CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
"You're not coming then?" Stuart asked the Twins.
"Leslie didn't interest us much the last time she was awake," they said, eyes still fixed on the television. "Besides, we'll have plenty of time to catch up."
"I thought it interested you!" said Stuart, frustrated but also a little leery of the Nursebot. "Her coma, I mean."
"No," they said, blankly. Stuart left, annoyed. He couldn't even rely on the now, when he wanted to talk about the strangeness he'd noticed in the complex. Of course, he'd never told them his secret, that he was the one that brought them here, that he knew exactly who was responsible for it and, most amazing of all, that he could end it all at any moment...
He thought back to the start, the very start...it was a memory the nano-bots kept fresh for him. No, he went beyond the start, no use thinking about that, the mistake he made (if it had been a mistake.) Instead he went to another early memory. He remembered the computer asking him if he wished to change the parameters in anyway and he immediately instructed the computer to make it part of the rules that he COULD NOT stop the experiment AT ANY TIME, that it HAD to play out over the full billion years. The computer refused him, which angered Stuart, his sense of entitlement had grown massively ever since They first came to him. He ordered the computer to make it so. The computer explain that Stuart being able to stop the experiment HAD to be part of the rules, to seperate him from the others. He'd been angry. He'd ordered them, instead, to make him BELIEVE that he couldn't stop the experiment. It was so important to him that he be unable to stop the experiment, for They had made it clear that it was a genuine risk, even though he personally thought at the time they They were wrong and he'd never stop it. They couldn't alter his belief either, for he had to KNOW it was possible for him to stop the experiment otherwise he essentially woudln't be able to stop it. Still, he'd gotten around it a bit, having the nano-bots instantly suppress all thoughts he had of stopping, repeating to himself "I can't stop it" and mind-taping it and having the mind-tape play in the background of his consciousness constantly (he could hear it right now if he wanted to) stuff like that...but still, it was always there. He could stop the experiment. Deep down, he knew it.
Still, it wasn't a risk right now. He felt more alive than he had in centuries. Excited, to see what Leslie had to say, scared, of the sense of "everything's not quite right" he'd been having lately and shared with the twins...the mixture of fear and excitement had become one of his favourite emotions over the years and it was great to be feeling it again. He had the nano-bots enhance it as he made his way to the medical wing with the Nursebot.
"Strange, isn't it?" he said.
"Stuart, as you well know, I do not know what you are saying is strange and if you wish me to comment you must provide more information," said the Nursebot.
"Strange, isn't it," he repeated. "That Leslie just happens to wake up right after I go to see her."
"Perhaps she woke up due to your visit," said the Nursebot.
"Strange, also," said Stuart, ignoring the Nursebot as he often did, "that she happens to wake up during a peroid where I'm awake."
"Not really," said the Nursebot. "If she was wakened by your visit then that wouldn't be strane at all.
"Yeah, whatever," said Stuart. They were approaching the tree where Glen was still sticking out. "Hey Glen, did you hear?"
"Yeah," said Glen, passively. "Good news, of course. I'll see her when I get down. Years to go."
"Don't you want to see her now?" asked Stuart, disappointed.
"No," said Glen and said no more. Stuart sighed and walked on. Only John and the Glenbot were in the medical wing, standing around Leslie's bed. She was sitting up. She looked quite calm. She smiled when she saw Stuart, which made him happy.
"It's a miracle!" said John. "Want more sex?"
"No," said Stuart.
"Yeah, a miracle," said the Glenbot, sarcastically. "Whoopee." Then it went and lay back down in its bed.
"Leslie, how are you?" asked Stuart, sitting down beside her bed and taking her hand.
"I'm good, I think," she said. "It's weird. I know they told me I was in a coma and my brain was completely...gone...but I don't feel any different than I would if I was just waking up after a long sleep."
"Do you remember what happened," said Stuart. "Do you remember how you ended up in the coma?"
"Stuart, it hurts when I try to remember..."
"PLEASE!" he said. The Nursebot stepped closer.
"Do not force her," it said.
"I can't...I can't..." said Leslie.
"Hurry, before they put you in another one!" said Stuart. "Please, you must remember."
"I...I FOUND SOMETHING OUT!" said Leslie, suddenly.
"Yes, yes! What? The secret?" asked Stuart.
"A secret, yes! I found out...that chickens say MOO!"
"...what?" asked Stuart. What!?
"I already knew that," said John with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Chickens say moo," said Leslie, holding her head in pain. "All these years I thought it was cows. But it's chickens, Stuart." She grabbed hold of Stuart and starting shaking him. "THEY SAY MOO!"
"Leslie didn't interest us much the last time she was awake," they said, eyes still fixed on the television. "Besides, we'll have plenty of time to catch up."
"I thought it interested you!" said Stuart, frustrated but also a little leery of the Nursebot. "Her coma, I mean."
"No," they said, blankly. Stuart left, annoyed. He couldn't even rely on the now, when he wanted to talk about the strangeness he'd noticed in the complex. Of course, he'd never told them his secret, that he was the one that brought them here, that he knew exactly who was responsible for it and, most amazing of all, that he could end it all at any moment...
He thought back to the start, the very start...it was a memory the nano-bots kept fresh for him. No, he went beyond the start, no use thinking about that, the mistake he made (if it had been a mistake.) Instead he went to another early memory. He remembered the computer asking him if he wished to change the parameters in anyway and he immediately instructed the computer to make it part of the rules that he COULD NOT stop the experiment AT ANY TIME, that it HAD to play out over the full billion years. The computer refused him, which angered Stuart, his sense of entitlement had grown massively ever since They first came to him. He ordered the computer to make it so. The computer explain that Stuart being able to stop the experiment HAD to be part of the rules, to seperate him from the others. He'd been angry. He'd ordered them, instead, to make him BELIEVE that he couldn't stop the experiment. It was so important to him that he be unable to stop the experiment, for They had made it clear that it was a genuine risk, even though he personally thought at the time they They were wrong and he'd never stop it. They couldn't alter his belief either, for he had to KNOW it was possible for him to stop the experiment otherwise he essentially woudln't be able to stop it. Still, he'd gotten around it a bit, having the nano-bots instantly suppress all thoughts he had of stopping, repeating to himself "I can't stop it" and mind-taping it and having the mind-tape play in the background of his consciousness constantly (he could hear it right now if he wanted to) stuff like that...but still, it was always there. He could stop the experiment. Deep down, he knew it.
Still, it wasn't a risk right now. He felt more alive than he had in centuries. Excited, to see what Leslie had to say, scared, of the sense of "everything's not quite right" he'd been having lately and shared with the twins...the mixture of fear and excitement had become one of his favourite emotions over the years and it was great to be feeling it again. He had the nano-bots enhance it as he made his way to the medical wing with the Nursebot.
"Strange, isn't it?" he said.
"Stuart, as you well know, I do not know what you are saying is strange and if you wish me to comment you must provide more information," said the Nursebot.
"Strange, isn't it," he repeated. "That Leslie just happens to wake up right after I go to see her."
"Perhaps she woke up due to your visit," said the Nursebot.
"Strange, also," said Stuart, ignoring the Nursebot as he often did, "that she happens to wake up during a peroid where I'm awake."
"Not really," said the Nursebot. "If she was wakened by your visit then that wouldn't be strane at all.
"Yeah, whatever," said Stuart. They were approaching the tree where Glen was still sticking out. "Hey Glen, did you hear?"
"Yeah," said Glen, passively. "Good news, of course. I'll see her when I get down. Years to go."
"Don't you want to see her now?" asked Stuart, disappointed.
"No," said Glen and said no more. Stuart sighed and walked on. Only John and the Glenbot were in the medical wing, standing around Leslie's bed. She was sitting up. She looked quite calm. She smiled when she saw Stuart, which made him happy.
"It's a miracle!" said John. "Want more sex?"
"No," said Stuart.
"Yeah, a miracle," said the Glenbot, sarcastically. "Whoopee." Then it went and lay back down in its bed.
"Leslie, how are you?" asked Stuart, sitting down beside her bed and taking her hand.
"I'm good, I think," she said. "It's weird. I know they told me I was in a coma and my brain was completely...gone...but I don't feel any different than I would if I was just waking up after a long sleep."
"Do you remember what happened," said Stuart. "Do you remember how you ended up in the coma?"
"Stuart, it hurts when I try to remember..."
"PLEASE!" he said. The Nursebot stepped closer.
"Do not force her," it said.
"I can't...I can't..." said Leslie.
"Hurry, before they put you in another one!" said Stuart. "Please, you must remember."
"I...I FOUND SOMETHING OUT!" said Leslie, suddenly.
"Yes, yes! What? The secret?" asked Stuart.
"A secret, yes! I found out...that chickens say MOO!"
"...what?" asked Stuart. What!?
"I already knew that," said John with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Chickens say moo," said Leslie, holding her head in pain. "All these years I thought it was cows. But it's chickens, Stuart." She grabbed hold of Stuart and starting shaking him. "THEY SAY MOO!"
