoke? Can you say something else?" The urgency in Archer's voice was a novel sound. He'd never been this frantic, not even during our fights against other Servants. It was a strange, unsettling variant of him that I found deeply disconcerting. I missed the assured, sarcastic Archer, so full of cool self-confidence.
"Something else," I said back. Despite my broken mind, a spark of humour surfaced, proving that amidst the chaos, I was still in there, somewhere.
His voice, touched by wonder, warmed as he sighed, "It worked." His relief was palpable. "Nothing else I tried worked. Drink some more."
With an uncharacteristic gentleness, he tipped my head back with one hand, and brought the grail to my lips with the other. Drinking from it was like consuming liquid sunlight. The healing warmth it provided was near immediate, radiating from my stomach outwards, quickly filling me. It wasn't merely restorative, it was invigorating. I felt stronger than I'd ever been. I could have wrestled not just a bear, but a mythical beast, and emerged victorious.
Drinking directly from the grail didn't merely heal; it was as if the very fibres of my being were being woven anew, reinforced with a strength unknown. My body felt fortified as if every cell had undergone a transformation, an improvement. I'd never thought to feed something living directly from the grail before, wrongly assuming the pure mana would prove lethal. Clearly, I'd erred.
A question stirred in my mind. How did Archer know to use the grail in this way? It wasn't through Structural Grasp - the grail was too alien for such inquiries.
As the numbness receded, I could feel the hard concrete floor beneath me, everywhere except for my head. That was cosied up in Archer's lap.
Now there's a comfort I should seek more often, I thought, a smirk dancing on my lips.
"What happened?" I ventured, the fog blanketing my recent memory refusing to lift. But at least my thinking was getting clearer.
"You tell me," Archer answered, his voice noticeably calmer. "I was in the greenhouse, enjoying the first blossoms of the Mallorn tree. You should see them, their golden hue is quite beautiful. Then the walls broke."
"Walls broke?" The phrase didn't make sense to me.
"Look up." With measured calmness, he set the grail on the ground and raised his hand, pointing towards what should have been the ceiling.
I followed his direction. This warehouse used to be three stories high, with metal shelves crammed from floor to ceiling. But now, their height stretched indefinitely, my best guess placed it at least a hundred meters, but the spatial distortion made it hard to estimate. No ceiling to speak of, just a dense forest canopy. How towering must these trees be? A hint of recognition stirred, but the memory proved elusive.
His fingers, soothingly threading through my short hair, sparked a nostalgic longing for my long locks.
Maintaining his unhurried tone, he continued, "The walls in here, in the greenhouse, and in the other rooms as well, they've all vanished, opening up to something that looks like a forest. The only place that still has walls is the entrance hall. And this forest, it's like none I've ever seen. The trees are tall, ancient, and...strange. Communicating with them is a challenge, but they seem friendly enough." He sighed, patting my head gently, the motion so relaxing I nearly forgot I was sprawled on a hard floor. "So, what did you do?"
"Me?" I responded in surprise.
"I was gardening when I found you passed out, clutching the Palantir. You haven't let go since. I tried to pry it out, but it seemed like I'd have to break your fingers to get it off."
The seeing stone. Now that he mentioned it, I could feel its smooth crystal form still in my grasp.
I tried to recollect. I had gone to the Otherworld to retrieve it, but could I still call it the Otherworld? That was an assumption I had made. No matter. What happened next? Cid guided me to it. I picked it up from the shelf. And there, my memory halted. It was just chaos and madness until Archer had me drink from the grail.
Boaz, recount what happened between me picking up the Palantir and me drinking from the grail, I silently commanded.
There was no response. Now that I considered it, three of them had been conspicuously silent. Normally, Leo, Arnold, and Boaz were ceaselessly whispering warnings, advice, and reminders in my mind.
Leo. Arnold. Boaz!
But there was no answer. Just silence. I was no longer hearing voices...
Return to sanity or descent to madness?
As the silence persisted, I took a deep breath to compose myself and responded, "I don't know. I don't believe so but my memories are muddled. The last clear thing I recall is picking up the Seeing Stone. I was planning to employ it in Hawkins. With Sorcery, I could use it to peer into other Hawkins."
My fingers began to ache slightly, so I loosened my grip, and the crystal sphere slipped. It rolled away from my body onto the floor until it collided with something.
"Archer, why is Jay tied up and gagged on the floor?" I questioned, utterly confused. The last time I had encountered that service android, he was stationed on the space base at Io.
"He was getting on my nerves, so I tied him up."
Upon closer inspection, Jay was indeed bound with a single piece of rope that coiled around his lithe frame, securing his slender arms behind him, fastening his delicate legs together, and silencing him with a gag. The rope crisscrossed the android's body, tracing a provocative path over his tender, pale skin that highlighted the alluring curves of his crotch and chest. The sight was not just erotic - it was a seductive tableau, an enticing artwork brought to life.
Jay's continuous squirming beneath the intricate knotwork didn't detract from the allure of the scene. Quite the contrary. The slight friction of the ropes against his soft skin as he writhed seemed to electrify the air around us. His short white hair was tousled in disarray, framing his androgynously pretty face in a charmingly chaotic halo. His vividly blue eyes wide, sparkling with a mischievous gleam, were riveting.
Whether he was struggling to free himself or merely enjoying the sensation of the ropes was open to interpretation. Perhaps both. The bulge that the rope artfully accentuated suggested that he was at least partially relishing in the experience. A blush was creeping up from his neckline, staining his cheeks a delicate pink. Archer demonstrated a surprising artistic flair with ropes, turning an android designed for sex into an even more tantalizing embodiment of erotica.
"Sure, I can be annoying at times, and you never tied me up like that," I grumbled, with a hint of jealousy. "Not that I'm asking to be tied up for being irritating. It's just the principle of the matter."
Archer chose to sidestep the issue, instead inquiring, "You know him?"
"Yes, Jay is the Aperture Science Personal Service Android, a top-tier luxury model. Didn't I mention that we have a space colony designed and built by an alternate future Aperture at Io?"
"It must have slipped your mind," he retorted dryly.
"Yet I clearly showed you my workshop," I countered, letting my fingers playfully wander over his bare, well-toned abs. His shirt was unbuttoned, likely due to his gardening escapade. "Are you certain about that?"
"That's located on Io?" He dryly added, "You failed to mention that."
"Really? I was under the impression I'd told you everything about it," I replied. If Boaz were active, I would've asked him, but my internal advisor remained ominously silent. "Didn't I mention a potential alien invasion? From another dimension?"
"No, you didn't. But you can enlighten me now." From his tone, it was evident this wasn't a request.
I began to recount what I knew. Some of it originated from Jay and some from other sources. I narrated the tale of Black Mesa, their Xen experiment, and the Resonant Cascade they provoked using a crystal from Xen. I continued with the Seven Hour War, humanity's capitulation, and the space base's abrupt teleportation to Io.
"I see," he responded, "When are we staging a raid on Black Mesa?"
"Never." The cryptic bureaucrat was unequivocal about that. "Any method other than legally acquiring Black Mesa with the profits generated by Aperture would spell greater disaster. I don't know the specifics, but I'm convinced this is the only viable path."
"That clarifies a few things. For a while, I assumed your local self was unduly influencing you. It's unlike you to be so impulsive. You've always preferred staying in the shadows."
"That approach suits a magus, not a scientist. Still, the threat of invasion has definitely spurred me into more rapid action."
"Do you think the creature that kidnapped me was a scouting party for the invasion?"
"I hadn't considered that before. The invading force came with an array of advanced technology. Until you brought it up, I assumed the incidents were unrelated." Information from two different sources - the video games Portal and Half-Life series, and the streaming TV series Stranger Things - suddenly took on a new significance. "I suppose that the other Hawkins could be situated in the dimension Black Mesa refers to as Xen. There's no way to be sure. We just need to stay vigilant for now."
"We could be more vigilant if you kept me informed," Archer admonished.
"Sorry, I had too much on my plate."
"And you love to keep secrets."
"Naturally. Hoarding secrets is fundamental to the art of magecraft."
"Keep in mind you're a scientist now. Knowledge is meant to be shared among peers."
While resting my back against the chilly, firm ground, Archer's lap provided a warm refuge. It was a shame to depart from it, but all good things must eventually end. Archer stood up first, then extended a hand to help me rise.
Picking up the grail from the floor, I transformed it into the shape of a riding crop before shifting my attention to Jay.
"Did he seem coherent when you restrained him?" I questioned Archer.
"He was panicking, being useless, and irritating, but he didn't seem mad. Why do you ask?"
"This place tends to have a disagreeable impact on one's sanity. Have you forgotten?"
"Even for robots?"
"Indeed. I brought a Personality Core here to test it, and now I'm the proud owner of a Raving Cultist Core. I'd like to have a word with him. Could you untie him, please?"
"Certainly." With his words, the rope disintegrated into a scatter of light particles.
"Thank you, sir," Jay expressed, massaging his wrists. Intriguingly, there were rope marks visible on his synthetic skin. Truly, it was an engineering marvel.
"How did you end up here, Jay?" I asked.
"I'm not sure, sir. I was conducting maintenance on the Io base when suddenly I found myself here. You were lying unconscious on the floor. I was attempting to assist you when this man," he indicated to Archer with an accusatory finger, "decided to bind me."
"He possesses the authority to do so," I responded, nonchalantly flicking the riding crop against Jay's extended hand. Sternly, I commanded, "You will obey him as you do me."
"Yes, sir," the android replied timidly. His voice quivered, yet a pleasant blush painted his cheeks, and his pupils dilated in evident arousal.
He was exceptionally well-crafted. That alternative version of Ace had done a commendable job. I wondered if lauding a different iteration of myself was a form of narcissism, but he was truly deserving of praise for creating something like Jay.
"Did you witness the wall collapsing?"
"No. The forest was already present when I materialized here."
There was another potential information source about what had transpired. "Cid, do you have any idea where we have been relocated to?"
"Assuming direct control of the terminal designated Jay. There has been no displacement," the even, detached tone of Jay's body responded, "Every portion of me is exactly where it has always been."
"Is that you, Cid?" I questioned for confirmation. I had previously communicated with Cid through corpse puppets before they were all annihilated with the One Ring. But in that instance, I was the one who had connected the undead to Cid.
"Yes," Cid confirmed using Jay's voice.
"Then why are we in the forest?" Archer interjected, tapping his foot impatiently.
"Because I have always resided in the forest," Cid replied, "It's the users, the Anchor Gates, and the realities linked to them that come and go. Since the earliest memory I can recall, I have been here. For a while, it was just me and the forest, and then I heard the primary user's voice calling out to me."
"So, aside from the walls being gone and the forest now visible, nothing else has changed?" I asked.
"That is incorrect," Cid corrected. "The destruction of the obscuring barrier freed resources that triggered two upgrades. First, twenty Aperture Science Personal Service Androids, including Jay, whom you designated, have been integrated as terminals of Central Command—myself. Their blueprints are available if needed. Their purpose is to facilitate sorting and maintenance, so they've been updated with the latest technological protocols. The other androids are currently busy cleaning and sorting in the storage area."
There was a pause before Cid added, his tone even yet the words clearly accusing, "A significant amount of cleaning is required."
"Secondly," Cid continued, "a garage has been added, accessible from the Entrance Hall."
"A garage?" Archer interjected. "Well, at least there's a place to store my bike."
"The users will be informed that delivery service is now available. Should the user require anything registered to be in storage, if asked robots will deliver the object. Since only the registered users with a key are allowed to register new exit points to host reality, it is recommended to be near, or register a new portal, if delivery is requested in a host reality. Note that the garage comes with its own Vehicular Entry Hall and adaptors that can connect outside garage doors to it. The installation manual for adaptors is provided, and they automatically react to registered users. Eight drydocks are provided for larger vessels. Drydocks have their own set of adaptors. It is also possible to insert part of the whole of the garage into host reality."
"Do you know why it happened?" I asked.
"That information is not available, Primary User."
"And what can you tell us about the forest?" Archer asked,
"Nothing, User."
"I know that you picked Jay from Io base. But where did the other androids come from?"
"Io base. It is quite clear from their recorded data."
"How did I miss them?" I muttered mostly to myself. For a moment, I expected one of the three internal voices to answer, but it was Cid who did.
"Jay hid from you, and you from them. He wanted to keep you to himself. The new terminals are capable of want. It is a peculiar sensation."
"What does Jay want?" I asked curiously. The artificial intelligences designed by Aperture were certainly capable of emotions, but those emotions were not always equivalent to human ones. And often lacked the range.
"Currently he wants to be spit-roasted," Cid calmly stated, "To be clear, he wants to copulate with both users at the same time, not be impaled on a stick and put over an open fire."
"Did you need to say the last part?" Archer added, frowning.
"Considering the memories I downloaded from the last set of terminals, clarification was required. There were many memories of preparing sentients for a meal. I retain recipes for both elf, human, and orc roast, although I am not certain that they would be palatable to users."
"You can exchange recipes later," I said, "I want to hear more about Jay's desires."
"Jay is a service android. Like all service androids, he desires to be of service."
"Sexual service," Archer dryly interjected.
"Every service is sexual to them. Whether you order them to mop the floor or perform fellatio, they receive sexual pleasure from it. Though they do prefer more explicit activities. In simpler terms, they are all sluts."
"Feel free to indulge as much as you like with them if that's something you'd like to try," I said, my words laden with casual approval for the prospect of robot orgies.
"For the optimal experience, I would prefer user participation," Cid stated, his voice devoid of emotion, the statement falling between us like a challenge.
A blink of surprise from me. Was Cid really propositioning us? Suggesting a casual orgy?
"Only you," Archer retorted, a chuckle rippling through his voice.
"I was referring to both users," Cid clarified, his tone as even as ever.
This was ridiculous enough to extract a laugh from me. "Until I complete certain research, we can only watch. Thank you, Cid. That will be all." Jay's body flickered momentarily. When his eyes refocused, a blush had spread across Jay's face and neck. Such a departure from Cid's stoic expression on the same face. "Are you back in control, Jay?"
"Yes, sir," he responded promptly, his voice a murmur of submission.
"I could command Cid not to possess you," I mused, intrigued by the android's reaction to my words.
"There's no need, sir. I'm glad to be of service," he replied, his voice trembling with eager submissiveness.
"Good boy," I praised, watching as a shudder of pleasure coursed through him. "You're well on your way to earning the privilege of calling me 'master'. Now, take the Palantir and bring it to the Hawkins house. Can you do that?"
He nodded and left us. I couldn't help but watch him go, his movements alluringly graceful. "Isn't there a saying... 'sorry to see him leave, but it's a pleasure to watch him go'?" I nudged Archer in the ribs, my gaze following Jay's retreating form.
"He has a nice ass, but I find yours more attractive," Archer replied, his voice low and sensuous.
Emboldened by his words, I turned and captured his lips in a spontaneous kiss. His mouth was warm, inviting, and his surprise swiftly gave way to fervor. We lost ourselves in the moment, the heated connection between us a potent pulse of shared desire.
Finally, pulling back and brushing a stray lock of hair from Archer's face, I murmured, "I had assumed this place was situated in Imaginary Numbers Space, which contains all things that cannot be observed..." The conversation flowed naturally, even as the taste of him lingered on my lips.
"I don't like it," he admitted, frowning. His scrunched eyebrows were adorable. "It feels like something dangerous is lurking just out of sight."
"Your instincts are probably right," I conceded, playing with his hair. "Anything dwelling in such a place exists on a plane so above ours that just a glimpse would drive a man to madness. Actually, this place already does that. And our acclimation to it has first made us resistant, then immune. A glimpse of that would drive someone like us into madness. That's probably what happened. Something eldritch from here brushed against us and this happened."
"And why were you so much more affected?"
"Isn't it obvious? The Palantir. I must have accidentally witnessed the entity. Catatonia is not uncommon in such circumstances. But how did you know to use the Stone Grail in that way to heal? It's too alien to be analyzed by magecraft. I know. I tried."
"But not by psychic powers. I seem to have developed a talent for psychometry."
"Since when?"
"Since I recovered."
"Then there are two possibilities. Our insertion or our visit to the mirror Hawkins. I should test Will and Barbara for psychic powers. On that note, do you have time tonight to come with me when I do a quick check on them? They're not recovering as they should."
"Do you suspect you missed something when you examined them right after they were brought to the Enrichment Center?" I pondered how to answer, but I must have taken too long. "You did check on them, didn't you?"
At the midnight hour, assuming the ghostly form, we floated through the walls into Barbara's medical cell. A pair of specters visiting a sleeping sick girl. But we hadn't come bearing death; rather, renewal.
There was another reason why ghosts would visit young girls at night. A more salacious reason. And if someone, who could see the unseen, were to watch… Well, the tentacles sprouting from arms, ghostly crawling through the nubile girl's body… Such an event could easily be misinterpreted.
But this was no perverse spectacle; it was an occult medical procedure. As ghostly appendages meticulously navigated through the unconscious girl, I was conducting a detailed search, scanning for invasive parasites. It was a peculiar sensation. Each color of my familiar perceived the world differently, according to the element it was aligned to.
I found several larvae nesting among her organs. They were easy to spot. Their elemental composition was distinctly alien, a stark contrast to her natural physiology. It was like hearing a dissonant note in a beautiful melody. I fed almost all of them to the Five Colored Slime but decided to capture one for further study.
I should have done so when I removed the similar parasites from Archer, but I had been too emotional. Such a lapse of self-control could have had nastier consequences. I was, perhaps, a bit too attached. Our lives were dangerous, and in truth, I did not see that changing. Safety was not something that high on either of our priorities. I have nearly lost him. I have nearly been lost. Forever was for fools. I desperately needed to be able to let go.
But I was utterly unwilling to do that. I did not want to even contemplate it.
Once I was finished, I turned to Archer to inform him, only to be met with his glowering stare. But I knew him well enough that behind that anger was a trace of fear. It did not make dealing with it easier.
"Don't look at me like that." I sighed and stretched wearily. My shoulders were stiff from standing still while tentacles molested the young girl. "In my defence, she was with the monster for less than a minute. I didn't think that its preferred style of foreplay was wham, bam, thank you, ma'am. It seemed more like long walks in ruins under the starless sky and tentacles in an abandoned library. "
"So that's your excuse," he accused, his voice as hard as steel. "You just missed it."
"What else?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "What possible reason could I have had for leaving those monstrosities incubating inside Barbara?"
"To study the monster's life cycle," he accused.
It was an interesting idea. And to someone who only knew the basics of my Art, such a life cycle filled with metamorphosis might have seemed like an important discovery, worthy of further study. But the creature was too mortal to hold that much interest from me. What I closely studied was the mating between material and immaterial.
Still, it was a subject worth studying. Just not by me. At least at this point in time. I had far too much on my plate.
"If you doubt my ethics, at least have faith in my competence." I knew him well enough to know that he still had doubts. "I would use someone who is my enemy, not someone who is potentially useful. That is just efficiency. Enough. We're done here. Time to check on Will."
Will's room was close, especially when one could walk through the walls. But Will was not alone. Outside the glass, his brother Jonathan was sleeping on a cheap plastic chair. He was not breathing the same air. Until we determined what was wrong with Will and whether it was infectious, the quarantine rules would stand.
"Strange," I commented as tentacles crawled over Will. "No larvae."
"What is wrong with him then?" Archer asked.
"Necrosis. Autocanibalism. And Soul Erosion. The only conclusion I could reach is a hostile Odic drain," I said. "But there is something strange about it. Some of the damage looks old. It almost seems like it happened some time ago. This makes no sense. The visible symptoms would have appeared much earlier if that was the case. And he would be recovering and not getting worse. But still, we may have predators loose on the premises. Could you detect anything?"
He approached the boy, leaning over the edge of the hospital bed, and drew a deep breath. His brows furrowed, trying to make sense of the faintly lingering scent. "It's faint. But there are traces of something, almost faded. It smells like... a moment in time lost forever? Definitely, ether aligned."
I wondered what "a moment in time lost forever" smelled like, but then it wasn't the actual scent that he was smelling. It was just how his sensitivity to magical energy manifested. And that was quite an abstract sense.
"There's one more thing," he continued, his tone carrying a hint of accusation, "It has a faint scent like yours. Have you lost something?"
I was getting a bit tired of it. If he wanted to scold me, he should be ready to punish me too.
"What? No. I didn't make any harvesters since we left Fuyuki." Once upon a time, I had been the proprietor of a rather captivating love motel. It had more than just basic rooms for fleeting encounters. A dark dungeon in the basement. Several decadent suites designed for orgies. A clandestine bar filled with hushed whispers. A staff trained in the art of discretion. And, my pride and joy, incubi conceived by me to set the mood, provide security, and harvest the magical energy generated by the passions of the night. "There had been no need. Without the drain of sustaining a Servant, my personal reserves were more than enough. And then there was the steady supply of the draconic mana potion. Not to mention other sources. Unless…"
But I was interrupted by Will's moan. The boy began to twist and turn in bed. At first, it looked like a nightmare, but then he tossed aside his covers. Since the boy was dressed only in a hospital gown, it did nothing to conceal his erection.
So it was another kind of dream. But he was getting paler and moved less.
"He smells like death," Archer solemnly said.
"That leaves me no choice," I said and with a quick incantation used my riding crop as a focus for a healing spell.
"What is that light!?"
It was Jonathan. Awoken by either the sounds his brother made or my spell.
I took a quick bite of chocolate to mitigate my headache. But Will at least was back to normal sleep. And he looked much healthier. I needed to check to be sure, but first I had to deal with his brother who was panicking. At least he had yet to raise the alarm. The problem was that the quarantine area was being monitored by several cameras.
"You handle the cameras, I'll deal with Jonathan."
With a touch of hypnotism, the big brother was back asleep in the uncomfortable plastic chair. By morning, he would believe this to have been nothing but a dream. Meanwhile, Archer had completed his task too.
"I should have set a Bound Field immediately. A lesson for the next time. Still, this is an opportunity."
"I see," Archer replied, "You mean to find the attacker?"
"Yes. Any new scents?"
"No. And I didn't detect anything. You?"
"You have better senses than me, even when I'm using the Five Colored Slime as a crutch," I said. After a moment's thought, I added, "I will be raising Tohsaka wards over the Enrichment Center in the hope of catching it. I wanted to wait until we bought land in Hawkins since I can only have one set active, but this takes priority."
I left the Five Colored Slime to both monitor Will's health and act as a watchdog. The slime devoured and replaced the hospital gown Will was wearing.
We parted ways afterwards. Archer returned to Hawkins, maintaining the portal there, bolstered by his magecraft. He had kept his promises and delivered schematics for a completely mundane cooling system for the portal gun. His new system addressed another issue with the quantum tunnelling device.
Sometimes, when the device was inactive, the harmonic oscillation of the micro-singularity, crucial for initiating the quantum tunnelling effect, wouldn't start properly. It would need a gentle application of concussive force to kickstart it. Before, miniature German stick grenades were applied directly to the singularity.
Archer's new cooling and containment system could deliver the required explosions at the push of a button. It was also more efficient, cheaper, lighter, and less noisy.
Aperture engineers. Brilliant, yes. Practical, not so much. Dwight had been the same, before the addition of Archer. Now, he was someone I could trust to ensure that all bathrooms functioned in my flying fortress of doom.
I authorized the upgrade of several devices and scheduled them for testing.
My office was a symbolically appropriate place to set the wards, considering the land's ownership. After all, a director's office was a modern throne room. One of its functions was to monitor the health of the land, both physical and spiritual.
To no great surprise, the Enrichment Center was significantly polluted.
The oldest used space was at the bottom of the salt mine repurposed as a science facility. As parts became contaminated, mostly due to experiments, they were abandoned, and new ones were built upwards until we nearly reached the surface.
And the spiritual pollution? Well, many test subjects, along with a considerable number of scientists, janitors, administrative staff, and security personnel, had died for the cause of progress in the Enrichment Center. And Aperture's funerary practices consisted of simply tossing the body—after harvesting the organs, if practical—into the nearest incinerator or acid pit.
Although this might appear problematic, it was more of an opportunity.
All those lethal substances, just lying around, waiting for me to put them to better use.
And the restless dead? Just because they had died didn't mean they got to stop working. Perpetual Testing Initiative had a nice ring to it.
Other features of the wards included mapping ley lines and monitoring the crossing of supernatural beings through its boundaries.
To my minor surprise, there was something akin to a ley line nearby. Several somethings, in fact. That could prove useful.
That was enough for now. I needed rest. The next day, I would be testing the prototypes of Mystic Codes designed for the local version of psychics.
Once I managed to convince Terry Ives that there was little point in fleeing, she was amenable to taking part in experiments. Despite everything that had happened, her desire to matter, to become something greater, and to leave a mark on history was still strong within her. It was the same desire that had led her to Brenner.
Of course, it helped that I was considerably more personable and attractive than the good doctor.
And that I was interested in her, not her daughter. It was still fascinating how much she believed what I said, especially when I meant it. It was enough to make me reconsider my casual lying policy. I was almost certain that I had acquired another psychic ability, except my nose didn't bleed. But perhaps it was due to it being a passive power, rather than an active one.
Jane Ives, or Eleven, spent most of her time here with Mike, and by extension with Will. Mike had a calming influence on both, which might warrant further study. Of course, I needed to test if Will was gifted first. That would wait until he was discharged, but that shouldn't be an issue.
"It's hard to unlearn the habits of a lifetime. By the time we are adults, we all believe that we know how the world works and our place in it. To shatter the foundations of that belief is not only difficult but also dangerous. Yet, to use the powers of the mind to their full potential is a necessary step. Especially in modern times, where no one believes," I lectured to three people, in one of the old Test Chambers. The new ones were slated for experimental automation, but they had to wait for GLaDOS.
Then I suppose these obsolete chambers would be sealed, like their predecessors, unless I found some use for them. But that was a matter for later. I already had too much on my plate.
My audience consisted of two test subjects and Dr. Smith.
It was against policy for me and Jane to be in the testing area. According to established procedures, scientists running the experiment should stay in the observation room for safety reasons. But some rules needed to be broken, and for this, we needed to be hands-on.
After a brief pause, I flicked my riding crop and continued, "Perhaps that's why Dr. Brenner used young subjects. Children are more open. Besides ethical concerns, that has its own dangers. An open door can invite anything in. That's why my approach is better. Tools. Tools solve the original problem. For a modern person, it's easier to believe that something is possible when we use devices. It also reduces reliance on innate strength, which is rare, and innate affinities, which are unpredictable. Do you understand me so far, Ms. Ives?"
"Yes, I do," the first test subject replied. "And you can call me Terry. I already gave you permission to call me by my Christian name." She blushed faintly, one of the side effects of accidental rejuvenation. She often blushed in my presence.
"This is being recorded, so it's best to be formal for a bit," I replied, with a small, almost flirtatious smile, while caressing my riding crop. Her eyes were naturally drawn to the implement. "If you look at the table, you'll see a box with two handles and a focusing lens. That's the Remote Thermal Initiator. Take it."
The testing area was bare except for two pieces of furniture. The table, on which was the Mystic Code I described, two more, some medical diagnostic tools for Jane, and other random objects. There was also a set of targets on the wall and several weights on the floor. The second piece of furniture was a simple plastic chair where the second test subject, a teenage boy with an arm in a cast, was sitting.
When Terry took the Mystic Code in her hands, I continued in a low, hypnotic tone. "Take a deep breath. Exhale. Now another. In. Out. In. Out. Let everything fade away until it's just you and the device. Until you can feel it as part of yourself."
The first part was attunement. I had designed it to be easy.
"I can feel it," she replied dreamily.
"Good. Now turn towards the targets. There, on the wall. Imagine a light pulsing from your forehead. Imagine it flowing down, down your face, through your neck, splitting left and right into your arms, and merging back into the device. Let the light pool there. And now: Fire!"
A bolt of fire emerged from the device, swiftly rushing towards the targets, and just missed, striking the wall.
It worked as expected.
The design of the Remote Thermal Initiator was relatively straightforward. Its main component was a lens crafted using Jewel Magecraft that converted Ether to Fire. It also contained specially designed conductors that channelled psychic energy from the handles to the lens, along with a mechanism to easily switch out lenses. This design served two purposes.
Firstly, the lens determined the output, so by swapping it out, the device could launch acid arrows instead of firebolts. However, I had only constructed a fire lens so far, so a renaming was in the future.
Secondly, each use degraded the lens, a common issue with jewel magecraft. Yet, this also had its benefits. It was more profitable to sell both the weapon and its ammunition.
"Aim could be better. But that is a skill that can be learned. The next try should be easier, but first, Dr. Smith will wipe the blood from your face and quickly check how your body is coping with this," I instructed.
Once Terry was declared in good health, we repeated the process several more times. It did get easier, and her aim improved.
"That is enough for now. We have a few other items to test. Like the Empowering Tactical Vest. Ms. Ives, please put it on. Does it fit?"
"It's a bit too loose," she responded, after putting it on. The vest closed from the back and featured a nearly solid front plate decorated with twelve gauged plugs arranged in four rows of three.
This Mystic Code drew inspiration from the Priestly Breastplate, sometimes referred to as the "Breastplate of Aaron" or the "Breastplate of Judgment". This revered ritual object was supposedly made by Moses for his brother Aaron, as instructed by Yahweh. It contained twelve jewels, each representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel. In the Formal Dress I created, these jewels were hidden within the plugs, both for protection and ease of replacement. The gauges displayed the integrity of each individual jewel.
Enhancing complex, interdependent systems like the human body presented one major issue: if only one aspect was enhanced, it could cause problems. For instance, merely reinforcing muscular strength could result in broken bones. Also, stronger muscles demanded more oxygen and fuel and generated more waste, requiring improved blood quality. This, in turn, necessitated reinforcing the lungs, liver, and so on. Fortunately, in the Foundation I used, there was a crystal for each of these purposes.
"The fit can be adjusted, but for this test, it doesn't really matter," I explained and started instructing her in a slower voice, "Push energy in, like before, but also pull it back. Push. Pull. Like the tides. Like your heartbeat. Push. Pull. Don't stop. Keep it up until it's just background. Push. Pull. Push. Pull. Push. Pull. How do you feel?"
"Great!" she exclaimed, her face flushed with excitement. "I feel great."
"Don't stop. Keep pushing and pulling. Then try to lift that 25-kilogram weight."
"It's so light!" she shouted joyfully, effortlessly hoisting it. However, blood was already trickling from her nose. This device seemed best suited for short bursts of use. Yet, Terry was not a strong psychic. This was one reason why I was using her for testing and not her daughter. If I were to create a Formal Dress for Eleven, I would need to invest more time and more valuable gems.
"Now try a 50-kilogram one," I instructed.
"It's harder, but I can lift it," Terry said, struggling, her nose bleeding profusely.
"Stop. Put the weight down and cease using the device," I directed her and then turned to Dr. Smith, "We may need to make some adjustments. This may be a bit too powerful for the current test subject. Please check if she is fit enough to proceed to the last of the set, or if we should cancel further testing."
Terry reluctantly removed the vest. The amplification provided by the Mystic Code might be too pleasurable, and I hoped it would not lead to addiction.
After examining her, Dr. Smith advised, "One more, then she should rest."
"That last one is a bit tricky. It involves more feedback. It is a metal gauntlet with a purple gem in the centre of the palm. Put it on, Ms. Ives. Dr. Smith, please remove the cast from Mr. Bryce."
Timothy Bryce, the second test subject in our experiment and another participant in the Aperture Orphan Project. He had broken his arm while running a test course for the new Propulsion Board.
The Propulsion Board was among the first new planned products for Aperture Science. It was a direct consequence of the new and much cheaper recipe for Propulsion Gel.
The Propulsion Gel accelerated the velocity of any object it touched, giving them largely increased speed capabilities and allowing them to vault over pits or reach the far end of a long expanse quickly enough to beat a ticking clock. By covering one side of a simple fibreglass board with Propulsion Gel, an alternative to a skateboard was created. A much faster alternative.
Tests were promising, and we should begin shipping it in time for New Year sales.
"The trick here is visualization. The previous two devices were relatively simple to use. It was just a matter of activating them. With the first, the Remote Thermal Initiator, it is like pressing the trigger. For the second, the Empowering Tactical Vest you need to manage the flow. Now that you have properly put it on, pour your light in. Then imagine an eye-opening on your palm. See Mr. Bryce's arm through that eye. Can you do that, MS Ives?"
"Yes, I can see through my hand. It's so strange, the parts of his arm are glowing red."
"That is the damage. Imagine that eye weeping drops of light. Each drop guided by your will into a red spot."
"Yes. I can see it."
"And see the red disappear."
"Yes, I see it," Terry murmured, her voice growing fainter. Suddenly, blood gushed copiously from her nose. She swayed on the spot, on the verge of collapsing. Swiftly, I darted forward, catching her limp form before she could hit the cold, hard metal floor.
"Dr. Smith. A little help, please," I said holding her.
"She's going to be just fine, Timmy," the doctor assured. She had Terry's shirt open and was using a stethoscope to listen to her heart. "Just exhausted. How is your hand?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore," the boy replied, wiggling his fingers on the arm that had been in the cast.
"Keep it still, until I have time to examine it," the doctor instructed.
"Should we move her?" I asked, glancing at Terry's prone form made comfortable on the floor.
"No, it would be better to wait until she awakens on her own. I will stay with her until then. Come, Timmy, let me see your arm."
"Then I leave all this in your capable hands. Please inform me when it would be safe for Terry to resume testing."
"Very well. But tread lightly with Ms. Ives. She, for now, is irreplaceable. I'm entrusting her to you," I said, and then I spoke in a tone that implied consequences. Most unpleasant consequences.
The doctor visibly paled, taking a half step back in an unconscious display of deference. It was the most emotion I had seen her express thus far.
Satisfied that I had made my point, I turned and left the test chamber.
Exactly twenty-four hours to a minute from the moment they were silnced, the Personality Cores uploaded into my brain, Arnold, Leo, and Boaz were completely restored. Their silence had ended. Upon questioning them, I found that they also had no recollection of what had transpired. Their memories ended when I picked the Palantir and restarted when they came back online.
The experiment with the opening portal to the Moon was a success. Now we could proceed to the next phase. Both planning a moon base and designing a more effective transport apparatus. There was a small problem with aiming, however. Opening a portal on the Moon was easy. Just aim the portal gun at the Moon at night. Hard to miss. But the Moon was both large and far. So making a portal in an exact place, within a mile of the target area, for example, required a bit more planning.
In addition, I conjured a new slime familiar, christening it the 'Toxic Slime'. Radiating a luminous green hue, its purpose was to scour and refine the hazardous materials festering within the abandoned sections of the Enrichment Center.
Not all were good news, though.
Will relapsed or was attacked again. Either was possible. I detected nothing through the Five-Colored Slime and nothing supernatural crossed the barrier. I healed him, using familiar as a medium, but this remained a problem.
Working under the assumption that the entity which attacked Will was still lurking within our premises, Archer embarked on a relentless hunt.
Also, I began the design of an additional, crucial security measure.