text
stringlengths 0
13.1M
| source
stringclasses 9
values |
|---|---|
High School DxD/ハイスクールD×D, Naruto the devil shinobi
pada perang shinobi ke 4.
"NARUTO... Awas di belakangmu"teriak yondaime hokage aka namikaze minato.
'busss' serangan obito ditahan dengan jurus air nindaime hokage aka tobirama senju
"terimakasih jii-san, siap-siap obito aku akan menghapus kebencian mu"dan setelah itu naurto berubah menjadi mode kyuubi dengan mata rinegan. Naruto lari dan ingin menghantam obito dengan _**rasenggan super**_kemudian naruto berlari dengan sangat cepat makin cepat hinga tidak kelihatan bahkan mata **sharinggan** tidak dapat melihat naruto sangking cepatnya, obito hanya bisa tahu dimana naruto dengan mendeteksi chakra naruto, namun naruto sudah memperkirakan itu jadi naruto membuat chi bunshin untuk mengelirukan obito dan nauto yang asli mendekati obito dengan cepat dari belakang hingga obito terbuang cukup jauh bunshin naruto menyerang obito dari bagian depan saat obito baru berdiri tegap obito sadar diakan diserang, obito lansung mengucapkan _**'shirna tensei'**_ bunshin naruto punterbuang karena terkena jurus dari doujutsu **rinegan** itu tapi obito tidak menyadari adanya nidaime dan yondaime, yondaime berlari sambil melempar kunai mata tiga yang sudah di aliri chakra angin yondaime dan obito memang bisa menghindari serangan dari yondaime namun itu cuma sebuah pengalih perhatian karena serangan sebenarnya brasal dari nindame dengan jutsu _**the bulet waters**_ dan tepat mengenai sasaran yaitu obito namun karena adanya juubi didalam tubuh obito regenerasinya menjadi lebih cepat dari manusia normal "naruto sekarang"teriak yondaime ,"oke...fuinjutsu: lima pilar naga elemen"dan setelah itu keluar naga dari lima jenis elemeen yang berbeda pertama yang keluar adlaah naga api , kedua angin, ketiga petir, keempat air, dan kelima tanah. Semua naga bersatu dan munculah sosok naga berwarna emas kemerah-merahan da masuk kedalam tubuh obito dan keluar lagi sambil membawa juubi dimulutnya dan masuk kedalm tubuh naruto dan naruto menyegel juubi kedalam tubuhnya tapi karena jurus ini naruto pun terkena efek sampingnya yaitu meningal.
_Flashback_
"tou-san aku punnya rencana"
"apa rencanamu naruto"
"aku akan mengunakan fuinjutsu yang kutemukan di pulau kura-kura"
"apa nama jutsunya naruto"tanya yondaime
"lima pilar naga elemen"jawab naruto
"APA" teriak nindaime
"kenapa nindaime"tanya yondaime
"itu adalah jutsu yang paling kuat dan terlarang, efek sampingnya adalah meninggal"jawab nindaime
_Mindscape naruto_
"hai kurama. Apa kau setuju bila aku melakukan jutsu itu untuk menyelamatkan dunia"
"**aku setuju saja , walaupu kau meingal aku pun pasti ikut meninggal karena juubi telah ikut denganmu dan fuinjutsu yang akan kau gunakan adalah fuinjutsu terkuat dan terhebat"**
"terimakasih atas sarannya kurama"
_Out mindscape_
Narutopun tersadar "naruto apa jutsu itu yang ingin kau lakukaan"tanya yondaime dengan wajah khawatir
"iya tou-san jutsu itu yang ingin kulakukan asal duunia damai , tentram dan tidak adalagi peperangan"
"kenapa naruto" ttanya yondaime
"kalau aku meninggal aku bisa bertemu dengan tou-san, kaa-san, dan juga tema-teman ku"jawabb naruto dengan senyum tulus
_Flashback off_
Sebelum naruto jatuh cahaya putih menerangi medan peperangan shinobi ke 4 dan di menangkan oleh pasuka aliansi ninja.
_**bersambung**_
End file.
| fanfiction |
What should be the value of epsilon naught when the answer should have all length units of centimeters?
I am using Poisson's equation to calculate electrostatic potential from the given charge density using the finite difference method. The problem is that all the length units in constants, charge density have the length in cm units (like V/cm^2 and cm^-3).
I searched all over the internet if there was some special convention and value for epsilon naught in centimeter units but could not find any answer.
You can divide it by $100^3$ or a million, because $\epsilon\_0$ has length dimension of $m^{-3}$
| stackexchange/physics |
How is the degree of unsaturation derived? [duplicate]
**This question already has an answer here**:
[Derivation of formula for the degree of unsaturation](/questions/2819/derivation-of-formula-for-the-degree-of-unsaturation)
(1 answer)
Closed 7 years ago.
The formula for degrees of unsaturation is:
$$1+ \frac{1}{2} \sum ( n\_i (v\_i-2))$$
$v\_i$ = valency of atom
$n\_i$ = number of atoms with that valency
Could someone explain how the formula works, and why divalent atoms don't contribute to unsaturation (as evident from the formula).
This is the correct formula:
$$ DU = 1 + \frac{1}{2}\sum \_{v=1}^{j} n\_{i}(v-2),$$
where
$j$ = maximum valence of any atom in molecule
$v$ = valence of atom(s) 1 to whatever
$n\_{v}$ = number of atoms with that valence
[Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degree_of_unsaturation) gives a good explanation. In simple terms the formula will give the number of double bonds in an alkene. For all alkanes the number would be 0 of course. Rings and ethynes would complicate the use of the formula. Think of using the equation on chemical formulas like $\ce{C\_{x}}\ce{H\_{y}}$ or $\ce{C\_{x}}\ce{H\_{y}}\ce{O\_{z}}$.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
with an estimated 35 , 420 deaths in 2008 , pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the united states .
pancreatic cancer has an overall five - year survival rate of only 4% , as fewer than 10% of patients ' tumors are confined to the pancreas at the time of diagnosis . in most cases , the cancer has progressed to the point where surgical resection is impossible . in a disease that is still considered most often incurable , there remains a need for new strategies for prevention and novel methods for early diagnosis .
one factor that is believed to have an important role in the development of pancreatic cancer is obesity .
obesity is defined as a body mass index ( bmi ) > 30 , and in the united states , more than 30% of the population is classified as obese .
several studies have shown that the adipose tissue is an active source of inflammatory mediators , suggesting that obesity causes a chronic , low - level inflammatory state .
this is thought to contribute to the development of many of the comorbidities found in obese patients , such as atherosclerosis , diabetes , and cancer [ 4 , 5 ] .
this concept is supported by studies that have observed altered chemokine levels and deceased cancer mortality rates with weight loss or in morbidly obese patients that have undergone bariatric surgery [ 6 , 7 ] .
the mediators of chronic inflammation , such as cytokines , free oxygen radicals , and chemokines , can cause cellular injury , dna damage , and increased proliferation , creating a microenvironment in which carcinogenesis is favored [ 8 , 9 ] .
one of the key chemokines involved in the initiation of inflammation is monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 ( mcp-1 ) .
mcp-1 triggers chemotaxis and transendothelial migration of monocytes by interacting with their membrane cc ( have two adjacent cysteine amino acids near their amino terminus ) chemokine receptor 2 ( ccr2 ) [ 10 , 11 ] .
in squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus , mcp-1 expression in cancer cells was correlated with venous invasion , distant metastasis , and lymph node metastasis .
in addition , mcp-1 was demonstrated to act as a potent chemotactic factor for myeloma cells [ 13 , 14 ] .
mcp-1 gene transfer has been shown to enhance the metastatic potential of cancer cells with increased neovascularization . to date , most studies in cancer have focused on mcp-1 tissue expression while only a few have investigated the clinical utility of its serum level measurements . with the exception of a few publications on cervical and ovarian cancers [ 16 , 17 ] , which showed a correlation between mcp-1 systemic levels and cancer progression ,
no studies have evaluated mcp-1 serum levels in correlation with pda risk factors , such as obesity .
this , in association with other known pancreatic cancer risk factors , such as age and smoking , may contribute to predicting which patient population is more at risk to develop pancreatic cancer . in this study , we investigated the relationship between increased body weight and bmi in pancreatic cancer patients and the circulating levels of mcp-1 .
we also evaluated whether mcp-1 serum levels could serve as differentiation marker for benign and malignant lesions . in this respect we examined mcp-1 serum levels in pda patients and in patients with benign ipmns
blood was collected by venous puncture prior to surgery from patients who underwent surgical resection at thomas jefferson university hospital between 2005 and 2008 .
sixty - two patients had pathologically confirmed invasive pda , and twenty - seven had intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms ( ipmns ) .
clinical data were obtained from thomas jefferson university hospital electronic medical records and from patients charts .
clinical data , tumor characteristics , and ajcc staging of these patients are shown in table 1 .
serum concentrations of mcp-1 were measured using commercially available human mcp-1-specific enzyme - linked immunosorbent assays ( elisas ) ( r&d systems , minneapolis , mn ) according to the manufacturer 's protocol .
spectrophotometric evaluation of mcp-1 levels was analyzed by synergy ht multidetection microplate reader ( bioteck , winooski , vt ) .
multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association of clinical factors and the protein mcp-1 with pancreatic cancer status .
mcp-1 protein expression was analyzed first as raw levels then in a logarithmic scale , in order to achieve a symmetric distribution .
an assessment of sensitivity and specificity of the multivariable logistic regression model was completed using receiver - operating characteristic ( roc ) methods . as an alternative approach , recursive partitioning analysis was used in two ways , first to demonstrate the relationship of mcp-1 with demographic and clinical characteristics , and second to demonstrate the overall differences between demographic , clinical , and mcp-1 characteristics of patients with pancreatic cancer and patients with benign pancreatic lesions ( ipmns ) .
sensitivity and specificity of the resulting algorithm to determine cancer versus benign pathology was completed using the standard definitions of these measures .
a linear mixed model was used to compare mean values of mcp-1 across defined subgroups from the recursive partitioning model .
linear contrasts of the least squares means were used to compare across recursive - partitioning defined subgroups . no adjustment for multiple comparisons
analysis was completed using r version 2.9.2 and sas version 9.2 ( sas ; campus drive , cary , nc ) .
the average age at diagnosis was 64.7 years ( range 41 to 80 years ) for pda patients and 66.6 years ( 4481 years ) for ipmns patients .
bmi was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square height in meters , based on the patient 's preoperative admission data .
the national heart , lung , and blood institute 's definition for overweight and obesity was used to classify the patients by their weight .
a bmi < 18.5 was classified as underweight ; a bmi between 18.5 and 24.9 was classified as normal weight ; a bmi between 25.0 and 29.9 was classified as overweight ; a bmi > 30 was classified as obese .
the mean bmi for all patients in this study was 26.6 kg / m .
values of mcp-1 in pg / ml in each group are seen in tables 1 and 2 .
values for mcp-1 were logarithmically transformed prior to significance testing , as their distributions were skewed .
recursive partitioning analysis of log mcp-1 indicates that log mcp-1 values are elevated in patients with bmi 37.5 ( average log mcp-1 = 6.68 ) . in patients with bmi
< 37.5 , elevated mcp-1 levels are seen in patients with cancer ( average log mcp-1 = 4.94 ) . in patients with benign lesions , log mcp-1 values
are elevated with age ( age < 55 , average log mcp-1 = 3.59 ; age 55 , average log mcp-1 = 4.81 ) . using contrasts from the linear model , these mean differences were tested , with results presented in table 3 .
recursive partitioning analysis of benign versus malignant pathology reveals a strategy of predicting characteristics of patients who are more likely to have cancer .
this strategy utilizes log mcp-1 as the primary factor and also utilizes smoking status , gender , and age .
as seen in figure 1 , recursive partitioning demonstrates that the lowest levels of log mcp-1 were obtained in benign nonobese patients under the age of 55 ( log mcp-1 = 3.59 ) .
benign nonobese patients 55 years old and over had average log mcp-1 levels of 4.81 , and nonobese cancer patients had mcp-1 level of 4.94 .
obese patients , regardless of cancer status , had the highest level of log mcp-1 ( 6.68 ) .
log mcp-1 in multivariate logistic regression analysis controlling for gender , age , bmi , and quartiles of log mcp-1 was completed . as seen in figure 2 ,
patients within the highest quartile of log mcp-1 were 6.2 times more likely to be pancreatic cancer patients when compared to patients within the lowest quartile of log mcp-1 ( adjusted odds ratio 6.2 , 95% confidence interval [ 1.1 , 37.4 ] , p = 0.04 ) .
the roc curve resulting from this model could not identify a combination that obtained both high sensitivity and high specificity .
with the rising epidemic of obesity , several studies have revealed that the chronic inflammatory changes associated with obesity may explain some comorbidities in obese patients and even the increased incidence of cancer in this patient population [ 19 , 20 ] .
cytokines and chemokines and their receptors have been analyzed in cancer patients and animal models to attempt to elucidate this link .
these proteins have been reported to be involved in a variety of immune and inflammatory responses , acting primarily as chemoattractants and activators of specific leukocytes .
mcp-1 is a member of the c - c subfamily of chemokines and is expressed upon stimulation in a wide variety of cells , such as mononuclear leukocytes , fibroblasts , endothelial and epithelial cells , smooth muscle cells , melanocytes , and various tumor cells .
mcp-1 is a key element of the immunological response to malignant growth , mainly via attraction and activation of tumor - associated macrophages .
the presence of high tumor levels of mcp-1 has been reported in several malignancies in relation to tumor progression [ 1115 ] . however , no previous studies have examined serum levels of mcp-1 in correlation with pancreatic cancer risk factors . to our knowledge , this is the first report ( a ) demonstrating a positive correlation between the level of a particular chemokine and the subject bmi as a risk factor for pda and ( b ) revealing the potential validity of mcp-1 as a differentiation marker for benign and malignant lesions .
our data show that although raw value of mcp-1 did not show significance when correlated with the different clinicopathological parameters in pda ( table 1 ) or ipmn patients groups , patients with bmi 37.5 averaged higher log mcp-1 values than patients with a bmi < 37.5 when using recursive partitioning analysis .
these data support the findings of other studies showing correlation of high circulating mcp-1 levels in obese individuals [ 23 , 24 ] and in type 2 diabetes .
however , previous studies have shown that serum levels of mcp-1 are decreased after weight loss in obese healthy individuals [ 24 , 25 ] . due to the late presentation of pancreatic cancer , many patients may have already lost a considerable amount of weight by the time they have presented for surgical intervention .
therefore , our patients ' serum mcp-1 levels during their peak bmi may have decreased by the time of their pancreatic resection .
thus , based on our present data , we can not conclude that weight loss due to pda itself may be associated with reduced mcp-1 levels in pda patients and future studies are needed to test this hypothesis .
our data also show that , in the less obese patients , there was high association between elevated bmi and increased log mcp-1 levels in pda patients compared to the nonsignificant association in patients with benign ipmns . in those patients with benign lesions ,
these findings might be independent of the benign lesion itself , since previous studies have reported increased circulating levels of mcp-1 with advanced age .
previous studies have shown the validity of mcp-1 as a differentiation marker between benign and malignant lesions in gliomas and ovarian cancer patients . in our studies , using multivariate logistic regression analysis we examined mcp-1 in relation to other clinical characteristics and risk factors to evaluate which groups had an increased rate of pda .
first , we found that patients within the highest quartile of log mcp-1 were 6.2 times more likely to have pancreatic cancer than those patients within the lowest log mcp-1 . in the patients with the lower quartile of log mcp-1 ,
increased rate of cancer was seen in those with known risk factors for pancreatic cancer , such as smoking or male sex .
it remains to be determined , however , whether mcp-1 could serve as a comparable marker independent of the established marker for pancreatic cancer ca 199 .
these studies that are currently ongoing in our laboratory are important to document the validity of mcp-1 as a possible candidate in the ongoing efforts to find adequate combined screening systems for high risk patients and to monitor the prognosis of pda patients following surgical resection .
a single study has been published so far regarding the prognostic value of mcp-1 serum levels in pda .
( 2005 ) reported that higher mcp-1 serum levels correlate with increased macrophage infiltration of pancreatic cancer tissue and with a favorable prognosis and overall survival .
however , it has also been reported that monocyte / macrophage infiltration of malignant tissue may promote tumor growth by producing various chemokines [ 8 , 9 ] . in our series
, mcp-1 serum levels showed no clear influence on the patients ' prognosis regarding disease - free and overall survival .
although the cellular sources of circulating mcp-1 are not determined , our data indicate that mcp-1 is a promising biomarker that might play a functional role in the natural history of pda , especially in obese patients .
since this was a pilot study , we focused only on our patients ' population . a larger study that includes age and weight - matched healthy volunteers and
comparative data on ca-199 and other markers of inflammation , such as c - reactive protein , could be extremely valuable to determine how mcp-1 levels compare to other factors .
because the findings of this study are limited to surgically resected patients with pda or ipmn , the temporal relationship between mcp-1 level changes in the serum and the progression of pda remains unknown .
the absence of significant correlations between clinicopathological parameters and the circulating mcp-1 levels should be interpreted with caution .
the sample size was relatively small , and our follow up period was relatively short for association studies and may have mitigated against demonstrating statistical associations . moreover , further study of this protein in different benign and unresectable malignant lesions , to understand the nature of the relationship of its elevation with age and with highest levels of obesity , will assist with the full development of the potential clinical usage of this marker .
the promise demonstrated using mcp-1 plus other patient characteristics to distinguish patients with benign versus malignant disease must be studied in larger populations to both validate and demonstrate their eventual clinical utility . | pubmed |
Electric Fields of infinite lines compared to infinite sheet?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ijy9s.png)
Im not asking for the answer to this question, I just don't understanding what the questions asking.
Im currently covering Gauss's Law in class. We have been discussing how a static electric field is related to the flux through an imaginary object. Whats the question above referring when it says "E falls off"?
Thanks for helping me understand electric fields and Gauss's law!
"$E$ falls off with $\frac{1}{r^2}$" just means that $E(r)\propto\frac{1}{r^2}$, so that when $r$ is increasing, the electric field $E(r)$ falls off much quickly than it does as $\frac{1}{r}$ in the case of infinite line charge.
>
> Whats the question above referring when it says "E falls off"?
>
>
>
It simply means the electric field strength dies off as a function of the distance between the charge distribution (source point) and the point (field point) under consideration. From Coulomb's law, it is clear that the electric field due to a point charge $q$ is given by:
$$\vec{E}=\frac{1}{4\pi\epsilon\_0}\frac{q}{r^2}\hat{r}\implies E\propto\frac{1}{r^2}$$
This means, as the separation distance between the field point and the source point increases, the electric field decreases as square of the separation distance. This is what meant by $E$ falls off as $\displaystyle{\frac{1}{r^2}}$.
For a charged sphere with volume charge density $\rho$ and radius $R$, the electric field due to the sphere at some point $r>R$ is given by
$$E=\frac{1}{4\pi\epsilon\_0 r^2}\int\_V\rho d\tau'=\frac{1}{4\pi\epsilon\_0}\frac{q\_{enc}}{r^2}$$
Here, it is clear that the field falls off with $r^{-2}$.
For a line charge $\lambda$, the field at some point distant $r$ from the line (infinite length) such that the length of the line $l>>r$ is given by
$$E=\frac{1}{4\pi\epsilon\_0}\frac{2\lambda}{r}$$
which means, here the electric field falls off with $r^{-1}$.
Now, for an infinite sheet of surface charge density $\sigma$, the electric field at some point distant $r$ from the sheet is given by
$$E=\frac{\sigma}{2\epsilon\_o}$$
which is clearly independent of the separation distance $r$.
The formulas are different because $1/r^2$ is valid for **point charge**!
If you have a collection of point charges "organized in a line" you have to add up all individual electric fields. It is an integration procedure (see the textbook). The result of such integration come up as $1/r.$
Similarly when infinite number of point charges are "organized in a plane" you have to add up all individual fields due to point charges. Following integration procedure you will discover that the field does not depend on $r$ at all...
| stackexchange/physics |
Q: How can I save and restore AlloyUI FormBuilder fields? I want to save the user selected and predefined fields of an AlloyUI FormBuilder. I have tried to use JSON.stringify(formBuilder.get('fields')), but I get the following error:
Uncaught TypeError: Converting circular structure to JSON
How can I save (and restore) the fields of an AlloyUI FormBuilder?
A: In order to save the fields of an AlloyUI FormBuilder, you can use field.getAttributesForCloning() to obtain the important field attributes. Then you can combine those attributes into an array. Finally, you can convert the array to JSON to save it with JSON.stringify():
var fields = [];
formBuilder.get('fields').each(function(field) {
fields.push(field.getAttributesForCloning());
});
fields = JSON.stringify(fields);
If you want to restore the fields, you can use JSON.parse() on the JSON:
new Y.FormBuilder({
/* ...your code here... */
fields: JSON.parse(fields)
}).render();
Here's a runnable example using AlloyUI's example FormBuilder code:
YUI().use('aui-form-builder', function(Y) {
var formBuilder = new Y.FormBuilder({
availableFields: [{
iconClass: 'form-builder-field-icon-text',
id: 'uniqueTextField',
label: 'Text',
readOnlyAttributes: ['name'],
type: 'text',
unique: true,
width: 75
}, {
hiddenAttributes: ['tip'],
iconClass: 'form-builder-field-icon-textarea',
label: 'Textarea',
type: 'textarea'
}, {
iconClass: 'form-builder-field-icon-checkbox',
label: 'Checkbox',
type: 'checkbox'
}, {
iconClass: 'form-builder-field-icon-button',
label: 'Button',
type: 'button'
}, {
iconClass: 'form-builder-field-icon-select',
label: 'Select',
type: 'select'
}, {
iconClass: 'form-builder-field-icon-radio',
label: 'Radio Buttons',
type: 'radio'
}, {
iconClass: 'form-builder-field-icon-fileupload',
label: 'File Upload',
type: 'fileupload'
}, {
iconClass: 'form-builder-field-icon-fieldset',
label: 'Fieldset',
type: 'fieldset'
}],
boundingBox: '#myFormBuilder',
fields: [{
label: 'City',
options: [{
label: 'Ney York',
value: 'new york'
}, {
label: 'Chicago',
value: 'chicago'
}],
predefinedValue: 'chicago',
type: 'select'
}, {
label: 'Colors',
options: [{
label: 'Red',
value: 'red'
}, {
label: 'Green',
value: 'green'
}, {
label: 'Blue',
value: 'blue'
}],
type: 'radio'
}]
}).render();
Y.one('#resetFormBuilder').on('click', function(event) {
var fields = [];
formBuilder.get('fields').each(function(field) {
fields.push(field.getAttributesForCloning());
});
fields = JSON.stringify(fields);
formBuilder.destroy();
event.target.set('style', 'display: none;');
new Y.FormBuilder({
/* ...your code here... */
boundingBox: '#myFormBuilder',
fields: JSON.parse(fields)
}).render();
});
});
<script src="http://cdn.alloyui.com/3.0.1/aui/aui-min.js"></script>
<link href="http://cdn.alloyui.com/3.0.1/aui-css/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet"></link>
<div class="yui3-skin-sam">
<button id="resetFormBuilder" class="btn btn-primary">
Reset <code>FormBuilder</code>
</button>
<div id="wrapper">
<div id="myFormBuilder"></div>
</div>
</div>
| slim_pajama |
the part of chemical space that has been charted is ever increasing , and a large fraction of the determined protein chemical interactions are becoming available for public research .
most notably , the chembl database with currently over 400 000 ki , ic50 and ec50 values became available in 2010 ( 1 ) .
nonetheless , the information on protein chemical interactions is spread over a great variety of databases and the literature , making it difficult to get an overview of the known interactions of any given chemical of interest . to ameliorate this problem ,
we have developed stitch ( 2,3 ) , a combined repository of data that captures as much as possible of the publicly available knowledge on protein chemical associations .
stitch ( search tool for interacting chemicals ) allows for easy and intuitive interactive access , for large - scale analysis via download files , and for automated access on a small to medium scale through an api .
stitch has been used , for example , to study the conservation of protein chemical interactions between yeast species ( 4 ) and to benchmark predicted drug target interactions ( 5,6 ) .
stitch enables the user to query the database for chemical or protein names , for inchikeys and for smiles strings . if a chemical is entered and no target species for the interacting proteins has been selected , the species with the most confident interactions is chosen automatically .
the user is presented with a network view in which nodes and edges can be clicked to retrieve more information ( figure 1 ) . for proteins and chemicals ,
the available scores are shown with links to pages with more details and , importantly , links to source databases so that the user can ascertain the providence of the underlying evidence .
an interactive view allows for re - arrangement and ad hoc clustering of nodes , and three modes provide different views on the network . in the confidence view
, single edges connect the items with thickness proportional to the confidence . in evidence and actions view , multiple edges can connect a pair of items , each edge representing a given type of evidence ( e.g. text mining or experimental evidence ) or action ( e.g. activation or binding ) , respectively .
figure 1.the interaction network of neutral alpha - glucosidase c. the example screenshot shows the stitch interface , with buttons to change the network view on the left side . with the top three buttons , views can be selected to different types of information on the edges : in confidence view ( shown ) , the thickness corresponds to the confidence of the interaction . in evidence and actions
view , multiple lines are shown representing the types of supporting evidence or types of interactions .
show stereo - isomers is selected in the next set of buttons , to distinguish the different isomeric carbohydrates .
the interaction network of neutral alpha - glucosidase c. the example screenshot shows the stitch interface , with buttons to change the network view on the left side . with the top three buttons ,
views can be selected to different types of information on the edges : in confidence view ( shown ) , the thickness corresponds to the confidence of the interaction . in evidence and actions
view , multiple lines are shown representing the types of supporting evidence or types of interactions .
show stereo - isomers is selected in the next set of buttons , to distinguish the different isomeric carbohydrates . here , we present the third release of the stitch database , which can be accessed at http://stitch.embl.de . in this release
, we have added import of interaction data from three databases : chembl , ttd and dips ( 1,7,8 ) .
compared to the previous version , stitch 2 ( 2 ) , the number of chemicals with interactions increases from 74 000 to 312 000 . in human , interactions for 235 000
we assign confidence scores to the interactions to reflect the level of significance and certainty of an interaction .
110 000 chemicals have high - confidence interactions with human proteins ( i.e. a confidence score of at least 0.7 ) , compared with 13 000 in the previous version .
chemical interaction network contains 254 000 high - confidence edges , compared to 85 000 in the previous version ( figure 2 ) .
we further increased the resolution of the chemical network : it is now possible to
zoom in on compounds to see the stereoisomers of each compound and which interactions have been assigned to specific stereoisomers .
figure 2.cumulative distribution of scores . for each confidence score cutoff , the number of chemicals ( top ) and protein chemical interactions ( bottom ) that have at least this confidence score in the human protein chemical network .
for example , there are 110 000 chemicals with a high - confidence interaction ( score at least 0.7 ) .
steps in the data correspond to large numbers of compounds that have a maximum score in manually curated databases or the chembl database ( with different confidence levels ) .
the number of chemicals ( top ) and protein chemical interactions ( bottom ) that have at least this confidence score in the human protein chemical network .
for example , there are 110 000 chemicals with a high - confidence interaction ( score at least 0.7 ) .
steps in the data correspond to large numbers of compounds that have a maximum score in manually curated databases or the chembl database ( with different confidence levels ) .
the available information on protein chemical interactions can be divided into four groups : first , repositories of experimental information : chembl ( 1 ) , pdsp ki database ( 9 ) , bindingdb ( 10 ) and pdb ( 11 ) .
second , manually curated sources of drug targets : drugbank ( 12 ) , glida ( 13 ) , matador ( 14 ) , ttd ( 15 ) and ctd ( 16 ) .
third , manually curated pathway databases : kegg ( 17 ) , nci / nature pathway interaction database ( http://pid.nci.nih.gov ) , reactome ( 18 ) and biocyc ( 19 ) .
fourth , interaction information that we extract from the literature through co - occurrence text mining and natural language processing ( 20,21 )
similar mechanisms of action can be predicted from the nci60 cell line panel ( 3 ) and from the connectivity map using the dips method ( 8) , which tests for similarities between compounds in changes of gene expression upon treatment .
the mesh database has annotated pharmacological actions that also hint at shared targets . using these sources , we link compounds that are predicted to have a common mechanism of action . thus ,
if a compound has little available information , the user might be able to find better studied compounds with similar activities . to provide crucial context for the aggregated protein chemical interactions , protein protein interactions from the string 9.0 database ( 22 )
parts of the source databases , like pathways from kegg or many kinds of curated data in chembl can not be mapped to the stitch network . for this reason
, we include links to the following databases in the chemical pop - up window : pubchem ( 23,24 ) , chembl ( 1 ) , drugbank ( 12 ) , kegg ( 17 ) and the sider database of drug side effects ( 25 ) .
we also provide links to search google and chemspider with the inchikey of the chemical compound .
since the inception of the stitch database , the quality of the annotations of chemical space has improved .
pubchem has become a stable resource , and many of stitch s source databases ( e.g. chembl and bindingdb ) now deposit their chemical entities into pubchem , thus making it easier to link between the chemical space as defined by pubchem and the activity space described in the source databases .
when preparing the first release of stitch in 2007 ( 3 ) , we decided to merge different salt forms and stereoisomers of active molecules to combine as much information as possible ( figure 3a ) . in the meantime , the amount of available information has increased drastically .
when a user searches for a compound , it is checked whether the name refers to a compound with or without assigned stereochemistry .
however , searching for d - thalidomide will show this specific stereoisomer in the stereo - specific zoom level . from the network view
, the user can toggle whether stereoisomers should be merged or not ( figure 1 ) .
( b ) when isomers are not merged , most interactions still connect to the form without assigned stereochemistry ( labeled ibuprofen ) .
there is also interaction evidence for the active isomer , s(+)-ibuprofen , while r(-)-ibuprofen has almost no high - confidence edges .
( b ) when isomers are not merged , most interactions still connect to the form without assigned stereochemistry ( labeled ibuprofen ) .
there is also interaction evidence for the active isomer , s(+)-ibuprofen , while r(-)-ibuprofen has almost no high - confidence edges .
we first merge salt forms of compounds into the record of the main compound , generating a set of compounds that include stereochemistry .
second , compounds that are designated by pubchem as having the same connectivity are merged .
this merges stereoisomers , but also isotopic isomers , which usually have no associated interactions in stitch .
when a user zooms in on a compound , only those isomers with associations ( in any species ) are shown .
for example , thalidomide has 47 isomers in the database , but only three of those have interactions : thalidomide ( without assigned stereochemistry ) , r-(+)-thalidomide , and s-()-thalidomide .
names are assigned in a two - step process : for a given name , all compound identifiers are first mapped to their main identifier ( i.e. merging salt forms and isomers , as described above ) .
second , after the name has been assigned without considering its stereochemistry , it is assigned to a specific isomer of the chosen main identifier .
rapamycin is associated with 15 pubchem compound identifiers , with conflicts between important sources like kegg , drugbank , chebi and chembl .
however , all but two of them correspond to the same scaffold , i.e. are merged by the isomer - merging step . to assign a name to the correct isomer ,
( compounds in pubchem are deposited by many source databases , but there is no further data annotation . ) based on a small set of benchmark chemicals , we have assigned the highest priority to chembl , kegg and leadscope .
, the compound with the sources of highest priority is chosen . in case of ties ,
nonetheless , if a name is supplied by only one depositing database , it is not possible to check if it is correct . as names without stereochemistry
can be sourced from more databases , the assignment between chemical names and scaffolds will usually be more reliable than the assignment between names and compounds with full stereochemistry .
in particular , there are compound names that hint at chirality , but are associated with compounds that do not have assigned stereochemistry .
most users will access the stitch database via its web interface to interactively query for networks ( figures 1 and 3 ) .
networks can be exported in different formats , including high - resolution images . via the download files , which are available under creative commons licenses ( with separate commercial licensing for a subset ) ,
cerevisiae and schizosaccharomyces pombe ( 4 ) . using the stitch confidence score , they defined a set of high - confidence interactions between compounds and protein modules ( i.e. complexes or proteins with shared gene ontology annotations ) , which they then used to benchmark their screening results .
target interactions from 3d structures ( 5 ) , which they then tested for the overlap with interactions in stitch 2 ( 2 ) , drugbank ( 26 ) , bindingdb ( 10 ) and chembl ( 1 ) .
stitch 2 has also been used as part of the validation in the prediction of drug target relations by meslamani and rognan ( 6 ) .
novo nordisk foundation center for protein research ( partial ) . funding for open access charge : | pubmed |
Constituency PK-88 Shangla-II is a constituency for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
See also
Constituency PK-87 Shangla-I
References
External links
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly's official website
Election Commission of Pakistan's official website
Awaztoday.com Search Result
Election Commission Pakistan Search Result
Category:Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly constituencies | wikipedia |
Trying to prove Heisenberg's uncertainty wrong [duplicate]
**This question already has answers here**:
[Why can't we use entanglement to defy Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle?](/questions/56793/why-cant-we-use-entanglement-to-defy-heisenbergs-uncertainty-principle)
(6 answers)
Closed 3 years ago.
**Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle** states that we cannot determine the position and momentum of a particle at a time. I think I have an idea to prove it wrong ( although I believe I must be wrong here) :
Taking two electrons,, $e\_1$ and $e\_2$ in motion, we can determine the precise position of $e\_1$ and the precise momentum of $e\_2$.
Since we know that the momentum of both electrons is mathematically related to each other, we could conclude that the precise momentum that we measured of $e\_2$ is the same as that of $e\_1$.
Hence the position and momentum of $e\_1$ is determined at the same time.
You’re describing what’s known two particles in an entangled state, in which momentum measurements of the two are perfectly anticorrelated. Quantum mechanics teaches us that any measurement on one of the two particles breaks the entanglement. So, once you make a position measurement on the first electron the particles’ momentum are no longer anticorrelated. Therefore, a subsequent momentum measurement on the second particle doesn’t tell you anything about the first.
| stackexchange/physics |
Why we don't consider these incident rays while drawing a ray diagram? [duplicate]
**This question already has answers here**:
[Inconsistency in ray diagram](/questions/550872/inconsistency-in-ray-diagram)
(5 answers)
Closed 3 years ago.
**Why don't we consider incident rays which doesn't pass through the center or focus of a spherical mirror while drawing a ray diagram? Do those rays form any image when they intersect?** like point ***a,b,c***?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kflAa.png)
Your ray diagram needs to be re-done. For example, you have two different points labeled as P. And, ray SV is not drawn in the right direction. If you draw the diagram correctly, your question will answer itself.
Begin by drawing just one ray from the top of the object (the left P in your diagram), parallel to the axis until it hits the mirror, and then from the mirror through the focal point F. Next, draw a ray from the same P at the top of the arrow, through the focal point F to the mirror, then back horizontally from the mirror.
The reflected parts of those two rays will intersect somewhere below the axis, between O and F. That point of intersection (in your new diagram, label this point P') is where an image of the top of the arrow will form. An image of the bottom of the arrow (not labeled in your diagram, but it's where the arrow butts up against the axis) forms at a point that is on the axis and directly vertical from the image of the top of the arrow. Note that the image is inverted relative to the object.
If the mirror were ideal, *all* of the rays that diverge from the tip P of the arrow will converge to the same point P'. Although it's not obvious how to construct rays diverging from the bottom of the arrow, they too will converge to the corresponding image point. So, ray SV will pass through the point P' that you haven't drawn yet.
One important caveat: This method of constructing the rays is only a good approximation if the angles of the rays relative to the axis are small. The formed image *always* has some aberration, and the aberration gets worse when the angles are large.
We don't consider these rays for simplicity.As the rays parallel to the axis coverge at the focus and the rays going through the focus become parallel.Ultimately all the rays from a point object will converge at a point to make an image.The other rays are not considered for simplicity as we don't know exactly where they will go.Hope it helps
| stackexchange/physics |
Independant variable for Asprin pill titration with NaOH solution [closed]
**Closed**. This question needs [details or clarity](/help/closed-questions). It is not currently accepting answers.
---
**Want to improve this question?** Add details and clarify the problem by [editing this post](/posts/127073/edit).
Closed 3 years ago.
[Improve this question](/posts/127073/edit)
I am assigned to do an independently designed chemistry experiment for school. I want to do titration of Aspirin pills with NaOH solution using Phenolphthalein as indicator. I am struggling to find and independent variable for the experiment. I thought about doing heat, but is unsure about the mechanisms of that. If anyone could help me or guide me in a direction I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank You!
Independent variable means the variable which you can change easily. Direct titration aspirin is not a good idea as aspirin hydrolyzes into salicylic acid. There are a lot of non-sense high school/college level experiments doing direction titration and ignoring the side reaction of hydrolysis.
The proper procedure of aspirin analysis is by back-titration with NaOH and taking hydrolysis into account. Ask your teacher about it by showing him/her this procedure [Back titration of aspirin](http://www1.lasalle.edu/~prushan/BackTitration-lab4.pdf)
Coming back to independent variables...Just now you have another independent variable...comparison of two different methods of titration (direct vs. back). Think of other independent variables and share in your comments.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
a total of 16,745 men aged 2079 years received at least two medical examinations at the cooper clinic in dallas , texas , during 19742006 . among these participants , men with bmi <
18.5 kg / m , abnormal resting or exercise electrocardiogram , or a history of heart attack , stroke , or cancer at baseline were excluded ( n = 1,751 ) . in addition , men who did not achieve at least 85% of their age - predicted maximal heart rate ( 220 minus age in years ) on the treadmill test were excluded ( n = 229 ) . for the analyses of type 2 diabetes as the outcome , men with diabetes at baseline according to a fasting plasma glucose level 7.0 mmol / l ( 126 mg / dl ) , a history of diabetes , or current therapy with insulin also were excluded from the analyses ( n = 759 ) , resulting in 14,006 men in the entire cohort . in analyses that examined ifg as the end point of interest , men who had ifg , defined as a glucose level 5.66.9
mmol / l ( 100125 mg / dl ) at baseline ( n = 6,149 ) , and men with normal baseline glucose who developed diabetes during follow - up ( n = 62 ) were also excluded , leaving 7,795 men .
therefore , there were two groups of men in this study , the larger group for the analyses of incident diabetes ( n = 14,006 ) and the smaller group for the analyses of incident ifg ( n = 7,795 ) .
most of them were well - educated , non - hispanic whites from middle to upper socioeconomic strata and employed in or retired from professional positions .
all participants gave written informed consent for the baseline clinical examination and follow - up study . the study was reviewed and approved annually by the institutional review board at the cooper institute .
ifg and type 2 diabetes were diagnosed at a follow - up examination according to the ada criteria , which defines ifg and type 2 diabetes as a fasting plasma glucose concentration 5.66.9 and 7.0
the follow - up time for each participant was counted from the baseline examination to the first follow - up event of ifg or type 2 diabetes or the last follow - up observation through 2006 in the men who did not develop either condition .
participants completed a medical questionnaire consisting of demographic questions , lifestyle habits , and past and present chronic disease history .
in addition , they underwent a clinical evaluation that included a treadmill maximal exercise test , body composition assessment , blood chemistry analysis , blood pressure measurement , and a physical examination by a physician .
fitness was quantified as the total duration of a treadmill test using a modified balke and ware protocol ( 17 ) , which is highly correlated with measured maximal oxygen uptake in men ( r = 0.92 ) ( 18 ) .
participants were encouraged to reach their maximal effort , and the test was terminated when they requested to stop because of exhaustion or the physician stopped the test for medical reasons .
participants who did not achieve 85% of their age - predicted maximal heart rate were excluded , because they were assumed to be likely to have subclinical medical problems , and less than near - maximal effort would lead to an underestimate of fitness .
classification of fitness level was determined on the basis of fifths of treadmill time in each age - group ( 2039 , 4049 , 5059 , and 60 years ) from the entire aerobics center longitudinal study ( acls ) cohort , as in our previous studies ( 19,20 ) .
the lowest 20% were classified as having fitness level 1 , and in continuing increments of 20% , participants were classified as fitness levels 2 through 5 , respectively . because unhealthy individuals who had a history of diabetes , heart attack , stroke , or cancer or an abnormal electrocardiogram at baseline were excluded , the number of participants in this study classified as having fitness level 1 was < 20% , compared with the entire acls cohort . in additional analyses , we dichotomized fitness level as either fit ( the most fit 80% ) or unfit ( the least fit 20% ) for the joint analyses of fitness and obesity on ifg and type 2 diabetes .
we used this cut point because there is no consensus for the clinical definition of unfitness : this cut point has been used in previous acls studies , which have shown low fitness to be an independent risk factor of various morbidity and mortality outcomes ( 20 ) .
bmi was calculated from measured weight and height and categorized as normal weight ( 18.524.9 kg / m ) , overweight ( 25.029.9 kg / m ) , and obese ( 30 kg / m ) ( 21 ) .
waist girth was taken at the level of the umbilicus with an inelastic tape and classified as 102.0 or > 102.0 cm according to clinical guidelines ( 21 ) .
percent body fat was determined by hydrodensiometry ( underwater ) weighing or seven - site skinfold measurements or both with standardized procedures ( 22 ) and defined as < 25 or 25% as indicated in a previous study ( 20 ) .
after at least a 12-h overnight fast , blood chemistry analysis for plasma glucose and total cholesterol was performed with automated bioassays in the cooper clinic laboratory in accordance with the centers for disease control and prevention lipid standardization program .
resting blood pressure was measured by standard auscultatory methods after at least 5 min of seated rest and was recorded as the average of two or more readings separated by 2 min .
alcohol consumption , smoking status , and parental or personal history of diabetes , heart attack , stroke , and cancer were ascertained through a standardized medical questionnaire .
sas software ( version 9.1 ; sas institute , cary , nc ) was used for statistical analyses .
baseline characteristics were summarized across fitness levels , and tests for linear trends were calculated using general linear models .
incidence rates of ifg and type 2 diabetes were computed per 1,000 person - years adjusted for baseline age and examination year .
we used cox proportional hazard models to estimate the relative risks ( rrs ) and 95% cis of ifg and type 2 diabetes across categories of fitness , bmi , waist girth , and percent body fat .
ordinal linear trends across five fitness levels and three bmi categories were tested using regression models .
we assessed the joint associations of fitness and each obesity measure with risks of developing ifg and type 2 diabetes .
we created six categories of bmi and fitness combinations and four categories of waist girth or percent body fat and fitness combinations using nonobese and fit men as the referent . in cox regression models , baseline age , examination year
, parental diabetes , current smoking , alcohol consumption , blood pressure , total cholesterol , baseline ifg , bmi , and treadmill time were considered as potential confounders as in previous studies ( 1113,15,23 ) .
the proportional hazards assumption was tested by examining the log - log survival plots grouped on exposure categories .
there were no significant interactions between fitness and each obesity measure with ifg and type 2 diabetes risks , using interaction terms in the cox regression models and comparing stratum - specific risk estimates in the stratified analyses .
all p values were two - sided , and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant .
ifg and type 2 diabetes were diagnosed at a follow - up examination according to the ada criteria , which defines ifg and type 2 diabetes as a fasting plasma glucose concentration 5.66.9 and 7.0
the follow - up time for each participant was counted from the baseline examination to the first follow - up event of ifg or type 2 diabetes or the last follow - up observation through 2006 in the men who did not develop either condition .
participants completed a medical questionnaire consisting of demographic questions , lifestyle habits , and past and present chronic disease history .
in addition , they underwent a clinical evaluation that included a treadmill maximal exercise test , body composition assessment , blood chemistry analysis , blood pressure measurement , and a physical examination by a physician .
fitness was quantified as the total duration of a treadmill test using a modified balke and ware protocol ( 17 ) , which is highly correlated with measured maximal oxygen uptake in men ( r = 0.92 ) ( 18 ) .
participants were encouraged to reach their maximal effort , and the test was terminated when they requested to stop because of exhaustion or the physician stopped the test for medical reasons .
participants who did not achieve 85% of their age - predicted maximal heart rate were excluded , because they were assumed to be likely to have subclinical medical problems , and less than near - maximal effort would lead to an underestimate of fitness .
classification of fitness level was determined on the basis of fifths of treadmill time in each age - group ( 2039 , 4049 , 5059 , and 60 years ) from the entire aerobics center longitudinal study ( acls ) cohort , as in our previous studies ( 19,20 ) .
the lowest 20% were classified as having fitness level 1 , and in continuing increments of 20% , participants were classified as fitness levels 2 through 5 , respectively .
because unhealthy individuals who had a history of diabetes , heart attack , stroke , or cancer or an abnormal electrocardiogram at baseline were excluded , the number of participants in this study classified as having fitness level 1 was < 20% , compared with the entire acls cohort . in additional analyses , we dichotomized fitness level as either fit ( the most fit 80% ) or unfit ( the least fit 20% ) for the joint analyses of fitness and obesity on ifg and type 2 diabetes .
we used this cut point because there is no consensus for the clinical definition of unfitness : this cut point has been used in previous acls studies , which have shown low fitness to be an independent risk factor of various morbidity and mortality outcomes ( 20 ) .
bmi was calculated from measured weight and height and categorized as normal weight ( 18.524.9 kg / m ) , overweight ( 25.029.9 kg / m ) , and obese ( 30 kg / m ) ( 21 ) .
waist girth was taken at the level of the umbilicus with an inelastic tape and classified as 102.0 or > 102.0 cm according to clinical guidelines ( 21 ) .
percent body fat was determined by hydrodensiometry ( underwater ) weighing or seven - site skinfold measurements or both with standardized procedures ( 22 ) and defined as < 25 or 25% as indicated in a previous study ( 20 ) .
after at least a 12-h overnight fast , blood chemistry analysis for plasma glucose and total cholesterol was performed with automated bioassays in the cooper clinic laboratory in accordance with the centers for disease control and prevention lipid standardization program . resting blood pressure
was measured by standard auscultatory methods after at least 5 min of seated rest and was recorded as the average of two or more readings separated by 2 min .
alcohol consumption , smoking status , and parental or personal history of diabetes , heart attack , stroke , and cancer were ascertained through a standardized medical questionnaire .
sas software ( version 9.1 ; sas institute , cary , nc ) was used for statistical analyses .
baseline characteristics were summarized across fitness levels , and tests for linear trends were calculated using general linear models .
incidence rates of ifg and type 2 diabetes were computed per 1,000 person - years adjusted for baseline age and examination year .
we used cox proportional hazard models to estimate the relative risks ( rrs ) and 95% cis of ifg and type 2 diabetes across categories of fitness , bmi , waist girth , and percent body fat .
ordinal linear trends across five fitness levels and three bmi categories were tested using regression models .
we assessed the joint associations of fitness and each obesity measure with risks of developing ifg and type 2 diabetes .
we created six categories of bmi and fitness combinations and four categories of waist girth or percent body fat and fitness combinations using nonobese and fit men as the referent . in cox regression models , baseline age , examination year
, parental diabetes , current smoking , alcohol consumption , blood pressure , total cholesterol , baseline ifg , bmi , and treadmill time were considered as potential confounders as in previous studies ( 1113,15,23 ) .
the proportional hazards assumption was tested by examining the log - log survival plots grouped on exposure categories .
there were no significant interactions between fitness and each obesity measure with ifg and type 2 diabetes risks , using interaction terms in the cox regression models and comparing stratum - specific risk estimates in the stratified analyses .
all p values were two - sided , and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant .
among 7,795 men with normal baseline glucose ( mean 5.1 years [ 39,610 person - years ] of follow - up ) , 3,612 developed ifg , and among 14,006 men ( 7.2 years , 101,419 person - years of follow - up ) , 477 developed type 2 diabetes . in table 1 , fit men were less obese and had lower fasting glucose , blood pressure , and total cholesterol ; they also smoked and drank alcohol less than unfit men ( all ptrend < 0.001 ) . according to pearson correlation coefficients , treadmill time was inversely correlated with percent body fat ( r = 0.59 ) , waist girth ( r = 0.54 ) , and bmi ( r = 0.44 ) . among obesity measures ,
bmi was positively correlated with waist girth ( r = 0.84 ) and percent body fat ( r = 0.64 ) , and waist girth also was correlated with percent body fat ( r = 0.75 ) .
table 2 shows the single independent associations of fitness and obesity measures with the outcomes of ifg or type 2 diabetes .
ifg and type 2 diabetes risks in the highest fitness level were 25 and 70% lower , respectively , compared with those in the lowest fitness level in model 1 .
men with bmi 30.0 kg / m , waist girth > 102.0 cm , and percent body fat 25% had 3.9- , 2.7- , and 1.8-fold higher risks for type 2 diabetes , respectively , compared with lean reference groups .
trends across adiposity exposures for ifg were in the same direction as for type 2 diabetes but were weaker .
after additional adjustment for bmi or fitness in model 2 , the associations were attenuated but remained significant except for percent body fat on ifg . there were dose - response relationships across five fitness levels and three bmi categories for both risk of ifg and type 2 diabetes in all multivariate - adjusted models ( all ptrend < 0.001 ) .
the trends across fitness levels remained significant even after further adjustment for waist girth and percent body fat for both ifg and type 2 diabetes ( both ptrend < 0.05 ) .
table 3 shows the joint associations of obesity measures and fitness with the risks of ifg and type 2 diabetes .
obese unfit men had 1.5 and 5.7 times higher risk of developing ifg and type 2 diabetes , respectively , compared with the normal - weight fit referent .
we also calculated the rrs of developing both outcomes within each bmi group , with the unfit men as the referent .
the only significant finding was that the fit obese men had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared with the unfit obese men ( rr 0.47 [ 95% ci 0.310.72 ] ) .
obese men had significantly higher risks of ifg and type 2 diabetes in both fit and unfit groups compared with normal - weight men ( p < 0.01 ) . the highest risks of developing ifg or type 2 diabetes were found in unfit men with waist girth > 102 cm or percent body fat 25% .
we saw no differences in risk of ifg between the fit and unfit men within waist girth or percent body fat groups .
fit men with waist girth > 102 cm and in both percent body fat categories had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes . because the definition of unfit may influence the findings , we conducted sensitivity analyses in which we reclassified unfit as the least fit 40 , 60 , and 80%
. the patterns of the joint association of fitness and obesity on the risk of both ifg and type 2 diabetes across different definitions of unfit were similar ( data not shown ) .
men with a bmi in the overweight ( 25.029.9 kg / m ) or obese ( 30.034.9 kg / m ) category are considered to have even higher risk for poor health outcomes if the waist girth is also > 102 cm ( 20 ) .
we examined the joint associations of bmi and waist girth for both outcomes after adjustment for age , examination year , parental diabetes , smoking , alcohol consumption , blood pressure , cholesterol , treadmill time , and percent body fat . compared with overweight men with waist girth 102 cm ,
the rrs ( 95% cis ) for developing ifg were 1.30 ( 1.091.55 ) for overweight men with waist girth > 102 cm , 0.95 ( 0.681.33 ) for obese men ( bmi 30.034.9 kg / m ) with waist girth 102 cm , and 1.24 ( 1.031.49 ) for obese men with waist girth > 102 cm , and those for developing diabetes were 1.22 ( 0.781.89 ) , 0.84 ( 0.312.29 ) , and 2.41 ( 1.643.54 ) , respectively .
this study revealed significant inverse dose - response relationships of fitness and positive associations of obesity measures with the risks of ifg and type 2 diabetes after adjustment for several potential confounding factors .
men in the highest fitness level showed a 52% lower risk of type 2 diabetes , and obese men identified by bmi showed a 2.7-fold higher risk of type 2 diabetes , compared with low fitness and normal - weight men , respectively .
evidence from several previous studies also indicated that higher fitness is associated with a lower risk for type 2 diabetes of 4070% compared with lower fitness in men ( 11,13 ) .
obese men , on the other hand , showed about a two- to fivefold higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than men of normal weight ( 13 ) . in the joint associations of obesity and fitness , obese ( bmi 30 kg / m ) unfit men showed 1.5 and 5.7 times higher risks of ifg and type 2 diabetes , respectively , compared with nonobese fit men after multivariate adjustment .
some joint analyses of self - reported physical activity instead of fitness and obesity provided parallel results showing that inactive obese individuals had a > 10 times higher risk of type 2 diabetes than active nonobese individuals ( 57 ) . however , our results differed in that we observed that lack of fitness and obesity each increase risk to a similar extent , whereas other studies comparing physical inactivity and obesity showed that the magnitude of risk associated with obesity was much greater than that associated with physical inactivity ( 57 ) . recently , our study of women also reported that lack of fitness and obesity each increased the risk of type 2 diabetes to a similar extent and that fitness did not attenuate the adverse effect of obesity ( 23 ) .
we found that all three obesity measures were independent predictors of ifg and type 2 diabetes , except for percent body fat on the risk of ifg .
however , in the joint analyses of bmi and waist girth , normal abdominal fat ( 102 cm ) was likely to eliminate the increased risk of ifg and type 2 diabetes associated with whole - body obesity defined by bmi 3034.9 kg / m .
therefore , maintenance of normal abdominal fat among obese men should be considered as an important factor for ifg and type 2 diabetes prevention as reported in an earlier study ( 20 ) .
ifg is a strong predictor of type 2 diabetes and cvd ( 2 ) , and our study also showed a 3.3-fold higher risk of type 2 diabetes in men with baseline ifg compared with men with normal glucose tolerance .
therefore , we examined the associations of fitness and obesity measures with type 2 diabetes separately in these two groups .
however , the associations were similar in two groups , so we combined the groups in further analyses .
biological mechanisms supporting the roles of physical activity and obesity on the development of type 2 diabetes have been well established by a large number of studies .
regular physical activity can improve insulin sensitivity , blood pressure , lipoprotein profile , inflammation , and weight reduction , but obesity is related to inflammation and fat metabolism , which lead to insulin resistance ( 23,24 ) .
in addition , individuals with low fitness are more likely to have insulin resistance and fewer glucose transporters , and fitness also is associated with insulin sensitivity ( 23,24 ) .
strengths of our study include the valid and various measurements of exposure and outcome variables .
fitness , bmi , waist girth , percent body fat , and identification of ifg and type 2 diabetes were all objectively measured during the process of medical examinations at baseline and follow - up .
type 2 diabetes can remain undiagnosed for many years ( 25 ) . in our study , 88.5% of men with type 2 diabetes identified on the basis of fasting plasma glucose did not report diabetes on their last follow - up medical questionnaire .
the objective measure of type 2 diabetes from the baseline and follow - up examinations in our study results in less misclassification on the outcome measures .
however , whereas cardiorespiratory fitness is an accurate marker of habitual physical activity , it is more costly and time - consuming to assess than physical activity . further , from a clinical perspective , one can give advice to increase physical activity , whereas advice to increase your physical fitness is less practical .
because there was no information about the type of diabetes in this study , we could not differentiate precisely between type 1 ( insulin - dependent ) and type 2 diabetes .
however , we examined men who reported insulin use on the last follow - up medical questionnaire among men diagnosed with type 2 diabetes on the basis of fasting plasma glucose .
only 2.7% of men ( 13 of 477 ) reported insulin use . among them , none were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age < 30 years ; thus , there were likely to be few men with type 1 diabetes in this study .
the majority of participants were well - educated white men , limiting the generalizability of the findings .
however , the biological processes underlying the roles of physical inactivity and obesity in the etiology of type 2 diabetes are likely to be similar across individuals of different race / ethnic and educational groups .
although we did not have data from an oral glucose tolerance test , a fasting plasma glucose test is an objective clinical method to diagnose type 2 diabetes as supported by the ada and the world health organization and used in numerous prospective studies ( 5,12,13,15 ) .
in addition , participants in this study frequently revisited the clinic ( every 1.5 years on average ) for their medical examination ; thus , fasting glucose tests during these frequent follow - up medical examinations are likely to identify most type 2 diabetes events . because dietary data were not available in this study , we were unable to assess the effect of diet on our findings . because loss to follow - up may be related to the exposure or outcome variables
, we compared the main clinical variables between men with follow - up versus men lost to follow - up for any reason .
age , treadmill time , bmi , fasting plasma glucose , and other clinical measures at baseline were relatively similar between two groups . in summary , although fitness did not eliminate the harmful effect of obesity , both low fitness and obesity were each associated with increased risks of ifg and type 2 diabetes of approximately equal magnitude in men , after accounting for possible confounders . because obese and unfit men showed the highest risks of ifg and type 2 diabetes , both fitness and weight control should be emphasized to slow down the current epidemic of ifg and type 2 diabetes , together with its commensurate economic burden .
increasing physical activity in daily life is an effective practical strategy to improve both fitness and obesity . | pubmed |
an unusual case of an intraocular linear foreign body that migrated from the oral cavity , causing a severe endophthalmitis , in a cat is described . a 2-year - old female domestic shorthair cat presented with signs of infection from the left eye that had begun 2 weeks previously .
despite having been prescribed oral and topical antibiotics , there was a progressive worsening of the clinical signs . on ophthalmic examination the cat presented with severe endophthalmitis , secondary glaucoma and exposure keratitis of the left eye .
radiography demonstrated the presence of an intraocular linear metallic foreign body compatible with a sewing needle . during enucleation , when the globe was extracted , the sewing needle stayed in the orbit . when the needle was pulled away ,
a piece of thread was also retrieved , which demonstrated that the linear foreign body had migrated retrogradely from the oral cavity to the orbit through the pterygopalatine fossa .
intraocular foreign bodies may present in a variety of ways , which may hinder their clinical detection .
the management and prognosis depend on the composition and location of the foreign body , as well as the possible presence of secondary infection . to the author s knowledge , this is the first time that a case of severe endophthalmitis following retrograde intraocular migration of a linear foreign body from the oral cavity to the orbit through the pterygopalatine fossa in a cat has been reported .
the variability of presenting signs results from the type , size , location and point of entry of the foreign material , and also from the severity of the initial trauma .
because the history is often obscure or may not support the possibility of a foreign body , the clinician must have a high index of suspicion in unusual or non - responsive cases .
endophthalmitis is a severe inflammation of the interior of the eye caused by the introduction of contaminating microorganisms following trauma , surgery or haematogenous spread from a distant infection site .
it can also result from deep stromal keratitis with corneal perforation and intraocular seeding of organisms . despite appropriate therapeutic intervention
, bacterial endophthamitis frequently results in vision loss , if not loss of the eye itself .
the clinical presentation , aetiology and surgical treatment of an unusual case of intra - ocular linear foreign body that resulted in severe endophthalmitis and visual loss in a cat is described .
a 2-year - old female domestic shorthair cat that resided indoors presented for an ophthalmology referral consultation at our hospital with complaints of signs of infection from the left eye , which had begun 2 weeks previously .
the cat had been staying at a friend s house for the weekend and returned with a left painful eye .
it had been prescribed oral and topical antibiotics by the referring veterinarian but there was a progressive worsening of the clinical signs .
two days prior the patient had also begun to present systemic signs of disease , being inappetent and lethargic . at the time of initial presentation ,
owing to pain manifestation on mouth opening , only a rapid inspection of the oral cavity looking for dental / gingival problems or fluctuation / redness behind the last upper molar tooth was performed initially , but no abnormalities were detected . on ophthalmic examination the cat presented with an exposure keratitis of the left eye ( os ) , along with a secondary glaucoma and severe endophthalmitis . in the os the menace response and the dazzle reflex were negative , the blink reflex was incomplete owing to globe enlargement , the cornea reflex was decreased owing to corneal permanent exposure and the pupillary light reflexes were impossible to evaluate owing to severe corneal opacity ( figure 1 ) . in the right eye ( od )
the reflexes were normal except for the indirect pupillary light reflex , which was absent .
schirmer tear test ( dina strips schirmer - plus ; luneau sas ) was within normal limits in the od ( 17 mm / min ) and decreased in the os ( 12 mm / min ) .
intraocular pressure measurements ( tono - pen xl ; medtronic solan ) were 18 mmhg in the od and 45 mmhg in the os .
slit - lamp biomicroscopy ( sl14 kowa company ) in the od showed no signs of inflam - mation and indirect funduscopic examination ( heine omega 180 ; herrsching ) showed no abnormalities .
biomicroscopy and fundoscopy were impossible to perform in the os owing to severe corneal opacity .
patient at initial presentation showing severe endophthalmitis , secondary glaucoma and exposure keratitis of the left eye the differential diagnoses included retrobulbar abcess , cellulitis , hematoma or neoplasia , traumatic injury and intraocular foreign body .
a two - view radiological examination was proposed before a computed tomography scan to investigate the possibility of traumatic injury or intraocular foreign body .
skull radiographs ( dorsoventral and laterolateral view ) showed an intraocular linear metallic foreign body compatible with a sewing needle , measuring approximately 6 cm in length , located inside the left ocular globe , in close contact with the back of the orbit , as can be seen in figure 2 .
cbc yielded leukocytosis , the rest of the analytic values being within normal limits . being a blind , painful eye ,
( a ) dorsoventral radiograph of the skull showing an intraocular metallic foreign body , compatible with a sewing needle , measuring approximately 6 cm in length , located in the interior of the left orbit , in contact with the posterior orbit .
( b ) laterolateral radiograph of the skull showing an intraocular metallic foreign body with a small hole in its ventral extremity ( arrow ) , compatible with a sewing needle , measuring approximately 6 cm in length , located in the interior of the left orbit .
the endotracheal tube is visible inside the mouth and trachea the patient was premedicated for postoperative analgesia and sedation with butorphanol at a dose of 0.1 mg / kg ( dolorex ; intervet ) , dexmedetomidine at a dose of 0.01 mg / kg ( dexdomitor ; esteve veterinaria ) and ketamine at a dose of 7.5 mg / kg / body weight ( imalgene ; merial ) i m ; anaesthetised with propofol at a dose of 2 mg / kg body weight iv ( propofol lipuro ; b braun medical ) ; and endotracheal intubation was performed and anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane . during intubation , the oropharynx was carefully examined but no string was detected .
on induction , cefadroxil at a dose of 10 mg / kg body weight ( cefadroxil ; laboratrios mylan ) and metronidazole at a dose of 10 mg / kg body weight ( metronidazole ; b braun medical ) were administered intravenously , and meloxicam at a dose of 0.2 mg / kg body weight ( meloxidyl ; ceva ) was given subcutaneously for the control of postoperative pain .
surgery was performed using the subconjunctival enucleation technique to allow corneal visualisation during the procedure owing to the risk of corneal perforation by the needle . after a lateral canthotomy
using blunt dissection , the plane between the sclera and tenon s capsule was extended deeper into the orbit and extraocular muscle insertions were transected . with specially curved enucleation scissors
this was difficult to achieve because the metallic foreign body was located in a position that did not allow complete closure of the scissors .
the globe was carefully removed from the orbit , while trying to prevent leakage of contaminated material from the vitreous cavity through the needle entry point , leaving the sewing needle attached to the back of the orbit ( figure 3 ) . when the needle was pulled away , a piece of thread approximately 10 cm long attached to it was also retrieved , which demonstrated that the linear foreign body had migrated retrogradely from the mouth to the orbit through the pterygopalatine fossa ( figures 4 and 5 ) .
the rest of the enucleation procedure was performed in a routine manner . during the enucleation procedure ,
the globe was carefully removed from the orbit , while trying to prevent any leakage from the contaminated material inside the vitreous cavity , leaving the sewing needle ( once inside the ocular globe ) behind , attached to the posterior part of the orbit ( arrow ) when the needle was pulled away , a piece of thread ( approximately 10 cm long ) attached to it and previously lodged in the oesophagus was also retrieved , demonstrating that the linear foreign body had migrated retrogradely from the mouth to the orbit through the pterygopalatine fossa curved enucleation scissors , resected ocular globe and linear foreign body with the sewing needle and the attached thread bacterial culture was negative .
histopathology revealed destructive ocular changes with necrosis , and the presence of cocci in the ocular tunica fibrosa and vitreous cavity , but no evidence of neoplastic changes .
the specific area of penetration of the foreign body into the eye was identified as corresponding to the lamina cribrosa of the sclera .
postoperatively , medical treatment consisted of oral meloxicam at a dose of 0.1 mg / kg body weight ( meloxidyl ; ceva ) for 4 days and amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid at a dose of 10 mg amoxicillin and 2.5 mg clavulanic acid / kg body weight ( synulox ; pfizer ) for 7 days .
additionally , topical gentamicin drops ( gentocil ; laboratrio edol ) were applied q8h for 7 days to the skin suture .
early diagnosis and removal of intraocular foreign bodies is very important to determine further management and the final result of treatment .
intraocular foreign bodies may present in a variety of ways , which may hinder their clinical detection .
management and prognosis depend on the composition and location of the foreign body , as well as the possible presence of secondary infection . in this case
the 2 week duration of the disease without a definite diagnosis increased the severity of the endophthalmitis and worsened the vision prognosis .
intraocular foreign bodies can be classified according to their composition as ( 1 ) metallic , such as steel ; ( 2 ) non - metallic , which may be inorganic , such as glass ; and ( 3 ) organic , such as wood or vegetable matter .
some of these can be tolerated when left in the eye , including those made of glass , plastic , graphite , stone , aluminum or gold .
however , objects contaminated with organic matter can cause significant morbidity . in the present case the foreign body was metallic but allowed communication with the oral cavity , which facilitated the progression of infection . in humans ,
the most common cause of the introduction of intraocular foreign bodies is the wielding of a hammer . in veterinary medicine ,
the most common ocular foreign bodies are grass awns or other plant material that will usually lodge within the conjunctiva or behind the nictitating membrane , and can be removed using thumb forceps following instillation of a topical anaesthetic .
grass awns can even perforate the globe , and tovar et al have already described a case of intraoculargrass that had migrated through the sclera , causing a suprachoroidal abscess with choroidal and retinal detachment in a cat .
linear foreign bodies are relatively common in feline patients , usually causing plication of the small intestine with the risk of perforation , peritonitis and death .
the intraorbital location of a linear foreign body is very unusual . in the present case
the sewing needle entered the pterygopalatine fossa , perforating the orbit and the ocular globe caudally , and the thread was swallowed .
the metallic needle was easily recognised in the plain radiograph , allowing for the definite diagnosis of the aetiology of the endophthalmitis .
radiography is an ancillary procedure and a minimum of two radiographic views should be taken .
it may be useful in identifying and locating intraocular / orbital foreign bodies , with detection rates of 6990% for metallic foreign bodies and 7177% for glass ; however , the detection rate for organic material , such as wood , is low ( 015% ) .
treatment for an intraocular foreign body depends on its nature , size and location ; the extent of associated tissue damage ; and the amount of uveal inflammation .
foreign bodies located within the posterior segment of the globe are usually accompanied by a substantial amount of intraocular haemorrhage and retinal detachment , and are difficult to retrieve .
pars plana vitrectomy and magnetic retrieval of foreign material ( in cases of iron - metallic foreign bodies ) are procedures employed in humans but their use has not yet been reported in animals .
regardless of the type of foreign body , endophthalmitis is a possible sequela that may necessitate enucleation or evisceration .
bacterial culture was probably negative because the patient had previously been prescribed oral antibiotics , which prevented bacterial growth ; although , in cats , the oral cavity bacterial flora is very rich in anaerobic pathogens .
to the author s knowledge , this is the first time that a case of severe endophthalmitis following retrograde intraocular migration of a linear foreign body originating from the oral cavity in a cat has been reported .
in this case , the penetrating injury led to trauma of the ocular tissues , secondary glaucoma and exposure keratitis , rendering the eye blind and painful . it allowed for bacterial migration from the oral cavity , so endophthalmitis was a predicable sequela .
evisceration was not advisable owing to the presence of endophthalmitis and the higher risk of sarcoma development in cats . | pubmed |
Are Fresnel equations valid in conductors?
The derivation of Fresnel equations assume no surface charge density or current density is present at the interface, hence making the normal and tangential components of D and H continuous, respectively. I understand this is the case for dielectrics, but what about conductors?
After deriving Fresnel coefficients some books (ex: Introduction to Optics by Pedrotti) present the complex permittivity of conductors and then plug this expression in Fresnel coefficients. I would like to understand why this is correct due to the fact that Fresnel coefficients where derived only for the case where sigma = 0 and j = 0 at the interface, in the first place.
I’m not sure which derivation you’re looking at, but (a) the tangential component of $D$ is virtually always continuous (absent a static charge density which simply contributes a static field), and (b) including a current density poses no problem. Take a look at Ampere’s Law (time-harmonic approximation):
$$
\nabla\times H = J + i \omega D
$$
It’s clear that the free current and displacement current terms both contribute to the curl of H, they just have a relative phase shift:
$$
\nabla\times H = (\sigma + i \omega \epsilon)E
$$
So we can bundle $\sigma$ (the conductivity, not the surface charge density) into $\epsilon$, giving it a complex value, but nothing else about Ampere’s Law changes. Therefore, the same derivation for the Fresnel coefficients applies in the case of a complex $\epsilon$.
Just in case you don’t believe your book, trust that the validity of the Fresnel coefficients for complex-valued $\epsilon$ has been empirically verified countless times over decades. I have used it myself to calculate the transmission spectra of thin metal films, which I used to successfully model my data.
| stackexchange/physics |
a polygonal domains @xmath4 with @xmath1 corners and @xmath5 holes is a polygonal region of genus @xmath5 whose boundary consists of @xmath1 line segments . the holes and the outer boundary of @xmath4 are regarded as _
obstacles_. then , the geodesic distance between any two points @xmath6 in a given polygonal domain @xmath4 is defined to be the length of a shortest obstacle - avoiding path between @xmath7 and @xmath8 .
the euclidean shortest path problem in a polygonal domain has drawn much attention in the history of computational geometry @xcite . in the _ two - point shortest path query _ problem , we preprocess @xmath4 so that we can determine a shortest path ( or its length ) quickly for a given pair of query points @xmath9 . while we can compute a shortest path in @xmath10 time from scratch @xcite , known structures for logarithmic time query require significantly large storage @xcite .
chiang and mitchell @xcite developed several data structures that can answer a two - point query quickly with tradeoffs between storage usage and query time .
most notably , @xmath11 query time can be achieved by using @xmath12 space and preprocessing time ; sublinear query time by @xmath13 space and preprocessing time .
more recently , guo et al .
@xcite have shown that a data structure of size @xmath14 can be constructed in @xmath15 time to answer the query in @xmath16 time , where @xmath5 is the number of holes .
their results are summarized in [ table : summary ] . for more results on shortest paths in a polygonal domain
, we refer to survey articles by mitchell @xcite . in this paper , we focus on a variant of the problem , in which possible query points are restricted to a subset of @xmath4 ; the boundary @xmath17 of the domain @xmath4 or a set of line segments within @xmath4 .
in many applications , possible pairs of source and destination do not span the whole domain @xmath4 but a specified subset of @xmath4 .
for example , in an urban planning problem , the obstacles correspond to the residential areas and the free space corresponds to the walking corridors .
then , the query points are restricted to the spots where people depart and arrive , which are on the boundary of obstacles .
therefore , our goal is to design a data structure using much less resources than structures of chiang and mitchell @xcite when the query domain is restricted to the boundary of a given polygonal domain @xmath4 or to a set of segments in @xmath4 . to our best knowledge , no prior work seems to investigate this variation . as a main result , in section [ sec : log_query ]
, we present a data structure of size @xmath18 that can be constructed in @xmath19 time and can answer a @xmath17-restricted two - point shortest path query in @xmath11 time . here
, @xmath20 stands for the maximum length of a davenport - schinzel sequence of order @xmath21 on @xmath1 symbols @xcite .
it is good to note that @xmath22 for any constant @xmath21 as a convenient intuition , while tighter bounds are known @xcite .
we also provide a tradeoff between space and query time in section [ sec : tradeoff ] .
in particular , we show that one can achieve sublinear query time using @xmath3 space and preprocessing time .
new results in this paper are also summarized in [ table : summary ] .
[ table : summary ] .summary of new and known results on exact two - point shortest path queries , where @xmath23 is arbitrary and @xmath24 is a parameter .
[ new ] denotes our results . [ cols="^,^,^,^,^",options="header " , ] our data structure is a subdivision of two - dimensional domain parameterized in a certain way .
the domain is divided into a number of grid cells in which a set of constrained shortest paths between query points have the same structure .
each grid cell is divided according to the projection of the lower envelope of functions stemming from the constrained shortest paths . with careful investigation into this lower envelope ,
we show the claimed upper bounds .
also , our approach readily extends to the variant where query points are restricted to lie on a given segment or a given set of segments in @xmath4 .
we discuss this extension in section [ sec : extension ] . in the case where @xmath4 is a simple polygon ( @xmath25 ) , the two - point shortest path query can be answered in @xmath11 time after @xmath26 preprocessing time @xcite .
more references and results on shortest paths in simple polygons can be found in a survey article by orourke and suri @xcite before chaing and mitchell @xcite , fast two - point shortest path queries in polygonal domains were considered as a challenge . due to this difficulty , many researchers have focused on the _ approximate _ two - point shortest path query problem .
chen @xcite achieved an @xmath27-sized structure for @xmath28-approximate shortest path queries in @xmath11 time , and also pointed out that a method of clarkson @xcite can be applied to answer @xmath29-approximate shortest path queries in @xmath11 time using @xmath14 space and @xmath30 preprocessing time .
later , arikati et al .
@xcite have improved the above results based on planar spanners .
the problem on polyhedral surfaces also have been considered .
agarwal et al .
@xcite presented a data structure of size @xmath31 that answers a two - point shortest path query on a given _ convex _ polytope in @xmath32 time after @xmath31 preprocessing time for any fixed @xmath33 and any @xmath34 .
they also considered the problem where the query points are restricted to lie on the edges of the polytope , reducing the bounds by a factor of @xmath1 from the general case .
recently , cook iv and wenk @xcite presented an improved method using kinetic voronoi diagrams .
we are given as input a polygonal domain @xmath4 with @xmath5 holes and @xmath1 corners .
more precisely , @xmath4 consists of an outer simple polygon in the plane @xmath35 and a set of @xmath5 ( @xmath36 ) disjoint open simple polygons inside @xmath37 . as a set , @xmath4 is the region contained in its outer polygon _ excluding _ the holes , also called the _ free space_. the complement of @xmath4 in the plane is regarded as _
obstacles _ so that any feasible path does not cross the boundary @xmath17 and lies inside @xmath4 .
it is well known from earlier works that there exists a _
shortest ( obstacle - avoiding ) path _ between any two points @xmath38 @xcite .
let @xmath39 be the set of all corners of @xmath4 .
then any shortest path from @xmath40 to @xmath41 is a simple polygonal path and can be represented by a sequence of line segments connecting points in @xmath42 @xcite .
the _ length _ of a shortest path is the sum of the euclidean lengths of its segments .
the geodesic distance , denoted by @xmath43 , is the length of a shortest path between @xmath7 and @xmath8 .
also , we denote by @xmath44 the euclidean length of segment @xmath45 . a _ two - point shortest path query _ is given as a pair of points @xmath46 with @xmath47 and asks to find a shortest path between @xmath7 and @xmath8 . in this paper , we deal with a restriction where the queried points @xmath7 and @xmath8 lie on the boundary @xmath17 . a _ shortest path tree _ @xmath48 for a given source point @xmath40 is a spanning tree on the corners @xmath39 plus the source @xmath7 such that the unique path to any corner @xmath49 from the source @xmath7 in @xmath48 is a shortest path between @xmath7 and @xmath50 .
the combinatorial complexity of @xmath48 for any @xmath40 is at most linear in @xmath1 .
a shortest path map @xmath51 for the source @xmath7 is a decomposition of the free space @xmath4 into cells in which any point @xmath52 has a shortest path to @xmath7 through the same sequence of corners in @xmath39 .
once @xmath48 is obtained , @xmath51 can be computed as an additively weighted voronoi diagram of @xmath53 with weight assigned by the geodesic distance to @xmath7 @xcite ; thus , the combinatorial complexity of @xmath51 is linear .
a cell of @xmath51 containing a point @xmath54 has the common last corner @xmath55 along the shortest path from @xmath7 to @xmath8 ; we call such a corner @xmath50 the _ root _ of the cell or of @xmath8 with respect to @xmath7 . an @xmath27 time algorithm , using @xmath10 working space , to construct @xmath48 and @xmath51 is presented by hershberger and suri @xcite .
an _ spt - equivalence decomposition _
@xmath56 of @xmath4 is the subdivision of @xmath4 into cells in which every point has topologically equivalent shortest path tree .
an @xmath56 can be obtained by overlaying @xmath1 shortest path maps @xmath57 for every corner @xmath49
hence , the complexity of @xmath56 is @xmath58 .
note that @xmath59 consists of at most @xmath14 points ; they are intersection points between any edge of @xmath57 for any @xmath49 and the boundary @xmath17 .
we call those intersection points , including the corners @xmath39 , the _
breakpoints_. the breakpoints induce @xmath14 intervals along @xmath17 .
we shall say that a breakpoint is _ induced by @xmath57 _ if it is an intersection of an edge of @xmath57 and @xmath17 .
given a set @xmath60 of algebraic surfaces and surface patches in @xmath61 , the _ lower envelope _
@xmath62 of @xmath60 is the set of pointwise minima of all given surfaces or patches in the @xmath63-th coordinate .
the _ minimization diagram _
@xmath64 of @xmath60 is a decomposition of @xmath65 into faces , which are maximally connected region over which @xmath62 is attained by the same set of functions . in particular , when @xmath66 , the minimization diagram @xmath64 is simply a projection of the lower envelope onto the @xmath67-plane .
analogously , we can define the _ upper envelope _ and the _ maximization diagram_. as we intensively exploit known algorithms on algebraic surfaces or surface patches and their lower envelopes , we assume a model of computation in which several primitive operations dealing with a constant number of given surfaces can be performed in constant time : testing if a point lies above , on or below a given surface , computing the intersection of two or three given surfaces , projecting down a given surface , and so on .
such a model of computation has been adopted in many research papers ; see @xcite .
in this section , we present a data structure that answers a two - point query restricted on @xmath17 in @xmath11 time . to ease discussion , we parameterize the boundary @xmath17 . since @xmath17 is a union of @xmath68 closed curves , it can be done by parameterizing each curve by arc length and merging them into one .
thus , we have a bijection @xmath69 that maps a one - dimensional interval into @xmath17 , where @xmath70 denotes the total lengths of the @xmath68 closed curves forming @xmath17 .
conversely , the inverse of @xmath7 maps each interval along @xmath17 to an interval of @xmath71 .
a shortest path between two points @xmath72 is either the segment @xmath45 or a polygonal chain through corners in @xmath39 .
thus , unless @xmath73 , the geodesic distance is taken as the minimum of the following functions @xmath74 over all @xmath75 , which are defined as follows : @xmath76 where @xmath77 , for any point @xmath78 , denotes the _ visibility profile _ of @xmath52 , defined as the set of all points @xmath79 that are _ visible from _ @xmath52 ; that is , @xmath80 lies inside @xmath4 .
the symbol @xmath81 can be replaced by an upper bound of @xmath82 ; for example , the total length @xmath70 of the boundary of the polygonal domain @xmath4 . since the case where @xmath83 is visible from @xmath84 ,
so the shortest path between them is just the segment @xmath85 , can be checked in @xmath11 time using @xmath15 space @xcite , we assume from now on that @xmath86 . hence , our task is to efficiently compute the lower envelope of the @xmath14 functions @xmath87 on a 2-dimensional domain @xmath88 . using known results on the lower envelope of the algebraic surfaces in @xmath89-dimension , we can show that a data structure of size @xmath90 for @xmath11 query can be built in @xmath90 time as follows .
fix a pair of intervals @xmath91 and @xmath92 induced by the breakpoints . since @xmath91 belongs to a cell of an spt - equivalence decomposition , @xmath93 is independent of choices over all @xmath94 .
therefore , the set @xmath95 of corners visible from @xmath83 is also independent of the choice of @xmath96 and further , for a fixed @xmath97 , there exists a unique @xmath55 that minimizes @xmath98 for any @xmath99 over all @xmath49 @xcite .
this implies that for each such subdomain @xmath100 we extract at most @xmath1 functions , possibly appearing at the lower envelope .
moreover , in @xmath101 , such a function is represented explicitly ; for @xmath102 and @xmath103 , @xmath104 where @xmath105 and @xmath106 are the @xmath52- and the @xmath107-coordinates of @xmath83 , and @xmath108 and @xmath109 are the @xmath52- and the @xmath107-coordinates of a point @xmath110 .
note that @xmath105 and @xmath106 are linear functions in @xmath111 by our parametrization .
for each @xmath112 , there exists a corner @xmath113 that minimizes @xmath114 in @xmath101 over all @xmath115 .
therefore , the function @xmath116 on @xmath101 is well - defined .
observe that the graph of @xmath117 is an algebraic surface with degree at most @xmath118 in @xmath89-dimensional space . applying any efficient algorithm that computes the lower envelope of algebraic surfaces in @xmath119
, we can compute the lower envelope of the functions @xmath117 in @xmath120 time @xcite . repeating this for every such subdomain @xmath121 yields @xmath90 space and preprocessing time . since we would like to provide a point location structure in domain @xmath122 , we need to find the minimization diagram @xmath123 of the computed lower envelope .
fortunately , our domain is @xmath124-dimensional , so we can easily project it down on @xmath122 and build a point location structure with an additional logarithmic factor . in another way around , one could try to deal with _ surface patches _ on the whole domain @xmath122 .
consider a fixed corner @xmath125 and its shortest path map @xmath126 .
the number of breakpoints induced by @xmath126 is at most @xmath26 , including the corners @xmath39 themselves .
this implies at most an @xmath14 number of combinatorially different paths between any two boundary points @xmath83 and @xmath84 via @xmath127 .
that is , for a pair of intervals @xmath91 and
@xmath92 , we have a unique path via @xmath127 and its length is represented by a partial function of @xmath128 defined on a rectangular subdomain @xmath100 .
hence , we have @xmath14 such partial functions for each @xmath125 , and thus @xmath129 in total .
each of them defines an algebraic surface patch of constant degree on a rectangular subdomain .
consequently , we can apply the same algorithm as above to compute the lower envelope of those patches in @xmath130 time and space .
now , we present a way of proper grouping of subdomains to reduce the time / space bound by a factor of @xmath1 .
we call a subdomain @xmath100 , where both @xmath91 and @xmath92 are intervals induced by breakpoints , a _ grid cell_. thus , @xmath122 consists of @xmath58 grid cells
. we will decompose @xmath122 into @xmath129 _ blocks _ of @xmath26 grid cells .
consider a pair of boundary edges @xmath131 and let @xmath132 and @xmath133 be the number of breakpoints on @xmath134 and on @xmath135 , respectively .
let @xmath136 and @xmath137 be the breakpoints on @xmath134 and on @xmath135 , respectively , in order @xmath138 and @xmath139 .
take @xmath133 grid cells with @xmath140 and let @xmath141 be their union .
we redefine the functions @xmath87 on domain @xmath142 . as discussed above , for any @xmath143
, we have a common subset @xmath144 of corners visible from @xmath83 . for any @xmath97 , let @xmath145 be a function defined on @xmath142 and @xmath146 be the number of breakpoints on @xmath135 induced by @xmath126 .
the following is our key observation .
[ lemma : patch ] the graph of @xmath147 on @xmath142 consists of at most @xmath148 algebraic surface patches with constant maximum degree . if @xmath149 for any @xmath150 and some @xmath151 , then @xmath84 lies in a cell of @xmath126 with root @xmath50 ; by the definition of @xmath117 , the involved path goes directly from @xmath83 to @xmath127 and follows a shortest path from @xmath127 to @xmath84 .
on the other hand , when we walk along @xmath135 as @xmath152 increases from @xmath153 to @xmath154 , we encounter @xmath155 breakpoints induced by @xmath126 ; thus , @xmath156 cells of @xmath126 .
hence , the lemma is shown .
moreover , the partial function corresponding to each patch of @xmath157 is defined on a rectangular subdomain @xmath158 for some @xmath159 .
this implies that the lower envelope of @xmath117 on @xmath142 is represented by that of at most @xmath160 surface patches .
though this envelope can be computed in @xmath161 time , we do further decompose @xmath142 into @xmath162 blocks of at most @xmath1 grid cells .
this can be simply done by cutting @xmath142 at @xmath163 for each @xmath164 . for each such block of grid cells
, we have at most @xmath165 surface patches and thus their lower envelope can be computed in @xmath120 time .
hence , we obtain the following consequence
. one can preprocess a given polygonal domain @xmath4 in @xmath13 time into a data structure of size @xmath13 that answers the two - point shortest path query restricted to the boundary @xmath17 in @xmath11-time , where @xmath166 is an arbitrarily small positive number .
recall that @xmath167 . for a pair of boundary edges
@xmath134 and @xmath135 , we can compute the lower envelope of the functions @xmath87 in @xmath168 . summing this over every pair of boundary edges
, we have @xmath169 a point location structure on the minimization diagram can be built with additional logarithmic factor , which is subdued by @xmath170 .
the algorithms we described so far compute the lower envelope of surface patches in @xmath89-space in order to obtain the minimization diagram @xmath123 of the functions @xmath87 . in this subsection
, we introduce a way to compute @xmath123 rather directly on @xmath122 , based on more careful analysis . basically , we make use of the same scheme of partitioning the domain @xmath122 into blocks of ( at most ) @xmath1 grid cells as in section [ sec : log_query].2 .
let @xmath142 be such a block defined as @xmath171 such that @xmath172 is an interval induced by the breakpoints and @xmath173 is a union of @xmath174 consecutive intervals in which we have @xmath175 breakpoints @xmath176 . by lemma [ lemma : patch ]
, the functions @xmath177 restricted to @xmath142 can be split into at most @xmath165 partial functions @xmath178 with @xmath179 defined on a subdomain @xmath180 .
each @xmath181 is represented explicitly as @xmath182 in @xmath183 , so that we have @xmath184 for any @xmath185 and some @xmath186 .
note that it may happen that @xmath187 or @xmath188 for some @xmath189 and @xmath190 ; in particular , if @xmath187 , we have @xmath191 .
also , as discussed in section [ sec : log_query].2 , @xmath183 is represented as @xmath192 for some @xmath193 . in this section ,
we take the partial functions @xmath178 into account , and thus the goal is to compute the minimization diagram @xmath123 of surface patches defined by the @xmath178 .
we start with an ordering on the set @xmath144 of corners visible from @xmath83 for any @xmath194 based on the following observation .
[ lemma : ordering ] the angular order of corners in @xmath144 seen at @xmath111 is constant if @xmath111 varies within @xmath172 .
if this is not true , we have such an @xmath195 that @xmath196 and two corners @xmath197 in @xmath144 are collinear . since corners lie on the boundary of an obstacle , one of @xmath50 and @xmath198 is not visible from @xmath83 locally near @xmath199 ; that is , @xmath196 is a breakpoint , a contradiction
. increases , @xmath83 moves in direction where the obstacle is to the right . ] without loss of generality , we assume that as @xmath111 increases , @xmath83 moves along @xmath17 in direction that the obstacle lies to the _ right _ ; that is , @xmath83 moves _ clockwise _ around each hole and _ counter - clockwise _ around the outer boundary of @xmath4 .
( see figure [ fig : orientation ] . ) by lemma [ lemma : ordering ] , we order the corners in @xmath144 in counter - clockwise order at @xmath83 for any @xmath143 ; let @xmath200 be a total order on @xmath144 such that @xmath201 if and only if @xmath202 . from now on , we investigate the set @xmath203 which is a projection of the intersection of two surface patches defined by @xmath178 and @xmath204 .
one can easily check that @xmath205 is a subset of an algebraic curve of degree at most @xmath206 .
[ lemma : monotone ] the set @xmath205 is @xmath152-monotone .
that is , for fixed @xmath152 , there is at most one @xmath143 such that @xmath207 .
if @xmath207 , we have equation @xmath208 . from the equation ,
we get @xmath209 .
if we fix @xmath152 as constant , @xmath210 remains a constant even if @xmath111 varies within @xmath172 .
thus , @xmath83 is an intersection point with line segment @xmath211 and a branch @xmath212 of a hyperbola whose foci are @xmath213 and @xmath214 .
if @xmath215 consists of two points , then the line @xmath216 through @xmath213 and @xmath214 must cross @xmath211 at a point @xmath217 ; @xmath216 is the transverse axis of @xmath212 and both @xmath213 and @xmath214 lie in one side of the line supporting @xmath211 .
such a crossing point @xmath217 is a breakpoint by definition but we do not have any breakpoint within @xmath211 since @xmath172 is an interval induced by the breakpoints , a contradiction .
[ lemma : increasing ] the set @xmath205 is either an empty set or an open curve whose endpoints lie on the boundary of @xmath218 .
moreover , @xmath205 is either a linear segment parallel to the @xmath152-axis or @xmath111-monotone .
let @xmath91 and @xmath92 be intervals such that @xmath219 .
note that @xmath220 and @xmath221 for some @xmath222 .
first , note that if @xmath187 , @xmath223 and thus @xmath224 , so the lemma is true .
thus , we assume that @xmath225 .
regarding @xmath226 and @xmath227 , there are two cases : @xmath188 or @xmath228 . in the former case , we get @xmath229 from equation @xmath208 .
observe that variable @xmath152 is readily eliminated from the equation , and thus if there exists @xmath230 with @xmath231 , we have @xmath232 for every other @xmath233 .
hence , by lemma [ lemma : monotone ] , @xmath205 is empty or a straight line segment in @xmath218 which is parallel to @xmath152-axis , and thus the lemma is shown .
now , we consider the latter case where @xmath234 . without loss of generality
, we assume that @xmath235 .
recall that if @xmath236 , then @xmath237 for any @xmath111 in the interior of @xmath91 .
we denote @xmath238 and @xmath239 . on the other hand
, we also have a similar relation for @xmath226 and @xmath227 .
let @xmath240 and @xmath241 .
observe that @xmath242 and @xmath243 are continuous functions of @xmath152 , and if @xmath244 at @xmath245 , then @xmath246 is a breakpoint induced by @xmath247 or @xmath248 . since @xmath92 contains no such breakpoint induced by @xmath247 or @xmath248 in its interior , either @xmath249 or @xmath250 for all @xmath152 in the interior of @xmath92 ; that is , the sign of @xmath251 is constant .
since for any @xmath252 with @xmath253 we have @xmath254 by our parametrization , we can represent @xmath255 and @xmath256 , where @xmath257 , @xmath258 , @xmath259 and @xmath260 are constants depending on @xmath213 , @xmath226 , and parametrization @xmath7 .
more specifically , @xmath261 denotes a signed distance between @xmath83 and the perpendicular foot of @xmath213 onto the line supporting @xmath262 , and @xmath258 is the distance between @xmath213 and the line supporting @xmath262 .
see figure [ fig : bisector ] .
thus , @xmath181 can represented as @xmath263 . ]
now , we differentiate the both sides of equation @xmath264 by @xmath152 to obtain the derivative @xmath265 : @xmath266 rearranging this , we obtain @xmath267 since @xmath268 , we have @xmath269 . also , as discussed above , @xmath251 has a constant sign when @xmath152 varies within the interior of @xmath92 .
thus , @xmath270 has a constant sign , and @xmath271 also has a constant sign at any @xmath207 .
furthermore , @xmath271 is continuous and has no singularity in the interior of @xmath272 .
this , together with lemma [ lemma : monotone ] , proves the lemma .
now , we know that @xmath205 can be seen as the graph of a partial function @xmath273 . also , lemma [ lemma : increasing ] implies that @xmath205 _ bisects _ @xmath218 into two connected regions @xmath274 and @xmath275 , where @xmath276 and @xmath277 .
let @xmath278 be the set of points @xmath128 where the minimum of @xmath279 over all @xmath190 is attained by @xmath181 .
we then have @xmath280 for each @xmath189 . for easy explanation , from now on ,
we regard the @xmath111-axis as the _ vertical axis _ in @xmath122 so that we can say a point lies _ above _ or _ below _ a curve in this sense .
the idea of computing @xmath278 is to use the lower and the upper envelopes of the bisecting curves @xmath205 . in order to do so ,
we extend @xmath205 to cover the whole @xmath152-interval @xmath281 in @xmath282 by following operation : for each endpoint of @xmath205 , if it does not lie on the vertical line @xmath283 or @xmath284 , attach a horizontal segment to reach the vertical line as shown in figure [ fig : envelopes](a ) .
we denote the resulting curve by @xmath285 ; if @xmath286 , define @xmath285 as the horizontal segment connecting two points @xmath287 and @xmath288 in @xmath218 .
observe now that @xmath285 bisects @xmath218 into regions @xmath274 and @xmath275 , which lie _ above _ and _ below _
@xmath285 , respectively .
( dashed line ) to @xmath285 by attaching horizontal segments ( solid line ) ; ( b ) @xmath289 , ( c ) @xmath290 , and ( d ) the region @xmath278 between them . here
, the dotted boxes are grid cells whose union is @xmath183 and the @xmath111-axis appears vertical . ] let @xmath291 be the region above @xmath285 and @xmath292 be the region below @xmath285 . for a fixed @xmath189 with @xmath179 , we classify the @xmath285 into two sets @xmath293 and @xmath294 such that @xmath295 if @xmath296 or @xmath297 if @xmath298 . recall that @xmath299 .
thus , we have @xmath300 the boundary of @xmath301 in @xmath183 is the lower envelope @xmath289 of @xmath293 ; symmetrically , the boundary of @xmath302 in @xmath183 is the upper envelope @xmath290 of @xmath294 .
therefore , @xmath303 , the region below the lower envelope @xmath289 of @xmath293 and above the upper envelope @xmath290 of @xmath294 , and it can be obtained by computing the overlay of two envelopes @xmath289 and @xmath290 .
see figure [ fig : envelopes](b)(d ) .
we exploit known results on the davenport - schinzel sequences to obtain the following lemma @xcite .
[ lemma : ds ] the set @xmath278 is of combinatorial complexity @xmath304 and can be computed in @xmath305 time , where @xmath306 is the maximum length of a davenport - schinzel sequence of order @xmath21 on @xmath1 symbols .
@xmath285 consists of at most three arcs , at most one algebraic curve of degree @xmath206 and at most two straight segments .
thus , we have at most @xmath307 algebraic arcs of degree at most @xmath206 .
any two such arcs can intersect each other at most @xmath308 times by bzout s theorem @xcite .
thus , each of @xmath289 and @xmath290 has complexity @xmath304 and can be computed in @xmath309 time @xcite . after sorting the vertices on these envelopes in @xmath152-increasing order
, we can easily specify all intersections between @xmath289 and @xmath290 in the same bound .
it should be noted here that the exact constant @xmath310 is not relevant ; it only matters that this is some constant .
we can compute the minimization diagram @xmath123 by computing each @xmath278 in @xmath311 time . in the same time
bound , we can build a point location structure on @xmath123 .
finally , we conclude our main theorem .
[ thm : log - query ] one can preprocess a given polygonal domain @xmath4 in @xmath312 time into a data structure of size @xmath18 that answers the two - point shortest path query restricted on the boundary @xmath17 in @xmath11 time .
in this section , we provide a space / query - time tradeoff .
we use the technique of partitioning @xmath39 , which has been introduced in chiang and mitchell @xcite .
let @xmath313 be a positive number with @xmath24 .
we partition the corner set @xmath39 into @xmath314 subsets @xmath315 of near equal size @xmath316 . for each such subset @xmath317 of corners ,
we run the algorithm described above with little modification : we build the shortest path maps @xmath126 only for @xmath318 and care about only @xmath319 breakpoints induced by such @xmath126 .
thus , we consider only the paths from @xmath83 via @xmath320 and @xmath55 to @xmath84 , and thus @xmath319 functions @xmath87 for @xmath318 and @xmath49 . since we deal with less number of functions , the cost of preprocessing reduces from @xmath26 to @xmath316 at several places .
we take blocks of @xmath316 grid cells contained in @xmath122 and the number of such blocks is @xmath321 . for each such block
, we spend @xmath322 time to construct a point location structure for the minimization map @xmath323 of the functions . iterating all such blocks
, we get running time @xmath324 for a part @xmath317 of @xmath39 . repeating this for all such subsets @xmath317 yields @xmath325 construction time .
each query is processed by a series of @xmath21 point locations on every @xmath323 , taking @xmath326 time .
[ thm : tradeoff ] let @xmath313 be a fixed parameter with @xmath24 . using @xmath325 time and @xmath327 space
, one can compute a data structure for @xmath328-time two - point shortest path queries restricted on the boundary @xmath17 .
remark that when @xmath329 , we obtain theorem [ thm : log - query ] , and that @xmath3 time and space is enough for sublinear time query . note
that if @xmath26 time is allowed for processing each query , @xmath14 space and @xmath330 preprocessing time is sufficient .
our approach easily extends to the two - point queries in which queried points are restricted to be on a given segment or a given polygonal chain lying in the free space @xmath4 .
let @xmath331 and @xmath332 be two sets of @xmath333 and @xmath334 line segments , respectively , within @xmath4 . in this section ,
we restrict a query pair @xmath46 of points to lie on @xmath331 and @xmath332 each
. we will refer to this type of two - point query as a _
@xmath335-restricted two - point query_. as we did above , we take two segments @xmath336 and @xmath337 and let @xmath132 and @xmath133 be the number of breakpoints the intersection points with an edge of @xmath57 for some @xmath49 on @xmath134 and @xmath135 , respectively . also , parameterize @xmath134 and @xmath135 as above so that we have two bijections
@xmath338 \to s$ ] and @xmath339 \to t$ ] .
any path from a point on @xmath134 leaves to one of the two sides of @xmath134 .
thus , the idea of handling such a segment within the free space @xmath4 is to consider two cases separately . here , we regard @xmath134 and @xmath135 as directed segments in direction of movement of @xmath83 and @xmath340 as @xmath111 and @xmath152 increases , and consider only one case where paths leave @xmath134 to its left side and arrive at @xmath135 from its left side .
the other cases are analogous .
then , the situation is almost identical to that we considered in section [ sec : log_query].2 . for a pair of segments @xmath134 and @xmath135
, we can construct a query structure in @xmath341 time .
unfortunately , @xmath132 and @xmath133 can be as large as @xmath14 , yielding the same time bound for @xmath342-restricted two - point queries in the worst case .
thus , in the worst case , we need additional factor of @xmath343 as follows . [ thm : convexchain ] let @xmath331 and @xmath332 be two sets of @xmath333 and @xmath334 ( possibly crossing ) line segments , respectively , within @xmath4 , and @xmath313 be a fixed parameter with @xmath24 . then , using @xmath344 time and @xmath345 space , one can compute a data structure for @xmath346-time @xmath335-restricted two - point queries .
remark that in practice we expect that the number of breakpoints @xmath347 and @xmath348 is not so large as @xmath349 that the preprocessing and required storage would be much less than the worst case bounds .
in this paper , we posed the variation of the two - points query problem in polygonal domains where the query points are restricted in a specified subset of the free space .
and we obtained significantly better bounds for the boundary - restricted two - point queries than for the general queries . despite of its importance ,
the two - point shortest path query problem for the polygonal domains is not well understood .
there is a huge gap ( @xmath26 to @xmath12 ) about logarithmic query between the simple polygon case and the general case but still the reason why we need such a large storage is still unclear . on the other hand , restriction on the query domain provides another possibility of narrowing the gap with several new open problems : ( 1 ) what is the right upper bound on the complexity of the lower envelope defined by the functions @xmath87 on the parameterized query domain ? and what about any lower bound construction ? ( 2 ) if the query domain is a simple @xmath124-dimensional shape , such as a triangle , then can one achieve a better performance than the general results by chiang and mitchell ? we would carefully conjecture that our upper bound @xmath0 for logarithmic query could be improved to @xmath350 .
indeed , we have @xmath58 grid cells on the parameterized query domain and whenever we cross their boundaries , changes in the involved functions are usually bounded by a constant amount .
thus , if one could find a clever way of updating the functions and their lower envelope , it would be possible to achieve an improved bound .
the authors thank matias korman for fruitful discussion .
s. r. arikati , d. z. chen , l. p. chew , g. das , m. h. m. smid , and c. d. zaroliagis .
planar spanners and approximate shortest path queries among obstacles in the plane . in _ proc .
sympos . algo .
( esa96 ) _ , pages 514528 , 1996 . | arxiv |
the vacuum is induced to be a dielectric medium based on overall experimental observations in separate publications @xcite . in this paper
i formally develop the dielectric theory for this dielectric medium , or vacuum dielectrics , with respect to an * empty space * ( or free space) _ the space left over after the removal of the dielectric vacuum_. i will mainly address the questions that , under the influence of an external ( vaculeon ) charge placed in the vacuum , what is the electric polarization of the medium , the depolarization field , the polarization of each individual vacuuon , the local field acting on a vacuuon dipole , and the electric dipole moment of a vacuuon .
these are the basis for expressing the interaction forces and potential energies between an external single vaculeon and its surrounding polarized vacuuons , and between the polarized vacuuons themselves presented in @xcite , and furthermore for expressing the gravitational interaction force between masses@xcite .
this paper is aimed to elucidate the formalism of the vacuum dielectrics mainly ; the detail - filling equations for dipole and local fields for a three - dimensional vacuum , involved directly for obtaining vacuum interaction forces @xcite are left out ; these are given in @xcite .
a large part of the dielectric theory of the vacuum can be formulated in direct analogy to the well - established dielectric theory for ordinary dielectric materials ( see e.g. @xcite , or see @xcite for a brief review ) , given that vacuum is just one specific dielectric medium , and that we have practically based on proposition 1 an explicit internal structure for the constituent vacuuon particles of the vacuum , from which the vacuum polarization and dielectric properties derive .
vacuum is actually a very well behaved dielectric by virtue of its isotropy and nonpolar nature , among others ; although it has also particularities not present with the ordinary dielectric materials as i will discuss when in question .
[ app - diele - vacpol ] the electric _ polarization _ of an ordinary dielectric medium is defined as the _ dipole moment _
@xmath0 per unit volume , averaged over a macroscopic volume @xmath1 : @xmath2 , with respect to the vacuum .
we similarly define the * electric polarization of the dielectric vacuum * , or the * vacuum polarization * , with respect to the empty space after the removal of the vacuum , over a macroscopic volume @xmath1 as : @xmath3 @xmath4 being the _ electric dipole moment _ of the vacuum in the specified volume @xmath1 . by virtue of its structure proposed in @xcite namely that , briefly , the vacuum consists of neutral but polarizable entities termed vacuuons , the vacuum presents no permanent dipoles . in other terms , the vacuuons have zero electric dipole moment in the absence of an applied field , and the vacuum is thus a _
nonpolar _ dielectric . in the presence of an applied electric field , the n- and
p- vaculeon charges comprising a vacuuon will be displaced relative to each other , into dipole charges ; accordingly the vacuum is produced with an electric polarization .
the n- and p- vaculeons of a vacuuon are bound each other with a binding energy extraordinarily large , estimated @xcite to be 0.5 gev ; therefore normally ( except in a pair production ) they can not be separated .
the vacuum will therefore maintain _ electrically neutral _ even in the presence of applied fields .
hence the electric dipole moment in a macroscopic volume @xmath5 of the vacuum may be obtained by @xmath6 where @xmath7 is the position vector of charge @xmath8 . the subscript @xmath9 labels that a specified quantity , here @xmath4 , pertains to the ( dielectric ) vacuum as opposed to an ordinary ( dielectric ) material medium . with ( [ eq - app - mub ] ) , ( [ eq - app - dielce - x1 ] )
thus writes @xmath10 polarized into a vacuuon dipole of dipole moment @xmath11 , with a displacement @xmath12 between its two charges @xmath13 and @xmath14.,scaledwidth=50.0% ] for two opposite - signed charges ( @xmath15 , @xmath16 ) on a polarized vacuuon @xmath17 , mutually displaced by a distance vector @xmath18 ( figure [ fig - dipole ] ) , equation ( [ eq - app - mub ] ) gives the ( induced ) * electric dipole moment of a vacuuon * : @xmath19 is produced by two parallel plates with free charges @xmath20 and @xmath21 on them , and with a dielectric vacuum medium in between .
the vacuum is regarded explicitly as non - dielectric in ( a ) , and as a dielectric in ( b ) .
( c ) shows two charged plates as in ( a)-(b ) , but with the vacuum in between removed , left with an empty space . in ( d ) , without regard to the charged plates , the vacuum polarized as in ( b ) ( or ( a ) , or by the device in ( c ) ) , of a polarization @xmath22 is represented as produced by a polarization charge @xmath23 and @xmath24 in the upper and lower surfaces .
( e ) relationship between the applied- , macroscopic- , and polarization- field vectors @xmath25 , @xmath26 , and @xmath27 . in all graphs
, @xmath28 indicates a chosen gaussian surface enclosing charge @xmath29 and similarly @xmath23 , and @xmath30 the piece of area on @xmath28 with a normal parallel with @xmath31 .
, scaledwidth=70.0% ]
consider here a region of the vacuum is subjecting to the influence of a uniform applied field , @xmath32 as measured in the vacuum . with no loss of generality
let this @xmath32 be produced in between two parallel uniformly charged plates ( figure [ fig - dielec ] ) , of equal but opposite - signed free charges , @xmath29 and @xmath21 .
figure [ fig - dielec]a shows the traditional representation where one regards the vacuum as non - dielectric while , as one may recognize , a practically dielectric property is effectively reflected through a parameter , the permittivity of the vacuum .
unless specified otherwise we below regard that _ the vacuum is a dielectric _ ( figure [ fig - dielec]b ) .
suppose we have managed to remove the dielectric vacuum ( i.e. all of the vacuuons composing it ) in a region in question , say in a volume embracing the two parallel charged plates plus a certain vicinity region , and situate ourselves in the _ empty space _ left over as defined earlier .
then , a free charge in it will be @xmath33 if it was @xmath34 when measured in the dielectric vacuum ; and we find by measurement the applied field produced by @xmath33 in this empty space is @xmath35 ( figure [ fig - dielec]c ) .
we now fill in between the charged parallel plates with a piece of dielectric vacuum medium .
the field @xmath35 produced by the free charges on the plates then polarizes the vacuuons constituting the vacuum in between into * induced vacuuon dipoles * , each of an electric dipole moment @xmath36 aligned in the direction of @xmath35 . through the volume between the two plates
the displaced charges from each adjacent vacuuon dipoles are lined up head - to - tail in the direction perpendicular to the plates , and annul one another , giving a net zero charge in the interim of the chosen volume . only on the surface @xmath28 of the enclosure , see figure [ fig - dielec]d , one finds net charges , referred to as * polarization charge * of the vacuum here , @xmath37 , on each face @xmath38 parallel with the plates ; @xmath37 has an opposite sign to the free charge @xmath34 on the plate just beside it .
the formulae of the ordinary form of gauss s law ( for electricity here ) for the vacuum and for an ordinary dielectric material of dielectric constant @xmath39 between the plates , respectively write , @xmath40 with @xmath41 the permittivity of vacuum and @xmath42 polarization charge .
these are expressed by phenomenologically regarding the vacuum as `` non - dielectric '' . in other terms ,
in this form one does not regard the microscopic and dielectric property of the vacuum explicitly .
( see @xcite for a review of the derivation of these and related dielectric relations in terms of directly comparable denotations . ) in analogy to the ordinary form of gauss s law , we now establish the corresponding gauss s law applied to a general dielectric material with respect to the empty space . for illustration
we choose the `` dielectric material '' between the two charged plates to be just the dielectric vacuum itself , as shown in figure [ fig - dielec]b . in a thought experiment
it is easy to remove the vacuum outside the region enclosed between the plates , as in figure [ fig - dielec]d or b , and situate ourselves in the empty space and look at the interface between the vacuum and the empty space , the upper surface @xmath38 here ; on @xmath38 we find the polarization charge to be @xmath37 , as specified earlier . and
we will find by measurement the total charge on @xmath38 is @xmath43 we here do not presume any knowledge of the sign of @xmath44 , but rather leave it to be fixed through applying gauss s law , as by ( [ app - dielec-72 ] ) below .
that is , as viewed in the empty space , @xmath31 is effectively produced by @xmath45 ( the subscript @xmath34 indicates instead the charge as viewed in the vacuum ) , and @xmath35 is produced by @xmath46 ( @xmath47 as we will show below ) .
now with respect to the empty space , with the total charge as given by ( [ eq - app - dielec - qpq ] ) , we apply gauss s law to the gaussian surface @xmath28 enclosing the upper plate : @xmath48 where @xmath49 is the * permittivity of the empty space * ; @xmath31 is now the so - called macroscopic field produced by @xmath33 as measured in the dielectric vacuum .
note that since the empty space has no dielectric property , @xmath49 would merely represent a dimensional conversion factor .
it is straightforward to prove @xcite that ( [ app - dielec-74 ] ) is equivalent to the ordinary form of gauss s law for vacuum , ( [ app - dielec-6]a ) . since the vacuum is such a particular medium that it extends continuously throughout the space , in reality we can never actually find a real surface separating the vacuum and the empty space , and situate ourselves on the empty - space side of it .
so , whenever making an actual measurement of the charge , we are only doing this in the interim of the vacuum continuum . in it at any point on any specified surface
we make measurement , the polarization charges on its two opposite sides cancel .
consequently in realistic experiments we always measure the true value of the charge as in the empty space .
that is @xmath50
similarly as in the dielectric theory for ordinary materials , we introduce a * dielectric constant of the ( dielectric ) vacuum * , denoted by @xmath51 , with respect here to the empty space .
@xmath51 is defined such that the electric field measured in the dielectric vacuum @xmath31 , in relation to the field measured in the empty space @xmath52 is @xmath53 accordingly the permittivity of the ( dielectric ) vacuum with respect to the empty space , , @xmath51 , and @xmath33 of the dielectric vacuum as measured with respect to the empty space , and also the applied field @xmath54 in the empty space , we have used a subscript @xmath55 to distinguish from their counterparts @xmath56 ( @xmath57 ) , @xmath58 ( @xmath59 ) and @xmath34 ( @xmath60 numerically but having a distinct physics ) , for a `` non - dielectric vacuum '' with respect to the vacuum itself , and also @xmath61 .
the latter typically take trivial values only but are ordinarily expressed as variables . by this denotation method
all of the variables including @xmath62 , @xmath4 , @xmath63 , @xmath64 , @xmath65 @xmath66 , @xmath67 , @xmath68 , @xmath69 for the dielectric vacuum with respect to the empty space should also be suffixed by @xmath55 , as @xmath70 , @xmath71 , @xmath72 , @xmath73 , @xmath74 , @xmath75 , @xmath76 in cases where explicitness is needed .
we have in this text dropped the @xmath55 for the latter variables given that no confusion is being caused . ] in relation to that of the empty space is @xmath77 a basic notion we maintain in the two alternative ( the dielectric and the `` non - dielectric '' ) representations of the vacuum is that , the @xmath31 field as measured in a dielectric vacuum with respect to the empty space , is the same as one as actually measured in the real vacuum .
this must be so since , irrespective of which representation , we have one and the same vacuum and the force per charge ( per unit volume ) as represented by @xmath31 in this vacuum must be of an unique value .
the field produced at @xmath78 by a point charge @xmath34 located at @xmath79 is given by the coulomb s law @xmath80 ; it thus follows that in the latter representation , @xmath81 is the same quantity as that actually measured for the vacuum through the coulomb s law . since the dielectric vacuum responds to @xmath35 with a depolarization field ( see below ) which cancels a portion of @xmath35 , thus @xmath82 .
combining this inequality with ( [ app - dielec-70 ] ) and in turn the resultant with ( [ app - dielec-71 ] ) we have @xmath83 in further analogy to the dielectric theory for ordinary materials in a `` non - dielectric vacuum '' , we express the polarization charge of the dielectric vacuum in terms of the polarization of the vacuum via a corresponding gauss s law : @xmath84 and we express @xmath85 in relation to @xmath31 through an * electric susceptibility of the dielectric vacuum * , @xmath86 : @xmath87 substituting with ( [ app - dielec-73 ] ) , ( [ app - dielec-72 ] ) writes : @xmath88 substituting ( [ app - dielec-72])@xmath89 into the right - hand side of ( [ app - dielec-74 ] ) , rearranging , we have : @xmath90 the quantity on the right - hand side of ( [ app - dielec-75 ] ) , @xmath91 , is the free charge measured in the empty space . according to the principle of gauss s law applied here to the charge in empty space , the quantity on the left - hand side must amount to the total electric flux produced by the charge @xmath91 .
this corresponds to a so - called electric * displacement vector * of here the dielectric vacuum : @xmath92 so defined such that @xmath93 ( [ app - dielec-74])@xmath89 and ( [ app - dielec-75 ] ) give @xmath94 canceling @xmath95 between ( [ app - dielec-77b]a ) and ( [ app - dielec-77 ] ) further gives @xmath96 substituting into ( [ app - dielec-77b]b ) with ( [ app - dielec-71 ] ) we have @xmath97 . or ,
@xmath98 this gives the dielectric constant of vacuum in relation to susceptibility . substituting with
( [ app - dielec-73 ] ) , ( [ app - dielec-77b]b ) alternatively writes : @xmath99
applying gauss s law for the gaussian surface about the upper charged plate and enclosing @xmath100 only ( figure [ fig - dielec]d ) , we get the * electric polarization field of the vacuum * , produced by the charge displacements of the constituent vacuuons under the influence of the applied field @xmath35 .
that is @xmath101 canceling @xmath102 between ( [ app - dielec-73 ] ) and ( [ app - dielec-17b ] ) gives : @xmath103 @xmath104 is explicitly expressed by ( [ eq - app - efbpol2 ] ) to be antiparallel to @xmath35 and similarly to @xmath31 , and therefore is termed the * depolarization field * of the vacuum . substituting ( [ app - dielec-17b ] ) for @xmath85 into ( [ app - dielec-77b]c )
we have @xmath105 where the last expression used ( [ app - dielec-71 ] ) . from ( [ app - dielec-18 ] )
, we obtain the so - called * macroscopic field * in the dielectric vacuum : @xmath106 this is just the `` applied '' field @xmath31 ( with respect to a `` non - dielectric '' vacuum ) actually as measured in the vacuum ( cf .
the remark on the `` basic notion '' after eq .
[ app - dielec-71 ] ) .
the results in this section are the direct dielectric - theoretical basis for the depolarization radiation force considered as a cause of gravity@xcite .
we now represent the dielectric response of the vacuum , under the influence of the applied uniform field @xmath35 , in terms of the individual constituent vacuuons .
@xmath35 polarizes the initially neutral vacuuons into * vacuuon dipoles * aligned in the direction of @xmath35 , each having a dipole charge @xmath107 , charge displacement @xmath12 , and an electric dipole moment @xmath63 expressed earlier in ( [ eq - app - mub ] ) in terms of @xmath12 .
assuming @xmath35 is small so that the resulting charge displacement is linear , accordingly @xmath108 will be in linear proportion to a so - called * local field * , @xmath109 , produced by the applied field at the vacuuon .
that is @xmath110 where @xmath111 is the * polarizability of vacuuon*. the local field at the site @xmath7 of vacuuon @xmath17 , is given by the sum of the applied field @xmath35 and the total dipole field @xmath112 produced at it by all other vacuuon dipoles from the surrounding .
that is @xmath113 the electric field at @xmath7 as produced by a dipole located at @xmath114 , having an electric moment @xmath115 , is given by the standard equation of electrostatics : @xmath116 where @xmath117 is the distance vector from vacuuon @xmath118 to @xmath17 , @xmath119 for @xmath120 ; or @xmath121 and @xmath122 for @xmath123 . the total electric field at the @xmath17th dipole s location @xmath7 as produced by all the other dipoles , or the * total dipole field * , is the vector sum @xmath124 @xmath125 , and accordingly @xmath68 and @xmath108 are generally dependent on the geometry of the dielectric specimen and the orientation of @xmath52 relative to the specimen .
explicit expressions of ( [ eq - app - dielec-23 ] ) for a linear chain of vacuuon dipoles and for a three dimensional vacuum polarized by a point charge are given in @xcite and not elaborated here .
the author thanks scientist p - i .
johansson of uppsala univ . for his continued support of the research .
r. lundin has given appreciative review of the unification scheme conceived and developed by the author , and has reflected this in the forward to the two books @xcite by the author and collaborator p - i .
johansson .
j. x. zheng - johansson and p - i .
johansson , with foreword by prof .
r. lundin , _ unification of classical , quantum and relativistic mechanics and of the four forces . in : horizons in world physics _ , 2nd printing , ( nova science publishers , new york , 2006 ) isbn 1 - 59454 - 260 - 0 ; arxiv : physics/0412168 ( an early brief outline containing terms out of date ) .
j. x. zheng - johansson and p - i .
johansson , `` inference of schrdinger equation from classical - mechanics solution , '' _ quantum theory and symmetries iv _ , * 2 * , a supplement to the bulgarian journal of physics * 33 * , ed .
dobrev , ( heron press , bulgaria , 2006 ) 763 - 770 ; preprint : arxiv : physics/0411134 .
j. x. zheng - johansson , p - i .
johansson , and r. lundin , `` depolarization radiation force in a dielectric medium .
its analogy with gravity , '' _ quantum theory and symmetries iv _ , * 2 * , a supplement to the bulgarian journal of physics * 33 * , ed .
dobrev , ( heron press , bulgaria , 2006 ) 771 - 780 ; `` prediction of universal gravity between charges in a dielectric medium , '' arxiv : physics/0411245 . c. j. f. bttcher , _ theory of electric polarization _ * i * , ( elsevier scientific publishing company , amsterdam , 1973 ) ; n.w .
ashcroft and d. mermin , _ solid state physics _ , ( w.b .
saunders college , 1976 ) chapter 27 .
c. kittel , _ introduction to solid state physics _ , 6ed , ( john wiley & sons , inc n.y . , 1986 )
chapter 13 . | arxiv |
Time dilation in the Reissner-Nordström metric [closed]
**Closed.** This question is [off-topic](/help/closed-questions). It is not currently accepting answers.
---
This question does not appear to be about physics within the scope defined in the [help center](https://physics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic).
Closed 3 years ago.
[Improve this question](/posts/520542/edit)
According to Wikipedia, the formula for gravitational time dilation in the vicinity of a charged mass is:
$$\varsigma = \sqrt{|g^{t t}|} = \sqrt{\frac{r^2}{Q^2+(r-2 M) r}}$$
However, if I plug in $M=$Earth, $r=$Earth, $Q=0$, I get an imaginary number. Just in case I've made a silly mistake, this is, I think, the same formula in swift:
```
let r = 6e6 // meters
let Q = 0.0 // Coulombs
let M = 5.9e24 // kg
func σ(r: Double, Q: Double, M: Double) -> Double {
let r² = r*r
let Q² = Q*Q
let σ = sqrt( r² / (Q² + (r-(2*M))*r) )
// here, r² / (Q² + (r-(2*M))*r) = -5.084745762711864e-19
return σ
}
print( σ(r: r, Q: Q, M: M) ) // prints "-nan"
```
This is clearly wrong, so what's the error?
In general relativity we often work with geometrical units in which $c = G = 1$ as this greatly simplifies the equations, and this is the form of the equation you are using. To calculate the time dilation you need to put back in the factors of $c$ and $G$.
The Reissner-Nordstrom metric is:
$$ c^2d\tau^2=c^2\left(1-\frac{r\_s}{r}+\frac{r\_q^2}{r^2}\right)dt^2 - \left(1-\frac{r\_s}{r}+\frac{r\_q^2}{r^2}\right)^{-1}dr^2 - r^2d\Omega^2 $$
where:
$$ r\_s = \frac{2GM}{c^2} $$
and:
$$ r\_q^2 = \frac{Q^2G}{4 \pi \epsilon\_0 c^4} $$
In this equation $\tau$ is the time measured by the observer near the black hole and $t$ is the time measured by the observer far from the black hole, so the time dilation factor is $t/\tau$. For stationary observers $dr = d\Omega = 0$ so the equation simplifies to:
$$ \frac{dt}{d\tau} = \left(1-\frac{r\_s}{r}+\frac{r\_q^2}{r^2}\right)^{-1/2} = \left(1-\frac{2GM}{c^2r}+\frac{GQ^2}{4\pi\epsilon\_0c^4r^2}\right)^{-1/2} $$
And this is the equation you need.
| stackexchange/physics |
Where are the right-handed leptons?
So the weak force only works on left-handed leptons and quarks. Does this mean there are no right-handed leptons and quarks?
If there are, why don't we see an abundance of right-handed particles that do not decay? If there are no right handed leptons and quarks, why not?
There are right handed quarks and leptons, they just don't interact weakly. The matter content of the Standard Model is often written in the "QUDLE" form as:
$$\begin{array}
{} & SU(3)\_C & SU(2)\_L & U(1)\_Y & U(1)\_Q \\ \hline
q\_L^i = \begin{pmatrix} u\_L^i \\ d\_L^i \end{pmatrix} & 3 & 2 & 1/6 & \begin{pmatrix} \frac{2}{3} \\ -\frac{1}{3} \end{pmatrix} \\ \hline
u\_R^i & 3 & 1 & 2/3 & 2/3\\ \hline
d\_R^i & 3 & 1 & -1/3 & -1/3 \\ \hline
l\_L^i = \begin{pmatrix} \nu^i\_L \\ e^i\_L \end{pmatrix} & 1 & 2 & -1/2 & \begin{pmatrix} 0 \\ -1 \end{pmatrix} \\ \hline
e\_R^i & 1 & 1 & -1 & -1\\ \hline
\phi & 1 & 2 & 1/2 & \begin{pmatrix} - \\ 0 \end{pmatrix} \\ \hline
\end{array}$$
where it is understood that the Standard Model is a gauge theory with gauge group $SU(3) \times SU(2) \times U(1)\_Y$ that gets spontaneously broken to $SU(3) \times U(1)\_Q$. In particular, when people say that only left-handed quarks/leptons participate in weak force, they are talking about the fact that the up/down type left-handed quarks, as well as the left-handed leptons transform as the '2' representation under $SU(2)$, whereas the right-handed counterparts transform under the '1' (singlet) representation. This means that in the broken theory, the $W^\pm$ bosons which mediate decays don't interact with the right-handed quarks and leptons. (Note that the right-handed quarks and leptons still interact with Z bosons though, due to their $U(1)\_Y$ charge)
The right handed quarks and leptons exist though. Note that after spontaneous symmetry breaking, the quarks and leptons gain mass terms that look like $m\_u (\bar{u}\_L u\_R + \bar{u}\_R u\_L)$ (I am ignoring all the issues about flavor basis/mass basis not being same), these mass terms 'mix' the left and right handed modes, in the sense that you can't really treat them as separate.
In the table above, I also omit the neutrinos. Years ago, I believe people thought they could potentially be massless, and thus there could truly be no right-handed neutrinos. However, we have come to find out via experiment that neutrinos are massive, hence the simplest explanation would be that right-handed neutrinos do exist. I haven't included this in the table because
1. I think theres still many open questions about neutrinos
2. I don't know much about neutrinos personally, if anyone wants to come fix this answer feel free
| stackexchange/physics |
Veni, Vidi, Vici: Vinikour essays Handel's Harpsichord Suites on CD
George Frideric Handel: Harpsichord Suites (1720), Chaconne in G Major (1732-3)
Jory Vinikour, Harpsichord
Instrument by John Phillips, 2001, copy of Johann Heinrich Gräbner of 1739, Dresden
Recorded: First Scots Presbyterian Church, Charleston, South Carolina
Recording: Delos DE 3394 (2009)
Review by Rodney Punt
Music lovers know the Handel of extravagant operas, their cousins the oratorios, and certainly the orchestral Water and Royal Fireworks music. We are less likely to have encountered his eight Harpsichord Suites of 1720, though by now there are many recordings on both harpsichord and piano. Far more famous in the genre are the nearly contemporaneous English Suites of J. S. Bach of 1725. Where the suites of Bach often seem like serene, internalized contemplations on dance forms, those of Handel brim over with exuberant impetuosity. If the Bach suites are best appreciated in the evening, those of Handel seem designed for our morning constitutional - as bracing as an ocean spray or the first rays of a dawning sun.
The suites derive some of their heady atmosphere from Handel's free use of musical form and technique, with few strict fugues and many darting changes of pace and motif. It has often been noted that Handel composed for the ear, not the eye, and these suites are no exception. In many cases the individual pieces have an improvisational quality, and may well have originated as such. We also often hear in them music borrowed from or used later in other works; listening for examples is half the fun.
We have enjoyed harpsichordist Jory Vinikour's virtuosity in the Los Angeles area before, most notably in his April 2007 outing with Musica Angelica, where he gave a brilliant performance of the Bach Concerto in d minor. Here he surpasses that performance with an instrument fully up to the sonorous demands of these suites. The Gräbner harpsichord is particularly rich, with a deep bass buzz adding a pleasing cushion for the soprano sparkle of the upper registers. In the many dialogue moments between soprano and bass lines, this equality of timbre pays off nicely. The instrumental placement in the recording is just right – not too close, nor too distant.
Vinikour's performance is propulsive, his rhythms nicely gauged with just the right hesitations at cadences and phrases. His ornamentation is fully integrated into the musical fabric, which is to say it is natural and unselfconscious. In every sense, Vinikour, an extrovert performer by nature, has fully realized this music. It's as if the composer himself were performing for us.
The two-CD set of Delos is a model of its kind. In addition to the eight "Great" Suites, there is a bonus inclusion of the Chaconne in G Major, HWV 435, a work which would take many guises over the years; Vinikour here performs the traditional version. Vinikour's own intelligently written liner notes aid the listener with important details of the works offered.
Labels: classical, classical music, harpsichord, Jory Vinikour, Rodney, Rodney Punt, Vinikour | slim_pajama |
What does this quantum experiment says about quantum world?
I am complete noob so please bear with me. I always read that in quantum world things exists as probability and only become one when they are observed...or wave collapses into particle.
But there was [one recent experiment](http://phys.org/news/2012-09-scientists-renowned-uncertainty-principle.html) in which scientists observed the wave and it still showed interference pattern. So observing simply didn't collapse it.
Side note: it makes no sense that quantum world should be able to distinguish that it's being observed by human or whether sensor alone.
This experiment involves weak measurement. The standard dichotomy you've learned, *"observe the state, and the wave collapses"*, doesn't cover everything you can do with quantum mechanics; you can also measure some statistical information about the state, and only partially collapse the wave. These are called *"weak measurements"*, and what Heisenberg's uncertainty principle says for these is that the product of the noise in the measurement and the amount of disturbance of the quantum state is at least $\hbar/2$, where $\hbar$ is the reduced Planck's constant.
What is going on here is described fairly well in the abstract of a [2002 paper of Ozawa](http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0207121):
>
> The Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that the product of the noise in a position measurement and the momentum disturbance caused by that measurement should be no less than the limit set by the reduced Planck’s constant, $\hbar/2$, as demonstrated by Heisenberg’s thought experiment using a gamma-ray microscope. Here I show that this common assumption is false: a universally valid trade-off relation between the noise and the disturbance has an additional correlation term, which is redundant when the intervention brought by the measurement is independent of the measured object, but which allows the noise-disturbance product much below the reduced Planck’s constant when the intervention is dependent.
>
>
>
Stating this in easier-to-understand terms, the proof of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle assumes that the disturbance in the measured system is independent of the state the system is in. If you set up an experiment where the disturbance depends on the state of the measured system (it isn't immediately clear how you can do this), then for some states the amount of disturbance can be lower than what Heisenberg's uncertainty principle says. Ozawa also gives a modified formula for the uncertainty principle which takes this into account.
The experiment described by the article is a demonstration of this. The experimental disturbance is shown to be lower than what Heisenberg's uncertainty formula yields, but is still larger than that given by Ozawa's modified formula. This experiment undoubtedly wasn't easy to do, but it agrees with the standard predictions of quantum mechanics.
I'm afraid this isn't going to be a very useful answer, but the phenomenon you're referring to is [weak measurement](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weak_measurement). My answer isn't going to be useful because this is a highly technical area and impossible to describe to a non-physicist without the answer expanding into a book.
There is no consensus on what exactly happens during wavefunction collapse, but everyone agrees that the collapse occurs when the measuring system becomes entangled with the system being measured. The idea of weak measurement is to make the interaction between the measurement system and the system being measured very weak, so the degree of entanglement remains very small. This avoids the wavefunction collapsing on the timescale of the experiment.
Re your last paragraph, consciousness isn't an essential part of the collapse process. Search this site for something like *[collapse consciousness is:question](https://physics.stackexchange.com/search?tab=votes&q=collapse%20consciousness%20is:question)* for many, many questions on the topic or [What is an observer in quantum mechanics?](https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/9857/what-is-an-observer-in-quantum-mechanics) is a reasonable starting point.
| stackexchange/physics |
GD & TOP is a South Korean duo formed by G-Dragon and T.O.P, the rappers of the K-pop boy band Big Bang in 2010. The release of their first album, GD & TOP 2010 was a commercial success becoming one of the best selling albums of the year in South Korea, and spawning the top-five hits High High, Oh Yeah, and Knock Out on the Gaon Digital Chart. After a five year hiatus, they released the single Zutter, which peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart.
History
20102011: Formation and first album
YG Entertainment announced the a sub-unit between G-Dragon and T.O.P under the name GD & TOP in November 2010, and to release an album with the same name. The duo held a worldwide premiere showcase for their album at Times Square in Yeongdeungpo of Seoul, which was also broadcast live on YouTube. The album was released on Christmas Eve, and debuted at number one on the Gaon Chart with pre-orders of 200,000 copies. By the end of 2010 the album had surpassed 130,000 copies sold in a week, becoming the fifth best-selling album of the year. As of 2015 the album sold 200,000 copies.
To promote their album, G.Dragon and T.O.P released three music videos for the tracks High High, Knock Out, and Baby Goodnight. High High was released first, then Baby Goodnight. However, due to the song being banned twice for being too explicit, the release of the music video for their song Don't Go Home was postponed till late June 2011. The singles attained commercial successes, topping the online music charts in South Korea. In the Gaon Digital Chart, Oh Yeah! peaked at number two, High High at number three, while Knock Out and Don't Go Home peaked at number five and eleven, respectively.
2015: Zutter
After a four-year hiatus, YG Entertainment announced that the duo will come back with a new single as a part of Big Bang's Made Series E. The teasers were released on July 25, 2015, with the song name Zutter. The song was a commercially success, selling 280,817 downloads in its first week on Gaon Chart peaked at number two in the Digital and Download charts. The single charted second on US Billboard World Digital Songs and in the Chinese QQ Music video chart. In the end of 2015, the song sold 982,710 copies in South Korea and 6,000 in USA.
Impact
In 2012, Knock Out and High High were both listed as one of the best K-Pop music videos of all time by Stereogum, ranking at seventh and fourth, respectively. That same year, High High was also named the seventh greatest K-Pop song of all time by Spin Magazine.
XXL Magazine listed the duo as one of 15 Korean Rappers You Should Know, stating that if it wasn't for acts like these two, Korean rap probably wouldn't have amassed such international appeal that its garnering now. The magazine also wrote that K-Pop's currently full of boy bands with designated rapper as a member, and nine out of ten times they're modeled after GD & TOP. Korean magazine Ize wrote that GD & TOP inspired several idol groups to make more extreme or extraordinary attempts concept and music wise that their groups could not do through unit activities.
Discography
Albums
Singles
As lead artist
Other charted songs
As featured artist
Music videos
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Category:G-Dragon
Category:T.O.P rapper
Category:K-pop music groups
Category:South Korean musical duos
Category:South Korean hip hop groups
Category:South Korean pop music groups
Category:South Korean dance music groups
Category:South Korean boy bands
Category:Musical groups from Seoul
Category:Musical groups established in 2010
Category:YG Entertainment artists
Category:2010 establishments in South Korea
Category:Melon Music Award winners | wikipedia |
Rück's blue flycatcher Cyornis ruckii, also known as Rueck's blue-flycatcher or Rueck's niltava, is an old world flycatcher. The name commemorates M. Rück, who procured two skin specimens in Malacca.
Description
It is up to 17 cm in length, with a black bill, brown iris and black feet. The male has dark blue plumage, white belly, and shining blue rump. The female has rufous brown plumage, rusty breast and whitish belly. The young has brown spotted buff plumage with rufous breast and whitish center on underparts.
Distribution
The flycatcher is endemic to the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is known only from four specimens. Two specimens, an immature and adult male were last recorded and collected around 19171918 in secondary lowland forests in Medan area of North Sumatra province by the Dutch collector, August van Heijst. The other two skins are of doubtful origin.
Conservation
Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size and limited range, the flycatcher is evaluated as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES and is protected under Indonesian law since 1972.
References
External links
BirdLife Species Factsheet
Red Data Book
Rück's blue flycatcher
Category:Birds of Sumatra
Category:Critically endangered fauna of Asia
Rück's blue flycatcher | wikipedia |
TEN is Network 10's Sydney flagship station. It was originally owned and operated by United Telecasters Sydney Limited UTSL, and began transmission on 5 April 1965 with the highlight of the opening night being the variety special TV Spells Magic.
History
TEN often lagged in the ratings behind the more established commercial channels TCN Nine and ATN Seven who had dominated viewing habits in Sydney for eight years. The turning point came in 1972 with the premiere of the raunchy soap opera series Number 96 which immediately lifted TEN's overall profile and helped raise the ailing network to No. 1 position by 1973.
TEN launched Australia's first metropolitan nightly one-hour news bulletin in 1975, while NBN-3 in Newcastle was first to air a one-hour news service in Australia in 1972. In 1978, Katrina Lee became only the third female TV newsreader on Australian TV the first being Melody Illiffe on QTQ-9. The current anchor for the 10 News First 5pm Sydney news bulletin on weeknights is Sandra Sully.
TEN commenced digital television transmission in January 2001, broadcasting on VHF Channel 11 while maintaining analogue transmission on VHF Channel 10.
The analogue signal for TEN was shut off at 9.00am AEDST, Tuesday, 3 December 2013.
Studio facilities
TEN's broadcast facilities have been in the inner city suburb of Pyrmont since 1997. These studios feature a large open plan newsroom and news-set where all Ten's national and local Sydney news bulletins are produced. This facility is also the network's head office and broadcasts the network signal to other cities. When TEN-10 opened in 1965, it operated from newly built studio facilities at North Ryde, these were sold in the 1990s when the network underwent financial turmoil. The North Ryde complex, which was used by Global Television in recent years, was demolished in September 2007. Following the move from North Ryde in 1990, TEN relocated to a small warehouse in Ultimo, and then to new studios in nearby Pyrmont in May 1997. Most series are produced on location or at external studios by external companies, but a few programs are made in-house by TEN.
North Ryde 1965 March 1991
Ultimo March 1991 May 1997
Pyrmont May 1997 present
Current programs produced at TEN's Pyrmont Studios
10 News First Sydney Edition
10 News First National Weekend Edition
The Loop on 10 Peach 2012present
Studio 10 2013present
RPM 1997-2008; 2011-2012; 2015-present
The Sunday Project 2017-present
Hughesy, We Have a Problem 2018-present
Sports Tonight 19932011, 2018-present
Celebrity Name Game 2019-present
Past productions at Ten's Sydney Studios
The Living Room 20122019
Pointless 2018-2019
Show Me the Movie! 2018-2019
Family Feud 2018
Cram! 2017
Rugby coverage 2013-2016, moved to ATV Melbourne 2017-present
F1 coverage 2003-2017
Wake Up 20132014
10 News First Early 2006-2012, 2013-2014
10 News First Morning 1980-1990, 1994-2012, 20132014
Ten Eyewitness News Late 1991-2011, 20122014
Revealed 2013
Wanted 2013
The Bachelor Australia: After the Final Rose Special 2013
Ready Steady Cook 20052012
Breakfast 2012
6.30 with George Negus 2011
The Game Plan NRL 20112013
World Football News 2009-2011, ONE HD
The Pro Shop 2009-2011, ONE HD
Overtime 2009-2011, ONE HD
MVP 2009-2010, ONE HD
Thursday Night Live 2009-2010, ONE HD
Friday Night Download 2008
The Ronnie Johns Half Hour 2005-2006
Big Brother: Uncut 2003-2004
Big Brother: The Insider 2003
10 News First Perth edition 2001-2008
Cheez TV 1995-2005
Meet the Press 19922011, 2013-2014
Video Hits 19872011
Good Morning Australia 19811992
Number 96 19721977
Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest 19661970
Station slogans
5 Apr. 1965: Turn To Ten Tonight
1965: Turn To Ten
1969: One of Australia's Great Television Stations!
197375: MacArthur Park
1974-75: First in Colour
197778: I Like It!
1978: Channel TEN is the Great Entertainer!
1979-80: Come Up, Come Up to TEN
1981: Star Station Ten
1982-83: You're on Channel Ten
198384: You're Home When You're Home on Ten
198588: 10 out of 10 Australia!
1994: That's Sydney!
5 Apr. 1995: Happy Birthday, Give Me Ten!
News and Current Affairs
TEN-10 produces a 60-minute local news program on weeknights from its studios at Pyrmont. 10 News First Sydney is presented by Sandra Sully with sport presenter Matt Burke, weather presenter Tim Bailey and traffic reporter Vic Lorusso.
The 5pm bulletin was presented for almost eleven years by Ron Wilson and Jessica Rowe, between 1996 and 2005, when Rowe moved to present the Nine Network's Today. She was replaced by the network's US correspondent Deborah Knight from 2006. Wilson anchored the nightly Sydney news until January 2009 when he became a presenter of the national Early News and was replaced by Bill Woods. Knight was replaced by Sully in October 2011 following the axing of the network's long-running late night news program, as a result with Knight's decision to move to the Nine Network. Sully became sole anchor after Bill Woods' departure on 30 November 2012, following the network's decision not to renew his contract.
Fill-in presenters include Natarsha Belling News, Emma Lawrence, Scott Mackinnon Sport and Amanda Duval or Amanda Hart Weather.
Reporters
News
Melinda Nucifora
Daniel Sutton
Kimberley Soekov
Amanda Hart
Joe Hill
Jessica Turner Health
Hannah Maguire
Angela Bishop Entertainment
Adam Walters
See also
Television broadcasting in Australia
References
Category:Network 10
Category:Television stations in New South Wales
Category:Television stations in Sydney
Category:Television channels and stations established in 1965 | wikipedia |
Q: Coin weight puzzle Let us assume that we have a box of coins which contains 10 normal coins and 11 counterfeit coins. We know that each counterfeit coin is 1 gram less than each of the normal. One coin was taken from the box.
If we have a regular scale and we can only use it once (for one single measurement), how can we find out what was the coin which was taken out of the box (figure out whether it was a counterfeit or normal one)?
We can assume that the coins' weight can be any real number.
What I have considered so far:
*
*I know that if we measure the coin alone, which was taken out of the box, we have no way of figuring out whether it is a counterfeit or a normal one without measuring the whole box - and we cannot measure it since we will be breaking our rule of having to use the scale just once.
*I do not know how will measuring just the box would help either. Correct me if I am wrong but since we do not know how much is the weight of an individual coin, the total weight wouldn't be of any use to us, right? So I am stuck.
A: For the purposes of this answer, I am going to assume that the weight of a coin is an integer. For convenience, I'll denote the weight of a normal coin by $N$.
Once you remove one coin from the box, one of two events will occur:
*
*You removed a normal count. In which case, there are now $9$ normal coins and $11$ counterfeit coins in the box. The total weight of these coins is given by $$9N + 11(N-1)=20N-11\tag 1$$
*You removed a counterfeit coin. In this case, there are $10$ normal coins and $10$ counterfeit coins left in the box. The total weight is there given by $$10N + 10(N-1) = 20N - 10. \tag 2$$
It should not be hard to see that regardless of the value of $N$, case (1) will give an odd number for the total weight, while case (2) will given an even number.
Therefore, you can determine whether the coin you selected was normal or counterfeit simply by measuring the total weight of all of the remaining coins (one measurement) and checking whether the resulting weight is even or odd. An even weight corresponds to a counterfeit coin, while an odd weight will be indicative of a normal coin.
| slim_pajama |
Jonas Svensson born 6 March 1993 is a professional footballer who plays for AZ and the Norway national team. Originally a midfielder, Svensson was converted to defender in 2014.
Career
As a 15- and 16-year-old, Svensson played several games in the 2. divisjon for Levanger FK.
In August 2009, Svensson moved to Rosenborg. His debut came on 10 March 2011 in Rosenborg's 44 draw against Lillestrøm. He then made his first league start against Haugesund, replacing the injured Michael Jamtfall. He signed a professional contract with Rosenborg in June 2011 until the end of the 2013 season.
In Rosenborg's 40 win over Sarpsborg 08 on 3 June 2011, Svensson scored two goals. On 13 July 2011, he made his European debut against Icelandic side Breiðablik in the Champions League Second qualifying round.
During the 2014 season, with Cristian Gamboa struggling with injury and later attending the World Cup, Svensson stepped in as a right-back for Rosenborg, and he did so with success. After Gamboa's move to West Bromwich after an impressive world cup with Costa Rica, he continued to play right-back throughout the rest of the season. After the season, he made the decision to switch from midfield to right-back permanently.
On 20 April 2016, Svensson reached 200 games for Rosenborg at the age of 23 years and 45 days, making him the youngest player for the club to do so and beating Per Ciljan Skjelbred's record by 14 days.
On 30 January 2017, Svensson signed for AZ.
International career
Made his senior team debut for Norway, after a few matches as non-playing sub, on the 1 June 2016, a 32 win over Iceland.
Career statistics
Club
Honours
Club
Rosenborg
Norwegian top division 2: 2015, 2016
Norwegian Cup 2: 2015, 2016
Individual
Kniksen Defender of the Year: 2015, 2016
Eredivisie Player of the month: January 2018
References
https://www.vi.nl/spelers/jonas-svensson/carriere
External links
Category:1993 births
Category:Living people
Category:People from Verdal
Category:Association football midfielders
Category:Norwegian footballers
Category:Norwegian expatriate footballers
Category:Rosenborg BK players
Category:AZ Alkmaar players
Category:Eliteserien players
Category:Eredivisie players
Category:Norway international footballers
Category:Norway youth international footballers
Category:Norway under-21 international footballers
Category:Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands | wikipedia |
1. Chapter 1
A five year old Harry Potter stared in wonder at the hologram's image of the U.S.S Bradbury as it takes flight in its maiden voyage. The old women Aunt Petunia had left him with for the day had it on the projector and Harry couldn't find it in himself to look away. The ship was beautiful, he thought in his young mind.
Now, Harry was always a smart boy, even at the tender age of five. And it was in this very moment that changed everything for him. Harry began to study all the time. He would sneak away during recess at school and read science books in library, and physics during lunch.
Harry never gained much attention in school, so for the first couple of months no one noticed his new activity. But after his grades started to skyrocket (much to the horror of the Dursley's, but Harry didn't care), Harry began to receive special lessons from his teachers.
By the age of seven, he was taking grade six level classes. The Dursley's were not happy that he was showing up their precious Dudders in everything; however there was nothing they could do. If they refused, it would look too suspicious. That didn't stop them from tormenting Harry when no one could see.
By age eight, it was determined he was in fact a genius. After the headmaster of the school came to Privet Drive to tell Harry, he was locked in the cupboard for the first time since he was six.
By age nine, he was accepted into an all-inclusive private school for the most intelligent in the world. The Dursely's were overjoyed that the boy would be gone and they didn't even have to pay for it.
By age eleven, he was all ready to go to college.
The day the fateful Hogwarts letter came, it had been a relatively normal day. Harry had been sitting in his room at the Dursley's (only really used a few weeks through year when he was not at school) reading through various school ratings, books, pamphlets and the like. He had gotten scholarships to MIT, Harvard, Oxford, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and every other school that was at his level. Harry knew that after he got degrees in varying levels of physics and computer sciences he would apply to Starfleet Academy. He had spent the last six years working his butt off so that one day he would be able to be on one of those Starfleet ships.
Since the day he watched his first launch, Harry had been to all of the followings, attended every Starfleet funded program and done everything in his power to be the best. Harry room was filled with books and posters of Starship schematics. He dreamed of becoming a science officer or maybe even a captain. He was only eleven; Harry thought with a grin, he could figure it out later.
That is, until a perfectly ordinary brown barn owl flew through his open window and landed on his shoulder.
Harry froze, shock on his face. After a few moments of sitting perfectly still, he noticed the owl was holding a sort of envelope in his mouth. Gently taking it from the black beak, Harry stared at it curiously. This was not the regular paper Harry was familiar with. Granted, no one really used paper anymore, except for some books and the like. No, this was thicker and smoother. Parchment, he realized. Harry didn't think that had been used in at least three hundred years.
Then why was someone sending him a parchment letter by owl? No way to tell than to read it.
Turns out he was a wizard. Not that it surprised him, he could always d things. Besides studying everything normal, he began training his ability when he was six after he levitated his touchpad to him. Harry learned to move things around, open and lock doors, control wind and fire and so much more.
It was now five years later and Harry was sitting in the dark dining room of Grimmuald Place, textbooks and his touch tablet in front of him. After 3 months in the Wizarding World without any access to his muggle resources, he developed a charm so he could use his technology. He couldn't have been more grateful for that than he was now.
When he learned that he was a wizard, he was excited for the chance to learn more. However, that did not mean he was going to give up his dreams of joining Starfleet. Harry managed to take his college classes while he also was at Hogwarts. He now had doctorate degrees in theoretical and applied physics and computer science. The young genius also became fluent in three Earthen and five alien languages. His reasoning was that you never knew when you might need to talk your way out of situation.
While Harry never hid the fact that he planned to join Starfleet as soon as he was able, no one in the Wizarding World really believed him. They all thought he would follow his father's footsteps and become and Auror, no matter that he was no Gryffindor, but in fact is a studious Ravenclaw who would rather explore the universe instead of protecting a group of sheep.
The sounds of feet padding into the cool room reached Harry's ears. He turned around to see Remus entering the room. The werewolf was wearing the warm flannel pajamas Harry bought for him as a Christmas gift last year.
"You do know that it's August, right Remy?" Harry asked with a smirk.
Remus walked in and kissed the top of the teenagers head as he grabbed the fresh mug of coffee from the table. "What are you studying now?" He asked as he sat down next to him.
Remus Lupin was the only one who truly accepted Harry's choices and his genius. He was also the only person who could hold a conversation with Harry about physics.
Not many people knew this, but Remus did have a degree is theatrical physics. His muggle mother had worked for Starfleet as a professor and encouraged Remus to go to the Academy after his life in the Wizarding World feel apart. For ten years he worked at the London branch of Starfleet in their research department. When Harry found this out, he didn't leave Remus's side for weeks, instead choosing to pester the man to oblivion about all things Starfleet and Physics. After awhile, the two formed a tight bond.
Even with the arrival of Sirius, it didn't end. Sirius, while his official godfather, just couldn't connect with his genius godson who would rather spend his days in the library or in high towers rather than talking about Quiditch and pranking.
"I'm reading the news. Starfleet just announced their plans to build a new starship, set to launch in about six or seven years." Harry showed Remus the article on his pad and the two wondered about what kind of warp core they would be using.
An hour later when the stragglers of the Order began to come down the stairs for breakfast, they were greeted to the sight of Harry leaning against Remus, fully asleep as the man sipped his second mug of coffee and read a research paper on the abilities of various radiations on a pad.
"Was he up all night?"Sirius asked, a hint of jealously in his voice at the comfortableness the two had. He was envious of bond the pair had.
"I believe so." Remus said, his eyes not leaving the electronic pages. "He hasn't told me directly, but I know he has sent in the applications to the Academy."
"I don't see the big deal of this Academy," Sirius stated as he plopped into a seat. "Why doesn't he want to join the Aurors and settle down with a nice girl like James?"
"Do you really think someone with his intelligence could be satisfied with the Aurors? And about the nice girl thing, I think you may be surprised."
"What do you mean? Does he already have a girlfriend?" Sirius asked, completely ignoring the first point.
"What Remus means is that I'm gay, Sirius." Harry murmured as he snuggled into Remus's chest more.
"Oh."
Soon the large Weasley clan spilled into the dining room, talking loudly. Harry gave up on sleep but stayed leaning against Remus. Within fifteen minutes, the peacefulness of a quiet morning was gone, replaced with loud laughter, shuffling around and so many people.
A few hours later, Remus was searching the house for Harry for lunch. He finally found him sitting in a corner of the old Black library, staring in shock at his pad.
"Cub, is everything okay?"He asked, kneeling in front of the sixteen year old.
"I-I-I've been accepted."
2. Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Members of the Order of the Phoenix cautiously peeked around the corner of the famous Black Library at the sounds of loud laughter and shrieks. While laughter was no unusual, especially when the Weasleys were staying in the ancestral home, it did not normally come from the dark and gloomy Black Library. The only ones allowed in the library were those of the Black house, which is why many were surprised to find out that Remus was allowed in. Turns out, there was some Black blood in him from his grandmother, who had been a disowned Black squib.
The red haired heads of Molly, Arthur Weasley along with Sirius peaked around the corner to see a surprising sight. Remus was spinning Harry around in happiness, with one of those muggle metal contraptions projecting an image of some flying thing.
"I was accepted, I was accepted!" Harry was chanting happily.
When the boy was released to the ground, Remus leaned down and kissed his head, saying "I am so proud of you."
"Uh… not that I'm not happy to hear you two laughing and cheering and all that, but why are you?" Sirius asked.
"I was accepted!" Harry repeated, as if that explained everything, while punching the air.
"Accepted into what, dear? Your sixth year?" Molly asked, her eyebrows creased. Harry was generally a quiet boy, content it sit and read or do something on the metal contraption of his. The only who could draw him out of his shell seemed to be Remus.
"Oh. Hogwarts. Right." Harry stated dejectedly.
"I can tutor you if you haven't already learned everything." Remus suggested.
"Nah, I'm already over the NEWT level anyway, there would be no need. I just hoped to finish my education there, no matter how useless it is."Harry said, staring at the bright screen showing his acceptance into Starfleet. While he would must definitely miss the old castle and its library (oh Merlin its library, Harry nearly sobbed at the thought) Starfleet was his dream.
"What on earth are you two talking about?" Sirius asked, completely bewildered.
"I was accepted into the next term of Starfleet Academy."Harry stated, as if it was obvious.
Which it would have been, if anyone actually saw Harry for who he really was.
"You actually applied to that thing?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Don't you want to be an Auror or work in the Ministry like your parents? Wouldn't they be disappointed in you?"
Harry's face turned cold.
"I have never, no ever will, want to live in this world of yours. My place is in space, working on a starship to explore new places. My parents are dead," Harry stated coldly. "And they are not coming back no matter how much I wish it. But I have Remus now, which is more than what I had for years." He brushed passed the shocked watchers and fled up the stairs.
"Well I never!" Molly huffed.
Sirius just stared at the spot where Harry had last been, his eyes lost.
"Thank you very much, Molly," Remus responded after a moment of silence. "You just ruined the single best day of his life so far. He has been waiting for that acceptance letter for years, and you just made him feel guilty. Do you know how long it took me to get him to stop doubting himself? Every single person in this messed up world of ours doesn't see him. Not a single person cares that he is the smartest person in the school. No one cares that he is one of the smartest people in the bloody country. Do you even know anything about him?"
"Of course we do!" Molly protested, raising her chin pointedly.
"How many languages does he speak?"
There was a pause and then, "Two?"
"Eight."
"What?!"
"English or Federation Standard, Mandarin, and Russian for Earthen languages. For alien languages he speaks fluent Vulcan, Klingon, and Orion, passable Tamarian and Andorii, and can read Bajoran."Remus stated coldly.
"Oh…"
"Do you even know the classes he's been taking while at Hogwarts?" Remus asked, knowing they didn't.
"The same as everyone else of course," Arthur ventured.
"He took every magical class offered to him, as well as taking nearly four times that in muggle university courses at the same time. Harry is quite easily the smartest person around. And you all treat him like a little boy who should spend the rest of his life in a boring job protecting people who cannot see him for who he really is."
"He's a wizard! The boy-who-lived!" Molly retorted, her face turning a similar shade to her famous hair. "Harry should want to live her, marry a nice girl and have a family!"
Even Sirius snorted at that.
"I don't think he'll be marrying any girl any time soon, Molly."
The Weasley matriarch made a huffing noise and left the doorway, her apron fluttering around her heels as she stormed down the thin halls. Arthur trotted after her, sending apologetic looks at the two left.
"I'll go talk to Harry. We have arrangements to make." Remus commented as he headed for the door. He paused when Sirius spoke.
"You're going with him?"
Sirius sounded so lost and confused, Remus suddenly remember that this was a man who had spent thirteen years in Azkaban with no company. Sighing, Remus turned around and placed his hand on the convicts shoulder.
"You knew I would not stay here forever. I have a job; research to do and students to teach."
Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I know. Just didn't want to believe it. Go talk to the kid."
Upstairs, Harry lay curled up on the large bed. He held his favorite model, one he built using hacked papers of the being built U.S.S Enterprise. He stroked the engines fondly, but anyone could see that he was not really there. His mind was filled with thoughts.
Part of him, a large part, was ecstatic that he finally got accepted into the Academy. He had been working for ten years for this, for this moment, and yet that bloody woman had to go and ruin it, he thought sadly. The smaller part of him was worried that his parents would be disappointed in him.
Harry knew it was foolish to think about it. For one, James and Lily were dead. They were not coming back. And he also knew that any parents that forced you into a certain life were not parents he wanted anyway
Besides, he thought with a small smile, I have Remus. I will always have Remus.
Speak of the devil, Harry thought as the man appeared in his bedroom. He watched as the werewolf closed the door behind him and slowly walked over. Harry placed the model and the bedside table and moved over so Remus had some room to sit behind him.
These were the moments Harry loved; the moments where he could drop all masks he held around everyone else and even himself and just… exist. Curling into the warm chest beneath him, allowed the few tears that had gathered in his eyes to fall. Sniffling, he asked "They would be proud of me, wouldn't they?"
"The proudest parents in the 'verse." Remus promised. "Just like I am, cub."
Harry didn't say anything for a while, just hugged Remus as the older man ran his long fingers through the black hair.
They stayed that way for a while, eyes closed and breathing soft, until you couldn't tell when they fell asleep and when they were awake.
3. Chapter 3
Chapter 3
"Wakey-wakey Harry!" The overly cheerful voice of James T. Kirk called. Harry decided the appropriate way to reply was to groan loudly and chuck his pillow at the offending man.
The responding 'whach' was worth losing his pillow over.
He then proceeded to roll over and attempt to bury himself in his blankets only to find that they too had been ripped away by the blong hair menace.
"Jim, I swear to fucking god I hate you." Harry swore as he slowly heaved himself out of his now bare bed.
"You say that every morning, darlin'," His other roommate Leonard McCoy reminded him.
Harry just rolled his eyes and stumbled into the small bathroom they shared in their dorm. Well, it wasn't technically 'their' dorm; however Harry and his actual roommate didn't particularly get along. Besides, Harry, Jim and Leonard had developed a strong friendship over the few months that they had been at the Academy.
While Harry was the youngest, nearly six years younger than Jim and twelve years younger than Leonard, that didn't impair their friendship. It even strengthened it. The age differences allowed Bones to take on a more older brother or uncle-ish role where he could be protective and caring towards the two younger ones. For the first time ever, Harry had two older brothers who were always there for him.
As Harry brushed his teeth, he thought about the events that had brought him here just a few months ago.
The day after getting accepted, Remus and Harry packed up their few belongings that they had in the old Black house and said their goodbyes to Sirius. They had told everyone at dinner the night before that they wouldn't leave for another week or so, however Remus didn't trust them not to try and keep their Golden Boy where he was. So instead, the pair left while everyone else was upstairs cleaning the attic.
Remus lead Harry to a car he had waiting who drove them to the airport. From there they took a plane to San Francisco where Starfleet Academy was located.
It was on the shuttle that he met Jim Kirk and Leonard 'Bones'McCoy. He had just sat down when Jim had walked on, slightly bloody and not in his cadet reds. Harry had introduced himself when Bones had walked on, carrying on about dying and looking like a complete mess. He didn't even seem to care that he had offered a sixteen year old kid whiskey.
Harry liked them immediately.
Now it was five months later and they were on their way into their second term. Remus had settled back into his job as a professor, though Harry had yet to have him. Harry didn't think life could get much better than it was now. He was doing fantastically in his classes and had some really good friends. He had also made friends with a young Russian boy names Chekov who he shared a few of his classes with.
"What are you doing today?" Jim asked. Harry could see him leaning against the door from from the large mirror over the sink.
"Studying for my advanced calc class for a few hours then I have dinner with Remus. You two wanna come?" Harry asked. He turned around. "You can invite the Captain if you like?"
The Captain happened to be Captain Pike, the man who had convinced Jim not to through his life away and to join Starfleet. Harry knew that the two were incredibly close and that Jim rarely got to spend time with him since he was a captain of his ship. But Pike was on shore leave and Jim had been itching to spend time with him.
Jim smiled brightly and asked, "You're sure Remus wants to deal with all of us?"
"Jim, he practically already does." Harry reminded him. "Go call the Captain."
"You are the best, Har!" He called.
Now that his teeth had stopped tasting like a swamp, Harry walked back towards one of the two beds in the room. Well, it was more like one bed now since Bones and Harry had bushed Bones' next to Jim's after they discovered that contact helped slow the nightmares of the affection starved young man. Harry plopped back down on the bed next to the relaxing doctor.
"Do you have to be in the medbay today?" Harry asked. He nearly purred when Leonard threaded his fingers though his hair. Jim wasn't the only one who was affection starved growing up.
"Day off, was just gonna relax around here. You plannin' on stayin' here or going to the library?" Leonard asked.
"Mhmm… I think I'll stay here if you don't mind." Harry asked tiredly.
"Never darlin', like having you around." Bones replied softly.
He knew the lad needed to have all the attention he could get, after his disastrous childhood. Just because someone was a genius did not make them immune the needs of human comfort and spoiling. Remus had confided in Leonard that Harry had been going nearly insane by the time the older man had meet him, drowning himself in his studies and hiding behind so many masks that he could barely function.
"Len?" Harry asked, using the nickname that only he could use. Jim could use Bones but only Harry could use Len.
"Hmm?"
"Do you ever wish you could go back and time?" Harry asked while nervously playing with the edge of his shirt. Leonard looked down at him curiously.
"Now what has your mind on this topic?"He asked, setting down his PADD.
"I dreamt I was able to talk to my parents, to tell them how I was doing and all of that. I just… I just would like to talk to them you know?" Harry asked, turning his face so he could look up at Leonard.
"I understand, though I can't relate, darling, my parents are still alive and kicking." Leonard told the boy. "Maybe I should take you and Jim out there at the end of term, lord knows the two of ya need some time away."
"I'd like that," Harry told him with a soft smile.
"Sides, you got Remus and I haven't seen anyone who loves anyone more than he does you. Well, besides maybe Chris and Jim but they are both too stupid to realize that they care for each other." Bones considered.
"Jim is an oblivious idiot." Harry stated firmly just as the man himself walked back into the room.
"Hey!"
4. Chapter 4
**CHAPTER 4**
_"The revolution is successful. But survival depends on drastic measures. Your continued existence represents a threat to the well-being of society. Your lives mean slow death to the more valued members of the colony. Therefore, I have no alternative but to sentence you to death. Your execution is so ordered, signed Kodos, Governor of Tarsus IV." _
Silence echoes through the large lecture room, only broken by the slam of a door as James T. Kirk bolted down through the doors. The professor went to call him back when two more people ran out, their cadet reds a blur as they called after the blond.
"Call Captain Chris Pike now!" The older called to her before sprinting down the halls on the heels of the teenager. The professor just blinked and seeing no choice, paged the captain.
Down the hall, Jim ran and he ran and he ran until there was nothing left. He found himself somehow in his dorm room, which was two blocks from the lecture building but it barely more than split thought in his mind.
_"…__survival depends on drastic measures…"_
_"…__threat to the well-being of society…"_
_"…__I have no alternative but to sentence you to death…"_
_"…__Kodus, Governor of Tarsus IV…"_
_"…__KodusKodusKudosKudosKudos…"_
Jim let a pained scream that tore through his throat and got caught in his tears. His hands clutched at his blond hair, pulling tightly on the roots there.
Jim found himself back there, back on that desert planet where the hot was hot and the ground dusty. He could feel the hot wind whipping around his as he ran and ran and ran in his old trainers. Screams and moans could be heard from the village below him as well as the all-too-loud sound of chasing feet in heavy boots.
_Hide_
_Hide and run _is the last thing his aunt had said to him as she pushed him out the door. Jim hadn't heard the soft _I'm sorry _as he obeyed, too scared to do anything but.
Jim was only thirteen he didn't know, didn't understand, what was going on.
He couldn't breathe he couldn't breathe he couldn't breathe-
"James," A soft voice said, a soft voice that Jim was able to recognize in his delusional haze. "Come back to us, son."
Jim collapsed onto the person, sobs wracking his body. He could feel fingers running through his hair gently like no one had ever done before. He clung to the feeling and the images began to disappear from his eyes to be replaced by the sight of a familiar gold shirt.
Christopher Pike.
Jim cried harder, harder than he ever had. He had always had to be strong, back on Tarsus, when he was protecting the other eight. Jim was never allowed to cry, to grieve. He had pushed those emotions behind walls and walls and refused to think about those cursed words until today, when they broke the walls he had so carefully built.
"Oh James, son," Chris said sadly, hugging him close. Jim felt himself being picked up and resisted the urge to demand to be put down. He had been denied comfort for so long he could not do it to himself anymore. "Let's get you off the hard floor."
"Dad," Jim whimpered and he felt the man below him freeze for just a second. It was enough to make Jim think he had screwed up but Christ only gripped him tighter and kept walking.
Next thing he knew, they were on the combined beds with Chris leaning against the wall. He felt someone cover him with a blanket but he could not make himself open his eyes. Jim still had tears running down his face but he had quieted, allowing himself to take comfort for once.
The bed dipped on both sides and then familiar feelings of Harry and Leonard lying next to him. He reached his hands out and both men took them. Harry curled their fingers together and held them close to his chest while Bones kissed his knuckles and rubbed his thumb calming over his skin.
They stayed that way for a while. Jim didn't want to move, couldn't make him move from the incredible feeling of just being held and no one seemed to mind.
Eventually, however, his legs began to cramp and with a heavy blush he realized he had been sitting on Chris's lap for who knows long. Jim tried to move away but strong arms held him in place.
"I-" He tried to say but the words died in his throat. "I was there," Jim tried again. "My mom had sent me there after I sent the car over the cliff so I would stop getting in trouble when the famine hit. I remember every single in excruciating detail. I remember every sent, every feeling, every scream from those days. I remember being chosen to die."
The other three men in the room tensed but stated quiet.
"I would have too, but my aunt sent me away when the soldiers came. They took her and my uncle and my cousins. I managed to hide in the woods. I found eight others, child who had managed to hide. We hide for days in the woods surviving on tree bark and dirt. Eventually we were found. We were taken in front of Kodus. The others were locked in cells. But me," Jim grinned and Harry started. Those were the eyes of man who had seen too much. "Kodus liked me. He wanted me to stay with him, to do things for him. I refused.
"So he tortured me for days, trying to convince me. But then came the day of the execution." Jim was silent for a while, his eyes dark and lost in memory. "I was still in my cell but it was broadcasted for us all to see. He was trying to make us give in. Luckily, the Federation showed up only a day later and Kodus committed suicide. I can still see his face; hear those words in my mind."
Jim trailed off, unconsciously huddling closer to Chris.
No one spoke, just sitting there in the silence for a long time.
Jim felt clear for the first time ever.
End file.
| fanfiction |
inflationary cosmology has become the prevalent paradigm to understand the early stage of our universe , with its advantages of resolving the flatness , homogeneity and monopole problems @xcite , and predicting a approximately scale - invariant primordial power spectrum consistent with current cosmological observations @xcite very well .
however , a single field inflation model often suffers from fine tuning problems on the parameters of its potential , such as the mass and the coupling constant . in recent years
, people has noticed that , when a number of scalar fields are involved in the inflationary stage , they can relax many limits on the single scalar inflation model @xcite . usually , these fields are able to work cooperatively to give an inflationary stage long enough , even none of them can sustain inflation separately .
models of this type have been considered later in refs .
the main results showed that both the e - folding number @xmath1 and the curvature perturbation @xmath2 are approximately proportional to the number of the scalars @xmath3 .
later , the model of n - flation was proposed by dimopoulos _
@xcite , which showed that a number of axions predicted by string theory can give rise to a radiatively stable inflation .
this model has explored the possibility for an attractive embedding of multi - field inflation in string theory . over the past several years , based on the recent developments in string theory , there have been many studies on its applications to the early universe in inflationary cosmology . an interesting inflation model , which has a non - canonical kinetic term inspired by string theory , was studied intensively in the literature . due to a non - canonical kinetic term , the propagation of field fluctuations in this model is characterized by a sound speed parameter and the perturbations get freezed not on hubble radius , but on the sound horizon instead .
one specific realization of this type of models can be described by a dirac - born - infeld - like ( dbi ) action @xcite .
based on brane inflation @xcite , the model with a single dbi field was investigated in detail@xcite , which has explored a window of inflation models without flat potentials . in this model ,
a warping factor was applied to provide a speed limit which keeps the inflaton near the top of a potential even if the potential is steep . motivated by the effective description of multiple d - brane dynamics in string theory @xcite , an interesting inflation model involving multiple sound speeds with each sound speed characterizing one field fluctuation was proposed @xcite .
the authors of refs.@xcite suggest this scenario can be realized by a number of general scalar fields with arbitrary kinetic forms , and these scalars have their own sound speeds respectively .
therefore , this model is dubbed as
_ multi - speed inflation _ " ( msi ) . in this model ,
the propagations of field fluctuations are individual , and the usual conceptions in multi - field inflation models might be not suitable in this scenario .
for example , in a usual generalized n - flation model , the length scale for perturbations being freezed takes the unique sound horizon ; however , in our model it corresponds to the maximum sound horizon .
it is worth emphasizing that the model of msi is different from the usual dbi n - flation in which only multiple moduli fields are involved in one dbi action @xcite , but msi is constructed by multiple kessence type actions . for example , an explicit model of msi is made of two dbi fields in ref @xcite , and its primordial perturbations including curvature and entropy modes and their non - gaussianities were considered . in the current paper
we extend the model into a much more generic case by relaxing the form of the lagrangian .
we find that even there are no coupling terms among the inflaton fields , their perturbation modes are coupled due to the nonlinear gravitational interaction .
we also find that if these couplings are weak , the independent components of the fields can be treated as a combination of normal modes , by which the curvature perturbation at the horizon - crossing can be calculated in detail up to leading order of slow variation parameters via @xmath0 formalism . as a specific example
, we consider a model of multi - speed inflation involving two dbi fields .
we show that in the relativistic limit , the coupling between two fields is mainly reflected by the damping terms in the perturbation equations .
the difference between the sound speeds of these two fields is able to generate a considerable amplification on the amplitude of the primordial curvature perturbation .
this is greatly different from the usual analysis on the inflationary model constructed by two canonical fields@xcite .
the paper is organized as follows . in section
ii , we study the cosmological perturbation theory of the msi model in a generic case , then show that the inflaton fluctuations could be decoupled through a redefinition of fields at leading order under the assumption of weak couplings .
in section iii , we focus on a model of msi involving two fields , and study the detailed field transformation matrix to illustrate that the decoupling process of the field fluctuations is reliable under the weak coupling approximation .
specifically , we analyze a specific model constructed by two dbi fields and give its curvature perturbation .
section iv presents a summary and discussion . in the paper
we take the normalization @xmath4 and the sign of metric is adopted as @xmath5 in the following .
an inflation model constructed with a single kessence was originally proposed by @xcite and later its perturbation theory was developed in @xcite . in the literature
this type of model has been widely studied , and one of the most significant features is that there is an effective sound speed describing the propagation of the perturbations . in the model of msi , for each k - essence field there is one sound speed correspondingly .
therefore , the field fluctuations in this model do not propagate synchronously due to different sound speed parameters , but get coupled because of gravitational interactions . in the current paper , our main interests focus on the effects of multiple sound speeds and mode - couplings at the level of linear perturbation . before studying the perturbations ,
we first take an investigation on the background equations .
the action is the summation of hilbert - einstein action and the action of @xmath3 different fields minimally coupled with gravity@xcite @xmath6,\ ] ] with @xmath7 which is the kinetic term of the inflaton field @xmath8 . from now on the subscript of capital latin letter @xmath9 always denote the different inflaton fields . in this model ,
the klein - gordorn equations in a homogeneous background are @xmath10 here and thereafter , the subscript `` @xmath11 '' denotes the derivative with respect to the field @xmath8 , and @xmath12 " denotes the derivative with respect to @xmath13 , for simplicity . assuming a flat friedman - robertson - walker background , the friedman equations are given by @xmath14 where @xmath15 denotes the hubble parameter @xmath16 at a given time . to get analytical results , it is helpful to define some parameters to characterize the kinetic behavior of the fields . in single - field canonical inflation , a set of slow - roll parameters are necessary . to ensure their smallness is not only the requirement of inflation to occur and endure for long enough , but also some simplification in analytical calculation . in a generic case , just as in @xcite , we define a similar set of slow - variation parameters .
recall that in the simplest single - field inflation with canonical kinetic energy and flat potential , one can define two slow - roll parameters @xmath17 here the @xmath18 symbol denotes the approximate equality which only holds in slow - variant environment and neglect the possible numerical factor .
the second equality defines the slow - roll parameter via the kinetic side , whereas the third equality defines it in the potential viewpoint .
if one only deal with the parameters under slow - roll condition , for instance in a model with canonical kinetic terms , these definitions are almost equal , and assuming one set is small can immediately assure the smallness of the other sets .
this is just because the dynamic behavior simply relies on the shape of potential .
but in a generic case , for instance in dbi or k - inflation model , the dependence may be much more complex and these different definitions are no more equivalent . since they are all very important in parameterizing our final result , we have to define two sets of slow - variation parameters from different viewpoints . in general , we should replace the slow - variation parameters by some slow - variation matrixes that can reflect the correlations between different fields .
since we are dealing with a separable lagrangian , we only need different parameters for each field .
this is equivalent to the case with a diagonal slow - variation matrix . as is mentioned above , one way to trace the motion is to define the parameter by each kinetic term of one specific field : @xmath19 in dbi model the field may roll down the potential very fast , but the parameter @xmath20 defined here is still small and slowly variant .
the summation of such parameters gives the original version of them in canonical case : @xmath21 note that the magnitude of @xmath20 and @xmath22 obeys @xmath23 in general . to accomplish our calculation
we need another version of slow - variation parameters defined in the potential aspect : @xmath24 this is an analogue of @xmath25 , and for future convenience we take a squared root . it is not necessarily small in an infrared ( ir ) dbi model , in which the value of the inflaton field may be very small .
so for convenience let us focus on the ultraviolet ( uv ) dbi model where @xmath26 moves from uv side of the potential to the ir side .
we should remind us that @xmath27 has the same order with @xmath20 in a model with canonical kinetic energy , but is very close to 1 in multi - dbi model .
we refer to it as a half - order slow variation parameter in the former case , and tried to preserve terms higher than @xmath27 . besides
, @xmath28 as another extension of @xmath29 should be defined . according to the speed of sound in the single - field case
, we can define the speed parameter of each field : @xmath30 by this definition , the sound speed is the actually the effective propagation speed of the perturbations , which is different from the adiabatic sound speed which is defined as @xmath31 when the cosmic fluid is described by scalar fields@xcite . notice that in a multi - dirac - born - infeld model we have an extra relationship @xmath32 which will connect this parameter with @xmath20 .
in general , @xmath33 needs not to be the same for all the fields , which makes this model different from the ordinary multi - dbi model and may give us some new phenomenon that we are about to investigate . for an analysis of @xmath34 as an inverse lorentz vector in a single - field dbi inflation ,
see @xcite .
after having defined such parameters , the main quantities involving @xmath35 can be expressed in terms of these parameters directly from the inverse relations above .
for instance , @xmath36 besides the @xmath37 s , another important quantity is the time derivative of one field . by using the klein - gordon equation ( [ kg equation ] )
we have @xmath38 in this subsection we perform a generic analysis on the linear perturbations of the model introduced previously . since we are working in the frame of a cosmological system , the metric perturbations ought to be included as well as the field fluctuations .
we would like to expand the action to the second order by virtue of the arnorwitt - deser - misner ( adm ) formalism @xcite . to start ,
the spacetime metric in the adm formalism is written as , @xmath39 the action can reads @xmath40 with @xmath41 .
when expanding the action up to the second order , we can decompose the fields and lagrangian multipliers as @xmath42 first , the primary hamiltonian and the momentum constrains gives two relations @xmath43 then we can make the perturbative expansion of the action up to second order by using the lagrangian constraints : @xmath44\right\},\end{aligned}\ ] ] with @xmath45 as the perturbation of @xmath13 up to first order .
this result is in consistency with the one derived in the msi model @xcite and see @xcite for a general case .
the lagrangian ( [ s_2 ] ) contains a lot of coupled terms as @xmath46 and @xmath47 .
these terms imply that the perturbations of inflaton fields depend on others during their evolution , and the equations of motion would be difficult to be solved directly . in this note
we aim at making the transformation of the inflaton perturbations as to obtain approximately decoupled equations of motion for new fields . in principle
this is difficult , if not impossible to realize .
we will see in which case can we do such transformations and see what will happen by such a method .
this will require some constraints on the slow - variation parameters .
we will see this in detail for a double - field toy model .
after utilizing the equations of motion for background and taking some integration by parts , one can write the lagrangian in a more compact form : @xmath48 with @xmath49 and @xmath50 are time - dependent damping and mass terms , @xmath51 this result is consistent with that obtained in multi - field inflation@xcite . to distinguish the diagonal and off - diagonal parts of the matrices above
, we define @xmath52 after assuming that all the slow - varying parameters defined in sec .
[ sect - intro ] are small , we have @xmath53 , \\ \mathcal{n}_{ij } & = & -h\left(\frac{1}{\csi^2}-1\right)e_ie_j\left[1+\frac{1}{3}\epsilon\left(\frac{\eta_i}{\epsilon_i}+\frac{\eta_j}{\epsilon_j } \right)\right ] , \\
\mathcal{m}_i & = & 3h^2\iota_i , \\ \mathcal{m}_{ij } & = & -3h^2e_ie_j\left [ 1+\frac{1}{6}\sum_k\epsilon_k\left(\frac{1}{\csk^2}-1\right)\right].\end{aligned}\ ] ] here , note that all these quantities are of order @xmath54 if @xmath55 .
in such a case , as we will see below , the damping term has no correlations .
for ordinary terms we have only preserved the leading order to slow - variation parameters , but if a term involves @xmath56 , we preserve one higher order .
this is to ensure the consistency when @xmath55 fails , as in a model with multiple dbi actions . under the condition
when @xmath57 , all the terms should be preserved . to investigate
further we can derive the equations of motion for the fields @xmath58\delta_{ij}\right .
\\\nn & + & \left.\frac{\csi^2}{h}\sum_j\left(\frac{1}{\csj^2}-1\right)p_j,_{x_j}\dot\phi_i\dot\phi_j\right\}\dot{\delta\phi}_j\\\label{eom : general } & + & \left[\left(\frac{k^2\csi^2}{a^2}+\frac{\csi^2}{p_i,_{x_i}}\mathcal{m}\right)\delta_{ij } + \frac{\csi^2}{p_i,_{x_i}}\sum_j\mathcal{m}_{ij}\right]\delta\phi_j=0.\end{aligned}\ ] ] note there is no summation over index @xmath59 " even if it repeats in one term .
here and throughout the paper einstein s summation rule is not applied for the index of fields ( but still valid for repetition of spatial sub / superscripts ) and all the summations over capital latin letters
@xmath9 " are written explicitly . in a generic case
, we can rewrite the equations of motion as follows , @xmath60 with @xmath61 which are also small in inflation .
we see there are two different couplings in the damping and effective mass term respectively .
besides , they both depend on time via the parameters . in principle , this kind of equation is difficult to solve , if not impossible . of course we see that the coupling terms between different fields are all very weak if we admire the slow - variation parameters to be small , which may maintein the final solutions almost the same as those of @xmath3 independently evolving fields .
further more , two special cases which have specific limits of sounds of speed are most interesting .
one is that all fields @xmath8 have the canonical kinetic energy , with @xmath62 .
this is a decoupled multi - slow - roll model , which is called assisted inflation by @xcite and received much focus@xcite .
in such a case , @xmath63 and therefore can be totally neglected in the action , while @xmath64 .
we notice that only the correlations in mass term are preserved , which are easy to manipulate . on the other hand , when all the fields are dbi - type , as is discussed in @xcite , @xmath33 is very small in the relativistic limit . for simplicity
, we can suppose that the sound speeds are as small as @xmath22 , or even smaller .
we will shortly confirm that , the latter case is naturally suitable for analytical calculation , while for former case one should impose further assumptions on the difference of @xmath65 s .
but whatever case it is , we see @xmath66 which is the main part of coupling , and @xmath67 thus can be neglected .
one possible method is to consider the smallness of couplings , and rotate the perturbative fields in field - space into a instantaneous orthogonal basis which can generate the adiabatic perturbation which is in the direction of the trajectory of fields in background , along with @xmath68 entropy perturbations perpendicular to the direction of field trajectory . after doing that
, if we suppose the coupling terms which are proportional to the derivatives of the rotating angles with respect to time of the trajectory in field - space is small at the moment of horizon crossing , we can neglect the coupling and treat the adiabatic and entropy perturbations independently as free streaming quantum fields .
after some proper quantization , all the discussions are similar to a @xmath3 decoupled multi - field theory@xcite .
next if we want to consider the effect of couplings that have been omitted , one can treat such couplings as interacting vertices to the quantum fields , and see how can the fields transfer to each other in the quantum level@xcite .
actually , if the fields have different speeds of sound , it is difficult to do such rotations as to make the adiabatic perturbation laid on the direction of trajectory .
this is because the angle we need to take our rotation is different from that of the slope of trajectory , since sound speeds will appear in the transformation and make the `` rotation '' anisotropic .
further more , different sound speeds correspond to an anisotropic rescaling in the rotation of basis .
we will come back and explain this assert in a two - field case by illustration later .
if we abandon the attempts to project the field into adiabatic perturbation and entropy perturbations , we may find another route to get our results .
a reasonable method is to transform the fields in order to eliminate the couplings , if possible , and then treat the decoupled perturbations as free quantum fields , with a final result of curvature perturbation @xmath2 gained by @xmath0 formalism . before doing this ,
let us digress to take a look at the solution if we discard all the couplings and see the free fields limit of our theory .
the result obtained here is also useful for future convenience . under this situation ,
the equations contains no coupling , while the only remaining task is to find the solution of each independent field , and do quantization in ultraviolet limit .
we can consider the equations of motion as @xmath69 where the parameter @xmath70 and @xmath71 have been defined in ( [ kappa ] ) and ( [ mi ] ) .
this is a little different from the standard form of single - field inflation because of an additional term in the damping effect .
we consider the fields moving in an inflationary quasi - de sitter phase , which means the comoving time has a simple form@xcite @xmath72 and we can postulating a rescaling on the fields , @xmath73 note that , our rescaling contains an extra power of @xmath74 which is a small quantity of order @xmath54 comparing with the standard definition of mukhanov - sasaki variable@xcite due to the small shift in the diagonal damping term of the lagrangian .
this extra power can be determined by requiring the coefficients of @xmath75 term in the equation of motion vanish .
the mukhanov - sasaki variable , as in the standard process before taking the quantization of the fields , is actually defined via the normalizer before the kinetic terms in the action([action:2nd order ] ) .
therefore , we can convert the equation into a standard form which is familiar to that in single field theory : @xmath76\chi_i=0.\ ] ] this is just the bessel equation of order @xmath77 which will be determined below .
the solution to this equation is a linear combination of two independent bessel functions .
however , to have the appropriate approximation behavior which approaches the planar wave in bunch - davies vacuum with correct normalization at early time @xmath78 @xcite , we need to choose the proper coefficients of the bessel functions , which corresponds to such a state in quantum theory that it can minimize the energy density . one possible result is to choose@xcite @xmath79 where @xmath80 is the hankel function of the first type , with @xmath81 as its order .
note that , @xmath82 is a small quantity of order @xmath54 , which is irrelevant of the value of @xmath33 in a multi - dbi model when @xmath83 .
therefore , the amplitude of perturbation to the original field @xmath8 is @xmath84 again we use the fact that both @xmath77 and @xmath85 are very small , thus we get the power spectrum of each field @xmath86 \left(\frac{\epsilon_i}{e_i^2}\right)^{\beta_i}\left(\frac{h}{k}\right)^{2\beta_i}(1-\epsilon)^{2(1-\sigma_i)},\\\label{spectrum i background } & \approx&\left(\frac{h}{2\pi}\right)^2\frac{2}{\csi}\left(\frac{h}{k}\right)^{2\beta_i}\frac{\epsilon_i}{e_i^2 } \left[1 - 2\epsilon+\beta_i\ln2+\sigma_i\left(\gamma-2\right)+\beta_i\ln\frac{\epsilon_i}{e_i^2}\right],\end{aligned}\ ] ] where the second approximate equality holds at the moment when the wavelength of the mode considered exits the sound horizon , i.e. @xmath87 .
@xmath88 is the digamma function and relates to euler - mascheroni constant @xmath89 as @xmath90 .
the dependence on the speed of sound is superficially different from that of single - field dbi inflation .
but when we take an extra relationship @xmath91 which holds in dbi - type action , a new relation between the parameters @xmath33 , @xmath92 and @xmath20 , holds as to leading order , @xmath93 therefore the dependence on @xmath33 in ( [ spectrum i background ] ) is canceled , and ( [ spectrum i background ] ) will be coincident up to leading order with the result in @xcite . by virtue of @xmath0 formalism @xcite .
@xmath94 where @xmath1 is the local e - folding number along a trajectory from a spatially flat slice at a moment @xmath95 soon after the relevant scale has passed outside the horizon during inflation , to a uniform - density slice at another moment @xmath96 after complete reheating when @xmath97 has become a constant .
so the power spectrum curvature of perturbation @xmath97 can be calculated by @xcite .
@xmath98 where @xmath99 can be determined via @xmath100 in a general case . here for simplicity , we should consider the case when the @xmath3 fields moves almost in the same manner .
this is proved by @xcite to be a late - time attractor for some appropriate initial conditions . later on
we will demonstrate our analytical calculation for a system with different sound speeds is valid when @xmath101 , which implies a field configuration like this . under such assumptions , to order @xmath54 one have @xmath102 in a generic case .
therefore , together with ( [ extra relation in dbi ] ) we get @xmath103.\end{aligned}\ ] ] the superscript 0 denotes this power spectrum is the one for a theory neglecting couplings .
we can see if all the fields have the same speed of sound , and @xmath104 , ( [ p zeta uncoupled ] ) gives the results in multifield dbi inflation@xcite which contains @xmath3 identifying speeds of sound up to first order of slow variation parameters . from ( [ spectrum i background ] ) , the scalar spectral index @xmath105 is @xmath106 and the contribution to spectral index of @xmath97 mainly comes from the largest one of @xmath107 s , which is just the power spectuum of curvature perturbation . to consider the coupling terms as a perturbations to equations of motion ( [ eom : unperturbed ] ) , we could take a redefinition of inflaton fields through a linear transformation which , up to leading order in slow - variation parameters , can give a set of @xmath3 decoupled equations of motion , with different coefficients appearing as new speeds of sound and new effective mass terms .
in general , this is difficult to be realized .
fortunately , we are dealing with a theory that is just perturbed from a decoupled one .
as the @xmath3 fields have tendency to move together , they have an even smaller difference in the parameters .
intuitively the change in eigenvalue should be small if the damping and mass matrix is not far apart from a diagonal one .
actually hoffman - wielandt theorem in matrix analysis tells us that the smallness of `` perturbation '' to a diagonal matrix will cause small variation to the eigenvalues . to make it clear let us denote @xmath108 as the eigenvalues of a diagonal matrix corresponding to a theory with no couplings , whose diagonal entries are just the coefficients before each @xmath109 term in ( [ eom : unperturbed ] ) , and @xmath110 to be eigenvalues of the `` perturbed '' matrices corresponds to the coupled coefficients ( [ eom : general ] )
then , there exists a permutation @xmath111 for the new eigenvalues @xmath112 that satisfies@xcite @xmath113^{1/2}\leq\parallel\delta m\parallel_2\sim\scro(n\epsilon).\ ] ] here @xmath114 is the euclidean norm of a perturbation matrix @xmath115 which under our circumstance has the magnitude of order @xmath54 .
thus , roughly speaking , the variation in eigenvalue is a small quantity of order less than @xmath54 , if @xmath3 is not very large .
this fact ensures our validity of our upcoming discussions on estimating the eigenvalues after field redefinition .
let us analyze the coupled equations under the fact that all the coupling terms are small quantities of order @xmath54 .
in this case we expect the solutions will differ from the decoupled ones very little . later on
we will see that , even under such case , different sound speeds will bring a fruitful physical imprint . if we impose a transformation in field space such that @xmath116 where @xmath117 is a non - singular transformation matrix .
if we require the transformation to be a representation of @xmath118 we can define a new basis of perturbations which can be interpreted as adiabatic / entropy directions , this matrix should be set orthogonal .
but here it is not possible in our case .
our purpose of transforming the fields is to decouple . and unless for some special cases
, the new fields has nothing to do with adiabatic / entropy perturbations .
actually , if all the fields have the same speed of sound , the fields redefinition ( [ field rotation ] ) could be an orthogonal transformation of @xmath118 group . and
one of the new basis would lay on the direction of tangent line of trajectory in field space , which just duplicate the result in @xcite .
however , for fields with different speeds of sound , we do not have such clear geometric explanation .
in such a case , we will see that the transformation is even only orthogonal up to leading order @xmath119 . later on
we will see how we can explain the new transformation in a field space . to make our discussion clear we could require @xmath117 is also slow - variant , which means @xmath120 .
this is reasonable in a quasi - de sitter background , and its validity will be confirmed after we get the concrete form of @xmath121 .
thus , one can write the time derivative of new field transformed from @xmath122 as @xmath123 substitute into the equations of motion ( [ eom : general ] ) , we have the equations for new variable @xmath124
. left multiply an inverse transformation @xmath125 and take the summation over index @xmath59 , we get @xmath126\dot\vp_m \\\nn & + & \sum_{m , i , j}(r^{-1})_n^i\left[\left(\frac{k^2\csi^2}{a^2}r_j^m+m_i^2r_j^m+3h(1+\kappa_i)\dot r_j^m\right)\delta_{ij}\right.\\ & + & \left.m_{ij}r_j^m+h\xi_{ij}\dot r_j^m\right]\dot\vp_m=0.\end{aligned}\ ] ] if we need to decouple these equations into the form of ( [ eom : neglect couple ] ) and get a set of free propagating waves in ultraviolet , we should find a way to diagonalize the two coefficients in the square brackets before @xmath127 and @xmath124 for each equation at the same time .
this is the simultaneous diagonalization of two matrices , and is in principle impossible unless the two matrices are commutative .
the coefficient matrices does not commute each other since @xmath128 is even asymmetric .
all the diagonal matrices are commutative .
so the only remaining matrices that may be non - commutative are those with @xmath129 and @xmath128 as their elements . since their main part are diagonal elements that surely commutes , we will justify that the complete matrices with a little variation in off - diagonal parts are believed to simultaneously diagonalizable up to @xmath54 .
if we can find a way to do this , then we can write @xmath130 & = & 3hk_n\delta_n^m,\\\nn \sum_i\left[3h(r^{-1})_n^i(1+\kappa_i)\dot r^m_i+\frac{k^2}{a^2}(r^{-1})_n^i\csi^2r_j^m\right .
& & \\\label{diagonalize mass}\left.+(r^{-1})_n^im_i^2r_i^m+\sum_j(r^{-1})_n^im_{ij}^2r_j^m\right ] & = & \left(\frac{k^2}{a^2}c_{\mathrm{s}n}+m_n\right)\delta_n^m.\end{aligned}\ ] ] here we have neglect a @xmath131 term since @xmath132 is of order @xmath54 . under such transformation the equations of motion are completely decoupled , @xmath133 now we use the hoffman - wielandt theorem which ensures us that the solution to such eigenvalue equation of a perturbed matrix is a small variation from the eigenvalue before . according to the fundamental theorem of algebra , there are @xmath3 sets of such solutions to ( [ diagonalize damping ] ) and ( [ diagonalize mass ] ) , each has a new speed of sound @xmath134 . the @xmath135 s are the speeds of propagation of the new fields , akin to those of normal modes in coupled oscillation system or phonon representation in statistical system .
to investigate whether the new representation will change qualitatively the physics of an decoupled system is an interesting question .
for instance when @xmath33 s are all close to 1 , can we find a mode that has a very small speed of sound @xmath135 that can possibly amplify the power spectrum and non - gaussianity ?
we should emphasize that although this is possible , it will not appear in an weakly coupled system we are just dealing with since the reason we ve mentioned above . on the contrary , if the couplings are indeed strong , the physics could be much more different .
for example , in hybrid inflation@xcite where the two fields have complicated coupling which is not small at the waterfall stage of inflation , there are plentiful physical phenomena far beyond our results here @xcite . even in a weakly coupled system we are considering , analytical calculation is difficult to do .
but after we can diagonalize the damping and mass matrices and take a set of new fields @xmath136 which can simplify the equations of motion ( [ eom : general ] ) to ( [ eom : decoupled ] ) , the remaining task is very simple , just parallel to the discussion under ( [ eom : neglect couple ] ) since the form of the equation is the same , only with a different definition of parameters @xmath137 , @xmath138 and @xmath139 .
the most difficult part of our method is to find the transformation @xmath121 . in the next section
we will calculate in detail for an example of two - field inflation and get a taste of such scheme .
to calculate the curvature perturbation at horizon - crossing in detail we need the quantization of the fields in ultraviolet , which requires a set of independent wave equations . as we mentioned above ,
to simultaneously diagonalize so many matrices in ( [ diagonalize damping ] ) and ( [ diagonalize mass ] ) seems to be an impossible task . but after we notice all the off - diagonal entries are very small and superadd an assumption that the diagonal entries are almost the same up to @xmath54 , we can decouple the equations in a natural manner . in a two - field model ,
the fields which drive inflation are @xmath140 and @xmath141 , and a new definition of fields provides two equations for the eigenvector of the coefficient matrix , ( [ diagonalize damping])([diagonalize mass ] ) .
we have seen that for a generic value of @xmath33 the off - diagonal damping and mass term will coexist .
but for a model with canonical kinetic energy , @xmath62 and there is only coupling in mass term@xcite . on the other hand if @xmath33 is small as in the multi - dbi model , the coupling in damping term survives .
let us work in the multi - dbi case , leaving aside the matrix @xmath129 which has been proved to be up to @xmath142 , as has been discussed in the paragraph under ( [ mij ] ) .
therefore the only remaining matrix to be diagonalized is @xmath128 , which has the eigenvalues @xmath143 with the eigenvalues @xmath144 these eigenvalues corresponds to a transformation matrix @xmath145 actually the eigenvector can only determine this matrix up to two normalization constants .
here we adopt a normalization such that it will preserve the determinant to be unity .
this is not important in the quantization process , but will affect the calculation of power spectrum later .
we know the similarity transformation @xmath121 will diagonalize the matrix with elements @xmath128 .
next we will show that it can also diagonalize the diagonal matrices with different diagonal entries , say @xmath146 , under some reasonable assumptions about the model .
when the similarity matrix @xmath121 operates on @xmath147 , @xmath148 so a diagonal matrix which has different diagonal entries can remain diagonal after the similarity transformation @xmath121if @xmath149 with @xmath85 s and @xmath20 s in the matrix are still of order @xmath22 .
we will see , that for a specific multi - dbi model , the assumption that @xmath150 as well as @xmath151 and @xmath152 are of order @xmath153 is reasonable , since the difference between two small positive quantities of order @xmath54 must be even smaller , if the fields have the tendency to move together under an appropriate initial condition . besides
, we will suppose that the differences between other parameters like @xmath154 and @xmath155 , are also as small as @xmath153 for future convenience .
note , that this do not implies @xmath156 which is a much more strict constraint on the evolution of fields .
we will come back to this issue and make some necessary justification to a specific two - field - dbi model later . at this moment
, we just emphasize that this assumption preserve the diagonal property of the diagonal matrices in ( [ diagonalize damping ] ) and ( [ diagonalize mass ] ) involving @xmath85 , @xmath157 and @xmath158 automatically up to @xmath153 under a similarity transformation by any matrix @xmath121 .
next let us check whether this matrix can make @xmath159 diagonal .
the entries of the matrix are @xmath160,\\ ( \mathbb{r}^{-1}\dot{\mathbb{r}})_{12 } & = & \frac{h\epsilon_1}{\epsilon_1+\epsilon_2 } \frac{e_2c_{\mathrm{s}1}^2}{e_1c_{\mathrm{s}2}^2 } \left[(h_1-h_2)-2(s_1-s_2)\right],\\ ( \mathbb{r}^{-1}\dot{\mathbb{r}})_{21 } & = & \frac{h\epsilon_2}{\epsilon_1+\epsilon_2 } \frac{e_1c_{\mathrm{s}2}^2}{e_2c_{\mathrm{s}1}^2 } \left[(h_1-h_2)-(\eta_1-\eta_2)-2(s_1-s_2)\right].\end{aligned}\ ] ] we see all the entries are proportional to the differences among some slow - variation parameters of the two fields , which are of order @xmath153 as we mentioned before
. then we can assert that up to @xmath54 the time derivative of @xmath121 multiplied by its inverse in ( [ diagonalize damping ] ) is negligible .
we will pause for a while and see the possible geometric explanation of transformation @xmath121 .
we have seen that it is only orthogonal up to @xmath54 under the assumption that @xmath156 .
when @xmath161 as is the case of ordinary assisted inflation , one have that the transformation @xmath121 is just rotating the basis by @xmath162 and @xmath163 is just the adiabatic perturbation with @xmath164 the entropy perturbation which is negligible , as is depicted in fig.[pert1](a ) .
a more interesting case is the theory with different speeds of sound , as in ( b ) .
is depicted by a transformation in field space of the perturbations .
( a ) denotes the trivial case when @xmath165 , @xmath166 and @xmath161 .
we see for a totally symmetric configuration @xmath121 poses an so(2 ) rotation by an angle @xmath162 , and @xmath140 is just the adiabatic perturbation in usual case .
( b ) shows a more interesting result when @xmath167 , @xmath168 and @xmath169 .
note this is to ensure @xmath170 such that field are moving along a diagonal trajectory in fields space .
we see that @xmath121 represents a transformation that rotates the field and rescales it at the same time with different rotating angle and anisotropic rescaling factor for two fields , i.e. the red arrow denoting the basis of new fields are not orthogonal , and the new fieds @xmath124 can not preserve the unitarity.,title="fig:",scaledwidth=45.0% ] is depicted by a transformation in field space of the perturbations .
( a ) denotes the trivial case when @xmath165 , @xmath166 and @xmath161 .
we see for a totally symmetric configuration @xmath121 poses an so(2 ) rotation by an angle @xmath162 , and @xmath140 is just the adiabatic perturbation in usual case .
( b ) shows a more interesting result when @xmath167 , @xmath168 and @xmath169 .
note this is to ensure @xmath170 such that field are moving along a diagonal trajectory in fields space .
we see that @xmath121 represents a transformation that rotates the field and rescales it at the same time with different rotating angle and anisotropic rescaling factor for two fields , i.e. the red arrow denoting the basis of new fields are not orthogonal , and the new fieds @xmath124 can not preserve the unitarity.,title="fig:",scaledwidth=45.0% ] + after the transformation , one can find that two equations ( [ eom : general ] ) are decoupled , which is just ( [ eom : decoupled ] ) , @xmath171 with @xmath172 to go further let us study the change of the normalizer @xmath173 under the similarity transformation by @xmath121 . note that , for example , when a normalizer matrix @xmath174 , which is also diagonal , is multiplied by another matrix , say @xmath175 , the product is transformed under @xmath121 by @xmath176 which is just multiplying each diagonal entries after the similarity transformation respectively .
denote by @xmath177 the diagonal entries of @xmath178 , @xmath179 after doing this , we can turn to the same process after equation ( [ eom : decoupled ] ) .
then we define new field variables @xmath180 which satisfy the equations of motion @xmath181\chi_i=0.\ ] ] now the equations have been decoupled . for each equation ,
the solution is a hankel function with order @xmath182 , where @xmath183 finally , we obtain the power spectra of the new fields @xmath184 as follows , @xmath185 , \\\nn \mathcal{p}_{\varphi_2 } & = & \left(\frac{h}{2\pi}\right)^2\frac{2}{c_{\mathrm{s}2}}\left(\frac{kc_{\mathrm{s}2}}{ha}\right)^{2\varsigma_2 } \frac{c_{\mathrm{s}1}^2(\epsilon_1+\epsilon_2)^2}{(c_{\mathrm{s}1}e_2\epsilon_2\epsilon_1^{-1/2 } + c_{\mathrm{s}2}e_1\epsilon_1\epsilon_2^{-1/2})^2 } \\\nn & \cdot&\!\!\!\!\left[1 - 2\epsilon-2\varsigma_2\left(\ln2+\psi\left(3/2\right)\right)+\left(3k_2 - 2\bigtriangleup_2\right ) \ln\frac{c_{\mathrm{s}1}c_{\mathrm{s}2}(\epsilon_1+\epsilon_2 ) } { c_{\mathrm{s}1}e_2\epsilon_2\epsilon_1^{-1/2}+c_{\mathrm{s}2}e_1\epsilon_1\epsilon_2^{-1/2}}\right].\\\end{aligned}\ ] ] the power spectra above are calculated at the moment when the wavelength exceeds the sound horizon , respectively .
when one field , say @xmath164 have exceeded the sound horizon , the power spectrum of @xmath164 is frozen , and so the curvature perturbation calculated later should involve the value of @xmath186 calculated at @xmath187 which satisfies @xmath188 .
the power spectrum of curvature perturbation should be calculated at the moment when the wavelength has exceeded all the sound horizons corresponding to different @xmath189 s .
the power spectra are nearly scale - invariant , with @xmath190 as their spectral index .
the spectral index of curvature perturbation @xmath97 is thus @xmath190 which has the largest absolute value . using @xmath0 formalism
, we can calculate the curvature perturbation after the wavelength being stretched out of the largest sound horizon .
note that to leading order @xmath191 there is no correlation between different @xmath124 s since they are independent kinetic modes as we defined .
after using the additional relation ( [ extra relation in dbi ] ) we can substitute @xmath192 in the expression by @xmath193 .
therefore we can simplify the final result @xmath194 the derivatives of the e - folding number can be calculated in a specific model in detail , for instance in a model with standard kinetic energy and separable potential@xcite .
since we only want to emphasize the effects caused by different sound speeds , again we use the assumption that both fields are moving in the same manner , i.e. in the diagonal trajectory in field space as in ( b ) of fig.[pert1 ] , and ( [ n , i ] ) holds .
this kind of motion is nearly adiabatic , which will always suppress the isocurvature perturbation inside the sound horizon .
the final result is a little lengthy and instead of writing it here , we would rather focus on the dependence on different sound speeds by calculating @xmath195 . by defining @xmath196 one
gets @xmath197 now the power spectrum degenerates to @xmath198 which now just contains quantities up to leading order , and is in coincidence with ( [ p zeta uncoupled ] ) when @xmath199 , i.e. @xmath161 .
this normalized power spectrum seems to be divergent when @xmath200 or @xmath201 .
however , since we require @xmath202 , the corresponding physical region is the neighborhood of @xmath203 .
we depict the dependence on @xmath204 in fig.[p - c ] . of the power spectrum .
both the power spectra of @xmath124 are normalized by @xmath205 .
and @xmath206 is normalized by the un - coupled one ( [ p zeta uncoupled ] ) .
there is severe divergence of @xmath206 when one of the sound speed vanish , but the only valid domain under our assumption is the case when @xmath207 , i.e. in the neighborhood of @xmath208 .
we see the amplification by the reciprocal sound speed is much larger than that in a trivial @xmath199 case of ordinary unique - speed model . ]
we can see from fig.[p - c ] that , there is a minimum of @xmath206 when @xmath209 , where @xmath210 .
but the most interesting aspect is that if one of the speed of sound is a few times larger than the other ( with themselves still as small as @xmath153 so as to satisfy our condition required before ) , the power spectrum of curvature perturbation increases magnificently .
we see from fig.[p - c ] and ( [ p(x ) ] ) that if @xmath211 , the contribution from @xmath212 exceeds that from @xmath213 , and vis visa if @xmath214 .
therefore we have encountered an interesting feature different from our intuition out of a theory without coupling , that the field with smaller speed of sound will not in general contribute more to the curvature perturbation .
for instance , if @xmath215 , it is the power spectrum from auxiliary field @xmath212 which contributes more to the final curvature perturbation , not @xmath216 .
we also see that if @xmath217 deviates from 1 , the power spectrum of curvature perturbation is amplified significantly , compared with the one without couplings .
this just tells us that the effect given by the coupling terms may be large and can not be neglect in previous calculations . since the power spectrum of curvature perturbation can be observed to rather high accuracy , this result actually tells us that we can loosen the constraints on the slow - variation parameters of individual inflaton even further .
in the frame of inflationary cosmology involving multiple inflaton fields , it is possible to allow these fields possess their own sound speed parameters which characterize the propagation of field fluctuations correspondingly .
it is important to study how these modes are related to the cosmological perturbation we may observe in cmb experiments . in the present paper we analyzed the dynamics of field fluctuations in a general scenario of msi .
assuming no direct coupling terms among the inflaton fields , we noticed that these perturbation modes are generically coupled both through their effective mass terms and cosmic damping terms .
fortunately , we found that if these couplings are weak , the perturbation theory can be treated as a combination of normal modes , by which the curvature perturbation at the horizon - crossing can be calculated in detail up to leading order of slow - variation parameters via @xmath0 formalism for a specific model .
specifically we studied a model of multi - speed inflation involving two dbi fields with their sound speeds being small and slow - varying .
our analysis showed that in the relativistic limit , the coupling between two field fluctuations is mainly contributed by the damping terms in their perturbation equations .
we further studied the curvature perturbation in this model , and verified their primordial power spectra are nearly scale - invariant .
this has interesting implications to the curvaton scenario@xcite , which suggests a light field in inflationary phase could seed entropy perturbation and convert it into curvature perturbation at the end of inflation@xcite .
namely , as shown in @xcite , a light dbi field can realize the curvaton scenario and generate sizable non - gaussianities of local and equilateral types after suitable fine - tuning on the model parameters .
our study also showed that , when the sound speed parameters for the inflaton fields are not equal , the perturbation modes would get frozen at different sound horizons .
an important phenomenon is that the curvature perturbation of msi could obtain an enhancement which depends on the ratio of the sound speeds .
the scenario of msi is a very important branch of various models of multiple field inflation . in recent years
, the inflationary models involving multiple field components have been studied extensively in the literature , namely , the analysis on the dynamics of n - flation @xcite ; multiple field inflation with particle decays @xcite ; the n - flation model in the frame of braneworld @xcite ; the model of staggered nflation in the stringy landscape @xcite ; dynamics of the model of coupled n - flation with canonical fields @xcite ; the inflation model constructed by a dbi field coupled to radiation @xcite ; and see @xcite for comprehensive reviews on this field .
it has been well realized that , for the model of multi - field inflation , when the sound speeds for the fields are the same , the field fluctuations are able to be rotated orthogonally to a basis in which the curvature and entropy fluctuations decouple explicitly , at least up to leading order .
however , when we relax the scenario by allowing the sound speed parameters are different , our analysis implied that the rotation of the field fluctuations are no longer orthogonal but we still are able to find a transformation to decouple the fields under some conditions and obtain the curvature perturbation via @xmath218 formalism .
we are grateful to antonio de felice , xian gao and tower wang for useful discussions .
we thank yi - fu cai and bin chen for thoroughly reading the manuscript and providing valuable comments on our work .
this work is supported by the nsfc grant no.10975005 and rfdp .
sp is supported by scholarship award for excellent doctoral student granted by ministry of education of china .
a. h. guth , phys .
d * 23 * , 347 ( 1981 ) ; a. d. linde , phys .
b * 108 * , 389 ( 1982 ) ; a. albrecht and p. j. steinhardt , phys .
lett . * 48 * , 1220 ( 1982 ) . for some early attempts
we refer to : a. a. starobinsky , phys .
b * 91 * , 99 ( 1980 ) ; k. sato , mon . not .
soc . * 195 * , 467 ( 1981 ) .
a. r. liddle , a. mazumdar and f. e. schunck , dimopoulos:2005ac phys .
d * 58 * , 061301 ( 1998 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/9804177 ] .
k. a. malik and d. wands , phys .
d * 59 * , 123501 ( 1999 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/9812204 ] .
p. kanti and k. a. olive , phys .
d * 60 * , 043502 ( 1999 ) [ arxiv : hep - ph/9903524 ] .
e. j. copeland , a. mazumdar and n. j. nunes , phys .
d * 60 * , 083506 ( 1999 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/9904309 ] .
a. m. green and j. e. lidsey , phys .
d * 61 * , 067301 ( 2000 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/9907223 ]
. s. dimopoulos , s. kachru , j. mcgreevy and j. g. wacker , jcap * 0808 * , 003 ( 2008 ) [ arxiv : hep - th/0507205 ] .
o. aharony , s. s. gubser , j. m. maldacena , h. ooguri and y. oz , phys . rept .
* 323 * , 183 ( 2000 ) [ arxiv : hep - th/9905111 ] .
r. c. myers , jhep * 9912 * , 022 ( 1999 ) [ arxiv : hep - th/9910053 ] . g. r. dvali and s. h. h. tye , phys
. lett .
b * 450 * , 72 ( 1999 ) [ arxiv : hep - ph/9812483 ] .
e. silverstein and d. tong , phys .
d * 70 * , 103505 ( 2004 ) [ arxiv : hep - th/0310221 ] ; x. chen , phys .
d * 71 * , 063506 ( 2005 ) [ arxiv : hep - th/0408084 ] ; x. chen , jhep * 0508 * , 045 ( 2005 ) [ arxiv : hep - th/0501184 ] .
s. thomas and j. ward , phys .
d * 76 * , 023509 ( 2007 ) [ arxiv : hep - th/0702229 ] .
d. a. easson , r. gregory , d. f. mota , g. tasinato and i. zavala , jcap * 0802 * , 010 ( 2008 ) [ arxiv:0709.2666 [ hep - th ] ] . m. x. huang , g. shiu and b. underwood , phys . rev .
d * 77 * , 023511 ( 2008 ) [ arxiv:0709.3299 [ hep - th ] ] .
j. ward , jhep * 0712 * , 045 ( 2007 ) [ arxiv:0711.0760 [ hep - th ] ] .
d. langlois and s. renaux - petel , jcap * 0804 * , 017 ( 2008 ) [ arxiv:0801.1085 [ hep - th ] ] . c. r. contaldi , g. nicholson and h. stoica , arxiv:0807.2331 [ hep - th ] .
d. langlois , s. renaux - petel and d. a. steer , arxiv:0902.2941 [ hep - th ] . l. p. chimento , r. lazkoz and m. g. richarte , phys
. rev .
d * 83 * , 063505 ( 2011 ) [ arxiv:1011.2345 [ astro-ph.co ] ] .
d. wands , n. bartolo , s. matarrese and a. riotto , phys .
d * 66 * , 043520 ( 2002 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/0205253 ] . c. gordon , d. wands , b. a. bassett and r. maartens , phys .
d * 63 * , 023506 ( 2001 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/0009131 ] .
l. p. chimento , r. lazkoz and m. g. richarte , phys .
d * 83 * , 063505 ( 2011 ) [ arxiv:1011.2345 [ astro-ph.co ] ] . c. armendariz - picon , t. damour and v. f. mukhanov , phys .
b * 458 * , 209 ( 1999 ) [ arxiv : hep - th/9904075 ] .
j. garriga and v. f. mukhanov , phys .
b * 458 * , 219 ( 1999 ) [ arxiv : hep - th/9904176 ] .
x. chen , m. x. huang , s. kachru and g. shiu , jcap * 0701 * , 002 ( 2007 ) [ arxiv : hep - th/0605045 ] .
a. j. christopherson and k. a. malik , phys .
b * 675 * , 159 ( 2009 ) [ arxiv:0809.3518 [ astro - ph ] ] .
a. j. christopherson and k. a. malik , phys .
b * 675 * , 159 ( 2009 ) [ arxiv:0809.3518 [ astro - ph ] ] .
f. arroja , s. mizuno and k. koyama , jcap * 0808 * , 015 ( 2008 ) [ arxiv:0806.0619 [ astro - ph ] ] .
x. gao , jcap * 0806 * , 029 ( 2008 ) [ arxiv:0804.1055 [ astro - ph ] ] .
d. langlois , s. renaux - petel , d. a. steer and t. tanaka , phys .
* 101 * , 061301 ( 2008 ) [ arxiv:0804.3139 [ hep - th ] ] .
d. langlois , s. renaux - petel , d. a. steer and t. tanaka , phys . rev .
d * 78 * , 063523 ( 2008 ) [ arxiv:0806.0336 [ hep - th ] ] .
x. gao , jcap * 1002 * , 019 ( 2010 ) [ arxiv:0908.4035 [ hep - th ] ] .
n. bartolo , e. komatsu , s. matarrese and a. riotto , phys .
rept . * 402 * , 103 ( 2004 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/0406398 ] .
v. f. mukhanov , h. a. feldman and r. h. brandenberger , phys .
rept . * 215 * , 203 ( 1992 ) . t. s. bunch and p. c. w. davies , proc .
a * 360 * , 117 ( 1978 ) .
m. sasaki and e. d. stewart , prog .
* 95 * , 71 ( 1996 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/9507001 ] .
d. h. lyth , k. a. malik and m. sasaki , jcap * 0505 * , 004 ( 2005 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/0411220 ] .
a. d. linde , phys .
d * 49 * , 748 ( 1994 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/9307002 ] .
d. h. lyth , arxiv:1005.2461 [ astro-ph.co ] .
d. h. lyth , arxiv:1012.4617 [ astro-ph.co ] .
a. a. abolhasani , h. firouzjahi and m. h. namjoo , class .
* 28 * , 075009 ( 2011 ) [ arxiv:1010.6292 [ astro-ph.co ] ] .
j. o. gong and m. sasaki , jcap * 1103 * , 028 ( 2011 ) [ arxiv:1010.3405 [ astro-ph.co ] ] .
d. langlois , phys .
d * 59 * , 123512 ( 1999 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/9906080 ] .
n. bartolo , s. matarrese and a. riotto , phys .
d * 64 * , 123504 ( 2001 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/0107502 ] .
c. t. byrnes and d. wands , phys .
d * 74 * , 043529 ( 2006 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/0605679 ] .
f. vernizzi and d. wands , jcap * 0605 * , 019 ( 2006 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/0603799 ] .
d. h. lyth and d. wands , phys .
b * 524 * , 5 ( 2002 ) [ arxiv : hep - ph/0110002 ] .
s. mollerach , phys .
d * 42 * , 313 ( 1990 ) .
a. d. linde and v. f. mukhanov , phys .
d * 56 * , 535 ( 1997 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/9610219 ] .
k. enqvist and m. s. sloth , nucl .
b * 626 * , 395 ( 2002 ) [ arxiv : hep - ph/0109214 ] .
t. moroi and t. takahashi , phys .
b * 522 * , 215 ( 2001 ) [ erratum - ibid .
b * 539 * , 303 ( 2002 ) ] [ arxiv : hep - ph/0110096 ] . y. f. cai , r. brandenberger and x. zhang , jcap * 1103 * , 003 ( 2011 ) [ arxiv:1101.0822 [ hep - th ] ] .
s. li , y. f. cai and y. s. piao , phys .
b * 671 * , 423 ( 2009 ) [ arxiv:0806.2363 [ hep - ph ] ] .
j. zhang , y. f. cai and y. s. piao , jcap * 1005 * , 001 ( 2010 ) [ arxiv:0912.0791 [ hep - th ] ] .
y. f. cai and y. wang , phys .
d * 82 * , 123501 ( 2010 ) [ arxiv:1005.0127 [ hep - th ] ] .
s. a. kim and a. r. liddle , phys .
d * 74 * , 023513 ( 2006 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/0605604 ]
. k. y. choi and j. o. gong , jcap * 0706 * , 007 ( 2007 ) [ arxiv:0704.2939 [ astro - ph ] ] .
g. panotopoulos , phys .
d * 75 * , 107302 ( 2007 ) [ arxiv:0704.3201 [ hep - ph ] ] .
d. battefeld , t. battefeld and a. c. davis , jcap * 0810 * , 032 ( 2008 ) [ arxiv:0806.1953 [ hep - th ] ] .
a. ashoorioon , a. krause and k. turzynski , jcap * 0902 * , 014 ( 2009 ) [ arxiv:0810.4660 [ hep - th ] ] .
y. f. cai , j. b. dent and d. a. easson , phys .
d * 83 * , 101301 ( 2011 ) [ arxiv:1011.4074 [ hep - th ] ] .
d. wands , lect .
notes phys .
* 738 * , 275 ( 2008 ) [ arxiv : astro - ph/0702187 ] .
d. langlois , j. phys .
ser . * 140 * , 012004 ( 2008 ) [ arxiv:0809.2540 [ astro - ph ] ] . | arxiv |
Labdia leptonoma is a moth in the family Cosmopterigidae. It was described by Meyrick in 1927. It is known from Samoa.
References
Natural History Museum Lepidoptera generic names catalog
Category:Labdia
Category:Moths described in 1927 | wikipedia |
Resonance in Organic Compound
Is the pi bond of a $\ce{sp}$ hybridised carbon in conjugation with another π-bond capable of resonance?
Examples:
* $\ce{={C}=C-C=}$
* $\ce{#{C}-C=}$
Is resonance possible?
Yes, principally, any pi orbital can overlap with similarly oriented neighbouring pi orbitals. However the two orbitals at an sp hybridised carbon atom are orthogonal to each other, so only one of them can overlap with the same orbital at a neighbouring atom.
And you have to differentiate conjugation(=orbital overlap) from resonance(=total delocalisation=more than one structure formula for the same compound).
In the compound a) below, the double bonds are just conjugated. Resonance is typical for aromats, but you can imagine resonance structures here as well:
From a) to b) below, all pi electron pairs flip to the right, leaving a carbocation on the left, an a carbanion on the right. That is resonance, although the second version b) is not very favourable, energetically, as it requires a charge separation. You can draw more intermediate resonance structures where only one or two or three electron pairs flip. Under normal conditions, the energy for that charge separation is not available, so there will be no resonance..
a) $\ce{R-C=C-C=C-C=C-C=C-R}$
b) $\ce{R-\overset{+}{C}-C=C-C=C-C=C-\overset{-}{C}-R}$
In structure a) itself, there is conjugation, i.e. partial pi electron delocalisation. Resonance only comes in when you take into account further formula: $[a \leftrightarrow .. \leftrightarrow b]$
Now with sp hybridised carbon atoms (e.g. the two in the middle of the structures below), the aditional pi bond orbital is orthogonal to the other pi system, and does not take part in it:
$\ce{R-C=C=C=C-R}\leftrightarrow\ce{\overset{+}{R}=C-C\equiv C-C=\overset{-}{R}}$
| stackexchange/chemistry |
York, be sure to browse our well-selected directory.
I studied for four years at the Northern College of Homeopathic Medicine and was awarded the Diploma in Homeopathic Medicine in June 2010. I am also registered with the Society of Homeopaths, the... largest professional body for homeopaths in the UK. I work in accordance with the Society's Code of Ethics and Practice, hold appropriate professional insurance, and have passed stringent academic and clinical assessments to ensure my fitness to practise.
We are dedicated to creating a centre of excellence for natural health care for all. Each patient, whether experiencing a physical or emotional challenge can expect us to support, care and empower... them to experience the best possible health and wellbeing. Our aim is to stimulate your body's healing response, to bring improved health and wellbeing naturally.
I'm Teresa Bovingdon and for over a decade, I've helped people to feel better physically, mentally and emotionally through complementary therapies. Like you, I've experienced stress, strain and tough... times. That's why in 2003 I turned my back on an office job and joined the ambulance service. I wanted to use my compassionate nature to help people and contribute to my local community.
Acupuncture is an ancient system of medicine developed in China over 3000 years ago. It is based on the concept of Qi (or chi) which is the essential energy that flows in our bodies through an... energetic network of channels called "meridians". When the Qi flows freely through the channels, we experience health and well-being. However, if the flow of energy gets blocked, discomfort, pain and ill health will occur.
As part of Volunteers Week (1st - 5th June) we will be attending the Volunteers Picnic at Rowntree Park, York, on the 5th of June. Starting at 12:00 and finishing at 14:00, we will be offering mini... massages and donating gift vouchers for the raffle! Come along and join the many volunteers from across York! We would like to welcome back to the Clinic, Michelle Esberg, who will be offering acupuncture on Mondays, starting from 1st June.
At The Acupuncture Practice (in York), I also want to know what is troubling you, and will listen as you talk about your symptoms. I will ask other questions about your health, and examine your pulse... and your tongue. While I'm doing this, rather like the GP does, I'm sorting the information you give into the patterns that Chinese medicine considers ill health, and identifying the ways in which these patterns interact in you to give rise to the symptoms you are experiencing.
Founder of Your Spirit Matters in 2013, Yvonne is a natural Intuitive, serving the community as a Spiritual Coach, Mentor, Double Reiki Master and Teacher. She guides and inspires others on their... spiritual quest, providing information, tools, resources, guidance and reflective space to further self-awareness, consciousness expansion and personal evolution.
Many clients who visit Novy Health & Beauty love the small village location and as parking is on a private driveway, you can save or spend a little more on yourself by not having to pay York city... centre parking fees! Novy Health & Beauty is the place to visit when you want to feel that little bit special. Our friendly and highly experienced therapists believe in only using the highest quality products, giving you the treatments you deserve.
Acupuncture is part of the ancient system of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that uses fine needles to stimulate key points on the body to harmonise and balance the flow of energy (Qi) in the body,... stimulating its natural self-curative abilities. Traditional Chinese Medicine provides a useful complement to orthodox medicine, as it can help with a number of chronic or recurring conditions. Acupuncture can help with a very wide range of acute and chronic health problems. | slim_pajama |
Remote-controlled aircraft enthusiasts haven't exactly welcomed UAV flyers into the fold.
As the Federal Aviation Administration attempts to implement the regulatory and safety issues they pose, drones have become an object of fascination and fear for the public. New technology breeds new concerns about responsibility, practicality, and injury. But there is one group that views drone pilots, not the drones themselves, with skepticism: the model plane flying community. Flyers of unmanned civilian aircraft just don't see eye-to-eye.
Radio-controlled aircraft were first used by British aeronautics pioneer Archibald Low during remote tests of compressed-air flying machines after World War I. It took decades for a civilian rollout, but hobbyist RC aircraft groups have been around for decades. Now, those groups find themselves waist-deep in a debate about airspace and privacy concerns. Some of them waded in, but others just got dropped in unfamiliar waters.
The 80-year-old AMA views drones as an adjunct to the aircraft hobby and some members are enthusiastic about the new tech, which is seemingly behind the organization's growth. Others would prefer the paradigm remain unshifted. Given the newness of drones and the relative smallness of the RCA community, reputation is a big deal. When a civilian drone got in the way of a medical helicopter, hobbyist forums were ablaze with criticism for the inexperienced pilot.
That pilot, without knowing it, had joined a community way older than drone technology. The reason? The Federal Aviation Administration declines to discern the difference between a quadcopter and radio-controlled aircraft and has recommended the registration of any aircraft weighing over 250 grams. In the eyes of the model aircraft community, the key difference between the UAV types is obvious: Unlike RC planes, many consumer drones can fly out of their operators' line of sight using GPS. Viewed this way, model aircraft have more in common with kites than drones. RC pilots and drone flyers engage in very different activities, motivated by very different impulses.
Hanson points out that the way that people get into flying quadcopters is extremely different from the way that people get into flying radio-controlled planes. "People who are buying these aren't traditional model-aircraft people, for the most part, so they don't know the type of safety environment we operate in," he says. "They're not aviators." Where an RC novice might come across a local group of enthusiasts or snag that initial model airplane from a hobby shop, the average first-time drone buyer is making the purchase online. The barrier to entry is considerably lower.
From the perspective of the model aircraft community, drone pilots have jeopardized the future of a great hobby. The question is whether or not bad drone pilots can be stopped and, if the federal government needs to do the stopping, what that will mean for everyone else. | slim_pajama |
Bond-Line Structure for an Alkane
My textbook tells me the following structure is 2,2,5-trimethylpentane. I try to change the parent group in different ways so as to maximize the number of substituent groups, but I think the maximum number of substituent groups for any arrangement is 3 - so my answer is 2,2,4-trimethylpentane. Am I wrong in thinking this?
There are 2 methyl groups on the second carbon of the main chain, and 1 methyl group on the fourth carbon of the main chain, so 2,2,4-trimethylpentane is correct! If there was a methyl group on the 5th carbon of a pentane, it would be a hexane, so it would not make sense to name it the way your book did.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
How much is my weight in Newtons? What is my Mass?
We refer to our earthly weight in "pounds" or "kilograms". The Force I put on my scale is mass × acceleration = mass × 9.8 m/s^2.
My scale reads 98 kg, yet the units of Newton are kg m/s^2. Do I weigh 10 mass units? 98 Newtons? Or is it 960 Newtons?
The application is lifting force for a model rocket.
In everyday language, the terms "mass" and "weight" are used pretty much interchangably, but in physics, we distinguish them. Mass roughly speaking is a measure of the "amount of stuff", whereas when we say something like "the weight of the table is... ", what this means is "the gravitational force the Earth exerts on the table is..."
So, to directly address your question, here are the correct statements (and a few variations which say the same thing):
* Your mass is $98$ kg.
* Your mass on Earth is $98$ kg.
* The gravitational force the Earth exerts on you is (approximately) $(98 \,\text{kg})(9.8 \, \text{ms}^{-2}) = 960.4 \, \text{kg m s}^{-2} = 960.4\, \text{N}$
* You weigh $960.4\, \text{N}$ on Earth.
* Your mass on the moon is $98 \, \text{kg}$
* Your weight on the moon is $(98 \,\text{kg})(1.62 \, \text{ms}^{-2}) = 158.76 \, \text{kg m s}^{-2} = 158.76\, \text{N}$
So, as you can see, your mass is "a property of you", whereas your weight is "a property of you and where you are".
To be more precise the weighing machine measures the $\frac {\text {normal reaction that you get}}{9.81}$ if you were on $45°$ latitude and not your weight. (You can easily verify this by considering the fact that you reweigh less if you move (at say $75 km \ h^{-1}$) in east direction and more in west direction.
| stackexchange/physics |
Can a high-spin complex be diamagnetic?
There are two nickel complexes: one is octahedral and the other square planar. One complex is diamagnetic, the other is paramagnetic. Both are high-spin.
Now, $\ce{Ni^2+}$ that is octahedral should be paramagnetic, as should $\ce{Ni^2+}$ that is square planar. Actually any high-spin complex should be paramagnetic. Is it possible that the octahedral $\ce{Ni^2+}$ is paramagnetic, and square planar $\ce{Ni^2+}$ diamagnetic (achieved by not filling the last orbital even tho that goes against high-spin concept)?
**A high-spin complex cannot be diamagnetic.** By definition, a high-spin system has multiple unpaired electrons. The names "high-spin" and "low-spin" refer to the total electron spin. In the following example ($d^6$ octahedral), the high spin state $S = 2$ and the low spin state $S = 0$.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/anQYF.png)
In an electron configuration such as $d^8$ the outcome is independent of whether electrons were filled by pairing in the $t\_{2g}$ orbitals first, or by filling all orbitals and pairing last. You end up with the same configuration. In this case, there is no such thing "high-spin" or "low-spin" states.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/EA9Qt.gif)
The same is true for $d^0$, $d^1$, $d^2$, $d^3$, $d^7$, $d^9$ and $d^{10}$. Octahedral is really the only geometry with both high- and low-spin states, as this is the only geometry where the splitting energy $\Delta$ is comparable to the spin-pairing energy.
>
> Both are high-spin.
>
>
>
No, square planar complexes are nearly always low-spin. With a $\mathrm{d^8}$ configuration, the lowest four orbitals would be filled. That would make the complex diamagnetic.
For the octahedral $\mathrm{d^8}$ complex, regardless of whether it's high- or low-spin, it will have the same electronic configuration $\mathrm{(t\_{2g})^6 (e\_g)^2}$. By Hund's first rule, the two electrons in the $\mathrm{e\_g}$ orbital will both be unpaired, so the complex will be paramagnetic.
Here's a quick sketch (energy levels not to scale):[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SelY2.jpg)
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Kaalia is a 1997 Hindi language Indian feature film directed by T. L. V. Prasad, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Dipti Bhatnagar, Sheeba, Kiran Kumar, Johnny Lever, Raza Murad and Mukesh Rishi.
Plot
Kaalia is an action flick from the Mithun-T. L. V. Prasad team. The film has the usual story line of revenge and the fight against injustice. Kalicharan lives a middle-class life with his unmarried sister. Since Kalicharan is an honest man, he refuses to pay or accept bribes, which brings him into the bad books of gangster Bhawani Singh. When Kalicharan refuses to budge, Singh gets Kalicharan arrested on false charges and he is sent to prison. In prison, a new Kalicharan is born who calls himself Kaalia and whose main motive is the destruction of Bhawani Singh.
Cast
Mithun Chakraborty as Kalicharan
Dipti Bhatnagar as Priya
Sheeba as Inspector
Kiran Kumar
Johnny Lever as Khaan Sahab/Dada
Ram Mohan
Mukesh Rishi as Pratap Singh
Raza Murad
Paintal comedian as Nandlal Choubey
Rami Reddy actor
Mukesh Rishi
Tej Sapru
Monicka
Soundtrack
Bedardi Ke Sang Pyar Kiya - Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik
Iski Hoon Na Uski Hoon - Poornima, Anand Raj Anand
Jo Bhi Dhundungi - Kavita Krishnamurthy
Saawan Ki Raat Suhani - Poornima, Kumar Sanu
Tunha Tunha - Poornima
Tumne Di Sadaa Aur Mein - Kavita Krishnamurthy, Udit Narayan
References
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420707/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
http://ibosnetwork.com/asp/filmbodetails.asp?id=Kaalia+28199729
http://www.webmallindia.com/buy_dvd_online-movie-KAALIA-p-6230.html
External links
Category:1997 films
Category:1990s Hindi-language films
Category:Mithun's Dream Factory
Category:Indian films
Category:Films shot in Ooty
Category:Films scored by Anand Raj Anand
Category:Films directed by T. L. V. Prasad | wikipedia |
Lost Girl The Ride
Bo's feet where barely moving and her breathing was getting labored. Her body weighing heavily on Kenzi as she laid her down in the back seat. The bleeding wasn't stopping. "Its okay Bo Bo, i got you babe" Kenzi said frantically as she jumped in the driver seat. She dropped the car into gear and sped off through the warehouses trying to remember how to get back to the Dal. Her hands where covered in Bo's blood as she shuffled her phone. She quickly dialed Laurens number but got a no service signal. "Dammit! Hold on Bo" she said, screeching around the corner to the main road. There was no traffic ahead so she turned to look back at Bo. She was unconscious. The back seat was covered in blood and she was starting to turn pale. Kenzi hit the gas and ran through several red lights. She got 6 blocks before she saw the night road crew detouring traffic. She looked at the signs and knew the Dal was still a few miles away. She stopped the car and looked in the back seat at Bo's limp and beaten body. "Oh shit" she whisper. She pulled the car over and climbed into the back seat. She held Bo's head up and brushed her cheek. "Bo Bo can you hear me? Please wake up." Her body was turning pale and Kenzi could still feel her breathing. But she was slipping fast and Kenzi would never make it to the Dal in time. Kenzi felt her heart sinking as Bo's breathing came in shorter waves. She wasn't waking up. Kenzi knew she was watching Bo die and there was nothing she could do about it. She brushed Bo's cheek back and forth and cried that she was going to be fine. Her tears hit Bo's face and her skin illuminated. Kenzi barely saw it with her blurred vision but it was there. "Bo?" she said looking at her closed eyes. Bo whispered softly, "Kenzi" That's when Kenzi knew she would have to let Bo feed from her. She only had to wake her up.
She leaned over her and kissed her soft lips and wrapped her shaking hands around her neck holding her to this kiss. Kenzi's lips parted as Bo lightly kissed her back. "Its working" she thought. She kissed Bo deeper and caressed her face. Her breathing was getting stronger. Kenzi could feel her chest gently rising and falling against hers. Bo's hand gently gripped the back of Kenzi's thigh. She felt herself coming around. But she also felt the sweet taste of a promise fullfilled. Bo knew it was Kenzi. But she knew how to stop feeding once she started now. Her hand found the back of Kenzi's neck and her eyes opened bright blue. She fed from her with her lips still touching hers. Little did Kenzi know, she had kissed Bo when her lip was still bleeding. Kenzi was wrapped in a rush of passion unlike anything she had ever felt before. Her hands groped at Bo's body. Her sharp nails ripped her shirt open and she kissed Bo's breasts and grabbed them firmly. Bo moaned as her body collided with her lips. Kenzi's hand slipped swiftly down her stomach and into her panties. She was so soft. Her skin tasted like whip cream on her tongue. Kenzi kissed her neck and whispered in her ear, "Stay with me Bo." She slipped her fingers down finding her warm and swollen. Bo moaned and pushed hard against her hand. Kenzi pushed her fingers inside of her and Bo wrapped her arms and legs around her pulling her in for an enchanting kiss. She started radiating her allure into her. Kenzi pressed herself against Bo firmly and said softly in her ear, "I think i found your sweet spot babe, I can see what all the fuss is about." Bo smiled at her and kissed her. She knew she had healed and her mind said stop. But her body wanted more. She could feel an intense draw to Kenzi and she could feel the same coming from her. Bo knew she had bled on her. She knew what happened to her when she claimed a thrall. But something she saw in Kenzi's eyes confirmed she wanted this. "We don't have to do this, we can stop" Bo said as Kenzi continued to kiss her lips and cheeks. Kenzi slid her fingers out and reached to undo her belt buckle. She lifted her lips from Bo's and looked into her eyes and said, "And have you miss out on the best sex of your life? I don't think so." She leaned up and pulled out Bo's knife and cut the tight legs of her pants from her body. She slid them quickly down her long legs and threw them in the front seat. She left her stalkings and garter on but cut her panties off. Bo sat up kissing her and unlatched her corset. She lifted her top off as they awkwardly fell into each other in the cramped back seat. Kenzi giggled and sniffled from crying and smiled at Bo as her hands ran down the sides of her petite frame. Bo kissed her stomach and ran her hands up to her breasts underneath her bra. Kenzi moaned lightly as her hands guided Bo's lifting her bra over her head. Bo thought they were small and firm and would fit perfectly in her mouth. Kenzi ran her hands down Bo's back and felt the gash had almost healed completely. She was glad Bo wasn't dying but she still felt if she stopped, it would hurt Bo.
Bo's lips found her breast warm and inviting. Kenzi felt breathless and her body burned with a passionate fire at her soft supple lips. She arched her back and ran her hand through Bo's hair moaning slightly. Bo felt her thighs shaking as she ripped her pants open swiftly. She slipped them off and threw them in the front seat with hers. With Kenzi on her knees Bo slipped underneath her and began to kiss her delicate panties. She ripped them from her body revealing what she had long wanted to expose. She always found Kenzi sexy. Her attitude and sexuality were a big turn on to Bo. She wanted her and wasted no time entrancing her into her kiss. Kenzi felt her whole body becoming weak. She grabbed Bo's head and pulled her in closer as she moaned loudly. Her whole body was shaking and normally it took awhile to get her going but Bo was insatiable. She could feel a wave of pleasure every time Bo moved her tongue. She clenched at the seat for leverage and moaned sweetly in between short breaths. "Don't stop baby" Kenzi said and followed up with a deep moan as her body tried to fight it. But there was no use, she belonged to her. She always had. Kenzi's body tightened as Bo's hands ran up her hips and torso. Her hand grasped Bo's neck digging into her with her fingernails as she climaxed. Kenzi had never felt so light. The dark back seat and the street lights started to creep away from her as her body tensed over and over again fulfilling Bo's intense kiss. Bo kissed her slowly as she continued to contract. Her body was still so tense and her grip was still so firm on her neck. Bo kissed her softly and released her saturated lips. Kenzi looked down at Bo smiling, her eyes turning bright blue and licking her lips. She kissed her hipbones as her hands grasped her firm buttocks. Kenzi's knees started to get weak as her body leaned into Bo's lips. Bo sat up and pulled her on top of her and held her tightly as she kissed passionately at her neck. Kenzi felt her whole body turn limp in Bo's completely satisfying embrace. With her hips gently grinding on Bo she caressed her cheeks and pressed her lips firmly against hers. Her touch was a song that filled every corner of her mind with a soft tone that made her thirst for more. Her hands ran over Bo's soft ravishing body as Bo's did the same. She breathed her in deeply as every part of her body was tingling against Bo's warm beautiful skin. She felt like she couldn't get enough of her. Her body yearned to be closer still.
Kenzi kissed her neck feverishly and pushed Bo back so she could take Bo's firm breasts in her mouth. Bo moaned sweetly as Kenzi's tongue slowly encompassed her breast and nibbled lightly at her. Bo caressed her face as Kenzi kissed down her torso and repositioned herself. Bo could feel her sweet lips kiss her deeper as her hand ran down her thigh and in between her legs. She found Bo saturated and warm when her fingers slipped smoothly inside of her. Bo moaned and thrust her hips eagerly into her hand and ran her fingers through Kenzi's hair as she continued to kiss downward. Bo felt all of her muscles contract when Kenzi's sweet lips filled her body with an intense fire. She moaned loudly as Kenzi slipped in and out of her and kissed her deeply. Kenzi kept perfect motion with her as she pushed back and forth. Bo scratched her nails against Kenzi's couldn't help but fill her hands with her soft beautiful hair and gently pull at her to feel just a fraction closer. "Oh Kenzi" She said as she moaned at each heavy breath. Bo felt herself slipping when her thighs started to shake. Kenzi could feel her getting warmer and tighter. She pushed her fingers as far as they could go inside of her as she slowly but firmly slid her tongue all over her. With her foot jammed against the window and a seat belt digging in her back, one hand on Kenzi's face and the other on her shoulder, she gave into her. Her back arched several times as Kenzi kept her kiss locked on to her. It was hands down the best sex Kenzi had ever had. She felt a deep burn in her thighs as Bo continued to release. Bo tried to back away but Kenzi was not finished with her. She kissed Bo deeper this time as she slid her fingers out of her and grabbed Bo's legs. She pulled her firmly into her mouth. Bo could only feel her legs shake violently and her body burn all over as she tried to free herself from Kenzi's grasp. She couldn't slip out. Her legs turned limp in Kenzi's firm hold, her hips thrust forcefully several times into Kenzi's mouth as her tongue encompassed every pulsating wave. "Oh Kenzi i love you so much baby" Bo screamed passionately at her sweet lips commanding an orgasm at every engulfing kiss. Followed by several vocal cries as her whole body contracted. Bo whimpered softly as Kenzi kissed her warm sweaty skin slowly up her torso. Bo Could hardly breath when her lips brushed her faintly. Kenzi stroked her cheek delicately. Their eyes met as the lips lingered inches from each others. Bo smiled lovingly at her and stroked her cheek soothingly. "You are so beautiful" Bo said starring in her gorgeous eyes. They kissed warmly as their bodies slowly grinded against each others. Bo's hands wandered effortlessly over Kenzi's back and shoulders and she continued to kiss her smooth lips. They laid in the back seat for awhile kissing and gently running their fingers over each other.
"I think we're covered in blood" Bo said smiling and looking at Kenzi. She smiled back and said, "Are you saying you wanna take this to the shower?" Bo laughed and she kissed Kenzi lovingly. Kenzi Pushed her body hard against Bo's kiss. "I didnt know you were this dominant" Bo said in a humble tone. "I would worship your delicious body with all the passion you deserve" Kenzi whispered softly in her ear as her lips brushed her cheek. Bo's whole body shivered. She liked the sound of that. Kenzi kissed her lips and slipped her hand down to her thigh guiding her fingers over her garter straps. She put her leg underneath Bo's and placed the other over hers. Bo sat up and pulled Kenzi by her legs and wrapped her arms around her. Kenzi felt Bo urge to her. Her strong legs forcing her on, but when she felt the friction of Bo against her, her heart skipped a beat. Her hand firmly gripping her cheek, her smooth and firmly intentional kiss was a pulsing rush that was bearing down on her. Kenzi whimpered in Bo's ear, "My beautiful Bo, you feel so good baby." Her warm breath on her ear and her gentle voice signing in Bo's head made Bo radiate dangerously. Kenzi felt her energy hit her like a wave of pure sensational hunger. She forced herself into her veraciously. Kenzi didn't even feel herself climbing because Bo'sphysical strength had doubled and her body was safely in Bo's passionate embrace. She didn't need control. Bo had that. She belonged to her forever. Bo could feel the tension in her body ready to release. She held Kenzi's neck and cheek firmly and starred deep in her eyes as they burned bright enough to illuminate her face. Kenzi felt Bo pulsing and a moment of euphoria as her body gave into Bo when Bo gave into her. She looked deeply in her eyes as they turned brown, they were drowsy and genuinely beautiful. Kenzi whimpered softly in her ear as they both caught their breath. She could feel Bo's heart beating rapidly against hers. She ran her hands over her back and shoulders. Her lips met Bo's with a heavy head. Kenzi kissed her shoulder and laid her head against it. She kissed her neck as Bo ran her hand along her delicate cheek. Bo rubbed her head and body for a long time. She watched the fog settle on the windows in the heavy orange glow of the street lights that seemed to be fading to blue. It was almost morning. Kenzi had fallen asleep in her arms awhile ago. She thought of waking her but she wanted to hold her for awhile. Bo caressed her head and thought if it wasn't for Kenzi, she wouldn't be alive. She knew she had to unbind her from her blood, but there was no harm in just holding her awhile longer. Bo thought about what would change between them now, but she knew Kenzi would always be hers even without her blood. They orange light turned dark as Bo closed her eyes and draped her jacket over her and Kenzi. The soft light of the day was approaching and Bo was exhausted. It had been a hell of a night.
End file.
| fanfiction |
Harry Potter A Sleepless Night With Love
The Sleepless Night
By: Katheryn Wilkerson A Very Short Story
All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Thank you!
Harry laid there in bed, fully awake. He was flat on his back, his hand laid on his torso; his head was cocked sideways to look at the body that lay beside him fast asleep. He just stared at the body; it was Ginny, his wife. "She's my wife" Harry thought "My wife", he couldn't get it out of his head, the thought was just too surreal for him. As she slept, the moonlight flowed through the window and caressed her gentle tresses in her soft, red hair. Harry picked up one of the tresses and twirled it around his finger gently, trying not to awake Ginny. It was very soft, softer than the finest silk. Harry had so much on his mind, but decided on shutting it out, due to he was on his Honeymoon. Ginny rolled over and snuggled close to him. Her warm, soft skin against him was comforting. Harry gently slid his arm around her and pulled her close; all she did was sigh sleepily and nuzzle her cheek against his chest. Harry now stared at the ceiling, his mind completely on her. The wonderful thoughts of the girl who was so close to him made his heart melt. Just the plain thought of her beautiful curves made him melt, oh the curves on the girl! _Whew_. Ginny was a beauty and Harry couldn't deny it, not even right in front of Ron.
Ginny awoke just enough to hear Harry's heartbeat accelerate against her ear. She nuzzled him again, this time against the neck and he seemed to calm down a little. Ginny went back to sleep, Harry, however, couldn't sleep, just the plain thought of Ginny lying next to him would keep him awake thinking it was a dream.
Author's Notes:
O.k. crappy ending, I know. But it had to end somewhere?
I had originally written this for fun, throughout the school day. Lunch period came along and my language arts teacher came through the door about the same time I got done with this particular story, so I just asked him to read it, he said it was a little provocative, which is a little bit of the point. Eventually I was made to read it in front of the classroom. There was an awkward silence afterwards. Nobody said anything, which means they couldn't believe I wrote that or they thought it was weird, I shall never know. Thank you for reading!
End file.
| fanfiction |
C A S A B L A N C A
Released: 1942
Studio: Warner Bros.
Running Time: 102 minutes
Director: Michael Curtiz
Producers: Hal B. Wallis,
Jack L. Warner
Screenplay: Julius J. Epstein
Philip G. Epstein
Howard Koch
Based on the play EVERYBODY GOES TO RICK'S
by Murray Burnett, Joan Alison
When production began the script was only half completed,
near the end of production the script was literally being
written the night before, and in the final days of filming,
the dialogue for some scenes was written while shooting was
actually in progress and then rushed to the set. Dialogue
for the final seconds of the film was even added well after
production had been completed.
It is therefore accurate to say that no complete production
script for Casablanca exists. The script that follows is
therefore a synthesis of extant versions of the shooting
script, the continuity script, and a close analysis of the
finished film.1.
FADE IN:
INSERT - A revolving globe. When it stops revolving it turns
briefly into a contour map of Europe, then into a flat map.
Superimposed over this map are scenes of refugees fleeing from
all sections of Europe by foot, wagon, auto, and boat, and all
converging upon one point on the tip of Africa -- Casablanca.
Arrows on the map illustrate the routes taken as the voice of a
NARRATOR describes the migration.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
With the coming of the Second World
War, many eyes in imprisoned Europe
turned hopefully, or desperately,
toward the freedom of the Americas.
Lisbon became the great embarkation
point. But not everybody could get
to Lisbon directly, and so, a tortuous,
roundabout refugee trail sprang up.
Paris to Marseilles, across the
Mediterranean to Oran, then by train,
or auto, or foot, across the rim of
Africa to Casablanca in French Morocco.
Here, the fortunate ones, through money,
or influence, or luck, might obtain
exit visas and scurry to Lisbon, and
from Lisbon to the New World. But
the others wait in Casablanca -- and
wait -- and wait -- and wait.
The narrator's voice fade away...
CUT TO:
EXT. OLD MOORISH SECTION OF THE CITY - DAY
At first only the turrets and rooftops are visible against
a torrid sky.
The facades of the Moorish buildings give way to a narrow,
twisting street crowded with the polyglot life of a native
quarter. The intense desert sun holds the scene in a torpid
tranquility. Activity is unhurried and sounds are muted.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE STATION - DAY
A POLICE OFFICER takes a piece of paper from the typewriter,
turns to a microphone, and reads.2.
POLICE OFFICER
To all officers! Two German
couriers carrying important official
documents murdered on train from
Oran. Murderer and possible
accomplices headed for Casablanca.
Round up all suspicious characters
and search them for stolen
documents. Important!
CUT TO:
EXT. A STREET IN THE OLD MOORISH SECTION - DAY
An officer BLOWS his whistle several times.
There is pandemonium as native guards begin to round up
people.
A police car, full of officers, with SIREN BLARING, screams
through the street and stops in the market.
Some try to escape but are caught by the police and loaded
into a police wagon.
At a street corner TWO POLICEMEN stop a white CIVILIAN and
question him.
FIRST POLICEMAN
May we see your papers?
CIVILIAN
(nervously)
I don't think I have them on me.
FIRST POLICEMAN
In that case, we'll have to ask you
to come along.
The civilian pats his pockets.
CIVILIAN
Wait. It's just possible that I...
Yes, here they are.
He brings out his papers. The second policeman examines
them.
SECOND POLICEMAN
These papers expired three weeks ago.
You'll have to come along.
Suddenly the civilian breaks away and starts to run wildly3.
down the street.
The policeman SHOUTS "Halt", but the civilian keeps going.
JAN and ANNINA BRANDEL, a very young and attractive refugee
couple from Bulgaria, watch as the civilian passes. They've
been thrust by circumstances from a simple country life into
an unfamiliar and hectic world.
A shot RINGS out, and the man falls to the ground. Above
him, painted on the wall, is a large poster of Marshal
Petain, which reads: "Je tiens mes promesses, meme celles
des autres."
The policeman frantically searches the body, but only
finds Free French literature.
CUT TO:
EXT. PALAIS DE JUSTICE - DAY
We see an inscription carved in a marble block along the
roofline of the building: "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite"
We see the the facade, French in architecture, then the high-
vaulted entrance which is inscribed "Palais de Justice".
At the entrance the arrested suspects are led in by the
police.
CUT TO:
EXT. SIDEWALK CAFE - DAY
A middle-aged ENGLISH COUPLE sit at a table just off the
square, and observe the commotion across the way in front of
the Palais de Justice.
The police van pulls up. The rear doors are opened and
people stream out.
A EUROPEAN man, sitting at a table nearby, watches the
English couple more closely than the scene on the street.
ENGLISHWOMAN
What on earth's going on there?
ENGLISHMAN
I don't know, my dear.
The European walks over to the couple.
EUROPEAN
Pardon, pardon, Monsieur, pardon4.
Madame, have you not heard?
ENGLISHMAN
We hear very little, and we understand
even less.
EUROPEAN
Two German couriers were found
murdered in the desert... the
unoccupied desert. This is the
customary roundup of refugees,
liberals, and uh, of course, a
beautiful young girl for Monsieur
Renault, the Prefect of Police.
CUT TO:
EXT. PALAIS DE JUSTICE - DAY
Suspects are herded out of the van, and into the Palais
de Justice.
CUT TO:
EXT. SIDEWALK CAFE - DAY
EUROPEAN
Unfortunately, along with these
unhappy refugees the scum of Europe
has gravitated to Casablanca. Some
of them have been waiting years for
a visa.
He puts his left arm compassionately around the Englishman,
and reaches behind the man with his right hand.
EUROPEAN
I beg of you, Monsieur, watch yourself.
Be on guard. This place is full of
vultures, vultures everywhere,
everywhere.
The Englishman seems to be taken aback by this sudden display
of concern.
ENGLISHMAN
Ha, ha, thank you, thank you very
much.
EUROPEAN
Not at all. Au revoir, Monsieur.
Au revoir, Madame.
He leaves. The Englishman, still a trifle disconcerted by5.
the European's action, watches him as he leaves.
ENGLISHMAN
Au revoir. Amusing little fellow.
Waiter!
As he pats both his breast and pants pockets he realizes
there is something missing.
ENGLISHMAN
Oh. How silly of me.
ENGLISHWOMAN
What, dear?
ENGLISHMAN
I've left my wallet in the hotel.
ENGLISHWOMAN
Oh.
Suddenly the Englishman looks off in the direction of the
departed European, the clouds of suspicion gathering.
Interrupting overhead is the DRONE of a low flying airplane.
They look up.
CUT TO:
EXT. OVERHEAD SHOT - DAY
An airplane cuts its motor for landing.
CUT TO:
EXT. PALAIS DE JUSTICE - DAY
Refugees wait in line outside the Palais de Justice. Their
upturned gaze follows the flight of the plane. In their
faces is revealed one hope they all have in common, and the
plane is the symbol of that hope.
Jan and Annina look up at the plane.
ANNINA
(wistfully)
Perhaps tomorrow we'll be on
that plane.
CUT TO:
EXT. OVERHEAD SHOT - DAY6.
The plane SWOOPS down past a sign atop a building at the
edge of the airport.
The sign reads "Rick's Cafe Americain."
CUT TO:
EXT. AIRFIELD - DAY
As the plane lands a swastika on its tail is clearly
visible. It taxis to a stop as a group of officers march
into formation in front of it. Behind them stand a detail
of native soldiers keeping guard.
In the group is CAPTAIN LOUIS RENAULT, a French officer
appointed by Vichy as Prefect of Police in Casablanca. He
is a handsome, middle-aged Frenchman, debonair and gay, but
withal a shrewd and alert official.
With him are HERR HEINZE, the German consul, CAPTAIN TONELLI,
an Italian officer, and LIEUTENANT CASSELLE, Renault's aide.
When the plane door opens, the first passenger to step out
is a tall, middle-aged, pale German with a smile that seems
more the result of a frozen face muscle than a cheerful
disposition. On any occasion when MAJOR STRASSER is crossed,
his expression hardens into iron.
Herr Heinze steps up to him with upraised arm.
HEINZE
Heil Hitler.
STRASSER
Heil Hitler.
They shake hands.
HEINZE
It is very good to see you again,
Major Strasser.
STRASSER
Thank you. Thank you.
Heinze introduces Strasser to Renault.
HEINZE
May I present Captain Renault,
Police Prefect of Casablanca.
Major Strasser.
Renault salutes.7.
RENAULT
Unoccupied France welcomes you to
Casablanca.
STRASSER
(in perfect English, smiling)
Thank you, Captain. It's very good
to be here.
RENAULT
Major Strasser, my aide, Lieutenant
Casselle.
As they acknowledge each other, Captain Tonelli barges in
front of Casselle and salutes Strasser.
TONELLI
Captain Tonelli, the Italian
service, at your command, Major.
STRASSER
That is kind of you.
But Tonelli gets no further than that as Strasser turns
again to Renault. They walk away from the plane, Heinze
following, with Casselle and Tonelli bringing up the rear,
engaged in a heated exchange of words.
RENAULT
You may find the climate of
Casablanca a trifle warm, Major.
STRASSER
Oh, we Germans must get used to all
climates, from Russia to the Sahara.
But perhaps you were not referring
to the weather.
RENAULT
(sidesteps the implication
with a smile)
What else, my dear Major?
STRASSER
(casually)
By the way, the murder of the
couriers, what has been done?
RENAULT
Realizing the importance of the
case, my men are rounding up twice
the usual number of suspects.
HEINZE8.
We already know who the murderer is.
STRASSER
Good. Is he in custody?
RENAULT
Oh, there is no hurry. Tonight
he'll be at Rick's. Everybody
comes to Rick's.
STRASSER
I have already heard about this
cafe, and also about Mr. Rick
himself.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. RICK'S CAFE - NIGHT
The neon sign above the door is brightly lit. Customers
arrive and go in through the front door. From inside we
hear sounds of MUSIC and LAUGHTER. The song is "It Had
to Be You."
Again we isolate on the neon sign.
INSERT SIGN: "Rick's Cafe Americain".
We follow a group of customers inside.
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
Rick's is an expensive and chic nightclub which definitely
possesses an air of sophistication and intrigue.
SAM, a middle-aged Negro, sits on a stool before a small,
salmon-colored piano on wheels, playing and singing while
accompanied by a small orchestra.
All about him there is the HUM of voices, CHATTER and
LAUGHTER.
The occupants of the room are varied. There are Europeans
in their dinner jackets, their women beautifully begowned
and bejeweled. There are Moroccans in silk robes. Turks
wearing fezzes. Levantines. Naval officers. Members of
the Foreign Legion, distinguished by their kepis.
Two men sit at a table.
MAN
Waiting, waiting, waiting. I'll
never get out of here. I'll die in9.
Casablanca.
His companion seems uninterested in his dilemma. Sympathy
is evidently in short supply in Casablanca.
At another table a very well-dressed WOMAN talks to a
MOOR. She has a bracelet on her wrist. No other jewelry.
WOMAN
But can't you make it just a little
more? Please.
MOOR
I'm sorry, Madame, but diamonds are
a drug on the market. Everybody
sells diamonds. There are diamonds
everywhere. Two thousand, four
hundred.
WOMAN
All right.
On to another table where two CONSPIRATORS talk.
CONSPIRATOR
The trucks are waiting, the men are
waiting. Everything is...
He stops abruptly as two German officers walk by.
A REFUGEE and another MAN converse at another table.
MAN
It's the fishing smack Santiago. It
leaves at one tomorrow night, here
from the end of La Medina. Third
boat.
REFUGEE
Thank you, oh, thank you.
MAN
And bring fifteen thousand francs in
cash. Remember, in cash.
On the way to the bar we pass several tables and hear a
Babel of foreign tongues. Here and there we catch a
scattered phrase or sentence in English.
SACHA, a friendly young Russian bartender, hands a drink to
a customer with the Russian equivalent of "Bottoms Up." The
customer answers with "Cheerio."
CARL, the waiter, is a fat, jovial German refugee with10.
spectacles. He walks, tray in hand, to a private door,
over which ABDUL, a large, burly man, stands guard.
CARL
Open up, Abdul.
ABDUL
(respectfully)
Yes, Herr Professor.
Abdul opens the door and Carl goes into the gambling room.
INT. RICK'S CAFE - GAMBLING ROOM - NIGHT
Their is much activity at the various tables. At one table
TWO WOMEN and a MAN play cards. They glance at another table.
One of them calls to Carl.
FIRST WOMAN
Uh, waiter.
CARL
Yes, Madame?
FIRST WOMAN
Will you ask Rick if he'll have a
drink with us?
CARL
Madame, he never drinks with
customers. Never. I have never
seen him.
SECOND WOMAN
(disappointedly)
What makes saloon-keepers so
snobbish?
MAN
(to Carl)
Perhaps if you told him I ran the
second largest banking house in
Amsterdam.
CARL
The second largest? That wouldn't
impress Rick. The leading banker in
Amsterdam is now the pastry chef in
our kitchen.
MAN
We have something to look forward to.11.
CARL
And his father is the bell boy.
Carl laughs.
The overseer walks up to a table with a paper in his hand.
Then we see a drink and a man's hand, but nothing more. The
overseer places a check on the table. The hand picks up the
check and writes on it, in pencil, "Okay-Rick."
The overseer takes the check.
We now see RICK, sitting at a table alone playing solitary
chess. Rick is an American of indeterminate age. There is
no expression on his face -- complete deadpan.
There is a commotion at the door as people attempt to come
into the gambling room. He nods approval to Abdul.
Then a GERMAN appears in the doorway. Abdul looks to Rick
who glances back toward the open door and nods "no".
Abdul starts to close the door on the man.
ABDUL
I'm sorry sir, this is a private room.
GERMAN
Of all the nerve! Who do you
think... I know there's gambling
in there! There's no secret. You
dare not keep me out of here!
The man tries to push his way through the door as Rick
walks up.
RICK
(coldly)
Yes? What's the trouble?
ABDUL
This gentleman --
The German interrupts and waves his card.
GERMAN
I've been in every gambling room
between Honolulu and Berlin and if
you think I'm going to be kept out
of a saloon like this, you're very
much mistaken.
At this moment UGARTE, a small, thin man with a nervous air,12.
tries to squeeze through the doorway blocked by the German.
If he were an American, Ugarte would look like a tout.
He gets through and passes Rick.
UGARTE
Uh, excuse me, please. Hello,
Rick.
RICK
(softly)
Hello Ugarte.
Rick looks at the German calmly, takes the card out of his
hand, and tears it up.
RICK
Your cash is good at the bar.
GERMAN
What! Do you know who I am?
RICK
I do. You're lucky the bar's open
to you.
GERMAN
This is outrageous. I shall report
it to the Angriff!
The German storms off, tossing the pieces of his card into
the air behind him.
Rick meets Ugarte on his way back to his table.
UGARTE
(fawning)
Huh. You know, Rick, watching you
just now with the Deutsches Bank,
one would think you'd been doing
this all your life.
RICK
(stiffening)
Well, what makes you think I
haven't?
UGARTE
(vaguely)
Oh, nothing. But when you first
came to Casablanca, I thought --
RICK
(coldly)13.
-- You thought what?
Fearing to offend Rick, Ugarte laughs.
UGARTE
What right do I have to think?
Ugarte pulls out a chair at Rick's table.
UGARTE
May I? Too bad about those two
German couriers, wasn't it?
RICK
(indifferently)
They got a lucky break. Yesterday
they were just two German clerks.
Today they're the 'Honored Dead'.
UGARTE
You are a very cynical person, Rick,
if you'll forgive me for saying so.
Ugarte sits down.
RICK
(shortly)
I forgive you.
A waiter comes up to the table with a tray of drinks. He
places one before Ugarte.
UGARTE
Thank you.
(to Rick)
Will you have a drink with me please?
RICK
No.
UGARTE
I forgot. You never drink with...
(to waiter)
I'll have another, please.
(to Rick, sadly)
You despise me, don't you?
RICK
(indifferently)
If I gave you any thought, I probably
would.
UGARTE
But why? Oh, you object to the kind14.
of business I do, huh? But think of
all those poor refugees who must rot
in this place if I didn't help them.
That's not so bad. Through ways of
my own I provide them with exit
visas.
RICK
For a price, Ugarte, for a price.
UGARTE
But think of all the poor devils who
cannot meet Renault's price. I get
it for them for half. Is that so
parasitic?
RICK
I don't mind a parasite. I object
to a cut-rate one.
UGARTE
Well, Rick, after tonight I'll be
through with the whole business, and
I am leaving finally this Casablanca.
RICK
Who did you bribe for your visa?
Renault or yourself?
UGARTE
(ironically)
Myself. I found myself much more
reasonable.
He takes an envelope from his pocket and lays it on the table.
UGARTE
Look, Rick, do you know what this
is? Something that even you have
never seen. Letters of transit
signed by General de Gaulle. Cannot
be rescinded, not even questioned.
Rick appears ready to take them form Ugarte.
UGARTE
One moment. Tonight I'll be selling
those for more money than even I have
ever dreamed of, and then, addio
Casablanca! You know, Rick, I have
many friends in Casablanca, but
somehow, just because you despise me
you're the only one I trust. Will
you keep these for me? Please.15.
RICK
For how long?
UGARTE
Perhaps an hour, perhaps a little
longer.
RICK
I don't want them here overnight.
UGARTE
Don't be afraid of that. Please
keep them for me. Thank you. I
knew I could trust you.
Rick takes them. Ugarte leaves the table just as the waiter
comes up.
UGARTE
Oh, waiter. I'll be expecting some
people. If anybody asks for me,
I'll be right here.
WAITER
Yes, Monsieur.
The waiter leaves. Ugarte turns to Rick.
UGARTE
Rick, I hope you are more impressed
with me now, huh? If you'll forgive
me, I'll share my good luck with
your roulette wheel.
He starts across the floor.
RICK
Just a moment.
Ugarte stops as Rick comes up to him.
RICK
Yeah, I heard a rumor that those
German couriers were carrying
letters of transit.
Ugarte hesitates for a moment.
UGARTE
Huh? I heard that rumor, too. Poor
devils.
Rick looks at Ugarte steadily.16.
RICK
(slowly)
Yes, you're right, Ugarte. I am a
little more impressed with you.
Rick leaves the gambling room and goes into the main room.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
Rick makes his way over to Sam, who plays and sings the
"Knock Wood" number, accompanied by the orchestra. The
cafe is in semi-darkness. The spotlight is on Sam, and
every time the orchestra comes in on the "Knock Wood"
business, the spotlight swings over to the orchestra.
During one of the periods when the spotlight is on the
orchestra, Rick slips the letters of transit into the piano.
FERRARI, owner of the Blue Parrot, a competing night
spot, comes into the cafe, sits down, and watches Sam.
Then he sees Rick and they smile at each other. At the
end of the number Ferrari goes to the bar to speak to Rick.
FERRARI
Hello, Rick.
RICK
Hello, Ferrari. How's business at
the Blue Parrot?
FERRARI
Fine, but I would like to buy your
cafe.
RICK
It's not for sale.
FERRARI
You haven't heard my offer.
RICK
It's not for sale at any price.
FERRARI
What do you want for Sam?
RICK
I don't buy or sell human beings.
FERRARI17.
That's too bad. That's Casablanca's
leading commodity. In refugees
alone we could make a fortune if you
would work with me through the black
market.
RICK
Suppose you run your business and
let me run mine.
FERRARI
Suppose we ask Sam. Maybe he'd like
to make a change.
RICK
Suppose we do.
FERRARI
My dear Rick, when will you realize
that in this world today isolationism
is no longer a practical policy?
Rick and Ferrari walk over to the piano.
RICK
Sam, Ferrari wants you to work for
him at the Blue Parrot.
SAM
I like it fine here.
RICK
He'll double what I pay you.
SAM
Yeah, but I ain't got time to spend
the money I make here.
RICK
Sorry.
Apparently satisfied, Ferrari walks away.
Back at the bar, YVONNE, an attractive young French woman,
sits on a stool drinking brandy.
Sacha, who looks at her with lovesick eyes, fills her
tumbler.
SACHA
The boss's private stock. Because,
Yvonne, I loff you.
YVONNE18.
(morosely)
Oh, shut up.
SACHA
(fondly)
All right, all right. For you,
Yvonne, I shot opp, because, Yvonne,
I loff you. Uh oh.
Rick saunters over and leans on the bar, next to Yvonne.
He pays no attention to her. She looks at him bitterly,
without saying a word.
SACHA
Oh, Monsieur Rick, Monsieur Rick.
Some Germans, boom, boom, boom,
boom, gave this check. Is it all
right?
Rick looks the check over and tears it up. Yvonne has
never taken her eyes off Rick.
YVONNE
Where were you last night?
RICK
That's so long ago, I don't remember.
YVONNE
Will I see you tonight?
RICK
(matter-of-factly)
I never make plans that far ahead.
Yvonne turns, looks at Sacha, and extends her glass to him.
YVONNE
Give me another.
RICK
Sacha, she's had enough.
YVONNE
Don't listen to him, Sacha. Fill
it up.
SACHA
Yvonne, I loff you, but he pays me.
Yvonne wheels on Rick with drunken fury.
YVONNE
Rick, I'm sick and tired of having19.
you --
RICK
-- Sacha, call a cab.
SACHA
Yes, boss.
Rick takes Yvonne by the arm.
RICK
Come on, we're going to get your
coat.
YVONNE
Take your hands off me!
He pulls her along toward the door.
RICK
No. You're going home. You've had
a little too much to drink.
CUT TO:
EXT. RICK'S CAFE - NIGHT
Sacha stands at the curb on the street in front of Rick's
and signals for a cab.
SACHA
Taxi!
Soon one pulls up.
Rick and Yvonne come out of the cafe. He puts a coat over
her shoulders and she objects violently.
YVONNE
Who do you think you are, pushing me
around? What a fool I was to fall
for a man like you.
Rick and Yvonne approach the waiting cab.
RICK
(to Sacha)
You'd better go with her, Sacha, to
be sure she gets home.
SACHA
Yes, boss.
RICK20.
And come right back.
SACHA
(his face falling)
Yes, boss.
Rick stands and looks up at the revolving beacon light from
the airport. It intermittently sheds its light on Rick's
face.
Renault sits at a table on the cafe terrace, watching this
evening's performance.
RENAULT
Hello, Rick.
Rick walks over to him.
RICK
Hello, Louis.
RENAULT
How extravagant you are, throwing
away women like that. Someday they
may be scarce.
Rick sits down at the table.
RENAULT
(amused)
You know, I think now I shall pay a
call on Yvonne, maybe get her on the
rebound, eh?
RICK
When it comes to women, you're a
true democrat.
As they talk, Captain Tonelli and Lieutenant Casselle walk by
toward the entrance of the cafe. Casselle talks non-stop and
Tonelli tries. They both stop, salute Renault, and walk into
the cafe.
RENAULT
If he gets a word in it'll be a
major Italian victory.
Rick laughs.
Rick and Renault look up when they hear the BUZZ of a plane
taking off from the adjacent airfield. The plane flies directly
over their heads.
RENAULT21.
The plane to Lisbon.
(pause)
You would like to be on it?
RICK
(curtly)
Why? What's in Lisbon?
RENAULT
The clipper to America.
Rick doesn't answer. His look isn't a happy one.
RENAULT
I have often speculated on why you
don't return to America. Did you
abscond with the church funds? Did
you run off with a senator's wife?
I like to think you killed a man.
It's the romantic in me.
Rick still looks in the direction of the airport.
RICK
It was a combination of all three.
RENAULT
And what in heaven's name brought
you to Casablanca?
RICK
My health. I came to Casablanca for
the waters.
RENAULT
Waters? What waters? We're in the
desert.
RICK
I was misinformed.
RENAULT
Huh!
EMIL, the croupier, comes out of the cafe and walks over
to Rick.
EMIL
Excuse me, Monsieur Rick, but a
gentleman inside has won twenty
thousand francs. The cashier
would like some money.
RICK22.
Well, I'll get it from the safe.
EMIL
I am so upset, Monsieur Rick. You
know I can't understand --
RICK
-- Forget it, Emil. Mistakes like
that happen all the time.
EMIL
I'm awfully sorry.
The three men enter the cafe.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
They pass Sam at the piano. He's playing "Baby Face". Rick
pats Sam on the shoulder.
RENAULT
Rick, there's going to be some
excitement here tonight. We are
going to make an arrest in your
cafe.
RICK
(somewhat annoyed)
What, again?
RENAULT
This is no ordinary arrest. A
murderer, no less.
Rick's eyes react. Involuntarily, they glance toward the
gambling room.
Renault catches the look.
RENAULT
If you are thinking of warning him,
don't put yourself out. He cannot
possibly escape.
RICK
I stick my neck out for nobody.
RENAULT
A wise foreign policy.
They start upstairs to Rick's office, passing Casselle who
is still haranguing Tonelli.23.
RENAULT
You know, Rick, we could have made
this arrest earlier in the evening
at the Blue Parrot, but out of my
high regard for you we are staging
it here. It will amuse your
customers.
RICK
Our entertainment is enough.
They go inside the office.
INT. RICK'S CAFE - OFFICE - NIGHT
Rick opens up the safe in a small, dark room just off the
office. Only Rick's shadow can be seen getting the money
out.
RENAULT
Rick, we are to have an important
guest tonight, Major Strasser of the
Third Reich, no less. We want him
to be here when we make the arrest.
A little demonstration of the
efficiency of my administration.
Rick moves out of the shadows and into view.
RICK
I see. And what's Strasser doing
here? He certainly didn't come all
the way to Casablanca to witness a
demonstration of your efficiency.
RENAULT
Perhaps not.
He gives the money to Emil.
RICK
Here you are.
EMIL
It shall not happen again, Monsieur.
RICK
That's all right.
Emil departs.
RICK24.
Louis, you've got something on your
mind. Why don't you spill it?
Rick closes the door to the office, then goes over to close
the safe.
RENAULT
How observant you are. As a matter
of fact, I wanted to give you a word
of advice.
RICK
Yeah? Have a brandy?
RENAULT
Thank you. Rick, there are many
exit visas sold in this cafe, but we
know that you have never sold one.
That is the reason we permit you to
remain open.
RICK
I thought it was because we let you
win at roulette.
RENAULT
That is another reason. There is a
man who's arrived in Casablanca on
his way to America. He will offer
a fortune to anyone who will furnish
him with an exit visa.
RICK
Yeah? What's his name?
RENAULT
Victor Laszlo.
RICK
Victor Laszlo?
Renault watches Rick's reaction.
RENAULT
Rick, that is the first time I have
ever seen you so impressed.
RICK
Well, he's succeeded in impressing
half the world.
RENAULT
It is my duty to see that he doesn't
impress the other half. Rick, Laszlo25.
must never reach America. He stays
in Casablanca.
RICK
It'll be interesting to see how he
manages.
RENAULT
Manages what?
RICK
His escape.
RENAULT
Oh, but I just told you. --
RICK
-- Stop it. He escaped from a
concentration camp and the Nazis
have been chasing him all over
Europe.
RENAULT
This is the end of the chase.
RICK
Twenty thousand francs says it isn't.
They sit down to discuss the matter in earnest.
RENAULT
Is that a serious offer?
RICK
I just paid out twenty. I'd like to
get it back.
RENAULT
Make it ten. I am only a poor
corrupt official.
RICK
Okay.
RENAULT
Done. No matter how clever he is,
he still needs an exit visa, or I
should say, two.
RICK
Why two?
RENAULT
He is traveling with a lady.26.
RICK
He'll take one.
RENAULT
I think not. I have seen the lady.
And if he did not leave her in
Marseilles, or in Oran, he certainly
won't leave her in Casablanca.
RICK
Maybe he's not quite as romantic as
you are.
RENAULT
It doesn't matter. There is no exit
visa for him.
RICK
Louis, whatever gave you the impression
that I might be interested in helping
Laszlo escape?
RENAULT
Because, my dear Ricky, I suspect
that under that cynical shell you're
at heart a sentimentalist.
Rick makes a face.
RENAULT
Oh, laugh if you will, but I happen
to be familiar with your record.
Let me point out just two items. In
1935 you ran guns to Ethiopia. In
1936, you fought in Spain on the
Loyalist side.
RICK
And got well paid for it on both
occasions.
RENAULT
The winning side would have paid you
much better.
RICK
Maybe. Well, it seems you are
determined to keep Laszlo here.
RENAULT
I have my orders.
RICK27.
Oh, I see. Gestapo spank.
Renault stands up.
RENAULT
My dear Ricky, you overestimate the
influence of the Gestapo. I don't
interfere with them and they don't
interfere with me. In Casablanca I
am master of my fate. I am captain
of my --
He stops short as his AIDE enters.
AIDE
-- Major Strasser is here, sir.
Renault starts to leave.
RICK
Yeah, you were saying?
RENAULT
(hurriedly)
Excuse me.
He hurries away. Rick smiles cynically.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
Renault walks up to Carl.
RENAULT
Carl, see that Major Strasser gets a
good table, one close to the ladies.
CARL
I have already given him the best,
knowing he is German and would take
it anyway.
Renault walks over to one of his officers.
RENAULT
Take him quietly. Two guards at every
door.
OFFICER
Yes, sir. Everything is ready, sir.
The officer salutes and goes off to speak to the guards.28.
Renault walks over to Strasser's table as Rick comes down
the stairs.
RENAULT
Good evening, gentlemen.
STRASSER
Good evening, Captain.
HEINZE
Won't you join us?
Renault sits down.
RENAULT
Thank you. It is a pleasure to have
you here, Major.
STRASSER
(to the waiter)
Champagne and a tin of caviar.
RENAULT
May I recommend Veuve Cliquot
'26, a good French wine.
STRASSER
Thank you.
WAITER
Very well, sir.
STRASSER
A very interesting club.
RENAULT
Especially so tonight, Major. In a
few minutes you will see the arrest
of the man who murdered your couriers.
STRASSER
I expected no less, Captain.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - GAMBLING ROOM - NIGHT
Ugarte stands at the roulette table. Two gendarmes approach
him from behind.
GENDARME
Monsieur Ugarte?
Ugarte looks around.29.
UGARTE
Oh. Yes?
GENDARME
Will you please come with us.
UGARTE
Certainly. May I first please cash
my chips?
The officer nods. They follow Ugarte to the cashier's
window. Ugarte puts his chips through the window to the
CASHIER.
UGARTE
Pretty lucky, huh? Two thousand,
please.
Two more guards station themselves at the door in case there
is trouble.
CASHIER
Two thousand.
UGARTE
Thank you.
Ugarte starts to walk out, followed by the gendarmes. When
he reaches the doorway he suddenly rushes through and slams
the door behind himself.
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
By the time the gendarmes manage to get the door open again,
Ugarte has pulled a gun.
He FIRES at the doorway. The SHOTS bring on pandemonium in
the cafe.
As Ugarte runs through the hallway he sees Rick, appearing
from the opposite direction, and grabs him.
UGARTE
Rick! Rick, help me!
RICK
Don't be a fool. You can't get away.
UGARTE
Rick, hide me. Do something! You
must help me, Rick. Do something!30.
Guards and gendarmes rush in and grab Ugarte. Rick stands
impassively as they drag Ugarte off.
UGARTE
Rick! Rick!
We move to Strasser's table, who has witnessed the event.
STRASSER
Excellent, Captain.
Back to Rick, still standing where he was, as a CUSTOMER
walks by.
CUSTOMER
When they come to get me, Rick, I
hope you'll be more of a help.
RICK
I stick my neck out for nobody.
Rick comes out to the middle of the floor. An air of tense
expectancy pervades the room. A few customers are on the
point of leaving. Rick speaks in a very calm voice.
RICK
I'm sorry there was a disturbance,
folks, but it's all over now.
Everything's all right. Just sit
down and have a good time. Enjoy
yourself.
Rick glances toward Sam.
RICK
All right, Sam.
Sam nods and begins to play.
Renault, Strasser, and Heinze sit calmly at their table
after witnessing the arrest.
Rick walks by.
RENAULT
(calling to Rick)
Oh, Rick?
Rick stops and comes over to their table.
RENAULT
Rick, this is Major Heinrich Strasser
of the Third Reich.31.
STRASSER
How do you do, Mr. Rick?
RICK
Oh, how do you do?
RENAULT
And you already know Herr Heinze of
the Third Reich.
Rick nods to Strasser and Heinze.
STRASSER
Please join us, Mr. Rick.
Rick sits down with them.
RENAULT
We are very honored tonight, Rick.
Major Strasser is one of the
reasons the Third Reich enjoys the
reputation it has today.
STRASSER
You repeat "Third Reich" as though
you expected there to be others.
RENAULT
Well, personally, Major, I will take
what comes.
STRASSER
(to Rick)
Do you mind if I ask you a few
questions? Unofficially, of course.
RICK
Make it official, if you like.
STRASSER
What is your nationality?
RICK
(pokerfaced)
I'm a drunkard.
RENAULT
That makes Rick a citizen of the
world.
RICK
I was born in New York City if
that'll help you any.32.
STRASSER
I understand you came here from
Paris at the time of the occupation.
RICK
There seems to be no secret about that.
STRASSER
Are you one of those people who
cannot imagine the Germans in their
beloved Paris?
RICK
It's not particularly my beloved
Paris.
HEINZE
Can you imagine us in London?
RICK
When you get there, ask me.
RENAULT
Ho, diplomatist!
STRASSER
How about New York?
RICK
Well, there are certain sections of
New York, Major, that I wouldn't
advise you to try to invade.
STRASSER
Aha. Who do you think will win
the war?
RICK
I haven't the slightest idea.
RENAULT
Rick is completely neutral about
everything. And that takes in the
field of women, too.
STRASSER
You weren't always so carefully
neutral. We have a complete dossier
on you.
Strasser takes a little black book from his pocket and turns
to a certain page.
STRASSER33.
"Richard Blaine, American. Age,
thirty-seven. Cannot return to his
country."
Strasser looks up from the book
STRASSER
The reason is a little vague. We
also know what you did in Paris, Mr.
Blaine, and also we know why you
left Paris.
Rick reaches over and takes the book from Strasser's hand.
STRASSER
Don't worry. We are not going to
broadcast it.
Rick looks up from the book.
RICK
Are my eyes really brown?
STRASSER
You will forgive my curiosity, Mr.
Blaine. The point is, an enemy of
the Reich has come to Casablanca and
we are checking up on anybody who
can be of any help to us.
RICK
(glances toward Renault)
My interest in whether Victor
Laszlo stays or goes is purely a
sporting one.
STRASSER
In this case, you have no sympathy
for the fox, huh?
RICK
Not particularly. I understand the
point of view of the hound, too.
STRASSER
Victor Laszlo published the foulest
lies in the Prague newspapers until
the very day we marched in, and even
after that he continued to print
scandal sheets in a cellar.
RENAULT
Of course, one must admit he has
great courage.34.
STRASSER
I admit he is very clever. Three
times he slipped through our fingers.
In Paris he continued his activities.
We intend not to let it happen again.
Rick gets up.
RICK
You'll excuse me, gentlemen. Your
business is politics. Mine is
running a saloon.
STRASSER
Good evening, Mr. Blaine.
Rick walks away toward the gambling room.
RENAULT
You see, Major, you have nothing to
worry about Rick.
STRASSER
Perhaps.
A couple comes in the front door. They are VICTOR LASZLO,
the Czech resistance leader, and a very pretty young woman
wearing a simple white gown, MISS ILSA LUND. She is so
beautiful, in fact, that people turn to stare.
The HEADWAITER comes up to them.
HEADWAITER
Yes, Monsieur?
LASZLO
I reserved a table. Victor Laszlo.
HEADWAITER
Yes, Monsieur Laszlo. Right this way.
As the headwaiter takes them to a table they pass by the
piano, and the woman looks at Sam.
Sam, with a conscious effort, keeps his eyes on the keyboard
as they go past. He appears to know this woman. After she
has gone by Sam steals a look in her direction.
BERGER, a slight, middle-aged man, observes the couple from
a distance.
The headwaiter seats Ilsa. Laszlo takes the chair opposite
and surveys the room.35.
Strasser and Renault look up at them from their table.
LASZLO
Two cointreaux, please.
WAITER
Yes, Monsieur.
LASZLO
(to Ilsa)
I saw no one of Ugarte's description.
ILSA
Victor, I, I feel somehow we shouldn't
stay here.
LASZLO
If we would walk out so soon, it
would only call attention to us.
Perhaps Ugarte's in some other part
of the cafe.
Berger walks up to their table.
BERGER
Excuse me, but you look like a
couple who are on their way to
America.
LASZLO
Well?
Berger takes a ring from his finger.
BERGER
You will find a market there for
this ring. I am forced to sell it
at a great sacrifice.
LASZLO
Thank you, but I hardly think --
BERGER
-- Then perhaps for the lady. The
ring is quite unique.
He holds it down for their view. Carefully lifting up the
stone, he reveals...
INSERT - a gold plate in the setting underneath, an
impression of the Lorraine Cross of General de Gaulle.
LASZLO36.
Oh, yes, I'm very interested.
Berger sits down with them.
BERGER
Good.
LASZLO
(lower voice)
What is your name?
BERGER
Berger, Norwegian, and at your
service, sir.
Renault approaches the table from behind Laszlo. Ilsa tries
to warn him.
ILSA
Victor...
Laszlo understands.
LASZLO
(in a low voice)
I'll meet you in a few minutes at
the bar.
(in a louder voice)
I do not think we want to buy the
ring. But thank you for showing
it to us.
Berger, taking the cue, sighs and puts the ring away.
BERGER
Such a bargain. But that is your
decision?
LASZLO
I'm sorry. It is.
Berger gets up and leaves as Renault moves to the table.
RENAULT
Monsieur Laszlo, is it not?
LASZLO
Yes.
RENAULT
I am Captain Renault, Prefect of
Police.
LASZLO37.
Yes. What is it you want?
RENAULT
(amiably)
Merely to welcome you to Casablanca
and wish you a pleasant stay. It is
not often we have so distinguished a
visitor.
LASZLO
Thank you. I hope you'll forgive
me, Captain, but the present French
administration has not always been
so cordial. May I present Miss Ilsa
Lund?
RENAULT
I was informed you were the most
beautiful woman ever to visit
Casablanca. That was a gross
understatement.
Ilsa's manner is friendly and reserved, her voice low
and soft.
ILSA
You are very kind.
LASZLO
Won't you join us?
He sits down.
RENAULT
If you will permit me.
(calls to the waiter)
Oh, Emil. Please, a bottle of
your best champagne, and put it
on my bill.
EMIL
Very well, sir.
LASZLO
No, Captain, please.
RENAULT
No. Please, Monsieur, it is a
little game we play. They put
it on the bill, I tear the bill
up. It is very convenient.
Ilsa glances off in Sam's direction.38.
ILSA
Captain, the boy who is playing the
piano, somewhere I have seen him.
RENAULT
Sam?
ILSA
Yes.
RENAULT
He came from Paris with Rick.
ILSA
Rick? Who's he?
RENAULT
(smiling)
Mademoiselle, you are in Rick's and
Rick is --
ILSA
-- Is what?
RENAULT
Well, Mademoiselle, he's the kind of
a man that, well, if I were a woman
and I...
(taps his chest)
were not around, I should be in love
with Rick. But what a fool I am
talking to a beautiful woman about
another man.
Renault jumps to his feet as Strasser enters.
RENAULT
Excuse me. Ah, Major. Mademoiselle
Lund, Monsieur Laszlo, may I present
Major Heinrich Strasser.
Strasser bows and smiles pleasantly.
STRASSER
How do you do. This is a pleasure I
have long looked forward to.
There is not the slightest recognition from either Ilsa
or Laszlo.
Strasser waits to be asked to seat himself.
LASZLO
I'm sure you'll excuse me if I am39.
not gracious, but you see, Major
Strasser, I'm a Czechoslovakian.
STRASSER
You were a Czechoslovakian. Now you
are a subject of the German Reich!
Laszlo stands.
LASZLO
I've never accepted that privilege,
and I'm now on French soil.
STRASSER
I should like to discuss some matters
arising from your presence on French
soil.
LASZLO
This is hardly the time or the place.
STRASSER
(hardening)
Then we shall state another time and
another place. Tomorrow at ten in
the Prefect's office, with
Mademoiselle.
LASZLO
Captain Renault, I am under your
authority. Is it your order that we
come to your office?
RENAULT
(amiably)
Let us say that it is my request.
That is a much more pleasant word.
LASZLO
Very well.
Renault and Strasser bow shortly.
RENAULT
Mademoiselle.
STRASSER
Mademoiselle.
Renault and Strasser walk away.
RENAULT
A very clever tactical retreat,40.
Major.
Strasser looks at Renault sharply, but sees only a
noncommittal smile on Renault's face.
Laszlo remains standing at the table as Strasser and
Renault leave.
LASZLO
This time they really mean to
stop me.
ILSA
Victor, I'm afraid for you.
LASZLO
We have been in difficult places
before, haven't we?
Ilsa smiles back at him, but her eyes are still troubled.
On the floor, CORINA strums a guitar and begins her number.
Meanwhile, Laszlo looks about with apparent casualness. He
sees Strasser and Renault whispering together, then notices
Berger at the bar.
LASZLO
I must find out what Berger knows.
ILSA
Be careful.
LASZLO
I will, don't worry.
He rises and goes off.
We see Ilsa's troubled profile.
While Corina sings, Sam gives a worried glance in Ilsa's
direction. Ilsa watches him.
At the bar, Berger sips a drink. Laszlo walks up and
casually takes a place at the bar next to Berger.
LASZLO
Mr. Berger, the ring, could I see
it again?
BERGER
Yes, Monsieur.
LASZLO41.
(to Sacha)
A champagne cocktail, please.
Laszlo takes the ring and looks at it.
BERGER
(in a low voice)
I recognize you from the news
photographs, Monsieur Laszlo.
LASZLO
In a concentration camp, one is apt
to lose a little weight.
BERGER
We read five times that you were
killed in five different places.
LASZLO
(smiles wryly)
As you see, it was true every single
time. Thank heaven I found you,
Berger. I am looking for a man by
the name of Ugarte. He is supposed
to help me.
Berger shakes his head.
BERGER
Ugarte cannot even help himself,
Monsieur. He is under arrest for
murder. He was arrested here
tonight.
Laszlo absorbs the shock quietly.
LASZLO
I see.
BERGER
(with intense devotion)
But we who are still free will do
all we can. We are organized,
Monsieur, underground like everywhere
else. Tomorrow night there is a
meeting at the Caverne du Bois. If
you would come...
He stops when Sacha brings the drink to Laszlo.
Corina finishes her song, and the crowd applauds quite
enthusiastically.
Ilsa sits alone at her table.42.
ILSA
(to waiter)
Will you ask the piano player to
come over here, please?
WAITER
Very well, Mademoiselle.
Renault comes up to the bar near Berger and Laszlo.
RENAULT
How's the jewelry business, Berger?
BERGER
Er, not so good.
(to Sacha)
May I have my check, please?
RENAULT
Too bad you weren't here earlier,
Monsieur Laszlo. We had quite a bit
of excitement this evening, didn't
we, Berger?
BERGER
Er, yes. Excuse me, gentlemen.
LASZLO
My bill.
RENAULT
No. Two champagne cocktails, please.
SACHA
Yes, sir.
Sam wheels in the piano to Ilsa's table. On his face is
that funny fear.
Ilsa herself is not as self-possessed as she tries to
appear. There is something behind this, some mystery.
ILSA
Hello, Sam.
SAM
Hello, Miss Ilsa. I never expected
to see you again.
He sits down and is ready to play.
ILSA
It's been a long time.43.
SAM
Yes, ma'am. A lot of water under
the bridge.
ILSA
Some of the old songs, Sam.
SAM
Yes, ma'am.
Sam begins to play a number. He is nervous, waiting for
anything.
ILSA
Where is Rick?
SAM
(evading)
I don't know. I ain't seen him all
night.
Sam looks very uncomfortable.
ILSA
When will he be back?
SAM
Not tonight no more. He ain't
coming. Uh, he went home.
ILSA
Does he always leave so early?
SAM
Oh, he never... well...
(desperately)
he's got a girl up at the Blue
Parrot. He goes up there all
the time.
ILSA
You used to be a much better liar,
Sam.
SAM
Leave him alone, Miss Ilsa. You're
bad luck to him.
ILSA
Play it once, Sam, for old time's
sake.
SAM44.
I don't know what you mean, Miss Ilsa.
ILSA
Play it, Sam. Play "As Time Goes By."
SAM
Oh I can't remember it, Miss Ilsa.
I'm a little rusty on it.
Of course he can. He doesn't want to play it. He seems
even more scared now.
ILSA
I'll hum it for you.
Ilsa starts to hum.
Sam begins to play it very softly.
ILSA
Sing it, Sam.
And Sam sings.
SAM
You must remember this,
A kiss is just a kiss,
A sigh is just a sigh,
The fundamental things apply,
As time goes by.
The door to the gambling room opens. Rick comes swinging
out. He's heard the music and he's livid.
SAM
And when two lovers woo,
They both say I love you,
On that you can rely,
No matter what the future brings,
As time goes by.
Rick walks briskly up to the piano.
RICK
Sam, I thought I told you never to
play...
As he sees Ilsa he stops short. Sam stops playing.
Two close-ups reveal Ilsa and Rick seeing each other.
Rick appears shocked. For a long moment he just looks at her.
Sam prepares to move the piano away.45.
Renault and Laszlo approach the table from the bar.
RENAULT
(to Ilsa)
Well, you were asking about Rick and
here he is. Mademoiselle, may I
present --
RICK
-- Hello, Ilsa.
ILSA
Hello, Rick.
RENAULT
Oh, you've already met Rick,
Mademoiselle?
There's no answer from either.
RENAULT
Well then, perhaps you also ---
ILSA
-- This is Mr. Laszlo.
LASZLO
How do you do?
RICK
How do you do?
LASZLO
One hears a great deal about Rick in
Casablanca.
RICK
And about Victor Laszlo everywhere.
LASZLO
Won't you join us for a drink?
RENAULT
(laughing)
Oh, no, Rick never --
RICK
-- Thanks. I will.
Rick sits down.
RENAULT
Well! A precedent is being broken.46.
Er, Emil!
LASZLO
This is a very interesting cafe. I
congratulate you.
RICK
And I congratulate you.
LASZLO
What for?
RICK
Your work.
LASZLO
Thank you. I try.
RICK
We all try. You succeed.
RENAULT
I can't get over you two. She was
asking about you earlier, Rick, in a
way that made me extremely jealous.
ILSA
(to Rick)
I wasn't sure you were the same.
Let's see, the last time we met --
RICK
-- It was "La Belle Aurore."
ILSA
How nice. You remembered. But of
course, that was the day the Germans
marched into Paris.
RICK
Not an easy day to forget.
ILSA
No.
RICK
I remember every detail. The
Germans wore gray, you wore blue.
ILSA
Yes. I put that dress away. When
the Germans march out, I'll wear it
again.47.
RENAULT
Ricky, you're becoming quite human.
I suppose we have to thank you for
that, Mademoiselle.
LASZLO
Ilsa, I don't wish to be the one to
say it, but it's late.
RENAULT
(glancing at
his wristwatch)
So it is. And we have a curfew here
in Casablanca. It would never do
for the Chief of Police to be found
drinking after hours and have to
fine himself.
Rick and Ilsa look at each other.
Laszlo signals the waiter
LASZLO
I hope we didn't overstay our welcome.
RICK
Not at all.
WAITER
(to Laszlo)
Your check, sir.
Rick takes the check.
RICK
(to waiter)
Oh, it's my party.
RENAULT
Another precedent gone. This has
been a very interesting evening.
I'll call you a cab. Gasoline
rationing, time of night.
Renault leaves.
LASZLO
We'll come again.
RICK
Any time.
ILSA
Say goodnight to Sam for me.48.
RICK
I will.
ILSA
There's still nobody in the world
who can play "As Time Goes By" like
Sam.
RICK
He hasn't played it in a long time.
Ilsa smiles.
ILSA
Goodnight.
LASZLO
Goodnight.
RICK
Goodnight.
Rick and Laszlo nod goodnight to each other. Laszlo and
Ilsa start to the door as Rick sits down again and stares
off in their direction.
CUT TO:
EXT. RICK'S CAFE - NIGHT
Ilsa and Laszlo leave the cafe.
LASZLO
A very puzzling fellow, this Rick.
What sort is he?
Ilsa doesn't look at him.
ILSA
Oh, I really can't say, though I saw
him quite often in Paris.
They join Renault at the curb.
RENAULT
Tomorrow at ten at the Prefect's
office.
LASZLO
We'll be there.
RENAULT49.
Goodnight.
ILSA
Goodnight.
LASZLO
Goodnight.
They get into a waiting cab, leaving Renault on the curb,
smoking and looking bemused.
The neon sign goes off and the doorway is now illuminated
by the revolving beacon from the airport.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
The customers have all gone. The house lights are out.
Rick sits alone at a table. There is a glass of bourbon
on the table directly in front of him, and another empty
glass on the table before an empty chair. Near at hand is
a bottle.
He fills his glass and drinks it quickly.
Rick just sits. His face is entirely expressionless. The
beacon light from the airport sweeps around the room
creating a mood of unreality.
Sam comes in and stands hesitantly beside Rick.
SAM
Boss.
No answer, as Rick drinks.
SAM
Boss!
RICK
Yeah?
SAM
Boss, ain't you going to bed?
RICK
Not right now.
Sam now realizes Rick is in a very grim mood.
SAM
(lightly)50.
Ain't you planning on going to bed
in the near future?
RICK
No.
SAM
You ever going to bed?
RICK
No.
SAM
Well, I ain't sleepy either.
RICK
Good. Then have a drink.
SAM
No. Not me, boss.
RICK
Then don't have a drink.
SAM
Boss, let's get out of here.
RICK
(emphatically)
No, sir. I'm waiting for a lady.
SAM
(earnestly)
Please, boss, let's go. Ain't
nothing but trouble for you here.
RICK
She's coming back. I know she's
coming back.
SAM
We'll take the car and drive all
night. We'll get drunk. We'll go
fishing and stay away until she's
gone.
RICK
Shut up and go home, will you?
SAM
(stubbornly)
No, sir. I'm staying right here.
Sam sits down at the piano and starts to play softly,51.
improvising.
RICK
They grab Ugarte and she walks in.
Well, that's the way it goes. One
in, one out. Sam?
SAM
Yeah, boss?
RICK
Sam, if it's December 1941 in
Casablanca, what time is it in New
York?
SAM
Uh, my watch stopped.
RICK
I bet they're asleep in New York.
I'll bet they're asleep all over
America.
Suddenly he pounds the table and buries his head in his
arms. Then he raises his head, trying to regain control.
RICK
Of all the gin joints in all the
towns in all the world, she walks
into mine.
He holds his head in his hands.
RICK
What's that you're playing?
SAM
Just a little something of my own.
RICK
Well, stop it. You know what I want
to hear.
SAM
No, I don't.
RICK
You played it for her and you can
play it for me.
SAM
Well, I don't think I can remember it.
RICK52.
If she can stand it, I can. Play it!
SAM
Yes, boss.
Sam starts to play "As Time Goes By."
Rick just stares ahead as orchestra MUSIC slowly joins Sam's
playing.
DISSOLVE TO:
MONTAGE - PARIS IN THE SPRING
A) The Arc de Triomphe from a distance.
B) Rick drives a small, open car slowly along the boulevard.
He puts his arm around Ilsa. The background scenery
changes to a country road as she snuggles close to him
and puts her head on his shoulder.
C) An excursion boat on the Seine. Rick and Ilsa stand at
the rail of the boat. They seem to be transported by
each other as Ilsa laughs.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S PARIS APARTMENT - DAY
Ilsa fixes flowers at the window while Rick opens champagne.
She walks over and joins him.
RICK
Who are you really? And what were
you before? What did you do and
what did you think? Huh?
ILSA
We said "no questions."
RICK
Here's looking at you, kid.
They drink.
CUT TO:
INT. PARIS CAFE - NIGHT
Inside a swank Paris cafe, Rick and Ilsa dance. They
appear to be very much in love as the MUSIC plays.
CUT TO:53.
INT. ILSA'S PARIS APARTMENT - DAY
Ilsa flips a coin, then tosses it over to Rick.
ILSA
A franc for your thoughts.
RICK
In America they'd bring only a
penny. I guess that's about all
they're worth.
ILSA
I'm willing to be overcharged.
Tell me.
RICK
And I was wondering.
ILSA
Yes?
RICK
Why I'm so lucky. Why I should find
you waiting for me to come along.
ILSA
Why there is no other man in my
life?
RICK
Uh huh.
ILSA
That's easy. There was. He's dead.
RICK
I'm sorry for asking. I forgot we
said "no questions."
ILSA
Well, only one answer can take care
of all our questions.
They kiss passionately.
CUT TO:
MONTAGE - NEWSREEL FOOTAGE OF THE GERMAN OCCUPATION OF FRANCE.
A) The rubble of a burned-out, demolished building. A sign
with an arrow points to Paris.
B) German troops crossing a river.54.
C) Tanks rolling down the road toward Paris.
D) German war planes overhead.
CUT TO:
EXT. PARIS CAFE - DAY
A man sells newspapers to people crowded around him. There
is much excitement. Rick and Ilsa sit at a table. They buy
a newspaper and begin to read it.
Nearby, a group of frightened French people cluster around a
loudspeaker on a wagon. A harsh voice barks out the tragic
news of the Nazi push toward Paris.
RICK
Nothing can stop them now.
Wednesday, Thursday at the latest,
they'll be in Paris.
ILSA
(frightened)
Richard, they'll find out your
record. It won't be safe for you
here.
RICK
I'm on their blacklist already,
their roll of honor.
CUT TO:
INT. LA BELLE AURORE - AFTERNOON
A small cafe in the Montmartre. A shadow on the floor
reflects the cafe sign "La Belle Aurore."
Rick, at the bar, gets glasses and a bottle of champagne.
He walks over to Ilsa and Sam at the piano.
Sam plays "As Time Goes By."
Ilsa seems unnerved. There is evidently something on her
mind.
Rick pours the champagne. His manner is wry, but not the
bitter wryness we have seen in Casablanca.
RICK
Henri wants us to finish this bottle
and then three more. He says he'll
water his garden with champagne
before he'll let the Germans drink55.
any of it.
Sam looks at his glass.
SAM
This sort of takes the sting out of
being occupied, doesn't it, Mr.
Richard?
RICK
You said it!
(to Ilsa)
Here's looking at you, kid.
Suddenly a loudspeaker BLARES out something in German. Rick
and Ilsa look at each other, then hurry to the window.
RICK
My German's a little rusty.
ILSA
It's the Gestapo. They say they
expect to be in Paris tomorrow.
They are telling us how to act when
they come marching in.
She smiles faintly.
ILSA
With the whole world crumbling, we
pick this time to fall in love.
RICK
Yeah. It's pretty bad timing.
Where were you, say, ten years ago?
ILSA
Ten years ago? Let's see...
(pause as she thinks a bit)
...Yes. I was having a brace put on my
teeth. Where were you?
RICK
Looking for a job.
Ilsa looks at him tenderly. Rick takes her in his arms, and
kisses her hungrily. While they are locked in an embrace
they hear the dull BOOM of cannons.
ILSA
(frightened)
Was that cannon fire, or is it my
heart pounding?56.
RICK
(grimly)
Ah, that's the new German 77. And
judging by the sound, only about
thirty-five miles away.
Another BOOM from the cannons.
RICK
And getting closer every minute.
Here. Drink up. We'll never finish
the other three.
SAM
The Germans'll be here pretty soon
now, and they'll come looking for
you. And don't forget there's a
price on your head.
Ilsa reacts to this worriedly.
RICK
I left a note in my apartment.
They'll know where to find me.
Ilsa looks at Rick.
ILSA
Strange. I know so very little
about you.
RICK
I know very little about you, just
the fact that you had your teeth
straightened.
He chuckles.
ILSA
But be serious, darling. You are in
danger and you must leave Paris.
RICK
No, no, no, no. We must leave.
ILSA
(seriously)
Yes, of course, we --
RICK
-- The train for Marseilles leaves
at five o'clock. I'll pick you up
at your hotel at four-thirty.57.
ILSA
(quickly)
No, no. Not at my hotel. I, uh, I
have things to do in the city before
I leave. I'll meet you at the
station, huh?
RICK
All right. At a quarter to five.
(a thought strikes him)
Say, why don't we get married in
Marseilles?
Rick chuckles again.
ILSA
(evasively)
That's too far ahead to plan.
RICK
Yes, I guess it is a little too far
ahead. Well, let's see. What about
the engineer? Why can't he marry us
on the train?
ILSA
Oh, darling!
Suddenly Ilsa turns away and starts to cry.
RICK
Well, why not? The captain on a
ship can. It doesn't seem fair
that... Hey, hey, what's wrong,
kid?
ILSA
I love you so much, and I hate this
war so much. Oh, it's a crazy
world. Anything can happen. If you
shouldn't get away, I mean, if, if
something should keep us apart,
wherever they put you and wherever
I'll be, I want you to know...
She can't go on. She lifts her face to his. He kisses
her gently.
ILSA
Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the
last time.
He looks into her eyes, then he does kiss her as though
it were going to be the last time.58.
Her hand falls to the table and knocks over a glass.
CUT TO:
INT. GARE DE LYON - NIGHT
It's raining very hard at the train station.
There is a hectic, fevered excitement, evident in the faces
of the people that pass by. This is the last train from Paris.
Rick appears in the crowd. He stops and puts his suitcase down
and glances at his watch.
A conductor calls out "All aboard, last train leaving in
three minutes."
Rain pours over his head and shoulders, but he doesn't seem to
notice. He nervously checks his watch again.
Suddenly Sam appears.
RICK
Where is she? Have you seen her?
SAM
No, Mr. Richard. I can't find her.
She checked out of the hotel. But
this note came just after you left.
Sam pulls an envelope from his pocket. Rick grabs it, opens
it, and stares down at the letter.
INSERT LETTER
Richard,
I cannot go with you or ever see you
again. You must not ask why. Just
believe that I love you. Go, my
darling, and God bless you.
Ilsa
Raindrops pour down the letter, smudging the writing.
BACK TO SCENE
A whistle BLOWS.
SAM
(frantically)
That's the last call, Mr. Richard,59.
do you hear me? Come on, Mr.
Richard. Let's get out of here.
Come on, Mr. Richard, come on.
Sam pulls a stunned, reluctant Rick to the train. The train
starts to move just as he boards.
From the steps he looks off into the distance, then crumbles
the letter and tosses it away as the steam from the engine
clouds over him.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
Close-up of a glass on the table in the cafe. Rick's hand
reaches for it and knocks it over. We now see Rick's face
and he's very drunk.
Sam walks over to the table to pick up the glass and a
fallen chair.
Just then the door opens and it's Ilsa. Rick stares at
the doorway. Ilsa lingers a moment, then comes over to
the table.
ILSA
Rick, I have to talk to you.
Her manner is a little uncertain, a little tentative, but
with a quiet determination beneath it.
RICK
Oh. I saved my first drink to have
with you. Here.
ILSA
No. No, Rick. Not tonight.
RICK
Especially tonight.
She sits down in the chair before the empty glass. Her eyes
are searching his face, but there is no expression on it
except a cold and impassive one.
Rick reaches for the bottle, and pours himself another drink.
ILSA
Please.
RICK
Why did you have to come to Casablanca?
There are other places.60.
ILSA
I wouldn't have come if I had known
that you were here. Believe me,
Rick, it's true. I didn't know.
RICK
It's funny about your voice, how it
hasn't changed. I can still hear
it. "Richard dear, I'll go with you
any place. We'll get on a train
together and never stop."
ILSA
Please don't. Don't, Rick. I can
understand how you feel.
RICK
Huh! You understand how I feel.
How long was it we had, honey?
ILSA
I didn't count the days.
RICK
Well, I did. Every one of them.
Mostly I remember the last one. A
wow finish. A guy standing on a
station platform in the rain with a
comical look on his face, because
his insides had been kicked out.
He takes a drink.
ILSA
Can I tell you a story, Rick?
RICK
Has it got a wow finish?
ILSA
I don't know the finish yet.
RICK
Well, go on, tell it. Maybe one
will come to you as you go along.
ILSA
It's about a girl who had just come
to Paris from her home in Oslo. At
the house of some friends she met a
man about whom she'd heard her whole
life, a very great and courageous
man. He opened up for her a whole61.
beautiful world full of knowledge
and thoughts and ideals. Everything
she knew or ever became was because
of him. And she looked up to him
and worshipped him with a feeling
she supposed was love.
RICK
Yes, that's very pretty. I heard a
story once. As a matter of fact,
I've heard a lot of stories in my
time. They went along with the
sound of a tinny piano playing in
the parlor downstairs, "Mister, I
met a man once when I was a kid,"
it'd always begin. Huh. I guess
neither one of our stories was very
funny. Tell me, who was it you left
me for? Was it Laszlo, or were
there others in between? Or aren't
you the kind that tells?
Ilsa gets up and leaves.
Rick's head slumps over the table.
CUT TO:
INT. RENAULT'S OFFICE - MORNING
A sign on the door reads: Captain Renault, Prefect de Police.
Strasser sits while Renault attends to some paperwork.
STRASSER
I strongly suspect that Ugarte left
the letters of transit with Mr.
Blaine. I would suggest you search
the cafe immediately and thoroughly.
RENAULT
If Rick has the letters, he's much
too smart to let you find them
there.
STRASSER
You give him credit for too much
cleverness. My impression was that
he's just another blundering
American.
RENAULT
But we mustn't underestimate
American blundering. I was with62.
them when they "blundered" into
Berlin in 1918.
Strasser looks at him.
STRASSER
As to Laszlo, we want him watched
twenty-four hours a day.
RENAULT
(reassuringly)
It may interest you to know that at
this very moment he is on his way
here.
CUT TO:
INT. PREFECTURE LOBBY - MORNING
Laszlo and Ilsa make their way through the jam in the lobby
of the Prefecture.
Jan and Annina talk to an officer.
OFFICER
(to Jan and Annina)
There's nothing we can do.
CUT TO:
INT. RENAULT'S OFFICE - MORNING
Laszlo and Ilsa enter Renault's office.
Renault bows to them both.
RENAULT
I am delighted to see you both. Did
you have a good night's rest?
LASZLO
I slept very well.
RENAULT
That's strange. Nobody is supposed
to sleep well in Casablanca.
LASZLO
(coldly)
May we proceed with the business?
RENAULT
With pleasure. Won't you sit down?63.
LASZLO
Thank you.
They take their seats.
STRASSER
(now as cold as Laszlo)
Very well, Herr Laszlo, we will
not mince words. You are an
escaped prisoner of the Reich.
So far you have been fortunate
enough in eluding us. You have
reached Casablanca. It is my
duty to see that you stay in
Casablanca.
LASZLO
Whether or not you succeed is,
of course, problematical.
STRASSER
Not at all. Captain Renault's
signature is necessary on every
exit visa.
(turns to Renault)
Captain, would you think it is
possible that Herr Laszlo will
receive a visa?
RENAULT
I am afraid not. My regrets,
Monsieur.
LASZLO
Well, perhaps I shall like it in
Casablanca.
STRASSER
And Mademoiselle?
ILSA
You needn't be concerned about me.
LASZLO
Is that all you wish to tell us?
STRASSER
Don't be in such a hurry. You have
all the time in the world. You may
be in Casablanca indefinitely...
or you may leave for Lisbon tomorrow,
on one condition.
LASZLO64.
And that is?
STRASSER
You know the leaders of the
underground movement in Paris, in
Prague, in Brussels, in Amsterdam,
in Oslo, in Belgrade, in Athens.
LASZLO
Even in Berlin.
STRASSER
Yes, even in Berlin. If you will
furnish me with their names and
their exact whereabouts, you will
have your visa in the morning.
RENAULT
And the honor of having served the
Third Reich.
LASZLO
I was in a German concentration camp
for a year. That's honor enough for
a lifetime.
STRASSER
You will give us the names?
LASZLO
If I didn't give them to you in a
concentration camp where you had
more "persuasive methods" at your
disposal, I certainly won't give
them to you now.
The passionate conviction in his voice now reveals the
crusader.
LASZLO
And what if you track down these men
and kill them? What if you murdered
all of us? From every corner of
Europe, hundreds, thousands, would
rise to take our places. Even Nazis
can't kill that fast.
STRASSER
Herr Laszlo, you have a reputation
for eloquence which I can now
understand. But in one respect you
are mistaken. You said the enemies
of the Reich could all be replaced,
but there is one exception. No one65.
could take your place in the event
anything unfortunate should occur to
you while you were trying to escape.
LASZLO
You won't dare to interfere with me
here. This is still unoccupied
France. Any violation of neutrality
would reflect on Captain Renault.
RENAULT
Monsieur, insofar as it is in my
power --
LASZLO
-- Thank you.
RENAULT
By the way, Monsieur, last night
you evinced an interest in Signor
Ugarte.
LASZLO
Yes.
RENAULT
I believe you have a message for him?
LASZLO
Nothing important, but may I speak
to him now?
STRASSER
You would find the conversation a
trifle one-sided. Signor Ugarte
is dead.
Close-ups of Ilsa, then Laszlo, reveal their disappointment.
Strasser observes their reaction.
ILSA
(softly)
Oh.
Renault holds a report.
RENAULT
I am making out the report now. We
haven't quite decided whether he
committed suicide or died trying to
escape.
LASZLO66.
Are you quite finished with us?
STRASSER
For the time being.
LASZLO
Good day.
Renault rings a buzzer and the door is opened for them.
As Ilsa and Laszlo leave, an OFFICER comes in.
RENAULT
Undoubtedly their next step will be
to the black market.
OFFICER
Excuse me, Captain. Another visa
problem has come up.
RENAULT
Show her in.
OFFICER
Yes, sir.
Renault looks at himself in the mirror and straightens
his tie.
CUT TO:
EXT. BLACK MARKET - DAY
The black market is a cluttered Arab street of bazaars,
shops and stalls. All kinds and races of people mill about
the merchandise which native dealers have on outdoor
display.
Both men and women are dressed in tropical clothes. The
canopies over the stalls give them some protection from the
scorching sun.
On the surface the atmosphere is merely languid, but
underneath lies the sinister workings of illicit trade.
A FRENCHMAN and a NATIVE huddle together and talk in low
tones.
NATIVE
I'm sorry, Monsieur, we would have
to handle the police. This is a job
for Signor Ferrari.
FRENCHMAN67.
Ferrari?
NATIVE
It can be most helpful to know
Signor Ferrari. He pretty near
has a monopoly on the black market
here. You will find him over there
at the Blue Parrot.
FRENCHMAN
Thanks.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE BLUE PARROT - DAY
Outside the cafe, a blue parrot sits on a perch.
CUT TO:
INT. THE BLUE PARROT - DAY
The cafe is much less pretentious than Rick's, but well
populated.
Rick enters and walks through the cafe toward Ferrari's
office just as Ferrari emerges with Jan and Annina, who look
very disappointed.
FERRARI
There, don't be too downhearted.
Perhaps you can come to terms with
Captain Renault.
JAN
Thank you very much, Signor.
Jan leads Annina away.
RICK
Hello, Ferrari.
Signor Ferrari turns around. He's pleased to see Rick.
FERRARI
Ah, good morning, Rick.
They shake hands.
RICK
I see the bus is in. I'll take my
shipment with me.
FERRARI68.
No hurry. I'll have it sent over.
Have a drink with me.
RICK
I never drink in the morning. And
every time you send my shipment
over, it's always just a little bit
short.
FERRARI
(chuckling)
Carrying charges, my boy, carrying
charges. Here, sit down. There's
something I want to talk over with
you, anyhow.
He hails a waiter.
FERRARI
The bourbon.
(to Rick, sighing deeply)
The news about Ugarte upset me very
much.
RICK
You're a fat hypocrite. You don't
feel any sorrier for Ugarte than I
do.
He eyes Rick closely.
FERRARI
Of course not. What upsets me is
the fact that Ugarte is dead and no
one knows where those letters of
transit are.
RICK
Practically no one.
FERRARI
If I could lay my hands on those
letters, I could make a fortune.
RICK
So could I. And I'm a poor
businessman.
FERRARI
I have a proposition for whoever has
those letters. I will handle the
entire transaction, get rid of the
letters, take all the risk, for a
small percentage.69.
RICK
And the carrying charges?
FERRARI
Naturally there will be a few
incidental expenses. That is the
proposition I have for whoever has
those letters.
RICK
(dryly)
I'll tell him when he comes in.
FERRARI
Rick, I'll put my cards on the
table. I think you know where those
letters are.
RICK
Well, you're in good company. Renault
and Strasser probably think so, too.
Rick looks out of the window and sees Ilsa at the linen
bazaar, then Laszlo walking toward the cafe.
RICK
That's why I came over here to give
them a chance to ransack my place.
FERRARI
Rick, don't be a fool. Take me into
your confidence. You need a
partner.
Rick isn't listening to him. He looks through the open
window in the direction of the linen bazaar.
Rick gets up.
RICK
Excuse me, I'll be getting back.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE BLUE PARROT - DAY
Laszlo reaches the entrance to the cafe as Rick comes out.
He stops and addresses Rick politely.
LASZLO
Good morning.
RICK70.
Signor Ferrari is the fat gent at
the table.
As he exits, Laszlo looks after him with a puzzled expression.
CUT TO:
EXT. BLACK MARKET - DAY
At the linen stall, Ilsa examines a tablecloth which an Arab
vendor is endeavoring to sell. He holds a sign which reads
"700 francs."
ARAB
You will not find a treasure like
this in all Morocco, Mademoiselle.
Only seven hundred francs.
Rick walks up behind Ilsa.
RICK
You're being cheated.
She looks briefly at Rick, then turns away. Her manner is
politely formal.
ILSA
It doesn't matter, thank you.
ARAB
Ah, the lady is a friend of Rick's?
For friends of Rick we have a small
discount. Did I say seven hundred
francs? You can have it for two
hundred.
Reaching under the counter, he takes out a sign reading "200
francs", and replaces the other sign with it.
RICK
I'm sorry I was in no condition to
receive you when you called on me
last night.
ILSA
It doesn't matter.
ARAB
Ah, for special friends of Rick's we
have a special discount. One
hundred francs.
He replaces the second sign with a third which reads "100
francs."71.
RICK
Your story had me a little confused.
Or maybe it was the bourbon.
ARAB
I have some tablecloths, some
napkins --
ILSA
-- Thank you. I'm really not
interested.
ARAB
Please, one minute. Wait!
The Arab hurriedly exits.
Ilsa pretends to examine the goods on the counter.
RICK
Why did you come back? To tell me
why you ran out on me at the railway
station?
ILSA
Yes.
RICK
Well, you can tell me now. I'm
reasonably sober.
ILSA
I don't think I will, Rick.
RICK
Why not? After all, I got stuck
with a railway ticket. I think I'm
entitled to know.
ILSA
Last night I saw what has happened
to you. The Rick I knew in Paris,
I could tell him. He'd understand.
But the one who looked at me with
such hatred... well, I'll be leaving
Casablanca soon and we'll never see
each other again. We knew very little
about each other when we were in love
in Paris. If we leave it that way,
maybe we'll remember those days and
not Casablanca, not last night.
RICK72.
Did you run out on me because you
couldn't take it? Because you knew
what it would be like, hiding from
the police, running away all the
time?
ILSA
You can believe that if you want to.
RICK
Well, I'm not running away any more.
I'm settled now, above a saloon, it's
true, but... walk up a flight. I'll
be expecting you.
Ilsa turns her head away.
RICK
All the same, someday you'll lie to
Laszlo. You'll be there.
ILSA
No, Rick. No, you see, Victor
Laszlo is my husband... and was,
even when I knew you in Paris.
She walks away into the cafe as Rick stares after her in
stunned disbelief.
CUT TO:
INT. THE BLUE PARROT - DAY
Ilsa and Laszlo sit with Ferrari.
FERRARI
I was just telling Monsieur Laszlo
that, unfortunately, I am not able
to help him.
ILSA
Oh.
LASZLO
You see, my dear, the word has gone
around.
FERRARI
(to Ilsa)
As leader of all illegal activities
in Casablanca, I am an influential
and respected man. It would not be
worth my life to do anything for
Monsieur Laszlo. You, however, are73.
a different matter.
LASZLO
Signor Ferrari thinks it might just
be possible to get an exit visa for
you.
ILSA
You mean for me to go on alone?
FERRARI
And only alone.
LASZLO
I will stay here and keep on trying.
I'm sure in a little while --
FERRARI
-- We might as well be frank, Monsieur.
It will take a miracle to get you out
of Casablanca. And the Germans have
outlawed miracles.
ILSA
We are only interested in two visas,
Signor.
LASZLO
Please, Ilsa, don't be hasty.
ILSA
(firmly)
No, Victor, no.
FERRARI
You two will want to discuss this.
Excuse me. I'll be at the bar.
Ferrari gets to his feet and walks away.
LASZLO
No, Ilsa, I won't let you stay here.
You must get to America. And
believe me, somehow I will get out
and join you.
ILSA
But, Victor, if the situation were
different, if I had to stay and
there were only a visa for one,
would you take it?
LASZLO
(not very convincingly)74.
Yes, I would.
Ilsa smiles faintly. She doesn't believe it for even a
moment.
ILSA
Yes, I see. When I had trouble
getting out of Lille, why didn't you
leave me there? And when I was sick
in Marseilles and held you up for
two weeks and you were in danger
every minute of the time, why didn't
you leave me then?
LASZLO
I meant to, but something always
held me up. I love you very much,
Ilsa.
She smiles again.
ILSA
Your secret will be safe with me.
Ferrari is waiting for our answer.
At the bar Ferrari talks to a waiter.
FERRARI
Not more than fifty francs though.
Ilsa and Laszlo walk up to him.
LASZLO
We've decided, Signor Ferrari. For
the present we'll go on looking for
two exit visas. Thank you very
much.
FERRARI
Well, good luck. But be careful.
(a flick of his eyes
in the direction
of the bazaar)
You know you're being shadowed?
Laszlo glances in the direction of the bazaar.
LASZLO
Of course. It becomes an instinct.
Ferrari looks shrewdly at Ilsa.
FERRARI
I observe that you in one respect are75.
a very fortunate man, Monsieur. I am
moved to make one more suggestion,
why, I do not know, because it cannot
possibly profit me, but, have you heard
about Signor Ugarte and the letters of
transit?
LASZLO
Yes, something.
FERRARI
Those letters were not found on
Ugarte when they arrested him.
There's a moments pause as this sinks in.
LASZLO
Do you know where they are?
FERRARI
Not for sure, Monsieur, but I will
venture to guess that Ugarte left
those letters with Monsieur Rick.
Ilsa's face darkens. Laszlo quietly observes.
LASZLO
Rick?
FERRARI
He is a difficult customer, that
Rick. One never knows what he'll do
or why. But it is worth a chance.
LASZLO
Thank you very much. Good day.
ILSA
Goodbye, thank you for your coffee,
Signor. I shall miss that when we
leave Casablanca.
Ferrari bows.
FERRARI
It was gracious of you to share it
with me. Good day, Mademoiselle,
Monsieur.
LASZLO
Good day.
As Ilsa and Laszlo leave the cafe, Ferrari nonchalantly
swats a fly on a table.76.
CUT TO:
EXT. RICK'S CAFE - NIGHT
Outside Rick's cafe, the sign is lit up and MUSIC filters
out into the air.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
At the bar, the European has found another TOURIST.
EUROPEAN
Here's to you, sir.
TOURIST
Er, good luck, yes.
EUROPEAN
I'd better be going.
TOURIST
Er, my check, please.
EUROPEAN
I have to warn you, sir. I beseech
you...
The European picks his pocket.
EUROPEAN
This is a dangerous place, full of
vultures. Vultures everywhere!
Thanks for everything.
The tourist laughs.
TOURIST
Er, goodbye, sir.
EUROPEAN
It has been a pleasure to meet you.
He dashes off and collides with Carl.
EUROPEAN
Oh, I'm sorry.
As the European hurries away, Carl checks all his pockets
to make sure nothing is missing.
Sam and Corina play a number, accompanied by the orchestra.77.
Strasser and his crowd enter the cafe and pass Rick's table.
Carl brings Rick a bottle and glass.
CARL
Monsieur Rick, you are getting to be
your best customer.
Carl leaves.
As Rick lights a cigarette, Renault shows up.
RENAULT
Well, Ricky. I'm very pleased with
you. Now you're beginning to live
like a Frenchman.
RICK
That was some going-over your men
gave my place this afternoon. We
just barely got cleaned up in time
to open.
He pours a drink for Renault.
RENAULT
Well, I told Strasser he wouldn't
find the letters here. But I told
my men to be especially destructive.
You know how that impresses Germans?
(taking a sip)
Rick, have you got these letters of
transit?
RICK
Louis, are you pro-Vichy or Free
French?
RENAULT
Serves me right for asking a direct
question. The subject is closed.
RICK
Well, it looks like you're a little
late.
RENAULT
Huh?
Rick gazes at Yvonne and a GERMAN OFFICER approaching the bar.
RICK
So Yvonne's gone over to the enemy.78.
RENAULT
Who knows? In her own way she may
constitute an entire second front.
I think it's time for me to flatter
Major Strasser a little. I'll see
you later, Rick.
Renault gets up and strolls away.
At the bar, Yvonne and the German officer place their
orders.
YVONNE
Sacha!
GERMAN OFFICER
French seventy-fives.
Yvonne is somewhat drunk already.
YVONNE
Put up a whole row of them, Sacha...
starting here and ending here.
She indicates with her hand where she wants them.
GERMAN OFFICER
We will begin with two.
A FRENCH OFFICER at the bar makes a remark to Yvonne.
FRENCH OFFICER
(in French)
Say, you, you are not French to go
with a German like this!
YVONNE
(in French)
What are you butting in for?
FRENCH OFFICER
(in French)
I am butting in --
YVONNE
(breaking in, in French)
-- It's none of your business!
GERMAN OFFICER
(in French)
No, no, no, no! One minute!
(in English)
What did you say? Would you kindly79.
repeat it?
FRENCH OFFICER
What I said is none of your business!
GERMAN OFFICER
I will make it my business!
They begin to fight.
YVONNE
(in French)
Stop! I beg of you! I beg of you,
stop!
There are exclamations from people nearby. German officers
at a nearby table rise, ready to join in. Rick walks up and
separates the two men.
RICK
(to the German)
I don't like disturbances in my
place. Either lay off politics or
get out.
FRENCH OFFICER
(in French)
Dirty Boche. Someday we'll have our
revenge!
Renault, Strasser and the other officers sit down again.
STRASSER
You see, Captain, the situation is
not as much under control as you
believe.
RENAULT
My dear Major, we are trying to
cooperate with your government, but
we cannot regulate the feelings of
our people.
Strasser eyes him closely.
STRASSER
Captain Renault, are you entirely
certain which side you're on?
RENAULT
I have no conviction, if that's what
you mean. I blow with the wind, and
the prevailing wind happens to be
from Vichy.80.
STRASSER
And if it should change?
He smiles.
RENAULT
Surely the Reich doesn't admit that
possibility?
Renault lights a cigarette and puffs away.
STRASSER
We are concerned about more than
Casablanca. We know that every
French province in Africa is honey-
combed with traitors waiting for
their chance, waiting, perhaps,
for a leader.
RENAULT
(casually)
A leader, like Laszlo?
STRASSER
Uh, huh. I have been thinking.
It is too dangerous if we let him
go. It may be too dangerous if we
let him stay.
RENAULT
(thoughtfully)
I see what you mean.
Carl, bottle in hand, approaches the table of a middle-aged
German couple, the LEUCHTAGS.
CARL
(in German)
I brought you the finest brandy.
Only the employees drink it here.
He pours a drink for each of them.
MR. LEUCHTAG
Thank you, Carl.
CARL
(as he pours)
For Mrs. Leuchtag.
MRS. LEUCHTAG
Thank you, Carl.81.
CARL
For Mr. Leuchtag.
MR. LEUCHTAG
Carl, sit down. Have a brandy
with us.
MRS. LEUCHTAG
(beaming with happiness)
To celebrate our leaving for America
tomorrow.
Carl sits down.
CARL
Thank you very much. I thought
you would ask me, so I brought
the good brandy and a third glass.
He produces a glass from a back pocket.
MRS. LEUCHTAG
At last the day has came.
MR. LEUCHTAG
Frau Leuchtag and I are speaking
nothing but English now.
MRS. LEUCHTAG
So we should feel at home ven ve
get to America.
CARL
A very nice idea.
MR. LEUCHTAG
(raising his glass)
To America.
Mrs. Leuchtag and Carl repeat "To America." They clink
glasses and drink.
MR. LEUCHTAG
Liebchen, uh, sweetness heart,
what watch?
She glances at her wristwatch.
MRS. LEUCHTAG
Ten watch.
MR. LEUCHTAG
(surprised)
Such much?82.
CARL
Er, you will get along beautifully
in America, huh.
Annina meets Renault in the hallway as she leaves the
gambling room,
RENAULT
How's lady luck treating you?
Aw, too bad. You'll find him
over there.
Annina sees Rick and goes to his table.
ANNINA
Monsieur Rick?
RICK
Yes?
ANNINA
Could I speak to you for just a
moment, please?
Rick looks at her.
RICK
How did you get in here? You're
under age.
ANNINA
I came with Captain Renault.
RICK
(cynically)
I should have known.
ANNINA
My husband is with me, too.
RICK
He is? Well, Captain Renault's
getting broadminded. Sit down.
Will you have a drink?
Annina shakes her head.
RICK
No, of course not. Do you mind
if I do?
ANNINA
No.83.
Rick pours himself a drink
ANNINA
Monsieur Rick, what kind of man is
Captain Renault?
RICK
Oh, he's just like any other man,
only more so.
ANNINA
No, I mean, is he trustworthy? Is
his word --
RICK
-- Now, just a minute. Who told you
to ask me that?
ANNINA
He did. Captain Renault did.
RICK
I thought so. Where's your husband?
ANNINA
At the roulette table, trying to win
enough for our exit visa. Well of
course, he's losing.
Rick looks at her closely.
RICK
How long have you been married?
ANNINA
Eight weeks. We come from Bulgaria.
Oh, things are very bad there,
Monsieur. A devil has the people
by the throat. So, Jan and I, we,
we do not want our children to grow
up in such a country.
RICK
(wearily)
So you decided to go to America.
ANNINA
Yes, but we have not much money,
and travelling is so expensive and
difficult. It was much more than
we thought to get here. And then
Captain Renault sees us and he is
so kind. He wants to help us.84.
RICK
Yes, I'll bet.
ANNINA
He tells me he can give us an exit
visa, but we have no money.
RICK
Does he know that?
ANNINA
Oh, yes.
RICK
And he is still willing to give you
a visa?
ANNINA
Yes, Monsieur.
RICK
And you want to know --
ANNINA
-- Will he keep his word?
RICK
He always has.
There is a silence. Annina is very disturbed.
ANNINA
Oh, Monsieur, you are a man. If
someone loved you very much, so that
your happiness was the only thing
that she wanted in the whole world,
but she did a bad thing to make
certain of it, could you forgive
her?
Rick stares off into space.
RICK
Nobody ever loved me that much.
ANNINA
And he never knew, and the girl kept
this bad thing locked in her heart?
That would be all right, wouldn't
it?
RICK
(harshly)85.
You want my advice?
ANNINA
Oh, yes, please.
RICK
Go back to Bulgaria.
ANNINA
Oh, but if you knew what it means to
us to leave Europe, to get to
America! Oh, but if Jan should find
out! He is such a boy. In many
ways I am so much older than he is.
RICK
Yes, well, everybody in Casablanca
has problems. Yours may work out.
You'll excuse me.
Rick abruptly rises.
ANNINA
(tonelessly)
Thank you, Monsieur.
He quickly goes off, leaving Annina alone at the table.
She remains seated, too demoralized to move.
While Rick checks the reservation list, Ilsa and Laszlo enter
the cafe.
In the background we hear Sam playing, ironically enough,
"It Had to Be You."
Rick greets Ilsa and Laszlo.
RICK
Good evening.
LASZLO
Good evening. You see, here we
are again.
RICK
I take that as a great compliment to
Sam.
(to Ilsa)
I suppose he means to you Paris of,
well, happier days.
Laszlo looks around.
ILSA86.
(quietly)
He does. Could we have a table
close to him?
LASZLO
And as far away from Major Strasser
as possible.
RICK
Well, the geography may be a little
difficult to arrange.
Rick snaps his fingers for the headwaiter.
RICK
Paul! Table thirty!
HEADWAITER
(to Ilsa and Laszlo)
Yes, sir. Right this way, if you
please.
RICK
(to Ilsa)
I'll have Sam play "As Time Goes
By." I believe that's your favorite
tune.
ILSA
(smiling)
Thank you.
Rick walks over to Sam and whispers something to him. Sam
stops what he is playing and begins "As Time Goes By."
He shakes his head as Rick leaves.
A waiter appears at Ilsa and Laszlo's table.
LASZLO
Two cognacs, please.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - GAMBLING ROOM - NIGHT
Jan sits at the roulette table. He has only three chips
left and seems bewildered.
As Rick comes up the croupier speaks to Jan.
CROUPIER
Do you wish to place another bet, sir?
JAN
No, no, I guess not.87.
Rick stands behind Jan.
RICK
(to Jan)
Have you tried twenty-two tonight?
I said, twenty-two.
Jan looks at Rick, then at the chips in his hand.
He paues, then puts the chips on twenty-two.
Rick and the croupier exchange looks. The croupier
understands what Rick wants him to do. He spins the wheel.
Carl follows the proceedings, fascinated.
The wheel stops spinning.
CROUPIER
(in French)
Twenty-two, black, twenty-two.
A winner. Renault, at a nearby table, takes notice of what
is happening.
The croupier pushes a pile of chips onto twenty-two and Jan
reaches for it.
RICK
(not even looking at Jan)
Leave it there.
Jan hesitates, then withdraws his hands.
Carl continues to watch.
The wheel spins. Nobody speaks while it spins. It stops.
CROUPIER
Twenty-two, black.
Another winner. The croupier shoves a pile of chips toward
Jan.
RICK
(to Jan)
Cash it in and don't come back.
Jan rises to go to the cashier.
A CUSTOMER complains to Carl.
CUSTOMER88.
Say, are you sure this place is honest?
CARL
(fervently)
Honest! As honest as the day is long!
Meanwhile, Rick has walked over to the croupier.
RICK
How we doing tonight?
CROUPIER
Well, a couple of thousand less than
I thought there would be.
Rick smiles slightly and goes toward the door.
Annina runs up to him and hugs him.
ANNINA
Monsieur Rick, I --
RICK
-- He's just a lucky guy.
CARL
(solicitously)
Monsieur Rick, may I get you a cup
of coffee?
RICK
No thanks, Carl.
CARL
Monsieur Rick!
Renault, seeing that Jan has won, gets up from his table to
follow Rick. Jan and Annina stop him on the way.
JAN
Captain Renault, may I --
RENAULT
-- Oh, not here, please. Come to
my office in the morning. We'll
do everything business-like.
JAN
We'll be there at six.
RENAULT
I'll be there at ten. I am very
happy for both of you. Still, it's
very strange that you won.89.
He looks over and sees Rick.
RENAULT
Well, maybe not so strange. I'll
see you in the morning.
ANNINA
Thank you so much, Captain Renault.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
At the bar, Carl whispers in Sacha's ear. Sacha says "No!"
and runs to Rick.
SACHA
Boss, you've done a beautiful thing.
He kisses Rick on both cheeks.
RICK
Go away, you crazy Russian!
Carl pours a brandy for Rick.
Pretending not to do so, Rick glances in Ilsa's direction.
Renault comes up to him.
RENAULT
As I suspected, you're a rank
sentimentalist.
RICK
Yeah? Why?
RENAULT
(chidingly)
Why do you interfere with my little
romances?
RICK
Put it down as a gesture to love.
RENAULT
(good-naturedly)
Well, I forgive you this time.
But I'll be in tomorrow night
with a breathtaking blonde, and
it will make me very happy if
she loses. Uh huh!
He smiles and walks away. Laszlo comes up to Rick.90.
LASZLO
Monsieur Blaine, I wonder if I could
talk to you?
RICK
Go ahead.
LASZLO
Well, isn't there some other place?
It's rather confidential, what I
have to say.
RICK
My office.
LASZLO
Right.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - OFFICE - NIGHT
Rick and Laszlo sit and discuss Laszlo's dilemma.
LASZLO
You must know it's very important I
get out of Casablanca. It's my
privilege to be one of the leaders
of a great movement. You know what
I have been doing. You know what it
means to the work, to the lives of
thousands and thousands of people
that I be free to reach America and
continue my work.
RICK
I'm not interested in politics. The
problems of the world are not in my
department. I'm a saloon keeper.
LASZLO
My friends in the underground tell
me that you have quite a record.
You ran guns to Ethiopia. You
fought against the fascists in
Spain.
RICK
What of it?
LASZLO
Isn't it strange that you always91.
happened to be fighting on the side
of the underdog?
RICK
Yes. I found that a very expensive
hobby, too. But then I never was
much of a businessman.
Rick gets up, as does Laszlo.
LASZLO
Are you enough of a businessman to
appreciate an offer of a hundred
thousand francs?
RICK
I appreciate it, but I don't accept it.
LASZLO
I'll raise it to two hundred thousand.
RICK
My friend, you could make it a
million francs, or three, my
answer would still be the same.
LASZLO
There must be some reason why you
won't let me have them.
RICK
There is. I suggest that you ask
your wife.
LASZLO
I beg your pardon?
RICK
I said, ask your wife.
LASZLO
My wife?
Laszlo looks at him, puzzled.
RICK
Yes.
Rick and Laszlo hear MALE VOICES singing downstairs.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT92.
A group of German officers stand around the piano singing
the "Wacht am Rhein."
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - BALCONY - NIGHT
Rick stands at the balcony outside his office and watches
the Germans below.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
At the bar, Renault watches with raised eyebrow.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - BALCONY - NIGHT
Laszlo's lips are very tight as he listens to the song.
He starts down the step.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
Laszlo passes the table where Ilsa sits and goes straight
to the orchestra.
Yvonne, sitting at a table with her German officer, stares
down into her drink.
Laszlo speaks to the orchestra.
LASZLO
Play the Marseillaise! Play it!
Members of the orchestra glance toward the steps, toward Rick,
who nods to them.
Laszlo and Corina sing as they start to play. Strasser
conducts the German singing in an attempt to drown out the
competition.
People in the cafe begin to sing the "Marseillaise."
After a while, Strasser and his officers give up and sit
down. The "Marseillaise" continues, however.
Yvonne jumps up and sings with tears in her eyes.
Ilsa, overcome with emotion, looks proudly at Laszlo, who
sings with passion.93.
Finally the whole cafe stands, singing, their faces
aglow. The song finishes on a high, triumphant note.
Yvonne's face is exalted. She deliberately faces the alcove
where the Germans are watching. She SHOUTS at the top of
her lungs.
YVONNE
Vive La France! Vive la democracie!
CROWD
Vive La France! Vive la democracie!
People clap and cheer.
Strasser is very angry. He strides across the floor toward
Renault who is standing at the bar.
STRASSER
You see what I mean? If Laszlo's
presence in a cafe can inspire this
unfortunate demonstration, what more
will his presence in Casablanca
bring on? I advise that this place
be shut up at once.
RENAULT
(innocently)
But everybody's having such a good
time.
STRASSER
Yes, much too good a time. The
place is to be closed.
RENAULT
But I have no excuse to close it.
STRASSER
(snapping)
Find one.
Several French officers surround Laszlo, offering him a drink.
Renault thinks a moment, then blows a loud BLAST on his
whistle. The room grows quiet, all eyes turn toward
Renault.
RENAULT
(loudly)
Everybody is to leave here
immediately! This cafe is
closed until further notice!94.
Clear the room at once!
An angry murmur starts among the crowd. People get up and
begin to leave.
Rick comes quickly up to Renault.
RICK
How can you close me up? On what
grounds?
RENAULT
I am shocked, shocked to find that
gambling is going on in here!
This display of nerve leaves Rick at a loss. The croupier
comes out of the gambling room and up to Renault. He hands
him a roll of bills.
CROUPIER
Your winnings, sir.
RENAULT
Oh. Thank you very much.
He turns to the crowd again.
RENAULT
Everybody out at once!
As the cafe empties, Strasser approaches Ilsa. His manner
is abrupt but cordial.
STRASSER
Mademoiselle, after this disturbance
it is not safe for Laszlo to stay in
Casablanca.
ILSA
This morning you implied it was not
safe for him to leave Casablanca.
STRASSER
That is also true, except for one
destination, to return to occupied
France.
ILSA
Occupied France?
STRASSER
Uh huh. Under a safe conduct from me.
ILSA95.
(with intensity)
What value is that? You may recall
what German guarantees have been
worth in the past.
STRASSER
There are only two other alternatives
for him.
ILSA
What are they?
STRASSER
It is possible the French authorities
will find a reason to put him in the
concentration camp here.
ILSA
And the other alternative?
STRASSER
My dear Mademoiselle, perhaps you
have already observed that in
Casablanca, human life is cheap.
Good night, Mademoiselle.
She looks at him, understanding what he means.
He bows and exits as Laszlo arrives at the table.
They start out of the cafe.
ILSA
What happened with Rick?
LASZLO
We'll discuss it later.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL HALLWAY - NIGHT
Ilsa and Laszlo walk to their room.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Laszlo switches on the light as they enter. While Ilsa
takes off some jewelry he walks to the window and peers
out into the darkeness. Below and across the street, a
man stands under an arch. Laszlo watches him, then draws
down the shade.96.
LASZLO
Our faithful friend is still there.
ILSA
Victor, please, don't go to the
underground meeting tonight.
LASZLO
(soberly)
I must. Besides, it isn't often that
a man has a chance to display heroics
before his wife.
He crosses to a table, takes a cigarette from a box, and
strikes a match.
ILSA
Don't joke. After Major Strasser's
warning tonight, I am frightened.
LASZLO
To tell you the truth, I am frightened
too. Shall I remain here in our hotel
room hiding, or shall I carry on the
best I can?
He lights the cigarette.
ILSA
Whatever I'd say, you'd carry on.
Victor, why don't you tell me about
Rick? What did you find out?
LASZLO
Apparently he has the letters.
ILSA
Yes?
LASZLO
But no intention of selling them.
One would think if sentiment
wouldn't persuade him, money would.
Ilsa is now noticeably uncomfortable.
ILSA
Did he give any reason?
LASZLO
He suggested I ask you.
ILSA
Ask me?97.
LASZLO
Yes. He said, "Ask your wife." I
don't know why he said that.
Laszlo turns off the light. Ilsa walks over to the couch and
sits down.
LASZLO
Well, our friend outside will think
we've retired by now. I'll be going
in a few minutes.
He sits down on the couch next to her. A silence falls
between them. It grows strained. Finally...
LASZLO
Ilsa, I --
ILSA
-- Yes?
LASZLO
When I was in the concentration camp,
were you lonely in Paris?
Ilsa still cannot look at him.
ILSA
Yes, Victor, I was.
LASZLO
(sympathetically)
I know how it is to be lonely.
(very quietly)
Is there anything you wish to tell me?
ILSA
(speaking low)
No, Victor, there isn't.
LASZLO
I love you very much, my dear.
Ilsa finally turns to look at Laszlo.
ILSA
Yes, Yes I know. Victor, whatever
I do, will you believe that I, that --
LASZLO
-- You don't even have to say it.
I'll believe. Goodnight, dear.98.
He bends down and kisses her cheek.
ILSA
Goodnight.
She watches him go.
ILSA
Victor!
She gets up and follows him to the door. He opens it. In
the slit of light from the hall we see Ilsa's face, now
strained and worried. She hesitates for a moment, then...
ILSA
Be careful.
LASZLO
Of course, I'll be careful.
He kisses her on the cheek and goes out the door. She stands
there for a few seconds, then crosses to look out of the
window.
The figure in the archway is gone. She sees Victor walking
down the street and closes the blind again. Ilsa gets a
cloak from the bedroom, and leaves the hotel room.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
Rick and Carl sit by the bar and look over ledgers. Carl
is busy figuring. He looks up at Rick.
CARL
Well, you are in pretty good shape,
Herr Rick.
RICK
How long can I afford to stay closed?
CARL
Oh, two weeks, maybe three.
RICK
Maybe I won't have to. A bribe has
worked before. In the meantime,
everybody stays on salary.
CARL
Oh, thank you, Herr Rick. Sacha
will be happy to hear it. I owe
him money.99.
Carl laughs.
RICK
Now you finish locking up, will you,
Carl?
CARL
I will. Then I am going to the
meeting of the --
RICK
(interrupting)
-- Don't tell me where you're going.
CARL
I won't.
RICK
Goodnight.
CARL
Goodnight, Monsieur Rick.
Rick walks up the stairs to his apartment.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - APARTMENT - NIGHT
Rick opens the door and goes inside the dark room. Light
from the hall reveals a figure by the window. He lights a
small lamp. Ilsa faces him, her face white but determined.
Rick pauses for a moment in astonishment.
RICK
How did you get in?
ILSA
The stairs from the street.
Ilsa comes over to meet him.
RICK
I told you this morning you'd come
around, but this is a little ahead
of schedule. Well, won't you sit
down?
ILSA
Richard, I had to see you.
RICK
You use "Richard" again? We're back100.
in Paris.
ILSA
Please.
RICK
Your unexpected visit isn't connected
by any chance with the letters of
transit? It seems that as long as I
have those letters I'll never be lonely.
ILSA
You can ask any price you want, but
you must give me those letters.
RICK
I went through all that with your
husband. It's no deal.
ILSA
I know how you feel about me, but
I'm asking you to put your feelings
aside for something more important.
RICK
Do I have to hear again what a great
man your husband is? What an
important cause he's fighting for?
ILSA
It was your cause, too. In your own
way, you were fighting for the same
thing.
RICK
I'm not fighting for anything
anymore, except myself. I'm the
only cause I'm interested in.
He walks over to the window and Ilsa follows.
ILSA
Richard, Richard, we loved each
other once. If those days meant
anything at all to you --
RICK
(interrupting, harshly)
-- I wouldn't bring up Paris if I
were you. It's poor salesmanship.
ILSA
Please. Please listen to me. If
you knew what really happened, if101.
you only knew the truth --
RICK
(cutting in)
-- I wouldn't believe you, no matter
what you told me. You'd say anything
now to get what you want.
Rick walks over to a table and opens a cigarette box, but
finds it empty.
ILSA
You want to feel sorry for yourself,
don't you? With so much at stake,
all you can think of is your own
feelings. One woman has hurt you,
and you take revenge on the rest of
the world. You're a, you're a coward,
and a weakling.
There are tears in her eyes now.
ILSA
No. Oh, Richard, I'm sorry. I'm
sorry, but, but you, you are our
last hope. If you don't help us,
Victor Laszlo will die in
Casablanca.
RICK
What of it? I'm going to die in
Casablanca. It's a good spot for
it.
He turns away to light a cigarette, then back to Ilsa.
RICK
Now if you --
He stops short as he sees Ilsa holding a small revolver in
her hand. It's pointed directly at him.
ILSA
-- All right. I tried to reason
with you. I tried everything. Now
I want those letters. Get them for
me.
RICK
I don't have to. I've got them
right here.
ILSA
Put them on the table.102.
RICK
(shaking his head)
No.
ILSA
For the last time, put them on the
table.
RICK
If Laszlo and the cause mean so much
to you, you won't stop at anything.
All right, I'll make it easier for
you.
He moves closer to her.
RICK
Go ahead and shoot. You'll be doing
me a favor.
Her hand drops down, and there are tears in her eyes again.
She turns and walks away from him.
ILSA
Richard, I tried to stay away. I
thought I would never see you again,
that you were out of my life.
Rick follows her and takes her in his arms. He presses her
tight to him.
ILSA
The day you left, if you knew what
I went through! If you knew how
much I loved you, how much I still
love you!
Rick kisses her passionately. She is lost in his embrace.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - APARTMENT - LATER
From his window, Rick watches the revolving beacon light at
the airport.
Ilsa sits on the couch. On a table before her rests a bottle
of champagne along with two half-filled glasses.
Rick walks over to her.
RICK103.
And then?
ILSA
It wasn't long after we were married
that Victor went back to Czechoslovakia.
They needed him in Prague, but there
the Gestapo were waiting for him. Just
a two-line item in the paper: "Victor
Laszlo apprehended. Sent to concen-
tration camp." I was frantic. For
months I tried to get word. Then it
came. He was dead, shot trying to
escape. I was lonely. I had nothing.
Not even hope. Then I met you.
RICK
Why weren't you honest with me? Why
did you keep your marriage a secret?
Rick sits down with Ilsa.
ILSA
Oh, it wasn't my secret, Richard.
Victor wanted it that way. Not
even our closest friends knew about
our marriage. That was his way of
protecting me. I knew so much about
his work, and if the Gestapo found
out I was his wife it would be
dangerous for me and for those
working with me.
RICK
When did you first find out he was
alive?
ILSA
Just before you and I were to leave
Paris together. A friend came and
told me that Victor was alive. They
were hiding him in a freight car on
the outskirts of Paris. He was sick,
he needed me. I wanted to tell you,
but I, I didn't care. I knew, I knew
you wouldn't have left Paris, and the
Gestapo would have caught you. So I...
well, well, you know the rest.
RICK
Huh. But it's still a story without
an ending. What about now?
ILSA
Now? I don't know. I know that104.
I'll never have the strength to
leave you again.
RICK
And Laszlo?
ILSA
Oh, you'll help him now, Richard,
won't you? You'll see that he gets
out? Then he'll have his work, all
that he's been living for.
RICK
All except one. He won't have you.
Ilsa puts her head on Rick's shoulder.
ILSA
I can't fight it anymore. I ran
away from you once. I can't do
it again. Oh, I don't know what's
right any longer. You'll have to
think for both of us, for all of us.
RICK
All right, I will. Here's looking
at you, kid.
ILSA
I wish I didn't love you so much.
She snuggles closer to Rick.
CUT TO:
EXT. RICK'S CAFE - NIGHT
Laszlo and Carl make their way through the darkness toward
a side entance of Rick's. They run inside the entryway.
The headlights of a speeding police car sweep toward them.
They flatten themselves against a wall to avoid detection.
The lights move past them.
CARL
I think we lost them.
LASZLO
Yes. I'm afraid they caught some
of the others.
CARL
Come inside. Come.105.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
Laszlo and Carl enter and cross toward the bar, out of
breath from their exertion.
CARL
Come inside. I will help you. Come
in here.
LASZLO
Thank you.
Carl goes behind the bar.
CARL
I will give you some water.
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. RICK'S CAFE - APARTMENT - NIGHT
Rick and Ilsa hear voices below. Rick crosses to the door.
He opens it just enough to see below, and turns off the light.
Ilsa stands just in back of him. She makes a move as if
to go out to the balcony but Rick's pushes her back. She
withdraws behind the door.
Rick walks out to the balcony railing.
INT. RICK'S CAFE - BALCONY/MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
Rick sees Carl attending to Laszlo, who appears to be injured.
RICK
Carl, what happened?
Both Carl and Laszlo look up.
CARL
(excitedly)
The police break up our meeting.
Herr Rick! We escaped in the
last moment.
RICK
Come up here a minute.
Carl looks up wonderingly, then starts toward the stairway.106.
CARL
Yes, I come.
RICK
I want you to turn out the light in
the rear entrance. It might attract
the police.
CARL
But Sacha always puts out that
light --
RICK
-- Tonight he forgot.
CARL
Yes, I come, I will do it.
Carl climbs the stairs.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - APARTMENT - NIGHT
Carl enters Rick's apartment and sees Ilsa. He looks at
Rick and says nothing.
RICK
(in a low voice)
I want you to take Miss Lund home.
CARL
Yes, sir.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
Rick comes down the stairs. Laszlo wraps one of the small
bar towels around his cut wrist. Rick looks questioningly at
the injured hand.
LASZLO
It's nothing. Just a little cut.
We had to get through a window.
Rick walks to the bar, picks up a bottle, and pours a drink.
RICK
Well, this might come in handy.
LASZLO
Thank you.107.
RICK
Had a close one, eh?
LASZLO
Yes, rather.
Laszlo takes a drink.
RICK
Don't you sometimes wonder if it's
worth all this? I mean what you're
fighting for?
LASZLO
We might as well question why we
breathe. If we stop breathing,
we'll die. If we stop fighting
our enemies, the world will die.
RICK
What of it? Then it'll be out of
it's misery.
Rick reaches in his jacket for his cigarette case, opens it,
and takes out a cigarette.
LASZLO
You know how you sound, Monsieur
Blaine? Like a man who's trying to
convince himself of something he
doesn't believe in his heart. Each
of us has a destiny, for good or for
evil.
RICK
Yes, I get the point.
Rick lights his cigarette.
LASZLO
I wonder if you do. I wonder if you
know that you're trying to escape
from yourself and that you'll never
succeed.
RICK
You seem to know all about my destiny.
LASZLO
I know a good deal more about you
than you suspect. I know, for
instance, that you are in love with
a woman. It is perhaps strange that
we both should be in love with the108.
same woman. The first evening I
came here in this cafe, I knew there
was something between you and Ilsa.
Since no one is to blame, I, I
demand no explanation. I ask only
one thing. You won't give me the
letters of transit. All right. But
I want my wife to be safe. I ask
you as a favor to use the letters
to take her away from Casablanca.
RICK
You love her that much?
LASZLO
Apparently you think of me only as
the leader of a cause. Well, I am
also a human being.
He looks away for a moment.
LASZLO
Yes, I love her that much.
Suddenly there is a CRASH at the door of the cafe, followed
by the forced entry of several gendarmes. A French officer
walks in and addresses Laszlo.
FRENCH OFFICER
Mr. Laszlo?
LASZLO
Yes?
FRENCH OFFICER
You will come with us. We have a
warrant for your arrest.
LASZLO
On what charge?
FRENCH OFFICER
Captain Renault will discuss that
with you later.
RICK
It seems that destiny has taken a
hand.
Laszlo looks for a moment at Rick, then in dignified silence
crosses to the officer. Together they walk toward the door.
Rick's eyes follow them, but his expression reveals nothing
of his feelings.109.
CUT TO:
INT. RENAULT'S OFFICE - MORNING
Renault sits at his desk and smokes while Rick nervously
fingers his hat. They're interrupted by an orderly.
Renault hands some forms to the orderly, who then exits,
and the conversation continues.
RICK
But you haven't any actual proof,
and you know it. This isn't Germany
or occupied France. All you can do
is fine him a few thousand francs
and give him thirty days. You might
as well let him go now.
RENAULT
Ricky, I'd advise you not to be too
interested in what happens to Laszlo.
If by any chance you were to help him
escape --
RICK
-- What makes you think I'd stick
my neck out for Laszlo?
RENAULT
Because one, you've bet ten thousand
francs he'd escape. Two, you have
the letters of transit, now don't
bother to deny it. And, well, you
might do it simply because you don't
like Strasser's looks. As a matter
of fact, I don't like him either.
RICK
Well, they're all excellent reasons.
RENAULT
Don't count too much on my friendship,
Ricky. In this matter I'm powerless.
Besides, I might lose ten thousand
francs.
RICK
You're not very subtle, but you are
effective. I, I get the point. Yes,
I have the letters, but I intend using
them myself. I'm leaving Casablanca
on tonight's plane, the last plane.
RENAULT110.
Huh?
RICK
And I'm taking a friend with me.
One you'll appreciate.
RENAULT
What friend?
RICK
Ilsa Lund.
(pause)
That ought to put your mind to rest
about my helping Laszlo escape. The
last man I want to see in America.
RENAULT
You didn't come here to tell me
this. You have the letters of
transit. You can fill in your
name and hers and leave any time
you please. Why are you interested
in what happens to Laszlo?
Renault gets out of his chair and crosses to the front of
his desk.
RICK
I'm not. But I am interested in
what happens to Ilsa and me. We
have a legal right to go, that's
true. But people have been held
in Casablanca in spite of their
legal rights.
Renault retrieves a fresh cigarette from a box on his desk.
RENAULT
What makes you think we want to hold
you?
Renault chain-lights his new cigarette with the old one.
RICK
Ilsa is Laszlo's wife. She probably
knows things that Strasser would
like to know. Louis, I'll make a
deal with you. Instead of this
petty charge you have against him,
you can get something really big,
something that would chuck him in a
concentration camp for years. That
would be quite a feather in your
cap, wouldn't it?111.
RENAULT
It certainly would. Germany...
Vichy would be very grateful.
RICK
Then release him. You be at
my place a half hour before
the plane leaves.
Renault sits back down in his chair.
RICK
I'll arrange to have Laszlo come
there to pick up the letters of
transit, and that'll give you the
criminal grounds on which to make
the arrest. You get him, and we
get away. To the Germans that last
will be just a minor annoyance.
RENAULT
(puzzled)
There's still something about this
business I don't quite understand.
Miss Lund, she's very beautiful,
yes, but you were never interested
in any woman.
RICK
Well, she isn't just any woman.
Rick stares at the floor, then looks back up at Renault.
RENAULT
I see. How do I know you'll keep
your end of the bargain?
RICK
I'll make the arrangements right now
with Laszlo in the visitor's pen.
RENAULT
Ricky, I'm going to miss you.
Apparently you're the only one
in Casablanca who has even less
scruples than I.
RICK
Oh, thanks.
RENAULT
Go ahead, Ricky.112.
Renault presses a button on his desk, triggering a BUZZER.
The door to Renault's office opens. Rick rises to go.
RICK
And by the way, call off your watchdogs
when you let him go. I don't want them
around this afternoon. I'm taking no
chances, Louis, not even with you.
CUT TO:
INT. THE BLUE PARROT - DAY
A waiter brings tea to Rick and Ferrari, who sit alone at a
table in a secluded nook off the main room.
FERRARI
Shall we draw up the papers, or is
our handshake good enough?
RICK
It's certainly not good enough. But
since I'm in a hurry, it'll have to
do.
Ferrari pours a cup for Rick, who takes a sip.
FERRARI
Ah, to get out of Casablanca and go
to America! You're a lucky man.
RICK
Oh, by the way, my agreement with Sam's
always been that he gets twenty-five
percent of the profits. That still
goes.
FERRARI
Hmmm. I happen to know that he gets
ten percent. But he's worth twenty-
five.
RICK
And Abdul and Carl and Sacha, they
stay with the place, or I don't sell.
FERRARI
Of course they stay. Rick's wouldn't
be Rick's without them.
RICK
Well, so long.
Rick gets up, followed by Ferrari. They shake hands to seal113.
the deal.
He walks to the door, then stops and turns around.
RICK
Don't forget, you owe Rick's a
hundred cartons of American
cigarettes.
FERRARI
I shall remember to pay it... to
myself.
Rick leaves. Ferrari picks up a fly swatter from the table
and swats at a fly.
CUT TO:
EXT. RICK'S CAFE - NIGHT
A car pulls quickly to a stop just outside the cafe.
On the door a huge placard reads:
CLOSED
By Order of the Prefect of Police
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
Rick sits at a table inside and reads the letters of transit.
He hears a KNOCK on the door and puts them away in his pocket.
He opens the door and Renault walks in.
RICK
You're late.
RENAULT
I was informed just as Laszlo was
about to leave the hotel, so I knew
I'd be on time.
RICK
I thought I asked you to tie up your
watchdogs.
RENAULT
Oh, he won't be followed here.
Renault looks around the empty cafe.
RENAULT
You know, this place will never be114.
the same without you, Ricky.
RICK
Yes, I know what you mean, but I've
already spoken to Ferrari. You'll
still win at roulette.
RENAULT
Is everything ready?
Rick points at his breast pocket.
RICK
I have the letters right here.
RENAULT
Tell me, when we searched the place,
where were they?
RICK
Sam's piano.
RENAULT
Serves me right for not being musical.
They hear the CRUNCH of tires as a car pull up.
RICK
Oh. Here they are. You'd better
wait in my office.
Renault walks up the stairs to Rick's office.
CUT TO:
EXT. RICK'S CAFE - NIGHT
Laszlo pays the cab driver. Ilsa quickly walks toward the
entrance.
LASZLO
(to driver)
Here.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
Rick opens the door. Ilsa rushes in. Her intensity reveals
the strain she is under. Rick grabs her by both arms and
pulls her close.
ILSA
Richard, Victor thinks I'm leaving115.
with him. Haven't you told him?
RICK
No, not yet.
ILSA
But it's all right, isn't it? You
were able to arrange everything?
RICK
Everything is quite all right.
ILSA
Oh, Rick!
She looks at him with a vaguely questioning look.
RICK
We'll tell him at the airport. The
less time to think, the easier for
all of us. Please trust me.
Ilsa pauses and looks at Rick, unsure for a moment.
ILSA
Yes, I will.
Laszlo comes in and closes the door behind himself.
LASZLO
Monsieur Blaine, I don't know how to
thank you.
RICK
Oh, save it. We've still lots of
things to do.
They all walk towards the bar. Laszlo deposits his hat on a
a nearby table.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - OFFICE - NIGHT
Renault opens the office door and peers down at the
proceedings.
CUT TO:
INT. RICK'S CAFE - MAIN ROOM - NIGHT
LASZLO
I brought the money, Monsieur Blaine.116.
RICK
Keep it. You'll need it in America.
LASZLO
But we made a deal.
RICK
(cutting him short)
Oh, never mind about that. You
won't have any trouble in Lisbon,
will you?
LASZLO
No. It's all arranged.
RICK
Good. I've got the letters right
here, all made out in blank.
He takes out the letters.
RICK
All you have to do is fill in the
signatures.
He hands them to Laszlo, who takes them gratefully.
RENAULT
Victor Laszlo!
All three hear footsteps and turn to see Renault walking
towards them from the bottom of the stairs.
RENAULT
Victor Laszlo, you are under arrest...
(as he walks toward them)
on a charge of accessory to the
murder of the couriers from whom
these letters were stolen.
Ilsa and Laszlo are both caught completely off guard. They
turn towards Rick, bewildered. Horror is in Ilsa's eyes.
Renault takes the letters.
RENAULT
Oh, you are surprised about my
friend Ricky?
Obviously the situation delights Renault. He smiles
as he turns toward Rick.
RENAULT
The explanation is quite simple.117.
Love, it seems, has triumphed over
virtue. Thank --
Suddenly the smile fades. In Rick's hand is a gun, which
he levels at Renault.
RICK
-- Not so fast, Louis. Nobody's going
to be arrested. Not for a while
yet.
RENAULT
Have you taken leave of your senses?
RICK
I have. Sit down over there.
RENAULT
Put that gun down.
Renault then walks toward Rick. Rick puts out his arm
to stop him.
RICK
Louis, I wouldn't like to shoot you,
but I will, if you take one more
step.
Renault halts for a moment and studies Rick.
RENAULT
Under the circumstances, I will sit
down.
He walks to a table and sits.
RICK
(sharply)
Keep your hands on the table.
He takes out a cigarette case.
RENAULT
I suppose you know what you're doing,
but I wonder if you realize what this
means?
RICK
I do. We've got plenty of time to
discuss that later.
RENAULT
Call off your watch-dogs you said.118.
RICK
Just the same, you call the airport
and let me hear you tell them. And
remember, this gun's pointed right
at your heart.
RENAULT
That is my least vulnerable spot.
As Renault picks up the phone and dials, Rick takes back
the letters.
RENAULT
(into phone)
Hello, is this the airport? This is
Captain Renault speaking. There'll
be two letters of transit for the
Lisbon plane. There's to be no
trouble about them. Good.
CUT TO:
INT. GERMAN CONSULATE - NIGHT
Strasser is on the phone.
STRASSER
Hello? Hello?
He hangs up the receiver and presses a BUZZER on his desk.
An officer quickly enters.
STRASSER
(to officer)
My car, quickly!
OFFICER
(saluting)
Zu Befehl, Herr Major.
The officer exits and Strasser resumes on the telephone.
STRASSER
This is Major Strasser. Have a
squad of police meet me at the
airport at once. At once! Do
you hear?
He hangs up the receiver and, grabbing for his cap,
hurriedly exits.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. AIRPORT - NIGHT119.
The entire airport is surrounded by a heavy fog. The outline
of the transport plane is barely visible.
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. AIRPORT HANGAR - NIGHT
A uniformed ORDERLY uses a telephone near the hangar door.
On the airfield a transport plane is being readied.
ORDERLY
Hello. Hello, radio tower? Lisbon
plane taking off in ten minutes.
East runway. Visibility: one and
one half miles. Light ground fog.
Depth of fog: approximately 500.
Ceiling: unlimited. Thank you.
He hangs up and moves to a car that has just pulled up
outside the hangar.
Renault gets out while the orderly stands at attention.
He's closely followed by Rick, right hand in the pocket
of his trench coat, covering Renault with a gun.
Laszlo and Ilsa emerge from the rear of the car.
RICK
(indicating the orderly)
Louis, have your man go with Mr.
Laszlo and take care of his luggage.
RENAULT
(bowing ironically)
Certainly Rick, anything you say.
(to orderly)
Find Mr. Laszlo's luggage and put it
it on the plane.
ORDERLY
Yes, sir. This way please.
The orderly escorts Laszlo off in the direction of the plane.
Rick takes the letters of transit out of his pocket and
hands them to Renault, who turns and walks toward the hangar.
RICK
If you don't mind, you fill in the
names. That will make it even more
official.
RENAULT
You think of everything, don't you?120.
RICK
(quietly)
And the names are Mr. and Mrs. Victor
Laszlo.
Renault stops dead in his tracks, and turns around. Both
Ilsa and Renault look at Rick with astonishment.
ILSA
But why my name, Richard?
RICK
Because you're getting on that plane.
ILSA
(confused)
I don't understand. What about you?
RICK
I'm staying here with him 'til the
plane gets safely away.
Rick's intention suddenly dawns on Ilsa.
ILSA
No, Richard, no. What has happened
to you? Last night we said --
RICK
-- Last night we said a great many
things. You said I was to do the
thinking for both of us. Well, I've
done a lot of it since then and it
all adds up to one thing. You're
getting on that plane with Victor
where you belong.
ILSA
(protesting)
But Richard, no, I, I --
RICK
-- You've got to listen to me. Do
you have any idea what you'd have to
look forward to if you stayed here?
Nine chances out of ten we'd both
wind up in a concentration camp.
Isn't that true, Louis?
Renault countersigns the papers.
RENAULT
I'm afraid Major Strasser would121.
insist.
ILSA
You're saying this only to make me go.
RICK
I'm saying it because it's true.
Inside of us we both know you
belong with Victor. You're part
of his work, the thing that keeps
him going. If that plane leaves
the ground and you're not with
him, you'll regret it.
ILSA
No.
RICK
Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow,
but soon, and for the rest of your
life.
ILSA
But what about us?
RICK
We'll always have Paris. We didn't
have, we'd lost it, until you came
to Casablanca. We got it back last
night.
ILSA
And I said I would never leave you.
RICK
And you never will. But I've got
a job to do, too. Where I'm going
you can't follow. What I've got to
do you can't be any part of. Ilsa,
I'm no good at being noble, but it
doesn't take much to see that the
problems of three little people
don't amount to a hill of beans in
this crazy world. Someday you'll
understand that. Now, now...
Ilsa's eyes well up with tears. Rick puts his hand to her
chin and raises her face to meet his own.
RICK
Here's looking at you, kid.
CUT TO:122.
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
Major Strasser drives at break-neck speed towards the airport.
He HONKS his horn furiously.
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. AIRPORT HANGAR - NIGHT
Laszlo returns. Rick walks into the hangar and Renault
hands him the letters. He walks back out to Laszlo.
LASZLO
Everything in order?
RICK
All except one thing. There's
something you should know before
you leave.
LASZLO
(sensing what is coming)
Monsieur Blaine, I don't ask you to
explain anything.
RICK
I'm going to anyway, because it may
make a difference to you later on.
You said you knew about Ilsa and me.
LASZLO
Yes.
RICK
But you didn't know she was at my
place last night when you were.
She came there for the letters of
transit. Isn't that true, Ilsa?
ILSA
(facing Laszlo)
Yes.
RICK
(forcefully)
She tried everything to get them,
and nothing worked. She did her
best to convince me that she was
still in love with me, but that was
all over long ago. For your sake,
she pretended it wasn't, and I let
her pretend.
LASZLO123.
I understand.
RICK
Here it is.
Rick hands the letters to Laszlo.
LASZLO
Thanks. I appreciate it.
Laszlo extends his hand to Rick, who grasps it firmly.
LASZLO
And welcome back to the fight. This
time I know our side will win.
On the airfield the airplane engine TURNS OVER and the
propellers start turning. They all turn to see the plane
readying for take-off.
Ilsa looks at Rick and he returns her stare with a blank
expression. He then glances at Laszlo, as does Ilsa.
Then Laszlo breaks the silence.
LASZLO
Are you ready Ilsa?
ILSA
Yes, I'm ready.
(to Rick)
Goodbye, Rick. God bless you.
RICK
You better hurry, or you'll miss
that plane.
Rick watches as Ilsa and Laszlo walk very deliberately
towards the plane.
RENAULT
Well I was right. You are a
sentimentalist.
RICK
Stay where you are. I don't know
what you're talking about.
Rick puts a cigarette in his mouth.
RENAULT
What you just did for Laszlo, and
that fairy tale that you invented to
send Ilsa away with him. I know a124.
little about women, my friend. She
went, but she knew you were lying.
RICK
Anyway, thanks for helping me out.
RENAULT
I suppose you know this isn't going
to be pleasant for either of us,
especially for you. I'll have to
arrest you of course.
RICK
As soon as the plane goes, Louis.
The door to the plane is closed by an attendant and it
slowly taxies down the field.
Suddenly a speeding car comes to a stop outside the hangar.
Strasser alights from the car and runs toward Renault.
STRASSER
What is the meaning of that phone
call?
RENAULT
Victor Laszlo is on that plane.
Renault nods toward the field. Strasser turns to see the
plane taxiing towards the runway.
STRASSER
Why do you stand here? Why don't
you stop him?
RENAULT
Ask Monsieur Rick.
Strasser looks briefly at Rick, then makes a step towards
the telephone just inside the hangar door.
RICK
Get away from that phone.
Strasser stops in his tracks, looks at Rick, and sees that
he is armed.
STRASSER
(steely)
I would advise you not to interfere.
RICK
I was willing to shoot Captain
Renault, and I'm willing to shoot125.
you.
Strasser watches the plane in agony. His eyes dart towards
the telephone. He runs toward it and desperately grabs the
receiver.
STRASSER
Hello?
RICK
Put that phone down!
STRASSER
Get me the Radio Tower!
RICK
Put it down!
Strasser, one hand holding the receiver, pulls out a pistol
with the other hand, and SHOOTS quickly at Rick. The bullet
misses its mark.
Rick now SHOOTS at Strasser, who crumples to the ground.
At the sound of an approaching car both men turn. A police
car SPEEDS in and comes to a stop near Renault. Four
gendarmes hurriedly jump out.
In the distance the plane turns onto the runway.
The gendarmes run to Renault. The first one hurriedly
salutes him.
GENDARME
Mon Capitaine!
RENAULT
Major Strasser's been shot.
Renault pauses and looks at Rick. Rick returns Renault's
gaze with expressionless eyes.
RENAULT
Round up the usual suspects.
GENDARME
Oui, mon Capitaine.
The gendarmes take Strasser's body away and then drive off.
Renault walks inside the hangar, picks up a bottle of Vichy
water, and opens it.
RENAULT126.
Well, Rick, you're not only a
sentimentalist, but you've become
a patriot.
RICK
Maybe, but it seemed like a good time
to start.
RENAULT
I think perhaps you're right.
As he pours the water into a glass, Renault sees the Vichy
label and quickly DROPS the bottle into a trash basket which
he then KICKS over.
He walks over and stands beside Rick. They both watch the
plane take off, maintaining their gaze until it disappears
into the clouds.
Rick and Louis slowly walk away from the hangar toward the
runway.
RENAULT
It might be a good idea for you
to disappear from Casablanca for
a while. There's a Free French
garrison over at Brazzaville.
I could be induced to arrange a
passage.
RICK
My letter of transit? I could use
a trip. But it doesn't make any
difference about our bet. You
still owe me ten thousand francs.
RENAULT
And that ten thousand francs should
pay our expenses.
RICK
Our expenses?
RENAULT
Uh huh.
RICK
Louis, I think this is the beginning
of a beautiful friendship.
The two walk off together into the night.
FADE OUT.
THE END | screenplays |
graphene is a two - dimensional sheet of carbon atoms possessing unusual properties , which make it interesting for both fundamental physics and for numerous applications.@xcite the electronic excitations in pristine ( undoped ) graphene at frequencies below a few ev are massless and possess linear dispersion relation,@xcite where the speed of light is replaced by the fermi velocity ( which is the so - called dirac model of graphene ) . as a result , the interaction of the electromagnetic field with these excitations is described by relativistic quantum electrodynamics in ( 2 + 1)-dimensions .
the existence of massless charged particles in graphene provides a unique opportunity to test some fundamental predictions of quantum field theory which are beyond the reach for usual elementary particles . among the effects which have become accessible
, one could mention the klein paradox in the interaction of graphene with an electrostatic potential barrier@xcite and the creation of graphene quasiparticles from vacuum either by the schwinger mechanism in a static electric field@xcite or in a time - dependent field.@xcite one physical phenomenon , where the presence of graphene leads to outstanding results , is the casimir effect .
it is well known that the casimir force between closely spaced material boundaries is caused by the zero - point and thermal fluctuations of the electromagnetic field.@xcite if at least one of the boundary surfaces is formed by a graphene sheet , the casimir effect takes some new features .
specifically , it was shown@xcite that for graphene the thermal correction to the casimir force becomes dominant at by an order of magnitude shorter separations than for bodies made of ordinary materials .
although several formalisms have been used in the literature to study the casimir effect in different systems including graphene,@xcite the most straightforward approach , starting from the first principles of quantum electrodynamics , is based on the lifshitz theory of the casimir force@xcite and the polarization tensor of graphene in ( 2 + 1)-dimensions .
this tensor was explicitly calculated in ref . at zero temperature and in the framework of thermal quantum field theory in ref . at any matsubara frequency .
currently the polarization tensor is actively used for investigation of the casimir effect in graphene systems and many important results are obtained quite recently.@xcite in this paper , we briefly describe the formalism of the polarization tensor and its applications to graphene . in sec . 2 we present the lifshitz formula for graphene as an infinitesimally thin plane sheet and consider various forms of the reflection coefficients .
this allows one to make a link between different formalisms using the spatially nonlocal dielectric permittivities of graphene , electric polarizabilities , dynamic conductivities , and density - density correlation functions , on the one hand , and the polarization tensor , on the other hand .
section 3 is devoted to different representations of the polarization tensor . here , main attention is given to the recently discovered representation@xcite allowing an analytic continuation to the entire plane of complex frequencies including the real frequency axis . in sec .
4 , using this representation , the origin of the large thermal effect for graphene is discussed .
the measurements of the gradient of the casimir force between a au - coated sphere and a graphene - coated substrate are considered in sec .
it is shown that the measurement data are in a very good agreement with theory using the polarization tensor .
section 6 is devoted to the possibility of observing the large thermal effect which is predicted for graphene systems at short separation distances .
we argue that this effect can be observed by means of already existing experimental setup using the dynamic atomic force microscope ( afm ) . in sec .
7 the reader will find our conclusions and discussion .
according to sec . 1 , the most fundamental quantity describing the response of graphene on the electromagnetic field is the polarization tensor @xmath13 with @xmath14 .
this is a diagonal tensor , and only two of its components are independent .
it is customary to use @xmath15 and @xmath16 as independent quantities .
in fact , the polarization tensor is closely related to other physical characteristics of graphene . keeping in mind applications to the casimir effect
, we present them at the imaginary matsubara frequencies .
thus , the longitudinal ( along the surface ) and transverse electric susceptibilities ( polarizabilities ) of graphene @xmath17 where @xmath18 are the respective spatially nonlocal dielectric permittivities , are expressed as@xcite @xmath19 here , the following notation is introduced : @xmath20 in a similar way , the longitudinal and transverse density - density correlation functions of graphene are given by@xcite @xmath21 then , such important quantities as conductivities of graphene can be expressed in the form@xcite @xmath22 equations ( [ eq4 ] ) , ( [ eq5 ] ) and ( [ eq6 ] ) make a link between the formalism of the polarization tensor and other theoretical descriptions of graphene used in the literature .
in fact each of the formalisms can be used to express the reflection coefficients of graphene @xmath12 . in so doing ,
the polarization tensor found in the one - loop approximation turns out to be equivalent to the density - density correlation functions calculated in the random - phase approximation .
it should be taken into account , however , that until very recently the full information about both longitudinal and transverse density - density correlation functions ( respectively , polarizabilities and conductivities ) of graphene at nonzero temperature was not available .
full information was obtained first for the polarization tensor of graphene at the imaginary matsubara frequencies.@xcite the reflection coefficients on the free - standing graphene sheet expressed in terms of the polarization tensor take the form@xcite @xmath23 where @xmath24 is defined in eq .
( [ eq4 ] ) . using eqs .
( [ eq2 ] ) , ( [ eq3 ] ) , ( [ eq5 ] ) and ( [ eq6 ] ) the reflection coefficients can be expressed also in terms of the polarizabilities of graphene , spatially nonlocal dielectric permittivities , density - density correlation functions and conductivities .
the polarization tensor of graphene at zero temperature was first derived in ref . .
the generalization of the results of ref . for the case of nonzero temperature was obtained in ref . at all imaginary matsubara frequencies .
it was extensively used in investigations of the casimir and casimir - polder forces in various systems.@xcite the polarization tensor of graphene at nonzero temperature can be presented as a sum of the zero - temperature part and the thermal correction to it . for the 00-component and the quantity defined in eq .
( [ eq4 ] ) we have @xmath25 where @xmath26 and @xmath27 were derived at zero temperature with continuous frequencies @xmath28 , which were thereafter replaced with the matsubara frequencies @xmath29 .
the explicit expressions for @xmath26 and @xmath27 are well known.@xcite for a graphene with nonzero mass gap parameter @xmath30 ( the electronic excitations in graphene can acquire some small mass under the influence of electron - electron interactions , substrates and defects of structure@xcite ) they are given by @xmath31 here , @xmath32 is the fine - structure constant and the following notations are introduced : @xmath33 the thermal correction to the polarization tensor is much more complicated . in ref .
it was obtained in the form which is valid only at the imaginary matsubara frequencies and does not allow analytic continuation to the whole plane of complex frequencies including the real frequency axis .
another representation for the thermal correction , which can be easily analytically continued to the whole plane of complex frequencies , was derived very recently.@xcite at the matsubara frequencies , the thermal correction of ref
. takes the same values as that of ref . , but , as opposed to the latter , satisfies all physical requirements at all other frequencies .
according to the results of ref . , the thermal correction to the 00-component of the polarization tensor is given by @xmath34 .
\label{eq10}\end{aligned}\ ] ] here we use the notations : @xmath35^{1/2 } , \nonumber \\ & & q_{\lambda}(\xi_l , k_{\bot},q_{\bot})=\tilde{q}_l^2 - 2i\lambda\frac{\xi_l}{c } \gamma(q_{\bot } ) , \nonumber \\ & & m_{00,\lambda}(\xi_l , k_{\bot},q_{\bot})=4\gamma^2(q_{\bot})- \tilde{q}_l^2 + 4i\lambda\frac{\xi_l}{c}\gamma(q_{\bot } ) , \nonumber \\ & & \gamma(q_{\bot})=\sqrt{q_{\bot}^2+\frac{c^2\delta^2}{\hbar^2}}. \label{eq11}\end{aligned}\ ] ] the thermal correction to the quantity ( [ eq4 ] ) takes the form@xcite @xmath36 , \label{eq12}\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath37 using the representation of ref .
.,width=529 ] as an illustration , in fig . 1 we plot the thermal correction @xmath38 from eq .
( [ eq10 ] ) , where the normalization factor is @xmath39 and the frequency @xmath28 varies continuously along the imaginary frequency axis .
the thermal correction is shown as a function of dimensionless variable @xmath40 .
the computations were performed for the gapless graphene ( @xmath41 ) at @xmath42k and @xmath43 . as is seen in fig . 1 , the thermal correction is a monotonously decreasing function of the frequency .
similar results hold at any temperature and transverse wave vector . using the representation of ref .
.,width=529 ] for comparison purposes , in fig . 2 we present the normalized thermal correction @xmath38 as a function of @xmath40 , where the polarization tensor @xmath44 is taken from ref .
the same values of @xmath30 , @xmath1 and @xmath45 , as in fig . 1 , are used in computations . as is seen in fig . 2 , the function @xmath38 of ref .
oscillates with the period equal to @xmath46 and decreasing amplitude . at the points
@xmath47 it takes the same values as the function @xmath38 of ref .
( see fig . 1 ) , which are much smaller than the oscillation amplitudes .
as a result , the analytic continuation of the function @xmath48 of ref .
to the whole plane of complex frequencies becomes nonphysical.@xcite
the polarization tensor of graphene in combination with eqs .
( [ eq1 ] ) and ( [ eq7 ] ) was used in many papers devoted to investigation of the casimir effect in layered systems including graphene sheets .
specifically , the casimir force between a graphene sheet and a material plate made of real dielectric or metal was investigated,@xcite as well as between two graphene sheets.@xcite the polarization tensor was also used to explore the casimir - polder interaction between different atoms and a graphene sheet@xcite and the casimir force between thin films@xcite and graphene - coated substrates.@xcite the present section is devoted to the origin of thermal effect in the casimir force for graphene which becomes dominant at much shorter separations than for ordinary materials .
this origin can be investigated in the most straightforward way using the representation ( [ eq10 ] ) and ( [ eq12 ] ) for the polarization tensor .
the point is that at all @xmath49 and @xmath42k the expressions ( [ eq10 ] ) and ( [ eq12 ] ) are considerably simplified .
taking into account that @xmath50rad / s and that the characteristic photon wave number , giving the major contribution to the casimir free energy and pressure , is @xmath51 , one finds that at @xmath52 nm there is the natural small parameter @xmath53 expanding eqs .
( [ eq10 ] ) and ( [ eq12 ] ) for the case @xmath41 in powers of the small parameter ( [ eq13 ] ) , one obtains@xcite @xmath54 where @xmath55 using eq . ( [ eq9 ] ) for @xmath41 and eqs .
( [ eq14 ] ) , ( [ eq8 ] ) and ( [ eq7 ] ) , one arrives at @xmath56 & & r_{\rm te}(i\xi_l , k_{\bot})=- \frac{\alpha \tilde{q}_l(\pi + y_l)}{\alpha\tilde{q}_l(\pi + y_l)+2{q}_l}. \label{eq16}\end{aligned}\ ] ] note that at @xmath10 the expressions ( [ eq10 ] ) and ( [ eq12 ] ) simplify considerably and their exact form is used in computations.@xcite we illustrate the precision of approximate expressions ( [ eq16 ] ) in calculation of the casimir pressure between two graphene sheets , @xmath57 where @xmath58 is given in eq .
( [ eq1 ] ) . in fig . 3 we plot the quantity @xmath59 at @xmath42k , @xmath41 as a function of separation , where @xmath60 is computed exactly by eqs .
( [ eq1 ] ) , ( [ eq17 ] ) , ( [ eq7])([eq12 ] ) , @xmath61 is computed using the approximate expressions ( [ eq16 ] ) at @xmath49 and @xmath62 is computed by omitting the thermal correction to the polarization tensor at all @xmath49 , but replacing the continuous frequencies with the matsubara ones@xcite ( the lines 1 and 2 , respectively ) . as is seen in fig . 3 , the error arising from the use of approximate expressions ( [ eq16 ] ) is negative and the maximum of its magnitude is equal to only 0.18% . at @xmath63
nm our calculation method@xcite becomes practically exact .
the error in the second approximate method@xcite is positive and its maximum value is equal to 0.87% .
( line 2 ) are shown as functions of separation.,width=529 ] now we are in a position to calculate different contributions to the thermal casimir pressure between two graphene sheets with @xmath41 .
k calculated at zero temperature ( the lowest line ) , taking into account only an implicit temperature dependence ( the intermediate line ) and exactly ( the upper line ) are shown as functions of separation .
the inset shows the region of short separations on an enlarged scale.,width=529 ] in fig .
4 we plot the magnitudes of the casimir pressure normalized to the quantity @xmath64 at @xmath42k as functions of separation .
the lowest , intermediate and upper lines were computed at @xmath65k using the polarization tensor ( [ eq9 ] ) with the continuous frequency @xmath28 , at @xmath42k using the polarization tensor ( [ eq9 ] ) with the discrete matsubara frequencies , and at @xmath42k using the polarization tensor ( [ eq10 ] ) and ( [ eq12 ] ) , respectively . in an inset the region of short separations is shown on an enlarged scale . note that the same results for the upper line in fig .
4 are obtained by using the approximate reflection coefficients given in eq .
( [ eq16 ] ) .
the total thermal correction is characterized by the difference of the upper and lowest lines in fig .
it consists of the explicit thermal effect originating from the dependence of the polarization tensor on the temperature as a parameter ( the difference between the upper and intermediate lines ) and the implicit thermal effect originating from a summation over the temperature - dependent matsubara frequencies ( the difference between the intermediate and lowest lines ) .
as is seen in fig . 4 , the thermal effect quickly increases with increasing separation . at @xmath66
nm it contributes more than 80% of the casimir pressure . in so doing , the explicit thermal effect contributes more than the implicit one at the separations below 325 nm . at larger separations the implicit thermal effect dominates over the explicit one ( this separation region
is not shown in the figure ) .
thus , both contributions to the thermal correction in the casimir pressure between two graphene sheets are important and should be taken into account .
the first experiment on measuring the gradient of the casimir force between a au - coated sphere and a graphene - coated substrate was performed@xcite by means of a dynamic atomic force microscope ( see refs . and
for a description of this measurement technique in application to the casimir interaction ) . the sphere radius was @xmath67 m , and the graphene sheet was deposited on a 300 nm thick sio@xmath68 film covering a b - doped si plate of @xmath69 m thickness.@xcite the gradient of the casimir force in sphere - plate geometry can be calculated using the proximity force approximation as @xmath70 where the casimir free energy per unit area in the configuration of two parallel plates is defined in eq .
( [ eq1 ] ) . in this case
the reflection coefficients @xmath71 refer to a au surface , whereas @xmath72 describe the reflection properties of graphene deposited on a two - layer substrate .
both the reflectivity of au and of a two - layer substrate can be easily expressed in terms of the frequency - dependent dielectric permittivities of au , sio@xmath68 and si . there was a problem , however , how to calculate the combined reflection coefficient of a two - dimensional graphene sheet , deposited on a three - dimensional substrate , where graphene is described by the polarization tensor and substrate materials by the dielectric permittivity .
this problem was solved in ref . by the method of multiple reflections .
the computations were performed using the polarization tensor with the nonzero mass gap parameter @xmath73ev taking into account that the graphene sheet could have the defects of structure and was deposited on a substrate .
the computed gradients of the casimir force have been compared with the experimental data obtained in two series of measurements made for two graphene - coated plates over the separation region from 224 to 500 nm . a very good agreement between the measurement data and theory using the polarization tensor
was demonstrated in the limit of experimental errors and theoretical uncertainties for both graphene samples .
the experimental data was shown to be in complete disagreement with theoretical force gradients computed for the same substrate with no graphene coating.@xcite the same measurement data were compared@xcite with the alternative theoretical predictions obtained in the framework of the hydrodynamic model of graphene.@xcite it was shown@xcite that the hydrodynamic model is excluded by the measurement data at a 99% confidence level over the wide region of separations .
thus , the experiment of ref . can be considered as a confirmation of the dirac model of graphene .
the experiment@xcite described in previous section has clearly demonstrated the influence of graphene coating on the casimir interaction . in ref .
the problem was raised on whether or not the same experimental data can be used as an evidence for large thermal effect in the casimir interaction predicted for graphene at short separations.@xcite to solve this problem , the gradients of the casimir force @xmath74 in the experimental configuration were computed as described above at @xmath42k and at @xmath65k taking into account all theoretical uncertainties.@xcite it was shown that within the separation region from 224 to 300 nm the obtained theoretical bands do not overlap . the experimental data with their errors presented as crosses were shown to mostly belong to the theoretical band computed at @xmath42k ( a few @xmath75n / m larger force gradients than at @xmath65k ) .
only several data crosses slightly touch the theoretical band at @xmath65k , which represents the force gradients with no thermal correction .
this means that the already performed experiment@xcite was only one step away from the conclusive observation of large thermal effect in the casimir interaction between a au - coated sphere and a graphene - coated substrate . to solve a question as to whether the thermal effect is observable at the cost of a minor modification of the existing laboratory setup ,
the casimir pressure between two parallel plates made of different materials was calculated , where at least one of the plates was coated with graphene.@xcite note that due to eqs .
( [ eq17 ] ) and ( [ eq19 ] ) , calculations of the casimir pressure are equivalent to the calculations of the force gradients in the sphere - plate geometry , which is of an experimental interest .
the computations of the casimir pressure were performed for the plates made of au , si , sapphire , mica and sio@xmath68 .
it was shown@xcite that the influence of graphene coating ( and of the thermal effect)is the most pronounced for a plate material having the smallest static dielectric permittivity ( sio@xmath68 ) .
it is a happy accident that in the experiment of ref .
just the amorphous sio@xmath68 ( silica ) satisfying this condition has been used as a material of the film underlying graphene .
then calculations of the thermal correction to the gradient of the casimir force between a au - coated sphere and a graphene - coated sio@xmath68 plate at the experimental separations have been performed .
it was shown@xcite that within the separation region from 224 to 350 nm the thermal correction markedly ( up to a factor of five ) exceeds the total experimental error .
this makes the thermal effect observable if the thickness of a sio@xmath68 film is sufficiently large ( computations were performed for a thick sio@xmath68 plate equivalent to a semispace ) .
thus , the single point to be modified in the experiment of ref .
is the thickness of a sio@xmath68 film which was equal to only 300 nm ( see sec . 5 ) .
if it were increased up to at least @xmath76 m ( providing almost the same effect as a sio@xmath68 semispace ) the large thermal effect in the gradient of the casimir force originating from graphene would be observed with certainty .
from the foregoing one can conclude that the lifshitz theory and the formalism of the polarization tensor in ( 2 + 1)-dimensional space - time provide fundamental field - theoretical description of the casimir interaction in layered systems containing graphene .
the representation for the polarization tensor allowing the analytic continuation to the whole plane of complex frequencies can be also used to describe other physical phenomena , e.g. , the reflectivities of graphene and graphene - coated substrates.@xcite this representation also leads to simple asymptotic expressions for the reflection coefficients at all nonzero matsubara frequencies which result in nearly exact values for the casimir energy and pressure .
the developed theory is found to be in a very good agreement with the measurement data of the first experiment on measuring the gradient of the casimir force between a au - coated sphere and a graphene - coated substrate . in the framework of this theory
the large thermal effect predicted for graphene earlier was shown to consist of two equally important parts originating from the parametric temperature dependence of the polarization tensor and from a summation over the matsubara frequencies .
it is shown that the thermal effect can be observed with already existing experimental setup if to make a minor modification of the used graphene sample . in the future it is desirable to generalize the developed formalism for the case of nonzero chemical potential .
this problem was recently solved,@xcite but only for the case of gapless graphene .
the author is grateful to m. bordag and v. m. mostepanenko for helpful discussions .
99 m. i. katsnelson , _ graphene : carbon in two dimensions _
( cambridge university press , cambridge , 2012 ) .
a. h. castro neto , f. guinea , n. m. r. peres , k. s. novoselov and a. k. geim , _ rev .
phys . _ * 81 * , 109 ( 2009 ) .
m. i. katsnelson , k. s. novoselov and a. k. geim , _ nature phys .
_ * 2 * , 620 ( 2006 ) .
d. allor , t. d. cohen and d. a. mcgady , _ phys .
d _ * 78 * , 096009 ( 2008 ) . c. g. beneventano , p. giacconi , e. m. santangelo and r. soldati , _ j. phys . a : math .
* 42 * , 275401 ( 2009 ) .
g. l. klimchitskaya and v. m. mostepanenko , _ phys .
d _ * 87 * , 125011 ( 2013 ) .
m. bordag , g. l. klimchitskaya , u. mohideen and v. m. mostepanenko , _ advances in the casimir effect _ ( oxford university press , oxford , 2015 ) .
g. gmez - santos , _ phys . rev .
b _ * 80 * , 245424 ( 2009 ) .
j. f. dobson , a. white and a. rubio , _ phys .
* 96 * , 073201 ( 2006 ) .
m. bordag , _ j. phys . a : math .
gen . _ * 39 * , 6173 ( 2006 ) .
m. bordag , b. geyer , g. l. klimchitskaya and v. m. mostepanenko , _ phys . rev .
b _ * 74 * , 205431 ( 2006 ) .
d. drosdoff and l. m. woods , _ phys .
b _ * 82 * , 155459 ( 2010 ) .
d. drosdoff and l. m. woods , _ phys .
* 84 * , 062501 ( 2011 ) .
t. e. judd , r. g. scott , a. m. martin , b. kaczmarek and t. m. fromhold , _ new .
_ * 13 * , 083020 ( 2011 ) .
j. sarabadani , a. naji , r. asgari and r. podgornik , _ phys .
b _ * 84 * , 155407 ( 2011 ) .
bo e. sernelius , _ europhys .
lett . _ * 95 * , 57003 ( 2011 ) .
bo e. sernelius , _ phys .
b _ * 85 * , 195427 ( 2012 ) .
a. d. phan , l. m. woods , d. drosdoff , i. v. bondarev and n. a. viet , _ appl .
_ * 101 * , 113118 ( 2012 ) .
m. bordag , i. v. fialkovsky , d. m. gitman and d. v. vassilevich , _ phys .
b _ * 80 * , 245406 ( 2009 ) . i. v. fialkovsky , v. n. marachevsky and d. v. vassilevich , _ phys . rev . b _ * 84 * , 035446 ( 2011 ) .
v. churkin , a. b. fedortsov , g. l. klimchitskaya and v. a. yurova , _ phys .
b _ * 82 * , 165433 ( 2010 ) .
m. bordag , g. l. klimchitskaya and v. m. mostepanenko , _ phys .
b _ * 86 * , 165429 ( 2012 ) . m. chaichian , g. l. klimchitskaya , v. m. mostepanenko and a. tureanu , _ phys . rev . a _ * 86 * , 012515 ( 2012 ) . g. l. klimchitskaya and v. m. mostepanenko , _ phys . rev .
b _ * 87 * , 075439 ( 2013 ) . g. l. klimchitskaya and v. m. mostepanenko , _ phys
b _ * 89 * , 035407 ( 2014 ) . g. l. klimchitskaya and v. m. mostepanenko , _ phys . rev .
a _ * 89 * , 012516 ( 2014 ) . g. l. klimchitskaya and v. m. mostepanenko , _ phys .
a _ * 89 * , 062508 ( 2014 ) .
b. arora , h. kaur and b. k. sahoo , _ j. phys .
b _ * 47 * , 155002 ( 2014 ) . k. kaur , j. kaur , b. arora and b. k. sahoo , _ phys .
b _ * 90 * , 245405 ( 2014 ) . g. l. klimchitskaya , v. m. mostepanenko and bo e. sernelius , _ phys . rev . b _ * 89 * , 125407 ( 2014 )
. g. l. klimchitskaya , u. mohideen and v. m. mostepanenko , _ phys .
b _ * 89 * , 115419 ( 2014 ) . g. l. klimchitskaya and v. m. mostepanenko , _ phys . rev .
a _ * 89 * , 052512 ( 2014 ) . g. l. klimchitskaya and v. m. mostepanenko , _ phys .
a _ * 91 * , 045412 ( 2015 ) .
m. bordag , g. l. klimchitskaya , v. m. mostepanenko and v. m. petrov , _ phys .
d _ * 91 * , 045037 ( 2015 ) .
g. l. klimchitskaya and v. m. mostepanenko , _ phys .
rev . a _ * 91 * , 174501 ( 2015 ) .
s. j. rahi , t. emig , n. graham , r. j. jaffe and m. kardar , _ phys .
d _ * 80 * , 085021 ( 2009 ) .
a. a. banishev , h. wen , j. xu , r. k. kawakami , g. l. klimchitskaya , v. m. mostepanenko and u. mohideen , _ phys .
b _ * 87 * , 205433 ( 2013 )
. g. l. klimchitskaya , u. mohideen and v. m. mostepanenko , _ rev .
_ * 81 * , 1827 ( 2009 ) .
g. barton , _ j. phys . a : math .
gen . _ * 38 * , 2997 ( 2005 ) .
g. l. klimchitskaya , c. c. korikov and v. m. petrov , _ phys .
b _ * 92 * , 125419 ( 2015 ) .
m. bordag , i. v. fialkovsky and d. v. vassilevich , enhanced casimir effect for doped graphene , arxiv:1507.08693 . | arxiv |
Battlestar Galactica Faith
-1Disclaimers: BSG and its words were invented by Glen Larson and he and others own the rights to this Great show. This is an TOS BSG and it has no reflection acceptance or tolerance for the so called BSG on sci-fi. There is no gender bending or anything like that. The characters are who they are. This is a short piece on what rewards faith may have or not have.
**Faith **
Adama paced in his office. He soon had to give a speech to his beleaguered people. It had been twenty- five yearns since they had fled the colonies and he was tired. In the beginning he had been so certain so sure that the journey would soon be over. He had upon visiting his hoe found the Book Of The Word undamaged in a house that had been leveled. Then he had found the pictures of his family a little charred but useable. He had steeled his resolve to lead his people to safety. The evacuation had been heartbreaking and he was still haunted by the faces of those he had left behind. Yet he had faith that it would all work out in the end that Humanity was going to survive. He had been so certain because surely the Lords would not take his son, his wife and so many others without giving the survivors a hope to and will to survive. They had fled and found a way to Carillon to the hidden fuel depot. There they had learned the extent of Baltar's betrayal and the extent of the darkness that had been stalking them. He shed not a tear for the lose of that world other then for those who had died there over the yearn. He shivered as he considered the evil of the Ovions. Plying innocent humans with wine and song and then using them as food for their offspring. He shuttered at how close his grandson had come to that fate.
They had survived Carillon and moved out into the stars winning a number of battles. They had even found Kobol and proof his faith was not false.
Adama looked out the window and silently prayed. (Please Lord give me a sign.)
He went to his computer and began his log.
"It has been 25 yearns since the destruction of our homes and worlds. A whole generation has been born in space. While many think this is a bad thing it gives me hope. Hope that our people can indeed survive and grow strong once more."
Just then his Com went off.
"Yes what is it Commander Tigh?"
"Sir Alpha Patrol has just reported in sir. Sir you might want to come up here."
"Tigh what is It?" He could tell that the colonel was excited.
"Commander we…. We have found Earth"
Adama was stunned (Faith I can not believe it! Thank you Lords he whispered .) he rose and almost ran to the bridge.
A being stood watching and smiling. Faith, her husband had always has it in such abundance. She was pleased to have been allowed to watch him find his dream.
Faith was believing the impossible and doing your job anyway. Faith was trusting that the Creator had a larger better plan. Adama's Faith had saved humanity and now he was going to see his faith rewarded as he would be one of the first to see The Planet Earth.
Ila watched her husband as joy filled his face. She went to his side and stroked his strong features. Soon her faith would be rewarded because her beloved would join her this night. Once more they would be together. His reward was to see Earth but he would not be allowed to live there. His time was over and the future of the people would rest in other hands. But his faith was rewarded as he watched the Earth come into view and Ila smiled as tears of joy flowed freely from his eyes. In that instant his wavering faith was strong once more the tiredness was gone and he was oddly at peace.
Fini…………
End file.
| fanfiction |
Is it possible to calculate the eigenvalue for the spin vector $\hat S_x |↑_z⟩ $?
Or must the spin state being measured be in the same direction as $\hat S\_x $?
>
> Is it possible to calculate the eigenvalue for the spin vector $ S\_x |↑\_z⟩ $?
>
>
>
If you are asking whether $S\_x|\uparrow\_z\rangle$ *is* an eigenvector of some operator, the answer is yes.
$$
S\_x|\uparrow\_z\rangle = \frac{1}{2}|\downarrow\_z\rangle\;,
$$
which is an eigenvector of $S\_z$ with eigenvalue $-1$.
---
If you are asking whether or not it is possible to find the eigenvectors of $S\_x$, the answer is yes.
In terms of eigenvectors of $S\_z$ you can write the eigenvectors of $S\_x$ as:
$$
|+\rangle =\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}\left(|\uparrow\_z\rangle + |\downarrow\_z\rangle\right)
$$
and
$$
|-\rangle =\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}\left(|\uparrow\_z\rangle - |\downarrow\_z\rangle\right)
$$
| stackexchange/physics |
the ulx m82 x-1 , with x - ray luminosities of @xmath3 and quasi - periodical oscillation ( qpo ) behavior , is one of the most promising intermediate mass black hole ( imbh ) candidates in the local universe @xcite .
the discovery of x - ray spectral state transition in m82 x-1 shows it has x - ray luminosities of @xmath4 at the thermal - dominant state , suggesting an imbh with mass @xmath5 to @xmath6 @xcite .
the discovery of the 60 - 120 milli - hz qpos @xcite suggests the strong x - ray emission originates from the accretion disk instead of a jet , and suggests an imbh of @xmath7 if these low - frequency qpos corresponds to the keplerian frequency of the innermost stable orbit .
pasham et al .
( 2014 ) re - analyzed 6-year rxte x - ray observations and revealed the high - frequency , 3:2 ratio - ed , twin - peak qpos of 3.3hz and 5hz , which , in combination with the low - frequency qpo revealed by an xmm - newton observation , suggests an imbh of @xmath8 under the relativistic precession model ( motta et al .
2013 ) .
many efforts have been made to search for the radio counterpart of m82 x-1 , and two radio sources were discovered at the vicinity of this ulx .
a stable radio source @xmath9 away from m82 x-1 is proposed to be a supernova remnant ( snr ) and not related to m82 x-1 @xcite .
the other radio source was detected ( at r.a.=9:55:50.19 , dec=+69:40:46.0 ) throughout the 7-hr 1981 vla observation at a 9mjy flux level @xcite , but later was not detected in the 2003 vla observations @xcite or the 2005 vla observations @xcite .
@xcite re - examined the 1981 vla data and found a @xmath10 offset between the flare source and m82 x-1 .
given the chandra positional uncertainty of @xmath11 , it is not clear whether it is really associated with m82 x-1 and suggesting relativistic beaming effects as causing the high x - ray luminosities
. a careful work on astrometry is required to achieve a better understanding of m82 x-1 . in this paper
, we re - analyze the _
acis observations with the sub - pixel technique to obtain improved spatial resolution and centroid accuracy .
we describe data analysis and results in 2 and discuss the implications of our work in 3 .
m82 x-1 has been observed 22 times by _ acis _ onboard _ chandra _ between 1999 and 2014 , with off - axis angles from below @xmath12 to above @xmath13 .
the obs ids are : 361 , 378 , 379 , 380 , 1302 , 2933 , 5644 , 6097 , 6361 , 8190 , 10025 , 10026 , 10027 , 10542 , 10543 , 10544 , 10545 , 10925 , 11104 , 11800 , 13796 and 15616 . in this work
we focus on obs i d 10543 ( pi : strickland ) , which had the longest exposure of 120 ks with m82 x-1 placed only @xmath14 from the aiming point .
the energy range used in this paper is 0.3 - 8 kev unless stated otherwise .
a careful examination of the chandra image shows that the image size of m82 x-1 is larger than other nearby sources ( e.g. , j095551.2 , see fig [ fig:01 ] ) , motivating our further analysis .
we reprocess the level 1 event files using the _ chandra_repro _ command in _ chandra _ interactive analysis of observations ( _ ciao_,version 4.5 ) software . following the standard pipeline ,
we remove time intervals with significant flares , as well as bad columns / pixels and events of bad grades , to produce the level 2 event files .
the _ check_vf_pha _
parameter was set to _
_ n__o to avoid false - removing of good events .
the _ sub_pixel _
parameter was set to _ edser _ to enable sub - pixel analysis .
fig [ fig:01 ] shows the 1/8 pixel _
acis _ 0.3 - 8 kev image centered around m82 x-1 after reprocessing .
clearly , m82 x-1 is split into two fuzzy but discrete sources , while other nearby ulxs are not .
applying wavdetect to the image results in an detection of two sources , as presented in table [ tbl-01 ] and fig [ fig:01 ] .
the brighter one is m82 x-1 itself , and its position ( ra=9:55:50.123 , dec=+69:40:46.54 ) is consistent with previously detected positions ( e.g. , griffiths et al . 2000 ) .
the second source ( hereafter s1 ) , with ra=9:55:50.245 and dec=+69:40:45.67 , is located @xmath15 to the lower - left of m82 x-1 .
not detected by wavdetect is extra photon concentration to the lower right of x-1 , which is probably caused by the psf feature like other nearby ulxs ( e.g. , see j095551.2 in fig [ fig:01 ] ) . in obsid 10543
, m82 x-1 suffers from severe pile - up effects ( see 2.2 ) , which may affect its centroid . in comparison ,
the _ hrc _ observations do not suffer from pile - up effects and are expected to give accurate centroid positions for m82 x-1 and other sources .
we have analyzed the _
hrc _ observations and listed the centroid positions for matched sources between the acis and hrc ( obs i d 8189 ) observations .
as shown in table [ tbl-02 ] , similar displacement of @xmath16 exists between the acis and hrc observations for all matched pairs , including x-1 despite the pile - up effects . as _ chandra _ s psf could be strongly distorted and cause fake detection in @xmath17 direction ( _ chandra _ instrument layout directions are used in this paper for convenience ) , we need to ascertain whether they are real sources or just psf artifacts .
the relative position of s1 strongly suggested s1 is a real source .
the relative position of s1 to m82 x-1 in ccd is @xmath18 , which is different from the possible spurious source region ( fig [ fig:01 ] , the cyan region centered at 15@xmath19 counter clockwise to @xmath17 ) or the readout streak region ( fig [ fig:01 ] ) .
moreover , the distance from x-1 to s1 is @xmath201.1 , greater than the psf distortion region(@xmath200.8 ) , making it unlikely to be a psf artifact . indeed , none of other nearby bright sources show photon concentration in @xmath18 direction like s1 , again supporting that s1 is a real source . the spectra and the respective _ rmf _ and _ arf _ files of m82 x-1 and s1 are extracted using command in _ ciao _ with 0.7 circular source regions ( fig [ fig:01 ] ) .
the background region for x-1 is a rectangular region , and that for s1 is an annulus centered at s1 , with inner radius 0.8 and outer radius 1.4 .
the x-1 region is excluded when extracting spectrum for s1 , and vice versa .
the respective count rates are roughly 0.029 c / s and 0.016 c / s in 0.3 - 8 kev band for x-1 and s1 .
the 0.7 extraction radius of s1 may miss certain amount of hard photons outside , thus lead to a biased spectrum . yet
our results are qualitatively valid due to the following reasons : i ) the 0.7 radius is comparable to the local @xmath2085% energy encircled radius as suggested by the psf file , so the number of leaked hard photons is limited ; ii ) further correction on the spectrum will include more hard photons and thus a harder spectrum .
the spectra are then loaded to xspec and analyzed .
we do not tend to focus on the spectra investigation , so an absorbed power law ( pha*powerlaw ) model is used as a characterization .
as shown in table [ tbl-01 ] , the spectrum of m82 x-1 has @xmath21 , even harder than the one reported by @xcite .
such a hard spectrum is unphysical and likely caused by heavy pile - up effects , as indicated by the strong read - out streak .
because the readout streak contains photons of m82 x-1 before pile - up , its spectrum ( with a 0.3 - 8 kev count rate of 0.009 c / s ) is analyzed as a proxy for m82 x-1 .
the spectrum of the readout streak can be well fitted with an absorbed power law with @xmath22 with @xmath23 .
the streak exposure time correction is found to be @xmath24 , suggesting that the true count rate of m82 x-1 is 2.1 c / s , and its un - absorbed luminosity is @xmath25 .
the spectrum of s1 has @xmath26@xmath27 and @xmath28 with @xmath29 .
placed at the distance of m82 , s1 would have an un - absorbed luminosity of @xmath30 , @xmath20 1% of that of m82 x-1 .
however , due to the severe pile - up of m82 x-1 , the 0.3 - 8 kev count rate of s1 is almost half of m82 x-1 s count rate , enough to cause a significant positional displacement of m82 x-1 . to test the spectral difference for subregions of the psf
, we have extracted the spectra from two subregions of the nearby bright source j095551.2 in parallel to x-1 and s1 of m82 x-1 ( see fig [ fig:01 ] ) .
as expected , these spectra are similar to each other with @xmath31 .
as shown above , s1 s spectrum is consistent with those in the low - hard states of black hole x - ray binaries ( remillard & mcclintock 2006 ) and is intrinsically different from that of m82 x-1 or its readout streak at the 90% confidence level , again supporting that s1 is a real source .
we further analyze other _ chandra acis _
observations in a similar way as in obs i d 10543 .
s1 is not detected in any other _ acis _ observations , including the three observations 10542 , 10925 and 10544 , observed about a week before and after obs i d 10543 , respectively . using the same 0.7@xmath1 extraction region and the same annular background region ,
we extract counts at s1 s position for all other _ acis _ observations . in obs ids 378 , 379 , 380 , 6097 , 8190 , 10025 , 10026 , 10027 and 10545
, s1 was fully buried in the psf wings of x-1 , so extraction results from these observations are excluded . in other observations ,
the psf wing of m82 x-1 still partly cover s1 regions , and these obvious x-1 psf wing regions are excluded . after this process
, it is still possible that some photons in the extraction regions could come from x-1 , thus the estimated count rates of s1 should be treated as upper limits . in fig [ fig:02 ]
we present the results .
the 0.3 - 8 kev count rate of s1 was @xmath32 0.001 c / s in 1999 ( obs i d 361 ) and was @xmath32 0.007 c / s in 2009 ( obs i d 10542 ) , then rose to @xmath20 0.016 c / s within a week ( obs i d 10543 ) and dropped to @xmath320.0007 c / s with 7 days ( obs i d 10544 ) .
judged from the light curve , s1 is likely a transient source in 0.3 - 8 kev band .
this transient behavior , as well as the fact that s1 was usually in the shadow of m82 x-1 s psf is likely the reason why s1 was only detected once in 22 chandra observations .
it is now possible to identify the radio flare source given the centroids of m82 x-1 and s1 . using three bright acis point sources ( @xmath33 ; see table [ tbl-02 ] for details ) with optical matches from the sloan digital sky survey(sdss , * ? ? ?
* ) , we find a @xmath34 displacement between the acis coordinate frame and the sdss coordinate frame ( the same as the vlbi coordinate frame with an error of @xmath35 ) .
the position of the radio flare source is corrected accordingly and registered to the acis image ( fig [ fig:01 ] ) .
the flare source is now @xmath36 away from m82 x-1 , but only @xmath37 away from s1 . clearly , the position of m82 x-1 is no longer consistent with that of the radio flare source . on the other hand
, s1 s position is consistent with the radio flare source within the positional uncertainty ( @xmath34 ; mainly from the astrometric correction ) .
if the radio flare is indeed associated with s1 , it can be the radio outburst from a black hole x - ray binary when the binary transits from hard to soft states ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
recently , @xcite discovered strong radio emission at a flux level @xmath38mjy from a micro - quasar in m31 during its x - ray outburst at an x - ray luminosity of @xmath39 .
the properties of s1 are consistent with those of the m31 micro - quasar , and it can well be a similar micro - quasar , albeit with higher radio flux ( 9mjy ) .
however , unlike in the case of the m31 micro - quasar , the radio flare and the x - ray outburst for s1 were not detected simultaneously , and further simultaneous monitoring observations in radio and x - ray are needed to determine its exact nature .
m82 x-1 , one of the most promising imbh candidates in the local universe , is possibly associated with a radio flare source , suggestive of relativistic beaming effects for its extremely high x - ray luminosities .
we have applied the sub - pixeling technique to the longest chandra observation of m82 x-1 , and split it into two separate discrete sources , namely x-1 itself and s1 .
both relative positions and spectral properties show that s1 is a real source and not a psf artifact , although it was detected only once out of 22 chandra observations .
careful astrometric work shows that the radio flare source is associated with the transient s1 .
m82 x-1 is no longer associated with the radio flare , eliminating the necessity for relativistic beaming .
the radio flare and x - ray outburst of s1 are analogous to those of a recently discovered micro - quasar in m31 ( middleton et al .
2013 ) , making it a likely micro - quasar in the shadow of m82 x-1 . the discovery of s1 , however , does not affect previous results on m82 x-1 s spectral properties significantly ( e.g. , feng et al . 2010 ) .
this is because s1 luminosity , even in its outburst , is only @xmath40 . in comparison ,
m82 x-1 exhibited x - ray luminosities from @xmath41 to @xmath42 ( e.g. , kaaret et al . 2006 ; feng et al .
2010 ) , 30 - 100 times higher than the outburst luminosity of s1 .
furthermore , s1 was detected only once out of 22 chandra observations between 1999 and 2014 , and it must remain in a quiescent state at even lower luminosities most ( @xmath4395% ) of the time . however , s1 could become important for on - axis observations when m82 x-1 suffers severe pile - up . in the case of obs
i d 10543 , the count rate of s1 is almost half of the observed count rate of m82 x-1 .
the authors thank the anonymous referee for comments that helped improve the paper .
the authors thank drs .
zhiyuan li and junfeng wang for help discussions on data analyzing methods .
the authors acknowledge support from national science foundation of china through grants nsfc-11273028 , nsfc-11333004 and nsfc-11303015 .
ccccccc + acis ra&acis dec & net counts&significance&hrc ra&hrc dec & displacement + 9:55:50.123@xmath44&+69:40:46.54&4165&238@xmath45 & 9:55:50.234&+69:40:46.27 & 0.63 + 9:55:50.689&+69:40:43.61&1744&103@xmath45&9:55:50.803&+69:40:43.37 & 0.63 + 9:55:51.257&+69:40:43.79&7063&501@xmath45 & 9:55:51.395&+69:40:43.58 & 0.73 + 9:55:50.355&+69:40:36.36 & 1747&86@xmath45&9:55:50.473&+69:40:36.18 & 0.63 + 9:55:51.479&+69:40:35.90 & 2252&105@xmath45&9:55:51.591&+69:40:35.70 & 0.60 + 9:55:47.488&+69:40:59.61 & 587&61@xmath45&9:55:47.585&+69:40:59.42 & 0.53 + 9:55:14.583@xmath46&+69:47:35.55&2201&131@xmath45&9:55:14.496 & + 69:47:35.34&0.49 + + acis ra&acis dec & net counts&significance&sdss ra&sdss dec & displacement + 9:56:58.658&+69:38:52.13 & 652&90@xmath45 & 9:56:58.678 & + 69:38:52.54&0.422 + 9:55:05.206&+69:44:42.47 & 574 & 61@xmath45 & 9:55:05.227 & + 69:44:42.85&0.394 + 9:55:14.583@xmath46&+69:47:35.55 & 2201&131@xmath45 & 9:55:14.546 & + 69:47:35.85&0.354 + error circles for detected sources as noted .
solid green circles , dashed green annulus and rectangle are for source and background spectra extraction .
the _ chandra _
instruments @xmath17 and readout streak directions are given at the upper - left corner .
the cyan region shows the possible spurious source region caused by the psf distortion .
the ` x ' and the dashed black circle mark the radio flare position and its uncertainty brought by astrometry correction , respectively .
the two sources j095551.2 and j095550.6 marked with solid black circles at the lower - left corner are two nearby bright x - ray sources .
note that there are no count excess in the lower left direction of j095551.2.,width=422,height=288 ] | arxiv |
An apple cider cookie is a cookie that is prepared and flavored with apple cider. Some versions use apple cider in the cookie dough, while others have a glaze or icing prepared with apple cider. Some apple cider cookies use apple cider in both the cookie dough and glaze or icing. Typical ingredients include apple cider, flour, sugar or brown sugar, vegetable oil or butter, spices and baking soda. Additional ingredients may include apple butter, applesauce, chopped or dried apples, nuts and dates. Vegan varieties of the apple cider cookie exist.
See also
List of cookies
References
Category:Cookies
Category:Apple products | wikipedia |
Human is a surname of German and English origin which is particularly common in South Africa, the United States and Australia, and may refer to:
John Human 19121991, English cricketer
Roger Human 19091942, English cricketer
Shirene Human born 1980, South African figure skater
Daan Human born 1976, South African rugby union footballer
Kost Human, South African rugby league footballer
Pote Human born 1959, South African rugby union footballer
See also
Human disambiguation
Humann | wikipedia |
Suspect Scratched, Winded While Trying To Outrun Edmond Police
Tuesday, December 20th 2011, 12:13 pm
Edmond Police say a man who stole a truck from a bank parking lot first tried to escape officers by vehicle, then by foot.
On Friday, December 16, a man was cashing a check inside the Bank of America near N. Bryant Avenue and E. Ayers Street. He told police he left his F150 pickup truck in the parking lot with the doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition. The victim told police he looked out the window while he was talking to the bank teller and noticed his truck was gone.
The man rushed outside and could hear his truck traveling north on Bryant, due to the loud exhaust. He ran back inside the bank and called 911.
A few minutes later, a police officer at the corner of Bryant and Covell Road noticed a truck matching the description of the stolen. He also saw a driver wearing a red shirt and a stocking cap. The officer attempted to pull over the driver, but the man behind the wheel refused to stop. The officer turned on both his lights and sirens and chased the driver.
The suspect turned down a dead end road near Mistletoe Lane and Glendale Drive. Police said the man jumped out of the stolen truck while it was still moving. The truck slammed into a brick mailbox then hit a tree and stopped.
The suspect ran into a heavily wooded area behind a house. Officers chased him for several minutes, and finally located him trying to hide between two trees.
Officers arrested Marc Allen Lathrop, 23. They said he was out of breath, sweating, and had numerous cuts on his face from running through the woods.
Officers said when they searched Lathrop they found a stun gun in the pocket of his jeans. They also found $300 the victim reported was missing from his truck. When officers searched the wooded area, they also found the red shirt the suspect had discarded along with several credit cards and a cell phone belonging to the victim.
Lathrop was booked on complaints of auto larceny, obstructing an officer, attempting to elude an officer, and possession of an offensive weapon while committing a felony.
News 9 Edmond Police say a man who stole a truck from a bank parking lot first tried to escape officers by vehicle, then by foot. | slim_pajama |
Harry Potter, Yu-Gi-Oh 1. First evening at Hogwarts
A/N: This is my first attempt at a YuGiOh story, and yes, I know Harry Potter crossovers are overused, but I'm trying to make something slightly different (keyword is trying). So here's my first chapter, oh and if you think I misrated the story or something further way, please inform me, and I'll change it. Now on with the chapter!
Oh, and before I forget... I don't own either Yu-Gi-Oh or Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix...
* * *
**Chapter 1: First evening at Hogwarts.**
Once all the first years where sorted, Dumbledore stood up.
- Last year, we greeted students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang in our school. After recent events, we hope you'll greet with equal enthusiasm six students from Japan.
Professor McGonagall opened once more the doors to the Great Hall, allowing the six foreigners to come in. The students all stared at them. The newbies had the weirdest hairstyles they had ever seen! Not only that, but it appeared as if they were three sets of twins! Some of the foreigners quirked an eyebrow at them, with a "what are you staring at?" look, before heading towards the closest table. It so happened that they sat themselves at the Slytherin table.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The hikaris sighed as Bakura and Mariku instantly shoved Yami aside to sit themselves, earning themselves a glare from the Pharaoh and a few snickers from the Slytherins seating besides them. A pale haired boy raised an eyebrow at the yamis before turning towards the other three.
- Are they always like that?
Marik groaned before answering.
- Nope, usually they're worse. As long as they're not trying to kill each other, you can consider yourselves in vacations!
The pale haired boy's eyebrows shot higher.
- I see. You're Purebloods?
Marik nodded before leaning over the table and hitting Mariku, who was sitting opposite from him. The blonde's frown disappeared.
- Oh, good… By the way, I don't remember catching your names.
- Oh… Marik, Marik Ishtar. Psycho over there who looks like me is Mariku Ishtal. No, we are not twins.
- I'm Yugi Mutou, before you ask, I'm sixteen, and yes, my hair is natural. The one who looks like me is Yami Atem.
Ryou winced as his yami hit the tri-colored Pharaoh for some unknown reason.
- And I'm Ryou Bakura, but call me Ryou, since my last name's is Kura's first one. Like the other four, our hair is natural.
Malefoy was glancing at the six. What a weird bunch… But still… The white-haired was kinda good-looking, even if he had slight effeminate looks. Ryou turned towards him.
- What about you? I don't recall you introducing yourself…
Malefoy grinned and mock kissed the white-haired boy's hand, imitating a gentleman.
- I, my good sir, am Malefoy… Draco Malefoy.
The others all laughed and clapped at his imitation, all except a certain Tomb-Robber, who couldn't help but glare slightly at him.
Marcus Flint leaned slightly over.
- It's weird, if you ask me. You're all so similar; I thought you were sets of twins… Yet you claim not even to be relatives?
Bakura raised an eyebrow at him.
- You'd be surprised to know how different we really are then… For instance, I'm the dark, Ryou's the light. I'm the devil, Ryou's an angel. We're complete opposites. Now I agree Marik and Mariku are BOTH insane, but once you know them, you'd notice Marik is insane in a good way, while Mariku is a complete psychotic, bloodthirsty maniac.
Mariku smirked.
- And proud of it! As for Yami and Yugi, well, Yami is an overconfident baka while Yugi is too brave for his own good, it's a wonder he's still alive! HA, missed, baka Pha…
But he was cut short by Yami's second punch, which caused him to ram into Bakura. They both glared at the tri-colored boy.
- You… are sooooo… going down, you baka Pharaoh.
And they both leapt onto Yami, starting off a fistfight. Marik snorted while Yugi and Ryou shook their heads. Malefoy and the other Slytherins watched the pile of fighting teens with amusement.
- Ok, Ryou, Yugi, each hikari for one yami, pronto.
The three stood up and proceeded to separate their yamis, which proved to be very difficult. Five minutes later, Marik was restraining his yami, who was still cursing profanities in Egyptian to the Tomb-Robber and former Pharaoh, who were glaring daggers at each other, their hikaris forcing them apart. Once they had calmed down, they sat down once again to resume eating their dinner. Yugi turned towards Malefoy.
- So, Draco, is it? What's the school like, I mean… is there anything we should avoid? Teachers, students, hallways?
Malefoy frowned.
- Yes, as a matter of fact, there are some things you should know. Most of the teachers are cracked, apart from Snape of course, and my father told me not to worry about Umbridge, the new DADA teacher. As for the students… anyone who isn't in Slytherinis to avoid… especially if it's a Gryffindor… But those you should avoid at all cost are the Golden Trio and the other Weasels.
Yami's eyebrow jerked upwards.
- Golden Trio? Weasels?
- Harry Potter, Granger and Weasley. You see the dark-haired sitting beside the red-haired over there? Those are Potter and Weasley. Granger is the know-it-all sitting opposite from the ghost. Who we call "weasels" are the Weasley family. You'd spot them easily; they've all got red hair!
Ryou nodded as he took a bite of his apple.
- Harry Potter… Isn't that the kid who survived a killing curse?
Malefoy's frown deepened.
- That's him alright. No one knows how he managed tosurvive. That's why he's the Headmaster's pet. Because of that, you could say he's become kinda fat-headed, always thinking he's better than everyone, claiming he'd duelled the Dark Lord and survived! He expects us all to pity him!
Mariku snorted.
- Oh come on, some people had it harder than him, and I know what I'm talking about.
His eyes lingered towards his five companions, resting slightly longer on his hikari, who was taping his fork on the table in rhythm.
Malefoy kept silent a few seconds, before shrugging offthe dark's comment.
- Anyway, if in doubt or anything, seek a Slytherin, mainly me, Pansy Parkinson over there, Blaise, Marcus or any other fifth year in our house.
At that moment, all the other students stood up, preparing to leave the Great Hall. The Slytherins all headed towards the dungeons while the six foreigners went to the third floor, stopping in front of a painting representing an angel fighting alongside a demon. Mariku and Bakura grinned as they heard the two figures battling back to back, while in the same time throwing nasty remarksat one another. Yugi walked up to the painting.
- _Mou hitori no boku_.
The painting swung sideways, allowing them access to their room. Ryou immediately plopped down on his bed, heaving a sigh of content.
- Man, it feels good to lie down…
Yugi smiled and sat on his bed.
- Yeah, what with the time changes and all. A miracle you're still awake!
- Hey!
They both laughed as Marik let himself fall on his own bed.
- Laugh while you can… The yamis are at it again.
They all looked at the yamis who were, well, yelling at one another. Apparently they were arguing over some random reason unknown to their hikaris. Yugi sweatdropped, and then did something that totally freaked Ryou and Marik.
He smirked.
- You know, I find it kinda unfair they get to have all the fun while we're stuck with separating them.
Marik raised an eyebrow. And stared as he saw Ryou smirking as well.
- I see what you mean, Yugi, and I know just what to do!
The Egyptian stared at his two friends, and burst out laughing.
- Ra help us, Ryou and Yugi are smirking and plotting mischief. The Apocalypse has finally come!
The hikaris grinned and all three of them grabbed their pillows, heading towards their yamis, who were about to start fist fighting… again -.-' They didn't notice them approaching until Marik chirped in:
- Oooh Marikuuuuu…
Said yami turned around… and got smacked with a pillow.
- CHAAAARGE!
The hikaris leapt unto the yamis, hitting them repetitively with their pillows. Bakura and Yami were so caught by surprise they didn't have time to react. Their hair were soon ruffled by all the hits they'd receive, and you could hear Marik's maniacal laugh echoing in the room. Bakura was the first one to recover. He blocked one of the hits with his arms, caught the pillow and jerked it out of Ryou's hand before pushing the boy against the wall, pinning his arms above his head. He smirked.
- Now now Ryou… You know better than to challenge me at this kind of game.
Ryou just quirked an eyebrow and grinned. At that precise moment, a pillow came crashing down on Bakura's head. Glancing behind, he saw Yugi preparing himself for another hit. Bakura let go of his hikari and smacked Ryou's pillow on top of the smaller duellist. Marik ran in to help his fellow hikaris, but Mariku and Yami also joined in. Soon they were all hitting each other, feathers flying all over them.
Five minutes later, the yamis had managed to finally pin their hikaris on the ground, tickling them mercilessly.
- HAHA… Yami!...Stop it… HIHI…ok, I give up… I GIVE UP!
- I can't hear you, Aibou!
After much begging from the laughing hikaris, the yamis stopped their tickling, allowing their lights to breathe fresh air. Now anyone coming in at that moment would have had some serious doubts as to what those six were doing, seeing as Mariku, Bakura and Yami were sitting over Marik, Ryou and Yugi, all flushed and hairstyles completely ruined, feathers spread all over the place. (Yeah, I'm referring to those people who've got their head stuck in the gutter ').
Ryou muffled a yawn as he tried to sit up, Bakura still over him.
- Ra, I'm tired… What time is it anyway?
Marik pushed his yami off of him, and yawned.
- No idea, but I'm off to bed.
Mariku humphed and plopped down on his bed, a scowl on his face. Bakura and Yami released their lights and the five followed Mariku's example. Marik instantly fell asleep as his head hit his pillow, soon joined by the others.
* * *
Yeah,I know, kinda short. So, if you see something's not right or if you know how to improve my writing, leave me a note. Thanks for reading .
2. When the past comes to hunt us
Okay, second chapter… Thanks to Sabryna for pointing out how to spell Malfoy.
And for Slave of Darkness: I usually type without quotations mark, sorry if it bothers. If you want I can try using them next chapter So, you saw the small hint
Thanks for reviewing!
Disclaimer: Course I don't own Harry Potter nor do I own YuGiOh. You should know that people.
* * *
**Chapter 2: When the past comes to hunt us.**
Yugi groaned as he half-opened his eyes to the morning light drifting infrom the window. He sleepily turned over, feeling comfy under his dark purple covers, and wandered his hand to where his watch was. Feeling the cool metal under his hands, he brought it at eye level. 7.45am. That meant they had to be in class in about fifteen minutes. Oh well, Yugi snuggled deeper into his covers, ready to welcome the nice sleepy feeling he was experiencing.
That's when it clicked…
- Holy Ra…
Yugi sat up fast and fell with a thump on the ground.
- GUYS! WAKE UP!
There was some muttering and some shuffling as the others slowly peeked an eye open.
- Wassup, Aibou? -asked Yami as he sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes.-
- We overslept, that's what! We're sooooo going to get in trouble if we don't hurry up!
Ryou sat up yawning and clumsily stepped out of bed, heading sleepily towards Bakura's bed to pull back the covers.
- Up, Kura... now!
A thump was heard. Yugi (who was pulling on his black pants), Yami and Ryou turned round to see Marik lying in a heap on the floor, trying to untangle himself from his blankets. The Egyptian cursed and threw grudgingly his pillow to Mariku to wake him up. The two darks sat up and glared at Ryou and Marik, one trying to pull back the covers over him, the other about to toss a pillow back. Yami rolled his eyes.
- Oy, Tomb Robber, Psycho, get up, we're late already!
Mariku hit him with his hikari's cushion.
- Why should we care? I don't want to go to class, anyway.
- If you're late, you'll get in trouble, and tell me how you're planning to explore the castle if you're stuck in detention!
Both yamis humphed and reluctantly left their beds. They all pulled their robes over their usual clothes and headed rapidly towards the Great Hall, grabbed some toasts from the nearly empty Slytherin table, got handed their schedules from Professor Flitwick, and ran off to their first lesson, Transfigurations.
- Come on, babe, vanish!
Marik waved his wand over his snail and muttered "_Evanesco_", with little, if any, success. Mariku sighed out of boredom and turned towards his hikari, speaking in Egyptian.
- Oy, do you reckon if we used the rod on the snail, it'll work?
Marik shook his head.
- Nope, won't work, since a snail doesn't usually have the ability to disolve into thin air.
- Damn…
Next to them, Ryou and Bakura were also having difficulties vanishing their snail.
- Oh, I give up! Why bother when I have a better way to make it disappear anyways?
Bakura fingered his ring and a small portion of Shadows surrounded the snail. The dark mist then dissipated to reveal an empty space where the small creature once stood. Ryou raised an eyebrow at him.
- Hey, what did we say about using Shadow magic in class?
- I never agreed, Angel. Besides, the results are the same. We were supposed to make it vanish, and vanish it did!
Yami, who had overheard, snorted.
- You were supposed to use a vanishing spell, not Shadow magic!
- Your opinion wasn't asked for, Pharaoh...
- Won't you two just shut up already?
Yami and Bakura stared at the slightly irritated Yugi, who tried to glare at them (keyword is "tried") before turning back to his snail. He waved his wand for the umpteenth time and uttered the spell. Half of the snail disappeared. Yugi stared.
- Okaaay, so it does work… well, kinda…
Yami whistled at his hikari.
- Still, nice shot.
- Thanks.
After Transfigurations, the six of them followed the Slytherins to Double Potions with the Gryffindors. They split up in their usual group, each hikari with his yami, and started working on the Draught of Peace. Snape swept around the room, eyeing every potion. He frowned slightly at Ryou, whose cauldron was issuing a thin layer of white smoke instead of silver, but still he nodded and passed on. The others weren't doing too badly either, and Snape nodded at Marik's potion, who was not as perfect as Hermione's, but still it was by far one of the best. However, things didn't seem to look too well for Harry, who immediately received a lecture. Bakura, Mariku and Malfoy snickered with the other Slytherins as Snape taunted the boy.
Soon the bell rang and the gang went to the Great Hall to eat. Malfoy and his cronies joined them.
- So, enjoyed Potions?
Bakura and Mariku both nodded.
- Yep, but still, I wish at least one of those cauldrons had exploded… That would have been priceless.
Yami shook his head at the Egyptian.
- For you, no doubt it would have. Like I say, once a psycho, always a psycho.
Marik's head shot up.
- Hey, I resent that!
Ryou laughed.
- Well it's true! Even though you're saner than Mariku, you're still kinda insane at times.
Yugi grinned as the Egyptian pouted, then glanced uncertainly at Malfoy.
- I liked potions, but wasn't it a bit unfair when the professor wiped Harry's potion away.
Malfoy reassured him with a smile.
- Nonsense, Potter deserves the treatment Snape gives him! Hopefully it'll deflate his ego.
Yugi nodded and resumed eating, only interrupting himself to help Ryou and Marik breaking the yamis apart once again.
After lunch, the group went to double Charms, where they were assigned with revising Summoning Charms. Having learned the spell in their previous school, the six had little difficulties reworking it. Bakura tried to summon Yami's puzzle, unfortunately the chain around the Pharaoh's neck was too strong, and so the tri-colored youth nearly got strangled. Once recovered, however, he leapt unto the Tomb Robber, starting off a fight. Professor Flitwick gave them both detentions while the hikaris struggled to separate them, glaring at Mariku who was rolling on the floor, laughing insanely. Their last hour was Historyof Magic, but hardly anyone paid attention to the Professor's ranting.
Once class was finished, the students returned to their respective dormitories, starting their work for the next day.
As they left their dormitories for dinner that night, the foreigners couldn't help but notice how the students were all whispering, occasionally shooting worried or sceptic glances at the Gryffindor table. They sat besides Malfoy and Zabini. Both nodded at them in greetings. Yami motioned towards the general direction of the Gryffindor table.
- Say, Draco, Blaise, what happened today? I mean, what are all the whispers about.
Malfoy leaned forwards slightly.
- Well, from what we've gathered, Potter got mad at the new DADA teacher and started yelling about how he saw Diggory's murder and how he'd fought the Dark Lord.
Zabini nodded.
- I've heard he's gonna serve detention for a week now. But I doubt it'll keep him in check. He's too damn stubborn.
Mariku snickered.
- Kinda reminds me of a certain mutt I know. No matter what, he'll always get into trouble, be it for his stubborn mind or his hot temper. Ra, how I enjoyed seeing Kaiba playing with his nerves!
He and Bakura both laughed. Even Yami and Yugi couldn't suppress a smile as they thought about their friend, Jounouchi, always ending up in detention. Marik twirled his fork.
- Still, the mutt was a good bloke. I remember how he kept those bullies from beating an injured and half conscious Ryou, back at Battle City.
Zabini quirked an eyebrow.
- Why, what happened that day?
Bakura frowned at the memory. He had been the one to injure Ryou, slicing his arm open in order to help Marik with his plan of taking revenge on the Pharaoh. Ryou had been nothing more than a puppet; he hardly remembered anything that happened that day. Yugi answered for them, twisting the truth in order to keep Bakura and Marik's "guilt" out of the story.
- Uhm, well from what Jou told me, Marik had found Ryou injured during a tournament. He was in pretty bad shape, half conscious and arm bleeding profusely. When Marik bumped into Jou, two guys came over, claiming Ryou had stolen… something from them. Marik got hit when he tried to shield Ryou, and Jou got so pissed, he beat them up. Served them right, it was a cowardly action to attack Ryou in his state.
The two Slytherins nodded, missing Marik's slight discomfort.
/Will you stop beating yourself over that/
Marik half-glared at his yami.
Yami stood up.
- Well, guess we should go. See you tomorrow!
He pulled his hikari with him, soon followed by the others. An uncomfortable silence had befallen them.
- You know…-started Marik as they walked down the corridors- no matter what, I can't help but feeling guilty… I mean, I tried to kill you so many times at Battle City, I just can't brush it all aside…
Mariku rolled his eyes andgrabbed his Light by the shoulders, ready to shake some sense into him.
- I thought I told you to stop beating yourself. It wasn't your fault! Listen, all of this would have never happened if it wasn't for Shadi! So stop it already!
Bakura and Yami both nodded.
- As much as I hate agreeing with those two, Mariku is right. Besides, we're all alive! Battle City was just a mistake, so let's forget everything that happened that day…
Marik nodded as Ryou and Yugi smiled at him.
As they started climbing the stairs, Yugi stepped on a loose step and tripped, causing some of his cards (which he always kept with him) to spill from his pocket. Yami caught him before he could hit his head on the steps. He pulled his hikari back on his feet and they all started to pick the scattered cards (well, if you don't count two certain yamis who were laughing their heads off instead of helping). As Ryou skipped down the stairs to retrieve Yugi's Silent Magician, he didn't hear three students coming from the next corridor, and promptly collided with them.
- AOUCH!
The four students fell down in a heap, groaning and muttering. Mariku laughed harder while Bakura snickered. The others winced at the sound of the group crashing and rushed down to help them. Ryou was rubbing his head, apologising.
- Sorry there, I'm kinda clumsy.
Yugi helped Ryou to his feet while Yami and Marik offered a hand to the three other students.
Take a guess who Ryou collided with…
Clue: A boy with red hair, a girl with bushy brown hair, and a dark haired wearing glasses…
Yeah, you got it… He collided with the Golden Trio.
And if you've read the book, you'd remember Harry was pissed that day…
Colliding with a pissed Harry isn't a very good idea…
- Well next time watch where you're going!
Hermione scolded at him and Ron.
- Don't mind them; they've had a rough day…
Harry snarled and started pushing his way back towards Gryffindor Tower. He stopped however when he felt someone grab his shoulder and turn him around, forcing him to face an angry-looking Tomb Robber.
- Apologize! Now!
Ryou rushed over in an attempt to prevent any misfortunesto befallthe youngerteen.
- 'Kura, it's okay, I should have been more careful…
- Tomb Robber, release him!
But Bakura ignored his hikari and the former Pharaoh.
- Listen, Potter, is it? No one talks to Ryou like that and gets away with it. So I don't care if you've had a bad day or anything, it doesn't give you the right to snarl at every person you see! So apologize!
Hermione and Ron started towards their friend, but both were stopped by Yugi and Marik.
- Trust me, you two, you don't want Bakura after you, so leave Ryou and Yami handle this.
Mariku, on the other hand, let out a whistle.
- Ooooh, Tomb Robber's pissed. Hey, 'Kura, if you want I can make him apologize for you!
/ Don't even think about it/
/Why not, hikari/
Marik growled.
Ryou was still trying to talk some sense into his yami.
- 'Kura, please…
- Not until that stubborn bastard apologizes to you!
Yami rolled his eyes and turned towards Harry.
- Oh for Ra's sake, just say you're sorry and he'll release you.
Harry glared at Bakura before reluctantly apologising to Ryou. The Tomb Robber finally freed the teen.
- Better. I guess Malfoy was right after all. You're stubborn as hell!
Harry glowered at him.
- Well you would feel pissed too if you've…
Bakura stopped him with a sadistic laugh. Everyone froze, except Mariku who slid down the banister to have a better view. _This should be interesting._
- If what? If I'd lived your life? If I had faced the Dark Lord? Don't make me laugh…
- SHUT UP!
Harry was seething by now. He yelled angrily at the white-haired teen in front of him.
- YOU didn't face him! YOU didn't see Cedric dying! YOU got to know your parents!
There was a loud thud as Bakura grabbed Harry by the collar and knocked him against the wall. Everyone stared in horror. Yami didn't even dare intervene… he knew Harry had hit a delicate subject.
(Rule n1: Never mention Bakura's family in said Tomb Robber's presence unless he brings the subject.)
Bakura's voice was dangerously low, barely over a whisper…
- What do you know? I faced much more things than this Dark Lord! I saw more than a hundred deaths! But I DID know my parents… for no more than TEN YEARS! YOU never knew what it felt SEEING your parents and your sister getting murdered along with those you grew up with! You have NO IDEA all the pain we've been through. Ryou was used as a puppet! Marik's childhood was screwed! It's a miracle Yami and Yugi are still alive after all that's befallen them! And I'm pretty sure Mariku will never forget the day the Shadows ripped his soul!
- That's enough, Tomb Robber!
An uneasy silence followed. The hikaris were staring at the Tomb Robber, eyes wide. Ryou had actually taken a step back from his yami, nearly tripping over. Hermione and Ron had quizzical and slightly horrified looks on their faces. Even Mariku looked surprised at the flood of words leaving Bakura's mouth.
Yami took a step forward and took hold of Bakura's arm, gently but firmly pulling it back. The teen glared at him before unceremoniously letting go of a shaken Harry. He turned round and stormed towards his dormitory. The others all sighed and followed. They all left the confused trio to dwell on what had exactly happened.
* * *
So, if you've got any questions, leave it in a review Thanks for reading!
3. Of games and detentions
Thanks to my reviewers.
And to answer some questions: The story is set during the fifth Harry Potter. And yes, I intend on adding shonen-ai to this story. But it'll really be fluff, nothing graphic...
As for the Golden Trio... well, I don't think Bakura's willing to befriend them for now...
I guess that's all I have to say, so: on with the story!
Disclaimer: I own neither YuGiOh nor Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix…
* * *
**Chapter 3: Of games and detentions.**
Bakura's anger didn't ease overnight, nor did it the following one. Only on the third day after his encounter with Harry did he calm down. About time, since they now had a very large amount of homework to do for the following days.
When they had time to spare, once their homework finished, they'd spend time in the Slytherin Common Room, in which they were allowed since they were taking classes with them. Malfoy, who by nowhad becomea good acquaintance, leaned over towards Yugi.
- You know, I've been kind of wondering… you guys weren't sorted when you arrived…How come?
Yugi grinned:
- Honestly, Draco, what do you think would happen if Marik, Ryou and I weren't there to stop Mariku, Bakura and Yami from fighting?
Malfoy grinned and nodded. Yugi did have a point. Both focused on the game of wizard chess Yami and Marik were playing. The Egyptian cursed as Yami took out one of his pawn, which allowed him to win. Bakura rolled his eyes.
- And the Pharaoh wins… again…
Marik snuggled deeper in his chair.
- Honestly, Yami… there must be a game on this Ra-forsaken planet we can beat you at!
- You mean he never loses a game?
Ryou nodded:
- As far as I know, he was only beaten once in a fair game… and that was against Yugi. Actually, he even won games against cheating opponents!
Malfoy looked impressed. Craig Smiths, however, wasn't.
- Yeah, right, as if! I could beat you anytime…
Mariku sat up immediately, fixing his gaze on the Slytherin. Bakura snorted. Marik, Yugi and Ryou looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Yami, however, smirked.
- Is that a challenge, Craig?
The Slytherin glared at the Pharaoh and took Marik's former seat in front of the chess set, drawing the white pieces in front of him.
- Prepare to lose, Yami Atem!
The smirk never left Yami's face as he placed the black pieces back into its place.
- Then bring it on!
Most of the Slytherins had gathered around the players, watching the game unfold. For now, Craig had taken Yamis' towers, one of his horses, one of his bishops, and three pawns. However, he was short of horses, one bishop and two pawns. All of the Slytherins were betting on Craig's victory, since the arrogant teen would usually use any methods to win. One of the reasons why he'd rarely lose a game was that his opponents would fear him so much they would let him win.
Mariku and Bakura watched the exchange with interest. Yugi, Marik and Ryou, were encouraging the former Pharaoh. Yami smirked, then placed his queen three squares away from the white king.
- Check.
Craig grinned, before laughing out loud.
- Bad move, Atem, bad move!
He took his bishop and moved it diagonally towards the dark queen. His bishop came to life and knocked the opposing piece out of the game.
- I'd like to see you win without you're queen, Yami!
What happened next, he didn't expect. The dark in front of him smirked!
- You fell right into my trap, Smiths…
He moved his bishop three spaces, directlyon the diagonal where Craig's king was. Bakura groaned.
- Checkmate… again… Damn Pharaoh…
Craig looked at the board with utter disbelief. Sure enough, the only space he could retreat his king was direct on the remaining black horses' path, and there was no way he could take out Yami's bishop.
He had just lost in front of the whole Slytherin community…
The hikaris cheered, while Yami offered his hand to his opponent.
- No hard feelings, Craig. It was a good game.
Craig, however, didn't shake it. He glared and stormed out of the common room. Malfoy rolled his eyes and smiled at Yami.
- He's kind of a sore loser… nothing to worry about!
Yami shrugged it off. He stood up and stretched his arms.
- Guess we should be going… I'm craving for my nice warm bed right now.
The others laughed and so they parted with the Slytherins. True to his word, as soon as they arrived in their bedroom, the former Pharaoh plopped down on his bed, ready to sleep. Mariku sniggered and disappeared towards the bathroom. Only to return seconds later… a large bucket of water in his hands… The hikaris rolled their hands and laid back comfortably on their pillows, having a clear view of anything that would happen next.
SPLASCH
- What the…? PSYCHO!
Bakura and Mariku's insane cackle could be heard from the corridor outside their painting.
The next day, as they took their seats at the Slytherin table, they found most of the school reading something from the wizard newspaper. Yugi leaned over Malfoy's shoulder to glance at the title.
**Ministry seeks educational reform.
****Dolores Umbridge appointed
****First ever High Inquisitor.**
- High Inquisitor?
Malfoy nodded:
- The Ministry wants to keep an eye on the school, what with Potter and Dumbledore… I'll suggest keeping on Umbridges' good side… Would keep us out of trouble!
Bakura snorted.
- What, you want us to bow down to her like nice little puppies? Don't make me laugh… She may be High Inquisitor, but that doesn't mean I'll worship her! I've always lived against laws and rules, anyway,and I won't stop now!
Mariku nodded in acknowledgement, and surprising enough, Yami and the hikaris followed suit. Marik rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
- I don't like her… I mean, her toady smile, the way she speaks to us like we were kindergarteners… It just isn't right…
Malfoy shrugged.
- Whatever flows your boat... But I'd rather stay in check, even though I don't like her much either… I hope she'll sack the big oath when he comes back… and Potter too!
- Big oath? -asked Ryou-
- Hagrid, a half giant who teaches Care of Magical Creatures...
Yugi looked puzzled:
- But isn't it Professor Grubbly-Plank who teaches that subject?
- Well yeah, but she's just here for replacement. The oaf is away for some unknown business, and I'd rather he stayed there!
- Oh…
After a boring hour of history of magic, in which they all were forced to stay awake, since Umbridge had decided to inspect the ghost-teacher, the foreigners made their way towards the Divination Tower. Malfoy and most of the Slytherins were surprised when they had told them they were attending divination classes, but they didn't care. Bakura and Mariku, particularly, would find the subject amusing, especially when the teacher would predict someone's death.
And since they weren't in the same class as Harry, most of the students of the class were potential targets.
However, they had all agreed that the teacher was a fraud, and finding the concept of dream diaries completely absurd, they would pass the hour using their decks to predict one another's future.
Bakura shuffled his deck and placed the cards in neat piles.
- Come on, babe, I wanna predict the Pharaoh's death!
He turned over three cards and frowned.
- Darkness, loss of direction, but something good will happen… Not what I was hoping for...
Yami rolled his eyes. Mariku smirked.
- Aww, is the Tomb-Robber upset 'cause the fraud predicted his death instead of the Pharaoh's?
- Shut up, you baka!
Marik made himself more comfy amid the numerous cushions.
- Man, wish Isis was here… She'd so outsmart that Trelawney woman!
Ryou smiled at that before nudging Yugi, who was dozing off.
- Wakey, wakey, Yugi, class is nearly over, and you haven't written a single line on your dream diary…
Yugi yawned and instinctively leaned slightly on Yami as he rubbed his eyes.
- Sorry, Ryou, but I'm sleeeeeeepy… and there's so much homework for tomorrow…
Yami patted his hikari'shead softly and smiled.
- It's okay, Little One, I'll write down something for you, but Ryou's right, you should try to stay awake!
Yugi nodded and sat up a little, trying to fight back the sleepiness from his eyes.The heavy atmosphere of the Tower wasn't helping either. Five minutes later, when the bell rang, the group clambered down the ladder and proceeded to the Hall for dinner. They didn't wait for Malfoy or the other Slytherins that night, for the yamis had to serve detention (Yami and Bakura for the incident in Charms and Mariku for blowing up McGonagall's desk in Transfiguration) and the hikaris wanted to finish as much homework as possible.
It was nearly ten o'clock when Marik laid back on the couch to study Herbology after finishing his potion's essay and passing it to his friends, who were having problems finishing it. That was when a voice made him jump from surprise.
-Hey, hikari-mine, missed me?-
/Argh, Mariku, don't do that/
-But it's fun...-
/ Yeah whatever… So, how's detention/
-Boring, really, the teacher is making me sort ingredients for Snape, and of course she has to supervise me-
/ Tough luck… now be a good yami and let me study in peace, before I ask Yami to send you to the Shadow Realm/
-But I'm bored...-
/ Too bad, then…/
And with that he closed the mind link. He then noticed the other two staring at him.
- What?
- Well you just kinda jumped for no particular reason and then you just stared into space…
Marik rolled his eyes.
- Mariku just thought it'd be funny to disturb me…
Yugi laughed.
- Yeah, Yami did that too. He has to clean the trophy room with Bakura, so let's say Filch is getting slightly annoyed and keeps giving them extra work.
- Did he tell you Bakura kicked Mrs Norris to the Shadow Realm?
- Yeah, Ryou, he did.
As for the yamis, well, they were released from detention sometime near midnight. They made their way to the Common Room in silence, not wanting to cope with another hour or so of cleaning or sorting. Yami muttered the password and entered their room,only to froze halfway through. His abrupt stop caused Mariku to collide with him, which made Bakura snicker.
- Ra dammit, baka Pha…
- Ssshhh! Look!
Mariku and Bakura peered over Yami's shoulder. What they saw caused their features to soften, and a small grin formed on their lips.
Both Ryou and Yugi had fallen asleep on their table, their heads resting on their folded arms. Marik lay asleep on the couch, one of his arms dangling on the side, a book on his chest. Mariku shook his head and walked over towards his hikari, putting the book aside. Gently, he lifted the sleeping Egyptian into his arms, pausing as he felt the teen shift ever so slightly. Bakura and Yami sighed and picked up their respective hikaris as well, making sure not to disturb them. Yami smiled as he felt yugi snugglingcloser to him.The three carried their Lights to their room, laying them unto their beds. Bakura, however, found it hard to withdraw as Ryou had unconsciously clung onto the Thief. Yami chuckled as he tucked Yugi in.
- Hang on a sec, I'll help you…
- I can handle it, Pharaoh.
Mariku and Yami quirked an eyebrow as Bakura started gently rocking his hikari back and forth, making soothing noises as he softly rubbed the teen's back. Ryou relaxed his grip, enabling his yami to pull away slowly. He frowned at the others' surprised expression.
- What? I saw Marik do that once…
Yami shrugged while Mariku smirked.
- Is it me, or is the Tomb Robber growingsofton his hikari?
Bakura snorted as the three settled down on their own beds.
- Yeah, right, as if I didn't notice the glare you'd send Parkinson anytime she'd try flirting with Marik…
- Ssshhh, you two, you'll wake them up!
Silence befell them as they lay down to sleep. Then…
- Say, Pharaoh… Do you have feelings for Yugi?
Silence…
- Pharaoh…?
- Shut up and let me sleep!
Bakura and Mariku smirked. They had hit a soft spot… Both turned over and slowly drifted to sleep.
* * *
Not very happy about the chapter, but oh well... I hope you people liked it... Thanks for reading!
4. A trip to Hogsmeade
Yeah, I'm late. Hopefully, I'll be able to send the next chapters more quickly since I'm on holydays now... Thank god!
If you squint hard enough, you'll be able to see fluff... Normaly the yamis should blurt out their feelings to the hikaris within the next three chapters... Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own neither YuGiOh nor Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix…
* * *
Chapter 4: Hogsmeade.
Harry slid some fingerless gloves over his throbbing hands, hoping no one would ask him why he was wearing them in classes. The scar on the back of his hand was clearly visible now, and Ron and Hermione were the only ones to know about the flesh-cutting-quill. And now Hermione wanted him to replace Umbridge as DADA teacher? He groaned… Sleepless nights, here I come. Theyshould have their first secret meeting at the Hog's Head the next day, during their Hogsmeade outing.
Pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq
Marik rolled his eyes as he saw yet again two girls giggling excitedly as they approached.
It had been, what, a month since he had first set foot in Hogwarts. Ryou and Yugi had been looking forward for the Hogsmeade week-end, and he had to admit he was pretty curious about the wizard village.
However, he didn't expect having to turn down five date offers ever since he'd step out of the carriage.
He groaned as one of the girls came over to him and his friends, smiling brightly.
- Hi, I'm Deborah (random name…) I was wondering, Marik, if you'd like to be my boyfriend?
Mariku glared at the girl while Marik suppressed another roll of his eyes. _Why me? Why not Ryou, he's cute enough to be asked out by a cool chick…_ His eyes fell on the other girl, who was glancing timidly at the white-haired boy. Marik sweatdropped. _Okay, so I'm not the only one I guess…_
Two more offers later, the group stood at a junction.
- Okay, so who wants to go where?
Yugi replayed Malfoy's earlier suggestions in his head.
- Well, I'd like to go to Honeydukes…
Ryou nodded and turned to the others.
- What about you four?
Marik took a few seconds to think about it.
- Well, I guess I'll come too… If the yamis promise to behave themselves andtonot kill each other!
Bakura smirked while Mariku feigned hurt.
- Why, hikari-mine, how offending! What makes you think we'd cause trouble?
The hikaris chose not to answer that. Yami rolled his eyes.
- You three go buy yourselves some sweets, I'll keep them in check.
Marik glanced doubtfully at him, and shrugged.
- Your funeral, then… See you three later.
So the hikaris left towards the sweetshop while the yamis decided to have a go at the local pubs.
Yugi looked amazed at all the different candies displayed on the shelves. _Kusoi, I didn't know there were so many varieties…_The young hikari started to ponder which sweets he should buy when he heard Ryou chuckle.
- What?
- Oh, nothing really… It's just seeing you in a candy store looking like a five-year old at Christmas…
Yugi pouted while his two friends laughed. Marik tapped the smaller duellist lightly on the shoulder.
- Just don't get yourself on a sugar high… You've got enough energy to spend, and we've got enough matters on our hands with the yamis…
Yugi stuck his tongue out at the Egyptian and resumed buying his treats.
Bakura stopped in front of a sinister-looking pub, smirking. Yami came up to him, frowning.
- Tell me you're not planning on getting inside…
Mariku grinned and entered the Hog's Head. Bakura chuckled.
- Two against one, Pharaoh… Majority wins…
He followed the Egyptian inside. Yami rolled his eyes.
- Why did I volunteer to keep an eye on them? Oh, yeah, to give the hikaris some free time...
_Pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Hermione smiled as the piece of parchment passed around the students. They had agreed to organise secret meetings in order to learn defensive spells with Harry as teacher. The students continued to chatter until the door opened.
Many turned around, and to their dismay they saw that the intruder was none other than one of the exchange students. Harry leaned over to Hermione, frowning.
- You didn't…?
- No, I don't think he knows about the meeting. Maybe he just came infor a drink.
Mariku shrugged as he saw the gathered students glancing in his direction and walked briskly to the counter, resting his elbows on the wood.
- Firewhisky!
The bartender quirked an eyebrow as he studied the newcomer. The door opened once more, allowing entrance to Bakura and Yami. Both joined Mariku at the counter.
- You' over seventeen?
Mariku nodded, but the bartender still seemed suspicious. Apparently he didn't want to risk serving an underaged student, for he had no reasons to believe thatthe Egyptian was indeed out of age. Mariku sighed and casuallytrailed his handto his pocket.
The one in which the Rod was hidden.
Yami groaned and Bakura smirked as they figured what the spirit was doing.
- I asked a Firewhisky… Wait, make it three, I'm sure the Pharaoh and Thief King here would like one too!
The students who were glancing over at them were surprised to see the bartender comply with the teenagers' order. The old man passed three bottles of Firewhisky to the Egyptian, who smirked and tossed two of them to his companions.
- Cheers, guys!
He swayed his head backwards and swiped a long gulp of his drink, soon imitated by the white-haired thief beside him. Yami hesitated, then shrugged and took a sip of the strong liquid. Bakura sniggered.
- Oh, come on Pharaoh, you can do better than that! Unless of course you never got to drink anything stronger than juice in that palace of yours…
The teenager glared at him.
- Well excuse me, Tomb Robber, for having good manners, which you obviously lack.
Mariku smirked.
- Come on, Pharaoh, just loosen up already… We're not in Ancient Egypt!
Yami glared slightly and shrugged once again. He threw his head backwards in a way similar to his companions and took a long swig of his drink. The bottle was already half empty by the time he set it down on the counter. Bakura smirked.
- That's more like it. So anyone in for a drinking contest?
Hermione nearly gasped as she faintly heard one of the exchange students propose a drinking contest to his friends. Surely they were underage, otherwise they wouldn't be in fifth year! She shook her head and stood up, causing a few of the students gathered around Harry to look at her.
- I'll be back in a second.
She marched over to the counter where the foreigners appeared to be in yet another argument. Being a prefect, she would make sure those three abandoned their idea of a drinking contest.
- Excuse me…-she said firmly after clearing her throat to make her presence known. - Sorry for intruding, but, as a prefect, I must ask you to cancel your drinking contest…
Bakura and Mariku both glared at her.
- Geez, Granger, ever considered minding your own business?
Hermione narrowed her eyes.
- I mean it! I forbid you to drink!
Mariku stood up and loomed menacingly over the girl, smirking evilly.
- And what makes you think you can stop us?
Hermione was at a loss of words. She turned around, hoping the other prefects such as Hannah Abbott or Ernie Macmillan would back her up, but instead she saw Ron coming over. Ron glared slightly at Mariku before pulling Hermione backwards.
- Let it go, Hermione, these jerks won't listen to you anyway. It's their problem if they get caught by one of the teachers in a drunken state, not ours.
Hermione was about to object, but Ron silenced her by stepping on her foot. He dragged her back to the table, leaving the three darks back to their conversation, aware of the numerous pairs of eyes set on their backs. Even Luna Lovegood was gazing at them with her dreamy eyes, and the Weasley twins were whistling...
Yami, who had kept silent up to now, stood up after finishing his bottle.
- Normally, Tomb Robber, I would be happy to accept your challenge just to beat you once again… Unfortunately, I doubt Ryou and Marik would be too pleased to end up with drunken yamis.
Both darks pouted slightly at the former Pharaoh, gulped down their drinks and followed Yami towards the exit.
- You're no fun, Pharaoh!
- I couldn't care any less…
_Pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Harry sighed as he followed Ron and Hermione towards the carriages that would lead them back to Hogwarts. His two friends were once again arguing over some futile subject. Once in front of the carriages, he glanced nervously at the horses that were pulling them. Was he imagining them? He was about to shrug it off when he heard a soft neigh.
Harry turned around and was surprised to see Bakura ruffling one of the horses' mane, whispering to the beast. The teenager seemed comfortable around the creatures, and most importantly, he appeared to be able to see them.
Bakura nuzzled the horse lightly, and smirked slightly as he felt someone approaching.
- Hey, Ryou! Don't you find them beautiful?
Ryou stopped in his tracks, glancing nervously at the creature beside his yami.
- Well, erhm… I guess they're alright…
Bakura turned round and beckoned his hikari to come closer. Ryou hesitated a second then cautiously joined his yami, who gently took one of his hands and brought them up to pet the horse.
- Don't be afraid, Angel… It won't hurt you. Gently, now…
Ryou was surprised to feel the soft mane under his fingers, then relaxed. However sinister looking the creatures seemed to be, a reassuring aura irradiated from them, and he couldn't help but to find them majestic.
Bakura smiled slightly before catching sight of Harry. He narrowed his eyes at the boy, clearly saying "What the hell are you staring at". Harry glared back and climbed onto his carriage, shaking his head. _At least_, he thought, _now I know I'm not going crazy or imagining those horses_.
_Pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Yami sighed as the carriages made their way back to the castle. Yugi had drifted to sleep, his head resting on his yamis' shoulder. Marik and Ryou were gazing at the scenery, Mariku was fiddling with his rod and Bakura was sharpening a dagger. Yami assumed he'd stolen it from a nearby shop, but he didn't say anything. The thief wouldn't listen anyway if he'd try lecturing him.
Marik shivered slightly, rubbing briefly his arms. He wasn't used to the weather in England, and so would sometimes complain about the cold. Mariku glanced as his hikari, shrugged, then pulled off his cloak, using it to wrap the Egyptian with it. Marik looked up at his yami, confused. Mariku's face was expressionless.
- Your shivering was driving me insane. -he stated simply.
Bakura snorted at Mariku's excuse, but didn't comment as he began twirling his sharpened blade in his hand, making Yami and Ryou glance nervously at him. Marik shrugged as he pulled the cloak closer around him.
- Thanks anyway.
As they neared the castle, Yami gently shook his hikari's shoulder.
- Yugi… Yugi wake up.
Yugi's eyes fluttered open and he yawned cutely. The group left the carriage and met up with Malfoy in the Great Hall for dinner. The blond smiled at them. (A/n: Why doesn't he ever smile nicely in the movies or books? He's always smirking!)
- Hey guys. How was your day?
Yugi helped himself with some steak before answering.
- Nice but tiring. Mariktried to go inside the Shrieking Shack. Ryou and I had to pull him away from it, and believe me, Marik is one strong guy!
Marik rolled his eyes.
- You're one to talk! We had to drag you away from Honeydukes!
Yugi pouted. Ryou chuckled lightly.
- Yeah, I remember that… By the way, Yugi, did you manage to join the others on your mobile at Hogsmeade?
Yugi grinned.
- Yeah, I managed to call Jounouchi, Honda, Mokuba and Grandpa. It was so funny!
Malfoy looked puzzled.
- Why would calling someone be funny?
- Because it was something like three in the morning in Japan…
They all sniggered. Bakura feigned surprise.
- You mean you managed to wake the mutt up? I thought it was impossible to wake him up!
Yugi smiled.
- Well he did say something around the lines of "you're lucky you're my best pal, if you weren't you'd be spending the next three weeks in the hospital"!
Mariku and Bakura sniggered once again.
- So, what about you three? Didn't cause too much damage, I hope!
Mariku rolled his eyes:
- We went to the Hog's Head where we met Potter and his friends. Funny how many students there were. Granger told us off for drinking, as if that would stop us. Then we went to that store selling magical weapons. Bakura acquired himself a blade.
Said Tomb Robber smirked as Yami muttered something similar to "stealing would be a better word…" Ryou shot a reproachful look at his yami.
They resumed their dinner and left for their dormitories after bidding goodnight to their Slytherin friends.
* * *
I still thinks it's short... Oh well. Thanks to all the reviewers, and yes, it is going to be yami/hikari. If you have suggestions to keep this story interesting enough and that would make you happy, then feel free to inform me about it, and if I can fit it in my story, I'll try, but no promises... Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!
5. Fallen angels of Halloween
Warning: There is going to be a LOT of boy/boy hints. So if you don't like, I'm warning you now.
Disclaimer: Still don't own…
* * *
**Chapter 5: Fallen angels of Halloween.**
The yamis and hikaris were surprised the next morningwhen they sawthe new Educational Decree hung in their small common room. Yugi rubbed the back of his neck as he gave a confused look at the sheet of paper.
- I don't get it… Why would professor Umbridge want to disband groups?
Bakura groaned as he too scanned the papers' contents.
- If you ask me, she's trying to control the whole school. Those guys at the Ministry must be really cracked. I mean, controlling this school should be the least of their problems, so why bother?
- Because those blockheadsrefuse to believe that Dark Lord is alive.
- I won't blame them, Pharaoh. If a fourteen year old told you he'd just duelled the worlds' most evil wizard who happens to have died years ago, then claims to have survived this encounter, would you actually believe him?
- I must admit you have a point, Psycho…
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
When they arrived in the dungeons for Potions, they found Malfoy taunting Harry and the other Gryffindors. Marik got a slight feeling of deja-vu when he saw Hermione ushering words to her friends in order to prevent them from attacking the blond boy. His thoughts were interrupted however when he felt Yugi crashing into him. Steadying himself and his smaller friend, he saw Bakura pulling Ryou out of the way of a charging Neville. Apparently, he was pissed at Malfoy for who knows what reason, and while getting to the Slytherin he had knocked Yugi out of his way. Mariku snickered as he saw Potter leaping forward to grab Neville, soon joined by Weasley.
Everyone was shocked. Who would have imagined shy and quiet Neville charging towards Malfoy to beat him up? Yami eyed the struggling boy after seeing Crabbe and Goyle step forward to shield Draco.
- Longbottom, would you just calm down!
He only received some incoherent words in response. Shrugging it off with a sigh, he watched the door to the potion's room flung open and Snape entering the corridor, effectively pulling the three boys apart.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
During class, Malfoy informed theforeigners about the Halloween feast they were having in two weeks.
- It's the same as the other years, only this year we get to dress differently. One of the Headmasters' weird ideas, I guess. Something about getting into the Halloween spirit…
Yami couldn't help but smirk at the idea.
- We did that once at Kaiba's house… Mokuba got so hyper he started yelling random things all over the place…
Yugi laughed softly.
- Yeah, like "Seto loves his puppy" or "Pink bunnies crashed Seto's computer". Mariku and Bakura were rolling on the floor laughing!
Malfoy looked slightly confused.
- Seto is the rich guy who always manages to piss Jounouchi, Mokuba's his little brother, and don't worry about what he was saying that day. You're better off if you don't know.
Malfoy shrugged and they all resumed their potion brewing.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
- Where is it? I know it's in there somewhere! I remember packing it… AHA! Got it!
Marik emerged from his messy trunk, holding a pair of leather pants triumphantly. Ryou, who was sitting on his bed, shook his head at his friends' antics.
- Marik, if you would just tidy your trunk at times, maybe you'll find you're things more quickly.
The Egyptian pouted.
- But I hate tidying…
Ryou rolled his eyes and slid off his bed to pull a shirt from his trunk.
- Hey guys, what do you think of this?
Yugi was looking critically at his reflection in the mirror. He was wearing a tight formfitting pair of dark leather pants with a black t-shirt. His usual jewellery completed his outfit.
Marik circled round his friend, eyeing him in different angles.
- Hmm… It suits you, but I rather recommend a ripped t-shirt… Maybe I have an old one somewhere…
He turned back to his trunk and started rummaging through it once again. Yugi sighed and turned towards Ryou.
- What about you? What are you going to wear?
Ryou shrugged.
- I don't know… just normal black clothes, I guess…
Marik's head jerked up, causing him to bang it on the nightstand in front of him.
- Oh no you don't, Ryou! You are sooooo not going in normal clothes. Here, try these on!
He flung a second pair of dark leather pants to his friend, ushering him to the bathroom, before handing a torn shirt to Yugi. It was slightly too large for the smaller duellist, but Marik approved the result.
- Good, now all we'll have to do would be putting kohl and the wings on, and you'll look great! Ryou, are you done in there?
Ryou left the bathroom nervously, while running a hand through his hair. The pants weren't too uncomfortable, yet he felt bare with them. Marik whistled.
- Impressive, Ryou, you look great. Here, put this shirt on!
Ryou took the torn black shirt and put it on, buttoning all the buttons. Marik shook his head, smiling, before unbuttoning more than half of them. Ryou blushed as he saw his reflection in the mirror.
- Erhm… Marik, don't you think it's a little…
- Nonsense, Ryou, you're great! And it'll be perfect with the Ring, the wings and the kohl!
Yugi also nodded his approval. Ryou sighed defeated.
- Oh well… It'll just be for one night…
Yugi smiled at his friends.
- True… Now, let's change before the yamis come back…
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Halloween was drawing near, and most of the students were looking forward to the feast. Since it had been announced that this year it would be a costumed party, much to Professor Umbridge's disapproval, the school owls were constantly sent to deliver costume orders, which mostly consisted of black wings, dark cloaks, or other Halloween accessories. The hikaris had everything set and were wondering constantly what their yamis were planning to wear.
And Halloween night came.
The students were amazed at the display of the Great Hall. The tables had been pushed to the sides, several dishes placed on them as buffet.At the end of the Hall, where the teacher's table usually stood, a platform had been raised, on which stood proudly a famous wizarding group, the Salem Devils (made that up…). The room also felt more sinister, what with the lit pumpkin heads floating overhead and the dark clouds massed in the skyyou could see thanks to theenchanted ceiling.
The students all split into groups of friends, chatting excitedly. Some of them wore classic outfits, like vampire or werewolf, but you could also see banshees, horned devils, or mummies, most of them being first or second years.
Malfoy, who was simply dressed with a dark cloak and who had jinxed his canines to make them look sharp, scanned the Hall when he saw movement near the front doors. Some students turned to stare at the three figures standing in the doorway. Turning also, Malfoy gaped before grinning at his three friends .
Yami, Mariku and Bakura were standing casually in the doorway, their eyes trailing around the Hall as if searching for something. Many girls gawked at them, whining about how sexy they were. And honestly, sexy was an understatement.
Yami was wearing a black leather jacket over his usual black tank top. The jacket ended slightly above his mid-thighs and would cling to his body elegantly. He wore tight leather pants with dark boots that ended a few inches below the knees. His outfit was completed with buckles, belts, wristbands and choker, his hair was slightly messy and his eyes were outlined with kohl.
Bakura was wearing an outfit similar to Yami's, only he wore a long black leather coat that went down to his knees and which he had ripped out the sleeves, and he wore a black t-shirt instead of a tank top. He had fewer accessories than Yami, but he too had messed his hair slightly more than usualand had outlined his eyes with kohl.
Mariku had decided to stay casual… if youcall his style casual. He wore a short black tank top and black cargo pants which clung loosely to his hips, showing off part of his muscular stomach. Having retrieved the dark purple cloak he wore at Battle city, he had flungit over his shoulders, clasping the gold fastenings in front of him. He didn't change his hairstyle, and had used slightly more kohl than he usually did.
As they approached Malfoy after spotting him, the blond boy noticed the fangs, and guessed they'd used the same charm he had.
- Wow, you guys are utterly terrific! Talk about vampires! I mean come on! You'll have all the girls of the school at your feet within the next ten minutes!
Yami smirked, baring his fangs at him.
- If you say so, Draco. By the way, have you seen our Li… I mean Yugi, Ryou and Marik?
- No, I don't think…
He trailed off, mouth agape as he stared at a spot behind the darks. All three quirked an eyebrow and turned to investigate. What they saw caused their jaws to drop to the floor.
Most of the students were staring, stunned, at the three hikaris standing in the doorway. Yugi and Ryou were flushed and looked slightly nervous, whereas Marik just smirked at his two friends, assuring them they looked great.
Yugi was wearing Marik's ripped black t-shirt and hip hugging dark leather pants, completed with belts, armbands, wristbands and choker. Ryou was wearing Marik's tight formfitting leather pants with the ripped shirt left half-opened, revealing his Millennium Ring. Yugi had lent him a choker and a pair of wristbands. Marik also wore some leather pants, only his pair had slits that went up to his mid-thighs, laces crisscrossing to prevent the pieces from sliding away. His black shirt was similar to Mariku's, ripped and it ended slightly below the ribs, and to complete his outfit he wore some ofhis usual gold jewellery.All three had bought a pair of enchanted black wings, and Marik had lent some kohl to his friends, which they had lightly smudged to make it look like tear-stains.
In other words, they were the most stunning fallen angels Halloween had ever seen.
Malfoy continued to stare for a while before noticing the state the three darks were in.
- Erhm… Mariku… you're drooling…
Mariku blinked and promptly wiped his mouth, eyes still locked on his hikari's figure. Bakura was fixing Ryou as if his life depended on it.
- I wouldn't blame him –he whispered-
Yami was as stunned as his companions. Who would have thought the three Lights could be so beautiful and outstanding?
Marik finally spotted them and dragged his two friends over, causing the students who were still staring at them to focus their gazes elsewhere (though many girls kept drooling and glancing at them). The Egyptian stopped in front of his yami, a grin on his face.
- So, how do we look?
Mariku gazed at his look alike from head to toe,forbidding himself from drooling again.
- To die for! –he managed, grinning-
Marik's grin widened while he took a good look at his yami.
- I like your style too.
Ryou was still looking nervous, feeling his yami's eyes on him. Bakura couldn't help but find that the small blush creeping on his hikari's cheeksmade him look even more irresistible than he already was.
- You're absolutely gorgeous, Angel, so there's no reason to be nervous.
Ryou shifted, smiling, and did a small twirl.
- Really? You mean it?
/ Nope, you're not gorgeous… The word is not strong enough to describe you! You're perfect/
Ryou blushed slightly as he lifted his head to study his yami. He couldn't stop his jaw from dropping, which caused Bakura to smirk, showing off his fangs.
- You like my outfit, Angel?
Ryou nodded, still gazing at him, desperately trying to prevent his cheeks from turning a deeper shade of red.
Yugi smiled at Yami as he took in the vampire outfit his other self was wearing.
- You look great, Yami. If Anzu was here, she'll faint out of shock!
The dark frowned slightly at the mention of Anzu while Yugi chuckled, picturing his childhood friend fainting at the sight of the handsome vampire in front of him. Yami's frown was quickly replaced by a smirk, thought, as he started to study his fallen angel up close. Yugi, having noticed the way his yami wouldwatch him, shifted uncomfortably.
- Erhm… Is everything alright, Yami?
- Everything's fine, Aibou… Just perfectly fine…
_But not as perfect as you…_he mused, as his Light smiled his cheery smile before turning tochat with Malfoy.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
After wondering around the buffet for some food, the group started to hang around a corner of the Hall, watching the rest of the students dancing to the sound of what appeared to be a very popular wizard song. Pansy Parkinson came over to drag Malfoy into the dance. The boy turned to mouth "help" to his friends but was met by laughter from the yamis and a grin from the hikaris.
Marik was getting slightly bored and decided to start dancing while the others watched. He started to glare at all the attention he was getting.
- Stop staring and dance, you're making me uncomfortable!
Mariku shook his head and went to dance with him, his movements matching the beat of the music. Both Egyptians kept dancing in front of each other, eyes locked. Bakura snickered and turn to look at his hikari, who was watching his friends dance, a thoughtful look in his chocolate eyes.
- Why don't you join them and dance?
Ryou blinked before blushing slightly.
- Well erhm… actually… I don't exactly know how to dance…
Bakura smirked as he dragged his hikari beside the Egyptians.
- Erhm… 'Kura?
Bakura pulled his hikari closer, one hand on his waist.
- I'll teach you…-he whispered, his smirk widening as he saw a small blush creeping on the boy's cheeks.
- O…kay then…
The teen fixed his gaze on the floor as he let Bakura guide his movements to themusic's beat.
/Ryou, stop gazing at your feet and look up/
Ryou nodded and did as was told, locking eyes with Bakura. The dark grinned as he drew closer to his hikari.
- You're doing great, Angel… -he whispered in his ear, causing the teen to blush once again.
Yugi blinked as he saw Bakura dragging his Light to the dance floor. Feeling eyes peering at him, he turned and smiled at his other self. Yami smiled back.
- You wanna dance, Yugi?
The boy smiled, nodding. Both joined their friends on the floor, dancing in a way similar to Marik and Mariku.
Halfway through the feast, Mariku leaned slightly towards his hikari, causing Marik to trip slightly backwards.
- You're good, hikari-mine…-he caught Marik's wrist before he could fall, pulling the Egyptian close- But not as good as me…-he added with a smirk-
Marik quirked an eyebrow as he pulled himself slightly away from his dark.
- Oh really? Then what do you say to a challenge?
Mariku smirked even more, moving forwards so that their faces were inches apart.
- I say "Bring it on, and may the best yami win!"
Marik rolled his eyes and took a step back, allowing them some space to move.
- Then let the party begin!
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Ryou pulled away from Bakura as the music started to get too fast for him.
- Thanks for the lesson, Bakura, but I can't keep up if the rhythm is that fast. I'm gonna get myself a drink, want something?
Bakura thought for a moment before shrugging.
- Just tell me what they're serving and I'll tell you. I'd come with you, but I don't want to miss this-he added, pointing at the two Egyptians as they started to compete to see who was the best dancer. Ryou gazed at them for a moment, admiring the way both would dance before heading towards the other end of the hall, where the drinks were. He chuckled as he saw Pansy trying to keep up with Draco, who was definitely a very good dancer. Having reached the table, he glanced at all the drinks served.
/_Kura, there's just Butterbeer or Pumpkin Juice_/
He heard a groan from the other end of themind link.
/Should have known they weren't going to serve Firewhisky… Guess a Butterbeer would do then/
Ryou rolled his eyes as he took a glass of Butterbeer and some pumpkin juice for himself. He turned to go back to where the rest of the group was, but bumped into someone, causing him to trip. He would have fallen and spilt the contents of his glasses if a pair of strong arms hadn't caught him, steadying him until he had recovered.
- Thanks –he smiled, looking up into clear grey eyes.
The arms and eyes belonged to a Slytherin slightly older than him he had seen quite a few times when he would come to the Slytherin Room to hang out with Malfoy. The boy had long black hair tied in a ponytail, and was wearing a vampire costume similar to Malfoy's. Ryou absently recalled the boy's name to be Alan.
Alangrinned at the teen as he released him.
- You're welcome. You're Ryou, heh?
Ryou nodded, checking he hadn't spilled too much of the drinks contentsand wondering whether he should get some more.
Alan smiled before dragging the boy back to the tables, refilling the glasses once more, waving Ryou's protests with a wave of his hand. Smiling as the white haired thanked him once more, he watched as the fallen angel made his way back to his companions, careful not to trip once more.
- Beautiful… -he thoughtas he grabbed a glass of Butterbeer.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Bakura rolled his eyes as he saw the Egyptians dancing vigorously to the music, each rivalling the others' move. He glanced at the Pharaoh and his light, surprised to see them in a heated dance… way too close to one another. _Alright, who drugged their drinks? I never thought those two would ever dance THAT close… _He focused back on the Egyptian as Ryou approached him, handing him his Butterbeer.
- So, who d'you reckon will win?
- I bet on Mariku!
Both turned round surprised to see Yugi and Yami had just joined them. Yugi looked up at his dark, shaking his head.
- Na, I'd rather bet on Marik…
Bakura smirked and turned towards his light.
- So who are you betting on?
Ryou glanced at the still dancing duo thoughtfully.
- I bet on Marik.
Bakura smirked.
- So I guess it's a yami vs. hikari challenge.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Marik moved swiftly to the music, eyeing his yami's movements. He groaned in frustration as he saw Mariku dance with equal grace, a smirk on his face. Suddenly, Mariku stepped forward, drawing close to his hikari. So close their faces were only inches apart. Caught off guard, Marik stumbled backwards. Mariku grabbed his wrists to prevent him from falling, and pulled him close.
- I win –he cooed.
Marik glared at him and tried to pull away, to no avail.
- Okay, you win, now let me go, I'm thirsty!
Mariku just chuckled.
- Didn't I mention losers have to grant one wish to the winner?
The hikari growled.
- And what would that wish be?
He quirked an eyebrow at the smile on his yamis face. Hearing a small yelp somewhere behind him, he twisted around to see Ryou and Yugi held captive by their darks in a similar fashion. Yami smirked as he pulled Yugi closer.
- The loser –he told them as the band decided to play a slow song at that very moment- has to dance with us.
Yugi blushed as Yami circled his waist with his arms, guiding him through the dance. Glancing up, he saw Bakura and Mariku doing the same to their Lights, and while Marik looked shocked, Ryou had turned an interesting shade of red, which caused Yugi to hope he wasn't blushing that much.
/ Angel, didn't I tell you to look up while dancing/
Ryou hesitated and once more looked up, only to lose himself into Bakura's eyes.
Soon all three hikaris relaxed into their yami's embrace, allowing them to lead the dance.When the song ended they parted, slightly dazed. Yugi yawned cutely,causing Yami tochuckle.
- Tired, Aibou? I guess we should leave the Hall then for the night.
Yugi nodded, and they both headed towards the exit, soon joined by the others.
A few minutes later, Yami was wiping the kohl from Yugi's face, who was sitting on his bed already changed into his pyjamas, his clothes folded neatly beside him. Ryou returned Marik his clothes, before sleepily climbing into bed. Marik and Yugi soon followed his example, and all three laid on their beds while waiting for their yamis to perform the counter-curse, returning their teeth to their normal size. Bidding their Lights good night, they clambered to bed, soon falling asleep.
For some reason, it took longerfor the hikaris to let sleep take over themfor the night.
* * *
Hum... not sure if the chapter was good enough... Well, anyway, I thinksome of them willgettogether next chapter. Hope you liked it, thanks for reading!
6. Thief of my heart
Well, I was hoping to post it yesterday as a Christmas gift, but unfortunately I wasn't happy with how it came out, so I rewrote half of it. So consider this a late Chritmas gift. Hope you'll enjoy.
Oh and it's mostly Bakura/Ryou this chapter.
Still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Harry Potter.
* * *
**Chapter 6: Thief of my heart.**
- What are you all snickering about?
Blaise lifted his head from his breakfast to acknowledge the transfer students. Two weeks had passed since the Halloween feast, during which the hikaris had found themselves drifting to dreamland more often than not. Dreams with a certain someone...
The Slytherin smirked and pointed to his chest, where he had pinned a badge with the following sayings: _Weasley is our king._
- You guys all know today's the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Well, Weasley is the Gryffindor Keeper, so we're gonna check outhow strong his nerves are. Want a badge?
Only Bakura and Mariku accepted, which wasn't much of a surprise. Once their stomachs were full, they all headed to the Quidditch field to watch the game. As the Slytherin team made its appearance, the entire house roared and cheered, making it seem like the entire stadium was filled by Slytherin supporters.
Once the Gryffindors had joined the pitch, the game began.
- GO SLYTHERIN!
- And it's Johnson, Johnsonwith the Quaffle! She ducks Warrington, passes Montague. Ouch, that must have hurt…
They all cheered as Crabbe sent a bludger straight onto Johnson, causing her to drop the Quaffle.
- Hey Ryou!
The white-haired tore his eyes from the game, surprised.
- Oh, Alan…
Bakura glanced sideways at the tall boy who had just approached.
- What do you want?
Alan blinked at the slightly harsh tone. Looking round, he realisedthe voice belonged to Bakura.
- I was merely asking if Ryou minded me joining you on the bench.
Bakura snorted and focused his sight on the Golden Snitch he had spotted, hovering behind Ron, while shooting side glances towards the boy who now sat beside his hikari. He easily noticed the glances the newcomer would send to his Light, a thoughtful look in his eyes. Ryou didn't seem to notice, though, as he continued to cheer his team, shouting encouragements to Draco as the blond zoomed down after Harry, who had just caught sight of the golden ball.
The group now stood up, Yami, Bakura, Mariku and Marik shouting at the top of their lungs (Ryou and Yugi always wondered how they managed to keep their voices later on), encouraging their friend as he flew alongside Harry. He was now only inches away from the Snitch.
A loud groan erupted from the entire Slytherin supporters. Harry had managed to catch the Snitch a mere second before Draco could. Yugi sighed as he stood up, starting to drag his disappointed friends down to the pitch to meet up with their team.
Alan frowned as he saw Ryou wrapping an arm around Bakura to pull him with the others, making sure the Tomb Robber wouldn't do anything drastic. Seeing the way the dark haired would look at his hikari, Bakura glared at him, silently promising a painful death if the kid would ever come near his Light again.
As they arrived on the pitch, they saw the Gryffindor team crowded around Harry, congratulating him and making sure the bludger Crabbe had hit him with hadn't caused too much damage. They spotted Malfoy not far off, and headed his way.
Within hearing range, theyrealised the blond was having an argument with his opponents, insulting mainly the Weasleys and Potter. They could see the entire Gryffindor team was trying to restrain the twins. Yami shook his head as he approached.
- Draco, I think that's enough for now.
Malfoy grinned at his friend.
- I'm nearly finished, _Mother _-Yami rolled his eyes as the hikaris, Bakura and Mariku snickered. Draco turned back to Harry- Perhaps you can remember what your mother's house smelt like, Potter, and the Weasley's house…
In a flash, Potter had released George, marching straight towards the blond and punching him straight in the stomach. Yugi and Ryou yelped while Marik swore, leaping forward to restrain the boy attacking his friend.
- Marik, watch out!
The Egyptian turned his head, barely registering the fist heading his way before it hit him full in the face. As he fell on the floor, trying to stop the blood flowing from his nose, he heard someoneshooting past himto tackle George.
- HARRY, GEORGE, NO!
- PSYCHO!
Yugi helped Marik to his feet as chaos surrounded them. Mariku was in a fistfight with George, Yami trying to break their fight (which earned him a punch or two from both sides), Ryou and Bakura were trying to force Harry away from Draco, the Gryffindor girls were still restraining Fred and screams could be heard all around them. A whistle sounded as a few Impedimenta spells hit George, Mariku and Harry. Madam Hooch started screaming at the boys, a wand clutched in her hand.
- What do you think you're doing? –She yelled- Potter, Weasley, Ishtal, straight to your Head of House's office! Akefia, Bakura and Mutou, help Ishtar, Malfoy and Atem to the Hospital Wing, will you!
Mariku, still swearing in Egyptian, left towards Snape's office. Bakura hosted Draco to his feet, supporting the beaten teen as they headed for the Infirmary, closely followed by a concerned Ryou guiding Marik, who had his friend's handkerchief pressed against his face. Yugi was ushering Yami after them, who was trying to assure him he was fine, albeit his eye was swollen and a bruise was forming on his cheek. For some reason he had a feeling Mariku's punches weren't accidental.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
As he sat on the bed, pressing a damp cloth on his nose to ease the pain, Marik watched Madam Pomfrey attending to Draco's bleeding nose.
/Hikari-mine? Are you alright?./
/_Mariku! I'm fine… You shouldn't have leapt on Weasley like that, thought...it wasn't necessary…/_
/What, you expect me to cross my arms and watch idly while he beats you up?./
Silence.
/_You haven't gotten yourself in trouble I hope_…/
/You mean from Snape? Na, he let me off the hook sinceI was only"defending a fellow student."/
Marik rolled his eyes. As Mariku entered the Hospital Wing, the dark immediately sat beside his hikari. He gently pulled away Marik's hand, removing the cloth from his face. He frowned at the nasty bruise forming on his hikari's nose.
- Ra, he didn't miss you!
Marik winced as his darker half softly trailed his finger on the wound. Both then turned to Yugi as the smaller teen approached.
- Draco's alright, just slightly dizzy. Oh, and Mariku, I think Yami's intent on killing you. Something about a deliberate hit…
Mariku smirked as he unconsciously draped an arm round his Lights shoulder.
- Oh, did I hit him? My mistake, then…
Yugi rolled his eyes but smiled anyway.
- Whatever. You alright, Marik?
- Apart from the fact that I've got the impression my nose has tripled its volume, everything's peachy.
Once Madam Pomfrey had finished tending to the injuries, they all left the Wing and headed towards the transferees common room, inviting Malfoy to join them for a while.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq
_
An hour after dinner, after hanging round with his friends, Malfoy decided it was time to leave for his Common Room. Ryou had offered to escort him to his Common Room, in case he felt too dizzy along the way. Although the blond had declined the offer, the stubborn hikari had insisted and kept him company the whole way. As he left Draco in front of the painting, Ryou sighed and started to head back when someone caught his wrist. Turning around sharply, the boy relaxed as he recognised the tall figure beside him.
- Yikes, Alan, don't do that! You scared me!
Alan smirked.
- Sorry, Ry…
His eyes scanned the pale boy's face, memorizing every feature. His chocolateeyes, his pink lips, his white bangs…
- Erhm, Alan… you can let my arm go now…
But Alan didn't let go, on the contrary, he merely tightened his grip on Ryou's wrist. The teen was starting to feel uneasy, especially since Alan's gaze was fixed on him. He didn't like the way the taller boy would look at him.
- Alan?
- You're beautiful you know…
- Well…erhm…
Ryou started to back away slowly as he tried to pull his wrist out of the taller boy's grasp. Sensing the younger boy's movements, Alan moved forward, pushing Ryou firmly against the wall.
- What's the matter, Ryou? Scared of me?
He smirked as he saw the boy's eyes widen in confusion and fear. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against Ryou's, his eyes boring into the fearful chocolate pools.
Ryou struggled and tried to push Alan away from him, but to no avail. He wasn't strong enough. Panic flooded his senses as he felt Alan's warm breath tickling his lips.
/Ryou? Ryou, are you alright?./
Ryou's breath hitched as he heard his dark calling him. Apparently, Bakura had sensed his fear flooding through their link. Resting his hands on the taller boy's chest, Ryou tried once again to push Alan away from him. Annoyed, the Slytherin grabbed both wrists and pinned them above Ryou's head, blowing away the teen's thoughts of escape.
/Ryou?./
/_'Kura… Help_…/
/Ryou!./
Holding Ryou's wrists with one hand, Alan let his other trail down the soft pale cheek, causing the teen to whimper. Sliding softly on the soft skin, Alan trailed his fingers down Ryou's neck, smirking.
- Really beautiful…
- Alan… stop… please…
Ryou tried to wriggle free, but his captor only smirked as he trailed kisses down his cheek. Tears of panic formed round Ryou's eyes.
- Why should I, Pretty Boy?
- Because if you don't release him immediately, you're getting yourself a one way ticket to the Shadow Realm!
Pulling away slightly from his captive, Alan turned his face towards the Tomb Robber standing a few feet away from him, arms crossed. Although his face showed no signs of anger, his eyes burned with a burning rage as he fixed his gaze on the tall boy.
- I won't repeat myself. Release Ryou!
As he felt Alan's grip on him loosen slightly, Ryou pushed him away with all his might. Caught off guard, Alan barely registered his captive had escaped as the pale boy stumbled to his yami's side. Seeing his Light tripping on his feet, Bakura reached forward and steadied his other half, bringing the boy close to him, an arm wrapped protectively around his shoulders. He glanced at the shivering teen as Ryou buried his head in his shoulder, and he couldn't help but groan as he felt a tear or two falling on his skin. Looking up, he glared at the tall Slytherin who was glaring back at him.
- Ryou's mine, Akefia!
Ryou sank deeper against his dark as Bakura tightened his grip around him, snarling at Alan.
- He isn't! If I ever see you within twenty feet of him, you baka, I swear I'll kill you!
Alan held his glare towards the two figures. After one last glance at the smaller teen, he turned round and marched back to his Common Room.
Once he was sure Alan had left them for good, Bakura gently pushed his Light away to see his face, his hands holding firmly the younger boy's shoulders.
- Ryou… Are you alright?
His features soften as he saw the tears flowing down the pale boy's cheeks, although his insides were boiling with rage against the one who had caused so much pain in those beautiful eyes. Ryou looked at him sadly, before collapsing into Bakura's arms, sobbing. Recovering from his shock, Bakura softly circled his arms round his hikari, letting the teen sob quietly in his shoulder.
- Ssshhh, Angel, it's over… Just calm down and tell me what happened. Ryou… please…
After a minute or two, Ryou calmed down, and he slowly lifted his head to face Bakura.
- It's just… I was really confused… He just caught me by the wrist and wouldn't let me go… And then he pushed me against the wall and… Oh, Bakura, he was kissing me, and I couldn't do anything about it, I was so panicked and he was too strong…
Bakura silenced him with a finger on his lips as he saw the new tears about to form in his hikari's eyes. Wrapping once again his arm round Ryou's waist to lead him back to their common room, he let the boy lean slightly on him.
_
pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq
_
As they passed through the angel and demon painting, the two white haired were met by a concerned Yugi.
- Bakura, where have you been? You scared us, running out of the room like that… Oh my Ra, Ryou, what happened to you!
His last statement caused Yami, Marik and Mariku to look up, their eyes resting on the pale boy's tear streaked face. Bakura growled softly and led Ryou to the dormitory.
- I'll tell you later –he whispered before closing the door.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
The following morning found Ryou tossing and turning in his sleep, sweat running down his face. He awoke with a jerk when he felt someone shaking him slightly, ready to push the intruder away from him. He relaxed however when he noticed it to be none other than Bakura.
- Hey, Angel. Feel better?
Ryou smiled softly as he tried to shake away the reminders of his dream, although he kept shivering.
- Yeah, a lot… Just having a nightmare, that's all…
Bakura gave him an unconvinced look. Sighing, Ryou tried squinting to see what time it was.
/It's 6 am, Ryou. The others are still asleep./
Ryou blinked.
/_Then how come you're awake?_/
A chuckle.
/Angel, I used to be a Tomb Robber, an outlaw with a high price over my head! I'm a very light sleeper. Plus, we share a mind link, so whenever you are troubled, I can sense it, especially if you're not conscious enough to bloke the link. That's how I knew you were in trouble last night.../
Ryou nodded before pushing the covers away from him. Grabbing a blanket, he quietly crept out of bed to head towards the door.
/Where are you going?./
/ _To the Common Room. I don't think I'll be able to fall back to sleep, and I don't want to wake the others./_
Bakura shrugged before following his Light to the comfortable dark purple and silver room. Ryou pointed his wand towards the fireplace to light a fire before collapsing on the nearest sofa, Bakura sitting beside him. The dark hesitated before wrapping his arm around his hikari. They stayed like that for awhile in silence, each lost in his thoughts.
- Ryou… What were you dreaming about?
The boy blinked several times, before shifting nervously, his blanket wrapped tighter against him.
- Well… do you remember that boy you sent to the Shadow Realm a month before we left London for Domino?
Bakura resisted the urge to slap himself. Of course, how could he have forgotten?The bully he had sent to the Shadow Realmhad tried to rape his hikari. No wonder Ryou had been so scared when Alan harassed him! Bakura pulled Ryou into a brotherly embrace, brushing away a stray bang of his hikari's face.
- It's okay, Angel, I won't let anyone try to harm you again.
The boy relaxed before resting his head against the former spirit's chest. A moment passed before Ryou finally started to chuckle, causing his Dark to raise an eyebrow.
- What?
- Oh nothing… Just thinking how ironic it is. How you used to torment me, to use me as a puppet to get your revenge on the Pharaoh, hell you even injured me twice –with that he held his left hand up, showing the scar left where the tower had pierced it- And yet there you are, making sure I'm alright, comforting me… -he giggled uncomfortably- The funny thing is that even after all that, I think I love you.
Ryou suddenly clamped a hand against his mouth as he realised what he hadjust said. He risked a glance at Bakura, hoping the older teen hadn't heard, but his hopes faded when he saw his yami looking at him strangely.
- 'Kura, forget I just said that…
- You love me, heh?
Ryou gulped as he felt two hands push him slightly upright so that he was facing his darker half. Bakura locked gaze with him, and Ryou had the annoying feeling his yami was peering straight through his soul. Seeing how it would be pointless to lie, the boy nodded slowly. A grin formed on the other's face. Now really uncomfortable, the younger boy tried to look away, but Bakura grabbed his chin, forcing him to keep eye contact.
- Ryou, what if I told you you stole something from me? Something I swore never to give away after what happened at Kuru Elna?
Now the boy was confused.
- I don't get it, Bakura… I didn't steal anything…
He broke off as he saw the smirk forming on Bakura's lips.
- Oh but you did, Ryou… You stole my heart.
Still smirking, he leaned down to softly kiss his Light's lips. Ryou was shocked at first, but he hesitantly brought his arms round his Dark's neck as he felt the kiss deepen. After a while, their lack of air forced them apart. Bakura kissed Ryou's forehead as he pulled the boy back on his lap, the younger one resting his head on his chest.
/ I won't let anyone harm you… Angel.../
Relieved and happy at the same time, Ryou let himself fall back to sleep in his yami's arms. Once he was soundly asleep, Bakura leaned back more against the couch,smiling. _Guess I managed to beat the Pharaoh after all..._
_
* * *
_
There you go... Now Ryou and Bakura are together! How sweet! Hope I didn't mess it all up and that Bakura isn't too ooc... Hope you liked the chapter.
So I hope you all had a nice christmas, and for those of you who celebrate it, Happy Hanukah! And thanks for reading!
7. For every Dark, there'll be a Light
Too much homework and internet problems equals late chapter. Gomen for those of you who enjoy reading my story… Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
Boy kissing boy alert…
I still don't own…
* * *
Chapter 7: There'll always be aLight for the Dark.
As Ryou woke up abouttwo hours later, he was still cuddled against his yami's bare chest (Bakura sleeps without a shirt, just pants.) The fire was still burning in the hearth, and the blanket was wrapped around both figures to keep them warm. Feeling a hand running softly through his hair, Ryou looked up to see the smile on Bakura's face. The Thief sat up slightly before leaning over to lightly kiss his hikari. As they broke apart, he wrapped his arms protectively around Ryou as the boy shifted into a comfortable position against his darker half.
- Morning, Angel. I trust you weren't bothered by nightmares anymore?
Ryou shook his head as he snuggled closer to him, his head resting on his shoulder. After a few minutes of silence, a yelp was heard from the dormitory, followed by several curses in Egyptian. Ryou frowned, puzzled, while Bakura chuckled.
- Wasn't that Marik?
Bakura nodded.
- Yep… Guess he fell out of bed… again.
Ryou giggled as the door was flung open to reveal a muttering teenager, who plopped down on the nearest sofa. He looked up at the chortles coming from the opposite couch.
- Shut up, you too!
Bakura smirked.
- Good morning to you too, Marik.
The Egyptian snorted as the door was opened again, revealing a sleepy eyed Yugi, followed closely by Yami and Mariku. Yugi sank into the seat beside Marik, yawning.
- Sheesh, Marik, next time, wait until noon before falling out of bed like that! Especially on a Sunday!
The hikari glared at the smaller teen while the other four snickered. Yugi smiled back innocently before glancing out the window. A grin illuminated his face.
- I'm guessing we're gonna have so much fun today!
The others blinked before they too glanced out the window. Sure enough, the grounds were coated with snow, its white surface unmarked, just waiting for the students to throw themselves into it. An evil smirk formed on Mariku's lips.
- Alright everyone, what do you say about grabbing some clothes, eating breakfast and starting a memorablehikari versus yami snowball fight as soon as possible?
Yami and Bakura smirked. The hikaris glanced at each other before leaping to their feet, grinning, as they left the Common Room to get changed.
- YOU'RE ON!
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
As soon as they had all changed into warm clothes and eaten breakfast, the transfer students left the castle for the grounds, smirking at all the snow lying at their feet. Yami chuckled before facing the others.
- Alright, the rules are simple. Each team has ten minutes to prepare his ammo and his side of the field. Special note for the Tomb Robber and Psycho: no stones hidden in the snowballs! Now, three, two, one, GAME START!
The yamis hurried to the left side of the field, while the hikaris gathered behind the rocks on the right, where they had decided to prepare themselves. Marik smirked at his team-mates.
- Okay, boys, listen up. This is what we are going to do…
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Ten minutes later, as the clock stroke 9 am, Yugi was carefully hidden behind a bush, peering cautiously through the branches. He spotted Marik crawling silently behind rocks or bushes, a snowball in each hand, ready to launch them at the first yami he'd encounter. Ryou was hidden a short distance away, a pile of snowballs ready beside him. Yugi chewed on his lip as he squinted to the left side of the field, wondering where the yamis could be hidden.
Mariku smirked as he crawled behind a rock, his target in plain view. Marik was crouching a few feet away from him. The Dark took aim and fired a snowball at his Light.
Marik was surprised when he felt a snowball hit the back of his head. Turning round he ducked Mariku's second throw, before firing back at his yami. When another ball hit his back, Marik cursed. He could see Yami aiming at him again while Mariku kept firing at him, cackling. This didn't sound good. So he did what he thought best to escape his two opponents. He sprinted to another set of rocks while Yugi and Ryou covered his escape, throwing snowballs at Yami and Mariku, eventually hitting their target. Marik ducked behind his shelter, smirking as he spotted the ammo they had prepared just in case. Turning back, he fired at his attackers, before spotting Bakura aiming towards Ryou.
- Ryou, duck!
The white haired dodged the ball thrown at him while Marik sent his snowball flying straight to the Tomb Robber's face. Ducking behind the rocks, Ryou sprinted to Marik's hiding place before readying himself for another throw.
- Thanks Marik!
- No problem, just remind me not to play bait next time!
Ryou chuckled as he flung a ball to Bakura.
_/That wasn't very nice, 'Kura.../_
/ What did you expect, Angel? I'm a Thief, and dating you isn't going to stop me from using you as a target/
Ryou grinned through the link before focusing once more on the battle.
Meanwhile, Yugi was running across the field, plunging behind a shield of stone to avoid being hit. He was close to Yami's hiding place and so both started shooting snowballs at one another, though Yugi was the most hit out of the two.
Minutes later, Draco, Blaise and Pansy, who had just left the warmth of the castle to enjoy the snow, hailed the two tricolour-haired boys.
- Oy, Yami, Yugi! Enjoying yourselves?
The two teens paused mid-throw, turned towards the intruders, and glanced back at one another, a smirk forming on their lips.
Before they knew it, the three Slytherins were showered with snow as Yami and Yugi fired at them. Draco narrowed his eyes as he glared at his attackers.
- That's it; you guys are in for it!
And so the game now involved three teams of laughing students, either shrieking as they were hit or, on the contrary, cackling insanely.
After another half an hour of fun, the group laid sprawled in the snow, exhausted, welcoming the cool feeling of the snow under them. Once they had recovered, they pulled themselves back to their feet, ready to head back to their respective Common Rooms. As they passed the Hall, however, Marik was hailed by yet again another girl.
- Hey Marik!
/_Not again! When will they understand I'm not interested/_
Mariku groaned as the girl started to head towards his hikari, a smile on her lips. He smirked, however, as an idea started to form into his head.
/I know a way…/
Marik quirked an eyebrow at his yami's smirk. As the girl who had hailed Marik, a Slytherin named Abby, arrived at their level, ready to ask the Egyptian on a date, she was surprised to see Mariku wrap his arm around his hikari's waist. Marik's eyes widened as he felt his yami pull him closer, while everyone else just looked confused. Mariku grinned at Abby.
- You want something?
Abby shook her head as she stared, mouth agape, before turning away. Mariku smirk widenedbeforehe draggedhis hikari towards the stairs, raising an eyebrow at the others as they kept staring at him.
- What are you all gaping at? I thought we were going back up?
The transfer students shook themselves out of their daze before following him upstairs, while Draco, Blaise and Pansy went down to the dungeons, puzzled.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
- What the hell was THAT for?
Mariku, who still had his arm wrapped around Marik's waist as they entered their Room, sneered as his hikari finally processed what had happened.
- Well, hikari-mine, I was sparing you the effort of having to turn down your 22nd -or was it 23rd? – fangirl of the week.
Marik shot a sceptic look at his darker half before trying to wriggle free from the strong arm holding him close. He was shocked, however, when he felt his yami kiss his temple before finally letting him go, mere seconds before the portrait swept open again to let their four companions in. Mariku just smirked as he pulled out his deck.
- Hey, Pharaoh… I challenge you to a duel!
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Ryou sighed lazily as he stretched, watching idly the two duellists halfway through their third duel, which he was sure Yami would win, as always. Yugi was reading a book beside the fire, and Marik was staring out the window, a thoughtful look in his eyes. Bakura was shuffling his deck absentmindedly, occasionally lifting his head to grin at his hikari, who would smile back. Ryou yawned slightly before leaving his chair to head towards the dormitory, intent on following Yugi's example.
However, as he reached his trunk, he felt two arms snake around his waist from behind.
/ You wouldn't be bored by any chance, Angel/
Ryou smiled as he leaned back into his dark's embrace, enjoying the warmth. Bakura started to run his hand in his hikari's white locks before turning him round so that he could kiss his soft lips, his arms tightly wrapped around the smaller boy.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Yami smirked as he whisked Mariku's remaining life points with his Dark Magician. He gathered his deck and headed towards the dormitory.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Bakura suddenly broke the kiss as he felt a powerful blow force him away from Ryou.
- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TOMB ROBBER!
Said white haired glanced at the Pharaoh standing in the doorway, only to see another energy ball hurtling towards him. He was flung backwards by the force of the hit.
Yami was about to summon a third energy ball when he felt someone grab his arm.
- YAMI STOP! **STOP**!
Ryou had rushed to his side and was now restraining him, his worried eyes darting between the angry pharaoh and Bakura, who was clumsily trying to regain his footing.
- Yami, stop…-he repeated- He wasn't doing anything…
Yami narrowed his eyes as he tried to pull his arm free of Ryou's grasp. Yugi, alerted by the sound of yelling and crashing, appeared in the doorway behind them, confused and slightly scared.
- What do you mean, nothing? THE RA DAMNED THIEF WAS KISSING YOU!
Yugi's eyes widened in shock. Bakura stood up, one hand against the wall to keep himself balanced, groaning.
- Yeah, I was… Your point?
Ryou released the Pharaoh's arm as he rushed to his darker half's side, helping him stand while at the same time shielding him from an eventual blast.
- Yami, please…you don't understand…
Both tricolored boys blinked in confusion as they watched Ryou wrapping his arms around Bakura to support him, ignoring the thief's assurances that he was fine. Yugi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he figured what exactly was going on between the two.
- Oh…
He turned round to leave the room, pausing only to drag his darker half after him. Yami gave the two look-alikes another sceptic look before shrugging, letting his partner lead him away. Ryou sighed as Bakura plopped down on the nearest bed, wincing.
- Well… I guess they took that rather well…
Bakura snickered as he pulled Ryou down on his lap.
- Apart from a few bruises… I guess you could say that. I'm fine, Angel –he added as he saw the concern in his boyfriend's eyes- The Pharaoh can't do much damage anyway.
Ryou giggled slightly before leaning back against his dark's chest.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Marik blinked as he heard a crash followed by a yell coming from the dormitory. He saw Yugi rush towards the door to investigate, and would have followed if a voice hadn't stopped him.
- Looks like the Pharaoh finally found out…
Confused, Marik turned towards his darker half… only to find him inches away from him. Taking a step back, Marik gave his yami a questioning look.
- What do you mean? What…?
- Haven't you noticed the way Ryou and Bakura would look at each other ever since this morning, or how Bakura would often glance at his hikari? I did. Chances are those two are dating, and Yami just found out.
Marik nodded absently as he processed the information. Now that he thought about it, he had noticed the albinos' unusual behaviour. Glancing back up towards the dark Egyptian, he decided to fire away the questions that had bothered him for a while.
- Erhm… Mariku… I was kinda wondering… Why did you… I mean did you… Argh!
He didn't know how to phrase his thoughts, his confusion, and so heturned back towards the window to clear his mind. His breath hitched however, when he felt his yami's warm breath down his neck, tanned arms circling his waist comfortingly.
- What is it, hikari-mine? Afraid of something?
Marik shuddered unconsciously. Yes, he was afraid, but of what, he wasn't sure. Taking a deep breath, he fixed his eyes on the landscape, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to talk if he faced Mariku.
- Do you… I mean… you danced with me, you beat Weasley when he punched me, you shooed fangirls away, you… gave me a kiss…
He trailed of as he was spun round, his lavender eyes locking with eyes a deeper shade. Smirking Mariku leaned down to capture his Light's lips with his own. Taken aback, Marik tried to push him away, but then relaxed and hesitantly kissed back. As they pulled apart, Mariku managed a smile, not a smirk, but a smile at his hikari.
- Does that answer your question?
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
The next day was their first Care of Magical Creatures classwith Hagrid, for the half-giant had finally returned to Hogwarts after months of absence. As they trudged through the snow towards the hut, Draco filled them on their professor's eccentric notions of "cute magical animals".
- What's wrong with scary and dangerous creatures?
Ryou sighed as he whacked his yami upside the head.
- Baka, they're dangerous, that's what's wrong! You're not supposed to present them as a study project for students!
The Slytherin smirked as he eyed Bakura, who was helping Ryou through the knee-deep snow, and Mariku, who had his arm draped around Marik to keep him warm.
- Unless of course you want the big oaf to unleash his pets on your "boyfriends", I don't think you'd like his view of cute…
Bakura and Mariku glared at Malfoy as he laughed, leaving Ryou and Marik to blush. Meanwhile, a worried Pharaoh decided to stay close to his beloved hikari… just in case.
Draco gave them a few more warnings as they drew near their classmates, which sadly consisted of Gryffindors. The Golden Trio glared at the pale boy as he rant about how he was injured in third year in such an exaggerated way the green-clad Slytherins, including the purple-clad transfer students, would burst out laughing or snickering.
Only then did they get a full view of their teacher's condition. Yugi squeaked as he stepped backwards, stumbling into Yami, who luckily wrapped his arms around him to prevent him from falling. Mariku, Bakura and Marik just gave their teacher a weird look. Ryou, on the other hand, felt slightly sick as he caught sight of what looked like the remnants of a dead cow slung over the half-giant's shoulder.
- Right, folks, today we're goin' in there!
Hagrid pointed towards the general direction of the Forbidden Forest, his gesture drawing several worried whispers from the students. Draco's already pale face paled even more. Yami gave his friend a worried look.
- What is it, Draco?
- Erhm… Honestly? On my first year I had to go in there with Potter, Granger, Longbottom and Hagrid. Got attacked by some creature… bad experience…
The troop followed the imposing teacher under the shade of the trees, students gathered in two large groups, Gryffindors in the lead, Slytherins and transfer students trailing behind. They stopped when the trees stood so close together the sunlight couldn't pass through the branches. Hagrid deposited his meat on the ground and ushered the students around him.
After letting a few shrill screams to call whatever they were supposed to study that day, the students all glanced uneasily around them. Suddenly Bakura let out a small chuckle as he pointed between two trees.
The transfer students squinted and smiled as they too recognised the creatures they were studying. The skeletal body of a huge black winged-body had just appeared into the clearing, shaking its mane as he approached the offered meat, leaning its head to grab a chunk.
However, most of the students were still glancing around, confused. Hagrid smiled proudly.
- Yep, today we're studyin' Thestrals…
Hermione let out a small sound of understanding.
- Now, who can see 'em?
The transfer students all put their hands up, soon followed by Harry, Neville and Dave, another Slytherin student.
- Yeh, Harry, I though' so… An' you Neville… Now, who can tell me why only nine o' yeh can see 'em?
It was no surprise when Hermione's hand shot up.
- You can only see Thestrals if you've seen death!
Hagrid beamed at Hermione and was about to start the lesson when a fake cough interrupted him.
- _Hem hem_…
Yami groaned as he noticed their DADA teacher from the corner of his eyes. Turning back towards the Thestrals to study them for a while, he frowned as he felt Yugi fidgeting beside him. Glancing over at the smaller teen, the ancient pharaoh noticed how confused his Light seemed.
- Yugi? Is everything alright?
He had spoken in Japanese, thus drawing the attention of the white-haired teens and the Egyptians. Yugi smiled nervously at his taller self.
- Nani… just… I don't remember seeing anyone die…
Mariku chuckled.
- Weren't you there when I killed Jounouchi, Little Yugi?
Yugi nodded sadly, but Ryou shook his head.
- Yugi did see him die, but I didn't… I was unconscious that day, and besides my body was in the Shadow Realm since you won against Bakura…
Bakura wrapped his arms comfortingly around Ryou's waist, frowning.
- Angel, you saw death literally. You died when you sacrificed your soul to defeat me when I played Monster World against the Pharaoh and company…
Ryou bit his lip at the memory. The group fell silent, suddenly aware of the fact that Umbridge had already started to walk among the students to ask them questions, and that Draco, who couldn't understand a word of Japanese, was watching them with his eyebrows raised.
- Guys, do me a favour and talk English when I'm around… You know I hate it when you talk Japanese.
Marik grinned at the blond.
- That's why it's so fun speaking Japanese when you're near!
Draco shook his head in exasperation, but he smiled anyway before making loud comments about Hagrid with Pansy, making sure their DADA teacher would hear.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Christmas break was gaining on the students real fast, so fast it was now only a few days away. The transfer students had just had a long boring hour of history and were all relieved to sink down in the comfy sofas of their Common Room. Ryou and Marik were both snuggled against their yamis, of course, both of which would occasionally smirk at the Pharaoh as they saw him frown briefly at them. Yugi had gone down to the Slytherin's to help Blaise with his Transfiguration essay.
After a few minutes, Yami groaned and headed towards the dormitory.
- I'm gonna take a nap…
As the door swung close, Bakura and Mariku snickered.
- Who's he kidding? Come on, anyone can see he's frustrated cause we got our Angels and he hasn't!
Ryou and Marik rolled their eyes as they snuggled closer to their darks, longing for sleep to take over them. Suddenly, Marik shot up so fast he nearly fell from Mariku's lap.
- Wow, cool it, hikari-mine! We all know you enjoy falling out of bed every morning, but still…
Marik playfully poked his boyfriend on the chest before smirking at his friends.
- I just had the most brilliant idea…
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
Yugi sighed as he uttered the password to the painting, happy to finally reach the warm atmosphere of the room after an hour of helping Blaise. He smiled sadly at the two couples on the sofas, in a way jealous of their happiness. _Why must I be too damn shy?_
Ryou looked up and wavedat his younger friend as he entered.
- Hey Yugi!
Yugi gave him a warm smile, dropping his bag on the floor beside the table.
- Hey! Erhm… Where's Yami?
As if on cue, Yami, who had just heard Ryou hailing his hikari, left the dormitory, smiling down at his Light.
- Looking for me?
His smile faded however, when he heard Mariku cast a spell.
The spell hit both Yugi and Yami, bothstanding a few inchesfrom one another. Cursing, Yami tried to turn around to face the Egyptian… only to find out his feet were for some reason stuck to the ground.
- What did you do, Psychopath?
Bakura smirked as Mariku cackled insanely. Ryou and Marik were both giggling uncontrollably at the expression on the Pharaoh's face.
- What do you think he did? He hit you with a spell so that you would stay put.
Yugi sighed as he twisted his body in order to see the Tomb Robber.
- Better question… Why exactly did he do that?
Marik snorted as he grinned at the younger duellist.
- 'Cause they're tired of waiting for your darker half to make his move!
Yugi frowned in confusion while his yami's eyes widened in shock.
- What? You're kidding me, right?
Yami then glared at Bakura and Mariku. Ra, how he wished looks could kill! If they could, then both would have died ten times already.
- You two are so dead!
Mariku dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
- Yeah, whatever! Just tell him now and you'll thank us later… Or did you left your backbone somewhere in Egypt?
Yami's face paled slightly.
- I was going to tell him soon, I swear, but not like this! Dammit, you're screwing it all up!
Bakura shrugged.
- No we're not, we're just giving you a hand, you baka Pharaoh. And it'll certainly be the only one I'll give you, so I'd take full advantage of it if I were you!
Ryou sighed as he stood up from his comfortable seat, giving both jinxed teenagers a half sympathetic smile.
- If it makes you feel better, we'll leave you two.
He pulled Bakura to his feet ("_Oh, but I want to see this!_") and pulled him out of the room. A stern look sent towards Marik's direction caused the Egyptian to wince, and so he too followed with his yami, deciding he didn't want to face an angry Ryou. He knew the consequences could be terrible…
Yami growled as he glared at thereretreating backs, leaving him stuckinches away from the one he loved. Curse them!
- Yami?
The Pharaoh's eyes left the door to focus on his hikari.
- Erhm, I don't get it… What is it you wouldn't tell me?
Yami's eyes softened as his hikari cutelytilted his head towards the side in confusion. Taking a deep breath, Yami locked eyes with his hikari, silently cursing the Tomb Robber and the Psychopath. _I swear, if you've screwed it, you two are sooooo dead…_
- Listen Yugi, it's something rather… delicate, and I was waiting for the right moment to tell you. So don't think they're pushing me to tell you…
Yugi gave him a small reassuring smile.
- It's alright, Yami… You don't have to tell me if you want to wait. We'd just have to find a way to break the curse Mariku jinxed us with!
Yami sighed as he shook his head.
- No, now that they've brought the subject, it'll do no good to turn it down…
He leaned forward ever so slightly. Yugi now realized how close their faces were and couldn't suppress his blush as he shifted uneasily. His blush didn't go unnoticed. The former Pharaoh managed a grin as he grabbed Yugi's chin, gently lifting his head so that their eyes locked.
- What I wanted to say, Yugi, was that I love you, and have for a while now.
Yugi's eyes widened in shock, but before he could say anything, Yami had closed the remaining gap between them, his lips softly kissing Yugi's… As he pulled back, he gazed into his hikari's dazed eyes, waiting for his reaction. Yugi stayed stunned for awhile, but he finally blinked before looking at his yami uncertainly.
- Did you just kiss me?
Yami responded with a small nod. To his surprise, Yugi smiled, a sigh of relief escaping his lips.
-Then the feeling is mutual…
The smaller duellist then glanced skywards, a grin making his appearance on his cherubic face.
- Erhm… Yami? Did you happen to noticed they jinxed us just under mistletoe?
Yami lifted his eyes to notice that, indeed, a branch was hanging over their heads. He smirked and leaned down to happily kiss his hikari, his arms around Yugi's waist. The smaller teen hesitantly wrapped his arms around histhe pharaoh'sshoulders. The spell was somehow lifted, and so Yami pulled his Yugi closer to him, both teens too lost into the kiss to notice the door close silently.
_pqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpq_
- Ha, I knew it!
Marikhad just lifted the charm his boyfriend had cast on Yami and Yugi through a crak in the door, before turning back towards his three accomplices, smirking. Naturaly, all of themhad just witnessed the scene. He yelped however when Mariku circled him with his arms without somuch as a warning, a smirk plastered on his face.
- Hey, what are you doing?
- I won the bet, hikari-mine! We left them less than three minutes ago!
Bakura snorted as he pulled his giggling hikari closer to him.
- You were lucky, Mariku… Another ten seconds and you would have lost.
The Egyptian smirked before kissing his hikari full on the lips. As he broke back apart, Marik couldn't help but grin.
- Guess I won't mind losing then if it means having to kiss you.
Ryou rolled his eyes as the two tanned teens locked lips once more, before letting a small "eep" escape his lips as his yami swung him around, causing him to look into Bakura's grinning face.
- Everyone appears to be kissing except us, Angel…
Ryou smiled as he was pulled into a kiss, his arms snaking around his dark's shoulder.
The three couples were so happy at that moment; they felt nothing could go wrong. But Fate seemed to have other plans…
* * *
I hope you enjoyed it, and again, sorry for the lateness...Now they're all paired up! Next chapter: They'll receive alarming news from Japan, and something's going to happen to the hikaris. The yamis are so gonna kill me…
Thanks for reading, hope you liked it!
8. When Chaos erupts
Hi everyone! Sorry for the real late update, but you know, withhomework and all, and I swear this chapter was a pain… Not much romance in it neither… For those of you who like Seto, Joey, Mokuba and the Ishtars, they make an appearance this chapter, and they'll also be in the next one. Okay, I'm quiet now, so sit back, relax and I hope you'll enjoy!
Oh, and I still don't own.
* * *
Chapter 8: Chaos erupts.
After deciding it would be best to hold his revenge till later, assuming the four teenagers wouldn'texit the room until he and Yugi would leave ("I'm sure they're enjoying the wait anyway…"), Yami took his Lighter half to the Hall for dinner. Besides, patience was the key for revenge, so he'd eventually get back at them later.
The two teens joined their Slytherin friends at their table. Barely ten minutes had passed when the four remaining transferees entered the Great Hall, smirking or grinning as they took their usual seats at the Slytherin Table. Draco gave them a questioning look, wondering what could have provoked such mirth.
"So… What happened with you guys?" he asked casually. He was answered by a collective uproar of laughter while Yugi and Yami both left a groan escape their throats.
"You don't want to know." Yami shot a dirty look in the four criminals' general direction, who responded with either a smile or a grin. Oh, that look was priceless on the Pharaoh's face!
"Aw, why not, Pharaoh?" Yami turned his glare towards the white-haired thief.
"Cause if you tell them, I might accidentally let slip how Trelawney predicted your death last week!" His statement caused Yugi, Marik, Mariku and Ryou to burst into a fit of giggles or chuckles, while Bakura's face paled slightly.
- You wouldn't…
- Trust me, I will unless you know how to keep your mouth shut!
Bakura groaned as he turned his narrowed eyes on the steak before him, trying to bloke out Mariku's constant snickering. "Shut up, Psychopath!"
As dinner went on, the hikaris spoke happily with the Slytherins, while the yamis kept shooting dirty looks at one another. However, their focus was soon turned towards the ceiling as a dark shadow swept through an opened window. Several of the younger students panicked, but they eventually calmed down as thefigure landed on the Slytherin table, just beside Yugi. The teen's eyes widened as he recognised the creature.
"Shadow? What the…?" Before he could finish his question, Shadow, who happened to be a majestic dark eagle, nibbled his finger hard, causing him to yelp. He shot the bird a dirty look, before realising Shadow had a letter attached to his leg.
"Erhm, Yugi? Since when does Kaiba uses his fastest eagle to send _us_ letters?"
Yugi blinked as he finally decided to detach the letter.
"Probably since I can't answer his phone calls…" He opened the envelope and frowned as he pulled out its contents. A letter addressed to him, and an envelope labelled Marik Ishtar.
"Erhm, Marik? There's a letter for you…" It was the Egyptian's turn to blink in confusion as he took the envelope in his hands, his eyes scanning the writing on the envelope. His eyes widened suddenly as he tore it open, his fingers pulling out the parchment quickly. Mariku shot his younger half a worried glance. "Marik, what…?"
"It's Rishid's handwriting… I doubt Kaiba wouldlet him use hiseagle just for him to say hello!" Mariku leaned slightly over his hikari's shoulder to read the parchment in his hands. Bakura, Ryou and the closest Slytherins watched as the four transferees eyes grew wide as they went further down their missives.
Marik suddenly gave a loud gasp and was about to stand hastily up when Mariku's firm arms circled around his shoulder to keep him seated. "Mariku, let go! Isis…"
"Isis is alright, Rishid said he'd look after her, so she's fine. Calm down!"
Marik continued to struggle a bit, but his yami just held him tighter. Yugi's eyes were wide with shock across from them, Yami narrowing his as worry and anger seeped through him.
Ryou nervously put his hand on Marik's shoulder, confused.
"Guys, what is it?"
To the Slytherins' surprise, Marik answered back in Japanese, leaving them all in the dark. Only the transferees could speak the language.
"Isis… Someone tried to attack her… If it wasn't for the necklace warning her and her phoning Rishid, she could have been seriously injured."
Bakura rolled his eyes at the younger teen.
"Marik, from what I knowof your sister, she's pretty tough. And it doesn't mean anything! People get attacked every day, it might not happen again."
Marik was about to retort back, but Yami beat him to it.
"Only, baka Tomb Robber, Isis wasn't the only one attacked. Someone broke into Jou's apartment… and Roland was sent at the hospital for getting Mokuba and Seto out of harm's way. And magic is mentioned in the letter. I don't think those attacks are just a coincidence…"
Mariku groaned as he relaxed his grip around his hikari.
"Don't tell me someone else is after us…"
"Says the one who tried to kill us all…"
"...Shut up Pharaoh…"
Once dinner was over and they had returned to their dormitory, Marik started to fidget with his rod, obviously not at all relax with the idea of one of his two closest relatives being attacked. Sure, they could look after themselves, but still…
Yugi and Ryou were also uneasy, both sitting awkwardly on the couch in silence, eyes staring into space. The yamis were still arguing over the matter, until finally Marik stood up, hand firmly gripping his item.
"I'm sorry guys, but I can't take it. I just need to make sure everything is alright!"
He started towards the door, when Yugi caught his arm.
"I think I know a way… But we'll need to see the Headmaster…"
Dumbledore was looking in his Pensieve, sighing as the memories kept twirling inside the silver tub. Again, he saw Tom Riddle attending classes like every normal student, a distant expression on his face.
He wassuddenly interrupted bya knock on the door, and in entered Snape, followed by two of the transferees. If he wasn't mistaking, the students were Yugi and Marik. Damn look-alikes, as if the Weasley twins weren't enough.
"Sir, Misters Ishtar and Muto have requested to see you. Something about family problems…"
Dumbledore nodded as he scanned the two teens in front of him.
"Very well! What is it you wished to ask me?"
Marik stood forward, his eyes hard with worry.
"Listen sir, we received a letter earlier in the evening, and it stated that several of our friends were attacked. My sister was one of them, and there's no way for me to make sure she's alright unless by owl, which in my opinion takes too long."
Dumbledore gave him a quizzical look as he paused.
"I understand, Mr Ishtar. Unfortunately, I don't see how I could be of any help…"
His gaze turned towards Yugi as the smaller duellist chirped in.
"I have a cell phone, professor, and I could call home to make sure everyone's okay. Only, muggle technology doesn't work in the school…"
The Headmaster sighed as he took a seat at his desk.
"And I suppose you both want to ask permission to leave the borders of Hogwarts long enough so that you could make your phone call?"
Both teens nodded, their eyes fixed on the old wizard, waiting for a positive answer. Albus sighed as he turned toward his potions' teacher.
"Severus, would you be kind enough to escort those two just outside the gates? I wouldn't want young Ishtar to throw a fit and make us do stupid things just to ease his worry…"
Marik couldn't help but grin sheepishly as the Headmaster's eyes twinkled with amusement. The Egyptian grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him towards the door impatient, barely giving him enough time to shout "Arigatou!" to their Headmaster. Snape rolled his eyes in amusement and followed his students outside.
"Oh, and Severus, please make sure not a single word of this matter reaches Professor Umbridge…"
The sound of the coffee machine was the only sound in the Ishtar household, and it was really starting to get on Rishid's nerves. He had just checked on Isis, fast asleep in her room, although she would at times toss and turn, and Rishid was sure he'd heard her muttering their little sibling's name. The coffee machine made a large gurgling sound, causing Rishid to glare sharply at it.
He was startled out of his thoughts by the ringing of the phone. The Egyptian frowned as he checked the time.
"7.30am… Now who would call so early…?" He took the receiver and brought it to his ear.
"Ishtar residence, Rishid speaking… How may I help you?"
"Rishid? Thank Ra…"
The tall man's eyes widened as he recognized the voice.
"Marik? Is everything alright? Why are you calling, I thought you couldn't use the cell…?"
"Rishid, I'm fine… I just wanted to check on you and Isis. We received the letter two hours ago. What happened? Is Isis alright? What about you?"
Rishid breathed a sigh of relief, resting back down on the couch.
"She's resting right now. She foresaw a group of wizards attacking her, and phoned me as soon as her vision cleared. I got to her just in time to protect her. Don't worry, little brother, they didn't have time to harm us."
"Thank Ra, I was so worried."
Ashuffle of cloth brought Rishid's attention to the door. His gaze softened as he saw Isis standing there, rubbing her sleepy eyes awake. _Just like when she was a kid…_
"Rishid? Who is it on the phone?"
Said Egyptian smiled as he stood up to meet her, handing her the phone. Isis gave him a questioning look before bringing the receiver to her ear.
"Hello? Who is this?"
There was a moment of silence, thenshe nearly dropped the receiveras a familiar voice spoke from the other end of the line.
"Isis! Am I happy to hear you!"
"Marik!"
Yugi smiled as he saw Marik's expression lighten up. Well at least that meant that the Ishtars were safe.
"Don't worry, Isis, I'm fine. All six of us. Although I'm sure I'll end up with a cold in a few days! I swear it's freezing cold over here!"
He glanced at Yugi, who was jumping on the spot to keep himself warm. Their potion's professor was leaning against a tree casually, waiting for the two boys to finish their calls. He couldn't understand a word of the conversation, since Marik was speaking in Egyptian, and he was sure Yugi would speak in Japanese once he'll be able to call whoever it was he wanted to call.
"I promise I'll be careful. Listen, it's getting late here, and Yugi wants to check on Jou and the Kaiba brothers, so I'll have to leave… And stay out of trouble, Isis, and tell Rishid too! ... Whatever you say… I love the both of you too."
He hung up and passed the cell over to Yugi, a smile on his face.
"They're alright…"
Yugi smiled back as he started to dial Kaiba's phone number.
As the portrait swung open, the three yamis finally dropped their argument to see Yugi and Marik entering. Yami pulled his hikari in his arms as he sat on the couch.
"So, what news?"
Yugi gave him a warm smile.
"Everyone's fine. Jounouchi is staying at the Kaiba's while the police investigates in his apartment, and Roland should leave the hospital tomorrow. But still, what bothers me is that those who attacked the Kaibas appear to be wizards."
"Isis too was attacked by wizards. You were right about it not being a coincidence… I think they're looking for something, and my guess is the items. Hey, where's Ryou?" asked Marik as he cuddled against Mariku's chest. His darker half stroked his hair as he gazed down at him.
"He forgot his homework in the Slytherin common room. He went there to get it, since it's due tomorrow. He'd better watch out for teachers… It's half past midnight already!"
Marik nodded, yawning as he stood up, when all of a sudden a sharp headache brought him to his knees, a yell escaping his lips. A scream from the couch in front of him made him look up to see Yugi clutching his head in a similar fashion. Yami and Mariku were immediately by their sides.
"Hikari-mine? Marik, what is it?"
"Yugi, calm down! Aibou!"
Bakura stiffened as he felt a sharp pang in his chest. Something was wrong. Yugi and Marik were both still screaming on the ground, but he sensed something else. As if the screaming was coming from his mind. No…from his mind-link!
His eyes widened as realisation dawned on him. If Yugi and Marik were bothin that state… then…
_Oh Shit! Ryou!_
He immediately dashed through the portrait, hoping nothing had befallen his Light.
"Ryou! Ryou what is it? Blaise, go get the professor!"
Blaise rushed out of the portrait as Draco tried to calm the hysterical boy. He didn't understand what had happened. Ryou had been laughing at a joke Pansy had told him, and was about to leave their dorm when he suddenly collapsed, screaming and thrashing madly. Nearly the entire Slytherin community had awoken and gathered around the two boys, unsure of what was going on. Alan pushed his way through and kneeled down beside Draco, helping him holding down the screaming teen.
Draco looked up as the portrait swung open, half relieved at the thought of Snape being here. Maybe he'll know what to do. But his relief turned into confusion as he saw that it wasn't the professor that had entered, but Bakura.
The Tomb Robber's eyes darted across the room, searching for his Light. As soon as he spotted him, Alan and Draco, both still desperately trying to calm him down, he bolted towards them, roughly shoving the dark haired teen as soon as he'd reach Ryou, switching immediately to japanese.
"Ryou! Angel, it's me! Calm down!" Bakura grasped both of his hikari's shoulders to steady him, and to everyone's surprise, his eyes glassed over. As if he was… staring into nothingness.
But what surprised them more was the way he would twitch, as if he was fighting an inner battle. And with each twitch he'd make, Ryou seemed to calm down a little, until he slumped down completely against Bakura's chest, silent. Slowly, the dark's eyes turned back to their normal colour, although Draco noticed they were narrower than usual.
Bakura stood up, Ryou in his arms, and without a second glance to the gathering of students, darted to the portrait, kicking it open before heading straight towards the Hospital Wing.
Alan watched the white haired boy spacing out as he stood back up, ready to yell at the teen for shoving him away and for staring blankly instead of helping Ryou. However, he caught himself as he noticed Ryou's slightly relaxing form. He watched in amazement with the rest of the Slytherins as Bakura somehow managed to calm the younger teen down, before he left the room in a hurry, his look alike held closely against him, Draco just behind him. As he processed the night's events, something clicked in his mind…
_How the Hell didAkefia know something was wrong with Ryou?_
Yami barely noticed Bakura leaving the room at top speed as he tried to calm his hikari down. Sensing magic emanating profusely from Yugi's body, the Pharaoh spaced out, so entering their soul's corridor. The first thing he noticed was the Silent Magician knocked out cold in front of one of the two soul rooms, blood trickling along his cheeks.
"YUGI!" He yelled as he rushed towards his Light's soulroom, flinging the door open to see shadows floating menacingly over Yugi, back pressed to the wall, yelling as the Shadows teared through him. Yami lunged forward, fighting against the Shadows who dared harm his love, using his spirit body to block him from any more blows. Yugi collapsed to the ground, whimpering, as the Pharaoh continued to protect him until the shadows gave a frustrated cry, disappearing as they were banished from the soul room they had trespassed in. Yami's figure relaxed slightly from his defending stance, before he whirled round towards Yugi's form. The teen was unconscious,butstill shaking and whimpering, as if haunted by nightmares. Gently, the Pharaoh picked his hikari up and laid him on the comforting bed that stood in his room, tucking him in quickly with his blankets.
"Mahaad! Mana!" The two Dark Magicians appeared beside him, Mana's eyes widening in horror as she noticed Yugi's shivering form, Mahaad simply narrowing his. Yami turned quickly to them.
"I'm going back to the physical world to bring Yugi to the Infirmary, but I need you to stay in his room in case anyone comes back. Send Misty to Kamoku, he's knocked out in front of Yugi's door." After receiving a nod from his two most faithful cards, the Pharaoh gave his hikari a quick kiss before disappearing from the room.
As his eyes adjusted to the light of the Common Room, Yami noticed Mariku and Marik were no longer with him. Knowing the Dark had probably left for the Infirmary, the teen lifted Yugi bridal style before sprinting after the Egyptians, hardly noticing the Angel and Demon from their painting yelling after him for waking them at an ungodly hour.
When he arrived at the Hospital Wing, Yami found Madam Pomfrey trying to pull Mariku away from his Light, whose side he refused to leave. The aged witch turned sharply towards the new arrivals, eyes widening as she saw Yugi in pretty much the same state as the Egyptian that was now lying unconscious on one of the beds, Mariku still grasping one of his handswith his own.
"Merlin's beard, not another one!" She rushed forward as Yami laid his precious hikari on the bed next to Marik. Madam Pomfrey quickly checked a pulse and was about to proceed to various amount of checks on the teen when the door was kicked open, slamming against the wall. Yami and Mariku looked up to see a very pissed Bakura storming into the room, eyes narrowed in a dangerous way. The witch turned sharply to scold him, but her words drowned in her throat when she saw him depositing another teenager on a third bed.
"What the…? How…?" Madam Pomfrey was at a loss of words. Three unconscious students in less than five minuteswas worrisome. After a quick check on the three students, not without sending a glare or two towards the yamis as they still refused to leave their lovers side, she gave a frustrated growl.
"This is serious… One of you go get the Headmaster!"
"There is no need, Pomfrey…"
All heads turned yet again towards the door. There stood Dumbledore calmly, Snape behind him. The aged Headmaster scanned the occupants of the room, his eyes finally resting on Yami, who was probably (and certainly) the most likely person to answer him.
"Would you explain what exactly happened to your Lights?"
Knowing the personalities of each of the three students who remained conscious, he had expected for Yami to be the only one willing to answer. So it was a surprise when all three Darks answered at once, anger clearly leaking through their tone of voice.
"Someone tried to break into their mind."
"Isis, calm down… I can't understand a thing you're saying… I said calm down!"
Jounouchi was starting to panic, even though he didn't show it. What was wrong with Isis?
"Jou, is everything alright? Who's on the phone?"
Said blond whirled round to see a concerned Mokuba standing in his doorway. The tall teenager brought one finger to his lips before speaking once again.
"Cool down. Okay Isis, just relax I'll give you a minute to gather yourself. That's it girl, breath deeply."
Jounouchi covered his cell with one hand as he finally answered his host's question.
"Isis Ishtar. I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm worried. Isis isn't the kind of person to just break down for no good reason… If finding out Marik had an alter ego who killed their father wasn't enough, then I guess something bad must have happened to her brother to put her in that state. But it doesn't make any sense, Yugi phoned us about an hour ago, and everyone seemed fine…"
Mokuba's eyes widened as he sat on the bed next to his friend waiting for the end of the conversation. The blond returned to his cell, listening to Isis explanations. When the younger teen saw Jounouchi's reaction to what the Egyptian was telling him, there was no doubt possible. Something bad had happened… and not only to Marik…
"WHAT! YOU MEAN YUGI AND THE OTHERS WERE MENTALLY ATTACKED? But how did you…? oh, yeah, I forgot about that… But are you sure? I mean, it did predict you'll win against Kaiba…"
"Mutt, what is all the shouting about? I can't concentrate!"
Jounouchi glared at the teenage CEO who had just appeared in his room, but ignored him.
"Listen, if what you say is true, then they'll probably send you an owl… I know what you feel… If you're that worried, just go to that school as soon as Rishid returns from the store… Just calm down, Mariku will surely protect him, he might be insane, but you know how possessive the yamis can get if someone messes with their hikaris… Okay? Good.I'll keep you informed if anything happens… Just relax, you've had a hard week, Isis, don't blame yourself… Ja ne…"
He hung up and gave both Kaiba brothers a worried look. "Something happened to Yugi, Ryou and Marik… Well, that's what Isis saw through her Tauk… Maybe it's nothing to worry about, but after what happened this week, I doubt it…"
Seto narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms against his chest. "I agree with you… I felt something odd a few minutes ago, and I'm sure it has something to do with magic… as much as I hate to admit it. Ishtar told the truth, something bad happened, and I'm going to find out what… You both have five minutes to pack your suitcases."
The brunette started to leave the room, leaving his brother and guest staring after him in confusion. Jounouchi was about to retort, but Mokuba beat him to it. "Pack our… but Seto, why…?"
Seto Kaiba didn't look back as he strode out of the guestroom.
"We're leaving for England, that's what."
Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey were staring at the three darks, unsure of what to make out of their answer. The Headmaster, on the other hand, just merrily raised an eyebrow. The yamis ignored their looks, focusing instead on their lighter halves, their features a mixture of rage and worry.
It was the nurse who broke the silence. "How come you be so sure about this? Usually, one whose mind has just been searched doesn't get knocked unconscious, most of the time they're…"
She broke of at the dangerous looks the three now gave her. Now Madam Pomfrey isn't someone to let a student intimidate her, but let's face it, when you've got three angry spirits glaring at you so hard you could have died ten times just from the look they sent you, you'd suddenly wish they hadn't noticed your presence.
"Listen, woman, I think I'm more qualified than you on mind attacks, having had quite a few mind slaves myself. The millennium items protect the hikaris'memories, so you have to directly attack their soul's and force answers out of them to get what you want. And before you ask, whoever attacked them was undoubtedly looking for the items. When I reached Marik's soulroom, shadows were trying to rip off his shirt while draining his energy, and we all know what's carved on his back… What's more, four other persons linked with the Sennen items were also attacked this week."
He turned back to Marik, his eyes glassing over, giving them a creepier look than the one they already had. They returned to their normal purple after a while, his features relaxing somewhat. Yami turned towards Dumbledore. "We'll need to build some barrier around their minds, lest something similar happens. Only, it might take days for us to complete it, for it's a difficult task."
Dumbledore nodded his head. "Then you shall be excused from classes for the reminder of the week. This shouldn't be a problem, since Christmas break will follow immediately." Yami bowed his head slightly in thanks.
Once again, the door was opened, this time allowing Professor McGonagall in the already crowded Infirmary. The aging professor seemed panicked.
"Albus, you should come immediately. It appears Potter has witnessed Arthur Weasley being attacked!" The Headmaster brought his hand to his head, massaging his temple slightly. Would this night ever end? Three unconscious students, three angry spirits, Harry dreaming his best friend's father was attacked, and it wouldn't surprise him if both Slytherins and Gryffindors were all out of bed! And it wasn't even 2.00am!
"I'll be there in a minute. Meanwhile, I beg of you, not a word on mind attacks, visions or whatnot to Professor Umbridge. If the Ministry finds out…" He left in a hurry with the transfiguration teacher, Snape soon following to check on the reminder of the students, muttering something about Zabini and Malfoy being concerned, leaving Madam Pomfrey with the transferees. She muttered something about the darks trying to get some sleep, but she was ignored as all three spent the reminder of the night at their hikaris' side, eyes glassed over as they stood guard in their soulrooms.
* * *
And that's where it ends for now… I hope you guys liked it, though I'm not really really happy about this chapter.Next chapter, I guess we'll be able to reach Christmas.
Anyways, any questions or suggestions are welcomed, and if you spot something wrong, please inform me. Thanks for reading!
9. Break of dawn
Hehe… sorry for taking um...5 months or so to post this chapter… Guess you have all the right to flame me…
I hope you'll enjoy, and again, sorry for the real late update. Gomen...
* * *
**Chapter 9: Break of dawn**.
The nights' events had reached the ears of the entire castle by the end of dinner the next day. The fact that the entire Weasley family, Harry Potter and the transferees were missing from class brought a large amount of questioning among the students, but no one, not even the teachers could give answers. So the attention was drawn towards the fifth year boys from either Gryffindor or Slytherin, since they had been the closest witnesses. Eventually, the students discovered the infamous Harry Potter had wokenin the middle of the night sick and in pain, whereas at least one of the transferees, namely Ryou, had collapsed screaming in agony for unknown reasons. Hermione Granger was also being questioned by most of the Gryffindors, seeing as she was very close to the Weasleys' and to Golden Boy, but alas, their questions were left unanswered as she hadn't a clue of what really happened.
Two days after that night, the presence of strangers in Hogwarts added to the confusion of the student body. Especially since these strangers were quite noticeable among the throng of teenagers.
Two were obviously of Egyptian heritage. One was a calm looking young woman with piercing eyes that held knowledge and wisdom. The name "Ishtar" was whispered amongst the students, as indeed the resemblance with one of the missing students, Marik Ishtar, was great, although she had dark hair instead of Marik's trademark sandy blond. If one looked carefully, one would see that, though she kept a calm demeanour she was worried. The second Egyptian, a tall man, had given quite a fright to some of the first years. Although he wasn't as tall as Hagrid, he easily towered over the students and his strict features brought an uncomfortable feeling down one's spine if one was to face him. The fact that half of his face had hieroglyphs carved into it didn't ease that impression.
The other three strangers appeared not to have reached their twenties yet. The youngest could have meddled with the first years, if it wasn't for the fact that his eyes carried intelligence to a different level, which could have easily brought Hermione Granger's legendary knowledge to shame. Long raven hair fell behind him in a messy heap, and a peculiar necklace which seemed to represent a card was secured around his neck.
Another of the strangers appeared to have reached eighteen summers. He could have also meddled with some of the older students, his appearances having nothing unusual. He was tall, and his face was framed by messy dirty blond hair. He had a tendency to draw attention to himself whenever he got pissed. His English wasn't perfect either, so he would mostly speak (or, to be more precise, yell) in Japanese.
The last stranger was a tall brunette, with ever-glaring cold blue eyes. Anyone could see he wasn't one to mess with. The way he stands or walks suggested superiority, and his face held an expressionless, business-like attitude at all times. But what probably amazed the students most was the fact that he carried a laptop with him. Not only that, but the students sent to the Hospital Wing to tend to their injuries would witness a very uncommon phenomenon…
The laptop was able to work within the boundaries of Hogwarts.
As the days passed, more rumours were born. Incidentally, the transferees were still in the castle, in the Hospital Wing to be more precise. Ryou, Marik and Yugi were unconscious, whereas the other three would stay by their sides as often as possible, their eyes unfocused, until they would either collapse or until one of the strangers would drag them to the beds across from their look alike. Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini or other Slytherins would sometimes come to visit, and Draco had started acquainting himself with the strangers.
He discovered that the two Egyptians were indeed Marik's relatives, Isis and Rishid Ishtar. Both weren't very talkative, though he was sure Isis's silence was due to her worry for her little brother. He was also introduced to Yugi's best friend, Jounouchi Katsuya. The tall blonde was a nice person to chat with, although slightly exuberant, but Draco couldn't help noticing the concern in his eyes each time he would check on his three friends. The other two were siblings: Seto Kaiba, teenage CEO of one of the biggest Muggle company, KaibaCorp, and his little brother Mokuba. Seto seemed less concerned for his friends' well fare, but Draco learned the brunette used to keep a façade in front of his emotions, whereas deep down he was worried. He would sit at the Infirmary's table to work on his laptop, which, Draco soon learned, had been conceived specially to work within magical boundaries. Mokuba would wonder around the castle at times with Jounouchi, both keeping themselves company as they waited for their friends' awakening.
Draco didn't fully understand what Mariku, Yami and Bakura were doing thought. Once he had entered when all three were sitting at their boyfriends' side, as usual with their eyes glassed over. Jou was starting to worry, telling them to sleep or else they would drain themselves, when Yami collapsed on top of Yugi, exhausted. Jou had asked Draco to help him carry the teen to his own bed while he and Seto forcefully pulled a struggling Bakura and a pissed Mariku away from Ryou and Marik, forcing them to join Yami. They were asleep before their heads' could touch the pillow. Whatever they were doing, thought Draco, they were using quite a lot of energy to achieve it.
* * *
The Hospital Wing was quite silent on Thursday evening. The Ishtars had left for Hogsmeade, intent on returning early the next morning. Most of the school inhabitants were in the Great Hall for dinner, and Dumbledore had insisted on the presence of Jounouchi and both Kaiba brothers. They accepted once they were sure all three Darks were resting in order to regain their energy, and so only Madam Pomfrey's occasional search through parchments or potions would break the calmness that surrounded the three unconscious Lights and resting Darks.
That, and also the constant shuffling of the only visitor in the room.
Alan was sitting at Ryou's side, his gaze drifting over every detail of the angel's face. His hand trailed over the soft cheeks, and eventually it would brush aside one of the soft white locks. It wasn't fair… He had seen the way Ryou would look at Akefia, the way he would smile to him, the way he would giggle at his jokes or the way his cheeks would turn ever so slightly pink when Akefia would drape his arm around him. He was jealous… He wanted Ryou to look at him the way he would look at Akefia… He wanted Ryou to smile at him the way he smiled at Akefia… He wanted Ryou to giggle cutely at his jokes… He wanted to be the one to make Ryou blush whenever he would embrace him the way Akefia did…
He wanted Ryou to be his…
Throwing a dirty glare towards the other side of the room where he knew his rival was sleeping, Alan couldn't help but ponder on those strange occasions. Like when he had startled Ryou in the corridors, or when Ryou had collapsed in the Slytherin Common Room… Akefia had rushed to his side as if he knew what was going on… and how did he manage to calm Ryou while staring into nothingness? How did he even know Ryou needed help? There was no way he could have heard his screams all the way from their dormitory…
_What is it you have that I don't? What is it that you're hiding? I swear Akefia, I'll find out… And once I have, I'll make sure you lose Ryou…_
He turned back his gaze towards said angel's unconscious figure, his hand trailing once again along his face as Ryou whimpered softly. _I won't let you have him, Akefia… Whatever he sees in you, I'll crush it! If anyone should have him, it should be me… _He smiled as his fingers caressed Ryou's soft lips. _And I'll make sure you're mine, Ryou…I'll make sure you're MY little angel…not Akefia's…_
He was interrupted from his thoughts by a hand grasping his wrist painfully, jerking it away from the pale face he had been stroking. Glancing up, Alan found a pair of crimson eyes glaring angrily at him.
"I thought…" A calm cold voice said, "…that it was made clear you were NOT to lay a finger on him ever again… Unless…" The hand grasping his wrist tightened. "…you would rather face the consequences…"
Alan glared back at the white haired teen facing him, trying to ignore the painful crushing of his wrist. The only sign that Bakura was pissed was the way his eyes were narrower than usual… other than that, the teen's face seemed calm. Alan recalled the time he had trapped Ryou against the wall. The dark had held a similar demeanour then.
"I'll give you one last warning… Don't approach Ryou ever again! If you do, I'll have to figure out a way to explain your… sudden disappearance." Bakura smirked evilly at the grey eyed teen.
"Bakura, stop threatening the kid and get your ass back to bed before we drag you there!"
Bakura glared at Jou as he released his hold on Alan, before switching to Japanese.
"I'm rested enough to finish putting up Ryou's defences, and unless you want a trip to the shadows don't try to drag me back there. Oh, and Mutt, make sure that kid doesn't come back…"
He all but shoved Alan away, glaring at him until the Slytherin decided it would be best to retreat, muttering curses as he passed both Bakura and Jounouchi. Once the teen had left, Jounouchisighedin exasperation as he saw the Spirit taking a seat beside his hikari.
"Geeze, Bakura, I swear if you faint, I'm leaving you there on the floor!"
The white haired turned to glare at him, and Jounouchi couldn't help but wince as he recalled the fact Bakura could get **really** evil… and the blonde wasn't looking forward for another shadow game…
"I won't faint." The thief stated coldly, before focusing on the defences around Ryou's mind. Jounouchi felt relieved. He yelped however when he heard a chuckle from the door.
"Yikes! Kaiba! Give a man a heart attack!" The CEO smirked as he entered the room, followed by a laughing Mokuba.
"Aw, did I scare you, Puppy?" The brunette leaned casually against the wall beside Jounouchi with his arms crossed, while Mokuba took a seat between Yami and Mariku's bed.
"I'm not a puppy!" Jounouchi growled as he glared suspiciously at the teen. "Whatever were you laughing at anyway?"
Again with that smirk. "You, Pup. It's always amusing to see you flinch. To think you consider yourself tough is probably the funniest joke I've ever heard!"
Jounouchi narrowed his eyes at the comment as he charged towards the taller teen, fists clenched at his sides. As the two argued, they didn't notice three pairs of amused eyes watching them with mild interest.
"I'm betting they're together at the beginning of the New Year…" Mariku smirked as Mokuba and Yami both snorted.
"They'll be together by New Years Eve!" Mariku nodded and shook hands with Yami, sealing their bet. Mokuba chuckled.
"At the pace they're going at, my brother will be dating his favourite puppy starting Christmas!" Both darks grinned at him before standing up, intent on finishing placing the shields around their hikari's soul rooms', like Bakura was doing with Ryou. Mokuba sighed as he took hold of his brother's laptop. If Seto and Jounouchi were to argue, he might as well do some work instead of waiting patiently in a corner. Or he could always challenge a virtual opponent into Duel Monsters, if he felt like it. Hmm, decisions, decisions...
* * *
It wasn't till the clock had stroked midnight that the yamis finally finished putting up their hikari's defences. Jou and Mokuba had left to their friends dormitories, where Dumbledore had provided three more beds for their stay in Hogwarts. Seto, on the other hand, had stayed in the Infirmary to work on his laptop, as usual. He stayed up all night, seeing as he had quite a few problems concerning his company to deal with. The three darks slept till midday on Friday morning, drained from their energy. However, when they woke up, their concern for their hikari's wellbeing grew stronger, since they couldn't do anything but wait, and so they started arguing over what happened. Seto and Jou had to restrain them that afternoon, causing Madam Pomfrey to ban all yamis from the Wing until she deemed them worthy enough to come back. Of course, as soon as they passed the Great Hall to return to their Dormitory, they were stopped by Professor Umbridge.
Now no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her hands on information about the mysterious events that caused eleven students to miss an entire week of class and strangers to come to Hogwarts, and she was determined to wrestle the truth out of someone. Obviously, the Ishtars didn't say much, whereas Dumbledore and other members of the staff kept very vague. She had tried Seto and Jounouchi, but soon gave up at Seto's stern glare which he was famous for, and Jou had lost his cool once in front of her, so she also ruled him out. She would have tried Mokuba if she could find him alone without either his brother or the tall blonde, so she was hopeful when she came across the three Darks. Her hopes were crushed though by their coldness and stubbornness, and so she gave them detention, much to most of the school's surprise. That didn't serve to improve the Darks' already bad mood.
* * *
On Saturday morning, Draco had dragged them to the now nearly empty Slytherin Common Room hoping to lighten their moods somewhat. His attempts weren't very successful, until a flushed Mokuba came sprinting through the portrait hole.
"Guys! They're awake! Hey, wait for me!"
For no sooner had the words escaped his mouth that the Darks had rushed out towards the Hospital Wing.
When they reached it, they were met by laughter, as Jou was messing Yugi's hair playfully, happy to see his best friend awake and in good health. The Ishtars were also there, Rishid grinning while Isis squeezed the life out of her younger brother. Marik was trying to get her to let go, his arms flailing weakly, causing more hilarity. Seto was standing beside the table in an expressionless manner, as usual, though if you looked closely you could tell he was relieved.
The Darks grinned as they charged towards their Lights, causing them all to yelp as they were tackled against their pillows. Ryou found himself in a friendly headlock performed by a smirking Tomb Robber. Marik had just finally managed to push Isis away, only to have her replaced by Mariku. Yugi, on the other hand, was desperately trying to assure Yami he was alright. The Pharaoh was indeed checking him over, concern laced on his features as he asked Yugi if he was alright over and over again. Jou and Isis couldn't help but laugh, while Seto's and Rishid's grin just grew wider. When Mokuba joined them, he waited patiently for the Darks to let their hikaris go long enough for him to hug them.
"I swear Yugi, don't you ever scare me like that ever again! I was reliving the Orichalcos over again!"
Yugi smiled sleepily at his boyfriend as he was pulled into a hug.
"Sorry for making you worry, Yami. But really, I'm fine, just a little tired… no big deal…"
Yami quirked an eyebrow at him reproachfully.
"No big deal? What about Kamoku knocked out unconscious in front of your soulroom? And Mahaad found Kuriboh cowering in fear in the Shadow Realm. Yugi, what was it that attacked you?"
Yugi shifted uncomfortably in his boyfriend's arms as he noticed Jou and Seto were also looking at him expectantly.
"I… don't know… really… just… shadows… and fear. That's the best way to describe it I guess." He buried his face into Yami's chest. "I was so scared… I thought I'd lose you and would never see you again…"
The Ancient Pharaoh sighed as he tightened his grip on Yugi, bringing his lips to his forehead. "You'll never lose me, koi… I'll never leave you … No one can keep me away from you."
On the bed next to them, Bakura had finally released Ryou from his headlock, ruffling his long white hair instead. Ryou tried to swat his hand away, but it only encouraged Bakura even more.
"Kura, you're messing my hair up!"
The thief smirked back as he intertwined his fingers with a white lock. "You're cute when you do that!" He chuckled before pulling his hikari on his lap. "Tell me what happened…" he whispered into Ryou's ear. As the Light shifted his eyes away, Bakura grabbed his chin, forcing him to look directly into his narrowed eyes. "Tell me!"
Ryou sighed.
"I… don't know…" Not the best answer, since Bakura just narrowed his eyes even more. "You don't know…? You don't know why you were screaming and cowering deep into your soul room? Look at me, Ryou!" Bakura snapped as his hikari had closed his eyes. "Who did this? Tell me, so that I can rip his soul apart!" He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to loosen his grip on Ryou. Turning round, he saw Jounouchi glaring down at him.
"If he can't remember, then leave him be! We all want to know what happened, but the kid just woke up! Give him some time, dammit!" The white haired glared at him before shifting his gaze once again towards Ryou. The teen was looking at him with sad eyes, causing the thief to shake his head once before pulling him into a hug. Ryou smiled, his fears and pain slowly pushed away by Bakura's mere presence. Jounouchi smiled before turning towards the last bed. Isis had somehow managed to pull Mariku away long enough to hug her little brother even harder than before.
"Isis… can't… breathe… Rishid… help…" Marik was looking slightly purple once Isis finally allowed him space to breathe. The tanned Egyptian looked up at her with exasperation, only to stop short as he saw the look in her eyes. Raising his hand towards her face, he slowly traced down invisible lines down her cheeks.
"You cried… didn't you?" He glanced over her shoulder to see Rishid nodding slightly. "Isis…"
Once again he was pulled into a hug. "Marik, don't you ever do that again!"
The hikari wrapped his arms around his sister, whispering words of comfort to her, the ones she would tell him when he was scared as a child, scared of his duty as tombkeeper. Isis drew back to smile at him sincerely, though she whacked him on the head for scaring her the way he did. Rishid laughed at the pout his younger brother made before snuggling against his koi's chest. Mariku grinned as he in turn brought his arms around his other self, planting a kiss against his temple.
/I'm glad you're okay/
_/I guess I have you to thank… for sending the demon away…/_
Mariku looked confused but didn't push the matter as Marik was drifting to sleep in his arms. He chuckled. Who'd have thought staying unconscious for a week would be tiresome? He'd ask later…
* * *
By Sunday morning, the hikaris were rested enough to leave Madam Pomfrey's care. Seto had abandoned his usual spot in the Hospital Wing for a comfortable spot in their common room he now hardly left as he typed on his laptop. The Darks' mood had considerably improved now that they knew their Lights were able to wonder around with them. The Ishtars had assured they'd come back on Christmas to make sure everyone would beok and to check on Marik (causing the Egyptian to roll his eyes ever so slightly while Mariku chuckled in the background). Dumbledore had offered to let Jounouchi and the Kaiba brothers stay over the holidays with their friends, which they gladly accepted. Seto had muttered something about him needing to run his company, to which Mokuba pointed out that if he could manage a week, then two shouldn't be much of a problem. "Besides" he had added "when was the last time you took more than a three-day break? And tournaments don't count!"
For some reason, Seto couldn't answer that.
* * *
On Christmas morning, Seto was sleeping peacefully after spending another half night working on his laptop when a sudden weight on his bed woke him.
"Nii-sama! Wakey, wakey! Up, up, up!"
Growling, Seto forced his eyes open to see a grinning Mokuba bouncing on his bed. Groaning, he sat up. "Oh great… I thought I told you not to eat more than a chocolate piece per day!" Mokuba blinked cutely before cocking his head to the side. "I haven't… Promise I took just one piece…" Seto raised an eyebrow before glancing at the empty package on Mokuba's bed. As he had suspected, the chocolate Santa Claus Jounouchi had offered to the kid was missing. Mokuba grinned sheepishly. "Well… it WAS a very large piece…" Seto shook his head as he left the room for a nice warm shower.
Once he was done, as he re-entered the room, everyone had woken up thanks to Mokuba's hyperness. The kid had finally settled down beside Jounouchi, randomly picking a present from the floor and checking the names on them.
"Here Jou, this one's for you!"
The blond smiled as he accepted the blue package. On the next bed, Bakura, who was wearing his Tomb Robber cloak over his bare shoulders to keep him warm, had somehow trapped Ryou into a headlock.
"Come on, 'Kuraaa, let me go…" Said Tomb Robber didn't answer, he just smirked.
"Okay, okay you win! I'll get you your present, just let me go!"
"Too late, Angel!"
"Will someone please get the red package from under my bed?"
Marik laughed as he leaned over his bed to fetch the item before tossing it over to Bakura. The Dark finally released his hikari as he ripped the crimson paper off. Ryou laughed as he flopped down next to Marik. Both chuckled as Bakura turned the paper into shreds, but the Egyptian suddenly stopped when he noticed what exactly was in the package.
"Oh no, Ryou, you didn't…" His friend smiled sheepishly as Bakura took out a _very_ expensive looking blade from what was left off the package. The handle was silvery white and black, and a _B_ was carved on the pommel. The thief ran his thumb over the sharp edge as he took in the fine craft.
"I did…" Marik shook his head at the answer. If Ryou started buying weapons for his yami, then where was the world going to?
Both hikaris jumped as Bakura suddenly joined them, pulling Ryou against him to plant a soft kiss on his lips. The teen smiled as he wrapped his arms around his neck.
"Get a room, Tomb Robber!" The Pharaoh was then startled by a yelp as a dagger imbedded itself beside Yugi's head. Immediately Yami was at his side, pulling the bladeburied hilt-deep into the wood panel behind him, before turning round to face the rest of the gang with narrowed eyes.
"Alright, who did this!" Everyone stared at him with wide eyes, then shifted their gaze towards Mariku. The insane Egyptian was twirling an identical dagger in his hand with a huge smirk on his face. Seto groaned as he sat down between Jou and Mokuba.
"Which one of you was foolish enough to give Psycho twin daggers for Christmas?"
Both Marik and Bakura whistled innocently, Bakura playing with a lock of Ryou's hair and Marik idly twirling his rod.
"You mean he's got two sets of them!" Again with the whistling. Yami growled as he pulled Yugi onto his lap, planting a kiss on his hikari's cheek. "I should have known…"
"Hey, don't blame me! Didn't you see what Ryou sent his yami?" Yami raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the Tomb Robber. The Dark smirked as he lifted his blade for all to see, causing the Pharaoh to bury his head into Yugi's hair.
"Suddenly I feel sorry for the rest of the school…"
Jounouchi smiled before turning to his own presents. He growled however as he shot a glare to his side. "You did that on purpose!"
Seto glanced down at the package in Jounouchi's hands. Recognising it as his own, he smirked.
"What, you don't like it? What kind of puppy doesn't wear a dog collar with his master's name on?" Jounouchi rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, right, since when was I labelled Kaiba property anyways?"
Seto's smirk widened. He grabbed Jou by the collar and pulled him close, their faces mere inches apart from one another. Honey-colored eyes widened as the brunette's lips were pressed against his in a soft kiss. _What the hell? _Slowly, Seto started to deepen the kiss, causing Jou's thoughts to go numb.
_Oh to hell with it! _The blond brought his arms round the CEO's neck. Truthfully, he had had a crush on him for a while now. So what if his heart was broken? He was kissing the man of his dreams on Christmas morning!
Oxygen became a problem, and so both teens drew back. The numbness in Jou's mind wore off, leaving him glaring at Seto. Out of the blue, he punched his dorm mate just below the collar bone.
"You bastard, that was my first kiss you stole! And without my consent!" Seto smirked lightly.
"And hopefully, it won't be the last." His smirk faded because of the look in Jou's eyes. "I'm serious Pup… I want you to be with me."
But the blond kept glaring at him, obviously pissed at the CEO's actions. Seto was about to add something when henoticed everyone's gaze fixed on them. Glowering, he pulled the Jou with him towards the common room so that he could explain himself in peace.
The yamis glanced at one another, smirking, and stood up, ready to spy on the two rivals… only to be stopped by their hikaris.
"Oh no you don't!" Mariku made a face while glancing at Marik.
"Aw come on, I know you're dying to spy on them too!" The smaller teen smiled innocently before pulling his yami into a kiss. Moaning, Mariku decided that spying wasn't that important after all. Marik was worth the sacrifice, he mused, as he brought his arms tightly around the other's waist.
Mokuba, however, couldn't be stopped by the hikaris (who already had their hands full with the yamis). Nobody noticed until he came back, a huge grin on his face, standing happily in front of Yami and Mariku.
"Alright, then, you two owe me twenty bucks!"
* * *
… Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter… I might do another YGO/HP story, only it'll focus on Bakura, Ryou and Malik, and it'll take place during the Triwizard Tournament. What do you think? Interested?(I'm not sure of the pairings yet thought...)
Next chapter: Secrets are uncovered, and a lot of changes makes it harder to keep up with the school year.
Thanks for reading!
10. Pieces of a puzzle
_I have **finally** updated! I know you're probably all mad at me for not updating sooner, and I'm really really sorry for the delay. I promise I'll do my best to get the next chapter up as soon as possible, and this time it won't take eight months, I swear. Once again I apologise, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter._
**
* * *
**
**Chapter 10: Pieces of a puzzle.**
New Year's Eve had now gone and passed. The Kaibas, the Ishtars and Jounouchi had left on the 2nd of January, after various promises of taking care of each other. ("Yes, Isis, don't worry, I'll be fine, take care, I love you both...") Mariku and Bakura had snickered at the gift Mokuba had made for Seto and Jou. He had added a photograph of the blond teenager in his brother's card locket, while offering the same to Jou, only with pictures of both Kaiba brothers. The hikaris had thought it cute, which added to the two yami's hilarity.
Now that the festivities were over, the hikaris now found themselves covered with a huge pile of homework and with a lot of catching up to do. Yami, Draco and Blaise had offered to help them. At first they had refused, but after realising they were never going to make it on their own they gladly accepted the help. And so, when classes started once more, all three had caught up with a rather decent amount of work. What they couldn't manage to do, the teachers were willing to let pass, allowing the hikaris a bit more time to finish.
However, the whole school had by now heard of the mysterious events that had occured the last week before Christmas, mysterious events that still remained unsolved. So, much to the transferees' annoyance, they found themselves the centre of all attention, along with the Golden trio and the Weasley family.
Once, Yugi had been 'attacked' by a group who wanted to know what exactly had happened. After this, Yami refused to ever leave his side, and it became very rare to see a hikari walking alone in the corridors. Professor Umbridge had also tried to question them hikaris, but of course, it pissed the yamis off, especially when they saw Yugi on the verge of tears, Ryou's skin turning paler than it usually was, and Marik clenching his fists until he could draw blood.
Needless to say, all three yamis earned themselves another week's worth of detention.
* * *
"She WHAT?!?!" Ron stared dumbstruck at Hermione. Both were trying to work on their DADA homework while waiting for Harry to return form his first Occlumency lesson. Said homework now laid forgotten in front of Ron as his eyes were fully trained on the smart girl sitting across him.
"You heard me right. She gave detention to three Slytherins. A whole week's worth. I heard from one of the Padma twins that she already gave them one during the holidays."
"Who gave who what?" asked Harry as he stepped through the portrait hole.
"Umbridge gave a week's detention to three of the transferees!" Harry frowned at his best friend, confused.
"Why would she do that? I thought Slytherins were on her good side!"
"Those three aren't, apparently. Something happened that night you got that dream, Harry. You see, Mutou, Bakura and Ishtar had this weird fit. I'm not sure what it was, but from what I heard the next day it was pretty bad. The three of them were out cold for nearly a week!"
"Serves them right!" Added the red haired boy. "A Slytherin isn't any good unless he's out cold!"
Hermione shot him a disapproving look. "How come they got detention then?" Harry asked in a hurry, before his friends could go at it. Hermione shook her head.
"Oh no, I wasn't talking about them. I was talking about the other three, what were their names again? Oh yeah, Atem, Akefia and Ishtal. For some reason, they wouldn't tell Umbridge what really happened, so she gave them detention. Seamus said he saw them getting pissed off at her for questioning the other three." She told them about the other strange events too. How strange people had come, how the fifth-years from Slytherin had reacted, everything she knew. Which, for once, wasn't much.
Once she was finished, Ron was fiddling with his quill whereas Harry shrugged. "I don't think that's something we should worry about. Maybe a spell backfired or something. I bet they did something illegal, that's why they wouldn't tell Umbridge what _really_ happened."
Ron made an approving sound. "So, mate... How was Occlumency?"
* * *
No matter what lies Umbridge served the students, many figured that something was amiss. The transferees were among those students, recent events only serving to enhance their bad feeling.
The next day just brought its own load of bad news.
Reason?
There had been a massive breakout in Azkaban.
Yami glared disapprovingly at the newspaper in front of him, trying to will the large bold letters away. Draco looked questioningly at his friends. Mariku and Bakura didn't look very please about something, then again they never did seem happy unless they were with their respective lover, and he noticed Ryou, Yugi and Marik weren't their usual cheery selves either.
Not that it really surprised him. Not after what happened two weeks ago.
"Something wrong?" Yami tossed him the Daily Prophet as an answer. Frowning, Draco unfolded the paper to read the title.
"Oh... right..." Deep down, Draco was smiling; really, the Death-Eaters had _finally_ managed to escape. But the way his friends seemed to take the news, he decided he'd keep his glee in check.
It was only a matter of days before a new decree was pinned unto the notice boards. This time, it banned teachers from giving information unrelated to the subjects they teach.
"It's official now!" said Mariku. "Anyone still believing that old coot's speech of 'everything is under control' is even more gullible than Yugi is!" He ducked under Yami's punch, smirking at the slightly irritated Pharaoh... until Yugi gave him a hard kick in the shin. "OOW!!"
* * *
January turned into February, until Valentine's Day came. Teachers were piling homework over the students, so many welcomed the escapade to Hogsmeade that weekend. The hikaris had to leave their boyfriends behind, though, since they had gotten into trouble again, this time with Professor McGonagall.
The three lights therefore decided to hang out with Draco, Blaise and Pansy. The six Slytherins were either seen refilling their provisions of sweets at Honeydukes or laughing and joking around a nice mug of Butterbeer, in a warm corner of the Three Broomsticks, merrily ignoring the conversations around them. The three transferees also took turns calling their friends and family with Yugi's cell phone, just to check on them.
When they returned to the castle, they headed straight for dinner in the Great Hall, but the yamis didn't turn up for another hour. All three seemed rather pissed, but then again...
That wasn't really unusual.
Yugi smiled at his darker half as soon as he had taken a seat beside him. "So, how was detention?"
"Might have been enjoyable if it wasn't for those two." Yami glared at the other dark personalities before turning back to his light. "Did you call anyone?"
The smaller duellist nodded eagerly. "Yep! I phoned Honda and Grandpa and Anzu and Jounouchi, since he made me promise to phone every time I could."
Marik chuckled from opposite them as he helped himself with salad. "Tell them the latest news!"
Yugi grinned back. "I'm getting to it! So, as I was about to say before being so rudely interrupted..." Marik flipped him off, but was ignored "... when Jou returned to Domino the first thing he did was checking on his sister. He was a few streets away when he spotted Honda and his girlfriend sharing a kiss... Turned out the girlfriend was none other than Shizuka..."
He had barely finished, however the Egyptians and white-haired boys were already laughing. Yami fought back a smirk, deciding to lift an eyebrow instead.
"Really? Let me guess, Jou went berserk on Honda, and when you called him he wouldn't stop bragging about it?"
"Almost."
"Oh?"
By now Yugi had also fallen prey to the contagious laughter so he was unable to talk. It was Ryou that answered him.
"Let me put it this way. I was standing quite a few feet away from the phone, and I could still hear him. He wasn't just bragging, he was actually screaming the whole tale on the phone. I'm surprised Yugi didn't turn deaf!"
This time, Yami couldn't help it. He laughed. So hard he fell off the bench, which only made the others laugh harder.
"Gods, trust Jounouchi to freak out each time someone takes an interest in his sister!" he managed to blurt out in between fits of laughter.
* * *
A week later, Marik found the entire Slytherin Common Room's inhabitants sporting murderous and gloomy looks. The homework he had come to ask was quickly pushed at the back of his mind as he strode over to Blaise and Pansy.
"Hey, guys! Is something wrong?" he asked as soon as he'd taken a seat beside Blaise. His eyes fell on the paper Pansy was glaring at. "Guys?"
"Read!" Blaise ordered angrily. The Egyptian sent him a questioning look before pulling the paper towards him.
**HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST:
****THE TRUTH ABOUT HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED
****AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN**
"Remember at breakfast yesterday when Umbridge seemed pissed at Potter boy?" Pansy asked. "We just discovered why. That no good bastard!"
Marik smiled apologetically at the girl. "Sorry, but I actually missed that. I overslept yesterday…" He turned his attention back to the article.
Now he could see why the atmosphere was gloomy all of a sudden. The brat had actually accused quite a few people of being Death Eaters. Some of which were related to his friends.
"Malfoy… Crabbe… Goyle… Nott… Avery…Macnair… Zabini… Parkinson… How could he accuse your parents like that? Sick bastard!"
Blaise folded his arms and rested his head on top of it. "Professor Umbridge also committed a big mistake. New educational decree: the Quibbler is henceforth banned from the school. She wouldn't have done differently if she wanted the entire school to find out about it…"
Marik nodded. "I knew she was stupid all along…"
An annoyed huff reached their ears, and all three turned to face Draco. Everyone knew he was probably the most pissed off out of all of them. It wasn't a secret anymore he hated Potter's guts as much as the other hated his.
The Egyptian sighed and stood up to wrap an arm around the blonde's shoulders, a sympathetic smile on his face. "I'll tell you what. You three are all going to grab your brooms and come with me and the others enjoy the pleasant weather. Forget about Potter. You're all above that, aren't you?"
He inwardly patted himself on the back as he saw Pansy give a weak smile and received a nod from Blaise. Draco glanced at him uneasily, but finally he too grinned at the Egyptian.
"That does sound like fun! And I actually hope we'll see Potter outside! You know, to rub it in his face that he can't fly anymore…"
Marik smirked at his friend. "All right then! Let's go!"
* * *
It didn't take long for them to find the other Japanese students and to convince them to play a little game of Quidditch. It came to no surprise when Bakura and Mariku both decided they wanted to play Bludgers, just for the sake of it. Yugi had found a ball they could use as a Quaffle, and they started to play three on three: Draco, Yugi and Blaise against Yami, Marik and Ryou. Pansy decided that she preferred watching them play and would be referee.
The game went on rather smoothly until Blaise managed to score against Ryou. He proceeded to fly around the small field in victory, but had to wheelbarrow when Mariku sped past him, cackling like a maniac.
He recovered quickly, but not quickly enough to avoid colliding with Marik.
Pansy screamed in horror as both boys crashed against one another, the force having knocked them off their brooms. Immediately, all players raced towards the two falling teens in an attempt to catch them before they would hit land.
Blaise suddenly felt himself slowing into a halt. a hand having latched unto his wrist.
"Hang on!" he heard Yami yell from above him. Yugi appeared beneath him, and he was gently lowered on the shorter teen's broom.
Marik wasn't as lucky. Neither Draco nor Ryou were fast enough, and both Mariku and Bakura had to swerve to avoid collision with Yami, Yugi and Blaise. He had however managed to twist his body around in order to try and catch the branches of a nearby tree, desperately clinging to anything that could break his fall.
Most branches snapped beneath his weight combined with the speed with which he was falling, and although it did manage to slow his decent, his landing was still rough and painful.
Pansy was the first to reach the teen as he growled in pain. She halted though, staring at the wounded teen. Cuts could be seen on Marik's exposed hands and face, and a particularly sharp branch had torn his long sleeved shirt across his back. Blood was starting to seep through the large cut it had created, but that wasn't what had startled the girl.
The marks on his back were.
Even in his painful state, Marik had noticed how Pansy was staring at him. He was confused at first, until he felt the cool wind on his bare back.
"Shit!" he tried to twist over so that he would be lying on his back, but a horrible pain in his left arm stopped him from moving any further, a muffled scream escaping his throat.
The others landed around them. Mariku was beside him in an instant, mentally cursing as he spotted his boyfriend's exposed tattoo. He knew it was too late to cover it, and besides what really mattered right now was Marik's health. Bakura soon joined them, carefully feeling the teen's arm, wincing at every whimper Marik didn't manage to hold back.
"It's broken!" he stated simply before turning narrowed eyes towards the three other Slytherins. Blaise and Pansy were both staring mouth agape at the Egyptian's back, and Draco had visibly paled. Eyes not leaving the hieroglyphs, the blonde took a step back, shaking his head in disbelief, before turning round and rushing towards the castle.
"I wonder…" Marik heard Bakura mumble before the Thief stood up and raced after the blonde.
Ryou appeared at his place beside the Egyptian, helping Mariku to hoist his love into his arms without bumping the injured arm around.
Said Dark turned towards Pansy and Blaise, who were still standing to the sides uncertainly.
"You two listen, and listen good!" he started, violet eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're both going to go back to your dorms and act as if nothing happened! You never saw those tattoos, and you don't know Marik has them! Got that?"
The murderous look in his eyes was enough to make them nod and obey. Satisfied, he turned towards Ryou and Yugi, having noticed that Yami too had disappeared, probably gone after Draco and Bakura. "You two follow me! I am NOT risking angering those idiots by leaving you behind!"
Both nodded and followed him as he headed towards the Hospital Wing, with Marik groaning in his arms.
* * *
Draco couldn't believe it. Of course he had suspected something, but he never considered believing it. He **didn't** want to believe it.
He knew the Death Eaters were looking for some kind of Ancient Magic, and he knew that whoever possessed its secrets would be in danger.
He knew something was different about the six transferees. It was kind of obvious after all. Three pairs of look-alikes coming from the same place at the same time couldn't be considered as just a mere coincidence.
He had had the feeling that they were the Dark Lord's target. Deep down he had known.
But he didn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. Even after what happened to Ryou, Yugi and Marik. Even after meeting Rishid and Isis.
Even after the other three mysteriously helped curing their boyfriends; still he didn't want to believe it.
It was different now.
When he saw Marik's back… when he saw the carvings, reality crashed down on him. Hard.
He knew. He had known all along.
He ran upstairs, deciding that the Common Room wasn't the best of options right now. He had heard about the abandoned girls' bathroom. It wasn't the best of places to calm down, but he didn't feel like facing the transferees right now.
He had just rounded a corner when a hand roughly grabbed the back of his collar, nearly chocking him in the process. He was jerked into the opposite direction, in front of a familiar painting.
_"Hikari!"_ A voice spat, and the painting swung to reveal a Common Room. Draco stumbled as he was thrust inside unceremoniously, clumsily regaining his footing as he turned round to face Bakura.
"I think..." the taller teen growled as he crossed his arms. "...that you've got some explaining to do.'
His narrowed eyes flickered a moment to the painting as it once again was opened, allowing entry to an out of breath Yami, before fixing them back on the blonde.
Draco only glared back. He did **not** appreciate the way Bakura had just treated him.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He hissed. "Hell, I don't even know what you're asking me to explain!"
Bakura raised an eyebrow. "As a matter of fact I'm not sure myself. Maybe I want to know why you ran away when you saw those marks. I was wondering… maybe you know something we don't. Something we _should_ know."
Draco noticed that Yami was also staring at him, obviously awaiting an answer.
"I didn't feel well…" he lied. "I mean when I saw his scars… They looked so deep; I just couldn't help imagining how they were made..."
He trailed off at the glare Bakura sent him.
"Yeah right, and I'm the king of Egypt!" he took a menacing step towards the blonde, stopping only when Yami took hold of his elbow. "If you're going to lie, at least make it convincing! Now answer me: Do you, or do you not know what attacked Ryou last Christmas?"
Yami suddenly yanked him backwards, glaring. "You know that's a serious accusation! He was as worried as we were when they were attacked! What makes you think he had something to do with it?"
Bakura jerked his arm away. "I'm not saying he had something to do with it! I'm saying he _knows_ what happened and who it was!" He turned his gaze back to Draco. "Am I right?"
Draco had a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look on his face, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. Now had it been someone other than Bakura and Yami, then he would have succeeded. For some reason, though, those two's glares were enough to make him nervous.
He didn't even want to think what it would had felt like had Mariku joined in.
"I don't know what attacked them…" he started. "I swear I don't know how they did it…"
Bakura quirked an eyebrow at that. "They?"
Realising what he'd just said, Draco remained silent.
* * *
Yami was slightly shocked. So Bakura was right. Their friend knew more than he'd let on, he knew something they didn't. The former Pharaoh kept his eyes firm on the teen, as he tried to figure out why Draco would keep anything involving the attack on the hikaris from them.
After all, it was all just a puzzle. A very twisted and complicated puzzle. And everyone knows how good the King of Games is at solving them.
"Draco?" he asked softly. "Is what Potter said true?"
The pale-blond just glanced his way, confused.
"What?"
The Pharaoh cleared his throat, before deciding to elaborate. "Is your father a Death Eater?"
* * *
Draco felt his blood freeze as those words left the other's lips. '_No… Why did he have to ask that? Why did he have to ask that when there's no way I can lie?'_
For he wasn't a fool. He knew that any attempt at lying would be futile with those two. What's more, it would only serve to further anger Bakura.
He decided he didn't want to risk that.
"Yes" He finally answered. "He is."
He focused his eyes on Yami in hopes of ignoring the dark look Bakura was sure to have. The younger of the two stared back with a frown on his face.
"Then is it the Dark Lord that's after Yugi and the others?" he asked after a moment of silence.
Draco slowly nodded his head. "I wasn't sure until I saw Marik's back, but yes, I think _He_ is. I knew the Death Eaters were to find some ancient magic, and Marik's tattoo leaks of it."
He sighed. "Had it been anyone else, I wouldn't have given a damn. Hell, I would have actually enjoyed it! But you're all Slytherins! You were the only ones who reacted fast enough when Potter and Weasley attacked me! You're not like Crabbe and Goyle, who just follow my orders, you're… you're what one would call friends. Like Pansy, and Blaise. So I don't want this to happen! I don't want _Him_ to get to Marik, Ryou and Yugi; because there's no guaranteeing they'll survive once _He_'s through with them! Potter was just one lucky bastard if he was able to survive!"
They remained silent after that, all lost in thought as they pondered what had been said.
"Are you sure you don't know what the Death Eaters did to them?" Yami finally asked. He sighed as Draco shook his head no. "Then, thank you… Thanks to you, we finally know who we're up against."
Bakura's eyes suddenly widened. "Hold on, Pharaoh. If he's after our magic, then…"
"I know" Yami interrupted, much to the Tomb Robber's annoyance. "…he's not really after our hikaris. For now he's mostly seeking information, because he doesn't know what exactly he's after. That's why they were attacked. But once he's gathered enough information, his main target will be the two of us, and Mariku."
* * *
_And this is where I'm ending this chapter. It took me forever to come up with the last part! Anyways, once again I apologise for the long wait, and I hope the chapter makes it up to you._
_Oh, and for those interested, I posted 2 drawings on my deviantart account (my username is TenshiOfLight). I drew Ryou and Marik on Halloween, and will draw the others too. I'm not a really good artist, but I thought I'd share it nonetheless._
_I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading! _
_Until next time!_
11. The party's only starting
_I thought I had lost the chapter when my computer broke down. It's taken me a while, but here you go. Chapter 11 of HOM. Hope you'll enjoy it, and I apologize for taking that long again._**The party's only started.**
* * *
"Let me get this straight!" Mariku growled. "The Dark Lord wants the secret of our magic, but either he doesn't know we have it, or he doesn't even know we exist. So he's searching for information."
Yami nodded. "He obviously knows something about the Items at least. I mean, he's attacked Isis, who holds the Tauk, Kaiba, whose face is on the Ancient Tablet, Jounouchi, probably because he's very close to Yugi, and finally our hikaris. I wouldn't be surprised to hear Pegasus was also attacked."
"That doesn't really help us, you know? It's been three months since the last attack we know of. If he's been searching for information, who's to say he hasn't discovered our existence yet?" Bakura crossed his arms as he leant back against the headrest, eyes narrower than usual. "And we still have no idea what those Death Eaters did to our Lights."
The three darker halves lapsed into silence. Night had fallen hours ago, but there was still a lot of activity in the castle. Some of the older students still had armfuls of homework to finish. Others, like the yamis, had too much on their minds to be able to sleep peacefully.
Madam Pomfrey had managed to repair the bones in Marik's arm in less than half an hour, and had given them a healing ointment for his back. She had wanted him to stay overnight, insisting he needed some rest after having his bones set back correctly. However, after experiencing Mariku's death glare and the hikaris' pleas, she reluctantly let Marik leave the Hospital Wing after he'd promised to rest as much as possible.
All three hikaris had now gone to sleep, leaving their darker halves to dwell on what had been discovered.
"When I went into Marik's mind to save him, I could mostly see shadows surrounding him."
"I saw the same with Ryou, but I managed to weasel a thing or two out of him. He said he was fighting a voice which was demanding to enter his memories…"
"That would explain why they were all thrashing madly. They were trying to protect themselves and their memories. But whatever those shadows were, they were too strong for our Lights. Had we arrived but a moment later, I'm afraid they would have gone insane…"
Yami paused, letting the end of his sentence unfinished. They would have gone insane… or worse.
* * *
The following days followed without much incident. Draco still hung with them, but more often than not he would avoid their gaze. Other than that, no attacks occurred, and both Blaise and Pansy had kept their promises, so their secret was still safe for the time being. Exams were approaching fast though, which unsurprisingly resulted into more armloads of work for the fifth years.
Divination changed completely after Professor Umbridge publicly fired the divination teacher. Professor Trelawney had burst into tears in front of the whole school, under the High Inquisitor's triumphant eyes as she demanded her to leave Hogwarts. Only Dumbledore's intervention prevented her leave, inviting the weeping professor back to her room, and presenting the new teacher to those gathered around him.
Much to the High Inquisitor's annoyance, their substitute teacher was a centaur. A half-breed. Professor Umbridge hated half-breeds.
Little Yugi was fascinated by Professor Firenze. Not only because of what he was, but also because of the way he taught, and what he taught. Instead of focusing solely on the ways centaurs would try to foresee the future, he showed them how uncertain the future could be.
Though it didn't really surprise him... After all, even the Millennium Tauk had been wrong.
* * *
Marik yawned as his head hit the table. "I give up… Too sleepy to finish the stupid assignment…"
Yugi rolled his eyes and shook the taller boy's shoulder. "At least help me find that book on magical creatures, then you can go to sleep."
Marik growled as he was pulled off his chair and pushed towards one of the shelves of the library. "Well if you weren't so damn short you probably wouldn't even need my help!" Yugi decided to ignore the comment.
* * *
"Hurry up Ron!" Hermione whispered as she pulled her friend into the library after Ernie and Hannah. The two Hufflepuffs rushed to one side of the library whereas the Gryffindors hurried towards the other. Other members of the DA soon joined the prefects as they hid among the bookshelves.
"How do you think Umbridge figured us out?" Ron asked as he tried to catch his breath.
"Someone must have tipped her off." Hermione answered, eyes never leaving the double doors of the library. "Someone was absent today… didn't you notice?" Ron was about to answer when they spotted several Slytherins entering. Realising his flushed face was a dead give-away, the youngest Weasley boy ducked behind a shelf, followed by Hermione.
* * *
"No Marik, not that one! The one with the red binding!" Marik resisted the urge to whack the smaller teen over the head as he finally found the book Yugi needed. Of course, it just had to be on the top shelf!
It suddenly occurred to him that Yugi could have just levitated the book instead of asking him. In that case, the Pharaoh's hikari had woken him up for nothing.
"Yugi…" he started with a growl, when suddenly yelps and curses resounded in the Library.
"What the…?" Both turned their heads towards the side of the aisle, where they saw a fourth year student from Hufflepuff soaring through the airs. Eyes widening in shock, the two transferees immediately rushed towards the girl's side.
"Hey, are you alright?" Yugi immediately asked as he helped her sit up. The girl opened her mouth to speak, but no sound would escape her throat. She had been jinxed with a mute charm. "Hold on, I'll fix it!" Yugi started as he drew out his wand, but before he could utter the counter-curse a heavy weight collided with both him and the girl, forcing them both flat against the marble floor. He heard a shatter a few feet away from them, and when the weight on him finally lifted he looked up.
The first thing he saw was the glass shards from the window in front of him. Then, spinning round, he realised the weight that had crashed against them had actually been Marik. The Egyptian had forced them down to avoid a spell sent their way.
Marik helped his smaller friend back up as his eyes glanced the way the spell had come from. He could see several students in what seemed to be a heated fight, with curses and jinxes whizzing all over the Library. Madam Pince was yelling for them to stop, her own wand drawn out as she tried to separate two students, a Slytherin and a Ravenclaw.
"Come on we're leaving!" He said as he and Yugi helped the girl back to her feet and all three raced towards the exit of the library.
* * *
"Protego!" Hermione screamed as a Slytherin sent a curse her way. The beam of magic bounced off an invisible barrier before hitting a table a few feet away. Ron performed a disarming spell on said Slytherin before grabbing Hermione's arm to pull her with him across the aisle. Both ducked as another spell whizzed over their heads, only to hit the shelf behind them, making it shake and topple over. Hermione lifted her wand to prevent the bookcase from crushing them, but books started to fall from it, hitting the both of them. They both brought their arms over their heads instinctively.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" A voice yelled. When the bookcase didn't hit them, Ron peeped an eye open to see the heavy piece of furniture stopped in midair right over their heads.
"Get out of the way you idiots!" Turning their heads towards the source of the voice, the two Gryffindors saw one of the two blond Egyptians yelling at them angrily. Beside him stood the smallest transferee, wand pointed towards the case above them, sweat trickling down his face as he fought to keep the heavy object afloat. A girl from the DA also stood beside them.
"Move!" yelled Marik Ishtar. "He won't be able to hold on much longer!"
Taking the hint, the two prefects rushed away from danger, just as Yugi's concentration slipped, which in turn sent the bookcase crashing down on the floor. They soon joined the rest of the students rushing towards the exit, leaving the battlefield turned Library behind them.
* * *
"And then we ran out of there… I don't know what caused Umbridge's Squad to attack other students like that…"
Mariku's eyes narrowed in thought as Yugi finished explaining to them what had happened in the Library. He heard Ryou mumble under his breath as the hikari wiped the blood from Marik's arm clean, a rather large scratch he had gotten when trying to shield his smaller friend from a spell shot his way.
The door leading out of the room swung open to reveal a rather gloomy looking ex-Pharaoh. All eyes turned to watch him, except maybe Bakura, who kept glaring out the window.
"I've got some bad news…" started Yami. "And then, I've got some worse news…"
Silence greeted his words as they waited for him to continue. Even Bakura tilted his head slightly, showing he too was listening.
"Dumbledore's gone… I'm not sure why, but the Ministry was about to arrest him, he had to leave."
"Oh great, my sister is going to love that…" growled Marik. "The one person she trusts to keep us out of trouble, and poof, vanished!"
Yugi glanced up with concern.
"I'm more worried about the other students… As long as he was in charge, the school was safe."
"Apparently not safe enough!" The small duellist nearly jumped out of his skin at Mariku's sneer. "If you three were attacked within these safe walls while he was here, I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if he wasn't!"
Silence followed that statement, stretching over them uncomfortably. Mariku knew he had made a touchy remark around the hikaris, but he didn't care. He just made the evidence clear. Wherever they were to go, wherever they stayed, no matter how hard they tried to protect themselves, they were never safe.
Bakura, who had kept rather silent, finally tore his eyes away from the dripping rain to face the others.
"Say Pharaoh, you were talking about worse news… though I can't think of anything worse except maybe something around the lines of the Shadow Realm exploding into chaos, but we would have felt that…"
"That would be good news, Bakura…" muttered Mariku, earning himself a glare from the white-haired spirit.
Yami shook his head. "Nothing to do with the Shadow Realm…"
"Then what is it? What could be worse than… unless… oh no… no fucking way…" Bakura's eyes narrowed into slits. "Don't tell me that that… that disfigured toad…"
The look in Yami's eyes was enough to confirm his suspicions.
"She is… She's been appointed Headmistress…"
* * *
The next morning, they discovered that notices had been added overnight, each proving what Yami had told them to be true. Professor Umbridge had indeed become Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And she didn't waste time to take measures to ensure her power over the school. For starters, she rounded up a couple of "trustworthy" students to form what she called the Inquisitorial Squad, whose purpose was to more or less spy over the students and to report every "strange" behaviour. It didn't surprise the transferees much when they discovered that most, if not all of the members of the Squad, were Slytherins. Draco, who would still avoid their gazes at times, even offered them to apply, saying it would be best for them to stay on Umbridge's good side.
"Like Hell we would!" had answered Mariku. "She's too nosy for her own good, stuffing her nose into our business and all. There's no way we're going to work for that oversized toad!"
What he failed to mention was the fact that they would even go as far as breaking the rules, just to piss her off. Marik had already set some Dungbombs against Umbridge's office door, and Yami was itching to try a spell or two on the caretaker. Bakura was obviously preparing some kind of stunt, and even Ryou and Yugi were willing to play dirty tricks.
Somehow, they got overtaken by the craziest set of twins the school had ever known.
It had happened on the day following Dumbledore's departure. The transferees were sitting in Flitwick's classroom practising Charms when a Catherine wheel whizzed into the room, causing most of the girls in their class to shriek. The short professor, although shocked at first, quickly relaxed and asked Yami to go warn the Headmistress. When the former Pharaoh returned to his seat a few minutes later, he couldn't stop himself from snickering.
"You guys should see the mess in the corridors! Fireworks everywhere; and Umbridge running around in circles trying to contain them!"
Indeed, the scene was priceless. After some time, the students were all sent to their dorms, some professors judging "it was impossible to work in these conditions". Ducking under dragon-like flames and shrieking rockets, the transferees rushed laughing to their common room, leaving their portrait slightly open, enough to see the rest of the show. They particularly enjoyed seeing Umbridge and Filch sprinting past the painting, shrieking as they tried to escape a phoenix-shaped firework.
Even Bakura had to admit (although he never did it aloud) that Fred and George Weasley knew how to cause mayhem.
It was nearly a disappointment when the twins took their leave after turning a corridor into a swamp, even though they made a wonderful exit. Really, slipping through Umbridge's fingers the way they did was brilliant.
"Wish I had done that!" Sighed Marik as they went to class the next day. "It would have been cool!"
"Then why don't you do it already?" Had asked a grouchy Bakura. "Nothing's stopping you, you know!"
"I know!" The Egyptian smiled. "But I doubt Isis would have been happy about it. Plus, I don't like copying. And it's fun to make fun of the old hag!"
The Weasley brother's escape was whispered in the corridors for the next few days, every student admiring their nerve. Even Pansy said, although she later would deny it, that the twins had had class.
However, much to the Slytherins' annoyance, they were soon the targets of many pranks. Those of the Inquisitorial Squad had to go frequently to the Hospital Wing after being the target of a curse. Warrington's skin had contracted some sort of disease, Crabbe had broken his nose after having his legs locked in a binding curse at the top of a flight of stairs, and Pansy missed an entire day of school, sobbing, antlers sprouting from her head.
Some of the bolder students (or the plain stupid ones, as would say Mariku) tried to jinx the transferees, since they were "teaming up with the Slytherins and the Inquisitorial Squad". They failed miserably. The spell immediately rebounded against the casters, ensuring them an immediate trip to the Hospital Wing.
* * *
The Slytherins' mood didn't increase a few weeks later. During the Quidditch match that opposed the Slytherins to the Hufflepuffs, they had screamed and encouraged their teams until their ears were throbbing from all the noise and their throats sore from all the screaming, but it had been pointless. Draco didn't see the Bludger until it was too late, allowing the Hufflepuff seeker to snatch the Snitch.
It turned for the worse when the Gryffindors won the cup a few weeks later, even without the help of Harry Potter as Seeker and of the Weasley twins as Beaters.
Now that the Quidditch Cup had been won, the students suddenly felt the stress of exams gaining on them. Although no more homework was piled on them, the evenings were used to study for the exams as much as possible, students panicking over every piece of information their minds failed to remember. Blaise, Pansy and Draco spent most of their spare time studying with the transferees in their common room, which was far less crowded and more relaxing than the Slytherin one.
* * *
And so, the OWLs were finally upon them
The morning of the first exam, the fifth and seventh years were trying to study one last time during breakfast, or, in some cases, trying to get some sleep.
Draco was muttering under his breath while skimming over a book on Charms, half aware of the jam dripping from his toast to his fingers. Pansy was nearly in hysterics, asking questions over and over again to an unnerved Blaise, who was trying very hard not to snap at her for stressing him out. Yami was a lot calmer as he watched them make a fool of themselves, quietly munching on an apple. Yugi, on the other hand, wouldn't stop reading his notes.
"You'll do fine, Hikari, you're an expert in Charms." Yugi looked up briefly before turning his attention back to his notes.
"What if I mess everything up? What if I forget something? What if they ask something I…"
"Yugi!" Yami interrupted. "You won't forget. I'm sure you'll have better marks than those two at least." He smirked, pointing towards Bakura and Mariku, both sleeping with their heads lying on top of their arms.
Marik muttered under his breath and nudged his darker half harshly, earning himself a glare.
"What?"
"Wake up and help me learn this stuff!" The tamer Egyptian was twitching with annoyance, a book in his hand. He poked Mariku once again, forcing the psychotic teenager to sit up with a snarl, disturbing Bakura in the process.
"Stop it you two, I'm trying to sleep!" He muttered before looking over at Ryou. The boy hadn't touched at any of his breakfast, too busy cramming more info into his mind. The spirit growled as he pulled the book away from Ryou.
"Stop studying and get something in your stomach! I don't want you to collapse in the middle of the exam from lack of food!"
Ryou tried to snatch the book back from his other half, but Bakura stuffed the book into his bag and filled Ryou's plate with some strawberry jammed toast and his glass with orange juice. The hikari sighed and complied, after complaining about the fact that he wasn't that hungry anyways.
* * *
They had their first written exam just after breakfast and the practical exams after lunch. They were called by groups of four, the first group being composed of Hannah Abbot, Bakura Akefia, Yami Atem and Ryou Bakura. They didn't come back when the second group passed, so the others had to wait patiently for their turn, feeling more and more stressed as the minutes passed by. Mariku Ishtar and Marik Ishtar went after some time together, soon followed by Draco Malfoy and Yugi Mutou. Pansy didn't have their luck, being placed in the same group as the Patil twins and Harry Potter, while Blaise Zabini was left in the last group with Ronald Weasley.
Yami, Yugi, Blaise and Pansy felt happier after the exam was over, all sure of having passed the exam with ease. Bakura and Mariku couldn't care less whether they managed or not, more interested by the fact that Mariku's teacup had started screaming like a banshee for no particular reason. For that matter, Marik was purposely ignoring his darker half, having lost his concentration while levitating his glass at the same moment, thus sending it smashing on top of his examiner's head.
"I'm going to kill him!" The Egyptian rambled on and on to Ryou. "If I don't pass that exam, Isis is going to lecture me on how much I should have studied more and not let Mariku get the better of me and…"
"Marik… I'm sure the examiner won't count that, everyone must have been surprised by the screams…"
"I don't care! I'm not talking to him right now!" He muttered back. Draco found that pretty amusing, as he later saw the taller Egyptian wrapping his arm around the smaller one's waist, without receiving any kind of protests.
* * *
Transfigurations the next day went well for most of them, although Pansy left the room in tears, overwhelmed with stress. It took Draco a whole ten minutes to calm her down, pulling her in his arms to usher her words of comfort.
Yugi and Ryou would have helped him reassure the crying girl, had they not been too busy separating Yami and Bakura. The thief had found it amusing when the examiner had asked him to turn his turtle into a hedgehog, and had transfigured it successfully, only with the spikes sporting some colours, namely red, black, and yellow. Obviously, the Pharaoh did not find this amusing.
Herbology wasn't really a problem, albeit everyone was sure Mariku had failed the exam when his Carnivorous Rose chocked to death, the Egyptian having fed him the wrong seeds.
"At least it made the exam a lot more interesting!" He grinned, creeping out Blaise, Pansy and Draco in the process. "It made some funny coughing noises! Sweet!"
On Thursday, the students had their Defence against the Dark Arts test. Things turned out rather well, if you didn't count the Boggart incident.
Bakura and Yami were glad that Hannah was the only student present when Ryou's Boggart turned into an evil looking Bakura, his eyes gleaming as red as Zork's. The girl barely noticed, though, too busy staring in horror at her own Boggart, which had taken the form of a creepy hag shrieking with laughter. Ryou gathered his spirits long enough to get rid of his creature, a black shadow falling away from the false Bakura, who looked confused at first then kicked the shadow of Zork away from him before smirking at Ryou as he vanished.
Mariku nearly left his exanimation spot to run to Marik's side when the smaller Egyptian's Boggart took the form of his father, a burning dagger in his hand and a sinister smile on his face. As for Yugi, Draco noticed the confusion on his examiner's face when the puzzle collapsed at his feet into pieces, only to mend itself once the short duellist uttered the counter curse.
When Blaise finally left the Hall at the end of the exam, he stopped slightly confused at the sight before him. Ryou was hiding his face against Bakura's shoulder, his darker half's arms wrapped tightly around him. Marik was sitting in Mariku's lap, shaking, the latter rocking him softly while kissing his cheek soothingly. Yugi didn't seem to fare any better, hugging Yami as if his life depended on it.
"What happened?" He asked turning towards Draco and Pansy. "Did they mess up?"
Draco snorted, putting his arm loosely around Pansy's waist.
"Boggarts… I think..."
Blaise lifted his eyebrow at him but didn't press the matter.
* * *
They had a break after that, until Monday came with their exam on Potions. Nothing bad happened, although Bakura, Marik and Mariku were itching to make either their cauldrons explode or their potions turned into a mist of toxic gas. Luckily, they avoided it. Bakura because Ryou was in the same room at the time, Mariku because Marik was with him, and Marik because he was afraid of Isis' wrath if he failed the exam over a blowing cauldron.
Care of Magical Creatures went rather smoothly, Draco being highly relieved to see that no Hippogriffs were used for the examination. Pansy wasn't as confident as the boys, but was sure to have been able to successfully choose the diet for a sick Unicorn, whereas Blaise was sure his choice of diet would have finished the creature off.
Ryou left the Divination exam sounding quite cheerful convinced that he had passed. Yami didn't seem as confident, which would have given Bakura the opportunity to make fun of him had he not been too preoccupied by what he had seen in his crystal ball.
A group of dark robed men, holding three prisoners. One with sandy blonde hair and tanned skin, apparently unconscious. Another with spiky red, black and golden hair, trying to kick his opponent with his feet dangling a foot from the floor. And a white haired boy, trying to wiggle away from his captor's grip.
* * *
Their astronomy exam was to take place that evening, once the night had settled in. Marik could be heard muttering softly against some of the stars he couldn't recognize, annoying those within hearing range in the process.
"Young man, you are in the middle of an examination, please be quiet or you shall have to leave the…"
The examiner didn't finish his sentence as he was interrupted by what sounded like an angry roar from across the Castle grounds. Everyone looked up from their star-charts, glancing over to see what was happening, but the examiner ushered them to continue with the test.
BANG!
This time, even the examiners turned their heads towards Hagrid's cabin. The half-giant seemed to be fighting off a stunning spell produced by several wizards. Hermione Granger let out a shout, and most of the girls were covering their mouths with their hands as they saw more spells sent Hagrid's way.
"What the Hell do they think they're doing?" Muttered Yami, standing up as if to leave the tower to rush to the Grounds, but he was stopped by one of the examiners.
"Young man, this is an exam!"
More shouts and screams came from the edge of the forest, Hagrid seemingly turning berserk when one spell hit his dog. Soon, another figure left the castle to rush towards the group.
"How dare you!" The figure shouted, and the students recognized McGonagall's voice. "How dare you!" She went up to the wizards, ordering them to stop, when suddenly she was hit by four stunning spells. Many girls screamed as the professor collapsed.
The examiners yelled in shock at the attack and didn't notice Yami, Bakura and Mariku leaping to their feet to rush outside. As they ran down the stairs and towards the Doors of the castle, they could hear Hagrid bellowing.
"COWARDS! RUDDY COWARDS!" They rushed outside and sprinted towards McGonagall's fallen body. Yami grabbed her wrist, feeling for a pulse.
"She's alive…" He sighed with relief as he and Bakura worked together to hoist the aged professor up, careful not to shake her whereas Mariku seemed ready to march towards the remaining wizard and Umbridge. Hagrid was nowhere in sight, having apparently escaped after knocking out most of his assailants.
"Mariku, don't do anything stupid!" Warned Yami. "If you get expelled, you won't be able to protect your hikari!"
"And you're NOT attacking that woman without me!" Growled Bakura, earning himself a glare from the Pharaoh as they started moving back to the castle. Mariku cursed and rushed up in front of them, to warn Snape and Pomfrey. The two adults came rushing with the Egyptian as soon as the two spirits had reached the Entrance, Snape immediately taking over to carry McGonagall. As Yami informed Madam Pomfrey over what had happened, some students came down from the Astronomy Tower, mostly Slytherins as they had to pass through the Entrance to reach their common room. Snape had already left in a hurry to bring the fallen professor to the Hospital Wing.
The hikaris rushed over to Mariku and Bakura, followed more slowly by their three Slytherin friends.
"The examiners didn't even notice you had already left when they let us out. How is Professor McGonagall? Is she alright?"
"Yugi… You're going to have a heart attack if you don't slow down." Muttered Mariku.
The smaller duellist glared at him but took his advice, stopping to catch his breath.
"She should be alright…" Answered Yami as he walked back over to his friends. "But I doubt she'll be teaching until the end of the year. Four stunning spells! It could have killed her!"
"Still think Umbridge is a saint?" spat Bakura as he turned towards the three members of the Inquisitorial Squad. Draco turned his head away with a blank look, while Blaise muttered something incoherent under his breath. Only Pansy had the decency to look slightly worried over the Gryffindors' Head teacher.
* * *
The students who had witnessed the scene had had a hard time going to sleep that night. Not only was it already past one in the morning when they all reached their common rooms, but they kept talking about what had happened. The Gryffindors were the last ones to be able to find some rest.
The following morning was exam-free, but instead of taking the opportunity to catch up on some sleep after the night's events, most of the students had planned on doing some last-minute studying. For on that afternoon, they were to have the exam on the most boring subject of the year, through which very few students had managed to take notes: History of Magic.
Yugi was one of the only ones not panicking over the exams, for once. He had just received a letter, which had apparently been searched through by the High Inquisitor, judging by the battered look of the owl that had delivered it. Hopefully, the Toad had turned crazy trying to decipher Jounouchi's messy handwriting, only to read a load of gibberish. If only she knew the language used had been a mixture of Egyptian and japanese...
_Yugi and folks,_
_There has been another attack recently. This time, the target was Pegasus. He appeared at Seto's door sometime a few nights ago, unconscious. He's alright, nothing serious, but we're not taking any chances. Shizuka, Anzu and Honda are staying here at the mansion with your grandfather and Pegasus, to stay safe. I'm taking the next flight to England with Seto and Mokuba, and we'll wait in London while you finish your exams. If anything happens, send us a message, and we'll be here straight away._
_Stay safe, little buddy! Don't go around trying to save the world!_
_Jou_
* * *
Marik chewed on his quill as he tried searching for the questions he was sure to know the answer. Most of the first part of his parchmentwasn't very detailed, he only remember bits and pieces that Ryou had muttered a few nights earlier while studying. One question did catch his attention. It had something to do about the breach of magic in Egypt when Tuthankamen's tomb had been uncovered. Remembering nearly every detail of the story, he didn't waste time writing everything down.
He had just finished a small drabble about the Great Goblin Wars (he only remembered most of the names because he found them so ridiculous he thought it was hilarious) when a terrifying scream jerked everyone away from their examination paper in time to see Harry Potter collapse on his side, pressing his hands to his forehead feverishly as he yelled in pain. Those sitting nearest to him jumped to their feet in surprise, Draco and Yugi being two of them. The Patil twins screamed in fright as did most of the girls, and one of the professors in charge of the examination all but ran to the student's side to help him back up and drag him away from the Great Hall.
/_What was that all about? /_ He asked Mariku. He noticed his darker half shrug from the corner of his eyes.
_/How am I supposed to know? / _Mariku growled back, before turning his head to the front of the Hall, where he could see Yami, Bakura and Ryou turning their heads trying to see what the commotion was about. He mouthed the word 'Potter' to them and stared back at his paper.
After all, whatever happened to the Golden Boy was none of his concern.
If only he knew how wrong he was...
* * *
_End of chapter 11. Finally, after a year probably of silence. I'm hopeless._
_Hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reading!_
End file.
| fanfiction |
Early in his revenues occupation, world-renowned revenues professional Brian Tracy couldn't have the opportunity to beat that straightforward five-word objection and shut the sale. Then he came across a method that labored. enterprise boomed. Tracy broke each revenues list in his corporation and elevated his source of revenue twenty-fold.
Since that step forward decades in the past, Tracy has meticulously studied and picked up the simplest of the simplest in sales-closing concepts. Now, within the paintings of final the Sale, he stocks this wealth of information that has already helped a couple of million humans maximize their revenues results.
No subject how eloquent or passionate a salesman you can be, irrespective of how pleasant your smile or likable your character, if you happen to can't shut the sale, your efforts yield nothing.
The artwork of final the Sale teaches the learnable talents that any one can use to remodel the revenues technique right into a constant win. This publication is an absolute must-read for each revenues expert looking to improve their profession and create a way forward for success.
In our more and more hooked up global, customer support could make or holiday a company. businesses that excel preserve buyers coming again - and those that don't quickly detect that notice spreads quick. the adaptation is in how managers educate, trainer, and aid frontline staff. commonly revised with today's empowered, web-savvy customer in brain, "Managing Knock Your Socks Off Service" exhibits managers and supervisors easy methods to: locate and preserve service-oriented humans; comprehend client wishes, expectancies and wishes; construct a carrier imaginative and prescient; layout a trouble-free provider supply technique; contain and encourage staff; and, realize and present stable functionality.
This distinct quantity provides, for the 1st time in book, the unique Ph. D. thesis of Hyman P. Minsky, some of the most cutting edge thinkers on monetary markets. Dimitri B. Papadimitriou's creation locations the thesis in a latest context, and explains its relevance at the present time. The thesis explores the connection among triggered funding, the restrictions of financing funding, industry constitution, and the determinants of mixture call for and enterprise cycle functionality.
The best-selling casebook on estate legislations, estate legislation: situations and fabrics is an vital spouse to scholars' research. The casebook combines a large choice of extracts from basic and secondary resource fabric, with attractive observation and thought-provoking reflective questions. estate legislations instances and fabrics deals worthwhile examine aid, making sure scholars actively interact with, and mirror seriously on, the total diversity of resource fabrics they're anticipated to come across all through their research, offering an excellent springboard from which to hone their case examining abilities.
The defendant's claim that there had been a counter-offer failed. It was not a rejection of the offer, merely an enquiry about it, and the offer was still open to acceptance. g) Technical counter-offers of no importance to the parties will not count as a rejection A counter-offer rejecting a central term means the offer is no longer open to acceptance. However, in the case of mere ancillary terms, if the parties show no concern and go on to contract then the court may ignore the counter-offer. The company secretary for the Railway Company signed and returned it without looking at it.
Cleveland Bridge refused to pay for the three nodes and claimed that BSC was in breach of contract for late delivery of the fourth. Because there was a total disagreement over a major term, the judge in the case found it impossible to recognise that a contract existed. He did order that BSC be paid for what they had supplied. Activity Self-assessment questions 1. Is there a satisfactory method of resolving a 'battle of forms'? 2. Is there any logic to the outcome of Cleveland Bridge? Key Facts Principles of Formation: Offer and Acceptance 17 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● A contract is made where there is an agreement between two parties An agreement is a valid offer followed by a valid acceptance Offer must be distinguished from: w an 'invitation to treat' – Pharmaceutical Society of GB v Boots w and from a mere statement of price – Harvey v Facey Competitive tendering is different – Harvela Investments v Royal Trust Co.
B) The acceptance can be in any form It can be in writing, by words, or conduct. Of course, if the offeror requires it to be in a specific form then it must be in that form or it will be invalid. Yates v Pulleyn (1975) An option to purchase land was required to be exercised by notice in writing 'sent by registered or recorded delivery post'. When the option was sent by ordinary post only, it was invalid. Acceptance can be construed from the conduct of the parties – see Brogden v Metropolitan Railway Co (1877) in (g) below. | slim_pajama |
Distinctness of magnetic monopoles from electric monopoles [closed]
**Closed**. This question needs to be more [focused](/help/closed-questions). It is not currently accepting answers.
---
**Want to improve this question?** Update the question so it focuses on one problem only by [editing this post](/posts/646946/edit).
Closed 2 years ago.
[Improve this question](/posts/646946/edit)
If magnetic monopoles could exist, how would they differ from electric charges?
Besides the chemical process, it is the separation of the electric charges by a magnetic field that leads to the generation of an electric potential. And electric charges that are accelerated circularly lead to the realignment of the magnetic dipoles. I see no way to distinguish or separate the hypothetical magnetic N and S monopoles from the electric monopoles.
Even more, I find it outdated that the electron is not treated equally as an electric charge and as a magnetic dipole. You can destroy the electron, the positron, the proton and the antiproton and what you get is electro-magnetic radiation.
What you don't pay attention to is the internal structure of EM radiation. I would find it interesting if one could hypothesise the inner structure for a deeper understanding of magnetic and electric fields and EM radiation.
| stackexchange/physics |
extending from the wealth of phenomena occurring in transition - metal oxides , which has been studied already extensively in the last century ( see _ e.g._ref . ) , compounds containing heavy transition - metal elements like iridium have recently attracted much interest .
probably the most prominent example is the discovery of a @xmath0 mott - insulating state in the material sr@xmath2iro@xmath4 @xcite .
subsequently , various theoretical proposals ranging from the realization of the kitaev model in mott insulators @xcite to `` tailoring '' potential topological insulators out of related materials @xcite have been made . in the layered quasi - two - dimensional compound sr@xmath2iro@xmath4it
is the interplay of crystal - field splitting , spin - orbit coupling , and electron - correlation effects that determines the @xmath5 electronic structure and leads to the realization of the complex @xmath0 mott - insulating weakly ferromagnetic ( canted antiferromagnetic ) state @xcite .
the very nature of this state also suggests that the low - energy electronic structure is susceptible to electron - lattice interactions ( distortions , phonons ) as well as changes in the magnetic structure @xcite .
the corresponding ir - o bilayer compound sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3is expected to form a similar @xmath0 state while it is suggested to be very close to an insulator - metal transition and just on the verge of the mott - insulating region with a largely diminished gap @xcite .
while band - structure calculations indicate that the low - energy electronic structures of the two materials are overall similar @xcite , their magnetic properties somewhat differ .
magnetization measurements show a weakly ferromagnetic state in sr@xmath2iro@xmath4 @xcite ; the same is true for sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3 , yet , additionally a peculiar magnetization reversal at low temperatures has been reported @xcite .
the true nature of the magnetic structure has been revealed in a series of resonant x - ray magnetic scattering experiments .
these have established that both sr@xmath2iro@xmath4and sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3actually order as commensurate antiferromagnets @xcite , and in addition provide direct evidence in support of the @xmath0 model through the observation of extremely large @xmath6 branching ratios .
one very significant difference between the two compounds , however , is that in sr@xmath2iro@xmath4the moments are confined to the @xmath7-@xmath8 plane ( with a small canting ) , while in sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3they reorient to point along the @xmath9 axis @xcite .
it is also worth noting that neutron diffraction experiments indicate that magnetic correlations may extend to significantly higher temperatures than indicated by the resonant x - ray scattering experiments @xcite .
furthermore , recent resonant inelastic x - ray scattering experiments show pronounced differences in the spin excitation spectra of sr@xmath2iro@xmath4 @xcite and sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3 @xcite .
given its entanglement with the magnetic properties it is important to provide a comparison of the low - energy electronic structure for the two compounds . a powerful experimental tool to determine the electronic spectrum is angle - resolved photoemission spectroscopy ( arpes ) .
while arpes data on sr@xmath2iro@xmath4have been reported previously @xcite , until now such data on sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3were not available . therefore , in this article we report the low - energy electronic structure for sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3measured by arpes and compare it to the available single - layer data as well as density - functional - theory band - structure calculations .
we find an overall very good agreement between the experiment and the calculations for the bilayer compound , yet , the measured spectral weight from the @xmath0 states is extremely weak .
moreover , while the distribution of spectral weight is markedly different from sr@xmath2iro@xmath4 , the data from both compounds are qualitatively similar and exhibit some disagreement with the calculations in the center of the brillouin zone . .
the high - symmetry points are denoted as in ref . .
the bullets ( @xmath10 ) indicate the local curvature maxima of the concave parts of the edcs .
the arrows at the top of the figure denote the energies for which constant - energy maps are presented in fig .
[ fig : constantenergymaps ] . ]
the studied single crystal of sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3was synthesized at the clarendon laboratory using a self - flux technique as described in ref . .
arpes experiments were performed at the baltazar laser - arpes facility using a laser - based angle - resolving time - of - flight analyzer and linearly polarized @xmath11 ev photons @xcite .
the @xmath9-axis - oriented single crystal of sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3was cleaved and measured under ultra - high - vacuum conditions with a pressure below @xmath12 mbar at a temperature @xmath13 k. complementary partial areas of the brillouin zone were covered by a series of measurements with different sample orientations and the resulting spectra were normalized and combined to yield a full data set spanning more than an eighth of the brillouin zone .
the energy and crystal - momentum resolution of the measurements are about @xmath14 mev and @xmath15 @xmath16 , respectively .
the chemical potential was determined within an accuracy of about @xmath17 mev through a work - function estimate .
mev ( _ top left _ ) and @xmath18 mev ( _ bottom right _ ) .
the dashed line indicates the high - symmetry reciprocal - space line along which spectra are presented in figs .
[ fig : edcs ] and [ fig : bandstructure ] . ] figure [ fig : edcs ] shows measured arpes spectra [ energy - distribution curves ( edcs ) ] along a line of high - symmetry points in reciprocal space . the insulating character of sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3is reflected in the lack of spectral weight around zero binding energy ( @xmath19 , no fermi surface ) . with increasing binding energy
first a weak dispersive feature appears around the @xmath20 point indicated by the extremal edc curvature . at the center of the brillouin zone ( @xmath21 ) there seems to be a very weak `` intensity tail '' at low binding energy , yet , the first clear maximum at @xmath21 is found just above @xmath22 mev . while being rather flat in the close vicinity of @xmath21 , the spectral weight rather quickly shifts from this `` band '' to a feature at higher binding energies when departing from @xmath21 ( in every direction ) and
finally forms a broad flat maximum located away from @xmath21 at @xmath23 mev . a further overview over the spectral - weight distribution in the whole brillouin zone is provided in the constant - energy surfaces depicted in fig .
[ fig : constantenergymaps ] . in this context
, it should be noted that the observed brillouin zone of sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3is smaller than expected for the originally determined tetragonal space group @xmath24 with an in - plane lattice constant @xmath25 @xcite .
therefore , the near - surface electronic structure provides further evidence that at least at low temperatures sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3might feature similar coherent iro@xmath26 octahedra rotations as sr@xmath2iro@xmath4leading to a bigger tetragonal unit cell @xcite or even have an orthorhombic structure as reported previously ( see , _ e.g._refs . or ) .
the arpes data on sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3presented here are consistent with previous studies of the optical conductivity which showed an insulating state with a small gap @xcite . to facilitate a further comparison , the arpes spectra for sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3are depicted together with density - functional - theory band - structure calculations @xcite in fig .
[ fig : bandstructure](a ) . like in fig .
[ fig : edcs ] , the bullets ( @xmath10 ) represent distinct maxima in the concave edc curvature .
the high intensity above @xmath27 mev with the strong mode dispersing to about @xmath28 mev at @xmath21 show a remarkable agreement with the @xmath29 bands ( solid black lines ) predicted by the calculations .
the distribution of the remaining spectral weight at lower energies has the same topology as the calculated @xmath0 bands ( solid red lines ) .
hence , even though not all the bands could be clearly resolved in our experiment the data show a good overall agreement with the results of the calculations . turning to the pronounced feature in the vicinity of @xmath21 the edcs reveal two modes originating at @xmath30 mev .
an intense band strongly disperses towards the high - energy maximum indicated by the curvature maxima at @xmath31 mev , a second weakly dispersing band with only low intensity follows the low - energy onset between @xmath32 mev and @xmath33 mev .
naturally , the fast dispersing feature is seen more clearly in the intensity distribution at fixed binding energies [ momentum - distribution curves ( mdcs ) ] .
the mdcs along the high - symmetry lines close to @xmath21 can be well described by a model function consisting of two lorentzians .
the resulting peak positions ( crosses , @xmath34 ) are depicted in fig .
[ fig : bandstructure](a ) .
starting at @xmath30 mev they trace the intense band and overlap with the edc curvature maxima at higher binding energies .
these features identified in the edcs and mdcs around @xmath21 are consistent with the calculated @xmath29 and @xmath0 bands .
overall , we observe that all the @xmath0 bands carry very little spectral weight .
while the bands around @xmath20 and a part of the bilayer - split bands around @xmath21 can still be recognized , the only sign of the predicted split - off bands at very low binding energies around @xmath21 might be the aforementioned almost vanishingly weak edc `` tail '' below @xmath35 mev ( cf .
[ fig : edcs ] ) , whose signature , however , is too faint for any further analysis . owing to their weakness , the width of the occupied @xmath0 bands is difficult to determine .
judging from the onset of spectral weight , given by the lowest - energy edc curvature maxima , one obtains a band width of about @xmath32 mev . yet , based on our data , it can not be excluded that several bands are hidden in the spectral region between about @xmath36 mev and @xmath37 mev .
therefore , the most accurate estimate for a single @xmath0 band appears to be possible considering only the dispersion between @xmath20 and @xmath38 having a band width of about @xmath39 mev . ) for sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3[@xmath40 ev , @xmath13 k , this work , ( a ) ] and sr@xmath2iro@xmath4[@xmath41 ev , @xmath42 k , ref . ,
the solid lines represent the calculated band structures of ref . .
the red lines are @xmath0 bands , the black ones correspond to @xmath29 . in ( a ) the bullets ( @xmath10 )
represent the local curvature maxima of the concave parts of the edcs ( cf .
[ fig : edcs ] ) , the crosses ( @xmath34 ) indicate mdc peaks for binding energies between @xmath43 ev and @xmath44 ev in the vicinity of @xmath21 . ]
our data on sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3also show a qualitative resemblance with the arpes data on sr@xmath2iro@xmath4 @xcite as there are clearly valence - band maxima at @xmath21 and @xmath20 where the latter is found at a lower binding energy . for a direct comparison the arpes data for sr@xmath2iro@xmath4(@xmath41 ev , @xmath42 k , ref . ) and the calculated band structure of ref .
are shown in fig .
[ fig : bandstructure](b ) .
contrary to the case of sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3 , the details of the calculations seem to differ substantially from the data particularly close to the center of the brillouin zone and in the size of the predicted energy gap . in ref .
it has been pointed out that the calculations reproduce the valence - band - maxima topology for this material . yet , the assignment of both the valence - band maxima at @xmath20 and @xmath21 to the @xmath0 bands @xcite is ambiguous as in sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3the main spectral weight at @xmath21 seems to originate from the @xmath29 states . taking into account only the band connected to the valence - band maximum at @xmath20 ,
the @xmath0 band width between @xmath20 and @xmath38 appears to be about @xmath45 mev which is rather close to our estimate for sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3 , while for both materials the calculated band width is about two to three times larger ( @xmath46 mev between @xmath20 and @xmath38 ) @xcite .
the most pronounced difference between the arpes data of the single - layer and bilayer materials is the intensity found in the valence - band maxima while for sr@xmath2iro@xmath4a high intensity is found in the valence - band maximum at @xmath20 , the low - energy spectral weight in sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3is substantially suppressed .
the measurements of the optical conductivity and the calculated density of states @xcite would suggest more similar results for both materials , but various effects could lead to the observed difference . in general , it could be related to varying photoemission cross - sections for the distinct photon energies used in the experiments @xcite . however
, this does not explain the weakness of the @xmath0 bands in sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3as they derive from the same ir @xmath5 states as the @xmath29 bands .
also , there could be an effect from probing different out - of - plane crystal momenta in the not truely two - dimensional systems .
additionally , the symmetry of the @xmath0 states could play a role in the photoemission process
however , the experiment was not performed in a specific high - symmetry geometry , which renders the substantial suppression of the intensity of the @xmath0 states due to that unlikely .
eventually , the low intensity might be the result of a lack in suitable final states excitable by the rather low photon energy used in the experiment .
future arpes experiments on both materials employing various photon energies and geometries could provide an answer to this open question . concerning the peculiarities in the magnetic properties of these materials ,
the observation of the ( qualitatively ) similar low - energy electronic structures in sr@xmath2iro@xmath4and sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3would suggest similar magnetic properties .
however , different moment orderings can not be excluded either as long as the `` orbital order '' is similar @xcite and might provide a reason for the marked differences observed in magnetization and muon - spin rotation @xcite .
also , as mentioned before , the rather good agreement of the data and band calculations for sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3but not sr@xmath2iro@xmath4could be a hint for less pronounced electron correlations in the bilayer material consistent with the apparent departure from the spin - wave expectation observed in resonant inelastic x - ray scattering experiments @xcite .
to summarize , we presented experimental arpes data on sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3and compared them to data on sr@xmath2iro@xmath4as well as band - structure calculations available in the literature .
the data on both compounds are qualitatively similar , thus confirming the related electronic structures .
the comparison with the calculations shows a very good overall agreement for sr@xmath1ir@xmath2o@xmath3 , thus confirming the @xmath0 insulating state in this material .
however , the @xmath0 band width appears to be reduced as compared to the calculations and the observed @xmath0 bands carry very little spectral weight .
further studies are required to elucidate the origin of this effect as well as the partial disagreement of the data and calculations for sr@xmath2iro@xmath4 .
this work was made possible through support from the knut and alice wallenberg foundation , the swedish research council , the swiss national science foundation , its nccr manep and sinergia network mpbh , as well as the epsrc . | arxiv |
Manila, Philippines — Ahead of the arrival of the country's second Hamilton-class Cutter acquired from the United States, the Philippine Navy (PN) announced that BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PF 15) has successfully test fired its 76 mm Oto Melara main gun off the waters of Zambales.
The firing exercise was conducted as the Navy prepared to welcome BRP Gregorio Alcaraz (PF 16), Del Pilar's sister ship, which is expected to enter Philippine waters on Friday, August 2.
Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic, the PN spokesman, said Del Pilar tested its main weapon by firing at a "killer tomato" balloon target drifting about two nautical miles away from the ship.
He said that, normally, before a ship can hit that small a target, between 15 to 30 rounds need to be fired. In the case of Del Pilar, Fabic said it was able to hit the target within five rounds.
"Five rounds pa lang na-hit na yung target kaya tumigil na sila. Wala nang assessment na mangyayari kasi na-hit na niya . . . so it's very effective he said.
While the test firing was staged in waters near the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, it was not meant as a show of force against China, he said.
Panatag shoal, a rich fishing ground located well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ), has been under virtual control of China for more than a year now.
"Nagkataon lang na nandun siya (Del Pilar) ngayon pending the arrival of PF16 (Alcaraz)," said Fabic.
The Alcaraz, which left Guam 2 p.m. on Sunday, is due to arrive in the country on Friday.
A festive welcome ceremony slated on August 6 is being readied for the Navy's second Hamilton-class ship when she finally drops anchor at Subic Bay next week.
President Benigno S. Aquino III and US Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr. will lead the welcome ceremony for Alcaraz and her crew who had completed 14 months of training in the US.
Local fishing boats, yachts, and tugboats will form a fluvial procession when Alcaraz nears Subic as part of the festive welcome. | slim_pajama |
The Locrians , Locri were an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region of Locris in Central Greece, around Parnassus. They spoke the Locrian dialect, a Doric-Northwest dialect, and were closely related to their neighbouring tribes, the Phocians and the Dorians. They were divided into two geographically distinct tribes, the western Ozolians and the eastern Opuntians; their primary towns were Amphissa and Opus respectively, and their most important colony was the city of Epizephyrian Locris in Magna Graecia, which still bears the name Locri. Among others, Ajax the Lesser and Patroclus were the most famous Locrian heroes, both distinguished in the Trojan War; Zaleucus from Epizephyrian Locris devised the first written Greek law code, the Locrian code.
Mythology
In Greek mythology, the Locrians were the descendants of Locrus, great-grandson of Deucalion and Pyrrha, the founders of the Greek race. According to some traditions, Deucalion was a native of the Locrian city of Opus, thus the Locrians are said to have been the first tribe to be called Hellenes. Some ancient writers supposed the name of the Locrians to be derived from an ancient king of the Leleges, the prehistoric residents of Locris, named Locrus, and Dionysius of Halicarnassus mention that Locrians is the later name of the Leleges, in the way that many ancient writers inaccurately identified several Greek tribes with the aboriginal peoples of Greece.
History and distribution
The Locrians are said to have arrived in southern Greece in the late 2nd millennium BC from their homeland on Pindus, when the Greek tribes moved southwards. In historical times, the Locrians were divided into two distinct tribes, differing from each other in customs, habits and civilization. Of these, the eastern Locrians, called the Opuntian and Epicnemedian, dwelt on the eastern coast of Greece, opposite the island of Euboea, while the western Locrians, called Ozolian or Esperian, dwelt on the Corinthian gulf and were separated from the former by Mount Parnassus and the whole of Doris and Phocis.
It is likely that Locrian territory once extended from sea to sea, then was divided as a result of the immigration of the Phocians and Dorians. The most famous colony of the Locrian tribe was the city of Epizephyrian Locri, founded in the 7th century BC in Magna Græcia, which exists until today as Locri. According to Strabo the founders were the Ozolian Locrians, from the region of Amphissa.
In the 6th century BC, the Locrians had a series of conflicts with the neighbouring tribes. Only the Opuntian Locrians are mentioned by Homer; they were the more ancient and the more civilized. The Ozolian Locrians, who are said to have been a colony of the former, are not mentioned in history until the time of the Peloponnesian War, and are even then represented as a semi-barbarous people. That was the last mention of the Ozolian Locrians, as they suffered the defeat from Corinth later and they stopped having a distinct identity in the 4th century BC. The Opuntian Locrians, who are mentioned to have taken part in the battle of Thermopylae between the Greeks and the Persians, were attacked by various tribes which devastated their country and only some of their towns preserved the Locrian identity in the 3rd century BC.
Culture
The Locrians around Thermopylae were the first to have been called Hellenes. Later the name expanded to include the other Greek tribes through the Amphictionia of Delphi, to which they belonged, and their religion. The most famous of their heroes were Ajax the Locrian, best known as Ajax the Lesser, son of Oileus; and Patroclus, son of Menoetius and best friend of Achilles. Elements of Ajax worship have been found in Euboea, Pontus, the Aegean islands, Asia Minor, Peloponnesus, Kerkyra, Epirus, southern Italy, and northern Africa; which means that the Locrian civilization was widely extended in the ancient Greek world. In Greek mythology, the Locrians are closely related to the Phocians and Eleans.
James M. Redfield, professor of Classics at the University of Chicago, in his book The Locrian Maidens: Love and Death in Greek Italy, states that the Locrians of Epizephyrian Locri had a special way to treat the sex difference. Although the Locrians hardly viewed men and women as equals, women held special religious rights, which men could gain access to only by marrying them. Locrian women became the vehicles for the transmission of status, and marriage maintained the social order of a traditional oligarchy.
Ajax the Lesser
The national hero of the Locrians was Ajax the Locrian, who led the 40 Locrian ships to Troy, to take part in the Trojan War. Locrians respected him so much, that after his death they kept a place for him in their phalanx, thinking that he will always fight with them. On the other side, Ajax's actions resulted in his death according to Greek mythology, while the Locrian tribe suffered from the anger of the gods. After the fall of Troy, he raped Cassandra in the temple of Athena, where she had taken refuge as a supplicant. For this crime, Poseidon wrecked the ship of Ajax on the coast of Euboea and Ajax was killed by a lightning bolt.
The curse
According to Lycophron, in his work Alexandra, for this crime of their national hero, the Locrians had to send two unmarried maidens to the temple of Athena at Ilion of Athens for 1,000 years, where they should live until they died. After their death, they would not be given a decent burial, while for each maiden who died, another one must be sent into the temple by night, and she would be stoned to death if seen.
The goddess is referred to as Athena Ilias, a name not necessarily derived from Ilion, but maybe from the family deity Oileus, the father of Ajax and the ancestral hero of the Locrians. She could have protected the maidens during their period of initiation
Callimachus mentions that the curse fell upon Locris three years after the Trojan war, which led to the beginning of the tribute at the command of the Delphic oracle. According to Apollodorus, after the command of the Delphic oracle, two maidens were sent to Ilion, and their duty was to clean the temple. After their death, they were replaced, while the tribute ended after a thousand years with the end of the Phocian War, which destroyed Naryca, the town that supplied the maidens. Aelian says that the plague, fell upon Locris after the Locrians failed to send the yearly tribute that the oracle demanded. Demetrius of Scepsis knows that the maidens were sent for the first time when the Persians were already in control, so after 547 BC.
Locrian maidens had the appearance of a Greek mourner, as they went to Ilion barefoot, wearing only one garment and their hair was loose or cut. Cut hair symbolizes maturity for both sexes and plays a part in marriage rituals, while loosened or cut hair are required in other cults such as to Demeter and Dionysus, and bare feet in other as well. In addition to these, loosened hair and bare feet are signs of a witch.
These maidens were not given proper burials, as most of them were burnt on a pyre of barren branches and the ashes were thrown to the sea. This kind of pyre was used in Greece to burn criminals and the barren trees were used to burn portents and prodigies, while criminals were hanged from these trees. Locrian maidens were seen as marginal beings and scapegoats, separated from normal life, a feature of rites of passage. The three stages of rites of passage are separation, marginalization and reincorporation, and according to this, the maidens left for Ilion, spent a year there and returned home. In Epizephyrian Locri, maidens were prostituted as a reminder and punishment for a certain act. Ancient basis for prostitution was that girls would marry earlier than their coevals and foreigners would complete the rites. The completion of the rites enhances the status of girls.
In the middle of the 6th century, this cult became more epic focused and centered on the expiation for the crimes of Ajax. As a result, later generations forgot its significance and put an end to this tribute; but a Greek inscription, discovered in Locris at the end of the nineteenth century, proves that the Locrians continued to send out pairs of maidens until the 3rd century BC.
See also
Ozolian Locris
Opuntian Locris
Locri in Italy, Magna Graecia
References
External links
Mara Dabrishus - Oxford Readings in Greek Religion, Locrian Maidens by Fritz Graf
Category:Ancient tribes in central Greece
Category:Locris
Category:Greek tribes | wikipedia |
clinically evident renal medullary fibroma is a rare occurrence . these lesions are usually small and escape clinical detection .
benign fibromatous tumors have also been described to affect other urogenital sites such as testis and paratesticular soft - tissues .
it is difficult to distinguish benign renal medullary fibroma from renal malignancy pre - operatively and most of these clinical scenarios end up in radical nephrectomy .
a 32-year - old male patient presented with left flank pain and a single episode of gross hematuria .
the radiologic features suggested renal carcinoma ; however , after surgery and histopathology investigations the lesion was identified as renal fibroma .
computed tomography ( ct ) scan of the abdomen revealed a calcified , partially exophytic soft - tissue mass involving the mid and interpolar regions of the right kidney [ figure 1 ] .
contrast enhanced ct revealed doubtful enhancement with perirenal mild inflammatory stranding [ figure 2 ] .
right renal cell carcinoma ( rcc ) was suspected and patient underwent laparoscopic right radical nephrectomy .
32-year - old male with left flank pain and gross hematuria diagnosed with renal medullary fibroma .
unenhanced computed tomography scan of the abdomen reveals a calcified , partially exophytic soft - tissue mass ( arrow ) involving the mid and interpolar regions of the right kidney .
32-year - old male with left flank pain and gross hematuria diagnosed with renal medullary fibroma .
contrast enhanced computed tomography reveals doubtful enhancement around the calcified partially exophytic mass with perirenal mild inflammatory stranding ( arrow ) .
on cut section , the right kidney contained a well - circumscribed 4 cm 4 cm , grayish - yellow tumor with areas of calcification [ figure 3 ] .
32-year - old male with left flank pain and gross hematuria diagnosed with renal medullary fibroma .
gross photograph shows a firm grayish yellow calcified tumor ( black arrow ) , renal hilum ( white arrow ) .
histological analysis revealed an unencapsulated , paucicellular tumor with large areas of hyalinization , fibrosis and variable infiltrate consisting of lymphocytes and plasma cells .
scattered among the sclerotic stroma a few spindle cells in myxoid background with prominent nucleoli were observed .
thick collagen bundles with psammomatous and dystrophic calcification with osteoid formation were also noted [ figures 4 and 5 ] .
32-year - old male with left flank pain and gross hematuria diagnosed with renal medullary fibroma .
photomicrograph of hematoxylin and eosin , stained tissue ( 100 ) shows bland spindle - shaped cells occurring singly within a loose stromal matrix ( black arrow ) and separated by thick collagen bundles ( white arrow ) .
32-year - old male with left flank pain and gross hematuria diagnosed with renal medullary fibroma .
photomicrograph of h and e stained tissue ( 100 ) shows foci of thick collagen bundles with calcification ( white arrow ) and osseous metaplasia ( black arrow ) .
convalescence was uneventful and the patient was discharged on the 3 day post - operation .
renomedullary fibromas are very common benign tumors arising from the interstitial cells of the renal medulla and commonly present as an incidental finding .
the lesion localizes in the renal medulla and almost always measures less than 0.5 cm in diameter although tumors up to 8 cm have been reported .
they are unencapsulated , but well - defined nodules that are usually solitary , but may sometime be multiple and bilateral .
few renal medullary fibromas are large enough to become clinically evident and cause symptoms due to torsion of the tumor about a pedicle causing venous stasis , infarction , vascular rupture , and subsequent hematuria .
pre - operative diagnosis of renal medullary fibroma is difficult and the radiological spectrum of calcifications on plain x - rays , echogenicity on ct , neovascularity on arteriogram and filling defects on retrograde pyelogram , all simulate either renal cell carcinoma ( rcc or transitional cell carcinoma . on ultrasonography ,
on ct scan , a predominantly soft - tissue attenuation tumor with lack of hemorrhage and necrosis should draw attention toward this differential diagnosis .
osteosarcoma of the kidney is a rare tumor , which generally presents as a large mass with dense chunky calcification and may even replace whole of the kidney .
xantho - granulomatous pyelonephritis also present as a heterogenous non - enhancing mass and a staghorn calculus is present in 80% of the cases .
the kidney is enlarged with paradoxically contracted renal pelvis with dilated calyces giving the appearance of the paw - print of a bear ( bear paw sign ) . magnetic resonance imaging ( mri )
renal medullary fibroma shows low signal intensity in both t1- and t2-weighted images presumably because of their dense collagen content and little cellularity malignant fibrous histiocytoma is yet another densely collagenous , but malignant tumor , which shows low intensity in t2 images .
rcc on the other hand have an intensity intermediate between renal cortex and medulla on t1-weighted image and are isointense or hyperintense relative to normal parenchyma on t2-weighted image .
because it is unusual for rcc to have low signal intensity on both t1- and t2-weighted images , renal medullary fibroma should be considered in the differential diagnosis .
hematomas can also can have low signal intensity on both t1- and t2-weighted images especially when their hemosiderin content is substantial .
inflammatory pseudotumor is another rare lesion , which presents as hypointense lesion on t1- and t2-weighted images due to fibrotic changes and shows delayed gadolinium enhancement due to the accumulation of extravascular contrast media in the fibrotic component of the mass .
contrast enhanced ct picture is highly variable and may show homo- or heterogeneity and hypo- , iso- , or hyperdensity .
renal leiomyoma may be considered in the differential diagnosis since renal leiomyoma manifests with homogenous soft - tissue density on ct and low signal intensity on t1- and t2-weighted images .
these patients usually undergo radical nephrectomy as malignancy can not be ruled out with certainty .
however , these entities are entirely benign and patients have an excellent prognosis and thus there may be a role for biopsy if this lesion is suspected radiologically .
role of positron emission tomography ( pet ) scan in renal masses is yet not clearly defined . in general , benign tumors are photopenic and malignant tumors shows fluorodeoxyglucose avidity , but exception has been reported . mri and pet scan evaluation of these clinical scenarios can prevent unnecessary removal of normal renal parenchymal tissue .
prudent use of the available modalities of imaging can help us in deciding to perform nephron sparing surgeries in these cases .
radiologists and clinicians need to be aware of the possibility of these kinds of lesions that warrant further evaluation .
medullary fibroma is a very frequent small tumor that most commonly presents as an incidental finding , but in rare cases maybe large and symptomatic .
these patients usually undergo radical nephrectomy as malignancy can not be ruled out with certainty .
however , these entities are entirely benign and patients have an excellent prognosis and thus there may be a role for biopsy if this lesion is suspected radiologically with available modalities including mri . | pubmed |
Harry Potter Enough
So, this is the first installment of a two part seires that I wrote. It's very odd when you read them both together, but you really should!
This one is called Enough, and the second one is called Not Enough. Simple right?
So please read them both and tell me what you think! I'd love to know!
Also...I own nothing. Oh! And the cover photo is a very beautiful painting by Agnes-Cecile called Learn to Appear.
_Please leave a review!_
* * *
_Love is…unreasonable. Stupid. Useless._
Sirius decided as he stared at the gray silk canopy of his bed. The rising crescendo of the string quartet his mother had hired for the party drifted up to him, muted by the floors.
_Love…sucked. Literally._
Sirius chuckled, cheeks tinged pink as he remembered last week's date. A gentle knock on the door woke him from his thoughts.
"So this is where you've been hiding Black."
Sirius cocked his head to see Lucius leaning casually against his door frame.
"I'm not hiding Lucius, I've been banned from showing my _beautiful_ face at the party."
"For good reason."
The dry sarcasm made Sirius smile slightly as he examined the blond. Lucius was (as always and as all purebloods were) gorgeous, his pale blond hair was tied back loosely and carelessly, but it looked amazing. His face was smooth and nearly pore less, with the same bone structure and slate gray eyes that were almost identical to Sirius'.
"They did quite a number on you…"
"_Bullshit_," Sirius snarled at the mocking tone, "if you came up here to gloat over it then you can get the fuck out of my room."
Lucius' gray blue eyes softened and he pushed off the door frame, moving to sit at the edge of Sirius' bed.
"I'm not here to gloat Sirius…"
"No? You're here to piss off Cissy then? Because she obviously does_ so_ much for you."
Lucius narrowed his eyes at the jab at his sexuality.
"Your cousin is a very beautiful woman whom I love very much. And for the record, I am not here under any pretense other _than to see you."_
Peering out from behind his thick black fringe Sirius stared at Lucius for a long moment.
"Oh."
Thin fingers brushed Sirius' bruised face.
"What on earth did you say to make them this angry?"
"_Nothing,_" Sirius' muttered defensively, "they'd do it no matter what I say."
"Are you allowed to heal them?"
Brushing his hair out of his face with a little flick Sirius leveled his glare at Lucius.
"Do you think I'd be sitting around looking like _this_ if I could?"
Lucius' breath was hot on his face and his lips were like feathers on his own.
"You still look beautiful to me."
* * *
"I'm leaving them Lucius! I'm leaving!"
"Sirius-"
"You know what they do to me! _You know Lucius!_ I can't stay there anymore, I can't live under the same roof as those monsters!"
"Sirius, _stop it._" Lucius said, with that same pureblood authority that Orion Black had, causing Sirius to pause and stare at him. Almost like a puppy that had just been berated.
"You can't just leave Sirius, you have to think this through."
"Think what through?! _Look at me Lucius!"_ Sirius said gesturing to his shirtless chest where his family motto had been carved.
"Where would you stay Sirius? How would you pay for school? What about your inheritance? The legal issues that would come with an heir denouncing his title? You _must_ think of these things Sirius."
"I can't stay there anymore Lucius…they hate me!"
"They don't hate you. You're an anomaly, they're confused."
"My father held me down and craved up my chest! _How the fuck is that confused!?_" Sirius yelled, tittering on the verge of tears or pure rage. Yet one disapproving look from Lucius and he fell silent.
"Sirius, you're only fifteen. You don't have the money, resources or contacts to make a political move this drastic yet. You need to plan this, think about it. You can't just act and hope that you get lucky." Lucius patronized, watching cautiously as Sirius fidgeted in his chair. The pure embodiment of rash action, just itching to do something, anything, and not caring of the consequences. Finally Sirius stopped, only his fingers tapping an incessant rhythm out on the arms of the chair moving.
"...but Lucius, that's all I do. All I know is act first, deal with the consequences later."
His black hair was matted with dried blood, dirty muggle jeans ripped and torn, chest oozing blood as _Toujours Pur_ stood out in sharp red contrast. Sitting in the high wingback chair Sirius looked small, all sharp angles and jutting ribs curled in on each other, liquid silver eyes glowing in the dimly lit room. Staring out at Lucius with such overflowing emotion, such inner turmoil that Lucius was amazed the boy had lasted this long in that wretched house.
"And that's what I love about you Sirius, but that won't help you here. _If you're going to do this it needs to be done right."_
A heavy silence fell upon them and Sirius shivered, wrapping his arms around his body tightly, ignoring the blood and sharp pains as the flayed skin on his chest moved.
"You love me…?"
"Yes, I do. _I always have and I always will Sirius."_
"Oh…" One bloody hand twitched, fingers playing an invisible piano on his arm. Despite the blood and the pain and the hopelessness of the situation a stupid happy smile found its way onto Sirius' face.
"Yes. Yes...I love you too Lucius." He paused, fingering the bloody script on his body with a faint smile on his lips. "I suppose that will have to be enough for now."
* * *
So...what did you think...?
Please, leave a review and tell me all your thoughts! I'd love to hear them, good or bad.
_Please...? Review...?_
End file.
| fanfiction |
digital pathology holds great promise for the future of anatomic pathology and many pathology laboratories today are starting to adopt this technology for a variety of applications , including telepathology ( teleconsultation ) , quantitative image analysis and digitization of lab workflow .
slide scanning systems are one component of the technology that will enable the digitization of the analog glass workflow to a digital workflow .
as more pathologists adopt digital pathology , one key question that is often asked by new users is why is the image size not the same as my microscope ? more specifically , when a glass slide is manually viewed with a conventional light microscope using a 20 objective and then viewed as a digital image that was created using the same 20 objective lens , the perceived size of the image may not be the same .
many pathologists are surprised to see that the images acquired with the same objective lens scale so differently when compared with the monitor , which is a common phenomenon in all digital pathology imaging systems .
the reason this occurs is because the size of a whole slide image ( wsi ) is dependent on ( 1 ) the objective lens magnification being employed by the scanner , ( 2 ) size and number of individual pixels within the digital camera 's sensor and ( 3 ) size and amount of individual pixels within the monitor .
the images from the vendor 1 , captured with a 5.5 micron pixel sensor , appear on the screen 1.7 larger than the image on the right , captured with a 10 micron pixel size sensor .
the image from vendor 1 's scanner contains more information within the image due to its pixel resolution . keeping the objective lens constant and
varying the pixel size in the sensor will yield an image of different perceived size when viewed at full digital resolution . depending on the digital camera and numerical aperture ( na ) of the objective lenses within the wsi system ,
, magnification is dictated by the microscope objective and should not be confused with scale .
images of an enterobius parasite in an appendix are shown using a similar 20 objective , but with different sensor pixel sizes .
images a and c are sampled with a 5.5 micron pixel size , whereas b and d were sampled with a 10 micron pixel size .
the apparent magnification differs by 1.7 , the ratio of the pixel sizes graphic depicting the added boost in magnification that comes from the workstation monitor
before this can be appreciated , one must understand the differences between digital resolution and optical resolution .
ultimately all definitions of resolution describe the minimum distance two objects can be separated by and still are distinguished as separate features . for example , using any viewing system , if the smallest distance between two objects is 1 micron before they get blurred together and appear as one object , we would state that the resolution is 1 micron ( i.e. , the system can resolve two objects that are 1 micron apart or a single object that is 1 micron in size ) . for a purely optical system , which has no sensor , the resolving power is dictated by a complex interplay of light and glass optics , which is often described in microscopy as the rayleigh resolution limit ( r ) .
we can calculate r as follows : provided that we know the color of light ( is around 0.53 microns for the green light ) and the property of the glass optics known as the na .
the na describes the number of different angles from which the glass optics will collect light , such a funnel for photons .
thus , we see that based upon glass optics , the aperture size ( of what ? ) matters and the wavelength of light used to observe ( observe what ? ) matters , but that magnification does not play a direct role in resolving power
. however , an unfortunate confusion occurs with light microscopy because when a feature of interest requires higher resolution , an objective with higher na is used and very often that objective also has higher magnification .
thus , changing the na and magnification often occur simultaneously . for example , when switching from a 20 with 0.5 na objectives to one that is 40 with 0.9 na , the smallest resolvable feature drops from 0.64 microns to 0.36 microns ( for the green light ) . with the 0.9 na objectives ,
some of these principles change , when a digital camera sensor and monitor is involved , as the resolving power is no longer dictated solely by the optical lens .
this is because the size of a pixel and the amount of pixels will also dictate if two objects will appear as separate features . using the same example as above ,
if two objects are 1 micron apart when projected onto a sensor ( after being magnified by an objective ) and the pixel size is 10 microns , the two objects are likely to appear as one .
this means that the sensor can not resolve a 1 micron size image feature [ figure 2 ] . in this example
, the sensor would require a 0.5 micron pixel size in order to insure that two objects appear as two distinct features .
according to the nyquist resolution requirement for pixel size ( p ) : optical resolution is solely dependent on the objective lenses whereas , digital resolution is dependent on the objective lens , digital camera sensor and monitor and are closely tied together in system performance .
the objective lenses must have the optical resolution required to see features of interest ; digital resolution can not make up for any short comings in the objective .
however , the sensor can fail the glass lenses if the digital resolution is not fine enough .
magnification is a change in the apparent size of an object , performed so that the object can more easily be seen . in traditional light microscopes used for pathology , a wide range of magnifications
are available to ensure that the image observed through the oculars is large enough for easy viewing . in this case , magnification is not necessarily used to increase resolution , but utilized to make viewing easier . in the wsi system , with the introduction of a digital camera sensor and monitor , magnification plays the role of matching digital and optical resolution . with the prior example
, we can not see 1 micron sized features with a 10 micron sensor , unless we magnify the image by another factor of 20 .
this yields features that are 20 microns apart and therefore can be accurately digitized by the 10 micron pixel sensor .
once the image has been digitized with good fidelity by the sensor , there is no longer much need for additional magnification .
the role of providing an image that is sized appropriately and easy to review will now depend on the workstation monitor .
the appearance of an image on a digital display can be very different than the traditional light microscope view .
the traditional microscope provides a pair of 10 oculars for viewing , thereby providing an extra boost of magnification for looking at the material on glass slides .
similarly , the presentation of the digital image on a monitor provides a boost of extra magnification that is often overlooked [ figure 3 ] . continuing on with this example with the 10 micron pixel ,
when that pixel value is moved to a typical workstation monitor , it will generally be displayed as a 270 micron pixel .
that translates to a magnification factor of 27 , more than was formerly achievable using the oculars .
if we consider a sensor with a more typical pixel size ( e.g. , 6.45 microns ) , the magnification factor becomes ~42 .
hence , it is apparent that the scale of the image will certainly be different , dependent upon the sensor used , regardless of the objective lens magnification .
graph depicting the effect of the camera sensor size and monitor display on apparent magnification . in this example , the images are acquired with a 20 microscope objective lens , shown as a blue horizontal line . the x - input axis is the sensor pixel size and y - output axis is the apparent magnification , as viewed on the screen at a distance of 60 cm .
the apparent magnification on the screen increases as the sensor pixel size is decreased , as shown by the family of curves .
the red curve is apparent magnification using a standard 96 dpi monitor , the purple curve using a 220 dpi mac retina display these two representing the current extremes in monitor resolution the magnification of an image on a computer screen is further influenced by one more element : how far the person viewing the image is sitting from the screen .
to illustrate , the graphs in figure 3 bring together the complex relationship between sensor pixel size , objective lens magnification and the type of workstation monitor used to view the image .
the bright blue , horizontal line represents the magnification due to the objective lens used in the scanner , which in this example is 20 .
the family of curves represents the apparent magnification of the image as seen with different types of monitors , when seated 60 cm from the screen .
the red curve is for a standard digital display with 96 dpi and the green curve shows the result for a higher density medical grade barco 120 dpi computer monitor .
finally , the blue curve is the apparent magnification of an image when using the most advanced retinal display monitor with 220 dpi , as is now available with certain apple macintosh computers . with a standard 96 dpi display
, a system with an 11 micron pixel will have the same apparent magnification as the standard light microscope .
an advanced wsi scanner , such as vendor 1 with a 5.5 micron pixel sensor , provides an equivalent 40 magnification .
. there are differences between digital pathology image viewing and traditional microscopy , which can lead to confusion by both vendors and pathologists .
therefore , it is important to remember that wsi differs from traditional microscopy because of the extra sensor and monitor aspects .
perhaps it should be preferable to refer to image quality by other labels that can be compared across different systems .
as digital pathology systems continue to evolve , microns / pixel will likely be more widely and appropriately used to denote characteristic features within a digital image .
microns / pixel may be a better , vendor - neutral descriptor for magnification or image resolution quality for digital pathology systems and should be considered a standard for future digital pathology systems and should be considered by standards - creation efforts ( e.g. , digital imaging and communications in medicine ) .
microns / pixel , shown in the rightmost column of table 1 and in figure 4 , relates directly to how the glass slide is digitized and will unambiguously represent increases in optical magnification or smaller pixels sizes .
microns / pixel is expected to become the standard of annotating pathology images and will most likely be used for diagnostic and prognostic considerations .
the number of mitosis per high power field or mm is an example of a diagnostic consideration .
another area that the display of micro per pixel can impact is automated diagnostics , which is the use of computer aided algorithms ( cad ) to detect and quantify cellular processes and disease .
the resolution between the various digital pathology systems on the market can vary and the display of micron / pixel can help standardize the cad results , since it indicates the resolution . finally , wsi technologies that offer lower micron / pixel values allow pathologists to get more information from the image , which could lead to considerable time savings if pathologists are able to render a faster diagnosis since less image review time is needed .
a standard monitor resolution of 96 dpi was used in the calculations image viewing software that includes a display of micron / pixel in upper right corner micron / pixel are expected to become the standard of annotating pathology images and will most likely be used for diagnostic and prognostic considerations | pubmed |
surgical resection is the treatment of choice for patients with thyroid cancer ; however , the optimal extent of thyroid resection and lymph node dissection remain controversial . based on the extent of disease , total thyroidectomy or less - than - total thyroidectomy
central compartment node dissection ( ccnd ) is usually performed with thyroidectomy for prophylactic purposes , whereas lateral neck dissection is performed only in patients in whom metastasis is clinically evident . in cases of follicular cancer , a hemithyroidectomy
is usually performed for minimally invasive cancers , and a total thyroidectomy for widely invasive cancers , although the optimal approach for these cancers remains controversial . in patients with medullary cancer , total thyroidectomy with compartment - oriented node dissection
although the benefits of extended resection are an increased survival rate and a decreased recurrence rate , all surgical procedures have the potential to cause complications , and more extensive resections may be associated with substantially increased complication rates ( 2 , 3 ) .
we therefore investigated surgical complications after thyroid cancer surgery and the association between the extent of surgery and complication rates .
approval to conduct a retrospective review of the images and medical records of patients was obtained from the institutional review board of yonsei university college of medicine .
medical records of 3,137 patients who underwent thyroid surgery at the thyroid cancer clinic , department of surgery , yonsei university college of medicine between january 2006 and december 2007 were retrospectively reviewed .
patients who had a recurrent or persistent thyroid cancer and who underwent thyroid surgery for benign thyroid disease were excluded , and 2,636 ( 84.0% ) patients were enrolled in the present study . of the 2,636 patients , 2,596 ( 98.5% ) had papillary cancers , 22 ( 0.8% ) follicular cancers , and 18 ( 0.7% ) medullary cancers .
patients could be divided into four groups according to the extent of surgery ; less - than - total thyroidectomy with central compartment node dissection ( ccnd ) ( group i , n=636 ) ; total thyroidectomy with ccnd ( group ii , n=1390 ) ; total thyroidectomy plus ipsilateral neck dissection ( group iii , n=513 ) and total thyroidectomy plus bilateral neck dissection ( group iv , n=97 ) .
the extent of surgery was determined according to the american thyroid association ( ata ) guidelines ( 4 ) .
a total thyroidectomy was performed if any of the following criteria were met : age < 15 yr or > 45 yr , a history of radiation exposure in the head and neck , known distant metastases , contralateral thyroid nodules , extrathyroidal extension , cervical lymph node involvement , and a first - degree family history of thyroid carcinoma . a less - than - total thyroidectomy was selected for patients with small , isolated , intrathyroidal carcinomas without gross nodal involvement .
central compartment clearance was performed routinely for prophylactic purposes , whereas lateral neck dissection was performed only in patients with clinically positive lateral neck nodes .
all patients underwent preoperative examination of vocal cord movement by direct laryngoscopy and routine preoperative measurements of serum calcium , phosphorus , and parathyroid hormone levels . during surgery ,
postoperative complications including hypoparathyroidism , recurrent laryngeal nerve ( rln ) injury or palsy , hematoma , seroma , chyle fistula , and horner 's syndrome were assessed based on clinical findings .
hypoparathyroidism was considered permanent when calcium and vitamin d therapy was required more than 6 months after surgery .
regarding rln palsy , permanent palsy included direct injury to the nerve and cord palsy more than 6 months .
the surgical complications and complication rates were assessed for each of the four patient groups and comparisons among groups were made using fisher 's exact test ; when necessary , data were transformed to obtain results distributed with equal variance .
pearson 's chi - square test was used to assess the relationship between each group and the following potential predictors of surgical complications : age , sex , tumor size , nodal status , extracapsular invasion , underlying thyroiditis , multiplicity , hospital stay and postoperative complications .
demographic and clinicopathologic characteristics of the total patient population and of the four patient groups are listed in table 1 .
the proportion of male patients , mean tumor diameter , number of dissected and metastatic lymph nodes , and mean hospital stay increased significantly with increasing extent of surgery ( p<0.001 ) . however , mean age at diagnosis had no differences between each group ( p<0.001 ) ( table 1 ) .
assessment of complications showed that symptomatic hypoparathyroidism occurred in 757 patients ( 28.7% ) , of whom 749 ( 28.4% ) cases were transient and 8 ( 0.3% ) were permanent hypoparathyroidism .
the incidence of incidentally removed parathyroids during surgery was not different between groups ( p=0.002 ) .
however , the incidence of parathyroid autotransplantation increased significantly with increasing the extent of surgery ( table 3 ) .
the incidence of rln palsy , which was 0.8% in all patients , was also significantly related to the extent of surgery , with incidences of 0.5% , 0.6% , 1.2% , and 3.1% in groups i , ii , iii , and iv , respectively ( p=0.026 ) . by contrast , the incidence of hematoma , which was 0.5% overall , was not associated with the extent of surgery ( p=0.744 ) .
the incidence rates of other complications were also significantly associated with the extent of surgery .
for example , seroma , which was reported in 4.7% of all patients , was 3.9% , 3.7% , 7.7% , and 8.3% of patients in groups i , ii , iii , and iv , respectively ( p=0.002 ) .
chyle fistula , which had an overall incidence of 1.8% , was reported in 0.5% , 0.8% , 5.1% , and 6.2% of patients in groups i ,
ii , iii , and iv , respectively ( p<0.001 ) ; and horner 's syndrome , which had an overall incidence of 0.2% , was reported in 0% , 0% , 0.8% , and 1.0% of patients in groups i , ii , iii , and iv , respectively ( p=0.001 ) ( table 2 ) .
postoperative complications following thyroid surgery can include transient and permanent hypoparathyroidism , rln injury or palsy , hematoma , seroma , chyle fistula , horner 's syndrome , and injury to some motor nerves in the neck .
the incidence of transient hypoparathyroidism has been reported to range from 0.3% to 49% , and that of permanent hypoparathyroidism from 0% to 13% ( 5 , 6 ) .
in addition , the incidence of rln palsy has been found to range from 0% to 5% ( 5 - 7 ) , and those of hematoma , seroma , chyle fistula , and horner 's syndrome from 0% to 3% , 0% to 6% , 1.0% to 2.5% and 1.8% to 7.8% , respectively ( 6 , 8 , 9 ) . in our institution , we found that the incidence rates of transient hypoparathyroidism , permanent hypoparathyroidism , transient rln palsy , permanent rln palsy , hematoma , seroma , chyle fistula , and horner 's syndrome were 28.4% , 0.3% , 0.7% , 0.2% , 0.5% , 4.7% , 1.8% , and 0.2% , respectively all of which are in good agreement with previous reports ( 5 - 9 ) .
hypoparathyroidism is the most common complication after total or near - total thyroidectomy due to the unintentional removal of parathyroid glands or poor blood flow to the glands .
patients with permanent hypoparathyroidism require life - long treatment with calcium and vitamin d , so this complication is considered serious .
studies that have performed multivariate analysis on factors predictive of postoperative hypoparathyroidism have shown differences in terms of the effects of surgical extent , surgeon 's experience , and method of study ( 10 - 12 ) . in our series ,
the incidence rates of transient and permanent hypoparathyroidism increased significantly with increasing extent of surgery .
the incidence of incidental parathyroid removal during surgery showed no differences between groups , which indicated that the incidental removal of parathyroid glands did not affect the incidence of hypoparathyroidism . on the contrary ,
the incidence of parathyroid autotransplantation during surgery increased significantly with increasing the extent of surgery .
thus , hypoparathyroidism following thyroid surgery is likely to be due to the decrease of blood flow to the parathyroid glands with increasing extent of surgery .
similar to permanent hypoparathyroidism , rln palsy also has marked effects on patient quality of life .
the causes of transient rln palsy include excessive nerve skeletonization , neuritis caused by scar tissue and myelinic lesion , axon damage caused by excessive strain , " a frigore " or " a calore " paralysis , thermic lesions caused by electrocoagulation , viral neuritis , and difficult endotracheal intubation ( 13 ) .
the injured rlns are usually treated by voice therapy , laryngeal reinnervation procedures , injection laryngoplasty with materials such as gelfoam , fat and collagen , arytenoid adduction , or medialization laryngoplasty with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene ( eptte , gore - tex ) ( 14 - 16 ) .
although intraoperative rln monitoring using an electrode inserted into the endotracheal tube has been suggested , it does not seem to decrease the incidence of rln palsy ( 17 , 18 ) .
in our series , the rate of transient rln palsy increased significantly with increasing extent of surgery , whereas permanent rln palsy was not related to the extent of surgery ; this is likely that permanent palsy was caused by invasion of the rln nerve or accidental injuries .
acute respiratory embarrassment due to hematoma formation is lethal unless the hematoma is immediately removed surgically .
meticulous hemostasis is therefore mandatory in thyroid surgery , and the level of care taken during the surgery can not be compromised ( 19 ) .
seroma may require aspiration to make the patients comfortable ; aspiration can be easily performed by inserting a needle above the incision when fluid collection is noted ( 19 ) . in our series
, 0.5% of the patients experienced postoperative hematoma and 4.7% of the patients experienced seroma .
if untreated , it can cause severe disturbances in fluid and electrolyte balance , protein loss , delayed wound healing , abnormal metabolic status , shock , and even death ( 8) .
the most common cause of chyle fistula is thoracic duct injury , mainly on the left side ( responsible for 75 - 92% of cases ) ( 20 ) .
most chyle fistulas ( 75% ) are detected during surgery , or detected after surgery ( 21 , 22 ) .
chyle fistula is usually found upon postoperative commencement of an oral diet and is indicated by milky drainage , a sudden increase in drainage volume , bulging supraclavicular fossa , and induration or erythema of the skin ( 22 , 23 ) .
low output fistulas ( < 500 ml / day ) can usually be conservatively managed by fasting or maintenance of a low - fat diet , a semi - fowler 's position , a diet of medium - chain fatty acids , total parenteral nutrition , compression dressing on the supraclavicular fossa , and the use of somatostatin analogues ( such as octreotide ) ( 24 , 25 ) .
high output fistulas ( > 500 ml / day ) , however , require surgical intervention for direct closure of the fistula or thoracic duct ligation ( 26 , 27 ) .
horner 's syndrome is usually associated with unique clinical features based on the anatomical location of the underlying pathologic process .
classical symptoms include miosis , ptosis , anhydrosis , and in some cases , nasal stuffiness .
horner 's syndrome results from paralysis of the ipsilateral sympathetic chain due to extensive surgical dissection around the sympathetic trunk lying along the deep posterior and medial to the carotid artery , between the prevertebral fascia and the carotid sheath ( 9 , 28 ) .
there is no specific treatment for horner 's syndrome ; however , postoperative ophthalmic problems can be managed by ophthalmic supportive care , ptosis can be treated with blephaloplasty or administration of 2-adrenaline receptor agonists , and nasal stuffiness can be treated with turbinectomy .
careful dissection around the prevertebral fascia and the carotid sheath is necessary to avoid injury to the sympathetic chains when performing a radical neck dissection . in our series ,
rare complications such as injury to the spinal accessory nerve , hypoglossal nerve , vagus nerve , and phrenic nerve were not seen in our patients .
the dilemma associated with the surgical principles of thyroid cancer surgery includes achieving the proper oncologic outcomes while reducing postoperative complications .
although extended resection increases survival rate and decreases the recurrence rate , all surgical procedures have the potential to cause complications and more extensive resections may be associated with substantially increased complication rates . in conclusion , the results of our study suggest that most thyroid cancer surgeries are safe and can be performed with minimal morbidity , but an increased risk of surgical complications , particularly hypoparathyroidism , is still a problem that needs be solved in patients who require more extensive surgery . therefore , an understanding of the relationship between complication patterns and the extent of surgery seems to be crucial for thyroid cancer surgery . | pubmed |
KIDS
by
Harmony Korine
Excalibur Films
3621 W. Commonwealth
Fullerton, CA 92833FADE IN:
BLACK SCREEN
The very loud sound of people having sex. The sounds of deep
moaning and sexual huffs and puffs. After a few seconds the
sound grows even louder. It should sound as if the two people
are fucking into a microphone. The sounds should be painful
and raw.
GIRL (O.S.)
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes.
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
The face of a very pretty young girl with long blond hair.
Her face is inches from the CAMERA, the CAMERA is above her,
looking down, almost like the POV of the person she's having
sex with. She id breathing extremely heavily; her face is red-
hot and sweaty. Every time she moves, she makes a deep
moaning noise. She looks likes she's on the verge of pain and
ecstasy.
GIRL
Oh yes, Telly it hurts, oh yes, oh
yes, please Telly , Telly.
The CAMERA backs up to reveal Telly having sex with the girl.
Telly is seventeen years old. He is short, dirty, slightly
muscular, he has an interesting face, he is a street-smart
punk, He is biting his bottom lip, the two of them are
sweating like mad, the sound of the bed post smashing against
the wall combines with the rhythmical moaning of the two.
RAPID FADE TO BLACK
BACK IN TIME - BEFORE THEY HAD SEX
Telly is in bed with the girl. The two of them are sitting up
in the big bed that is raised high of the ground. Telly is
naked except for a tight pair of white underwater. He is
sitting above the blankets with his legs spread apart. The
girl is partially covered, she is wearing a black bra, one of
her nipples is poking through. The two of them are very
sweaty, they both have messed up hair, there is a great
feeling of heat and wetness.
The windows to her room are open, the sound of outside of
outside traffic is circulating. There is a small fan on her
dresser that is blowing from side to side. Socks, shirts, and
pants are lying on her hard wood floor. The room is neat
except for the clothing. A large poster of the Beastie Boys
hangs on the wall. 2.
She has many stuffed animals on her bed and dresser drawer,
she also has a small dollhouse in the corner.
Telly and the girl are looking at each other.
The girl speaks slowly and softly, she has a very innocent
beauty about her.
TELLY
You know what I want to do?
GIRL
Yeah.
TELLY
What do I want to do?
GIRL
You want to fuck me. But you can't
fuck me.
TELLY
(smiling)
Why?
GIRL
Because, you know why. You know.
TELLY
Because your a virgin?
GIRL
Because I'm a virgin and I don't
want no baby.
TELLY
You think I want a baby? When
you're with me, you don't have to
worry about that kinda stuff.
GIRL
Why is that?
TELLY
Because I like you. I think you're
beautiful. I think if we fucked you
would love it. You wouldn't even
believe it.
GIRL
I wouldn't believe it?
3.
TELLY
I don't know. I just think that you
would love it.
GIRL
But, I don't know. I'm just scared
that things would change. Between
us.
TELLY
What things? I'm telling you,
nothing's going to change.
(he begins to caress her
cheek and hair)
I want to make you happy. That's
all.
Telly scoots up to the girl and starts to kiss her. He sticks
his tongue in her mouth. They kiss.
TELLY (cont’d )
(whispering)
You know it won't hurt. I'll be
gentle. I promise.
GIRL
(whispering)
Do you care about me?
TELLY
(whispering)
Of course I do.
RAPID CUT TO BLACK
AN EXTREME CLOSEUP OF THE GIRL'S FACE
As she screams in total agony. Telly and the girl are on the
bed having sex. All the lights are on. This scene should look
very white and bleached out, very electric and shocking.
Everything should be exposed as Telly takes advantage of the
virgin girl.
TELLY (V.O.)
(slowly)
Virgins. I love 'em. No diseases,
no loose as a goose pussy, no
skank. No nothin. Just pure
pleasure.
CUT TO BLACK
4.
THE CREDITS ROLL IN
As soon as the scene ends, so does the sound of the two
having sex. Very fast, very hard-paced music accompanies the
credits. The music should be strong enough to maintain the
intensity of the scene, Hard-core, Punk.
CREDITS STOP
FADE IN:
INT. UPPER EAST SIDE APARTMENT BUILDING - STAIRCASE - DAY
Telly gently shuts the door. He has a huge smile on his face.
He looks down the center of the staircase and spits. He
watches his spit fall down till it smacks against the floor.
He runs down three flights of stairs as quickly as possible.
He jumps down the last four steps and bumps into the side of
the wall. He is very happy. He runs down the skinny hallway
and smacks the metal mailboxes.
EXT. UPPER EAST SIDE - SIDEWALK - DAY
Telly exits the building. CASPER is sitting on a middle step.
He is reading a comic book and drinking a 40oz. Bottle of
malt liquor. The bottle is wrapped in a brown paper sack. As
he sips his drink he laughs at his comic book.
Casper is Telly's second half. The two have been best friends
since grade school. Casper is small and funny, everyone likes
him, he has a quick temper, and he isn't scared to fight
someone twice his size. Telly provides Casper with a sense of
adolescent wisdom. Casper makes Telly happy; he's a smart
ass, he has a strong New York accent, an assortment of
tattoos, and crooked teeth. Telly and Casper are always
together, They help each other to survive.
Telly smacks Casper on the back of his head. Casper is
startled and spills a little bit of his beer onto his shoes.
CASPER
Shit.
TELLY
(smiling)
Was up bitch?
Casper looks at Telly smiling.
CASPER
Oh shit what happened?
Casper is very excited. He stands up and pulls Telly's arm.
5.
TELLY
What do you think?
CASPER
You fucked it?
Telly laughs and Casper jumps up and down.
CASPER (cont’d )
I knew you fucked it! I sat out her
for like two hours! That girl was
like twelve, and you hit it up!
TELLY
(pounding his chest)
Who am I? Who am I? The
mothafuckin' virgin surgeon.
They both start to laugh.
They move off the stairs and start walking down the sidewalk.
The two of them are walking down the street, obvious to
everything but themselves talking.
CASPER
Well, how was it?
TELLY
Oh my god, so good. That girl can
fuck.
CASPER
She can fuck?
TELLY
Hell yeah. That bitch was bleeding.
When I first put it in she screamed
real loud. I saw her bite down on
the pillow.
CASPER
Oh shit. How long did it take?
TELLY
Did what take?
CASPER
How long did you fuck her?
They cross the street, paying no attention to speeding cars.
Casper is listening to every word that Telly says. Casper
seems much happier than Telly. Telly is laid-back. Casper is
hyper as he jumps up and down and claws Telly's arm.
6.
TELLY
Well it took me longer than I
thought it would take. It took like
15 minutes to talk her into it. But
once it was on, we fucked for a
good half an hour. I had to keep
taking it out and putting it back
in. It hurts the first time.
CASPER
Yeah.
TELLY
But then when she got into it. She
really got into it. It was good.
CASPER
How did she smell? Did her puss
stink?
Telly puts his four fingers together and then puts his hand
in front of Caper's nose.
TELLY
Take a whiff.
Casper takes a huge whiff, the snot in his nose makes a loud
sound as he smells Telly's fingers.
CASPER
Oh man, it smells like
butterscotch.
TELLY
Hell's yeah. She was so clean.
CASPER
Oh man, that's the best.
TELLY
You could tell she took care of
herself. She had all these powders
and creams in her bathroom.
CASPER
Let me smell it again.
Telly lifts his fingers once again, as Casper breathes in the
odor.
CASPER (cont’d )
That's why virgins are the best. I
love that smell.
7.
(MORE)As they walk down the street, joggers, men in business suits
with briefcases, ambulances, and women with baby carriages
all pass by.
TELLY
You know what else?
CASPER
What?
TELLY
I can tell that she had just
entered puberty.
CASPER
How?
TELLY
Well, I was flipping through a
picture book of her and her family,
right.
CASPER
Right.
TELLY
And there was this picture of her
painting Easter eggs or something.
And I said, you were cut when you
were little.
CASPER
Yeah.
TELLY
And she goes, yeah that picture was
taken less than a year ago. I look
younger without my makeup.
Casper starts to crack up.
TELLY (cont’d )
And I looked at her, and thought to
myself Oh my god, this girl is a
baby.
CASPER
Yeah.
TELLY
And for a second I felt a little
bit guilty. You know, because she's
young and all. 8.TELLY(cont'd)
(MORE)And then I was like, oh shit, that
turns me on. I wanna fuck this
little baby girl.
They both laugh.
CASPER
Fuckin perverted bastard.
They continue to laugh and walk.
TELLY
I'm telling you Casper. I think I'm
getting addicted to that shit.
CASPER
To what? Virgins?
TELLY
Yeah. It's like all I think about
now. Not just that, it's like
lately during sex, I start dreaming
about these complex fantasies.
CASPER
What do you mean?
TELLY
I mean I'm dreaming about going all
out, crazy shit.
CASPER
You mean like fucking two virgins
at once.
TELLY
(laughing)
That would be good. But I mean more
like. I don't know. Like when I was
having sex with her, I kept
thinking how much I would like to
put it in her ass. Just to see what
would happen.
CASPER
(laughing)
She's probably smash you in the
fucking face.
TELLY
I don't know about that. She was
pretty into it. But I wasn't gonna
try. 9.TELLY(cont'd)
The whole thing is, you just gotta
take it slow. Show 'em some
respect.
CASPER
Did you tell her that you loved
her?
TELLY
Like. Like. Never love. Love is for
low-level virgin seduction guys.
They stop walking. Casper takes the last sip of his beer,
then throws it toward an orange trash can. He misses the can
and the bottle smashes in the middle of a busy street.
CASPER
Shit.
TELLY
What do you want?
CASPER
Get another forty.
(burps)
Smoke a blunt.
TELLY
Are you hungry?
CASPER
Hell yeah. Fuckin starvin. Wait up
a sec.
Casper takes two steps away and starts urinating in someone's
bushes. People walk by and stare.
TELLY
You wanna go to Paul's house?
CASPER
What for? That guys a dick.
TELLY
I'm sue he's got food. He's always
got those microwave burrito things
in his freezer.
CASPER
You think he's got any herb?
TELLY
I don't know, he quit dealin but
I'll bet he'll smoke us out.
10.
CASPER
You think?
TELLY
Probably.
CASPER
He lives on 76th?
TELLY
CASPER
Den less go Joe.
He zips up his pants.
They start walking again. Casper is carrying a folded up
comic book in his hand.
CASPER (cont’d )
Telly.
TELLY
Yeah.
CASPER
Did she suck your dick?
TELLY
A little bit. But I didn't really
want her to.
CASPER
Why?
TELLY
I don't know. That's too easy. I
mean getting a virgin to suck your
dick. That's so easy.
CASPER
It is right.
TELLY
I want to knock her guard down. I
mean there's a whole philosophy
behind it. Having a virgin suck
your dick, that's basic because
there's nothing lost.
CASPER
It's no big deal, right?
11.
TELLY
Right. But when you deflower a
girl, that's it. You did it. You
were the one. No one else can ever
do it.
CASPER
Yeah. The way I see it. My outlook
on the this situation is.
(they both start laughing)
It's like getting fame, you know
what I'm saying. It's like, if you
died tomorrow, and fifty years from
now all the virgins you fucked are
gonna remember you because you were
their first.
TELLY
Yep.
CASPER
They're gonna tell their grand
kids.
(mimicking an old lady)
That Telly. He sure was good in the
sack!
The two of them are laughing, their conversation has gotten
them very excited.
They walk in front of a Korean grocery. The grocery has a
small outdoor produce section, juice, fruit, sodas, etc. A
KOREAN GUY with flip-flops and headphones is sitting on a
tall wooden stool.
TELLY
You thirsty?
CASPER
Yeah, I feel dehydrated.
TELLY
You got any money?
CASPER
Three pennies and a ball of lint.
TELLY
You down with the boost?
CASPER
(whispers)
Unzip my pack, yo.
12.
He turns around and Telly quickly unzips his backpack.
INT. KOREAN GROCERY - DAY
The grocery is your basic traditional market with a lunch
buffet. Behind the cash register is a middle-aged KOREAN MAN.
He is watching a small black and white television set.
The two boys enter.
Casper walks straight to the back where they keep the beer.
Telly circles the buffet and then walks up to the cash
register.
TELLY
Uh, let's see here, would you
happen to have diss digg?
KOREAN STORE OWNER
Whah?
TELLY
Diss digg. I'm curious if you have
it?
KOREAN STORE OWNER
Whah is dissdee?
Casper is going through the beer section. He pulls out two
40oz. bottles of and puts them on the floor.
TELLY
Diss digg, diss digg, diss digg.
KOREAN STORE OWNER
I no understand you. Maybe crazy.
A round mirror is reflecting Casper putting the bottles into
his backpack.
TELLY
I'll ask you one last time. Do you
have diss digg?
KOREAN STORE OWNER
Whah you say? Dissdee?
Casper runs up to the counter and grabs his crotch.
13.
CASPER
He said This Dick, mutha fucka!
Can't you understand English?
The two of them both run out the door.
Telly taps the Korean man who is sitting outside. The man
looks in the opposite direction while Casper grabs two
peaches and puts them into his pocket.
The two boys run off.
The Korean man gets off his stool. He pulls his headphones
off his ears.
KOREAN MAN
Stupy fucky boys! Fucky!
He looks at his fruit stand and puts a peach in the spot that
Casper previously stole from.
EXT. UPPER EAST SIDE - APARTMENT - DAY
Casper and Telly are walking down the street. Casper is
eating a peach and drinking his 40oz. beer. Telly is also
drinking.
CASPER
You know like in "The Wonder Twins"
they share everything.
TELLY
The cartoon?
CASPER
Yeah. "The Wonder Twins". You know.
(mimics the cartoon)
Activate in the form of, a glass of
water.
TELLY
Yeah.
CASPER
Well, those guys share everything,
right?
TELLY
Right.
14.
CASPER
And once I saw this episode where
they pretended they were each
other. Where they lived the other's
life for a day. You know those guys
share everything, right?
TELLY
Right.
CASPER
And it got me thinkin. How fun it
would be to share each other's
girl.
TELLY
(laughing)
Yeah, that would be fun but I don't
like any of the girls you go out
with. Like that one girl with two
teeth and a clit ring.
CASPER
No, I'm serious man. I'm dead ass.
Do you wanna try? We could be like
the fuckin X-rated "Wonder Twins"!
The two of them start laughing and jumping on each other.
Telly spits out a mouthful of beer.
CASPER (cont’d )
(laughing)
Can you do it man?
TELLY
(laughing)
Can I do it? I just brooke her
cherry. I imagine I can make her do
anything. Bark like a dog, jump
through a ring of fire.
Casper is jumping up and down on Telly's shoulder.
CASPER
Oh man. I fucking love this guy.
The two of them walk off laughing.
EXT. PAUL'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY
A medium sized apartment building on the Upper East Side.
Cars are speeding by the front of the building. Cabs drive by
and beep their horns.
15.
Telly and Casper are sitting on the front steps. Telly rings
one of the buttons. The bottom switchboard is plastered with
skateboarding stickers and "Legalize Marijuana" stickers. A
Vespa scooter is parked on the outside in front of the
building, it also has stickers on it.
Telly rings it again. It is a very hot day, both boys are
wiping sweat from their bodies.
PAUL
(from box)
Hello?
TELLY
It's me. Telly.
PAUL
(from box)
Hello?
TELLY
(loudly)
Paul it's Telly. Open up.
A buzz is heard.
There is a little girl sitting on the bottom step, playing
with a doll. Casper runs down and gives her a peach. Then he
runs back up.
Telly and Casper enter the building.
The little girl tosses the peach to the ground.
INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY
There are about ten guys in the apartment. There is almost no
furniture, just two white couches and a few plants in the
corner. There is a big TV in the center of the floor. A
Nintendo with several wires is hooked up to it. There are
various games spread out. A couple of boys are huddled around
the game, as they watch the guy play, they breathe in the wip-
it's.
The boys are all young and spread out. There are people lying
on the couch, on the floor, on the phone, in the kitchen
smoking pot and doing wip-its. They are all colors and sizes.
Casper and Telly go to each person and greet them with a
handshake. Some people they hug. They say "Was up," to
everyone.
16.
They both sit down on the floor and continue to drink their
beers.
Paul sits down besides them.
PAUL
What are you guys doing?
TELLY
Nothing. We just wanted to come by
and see what you were up to.
PAUL
You want a wip-it?
TELLY
Nah.
CASPER
Yeah.
Paul puts his hand on his big pocket and gives Casper a
cartridge. Casper breathes in the wip-it and then smiles
really big.
CASPER (cont’d )
I love these shits.
PAUL
They're good for you. Vitamin C for
the new generation.
Paul hands Casper another cartridge.
CASPER
That's why I like 'em. They wake my
brain up.
Casper does the wip-it.
STANLEY, a tall black kid with dreads, walks out of the
kitchen. He has a cordless phone in his hand. Casper
continues to do wip-it's. One after another.
TELLY
So, how many people live here now?
PAUL
I don't know, eight or nine.
TELLY
Where does everyone sleep?
17.
PAUL
Everywhere. Fuckin flophouse. We're
still short on the rent. If you
want, you and Casper can move in.
You guys can share the bathtub.
STANLEY
Yo Telly. Jennie says what's up.
TELLY
Jennie who?
STANLEY
Jennie. You know.
CASPER
That girl you boned last year.
Remember?
TELLY
Man I haven't seen her in forever.
What the fuck's she up to?
INT. RUBY'S ROOM - DAY
Five girls are sitting in a small room. They are smoking.
They're all in a circle laughing. The girls are all good
friends. A few of them have rings in their lips and eyebrows.
A big dirty fish tank is on one of the bookshelves.
Ruby is a nice looking girl, age 17. She is Spanish, her hair
is slicked back, she chain-smokes.
Jennie is a 15 year old high school sophomore. She is white.
She is very pretty, with an uncommon touch of innocence about
her.
The next episode is going to jump-cut back and forth between
Paul's apartment and Rubby's room. These scenes should be
handheld.
Ruby hangs up the phone.
RUBY
Telly says was up.
JENNIE
I knew he wouldn't want to speak to
me. That dick.
RUBY
You still mad at him?
18.
(MORE)JENNIE
Of course. How am I gonna forgive
him after what he did?!
SUSAN
What did he do?
Ruby cuts of Jennie.
RUBY
He stole her virginity. He took it
away and now it's gone forever.
Laughter.
JENNIE
Yeah. But it's not even the fact
that he devirginized me. It's the
fact that after it was done he
never spoke to me again. He talked
all this bullshit and then just
broke out.
LINDA
That's the kinda shit he's into.
Telly is known for that stuff. He
fucked Amber the same way.
SUSAN
And Susan too.
JENNIE
But he was all like, Oh Jennie I
like you so much. Trust me you'll
love it, I'm not gonna use you. I
promise. He was poppin mad jazz.
More laughter from the group.
They all speak very quickly, almost to the point where you
can't understand them.
SUSAN
First times are always wacked. Just
be glad you didn't lose your
virginity in the backseat of a
rental car.
RUBY
That shit is nothin. I remember, I
had just turned 14. With this
fuckin asshole who was like 18. I
don't even remember his name. 19.RUBY(cont'd)
I think it was John or Jake or
something. I remember he had a
brother named Lentil because I
would always joke and call him
Lentil Bean. This was away at like
sleep away camp with your friends
and shit.
JENNIE
Oh yeah.
Laughter.
RUBY
And we did it in the bush. Like
outside around midnight. I got
fucking mosquito bits all over my
ass. And we thought everyone was
sleeping, but they obviously
weren't because everybody knew. And
it was out on the grass somewhere.
And it hurt like a motha, oh my god
the pain!
Laughter.
LINDA
(cracking up)
That's the shit! That's the shit!
Linda slaps hands with Ruby.
RUBY
The pain. The fucking pain!
JENNIE
And you feel like you're being
ripped open inside.
RUBY
You are being ripped open.
JENNIE
I know.
RUBY
Did you bleed?
JENNIE
I didn't bleed.
RUBY
You didn't?
20.
JENNIE
No, I didn't bleed.
SUSAN
I bled. I fucking bled all over the
sheets.
DIANE
Me too.
RUBY
I bled. I bled like on the condom,
there was blood everywhere. And you
know what he started singing? He
started singing "Sunday Bloody
Sunday." That stupid fucking song.
Everyone is cracking up.
RUBY (cont’d )
I was like... I was like... No.
They sang that the whole sleep
away. My reputation!
DIANE
It doesn't even matter though. It's
such bullshit. The reputation is
bullshit.
RUBY
I know.
DIANE
You know.
JENNIE
Yep.
DIANE
I don't give a fuck. I have sex and
I like fucking.
RUBY
Hell yeah. I love. I love sex.
JENNIE
Foreplay. Foreplay.
LINDA
(smacks hands together)
Yep. That's the best way. It's that
boom boom boom.
21.
RUBY
Right. You know it's not like...
You know there's a difference
between sex, making love, and
fucking!
LINDA
Yep.
RUBY
Making love is like.
LINDA
Sweet.
SUSAN
Slow.
RUBY
It's grandmother style.
Jennie is cracking up and pounding Ruby's back.
LINDA
Yeah.
RUBY
It's like...
LINDA
You know what it's like. It's like
when you really love someone, it's
like awww.
RUBY
Yeah.
LINDA
Its like. But it gets boring. It's
boring.
RUBY
It's really slow. It's slow boring.
SUSAN
Yeah.
RUBY
It's very monotonous.
LINDA
Yeah. And sex is just like, yeah
let's have sex,
22.
(MORE)SUSAN
It's like yeah whatever. But when
you fuck. You wanna fuck that
person. You're like ripping each
other's hair out. Ooooh.
She pulls her hair, everyone laughs.
RUBY
Right. You're like it's just this
instinct. It's like this animal
instinct is taking over you. It's
like...
JENNIE
Passion...
RUBY
Boom!!! Boom!!!
INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT - DAY
Some of the guys are sitting in front of the couch doing wip-
its. Casper is chewing on a microwave burrito and watching
the guy next to him play Nintendo. He is blowing into the
burrito.
They are in the midst of a conversation.
STANLEY
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
PAUL
That's the one thing. They expect
you to be so gentle, so kind...
ZACK
When most of time you just wanna be
all. Pounding on that shit.
STANLEY
That would be the best if you could
just be. Excuse me can I borrow
your hole Miss? It'll only take a
little while. I'll give it right
back.
Laughter.
TELLY
But that's the thing. Girl's like
it slow. They like romance. 23.TELLY(cont'd)
They like things to be sweet and
romantic.
CASPER
Yep.
TELLY
I mean I've been with a lot of
girls I know.
CASPER
Yeah me too nigga.
INT RUBY'S ROOM - DAY
In the midst of their conversation.
SUSAN
You know... You know a lot of times
sex gets in the way. Has that ever
happened to you?
LINDA
Yep.
SUSAN
You know. Because sometimes the
foreplay is just so good. And then
when it actually comes time for
sex. It's like the worst letdown.
JENNIE
Yep, yep. But he has to know what
he's doing and where he's going.
Because they can like touch you for
hours and they won't ever know.
RUBY
Hell yeah, they don't know.
They all start laughing and clapping hands and snapping
fingers.
JENNIE
Like where are your erogenous
zones?
RUBY
Mine?
JENNIE
Mine are like my neck and my chest.
24.
(MORE)LINDA
Yeah. Mine are my toes. Oh my God
if someone sucks my toes I'll come
in like ten seconds!
RUBY
Yeah. It depends. Cause like this
one time with Eric, when we got
blasted at his house. And Smash J
and DJ Flipper was there...
LINDA
Oh shit.
RUBY
And we were blasted, and he must
have been dumb horney. And he just
pulled me over to the bed. And they
were in the room, like getting
dressed, like getting ready to go
to go to Disco
SUSAN
Right.
RUBY
And we were like underneath the
sheets. We were going at it like
crazy. Oh my God that shit was so
good! It was like hard...
SUSAN
Yeah.
RUBY
He was like sucking my tits. He was
fucking fingering me. But that shit
was nice and hard.
She starts pounding her fists.
RUBY (CONT'D) (cont’d )
I was like ripping his hair out.
And we kissed like so hard that our
lips were busted. And that shit was
so good. It was crazy.
They slap hands and laugh.
RUBY (cont’d )
(laughing)
He was like ripping my hair. I was
like oh yeah.
25.RUBY(cont'd)
(moving her hips back and
forth)
Work it.
They all crack up.
SUSAN
You know why I decided to go out
with Alex.
JENNIE
Why?
SUSAN
(starts laughing)
He has the best fucking fingers
I've ever had.
She holds up her middle two fingers and starts shaking them
back and forth. Everyone is cracking up.
SUSAN (cont’d )
(still laughing)
I was like yes! I'm going out with
him!
LINDA
That's right. That's why foreplay
is better than sex.
SUSAN
Yep.
LINDA
Because he can like climax you up
to that...
JENNIE
... Point.
LINDA
Yep. Where just one more move and
you would be like crazy.
She snaps her fingers.
RUBY
Yep.
LINDA
But then the sex gets into the way
and you're like: What happened!
What the hell happened?!
26.
RUBY
Yeah it's the biggest
disappointment!
SUSAN
Yeah. And it takes them either too
long or too short to come. Have you
ever had someone that took forever
RUBY
To come?
SUSAN
Yeah. I had sex with Jake, and it
took him like an hour and a half.
LINDA
Yeah. The shit gets wacked. Fifteen
minutes.
RUBY
Yeah. Fifteen minutes to a half an
hour. Hard and deep.
LINDA
Me. I can only take it up to
fifteen minutes. Cause I get bored.
RUBY
Yeah I get bored.
LINDA
I start thinking about what I'm
gonna eat afterwards.
SUSAN
Yeah, eat. I got real thirsty too.
Laughter.
INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT - DAY
Continued talking.
Casper is playing the video game. He is playing with a great
deal of intensity.
CASPER
You know what I notice?
ZACK
What?
27.
(MORE)CASPER
I notice that girls love to give
head. It's like a secret pastime
hobby for them. Or somethin'.
STANLEY
Some girls.
CASPER
All girls. They love it. I know.
Casper's game finishes.
CASPER (cont’d )
(under his breath)
I hate this game.
TELLY
No. Casper's right. Girls love it.
They just act like they don't in
front of their friends.
PAUL
Yeah. But when it's just you and
them. That's like the first thing
they go for.
Casper starts a new game.
CASPER
I know. They love it. That's why
girls live longer than guys. 'Cause
sperm has vitamin C.
INT. RUBY'S ROOM - DAY
In the midst of their conversation.
JENNIE
I hate sucking dick!
RUBY
Yeah. 'Cause they fucking shoot you
in the eye, the face, the ear.
JENNIE
And sometimes it takes a long time,
and you're fucking gagging.
RUBY
Yeah. And then it hits that little
thing.
28.RUBY(cont'd)
(pointing to the back of
her throat)
That little punch bag. What is it?
The tonsils. The esophagus,
whatever.
JENNIE
Yeah. And you're not getting
anything out of it.
RUBY
And it's like. How much more can I
bob here? You know.
LINDA
And you don't get shit out of it.
SUSAN
Have you ever swallowed it before?
JENNIE
No.
SUSAN
Me neither.
RUBY
I have.
They all laugh.
RUBY (cont’d )
It was... it was.
SUSAN
It's like sweet and sour, and salty
butter.
RUBY
No, no, no. You can't get that
taste out of your mouth. Until you
eat something.
SUSAN
Yeah.
RUBY
You can drink like there's no
tomorrow but you still can't get
that sperm between the teeth out.
It's so disgusting.
Laughter.
29.
RUBY (CONT'D) (cont’d )
The only way you can get it out is
like if you eat like a real meal.
INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT - DAY
Continuing the conversation.
Telly is looking straight into the CAMERA.
TELLY
All I know is that condoms suck.
They don't work. They break. They
slip off. It's impossible to feel
anything. They make your dick
shrink. But I still use 'em. Or at
least I did once.
INT. RUBY'S HOUSE - DAY
Laughter accompanies their conversation.
JENNIE
I mean. Telly is the only guy I've
ever had sex with. You knew that.
DIANE
No. I didn't know that. I thought
you got with A.J. too.
JENNIE
No, we just messed around.
INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT - DAY
Continued talking.
PAUL
That's the whole thing. You know if
you look at it. I mean all you hear
about is disease this and disease
that. And everyone's dying. And you
better wear a condom or else. But
the truth is. I don't know any kids
with AIDS. No one I know has ever
died from that shit. It's like some
weird make-believe story that the
whole world believes.
TELLY
Yep.
Playing the video game.
30.
CASPER
Yeah. It's a great big fraud.
INT. RUBY'S ROOM - DAY
Continued talking.
RUBY
I've known the past of all the
people I've fucked without a
condom. Like I know one of the
people got tested and was negative.
LINDA
Yeah.
RUBY
And I know that one of them fucked
like two other girls, who were both
virgins, so I knew he was safe.
LINDA
Yeah.
RUBY
And the other person I just fucked,
which was a mistake. But I went to
the clinic last week with Jennie.
Jennie looks embarrassed.
RUBY (cont’d )
I made her get tested with me
because I didn't want to go alone.
LINDA
Did they ask you a lot of
questions?
INT. TESTING CLINIC - DAY
Ruby is sitting across from a BLACK NURSE. The nurse has a
clipboard in her hand. She is sitting at a small desk that is
cluttered with papers and pictures of her kids. The room is
decorated on shades of bright yellow. There are pictures of
clowns on the wall. There is a large paper diagram on the
wall that traces, step by step, the process of inserting a
condom.
Ruby is chewing gum and tapping her feet. She scratches her
elbow.
31.
The black nurse is very overweight; she talks with a strong
New York accent. She sips a coffee mug that reads "I love
Mom."
BLACK NURSE
How old you?
RUBY
INT. TESTING CLINIC - DAY
Jennie is sitting across from a very skinny WHITE NURSE. The
nurse has a clip board in her head. Spanish rock music is
sleeping through the walls. A small desk fan is rotating back
and forth. The room is dirty.
Jennie is sitting in a chair. She looks very pretty and child-
like. She is facing downward and her hair is falling into her
face.
Jennie speaks in a low voice.
WHITE NURSE
How old are you?
JENNIE
INT. TESTING CLINIC - DAY
The black nurse scratches her scalp and it makes a noise.
BLACK NURSE
How many people have you had
vaginal intercourse with?
RUBY
Umm. Altogether?
BLACK NURSE
Yes. Altogether.
RUBY
Hmm. I'd say eight, maybe nine.
BLACK NURSE
How many times have you gone
unprotected?
RUBY
With four of them, I didn't use any
kind of protection. Wait, maybe it
was three.
32.
INT. TESTING CLINIC - DAY
The white nurse scribbles something down.
WHITE NURSE
How many people have you had
vaginal intercourse with?
JENNIE
One.
WHITE NURSE
Were you protected?
Pause.
JENNIE
No.
An EXTREME CLOSEUP shot of a pencil checking the NO box.
INT. TESTING CLINIC - DAY
The black nurse takes a long sip from her mug.
BLACK NURSE
Have you ever had anal intercourse?
RUBY
Yes.
BLACK NURSE
With how many people?
RUBY
Umm. Three I believe. But I'm not
sure.
BLACK NURSE
Were they wearing condoms?
RUBY
Uh. Yes. Twice they weren't. Two
times they didn't.
INT. TESTING CLINIC - DAY
The white nurse sticks her head a few inches from the fan and
lets the wind blow her sweaty face.
WHITE NURSE
Have you ever had anal intercourse?
33.
JENNIE
No.
INT. TESTING CLINIC - DAY
The black nurse has a big smile on her face.
BLACK NURSE
Okee dokey. You should come back in
seven days and we should have your
results.
INT. TESTING CLINIC - DAY
A CLOSEUP of Jennie's face.
JENNIE
(timidly)
Thanks.
EXT. ENTRANCE OF AN UPTOWN TRAIN STATION - DAY
Casper and Telly run down the stairwell. People enter and
exit.
INT. TRAIN STATION - DAY
Casper and Telly run down the stairs. They look around to see
if there is any transit security. They simultaneously walk up
to the turnstile and pull back the revolving metal guard.
Then they slip through very nonchalantly.
A short BLING GUY is playing the accordion. He is standing up
and tapping his feet. He's playing "Danny Boy". In front of
his feet is a large leather briefcase with dollar bills and
scattered change.
Casper and Telly walk up to the Blind Guy. They watch him for
a second, then Casper starts to clap with his beer in his
hand. He starts to smile really big.
Telly sees Casper smiling and then he begins to smile.
CASPER
Man, this guy is really good.
TELLY
He looks like my uncle.
Casper looks at the money collection.
CASPER
I bet he makes hella money.
34.
A train comes speeding by.
Casper walks next to the Blind Guy and starts dancing really
funny. Telly starts to laugh. Some guy in a business suit
walks by and throws some change in the collection.
INT. TESTING CLINIC - WAITING ROOM - DAY
Typical waiting room. Big sofas and chairs. A table is in the
middle of the floor, magazines and pocketbooks. A water jug
is in the corner. A ceiling fan is circling fast up above.
An assortment of men and women of different races and colors.
They look mainly middle class. Jennie and Ruby are the
youngest people in the room.
A man in a three-piece suit slowly walks by. Jennie tries to
see his face but he is turned the wrong way. Ruby continues
to talk.
The same fat black nurse walks out with a clipboard. She
begins to cough tremendously.
RUBY
... I don't know, I think he's mad
at me, but who cares...
Ruby and Jennie stop talking and look at the black nurse. She
is coughing uncontrollably. She looks like a large shaking
figure. A skinny nurse walks by, pounds her on the back, and
she stops coughing.
The black nurse has a smile on her face, her eyes watery. She
turns and looks at Ruby.
BLACK NURSE
Woowee! It must have been something
I ate!
(coughs then smiles)
Ruby, follow me.
Ruby stands up and looks at Jennie. Ruby crosses both her
fingers and raises them in the air.
RUBY
Wish me luck.
JENNIE
Good luck.
Ruby follows the black nurse. This should be one long shot,
as Ruby follows the nurse through the hectic testing clinic.
The two of them enter the same room as before.
35.
INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY
The skinny white nurse picks up a folder with Jennie's name
on it. She opens the door to the waiting room and looks at
Jennie sitting down with her eyes closed.
WHITE NURSE
Jennie.
Jennie stands up and smiles. She walks towards the door.
INT. TESTING CLINIC - DAY
Ruby is sitting down in a chair. The black nurse picks up a
file from the back of the door. She opens it and smiles.
BLACK NURSE
(cough, pause)
Well, girl. You tested negative for
all sexually transmitted diseases
and infections.
RUBY
Yes!
BLACK NURSE
You're clean.
RUBY
Oh my God. I can't tell you how
nervous I've been. I couldn't sleep
last night.
BLACK NURSE
Now you gotta be careful.
The black nurse pulls out a bunch of pamphlets.
BLACK NURSE (cont’d )
Here take these pamphlets home and
read them.
INT. TESTING CLINIC - DAY
Jennie is standing up. She is hugging herself. The white
nurse is sitting down at her desk. The nurse looks real
closely at the folder and then shuts it.
WHITE NURSE
Jennie. You've tested positive for
the HIV infection.
36.
JENNIE
What?
WHITE NURSE
The test isn't one hundred percent
accurate. You should...
JENNIE
I tested positive?
WHITE NURSE
I'm sorry.
JENNIE
But I only had sex with Telly.
The nurse is quiet.
JENNIE (cont’d )
I just got tested to keep Ruby
company.
INT. SUBWAY CAR - DAY
Telly and Casper are sitting side by side. Casper is holding
a 40oz. bottle of beer. The train is semi-crowded; all seats
are taken and there are a few people standing up. The train
shakes. They are headed downtown.
Casper and Telly are looking at the couple directly across
from them. They are two unattractive lower-class Spanish
people, they are holding hands and kissing.
TELLY
I wanna fuck Darcy.
CASPER
Who?
TELLY
Darcy. Benny's little sister.
CASPER
Oh. You like her?
TELLY
Yeah. I like her. I've wanted to
get with her for a while now.
CASPER
Darcy?
37.
TELLY
Yeah. She's so little, so pretty,
and innocent.
CASPER
Yeah. She's only 13.
TELLY
It's funny. Last weekend at that
block party. Remember?
CASPER
Yeah.
TELLY
She was handing out those
watermelon slices. And I sat down
over on the other side, And I
watched her.
CASPER
(excited)
Yeah.
TELLY
I watched her eat the watermelon.
And all this juice started running
down her chin and onto her shirt.
CASPER
(smiling)
Yeah.
TELLY
And after about two seconds, I got
the biggest hard-on.
Casper starts laughing.
TELLY (cont’d )
I'm not joking. I wanted to take my
dick out and start jacking right
there. At that point and moment,
Darcy was like a vision of
perfection.
CASPER
I know what you mean.
TELLY
At that moment, at that block
party, she represented everything
holy about a virgin.
38.
CASPER
She hangs out at Nasa. She promotes
for them.
TELLY
I'm gonna fuck her tonight. I swear
to God I'm gonna fuck her.
CASPER
(laughing)
How are you gonna fuck two virgins
in a day? That shits gotta be
against the law.
TELLY
I don't care motha fucka. I'll bet
you money she fucks me.
CASPER
Bet.
The two of them shake hands.
CASPER (cont’d )
You wanna run by the park and see
what everybody's doing? Get zooted?
TELLY
I guess so. I gotta stop off home
too.
At this point the sound of the subway door is heard. A black
man with no legs pushes himself through with his hands. He
has a large container filled with change. As he enters, his
cup of change is heard smashing back and forth. His face is
even with people's knees. A random few stuff change and
dollar bills into his cup. He sings as he pushes his way
through the cat. He has an afro pick sticking out the back of
his head. He is wearing a shirt that says "KISS ME I'M
POLISH".
LEGLESS MAN
(singing)
I have no legs. I have no legs. I
have no legs. I have no legs.
As he pushes his way closer, Casper starts checking his all
his pockets. When he gets about three feet away, Casper
stands up and throws some pennies into his cup. He sits back
down next to Telly.
The legless man stops and smiles at Casper.
39.
(MORE)LEGLESS MAN (cont’d )
Thank you. God bless you.
CASPER
Yeah. Bless you back.
The legless man makes his way into the next car.
TELLY
I don't understand why you do that.
CASPER
Why I do what?
TELLY
That.
CASPER
Why I give pennies?
TELLY
Yeah. Why you give money.
CASPER
Did you look at that guy? What the
fuck. He had no legs.
(motions to his waist)
He had no half his lower body. He's
gotta shit out of his ribcage.
TELLY
That's just it. It's elitist. It's
reverse elitism. Because you give
money to whoever is the most fucked
up. I notice what you do.
CASPER
What are you talking about?
TELLY
Whenever you see someone who's
really messed up, especially
amputees and retards. You give them
money. But if it's just a regular
bum, you pass them by.
CASPER
So.
TELLY
So. These people live on the same
streets. 40.TELLY(cont'd)
It's just that you reserve your
money for those people who are
massively fucked up. The regular
bums aren't poor enough for you,
you gotta give it to the bottom of
the barrel scum fucks.
CASPER
So. You never know when you can end
up like that.
TELLY
Right.
CASPER
I'll tell you why. Because when I
was little, I had a fat cousin,
cousin Luke. And he used to make
fun of the handicapped. And one day
he had a bad stomachache. So he
drank a bottle of Pepto and his ass
blew off.
TELLY
Shut up.
CASPER
I'm telling you the truth. And
after that, I've always givin' my
money to retards. Because that's
the reverse of what he did.
Telly is laughing.
CASPER (cont’d )
So really, it's good luck.
TELLY
Good luck?
CASPER
Yeah, good luck. I mean what the
fuck. The guy had no legs.
They both laugh.
INT. TELEPHONE BOOTH - DAY
Ruby and Jennie are squeezed into a telephone booth. They are
on a busy street. People are walking by the cars are in a
standstill gridlock. It is very loud outside. Everyone is
beeping their horns and screaming out windows.
41.
Ruby looks very dazed and confused. Jennie is nervous and
shaky.
Jennie picks up the phone and puts it to her ear. She
searches her pockets for a quarter and comes up empty. She
begins shaking her hands back and forth.
JENNIE
Ruby. Do you have a quarter?
Ruby hands her a quarter. Jennie dials her house.
JENNIE (cont’d )
(into phone)
Peter, is Mom there? No, I need to
speak to Mommy... Peter where's
Mommy? No, I can't talk to you
right now. Yeah... I hear it...
look just tell her... No never
mind... Go watch television.
She hangs up the phone and starts to cry. Ruby puts her arm
around Jennie.
RUBY
Shh. Come on, it's gonna be OK.
JENNIE
That's it. I'm gonna have to tell
my little brother, I'm gonna die. I
can't make him his lunches anymore.
RUBY
Come on. Don't cry. We'll work it
out.
JENNIE
I only did it once and...
A man with a beeper walks up and taps on the phone booth.
PHONE BOOTH MAN
You usin the phone?
RUBY
Get the fuck outta here man!
PHONE BOOTH MAN
What?
42.
RUBY
(screaming inside the
booth)
I said get the fuck outta here
before I smash your fucking face in
mothafucka!!!
JENNIE
I gotta go. I gotta find Telly.
RUBY
Don't go anywhere. Stay with me.
JENNIE
I gotta find him.
Jennie squeezes by Ruby and pushes open the door to the
booth.
RUBY
I'm coming.
JENNIE
No. I just gotta go find him.
Ruby grabs Jennie's arm and Jennie pulls away. Jennie starts
walking and wiping the tears out of her eyes.
RUBY
Jen!
Jennie looks back at Ruby and then starts running down the
street.
RUBY (cont’d )
(screaming)
Jennie!
Jennie is running down the street full speed. She is passing
all the people on the sidewalk. Then she darts across the
street and through the traffic. Some people stare. She
continues to run as the CAMERA follows her for a full block.
She bumps into people and pushes them away.
EXT. TELLY'S HOUSE - DAY
Telly and Casper walk up to the house. Telly lives in a flat
on St. Marks; downtown. Two Spanish hoodlums are sitting on
the front steps. Telly and Casper walk up and slap their
hands.
Casper looks for some place to hide his beer. One of the
hoodlums puts his hand out and Casper gives it to him.
43.
Telly opens the door with his key and Casper follows close
behind. They walk straight to the end of the hallway and
enter.
Telly's house is cluttered. The house is nice but organized.
The kitchen has pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. There
is a Matisse poster hanging in a frame. Large bookshelves
filled to the gills with books. Big plush couches in the
living room, a rocking chair in the corner. A small wooden
piano. A scattered game of Monopoly is on the dinning room
table, a few cats roam the house. On the wall are pictures of
Telly as a young boy, and large family portraits.
Telly and Casper walk into the living room, then enter the
kitchen.
Telly's mom is in the kitchen breast-feeding a small baby.
She has her hair pulled back and her breast out. There is a
small television set on the kitchen counter that she is
watching.
TELLY
Hi mom.
MOM
Hi Telly. Where you been?
CASPER
Hi.
MOM
Hi Casper.
Telly goes to the refrigerator and takes out a big jug of
Kool-Aid. Casper gets the glasses down from the cabinet.
TELLY
We were out trying to find a job.
Pouring the Kool-Aid.
MOM
Any luck?
CASPER
No none.
MOM
So, what are you gonna do for money
this summer?
44.
TELLY
I don't know. Find a job.
(pause)
Hey can I borrow some money?
Casper is staring at Telly's mom as she breast-feeds.
MOM
Sorry. Dad made me promise not to
give you any money until you find a
job.
TELLY
But then I won't need your money.
MOM
That's right.
Casper is staring at Telly's mom's breast.
CASPER
Man, Telly, your little brother is
getting big.
TELLY
Yeah.
Telly walks out of the kitchen and up the stairs, Casper
slowly staggers behind.
As they walk up the stairs, Telly pulls his shirt off and
wipes his underarms and chest.
Casper pulls Telly's arm.
CASPER
Holy shit man, your mom's got good
titties.
TELLY
Shut the fuck up.
The two of them enter Telly's parents room.
INT. TELLY'S PARENT'S BEDROOM - DAY
The bedroom is messy. There are clothes lying on the bed and
floor. There is an exercise bike in the corner. Museum
posters are on the wall. Tampons on the dresser.
Casper follows Telly into the bedroom. Telly sticks his head
out the door to make sure his mother isn't coming.
45.
Casper picks up a tampon and starts playing with it.
Telly opens his mother's shoe closet. All her shoes hand from
a big wooden door. He goes directly to a pair of black dress
pumps. He pulls out the shoes and puts them under his arm,
then he puts his hand in the shot slot and pulls out a pair
of shoulder pads with a rubber band rapped around them. He
pulls off the rubber brand, and in between the shoulder pads
is a small wad of cash. He takes out the cash and sits on the
bed counting it.
Casper is pushing the tampon back and forth inside the
plastic shell.
CASPER
How do these things work?
Telly is counting the cash.
TELLY
Twent, twenty-five, thirty-five,
forty-five, fifty.
Casper is looking at himself in the mirror.
CASPER
How much you gonna take?
TELLY
I don't know. How much do you want?
Casper is looking at teeth in the mirror.
CASPER
About ten. Fifteen is good.
TELLY
Fifteen for me.
He puts fifteen dollars in his back pocket.
TELLY (cont’d )
Ten for you.
Casper is scrapping his teeth with the tampon while looking
in the mirror.
Telly stands up and hands Casper the ten dollars. Caper puts
the money in his back pocket.
Telly picks up his mother's shoulder pads and puts the
remaining cash between them. 46.
He stuffs the shoulder pads into the shoe slot. He picks up
his mother's black pumps and puts them into the slot. He
shuts the door.
Telly picks up his shirt and walks out of the room.
Casper throws the tampon into the trash and follows Telly.
INT. TELLY'S ROOM - DAY
His room is a total mess, worse than imaginable. His clothes,
the furniture, piles of porno magazines and science books,
are all covered with candy wrappers and potato chip bags. His
television is on a scrambled station. He has one big poster
of Albert Einstein on his wall. He has a water bed. He has a
few small plants next to his windowsill.
There is a cat sleeping next to his bed.
TELLY
Get the fuck out of here cat!
Telly kicks the cat out his door. Casper shuts the door.
TELLY (cont’d )
You think Darcy is gonna be at Nasa
tonight?
CASPER
Yeah probably.
Telly picks up the small spray bottle used for watering
plants, he begins to spray his face and chest.
CASPER (cont’d )
Yo, you got any weed around here?
TELLY
Naw. But we should run by the park
and get a dime. Maybe Darcy will be
at the park.
Casper is sitting on the water bed, he is pumping one of
Telly's small ten pound dumbbells.
CASPER
Yo. I'm gonna get buff dude.
TELLY
You are?
47.
CASPER
Yeah. The other day, some sort of
Chinese bitch told me I'd look good
with muscles.
Casper is pumping and making faces.
CASPER (cont’d )
I'm gonna get mad diesel. I'm gonna
fuck any nigga that tries to step
to me.
Telly is wiping his body off with a towel from the floor. He
sniffs his arms and then picks up a stick of deodorant and
applies it.
TELLY
You want some?
Casper is still pumping.
CASPER
Nah.
TELLY
Why not? You stink.
CASPER
That shit gives me a rash all under
my arms and around my stomach. I
like my odor. It's fuckin natural.
The CAMERA stays on Casper while he continues to pump his
dumbbell and look at his arm.
INT. TELLY'S KITCHEN - DAY
Mom is watching a soap opera on television. The baby is in a
small rocker on the counter. She is rocking it back and forth
with one hand while smoking a cigarette.
TELLY
Mom.
MOM
Shh.
TELLY
(whispering)
I'm gonna go out for a little
while.
48.
MOM
When are you gonna be back?
TELLY
Not too late.
MOM
Four-thirty in the morning?
TELLY
Not too late.
Casper and Telly walk to the door.
TELLY (cont’d )
Hey Mom. Are you sure I can't get
any money? Just a few bucks.
MOM
If I had it, maybe. But right now I
don't have a penny to my name.
TELLY
All right.
Casper waves good-bye.
MOM
Bye.
Casper and Telly leave. Telly slams the door behind him. The
baby wakes up and starts to cry.
MOM (cont’d )
Shit.
EXT. PAUL'S APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY
Jennie walks up the stairs to Paul's apartment. She takes her
finger down the list of names.
She rings his bell. Paul sounds really messed up.
PAUL
(from the speaker,
laughter and noise)
Hello.
JENNIE
Hello Paul. Is Telly inside?
49.
PAUL
(laughing)
Is Telly there?
PAUL (cont’d )
This is Paul. Who is this?
JENNIE
It's Jennie. Just tell me if Telly
is there.
PAUL
(drunkenly, laughter)
Oh hi Jennie. Do you want to come
make out with me?
JENNIE
I'm fucking serious. Where's Telly?
PAUL
Telly's not here right now. I
believe he went downtown. Casper
too.
Jennie walks down the stairs. A little white girl is sitting
on the bottom stair, playing with a black doll. The doll has
no hair and it's dress is ripped. She looks up at Jennie.
LITTLE GIRL
My dolly is black... Lucy.
The girl sticks her doll out so Jennie can hold it.
EXT. WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK - DAY
Casper and Telly are standing by the chess tables. The park
is very busy. Every chess table is being used. People are
riding bikes and roller-blading. Strong men are doing pull-
ups on the monkey bars while guys walk by with ghetto
blasters. A state of public frenzy.
A Rastafarian drug dealer with a big dread cap is standing a
little bit away from Telly and Casper. He is approaching
everyone as they walk by him.
DRUG DEALER
(fast and slurred)
... Sess... Smoke, hash, shrooms,
valium, coke... Sessamila.
CASPER
Yo, was up Ras!
50.
RAS
Ah Caspa! Was up little blood clot?
Casper and Telly walk up and shake his hand.
CASPER
Nuffin. You gots?
RAS
Shoot yeah boy. Fuckin best herb.
Uptown shit boy.
TELLY
None of that twigs and pebbles
shit.
Another guy trying to sell drugs walks up, but Ras just
pushes him away.
Telly pulls the money out of his back pocket.
Ras pulls out a dime bag and pushes it open. He looks around
and then puts it in Casper's face.
RAS
Fucking good skunk.
CASPER
Smells delicious.
Casper starts to laugh.
Telly goes to hand the drug dealer the money. Ras looks
around to make sure it's safe.
RAS
Throw it down.
He points to the floor; then throws the weed on the ground.
Telly drops two five dollar bills.
CASPER
Thanks Ras.
RAS
Caspa!!!
Ras laughs. The two of them slap hands. Ras slaps Telly's
hand and walks away.
51.
EXT. UNDER THE ARCH - WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK - DAY
The park is extremely crowded. The kids hang out in front of
the arch by the fountain and around the sides. There are
about ten kids skateboarding. The fountain is on and the mist
is spraying the kids. Girls in hip-hop fashion are lined up
all around. A few kids are drawing graffiti in little black
books. There are maybe twenty kids hanging out around the
fountain, in front of the arch.
Casper and Telly walk up to the center of the action.
They greet their friends sitting on the edge of the fountain.
Skateboarders ride up and slap their hands. As they greet
their friends, they kiss the girls on the cheek and a few of
them on the lips, they slap hands with the guys and embrace
some with a hug.
Telly and Casper go down the line, greeting everyone. This
process takes a while, as they interact with everyone down
the line.
HAROLD is a skinny black skateboarder with a funny face. He
rides up to Casper and hugs him.
HAROLD
Casper! Was up kid?
CASPER
Nothen B.
HAROLD
Where you at?
CASPER
Right here.
HAROLD
Where you goin tonight?
CASPER
Maybe Nasa. I don't know.
HAROLD
You goin?
CASPER
Yeah.
HAROLD
I'm goin. You on the list?
52.
CASPER
Probably. Fuck that, I'll sneak in.
I need some female vagina tonight.
HAROLD
I had a female vagina last night.
HAMILTON, a short black guy with a Gilligan hat, walks up.
HAMILTON
Yo Cass, you got any boom?
Telly is sitting on the cement benches talking to MISHA, a
pretty young girl with a belly button pierce.
CASPER
Yep. You got a Phillie?
HAMILTON
Presto.
Hamilton pulls out a long Phillie cigar. Then he squeezes in
between Casper and another guy.
Casper pulls out his dime bag and sniffs it. The he puts it
in front of Hamilton's nose.
HAMILTON (cont’d )
You got that here in the park?
CASPER
Yep.
HAMILTON
Break that shit up.
Casper is smushing the pot up. Hamilton is taking the plastic
of the cigar. In this shot they go through the complete
process of rolling a blunt. The next sequence
should be done with fast edits.
HAMILTON (cont’d )
Cut it.
Hamilton cuts the cigar down the center with his long
thumbnail.
HAMILTON (cont’d )
Scrape it.
He then scrapes all the tobacco out of the center and onto
the ground.
53.
HAMILTON (cont’d )
Lick it.
He then licks the outer paper till it gets very damp.
HAMILTON (cont’d )
Dump it.
Casper starts putting the weed inside, Hamilton licks it,
then pulls out a lighter and dries it.
HAMILTON (cont’d )
And smoke it.
Hamilton puts it in his mouth.
HAMILTON (cont’d )
You wanna start off?
Hamilton looks at Casper and puts the blunt in his face.
CASPER
Naw, you got it Ham.
Hamilton smiles.
HAMILTON
All right.
He puts the blunt in his mouth and lights it. A big flame
shoots up as it catches the end of the Phillie. Hamilton
takes a few big puffs and then blows the smoke away.
HAMILTON (cont’d )
Take two pulls and pass.
Hamilton passes the blunt to Casper. A bunch of kids start
huddling around Casper as he puffs.
STEVEN, a skinny Spanish kid with gold front teeth, walks up.
STEVEN
Yo can I fuck wit dat?
Casper smiles and blows smoke in his face.
CASPER
Yeah boy!
Casper hits it again and then hands it to Steve, who takes
immense hits.
Two male homosexuals in short shorts walk by holding hands.
54.
Steven turns his head and notices them. He exhales the smoke
out of his nose.
STEVEN
Look at that.
HAROLD
That shit is sick. Fuckin faggots.
CASPER
(screaming at the top of
his lungs)
Fuckin faggots!!!
Everyone starts laughing.
CASPER (cont’d )
(as loud as possible)
Faggots!!!
Casper rubs his throat. People continue to laugh.
CASPER (cont’d )
My throat.
Telly is sitting away on the cement benches under the tree.
He is talking to Misha.
MISHA
How can you hang out with Casper?
He's such a jerk.
TELLY
You think so?
MISHA
Yeah. I've always hated that kid.
He used to eat glue in like seventh
grade.
TELLY
He still does.
MISHA
I hate 'em.
TELLY
It's not his fault. He had a hard
life.
MISHA
Yeah?
55.
TELLY
You've heard the stories right?
MISHA
No.
EXT. NEW YORK SIDEWALK - DAY
Back in time. Casper is a little boy, age 11. He is walking
down the sidewalk with a lunch box and a "Casper the Friendly
Ghost" T-shirt. He is wearing his hat on backwards.
Music accompanies this entire episode.
TELLY (V.O.)
Well, one day Casper had a
stomachache and he got permission
from his teacher to leave school
early and go home.
Casper walks up to a nice middle-class home, it could be in
Queens or Brooklyn, it doesn't matter. He pulls out a key and
opens the door. He enters his home.
INT. CASPER'S HOUSE - DAY
The house is dark. Plastic on all the furniture. A velvet
picture of Christ is hanging on the wall in the hallway. Very
simple and plain, a generic adobe.
Casper enters his house and flips on a lightswitch.
TELLY (V.O.)
So he walks into his house and
hears some strange noises.
The sounds of his mother screaming from upstairs.
CASPER'S MOM
(screaming from upstairs)
Get away! Get away! Help! You
monster! Please help!
Casper puts his lunch box down and walks to the first stair
to listen to his mother's screams.
TELLY (V.O.)
The noises were coming from
upstairs. In his parents room.
Casper's mom continues to scream from upstairs.
56.
TELLY (V.O.) (cont’d )
So, this freaked the hell out of
Casper. He was just a little kid
and he wasn't sure what to do.
Casper moves off the step and runs into the kitchen.
TELLY (V.O.) (cont’d )
So he ran and got a big knife. The
same knife his pops used to cut the
turkey on Thanksgiving with.
He opens a drawer full of silverware and pulls out a
humongous glistening knife. He picks it up, and it shines on
his face.
As his mother screams he looks up at the ceiling with the
knife in his hand.
CASPER'S MOM
(screaming from upstairs)
Stop! Please stop! Oooh help!
Casper runs up the stairs, he is holding the knife straight
out.
TELLY (V.O.)
So he heard his mom's screams, and
knew that she was in trouble. It
sounded like she was getting ready
to be killed. Like someone was
kicking her in the head.
Casper runs down the hall and opens the door to his parents
room.
What he sees is very shocking. His face becomes extremely
animated.
Casper's mom is on the bed. She is completely naked except
for a pair of bright red high heel shoes. In between her legs
is a man wearing all black, including a black ski mask and
motorcycle boots. He is having sex with Casper's mom. He has
her arms pinned down on the bed. He is grunting like a pig.
Casper watches for a moment in awe.
MAN IN BLACK
Bitch. You fuckin bitch. Fuckin bitch. Slutty whore.
The man in black slaps Casper's mom hard on her naked ass.
57.
CASPER'S MOM
(screaming)
No! Stop! Get off me!
She is struggling to get loose.
TELLY (V.O.)
So Casper opened the door and he
saw some big guy with a ski mask
fucking his mother. What a sight
for an 11 year old kid.
Casper runs up to the bed. He climbs on top of the bed with
the big knife in the air, all the while the man in black is
having sex with his mother. And they don't even notice Casper
at first.
TELLY (V.O.) (cont’d )
And he goes and jumps on his
parent's bed. And for a second he
just looks and watches.
Casper takes his knife and starts stabbing the guy in black,
over and over. His mother is kicking and trying to stop him.
All the while, she is screaming outrageously and blood is
pouring out.
TELLY (V.O.) (cont’d )
And you know. Casper loved his mom,
he didn't want anything to happen
to her. So he started stabbing this
guy, over and over. But it was a
mistake.
Casper's mom is kicking Casper as he stabs the man.
Casper is biting his tongue as he stabs the man.
The man falls off the bed and onto the floor.
Casper's mom is going totally nuts. She is completely naked,
with blood all over her body. There is blood all over the
sheets. His mom is clawing her face in complete hysterics.
CASPER'S MOM
You fuck!!! It's your father!!! We
were playing a game you fuck!!!
That's your father!!! We were just
playing!!!
Casper looks very confused as he looks at his naked mother.
He has the knife in his hand, and a little blood on his T-
shirt and cheek.
58.
Casper's mom continues to yell at him.
CASPER'S MOM (cont’d )
Casper, you fucker!!! Oh, my god!!!
Help me God!!!
Casper looks at his mother, then he looks at the dead guy on
the floor. He bends down and takes off the mask. It's his
father.
CASPER
(calmly)
That's my dad.
CASPER'S MOM
(crying)
You fuck. You killed your father!
TELLY (V.O.)
So Casper killed his father. He
came home with a stomachache and
ended up murdering his pops. It was
a very embarrassing thing.
EXT. WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK - ON A CEMENT BENCH - DAY
Telly is in the same spot talking to Misha.
TELLY
So that's why Casper is how he is.
MISHA
Oh god. That's horrible.
A quick shot of Casper smoking a blunt and laughing with his
friends.
TELLY
Yep.
MISHA
Holy shi. That's all true?
TELLY
No. I was just kidding.
MISHA
(outraged)
What?!
TELLY
I lied. His dad is still alive. He
works for the post office.
59.
EXT. WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK - ON THE FOUNTAIN - DAY
Casper and all his friends are passing around the blunt,
which by now is almost gone. All that is left is a roach and
Casper is sucking on it really hard.
Casper breathes out the smoke and then passes the roach to
Hamilton.
CASPER
Yo, that weed is mad good.
Hamilton gets ready to puff.
HAMILTON
Hells yeah. Gimmie a taste of the
mothafuckin chronic.
Casper rubs his eyes.
Hamilton puffs on the little roach.
Casper grabs somebody's skateboard and stands on it. He
starts rolling around slowly and doing some tricks.
The other kids continue to smoke. They watch Casper and
laugh.
Casper is slowly trying to do tricks, but he's so stoned that
he just falls off.
As he skates in front of is friends he doesn't pay any
attention to where he's going.
A tall HOODLUM with gold front teeth is walking by. He is
wearing all Polo and a thick white Fila headband. He is
biting down on a chew stick.
The hoodlum walks by. He has a certain ominous strut. He is
looking at the ground as he walks.
He takes the chew stick out of his mouth and looks at some
girl's ass as she walks by. He makes a little noise with his
mouth.
As the hoodlum walks by, Casper is rolling backward, not
paying attention. He rolls into the hoodlum's heels. Casper
falls down and laughs. Everyone watching laughs, including
Telly who is still sitting with Misha.
Casper jumps up and grabs his skateboard. The hoodlum is
turned around. Casper walks up to him with a smile.
60.
CASPER
Yo, sorry money.
The hoodlum is a good seven inches taller than Casper. He
puts his arms out like he's upset.
HOODLUM
Yeah watch the fuck where you
skate. You know what I'm saying?
CASPER
(smiling)
Yeah, watch where you walk dukes.
HOODLUM
What?
CASPER
Nuffin G. Just forget it.
HOODLUM
What the fuck yo? You wanna catch a
beat down?
Casper throws his skateboard down. He quickly turns around
and pulls his pants up. He runs right up to the hoodlum and
he looks up at him.
CASPER
Sup then? Sup?
HOODLUM
Come on bitch. Throw your fists up.
EXT. THE CEMENT BENCHES - DAY
Telly and Misha are watching. Telly stands up.
TELLY
Uh oh. Casper's in the mix.
He quickly walks up.
EXT. THE FOUNTAIN - DAY
All the guys jump up and start screaming.
STEVEN
Oh shit. Throw down.
Steven and all the guys run up and surround the hoodlum. They
all start screaming taunts. "Fuck 'em up Casper!"
61.
Casper is inches from the hoodlum. They are both in a
fighting stance. Casper keeps pulling his pants up. Casper
has a huge smile on his face, like this is his favorite thing
in the whole world.
CASPER
Sup. Sup.
HOODLUM
Come on nigga. Sup, sup then? Stop
faking moves.
CASPER
I'm gonna fuck you up bitch.
They are both right about to swing.
Everyone in the whole park has turned their attention to the
scuffle.
All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Harold runs up behind the
Hoodlum and with the truck of his skateboard, smashes the guy
in the back of the head. A huge thud is heard and the hoodlum
just kinda falls forward on his knees.
Casper, with a big smile, steps back and kicks the guy in the
face as hard as he can.
Everyone gets in a big circle around the fallen hoodlum.
They're all screaming. Even the girls are screaming. "Fuck
'em up!"
Harold continues hitting the hoodlum with his skateboard.
Hitting him on the legs and stomach.
Casper is jumping up and down on the hoodlum's head.
CASPER (cont’d )
(everytime he kicks the
guy he says this)
Suck my dick! Suck my dick! Suck my
dick!
All of a sudden, all the skateboarders in the park, including
Hamilton and Steven, take their boards and start smashing
this guy, over and over.
The hoodlum is on the ground holding his head, as everyone
frantically tries to kill him.
62.
The focus should be on the face of the skateboarders. How
much they are enjoying this. They continue to pound him, over
and over, like animals in on the prey.
This should look very scary, as twenty guys try to kill the
fallen hoodlum. Even little kids are in the middle, beating
the guy.
Telly looks up to the sky. He makes a loud noise as he clears
his throat, like he's gathering mucus. Then he puts his arms
down and stops some of the kids from hitting the hoodlum. His
face is completely cracked and bloody. Telly steps over him
and spits a huge phlegm wad onto his face.
Casper, still smiling, kicks the guy in the face.
CASPER (cont’d )
Suck my dick, Suck my dick. Suck my
dick.
Everyone stops kicking the guy and they all get kinda silent
and look at him. He looks completely twisted, bloody, and
dead.
Casper bends over, right in his face.
CASPER (cont’d )
(smiling)
Now get in my way! Bitch.
CUT TO BLACK
INT. / EXT. TAXICAB - GOING DOWNTOWN - EVENING
Jennie is in the back of a speeding cab. She is looking out
the window. Her face looks sad.
The TAXI DRIVER is a funny looking old man. He's wearing a
jockey hat and a Hawaiian shirt. He has air fresheners
hanging from the mirror. He is chewing on a big wet cigar. He
has a half shaved beard. He looks like a dirty old man.
Jennie looks dazed.
As the taxi driver drives, he looks in his mirror at Jennie.
He pulls his cigar out of his mouth and then puts it back in.
Jazz is playing on the radio.
TAXI DRIVER
Excuse me. Can I ask you a
question?
63.
Jennie just shrugs.
TAXI DRIVER (cont’d )
Can I ask you a question? I'm
sorry. I don't mean to be a pest.
JENNIE
What?
TAXI DRIVER
Well, I don't mean to be a pest. It
was just that I was looking at you.
And you look upset. I liked looking
at you, but your face looks upset.
And I was wondering if I could be
of any assistance? Maybe I could
cheer you up or somethin. Help make
you happy. Who knows? Somethin
maybe.
As the taxi driver talks, he looks in the mirror, and then
looks at the road. He is driving fast and clumsy. He pulls
out his cigar and then puts it back in his mouth.
JENNIE
No. I'm OK. Thanks.
TAXI DRIVER
You're OK?
JENNIE
Yeah.
TAXI DRIVER
Because gee, you don't look OK. I
mean your a very beautiful young
lady. It's just that you look
troubled that's all...
JENNIE
Yeah well, it's been a bad day.
TAXI DRIVER
A bad day! You wanna hear a bad
day? Yesterday my son was smashed
over by a car and when my wife
found out she collapsed on the
floor. She had a minor heart
attack. Partial paralysis. But I
don't let myself get sad. No way.
Not me. It's not good for the soul.
The taxi driver begins to laugh a really squeaky laugh.
64.
JENNIE
Sorry.
TAXI DRIVER
Oh it's OK. That's life. Maybe
tomorrow I'll win lotto. Who knows?
You don't. No one does.
Jennie continues to look glumly out the window.
TAXI DRIVER (cont’d )
You know. I could tell you were sad
by the way your eyes drooped. Like
an adopted kid. That's the way an
adopted kid's eyes look. All sad
like that. All droopy and sweet.
Like the honey that I lick off my
finger.
He starts to laugh. Jennie continues to look sadly out the
window.
TAXI DRIVER (cont’d )
Would I be prying if I asked you
what was wrong?
Jennie is silent.
TAXI DRIVER (cont’d )
Miss, would I be prying?
JENNIE
Everything is wrong.
TAXI DRIVER
No, not everything? The sun is
still shinning. It's a beautiful
day out. Some things are OK. Right?
JENNIE
Yeah, I guess so.
TAXI DRIVER
Did you and your boyfriend just
break up?
JENNIE
No.
TAXI DRIVER
Are you in trouble with the law?
65.
JENNIE
No.
TAXI DRIVER
Am I getting warm?
Jennie smiles. The taxi driver looks in the mirror and sees
Jennie smiling.
TAXI DRIVER (cont’d )
Now that's it. A smile. You look
like a prom queen when you smile.
Like a glamour girl.
JENNIE
Yeah?
TAXI DRIVER
Oh yeah, sure. When I was a kid I
had a crush on the prom queen.
Darlene Louis. She had a big black
mole in the center of her face that
used to get me so excited. Darlene
Louis. You know you look a little
bit like her.
JENNIE
Thanks.
TAXI DRIVER
Yeah. Right around the cheeks and
chin. Boy did I have a crush on
her. She was the first girl I ever
put my tongue in her mouth.
He stops at a red light and turns around to look at her.
TAXI DRIVER (cont’d )
Hey look. Whatever it is. Just
forget about it. Life's too short.
Make yourself happy. I'll give you
an example. When my golden
retriever passed away. God rest his
soul.
(he punches the roof of
the cab)
I was lonesome. I missed him. So I
got a tattoo.
He pulls up his shirt and reveals a tattoo of a dog on his
forearm. It says "Bruno" in big letters.
66.
TAXI DRIVER (cont’d )
Now how do you like that? Now he's
with me forever.
The light turns and he starts driving.
TAXI DRIVER (cont’d )
I swear to God. Sometimes he barks.
I can hear him straight off my arm.
Ruff, ruff, he goes.
JENNIE
Yeah?
TAXI DRIVER
Yeah. I'm not saying you should get
a tattoo. But you should make
yourself happy.
JENNIE
What if you can't make yourself
happy? What if everything falls
apart?
TAXI DRIVER
Well then, I don't know. You know
what you do then? You forget. Block
it out. I remember when I was a
little boy. My grandmother told me
to be happy. She said. She said,
"Leon, my darling little grandson.
If you want to be happy don't
think. Don't bump into any walls.
If you stutter. Don't talk" And I
took her advice. And look at me
now. Couldn't be happier.
He starts to laugh.
A quick shot of his identification badge. He has a really
goofy smile and he's wearing the same Hawaiian shirt.
TAXI DRIVER (cont’d )
That's life.
Jennie is smiling.
JENNIE
Your a real philosopher.
TAXI DRIVER
Yeah. I was gonna write a book but
I can't spell.
67.
He pulls up on Washington Square Park. He slams on the brakes
and turns around in his seat.
TAXI DRIVER (cont’d )
Well here we are, Miss.
Jennie pulls some money out.
TAXI DRIVER (cont’d )
Aw, don't worry 'bout it. The rides
on me.
Jennie has the money up to the glass.
TAXI DRIVER (cont’d )
All right, all right, I'll take it.
But forget about the tip.
He takes her money.
JENNIE
Thanks. Bye.
The taxi driver sticks his head out the window.
TAXI DRIVER
Oh yeah. Oh Miss. Miss. When you
smile, God notices. That's why the
sun is shining.
He points up to the sky before pulling away.
EXT. LOWER EAST SIDE - APARTMENT BUILDING - EVENING
Telly is standing in the road in front of Darcy's apartment
building. Casper, Harold, Steven, and two other girls named
KIM and JOY are all leaning against and sitting on a parked
car. Casper and Steven both have a quart of malt liquor in
their hands.
Telly is looking straight up. He puts his hands together and
raises them to his mouth.
TELLY
(screaming)
Darcy!!!
(pause)
Darcy!!!
Bennie, a skinny 18 year old, sticks his chest out the
window. He's chewing on an apple and not wearing a shirt.
He looks down at Telly
68.
TELLY (cont’d )
(yelling)
Hey Bennie. What's up?
Bennie is munching on his apple.
BENNIE
Nuffin. What do you want?
TELLY
Is your sister home?
BENNIE
You want Darcy?
TELLY
Yeah.
BENNIE
Hold on. Let me see if she's here.
He sticks his head inside and screams.
BENNIE (cont’d )
(his voice from upstairs)
Darcy!!!
Casper is sitting on the car, he has his arm wrapped around
Kim.
CASPER
Hurry up man. Let's be out. I wanna
go swimmin.
TELLY
Hold up man.
Darcy sticks her head out the window. She is very pretty,
very young, clean, and innocent.
DARCY
Hey.
TELLY
Hey. What are you doin right now?
DARCY
I was just getting ready to take a
bath.
TELLY
Don't take a bath. Come swimmin
with us!
69.
KIM
Hi Darcy.
DARCY
(smiles, waves)
Hi Kim. Hi Joy.
TELLY
Come on. Come swimmin with us.
DARCY
Right now?
TELLY
Yeah. Come on.
DARCY
(looks inside)
Hold on.
Telly walks over to the other guys.
JOY
So this is your new girl, huh?
TELLY
I hope so. For now.
JOY
You like 'em kinda young right.
Babies?
TELLY
I like 'em new. Not like you.
JOY
Fuck you.
Everyone starts laughing. Telly pulls the beer our of
Casper's hand and starts chugging it.
CASPER
Damn bitch. Don't kill it.
Telly hands the bottle back to Casper.
HAROLD
Yo, you think we killed that guy?
CASPER
Na.
70.
HAROLD
You sure?
CASPER
I don't know. But all I know is
that I kicked him so many times my
fuckin' toe feels broken.
HAROLD
Yo, we might have killed him. You
think?
STEVE
I don't think we killed him.
Because after it was through, I saw
him twitch.
CASPER
Yeah, he was crawling around and
shit.
HAROLD
Man we fucked him up.
CASPER
Hell ya. We broke that mothafucka.
JOY
You guys are fucking sick. You know
that?
CASPER
That's OK. Cause that's how I'm
livin.
HAROLD
Yep.
Casper slaps hands with Harold.
Darcy walks out of her apartment building. She is wearing a
bikini top with baggy denim jean shorts. Her hair is pushed
back and she has a backpack on.
As she walks out of the building, Telly's eyes light up.
DARCY
Ready.
Telly walks up to Darcy and kisses her on the cheek.
TELLY
You look nice.
71.
EXT. WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK - EVENING
Jennie is standing under the arch. She is looking for Telly.
Misha is sitting on the fountain talking to some guy.
Jennie walks up to Misha.
MISHA
Hey girl was up?
Jennie kisses Misha on the cheek.
JENNIE
Just a lot of crazy shit.
MISHA
Yeah?
JENNIE
Yeah. Have you seen Telly around?
MISHA
Yeah. Speaking of stupid shit. Him
and his ape ass of a friend Casper,
they all just almost killed some
kid.
JENNIE
What happened?
MISHA
I don't know. Just some messy
little scrap. You know that
bullshit.
JENNIE
Do you know where he went?
MISHA
I'm not sure. He said something
about meeting Darcy. I think he
likes her now.
JENNIE
Who, Benny's little sister?
MISHA
Yeah. She should be at Nasa
tonight. Why you lookin for him?
You like him now or sometin?
Jennie just looks at Misha.
72.
EXT. PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL - NIGHT
The pool is closed. Large black gates surround the premises.
All the kids are climbing up the gates. Casper is the first
one to the top and just jumps over. Eventually everyone
follows.
They all walk up to the pool and start taking their clothes
off.
Casper pulls his shirt and pants off. He looks over at Kim,
who is wearing G-string underwear.
CASPER
Geez Kim. Your body looks fuckin
good.
KIM
Thanks.
CASPER
It's funny how sometimes you can't
tell if a girl has a nice body
until you see her without her
clothes.
Kim smiles.
Harold starts imitating a strong man. He starts flexing his
muscles. He's wearing a pair of baggy boxer shorts. Then he
turns to Joy.
HAROLD
Hey Joy. You ever see a black man's
lasso?
JOY
What?
Harold pulls out his penis and starts twirling it around.
JOY (cont’d )
HAROLD!!!
She starts jumping up and down. Everyone is cracking up.
Harold has his dick in his hand.
HAROLD
Hi ho Silver and away!!!
Harold jumps in. Steven pushes Casper in and Casper takes
Steven with him. Joy and Kim jump in together.
73.
CASPER
Oh shit it's fuckin cold.
They start splashing each other.
Darcy and Telly walk over to the other side and sit down on
the edge of the pool with their feet in the water.
Telly starts smiling at Darcy. He cups a little bit of water
in his hands and pours it on her thigh.
Everyone else is in the water making noise and splashing
around.
DARCY
Ooh. You're gonna give me goose
bumps.
TELLY
Is it cold?
Darcy puts some water in her hand and does the same thing.
TELLY (cont’d )
You know I've been thinking about
you lately.
DARCY
(surprised)
You have?
TELLY
Yeah. After I saw you last week.
DARCY
At the block party?
TELLY
Yeah.
Darcy smiles. She looks a little bit embarrassed.
TELLY (cont’d )
I was lookin for you all day today.
DARCY
You were?
TELLY
Sure. I even thought about you when
I woke up.
74.
A quick three second flashback of him having sex earlier that
day with the young virgin girl. It's very loud as she
screams.
TELLY (cont’d )
I was like. I gotta find Darcy.
Where is she at? I was lookin all
over.
Darcy smiles.
Joy and Kim are sitting next to each other on the steps in
the shallow end of the pool. Steven, Harold, and Casper are
in the water in front of the girls.
Joy and Kim are both wearing bras.
CASPER
I'll give you a dollar if you let
me suck on your tit.
Kim kicks water in his face.
CASPER (cont’d )
No I'm serious. Can I suck your
tit? Either of you guys. I don't
care.
HAROLD
Yeah me too.
KIM
Casper, why do you think I would
let you suck on my boobs?
CASPER
I don't know. Your just sitting
there. And your tits look clean to
me. It makes me want to suck on
'em.
Telly is sitting in the same spot, talking to Darcy.
DARCY
I thought you had a girlfriend.
TELLY
Naw. I'm not seeing anybody. What
about you?
DARCY
No. I can't. My mom won't let me
have boyfriends.
75.
TELLY
She won't? Why not?
DARCY
I don't know. I guess it's cause my
sister Nicki had a baby when she
was like 15. She was really young
so my mom is like very protective
over me.
TELLY
Yeah. I can understand that.
Back to the shallow end with Casper, Steven, Harold, Kim, and
Joy.
HAROLD
I truth or dare you guys to kiss
each other.
JOY
Sure. We kiss all the time.
They both smile at each other and kiss softly on the lips. As
they part, they smile.
CASPER
You guys are dykes right?
KIM
No.
JOY
No.
STEVEN
Then how can you kiss each other
like that?
Harold makes a strange face.
HAROLD
Yeah. How can you do that shit?
KIM
It doesn't matter. It just feels
good. That's all.
JOY
Yeah. It's not like we're gay. It's
just kissing another person, a
friend.
76.
Joy grabs Kim's hand.
KIM
Yeah.
JOY
It's no big deal.
CASPER
I don't know. I just never seen
girls that did that shit before.
But I think it looks nice.
HAROLD
Yeah. Do it again.
Telly and Darcy.
TELLY
You should come back with me to
Steven's house.
DARCY
Tonight?
TELLY
Yeah. His parents are away. It's
gonna be a bug out.
DARCY
I don't know. I'm supposed to go to
Nasa tonight.
TELLY
Come on. You can rave on another
night.
She looks at him.
TELLY (cont’d )
Come on. It'll be fun. We'll just
bug out. There should be a bunch
of people. It'll be fun I promise.
DARCY
Yeah?
TELLY
Yeah. It'll be nice. It'll be a
change of pace. That club shit gets
boring.
77.
EXT. OUTSIDE NASA - RAVE - NIGHT
This is the line to Nasa. People are lined up and down the
block waiting to get inside. All the kids are wearing rave
clothing which resembles clown suits with stack shoes and
huge colorful hats. It looks like a hip-hop circus.
Jennie is walking quickly past everyone on line. She comes to
the front.
SID, a short gay Chinese boy with orange hair, is carrying a
clipboard guest list under his arm and has a Sesame Street
purse in his other hand. When he sees Jennie, he walks up and
unclips the rope.
SID
Jennie! Was up girl?
Sid bends over and gives Jennie a kiss.
JENNIE
Hi Sid.
After Jennie walks in, Sid reclips the rope.
Jennie walks up the stairs and past the security guards and
metal detectors.
SECURITY GUARD
Hi Jennie.
Jennie smiles and walks by.
Nasa is like a giant warehouse. It has hallways and rooms.
Kids invade every inch of the club.
As Jennie walks in, the Techno music grows very loud. The
music should sound as if you were stuck in a fast-paced video
game.
Kids are running around everywhere. The CAMERA follows Jennie
through the club as if it is seeing everything Jennie sees.
The dance floor is packed with kids holding flashlights and
sucking on pacifiers.
As she walks through the darkened hallways, people are
against the walls making out.
As she gets to the end of the hallway, there is a big crowd
of people. She jumps to see what everyone is looking at.
78.
FIDGET, a short white guy who is very hyper and speaks very
quickly, runs up to Jennie and grabs her wrist.
FIDGET
Jennie, Jennie. How do you feel?
JENNIE
Fine Fidget. What's all this?
FIDGET
Oh man. You gotta see this. It's a
spectacle. A real spectacle.
Fidget pulls Jennie through the crowd.
FIDGET (cont’d )
Now look at that. Amazing sexual
exploration.
There are three girls and one boy making out against the back
wall. The boy is wearing an afro wig. They all have their
clothes on, but they are all going at it like crazy.
Two of the girls are making out with each other while they
rub the boy. The other girl is kissing the boy while he is
feeling on her body.
Jennie looks surprised. The other kids are laughing and
yelling at them.
One of the girls making out looks at the crowd and sticks her
tongue out.
GIRL
You don't have to look at us. It's
not a free show.
She continues making out.
Everyone laughs. The music is loud and adds to the intensity
of the scene.
JENNIE
Who are they?
FIDGET
I don't know. I've never seen any
of them before. Cornballs from
Jersey on X. Feelin the effex.
Fidget looks at Jennie, she looks depressed.
79.
FIDGET (cont’d )
Come on Jennie. Jen.
He pulls her by the wrist. He takes her into the bathroom. In
the bathroom there are kids in big circles smoking pot and
buying pills.
FIDGET (cont’d )
I got a present for you.
He digs in his pocket.
JENNIE
What is it?
FIDGET
Bang up stuff.
He pulls out a pill.
FIDGET (cont’d )
This makes Special K look weak.
It's a euphoric blockbuster.
JENNIE
No, Fidget, I...
FIDGET
Come on Jennie. You look sad. Just
take it.
JENNIE
No...
FIDGET
Here. Swallow.
He puts the pill in her mouth, and she reluctantly takes it.
FIDGET (cont’d )
Now you'll be floatin up in Techno
heaven. Don't worry, tricks are for
kids.
INT. STEVEN'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Steven's house. It's a big mess. Almost no furniture except
for a ratty couch and a television set.
Hip-hop music is playing.
There are about 15 kids in total, mainly boys. Everyone is
running around and drinking.
80.
Some kid is throwing water balloons out the window. Another
kid is jumping off the couch and trying to put footprints on
the ceiling. Another boy is urinating into a plant in the
corner of the kitchen.
There are a bunch of boys and girls on the ground lying on
top of each other laughing.
Everyone is smoking and drinking.
A chubby girl with braces is talking to Casper. She is drunk.
CHUBBY GIRL
Hey Casper. Why do they call you
Casper?
CASPER
'Cause Casper is my name.
CHUBBY GIRL
But that's not your real name. No
one's name is Casper.
CASPER
Damn bitch. That's my name. Why do
you always ask me the same shit?
Why don't you go lose some fucking
weight?
Harold is in the corner with one shoe off. He is sitting next
to a pretty oriental girl. He is holding a beer in his hand.
HAROLD
Come on. Let me kiss you.
She turns her head.
HAROLD (cont’d )
Just let me kiss you. Lemme kiss
your neck. You look pretty.
He starts pulling her head, she is resisting.
HAROLD (cont’d )
Come on. Just one kiss.
Steven is lying in the middle of the floor with Kim. The two
of them are making out. Steven is rubbing in between her
legs, she is wearing baggy jeans and her hips are moving with
his hand, from side to side. Joy is on the couch watching,
looks excited.
Hamilton is in the bathroom throwing up.
81.
INT. NASA - NIGHT
Jennie is sitting on a platform next to a huge speaker. The
noise is extremely loud. She looks very dazed, Her head is
propped up against the speaker. She is watching all the kids
dance.
TAMARA, one of her friends, walks up and tugs on her leg.
TAMARA
Dance!
JENNIE
What?
TAMARA
Come dance.
JENNIE
I don't feel so well. Have you seen
Telly anywhere?
TAMARA
Telly is at Steven's. There's a
bunch of people over there. Come on
dance.
She pulls Jennie's leg. Jennie jumps down.
JENNIE
Telly is at Steven's?
TAMARA
I guess so.
Jennie puts her hand on her forehead. She looks dizzy.
JENNIE
Oh my God. What's going on?
Tamara hands Jennie a drink.
EXT. IN FRONT OF STEVEN'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Telly and Darcy are kissing each other in front of the
apartment building.
TELLY
Do you like kissing me?
DARCY
Yes.
82.
He kisses her again.
TELLY
Do you like me?
Darcy nods.
DARCY
Uh huh.
TELLY
I think you're like the best girl
I've ever kissed.
Darcy kisses Telly. She begins to suck his bottom lip.
TELLY (cont’d )
I don't even want to talk, but I
gotta tell you that when I first
saw you last week, I, I couldn't
stop thinking about you. You've
been stuck in my head.
DARCY
Come on.
TELLY
No. No, I'm serious. I'm not
joking. I just like you. That's
all.
DARCY
I like you too.
He starts kissing her neck and chin.
INT. / EXT. TAXI - NIGHT
The car is very dark. Jennie is in the backseat, scooted all
the way in the corner.
It is silent except for the sound of the bumpy ride.
Everything is silent for a while as Jennie looks more and
more upset. She has a quart in her hand.
JENNIE
(silently as she looks out
the window)
I'm not gonna die.
Jennie sheds a few tears and then wipes them off with the
hand she is holding the beer with.
83.
INT. STEVEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
The lights are all almost out in Steven's apartment. Music is
still playing. Everyone is either making out or passed out.
The chubby girl is watching television and eating potato
chips.
Steven has Kim propped up against the couch. Hr shirt is off
and the two of them are passionately kissing. She is making
loud moaning noises.
Telly walks up to him and taps him on the head.
TELLY
Hey Steven. Yo Steven.
Steven continues to make out.
TELLY (cont’d )
Come on man. Steven.
Steve turns his head, he looks sweaty and red.
STEVEN
What man? What is it?
TELLY
Yo, let me get in your parent's
room man. Just fir a litte while.
STEVEN
I can't man.
TELLY
Come on Steven hook me up. Do me
this solid.
(he whispers)
Come on man. I gotta get Darcy
alone. She's gonna let me fuck her
man. Please.
STEVEN
Shit. All right. But don't fuck
with anything OK?
TELLY
OK.
Steven puts his tongue back in Kim's mouth.
84.
INT. / EXT. TAXI - NIGHT
Jennie is drinking a beer in the backseat of the taxi. She
looks upset.
INT. STEVEN'S PARENT'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
The bedroom is very neat and orderly.
Telly walks in and immediately turns off all the lights. He
turns on the small light by the bed. It casts a dim glow.
He turns around and pushes her against the door. He starts
kissing her really hard. She is responding but a bit slow and
shy.
DARCY
I'm nervous.
TELLY
Trust me. Don't be nervous.
He starts feeling her up.
INT. STEVEN'S APARTMENT STAIRWELL - NIGHT
Jennie is slowly walking up a staircase. She looks drunk and
sick.
Music is heard from Steven's house.
INT. STEVEN'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Everybody is making out; the house is really quiet except for
the stereo. People are all over the floor, some of them are
passed out.
Harold is asleep on top of the Chinese girl, in the corner.
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
Casper is sitting in the bathtub with the legs hanging out.
He is smoking a joint.
Hamilton is sitting with his head on the toilet.
Casper moves to give Hamilton a hit off his joint. Hamilton
puts his hand up and nods.
CASPER
Pussy.
Casper takes another hit.
85.
INT STEVEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
The door is open. Jennie stumbles in. She looks for the
lightswitch but can't find. She starts walking around the
room, looking at everyone making out, trying to distinguish
if it's Telly or not.
As she walks she trips on Steven's leg.
Jennie looks down.
JENNIE
Sorry.
Steven doesn't notice.
INT. STEVEN'S PARENT'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Telly and Darcy are in bed. Darcy is mostly under the covers.
Telly is on top of the bed. He is naked except for his
underwear.
Darcy is wearing a bra.
Telly is brushing her hair back with his fingers.
This scene should resemble the first scene.
TELLY
I like you so much. I think you're
beautiful. I think if we fucked you
would love it. You wouldn't believe
it.
DARCY
How do you know?
TELLY
I just know. I know you'll love it.
DARCY
But I'm scared Telly.
TELLY
I'm telling you. There's nothing in
the world to worry about.
DARCY
Nothing?
Telly scoots up and kisses her.
86.
TELLY
Nothing. I'm telling you I just
want to make you happy. That's all.
Just trust me.
DARCY
I don't want you to hurt me.
TELLY
I don't want you to hurt you. I'll
be gentle.
DARCY
Do you care about me?
TELLY
Of course I do.
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
Casper is in the bathroom kicking his legs up and down
against the tub.
Hamilton is passed out. His head resting on the toilet seat.
Casper is singing loudly.
CASPER
(singing to himself)
I'm Casper the friendly ghost. I'm
Casper the friendly ghost. Gee you
know I'm the most. The girls love
me because I'm Casper. The dopest
ghost in town. Fuck yeah. Yee haw.
Fuckin...
Jennie walks into the bathroom.
JENNIE
Casper.
CASPER
Hey Jennie. Long time no see. What
are you doing here?
JENNIE
Casper, where's Telly.
CASPER
What do ya want with Telly? That
guy has enough bitches.
87.
JENNIE
(almost in tears)
Casper, where is he?
CASPER
Don't look for him. He's doing
fine. He's gotta girl. He's fuckin
her right now in Steven's parents'
room. So do ya know Joe.
Jennie runs out of the bathroom.
CASPER (cont’d )
(to himself)
What are you worried about for him?
INT. STEVEN'S PARENT'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
All the blankets are off the bed.
The room is lit only by the lamp next to the bed.
Darcy and Telly are under the covers having sex. Darcy looks
like she's in a considerable amount of pain.
The two of them are breathing loudly in unison.
The door next to the bed creaks open. Jennie looks through
the crack.
INT. HALLWAY IN FRONT OF DOOR - NIGHT
Jennie is looking at Telly having sex.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
The headboard is smacking back and forth.
Darcy is moaning.
TELLY
That's it. You're doin fine. Come
on Darcy. That's it.
He looks up at the door and notices someone is watching.
TELLY (cont’d )
Shut the fucking door!!!
Jennie slams the door shut.
Telly continues having sex with Darcy.
88.
INT. HALLWAY IN FRONT OF DOOR - NIGHT
Jennie is weak and crying. She runs to the empty couch and
continues to cry.
She puts her feet against her chest like a little baby. She
continues to cry.
Everyone else is asleep.
The CAMERA watches her crying on the couch. The sound of her
crying mixes with the scream of Telly having an orgasm.
FADE TO BLACK
When it fades back in, everybody is asleep. It is completely
quiet. The television is on fuzz. People are sleeping on top
of each other.
Jennie is asleep on the couch.
Even Steven's cat is asleep in front of a small fan on the
kitchen table.
The house is completely quiet.
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
Casper is awake. He climbs out of the tub and steps over
Hamilton's legs.
He looks at Hamilton asleep on the toilet. Then Casper bends
over and flushes it. It makes a loud noise but Hamilton
doesn't budge.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Casper stumbles out of the bathroom. He walks into the living
room and looks around at everyone.
Casper walks into the kitchen. There are a bunch of empty
quart bottles lying on the butcher block. He picks one up and
twirls it around, but it's empty. Then he picks up another
one and drinks the remaining fuzz. A little bit of fuzz runs
down his cheeks.
Casper walks back into the living room.
He walks over to where Harold is asleep and just looks at him
for a second.
89.
Then Casper walks down the hallway to the door in front of
Steven's parent's bedroom. He opens the door wide and looks
at the two, both naked and asleep in each other's arm.
CASPER
(to himself)
Lucky fuckin bastard.
Casper shuts the door.
He walks back through the hallway and into the living room.
When he gets in the living room, he looks around, then he
flops down beside Jennie on the couch. He puts his hands down
his pants and starts itching.
Casper looks beside his feet and sees Steven sleeping with
his head on top of Kim's stomach.
Casper continues to scratch his balls. Then he looks over
beside him at Jennie scrunched up asleep.
Casper looks around to see if anyone is awake in the room.
Everybody is asleep.
He scoots up close to Jennie and looks at her.
Casper nudges her shoulder.
CASPER (cont’d )
(whispering)
Jennie. Jennie.
Jennie does not respond.
As Casper takes his hand off her shoulder, he gently rubs her
breasts.
He moves his hand down her stomach and gently between her
thighs. He caresses her. She does not feel anything.
Casper bends over and puts his face by her ear.
CASPER (cont’d )
(whispering)
Jennie. Please wake up. It's me
Casper. Jennie.
She does not respond.
Casper starts kissing Jennie's ear. She swats her shoulder.
90.
Casper gets up and looks at her. He stares at her stomach and
crotch.
He puts his hands on her jeans and then he undoes her belt.
He is very careful not to make any abrupt movements.
As he unclips her jeans he watches her face to see if there
is any kind of response.
CASPER (cont’d )
(whispering)
Jennie. Don't worry. It's me
Casper.
He slowly pulls her pants down. She is wearing teddy bear
underwear. Casper throws her pants to the ground and then he
looks at her legs. With his fingertips he starts caressing
her soft skin.
Then he gets off the couch and onto his knees. He puts one
leg on his shoulder and the other on the couch. He looks at
her and then pulls her panties off.
Casper quickly undoes his pants and gets in betwen her legs.
He puts her hands around his shoulders.
Jennie is sort of coming to but she has no energy. She makes
some noise but she is passed out and powerless.
Her eyes are closed the whole time. She is not aware of what
is happening.
JENNIE
(slurred and unconscious)
Don't. Please don't. No. No.
Casper starts situating himself. She is totally limp.
CASPER
Shh. Don't worry Jennie. It's me
Casper.
Casper has his knees on the floor as he takes advantage of
Jennie.
Jennie moves her arms a little bit. Casper is breathing fast
and heavy.
CUT TO BLACK
91.
As the scene ends in blackness, the sound of Casper's heavy
breathing persists. Then it slowly fades out and everything
is silent.
EXT. OUTSIDE MANHATTAN - DAY
The birds are chirping. People are going to work. Stores are
opening. Homeless people are just waking up from doorway
slumber. Morning in Manhattan.
As Telly does his V.O., the CAMERA will show everyone asleep
in the apartment. It will go all around the room as daylight
enters through the windows. The CAMERA also watches Telly and
Darcy asleep in each other's arm's.
TELLY (V.O.)
When you're young. Not much
matters. When you find something
that you care about, then that's
all you got. When your young. A lot
of the time fucking is all you
have, hen you go to sleep at night,
you dream of pussy. When you wake
up, it's the same thing. It's in
your face, in your dreams, you
can't escape it. Sometimes when
you're young, the only place to go
is inside. That's just it. Fucking
is what I love. Take that away from
me, and I really got nothin.
The CAMERA focuses on Casper. He is sitting up awake on the
couch. All his clothes are off.
He looks straight into the CAMERA.
CASPER
Jesus Christ. What happened?
RAPID CUT TO BLACK
ROLL FINAL CREDITS
THE END | screenplays |
Twilight 1. The Letter
**This is only my second story I kind of got writers block on my last story. **
**Stephanie Meyer owns all of Twilight, but the plot is all mine. **
**Prologue **
**Bella's POV**
* * *
My mothers lawyer sat across from me, a file in front of him on the table with a dozen papers inside of it. My mothers will was amongst the papers and that is what we were currently discussing. It was mostly about how she left everything to me. We didn't have much though most of it went to the Hospital.
A year ago my mother found out she had a brain tumor. The doctors caught it early and managed to keep the size of it small. Eight months after we found out she collapsed in our living room with a seizure, we soon found out that it was caused by the tumor. The doctor explained that the tumor had grown and she had only three to four months to live, if she was lucky. In that moment my whole world shattered. She died four months after that just like the doctor had predicted.
And now here I was, sitting in the Child Protective Service. Richard was finishing up explaining the details about her will.
"Your mother has left you a little over ten thousand dollars, the rest was given to the state to pay for her Hospital bills. She also left you her car and the house, but seeing as you are under the age of 18 you must live with a guardian,"
"Where will I stay? I have no other family," my voice was barely above a whisper and my throat was dry and raspy.
"That is another thing we have to discuss," he passed me an envelope with _Isabella _sprawled across it in my mothers handwriting. "Your mother has explained everything in this,"
My hands were shaking while I opened it.
It read:
_Bella,_
_This is going to be a shock to you but you have a right to know the truth. Your father is alive. Your biological father that is. Charlie Swan is your father. I'm so sorry you had to find out this way. I love you, Bells, to the moon and back. _
_-Mom _
I barely through the letter before the tears started pouring out.
"I'm so sorry, Bella,"
* * *
**Authors Note: Sorry this chapter is so long, its really only just a filler for the chapters that are coming. Review and tell me what you all think! **
2. Memories
**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns everything except the plot**
**Bella's POV**
* * *
Once everything was packed out of my mothers house and I had separated the things to give away and the things to keep I had Richard sell the house. I was now living in the Swan residence. Charlie lived a small town in Washington called Forks, with his wife and three children. Leah and Seth were actually Sue's children but once her and Charlie got married he adopted them. Leah was my age and looked exactly like her mother with her black hair, dark eyes and dark complexion. Seth was two years younger and instead of black hair he had dark brown. The youngest was Christopher, he was two years old. I tried to find similarities in Charlie, but besides the fact that we both had brown hair and brown eyes we were nothing alike.
I was still trying to figure out how my crazy and erratic mother could have fallen in love with this man. He was predictable and safe he was the fucking chief of police for Christ sakes. My mother was more into the dangerous types, before the cancer my mothers last boyfriend was a drug addict who got thrown in jail and convinced her to become a prison wife.
My thoughts got interrupted when someone knocked on my door. "Isabella," Sue peeked her head through the crack in the door. She opened the door completely when she saw I was awake and sitting on my new bed. She was carrying a plate with two slices of pizza and laid it my bedside table. "I thought you might be hungry,"
"Bella." my voice was dry and hoarse. She gave me a look of confusion and I explained further. " I prefer to be called Bella and thank you for the food,"
"You're welcome," she smiled when I grabbed the plate and took a small bite. She walked to the door and before closing it all the way she said "goodnight,"
* * *
It had been a week since I moved into the Swan house. I hadn't stepped a foot out of my room and since I had a bathroom attached to it, it was a lot easier than it would of been. Charlie works all day and when he comes home I pretend to be asleep so I won't have to talk to him. I know its rude, but I'm not ready. I always thought my dad was Phil, my moms first husband who died from a heart attack, the heart attack is what killed him but the reason he had a heart attack was because he had been up for three days partying and because he was high on God knows what and drunk once he came home and finally went to sleep his body shut down and he went into a coma and then had a heart attack. Phil wasn't the greatest person and I had only known him until I was five but I always thought he was my father.
I still don't know whether Charlie never knew about me or if he bailed when my mother told him she was pregnant. I wasn't ready to here his excused nor did I feel like it, I was still grieving over my mom's death.
Seth is the only one who I had talked to since moving here except Sue. It was a few days after I had moved here and he had just got back home from school an hour ago. Sue had left for work the minute he got home and Charlie had been at work since 6 this morning. Leah was God knows where and Seth was having one hell of time trying to get Chris to stop crying. It was the only time I had left my room.
"He's not hungry," I said, making him jump. He was currently trying to feed the crying two year old but Chris just kept spitting it out and crying even more. "Here let me help," Seth stepped out of the way and I picked up Chris. I quietly bounced him and sang a lullaby my mother sang to me when I cried. After a few moments Chris calmed down and silently fell to sleep. I laid him in his crib.
"How did you do that," Seth asked, seeming to be completely amazed that his brother had stopped crying.
"My mother use to sing to me when I was upset, I didn't know if it would work," I explained, crossing my arms across my chest.
"Thank you," he said.
"You're welcome," I answered and because the conversation was getting awkward, I added. "Besides his crying was giving me a headache," I turned around before he could reply and went straight to my room.
I hadn't talked to anyone after that besides Sue when she brought me some food. I was currently sitting on my bed writing in a journal my mother gave me for my last birthday when Charlie walked in.
"I got off work early so we could talk," I jumped a little when he spoke not knowing that he was standing there.
"So, talk," I said, shutting my journal and putting it inside the drawer that was attached to my bedside table.
"I'm sorry about what happened to your mom," he said, sitting down on the edge of my bed.
"Yeah, me too," I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down. I heard Charlie sigh and run his hand through his hair.
"I want you to know that I loved your mother, Bella,"
"If you loved her then why did you leave?" I asked.
"Your mother and I met during High school, I was a Senior and she was only a Sophomore, we were together until the Spring of my Freshman year of College. I had com home for winter break and a few months after I left your mother sent me an email telling me she was moving and I should move on, it wasn't until recently when I got a letter in the mail explaining I had a daughter that I realized she moved because she was pregnant," my stomach dropped when I realized he hadn't left, he just didn't know I existed. My mother had not only kept him from me, she had kept me from him.
"I'm sorry," I said, unable to bring myself to say anything more.
"I, uhm, had Sue register you into school, you start in a few days," I nodded, knowing I would have to go back eventually.
"I'm really tired, I think I'm gonna go to sleep," he nodded, standing up and heading for the door.
"Goodnight, Bella," he said, before closing the door. My head hit the pillow and Charlie's footsteps were the last thing I heard before falling asleep.
* * *
**This chapter isn't the greatest but I promise it will get better. In the next chapter Bella goes to school and meets the Cullen's. Review and tell me what you all think. **
3. The Addict
**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns everything except the plot. **
**Bella's POV**
* * *
Monday morning came quickly and soon my alarm was going off. I got out of bed slowly and headed toward my adjoined bathroom. After taking a shower and changing into a pair of skinny jeans and a "I Hate Everybody" sweater I headed downstairs to the kitchen. Leah was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee.
"Coffee that is just what I need," I sighed happily while I got my own and filled it all the way up with coffee, milk, and sugar. I then took a sip and sighed in relief.
"Coffee what would we do without it," Leah laughed, taking a sip of her own.
"Probably kill everyone," I said, smiling slightly. She laughed in response and Seth walked in with his bag on his shoulder.
"Where's mom?"
"She left early for work," Leah said, making Seth's face fall and I swear his eyes started watering.
"Where's Charlie, he was supposed to give me a ride," I grabbed my bag and put it over my own shoulder.
"He had to go to work early also, he wanted me to tell you he's sorry and I can take you until you get your own car," Leah said, standing up and grabbing her keys. Seth was in the fridge vigorously looking for something to eat. He finally stood up with a piece of day old pizza in his hands.
"Ready," Seth said with a mouth full of pizza. Leah's face was filled with disgust as she rolled her eyes.
* * *
The car ride to school was mostly filled with Seth and Leah's pointless fighting, Seth was complaining about what Leah had playing on the radio, it was some lame Morning Talk Show that almost everyone who is our age would hate, everyone except Leah.
"This is so gay, Leah, normal people don't listen to this shit," Seth cried.
"Shut up, Seth I can't here what their saying,"
"My ears are bleeding!" he yelled, slamming his hands onto his ear for emphasis.
"Stop being such a pain in the ass," Leah growled, we finally pulled into the school parking lot 20 minutes later and I quickly got out of the car and practically ran inside the school. It took me another 15 minutes to find the office and about a another half hour to get all my papers.
"Here you go Ms Dwyer, your schedule, locker number and combination," Mrs. Cooper reminded me of my sweet old great grandma Esther.
"Thank you Mrs. Cooper," I said, smiling. I took the papers from her hand and heard the door open behind me.
"Ah, Mr. Hunter I'm so glad you're here, will you be a doll and show Ms. Dwyer around she just transferred," she smiled and looked genuinely happy to see him.
"It would be my pleasure Mrs. Cooper," he said, I turned around and came face to face to a very attractive guy. He was your typical surfer guy, the sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and tan that every one wants. He was wearing a pair of khakis and a plain grey t-shirt that fit his muscles perfectly. I blushed when I realized I was staring at him. He smiled which made his dimples show. We walked out of the office together and headed towards my locker. I glanced at James and caught him staring at me.
"What," I snapped, making him laugh which only made his dimples stand out more.
"Can't a guy look at a beautiful girl," I snorted and gave him my best "are you serious" look.
"Wow, you're even more cheesy than I thought,"
"I think we're going to get along just fine, cutie," he said, winking at me. \
"I'm Bella, by the way," I told him, completely ignoring what he just said.
"I know, your Chief Swans daughter everyone knows who you are,"
"Right, small town and everything,"
"I'm James, and here's your locker, can I see your schedule," he asked, I nodded and handed it to him before opening my locker and putting my bag in it.
"Well, cutie, looks like we have first, third, sixth, and eighth together," he smiled and handed it back to me. I rolled my eyes and muttered.
"Great,"
"C'mon cutie, we don't want to be late for fourth period," he put his arm around me and led me further down the hall.
* * *
Fourth and Fifth period went by quickly and I was soon on my way to lunch with a girl Angela I met in fourth. She was the nicest person I had met so far, she had straight dark brown hair and glasses. We sat at a table filled with all her friends. The food here looked disgusting so I only had a water.
"Bella, are you listening?" Jessica, a extremely annoying and selfish girl who was also in my fourth period said.
"Oh, uh, sorry no,"
"As I was saying, like, what should I do about Mike-" I quit listening after she said Mike, he was her creepy crush, who continuously stared at my ass. I looked over to the left and five abnormally gorgeous people walked in.
"Who are they?" I asked, cutting Jessica off mid-sentence.
"Their the Cullen's," Angela said.
"The short pixie like one is Alice and she's dating Jasper, the blonde one who looks like he's in pain," Alice was petite and had short spiking dark brown hair, she was holding hands with a Southern looking guy. Jasper was tall and had long shaggy blonde hair. Alice was practically skipping to a table while Jasper seemed to be the total opposite with his calm demeanor. "Then there's Emmett, the giant with his arm around the ice queen Rosalie," Emmett was like 6'4" with short brown hair and Rosalie looked like a model with her everlasting legs and long blonde hair. They looked like the perfect couple.
"And then there's Edward, he absolutely gorgeous. But, don't get your hopes up, apparently nobody here is good enough for him," Edward was the most gorgeous of them all, he was slightly smirking as if something someone said had amused him even though he was walking by himself. He was around 6'2" with bronze sex hair. My view of him was cut off when I caught a glimpse of sandy blonde hair and James smiling face staring at me.
"Excuse me," I said before standing. I walked quickly towards where James was leaning against the wall.
"Hey there, cutie," he winked.
"Damn, I was hoping you wouldn't of showed up," I smirked at him.
"I couldn't resist your beauty,"
"Barf," I laughed, he smiled showing those dimples again.
"Come somewhere with me," he said, grabbing my hand and leading me to the parking lot. I looked behind me before walking out the door and met Edwards eyes. He was staring at me intently and I could feel myself blushing.
"Where are we going," I asked. He opened up the passenger door of his car and gestured for me to get in.
"You'll see," I shrugged and got in. It wasn't my first time I skipped school. Before my mom got cancer I wasn't exactly daughter of the year. James got in the front seat and drove off quickly.
* * *
"Where are we?" I asked when we pulled into what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse.
"Just trust me, cutie," he said, getting out of the car I got out before he could open the door for me and followed him inside.
The inside wasn't what I was expecting, it had a leather couch and matching chair on one side of the room facing a huge flat screen. On the other side there was another flat screen tv that was bigger than the first with two gaming chairs and three bean bag chairs, there was also two gaming systems by the second tv and three stacks of video games, beside the tv was also a mini fridge and a microwave.
"Wow," I said, not able to say anything else.
"It gets better," he said, opening up the mini fridge and pulling out a bottle of Jack Daniels and a two litter of Coke.
"James, you know exactly how to steal my heart," I said, taking the cup he handed me and sitting down on one of the game chairs. "Well, are you just going to stand there or am I going to kick your ass at some video game. He laughed and sat down beside me holding his cup up and drinking it all I did the same and he filled our cups back up before turning on the Xbox.
One hour later I was completely buzzed and I had definitely kicked James ass at whatever we were playing.
"You just got your ass kicked by a girl!" I stood up and did my victory dance.
"Calm down, cutie," he laughed.
"I should probably be getting home soon, before Charlie gets home," I said, straightening up.
"Yeah probably," he said.
* * *
We pulled up in front of my house and I smiled at him.
"That was fun, thank you,' I said, smiling. "I really needed that, I've been so sad since my mom died," I looked down at my lap and he lifted my face up.
"No problem, here," he handed me a bag of weed and smiled. "Incase you want to let go, I'll see you tomorrow," I took in and put in my pocket before getting out of his car and waving.
"See you at school," I said, before he drove off.
* * *
**Author's Note: She hasn't met the Cullen's directly yet, but she will be soon. James and Bella are starting to get close, and have seemed to be bonding over getting high so lets see how well that works out. Anyways, I hope you like the story so far and I would love to see what you all think, so please review! And thank you so much for reading! **
End file.
| fanfiction |
the total x - ray emission from a spiral galaxy consists of the sum of the emission from its x - ray - emitting constituents including x - ray binaries ( low - mass and high - mass ) , supernova remnants , ob star clusters , other point sources , and the hot component of the interstellar medium .
this last component is expected to be present based upon the theoretical work of @xcite and @xcite among many others .
prior to the launch of _ chandra _ and _ xmm - newton _ , the hot component had been detected in a handful of galaxies , largely as a consequence of the broad spatial resolution of previous x - ray telescopes which distributed x - rays from point sources over a wide region of the galaxy , contaminating any signal from the hot ism .
the study of the x - ray emission from normal galaxies commenced with the _ einstein _ observations of galaxies ( for a review , see @xcite ) .
the spatial resolution of _ einstein _ , @xmath41@xmath5 ( e.g. , @xcite ) , prevented separation of the x - ray emitting constituents for all but the nearest galaxies .
_ rosat _ improved the resolution by about three times , providing views of a broader range galaxies outside the local group ( e.g. , @xcite ) . the use of _ chandra _ and
_ xmm - newton _ has led to more detections because of the large effective area of _ xmm - newton _ and the sharp point spread function of
_ chandra_.
ngc 6946 is a well - studied face - on spiral initially detected in x - rays with the _ einstein observatory _ @xcite .
@xcite obtained a 36-ksec pointing using the _ rosat _ pspc , detected 9 point sources , and reported the existence of a diffuse component with a temperature of 0.55 kev ( 90% error range of 0.3 - 0.65 kev ) which we will show just overlaps with the results to be presented .
that study argued that the diffuse component was truly diffuse and not the summed emission of point sources based upon a plausibility argument for the expected numbers of sources of various types . in a separate study , @xcite described a _
hri observation as well as an observation using _
asca_. in this case , the high internal background of the hri prevented a detection of the diffuse component , while the broad psf of the _ asca _ mirrors blended events from the known point sources with the diffuse emission .
this paper describes the diffuse emission in ngc 6946 revealed by a 60-ksec _ chandra _ observation of the galaxy .
the point source population has been described by @xcite .
the primary goal of this paper is a spectrum of the diffuse emission . following this introduction
, we describe our analysis steps , then present a brief comparison of the diffuse emission with images from other bandpasses , followed by a longer analysis of the spectral fits and a discussion of the results .
_ chandra _ presents a unique opportunity to observe the diffuse component as free as may be possible , at least for the foreseeable future , from contamination by point sources .
the _ chandra _
mirrors deliver @xmath480% of the x - rays at 1 kev into a circle @xmath40.7 arcsec in radius and 70% into a 0.7 arcsec radius circle at 6 kev . at 5@xmath5 off - axis , the corresponding numbers are 90% into a circle of a radius @[email protected] at 1 kev and @xmath44@xmath6 radius at 6 kev @xcite .
the adopted distance for ngc 6946 is 5.9 mpc @xcite with a corresponding scale of 1@xmath6 @xmath429 pc .
the column density in the direction of ngc 6946 is @xmath43 - 5@xmath710@xmath8 @xmath9 @xcite .
_ chandra _ observed ngc 6946 on 2001 september 7 .
the galaxy was imaged on the back - illuminated ( bi ) chip s3 .
the data were examined for flares to which the bi chip is susceptible , but no flares with a count rate greater than 0.04 counts s@xmath10 were located ; screening any flare - like spikes removed 1296 sec of the 59116 sec observation , leaving a net on - source , deadtime - corrected , exposure of 57819 sec . the data were filtered to eliminate events with energies below 0.3 kev and above 8 kev .
the low - energy cut does not remove source photons because those events are lost to the high column in the direction of the galaxy .
the high cut removes extraneous cosmic ray - generated events . while the internal background of the acis detector is low ( for s3 , @xmath40.3 counts s@xmath10 chip@xmath10 , @xcite ) and often may be ignored for counts from point sources extracted with a typical detection cell a few arc sec in size , the large extent of the galaxy and the faintness of the diffuse emission require a careful analysis of the background .
the d@xmath11 circle circle is the diameter of the optical isophote at a surface brightness of 25 mag / arcsec@xmath12 . ]
is @xmath414 arcmin in size @xcite and is larger than the acis s3 ccd .
the large extent of the galaxy prevents the use of portions of the s3 chip outside of the galaxy as a measure of the background .
we instead obtained the background from a `` blank field '' observation .
the data were filtered identically by energy , then re - projected onto the sky using the aspect solution of the actual ngc 6946 observation .
the exposure time of the background observation was @xmath4300 ksec .
point sources were detected as described in @xcite , using a wavelet detection that is directly tied to the point spread function s behavior with off - axis angle @xcite .
the point source detection reached a limiting luminosity l@xmath13 @xmath43@xmath710@xmath14 erg s@xmath10 in the 0.3 - 5 kev band which corresponded to @xmath410 counts .
@xcite deemed the source detection complete to @xmath41@xmath710@xmath15 erg s@xmath10 ; the completeness limit is lower by @xmath430% near the center of the ccd because of the sharper point spread function there where @xmath47 - 8 counts constitutes a detection .
most of the detected diffuse emission lies within 2.5 - 3 arcmin of the aimpoint .
we do not see a trend of increasing numbers of weak sources as we approach the aimpoint , suggesting a relative lack of contamination of the diffuse emission by weak point sources .
we postpone until 5 a longer discussion of the impact of possible unresolved point sources .
sources were removed from the data using the ciao tool dmfilth which cuts out each source , then replaces the resulting ` hole ' by sampling the events in annuli surrounding the locations of the sources .
the extraction apertures used enclosed @xmath1695% of the encircled energy .
the annuli had inner radii 25% larger than the radii of the source extraction circles .
care was taken to ensure that the annular sampling did not include any source events .
figure [ fullobs ] shows the results of all the steps just described : the energy - filtered data , minus point sources , and binned into 4-arcsec pixels . immediately from the raw data ( figure [ fullobs ] ) we see the diffuse emission as well as bright areas , particularly on the n and w arms and surrounding the nucleus .
we then adaptively smoothed the data using the ciao code csmooth .
we adopted a gaussian smoothing kernel and selected the smoothing parameter to be 3@xmath17 as calculated locally .
finally , we subtracted a constant from the result to remove the overall background as determined by the ` blank field ' background .
figure [ mosaic ] shows the results in the three bands .
the 0.3 - 0.6 kev band shows little emission specific to ngc 6946 because of the high column in the galaxy s direction .
the 0.6 - 0.9 and 0.9 - 2 kev bands appear similar : contours fall in similar regions of the galaxy in each band . in the 0.9 - 2 kev image , the apparent emission that extends beyond the region defined by the 0.6 - 0.9 kev image is an artifact of the adaptive smoothing , driven by the lower counts in the 0.9 - 2 kev band .
we henceforth use just the 0.6 - 0.9 kev band for any comparisons .
the `` point sources '' apparent in this figure do _ not _ correspond with any of the detected sources listed in @xcite , nor do they correspond with point sources lying below the threshold .
an examination of the raw data at full resolution shows a broad distribution of counts suggestive of a diffuse but clumpy source .
in this section we compare the x - ray image of the diffuse emission with images obtained in other bandpasses .
the apparent `` point sources '' discussed at the end of the previous section do not correspond to any of the optically - identified supernova remnants @xcite .
the regions may correspond with prominent h ii regions identified in the submillimeter band by @xcite .
the extracted counts from these regions yield luminosities of @xmath41.5@xmath710@xmath15 erg s@xmath10 using a simple thermal bremsstrahlung model with temperature of 0.3 kev ( 4.4 ) .
figure [ figxhalf ] shows the contours of the 0.6 - 0.9 kev emission overlaid on an h@xmath0 image .
note that in general the x - rays follow the h@xmath0 emission .
this behavior is most easily visible on the prominent northern arm or at the sharp south - southeast edge .
the weak arm to the northwest is not detected ; nor is the weaker portion of the inner eastern arm .
the matching behavior means that the x - ray emission arises from a hot diffuse ism component or from the summed emission of point sources confined to the arms .
we will return to this question in the discussion section .
figure [ figxpi ] shows the 0.6 - 0.9 kev x - ray contours over the 6-cm polarized intensity map from @xcite and discussed in @xcite .
@xcite showed that the regular magnetic field is strongest in the _ interarm _ region .
in the previous figure , we established that the x - ray emission follows the northern arm .
as in @xcite , it is clear the polarized emission lies external to that arm , so the x - ray image is consistent with their result .
figure [ figx850 ] shows the 0.6 - 0.9 kev x - ray contours overlaid on the 850 @xmath18 m map of @xcite . at 850 @xmath18 m , the nucleus as well as 3 knots of emission are prominent ; the knots lie to the northeast , east , and south - southeast of the nucleus .
overall , the regions of strongest x - ray emission correspond with the regions brightest at 850 @xmath18 m .
these knots correspond to prominent h ii regions .
the 850 @xmath18 m emission largely arises from dust heated by starlight and thermally radiating ( e.g. , @xcite ) .
figure [ fig3 cm ] displays the 0.6 - 0.9 kev x - ray contours on the 3 cm thermal radio emission ( available in @xcite ) . in general , knots of x - ray emission
align with the radio knots , particularly on the ne arm .
a longer x - ray exposure is required to ascertain whether the outer regions in the 3 cm image have a corresponding x - ray counterpart .
for all of the analysis , we fit the spectra of the diffuse emission @xmath19 background and the background simultaneously .
this introduction describes the extraction of the spectra and a fit to the background .
two approaches are generally used to extract a spectrum spread across a large expanse of the acis chips : ( i ) extract the data as small arrays , build a response matrix specific to each array , and sum the arrays ; or ( ii ) correct the entire chip for the charge transfer inefficiencies ( cti ) , extract a single source@xmath19background spectrum , and construct one response matrix ( the penn state approach , using the cti corrector as described in @xcite ) .
we adopted the second method .
a correction for the time - dependent contamination was included by reducing the effective area at each affected energy .
following the removal of the point sources , the spectrum of the diffuse emission@xmath19background was extracted including all pixels within the s3 chip and with exposure @xmath160.9 of the on - axis time ( this eliminates edge effects ) .
a total of 28248 counts were extracted representing the spectrum of the source plus background .
a background spectrum was extracted from the reprojected blank field observation using the same ( x , y ) image pixels as for ngc 6946 itself .
the background spectrum contained 331600 counts and 22334 counts after scaling the exposure time to that of ngc 6946 .
the source spectrum was adaptively binned so that the resulting spectrum contained at least 20 counts per channel .
figure [ figovrly ] shows the two extracted spectra as an overlay . from this figure
, it is clear that the galaxy s diffuse emission fades into the background near 2 kev and is blocked below @xmath40.5 kev by the column toward ngc 6946 .
this figure reinforces one s visual impression as well as quantitative expectation : most of the visually apparent emission appears in the 1 - 2 kev band where _ chandra _ s effective area takes on the largest values .
the visible ` emission lines ' arise from particle background stimulation of material in the detectors ; the large line at 1.8 kev is si k@xmath0 @xcite .
the difference between the two spectra of figure [ figovrly ] represents the net diffuse spectrum and contains 5914 counts .
figure [ spec_bkgrd ] shows a fit to the background using a number of power law and gaussian components .
the residuals are flat to within @xmath415% across the bandpass .
we use this background model in all subsequent spectral fitting , freezing the parameters at their best - fit values .
we justify this approach by noting the background spectrum may be fitted to very high precision , it having been accumulated from numerous long exposures .
simple continuum models did not provide a good fit and in all cases left clear residuals .
for example , the use of a single mekal model produced the lowest @xmath20 of 1.21 of all the _ single_-component models , but left clear residuals in the 0.9 kev band .
the residuals essentially force consideration of additional degrees of freedom .
four models provided essentially comparable goodness - of - fit values . at the interpretation stage , we will use the results from one or more models because any one of them could be deemed `` correct . ''
first , we adopted a double ` mekal ' spectral model representing thermal emission from a diffuse gas as calculated by @xcite and @xcite with fe l calculations supplied by @xcite .
second ( and third ) , we used single and dual variable abundance mekal models , allowing the abundances of species with lines in the 0.5 - 2 kev band to vary .
last , we fit the spectrum with a simple thermal bremsstrahlung to define the continuum and included as many gaussian lines as required by the data . for the multi - gaussian approach ,
the choice of continuum model is largely irrelevant , as any simple model will produce a fit . a power law , for example , works as well as a bremsstrahlung model ( the resulting index is a steep @[email protected] , 90% error )
; we adopt the bremsstrahlung model to provide a check on the fitted temperatures from the more complex models . for the gaussian lines , we set their widths to zero , because the lines are unresolved with acis but broadened by the instrumental response , and their centers to the positions of expected lines ( [ seclineemis ] ) .
the multi - gaussian approach provides information on the ionization states contributing to the total emission .
figure [ figspec ] ( top ) shows the dual variable mekal fit while the bottom figure shows the multi - gauss fit .
we also included a power law component to account for any excess emission between the source plus background and background spectra .
the residual flux from this power law ` background ' component is @xmath216% of the total diffuse flux , verifying the quality of the background definition and its separation from the diffuse emission of ngc 6946 .
table [ specfit ] lists the parameters for the fitted models .
the continuum temperatures of the single continuum models or the _ low _ temperature component of the dual models are identical within the errors with kt @xmath40.25 - 0.32 kev .
figure [ cont_vmekal ] ( top ) shows the variable mekal model contours for the low - temperature component .
the fitted column density is also identical within the errors for all models with a range of 3.6 - 4.1@xmath710@xmath8 @xmath9 .
these columns lie about a factor of 2 above the dickey & lockman column ( @xmath42@xmath710@xmath8 @xmath9 , @xcite ) but within the errors of the @xcite value of @xmath43 - 5@xmath710@xmath8 @xmath9 . the integrated flux in the 0.5 - 2 kev band is @xmath43.7@xmath710@xmath22 ergs s@xmath10 @xmath9 ( absorbed ) or @xmath42.5@xmath710@xmath23 ( unabsorbed ) .
the integrated luminosity values are @xmath41.5@xmath710@xmath24 and @xmath41@xmath710@xmath25 erg s@xmath10 , respectively , or @xmath42.9@xmath710@xmath15 and @xmath41.9@xmath710@xmath26 erg s@xmath10 arcmin@xmath27 , respectively .
these values differ somewhat from previous measurements .
measure of the column was low by about a factor of 2 @xcite .
the fitted temperature is also lower than the _ rosat _ pspc value of 0.55@xmath28 kev ; even though the error bars just overlap , the higher temperature behavior of the _ rosat _ fit is not unexpected .
the fitted temperature , for example , from the pspc data was almost certainly artificially high because it included photons from sources with harder spectra , such as x - ray binaries , that were incompletely removed .
in addition , [ alldiff ] shows that two spectral components are required for a good fit with one at kt @xmath40.7 while the pspc data were consistent with a single temperature because of the detector s lower spectral resolution .
the integrated flux is higher than the _ rosat _ value by @xmath425% , as is expected given the higher value for the column density . as an aside , the very broad psf of the _ asca _ mirrors prohibited an analysis of the diffuse emission from the ngc 6946 observation @xcite .
the abundances of the single variable mekal model were first varied individually to test the size of the resulting error .
an abundance , for which the 1 @xmath17 error was consistent with 1.0 , was reset to and fixed at 1.0 .
two abundances ( si , fe ) were found to differ significantly from 1 ( figure [ mek_cont ] ) .
for fe , the abundance is [email protected] solar at the 99% level . for si ,
the abundance is 3.0 with the 90% contour just above 1.0 at 1.05 ; at 99% , the si abundance is consistent with solar .
no flares occurred during the observation , so the line is unlikely instrumental in origin .
we return to this point momentarily .
the gaussian centers were fixed at the energies of potentially prominent lines , corresponding to o vii 0.57 kev , o viii 0.653 kev , fe i ( l ) 0.705 kev , fe xvii 0.826 kev , ne ix 0.922 kev , fe xx 0.996 kev , ne x 1.022 kev , and mg xi 1.34 kev .
lines at energies lower than @xmath40.5 kev were deemed irrelevant because of the high column toward ngc 6946 .
several lines were significantly detected at @xmath1699% ( table [ specfit ] ) . at the energies of these lines ,
the acis spectral resolution is @xmath4110 - 120 ev @xcite . while we fixed the line centers at specific energies to test for the presence or absence of known lines , we relaxed that requirement for the si line to test whether the feature in the source@xmath19background spectrum was consistent with the background feature .
the background line is best fit with a gaussian at [email protected] kev ( blend of si k@xmath0 ) while the diffuse si line has a best - fit energy of [email protected] kev (= si xiii ) .
assume for the moment the spectral fits are accurate measures of the line emission .
the presence of o vii and o viii then provides a measure of the overall ionization in the diffuse emission .
o viii 0.653 kev is the ly@xmath29 transition ; the blended o vii 0.57 line(s ) represent the 1s2p to 1s@xmath12 transition .
the log of the ratio is [email protected] and has a large error because of the decreasing continuum in the 0.5 - 0.6 kev band and because of the energy resolution of the ccd .
nevertheless , the ratio translates to limits of 9.6 @xmath21 log n@xmath30 t @xmath2112.0 , where n@xmath30 represents the electron density and t the cooling time ( see , for example , @xcite ) .
if the low ` vmekal ' continuum temperature approximately represents the electron temperature , then it plus the line ratio restrict the o vii resonance / forbidden ratio to @xmath210.6 - 0.8 , a prediction for future observations using instruments with higher energy resolution .
the values are just barely consistent with ionization equilibrium and suggest non - equilibrium conditions exist in the diffuse medium of ngc 6946 particularly given the lack of a good fit by the various equilibrium ionization models .
for the just - described electron temperature and line ratio values , equilibrium requires n@xmath30
t @xmath3112.5 - 13.0 . lower values for the electron temperature plus lower values for the interpreted line ratio push the estimated resonance / forbidden ratio toward higher values and increasing equilibrium conditions ; for a given line ratio , higher electron temperatures indicate increasing non - equilibrium conditions .
a recent paper by @xcite presents the _ xmm - newton _ rgs spectrum of gas in m81 .
we note that the spectrum shows the same resolved oxygen emission lines with a ratio of @xmath40.65 , indicating non - equilibrium conditions exist in the ism of m81 . while we acknowledge that the diffuse emission in ngc 6946 requires study with an instrument possessing higher spectral resolution at a spatial resolution comparable to _ chandra _ s to confirm our analysis , the similarity between the line ratio in the rgs spectrum and our upper limit argues for non - equilibrium conditions in the ism of both galaxies . a similar analysis using ne ix and ne x
can not be carried out because the neon emission is blended with fe xix and fe xx .
the m81 spectrum of page et al .
in fact illustrates that the blend occurs even at the resolution of the rgs . a deeper x - ray exposure will be necessary to provide sufficient events to tighten the line ratio and continuum temperature values to strengthen the non - equilibrium suggestion .
a future mission with high spatial and spectral resolution is necessary to demonstrate conclusively whether the diffuse emission exists in a non - equilibrium condition by measuring the resonance / forbidden ratio of the o vii lines .
the expected large point spread function of _ astro - e2 _ will blur too many point sources into the diffuse emission to provide such a good measure . as an experiment
, we extracted a spectrum of the diffuse emission in the knots visible in the smoothed images as well as a spectrum of the diffuse emission minus the knot emission . figure [ fignoknot ] shows the results .
the spectrum of the ` no knot ' diffuse emission is essentially identical to the complete spectrum discussed previously .
this is not particularly surprising given the relatively bright emission distributed over the face of the galaxy and the relatively small number of events in the knots .
the lower portion of the figure shows the knot emission itself .
we fit the spectrum to obtain the column and continuum temperature with a single variable mekal model , then fit for line abundances as well as using gaussians to represent emission lines ( as shown in the figure ) .
table [ specfit2 ] lists the model parameters .
the background forms an inconsequential portion of the flux given the small spatial coverage of the knots .
the abundances show enhanced si but depleted o , ne , and fe .
gaussian line centers correspond to o , si , and fe ; the fourth line at @xmath40.95 kev is most likely a blend of ne ix and fe xx .
the integrated flux of the knot emission is @xmath43@xmath710@xmath22 erg s@xmath10 @xmath9 or about 510% of the original diffuse emission .
the spectra of the point sources with sufficient counts to yield good spectral fits , @xmath32 @xmath211.3 for @xmath3350 , are uniformly harder than the diffuse spectrum presented here @xcite .
the lowest temperature of the best - fit bremsstrahlung models for the point sources is @xmath41.9 kev .
similarly , the best - fit power law indices are typically @xmath42 - 3 ; the steepest value is [email protected] versus the power law index fit to the diffuse emission of [email protected] ( [ alldiff ] ) .
these results all support the presence of a distinct spectral component distributed across the galaxy .
@xcite argued that the detection of the diffuse emission represented the hot ism component and not the summed emission of point sources based upon a plausibility argument from the known luminosities of typical constituents .
the argument is strengthened here because of the improved separation of point sources and diffuse emission as well as the deeper probe of the luminosity distribution of the _ chandra _ observation .
@xcite detected 72 point sources to @xmath47@xmath710@xmath14 erg s@xmath10 and judged it complete to @xmath410@xmath15 erg s@xmath10 which is a factor of @xmath410 deeper than the pspc data and a factor of @xmath47 deeper than the hri image ( @xcite ) .
our argument can be strengthened still further by extrapolating the luminosity distribution to an arbitrary , low value of l@xmath13 .
we adopt the luminosity distribution of holt et al . but eliminate from that distribution any sources not detected in the 0.5 - 2.0 kev band .
a total of 7 sources are removed .
a fit to the resulting distribution changes the distribution s slope marginally from [email protected] to [email protected] .
if we extrapolate this distribution to l@xmath13 @xmath410@xmath34 erg s@xmath10 , we obtain a summed l@xmath13 of @xmath43.3@xmath710@xmath26 erg s@xmath10 ; pushing the distribution fit parameters to their positive error limits yields a summed l@xmath13 of @xmath43.6@xmath710@xmath26 erg s@xmath10 . when subtracted from the fitted diffuse luminosity
, we obtain the lower bound on the diffuse luminosity , @xmath41.1@xmath710@xmath24 erg s@xmath10 .
of the events described in this paper as ` diffuse ' then , up to @xmath425% could originate in unresolved point sources below the detection threshold , leaving @xmath475% for the hot component of the ism of ngc 6946 .
the above discussion assumes the lack of a yet - steeper contribution from the unresolved point sources .
we can not assess the impact of such a component but note in defense of our argument that the luminosity distribution of the milky way does not contain evidence for the existence of such a component @xcite .
the unresolved point source contribution may very well be less than our 25% estimate . @xcite estimate the number of sources above 10@xmath35 erg s@xmath10 in the milky way as @xmath4700 with a possible factor of 2 uncertainty . for ngc 6946
, our extrapolation leads to @xmath43800 sources above 10@xmath35 erg s@xmath10 , a factor of 5 greater than the milky way .
if the extrapolation for ngc 6946 lies closer to the milky way observations , the unresolved point contribution likewise drops , perhaps by as much as a factor of 2 .
of course , this argument could equally well be pushed in the opposite direction by a similar factor because ngc 6946 is not a clone of the milky way .
for example , ngc 6946 is extremely co - rich , radio - bright , and undergoing very active star formation @xcite .
if we doubled the unresolved point source contribution , our estimate for the hot ism contribution decreases to @xmath450% of the x - rays presented here as the ` diffuse spectrum ' for a luminosity of @xmath47@xmath710@xmath26 erg s@xmath10 . noting the caveats above but taking the original measurement at face value , our results represent a solid detection of the hot diffuse component from ngc 6946 free of any concerns over the resolved sources point spread function wings that plagued results from _ rosat _ , for example @xcite .
summing the unresolved point component , the diffuse component ( with a luminosity in the range of @xmath450 - 75% of the diffuse l@xmath13 discussed in this paper ) , and the resolved sources @xcite yields a total l@xmath13 of @xmath41.3@xmath710@xmath25 erg s@xmath10 in the 0.5 - 2 kev band .
the hot diffuse component then represents at least @xmath45 - 8% of the total x - ray emission of ngc 6946 and potentially as much as @xmath410% .
if we approximate ngc 6946 , based on the 0.6 - 0.9 kev image , as a thin rectangle of length @[email protected] , width @[email protected] , and thickness h@xmath361 kpc , the resulting volume v is @xmath43.8@xmath710@xmath37 h@xmath38 @xmath39 .
we adopt 1 kpc for the unit of thickness for convenience .
the x - ray - emitting gas may be distributed in a layer of different thickness .
for example , @xcite found a consistent model for thermal radio emission and faraday rotation with a thin disk , but argued for a thicker disk .
they did so based upon the assumption that faraday rotation and depolarization occurred in the identical volume , assumptions not necessarily valid because edge - on galaxies show both thin and thick disks in the thermal gas and synchrotron emission .
the continuum model normalization parameter is proportional to the emission measure @xmath40 = @xmath41 . from the measured spectral temperature ( the low temperature component ) and the emission measure
, we may estimate additional parameters describing the ism following @xcite or @xcite to be consistent with their definitions . for a filling factor f and proton mass m@xmath42 , the estimated gas density @xmath43 = @xmath40 / ( fvh@xmath38 ) or [email protected] ( fh@xmath45)@xmath46 @xmath47 .
the mass of the gas in the diffuse component is m @xmath4 fn@xmath48 v m@xmath49 @xmath43.8@xmath710@xmath50 ( @xmath51m@xmath52 .
the gas pressure p = 2 n@xmath48 kt = 9.1@xmath710@xmath23 ( fh@xmath38)@xmath46 dyn @xmath9 , the thermal energy e @xmath43 n@xmath48 kt v @xmath4 5.2@xmath710@xmath53 ( @xmath54)@xmath55 erg , and the cooling time is t@xmath56 @xmath43kt/@xmath57 @xmath41.9@xmath710@xmath50 ( fh@xmath45)@xmath55 yr , with @xmath58 = 1.6@xmath710@xmath59 erg @xmath39 s@xmath10 adopted for the gas emissivity @xcite .
the mass of x - ray emitting gas represents @xmath60% , for a filling factor f , of the total molecular gas mass ( h@xmath61 @xmath410@xmath62 m@xmath52 , @xcite ) .
the cooling rate @xmath63 @xmath64 @xmath65 @xcite and for the measured values yields @xmath42 m@xmath52 yr@xmath10 . if we assume the bremsstrahlung or mekal temperatures represent the actual temperatures of hot gas , they correspond to thermal velocities of 180 - 300 km s@xmath10 .
the number density is about the same , the thermal energy is @xmath45 times lower , the pressure @xmath420% lower , the x - ray - emitting gas mass @xmath46 times higher , and the cooling time about 2 times shorter , than the corresponding values for ngc 4449 based upon its _ chandra _ observation @xcite .
how these values correlate with other galaxian parameters requires a considerably broader survey of diffuse emission . at this point
, we note that ngc 6946 has a higher total mass , more h i gas , and a higher 60 @xmath18 m luminosity @xcite , indicating more vigorous star formation , than ngc 4449 possesses .
the analysis of the rgs spectrum of m81 @xcite finds a dual temperature plasma = 1.7@xmath66 kev .
they argue that this component arises for the most part in the bulge of m81 . ]
describes most of the spectrum with kt@xmath67 = [email protected] and kt@[email protected] kev , very similar to our results achieved at a lower spectral but higher spatial resolution .
they infer a cooling time of @xmath44@xmath710@xmath50 @xmath68 yr , similar to our inferred value .
@xcite obtain a best - fit dual temperature model of kt=0.20 and 0.75 kev for the diffuse component in m101 . finally , @xcite fit the diffuse component of m83 with a dual temperature model and obtained kt@xmath67 @xmath40.2 and kt@xmath61 @xmath40.5 kev .
these results all support the existence of at least a 2-temperature hot ism in spiral galaxies .
the x - ray knots correspond spatially with local maxima in the 850 @xmath69 image .
the 850 @xmath69 maxima are knots of dust heated by starlight and correspond with h ii regions or areas of star formation activity @xcite .
that the x - ray image shows local maxima in the same location raises the possibility that the knots are blowout regions ( e.g. @xcite ) .
@xcite showed that the total 6 cm radio image correlated with images from the mid - ir and argued that the apparent single correlation was in fact two correlations , between the clumpy mid - ir vs. 6 cm thermal radio and the diffuse mid - ir vs. 6 cm nonthermal radio emission .
the diffuse radio emission is dominated by the nonthermal component ; the radio emission from clumps was largely thermal in origin .
the correlation with the x - ray then suggests the x - ray emission is thermal in origin , so line emission should be present .
the knot emission shows at best weak evidence for line emission within the statistical uncertainties . a higher signal - to - noise spectrum
is certainly needed to improve or refute the upper limits on the presence of x - ray line emission .
we intend to pursue additional observations , particularly deeper observations .
the authors thank the anonymous referee for suggestions that improved the presentation of the paper .
this research was supported by contract number nas8 - 39073 to sao . the work made use of the ciao software built under contract to sao .
the authors thank w. walsh for providing the co data , r. beck for the 3 , 6 , and 6 cm pi data , r. fesen for the h@xmath0 image , and f. combes for the 850 @xmath18 m data .
roberts , t. p. & warwick , r. s. 2001 , in x - ray astronomy : stellar endpoints , agn , and the diffuse x - ray background , eds .
n. e. white , g. malaguti , & g. g.c .
palumbo ( melville , ny : american institute of physics ) , 474 lllllll model & parameter & n@xmath70 & norm & flux or eqw & @xmath71/@xmath72 & @xmath72 mekal ( kt@xmath67 ) + & 0.255@xmath73 & 0.36@xmath74 & 9.4e-4 & [email protected] & 1.22 & 351 mekal ( kt@xmath61 ) + & 0.70@xmath75 & @xmath76 & 1.3e-4 & [email protected] & @xmath76 & @xmath76 power law ( bkg ) ( @xmath77 ) & 2.10@xmath78 & @xmath76 & 4.3e-5 & [email protected] & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & brems ( kt ) + & 0.32@xmath79 & 0.41@xmath80 & 2.3e-2 & [email protected] & 1.14 & 342 gaussian ( norm , o vii ) + & 0.569 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & 403@xmath81 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( norm , o viii ) + & 0.653 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & 266@xmath82 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( norm , fe i l ) + & 0.705 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath3600 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( norm , fe xvii ) + & 0.826 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & 350@xmath83 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( norm , ne ix ) + & 0.922 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & 289@xmath84 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( norm , fe xx ) + & 0.996 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath3100 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( norm , ne x ) + & 1.022 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & 90@xmath85 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( norm , mg xi ) + & 1.340 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & 60@xmath86 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( norm , si xiii ) + & 1.860 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & 250@xmath87 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 power law ( bkg ) ( @xmath77 ) & 2.24@xmath88 & @xmath76 & 4.5e-5 & [email protected] & @xmath76 & @xmath76 varmekal ( kt@xmath67 ) + & 0.245@xmath89 & 0.40@xmath90 & 1.3e-3 & [email protected] & 1.19 & 351 varmekal ( kt@xmath61 ) + & 0.71@xmath74 & @xmath76 & 1.1e-4 & [email protected] & @xmath76 & @xmath76 abundance : si + & 2.26@xmath91 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 power law ( bkg ) ( @xmath77 ) & 2.02@xmath92 & @xmath76 & 4.2e-5 & [email protected] & @xmath76 & @xmath76 singvarmekal ( kt ) + & 0.276@xmath93 & 0.39@xmath94 & 1.5e-3 & [email protected] & 1.23 & 350 abundance : o + & 0.83@xmath95 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 abundance : si + & 3.00@xmath2 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 abundance : fe + & 0.67@xmath96 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 power law ( bkg ) ( @xmath77 ) & 2.02@xmath97 & @xmath76 & 5.5e-5 & [email protected] & @xmath76 & @xmath76 lllllll model & parameter & n@xmath70 & norm & flux or eqw & @xmath71/@xmath72 & @xmath72 knots emission : brems + & 20@xmath98 & 0.52@xmath99 & 4.1e-3 & [email protected] & 0.75 & 310 gaussian ( o ) + 0.652 & @xmath76 & 1.1e-4 & 180@xmath1110 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( fe ) + 0.822 & @xmath76 & 2.7e-5 & 170@xmath175 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( ne+fe ) + 0.95 & @xmath76 & 7.4e-6 & 90@xmath145 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( si ) + 1.80 & @xmath76 & 7.5e-7 & @xmath3500 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 vmekal + & 0.24@xmath100 & 0.40@xmath90 & 2.2e-5 & [email protected] & 0.76 & 315 abundance : o + & 0.37@xmath101 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 abundance : ne + & 0.39@xmath102 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 abundance : si + & 2.86@xmath103 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 abundance : fe + & 0.32@xmath104 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 no knots emission : brems + & 0.28@xmath105 & 0.50@xmath106 & 7.05e-3 & [email protected] & 1.25 & 347 gaussian ( norm , o viii ) + & 0.653 & @xmath76 & 3.95e-4 & 265@xmath1145 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( norm , fe
i l ) + & 0.707 & @xmath76 & 3.69e-4 & 245@xmath185 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( norm , fe xvii ) + & 0.826 & @xmath76 & 2.02e-4 & 215@xmath170 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 gaussian ( norm , si xiii ) + & 1.860 & @xmath76 & 5.33e-6 & 440@xmath1170 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 power law ( bkg ) & 2.09@xmath107 & @xmath76 & 3.4e-4 & [email protected] & @xmath76 & @xmath76 vmekal + & 0.28@xmath108 & 0.49@xmath109 & 2.57e-3 & [email protected] & 1.30 & 351 abundance : ne + & 0.74@xmath110 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 abundance : si + & 3.95@xmath2 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 abundance : fe + & 0.53@xmath111 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 & @xmath76 power law ( bkg ) & 2.02@xmath112 & @xmath76 & 3.2e-4 & [email protected] & @xmath76 & @xmath76 llll component & parameter & norm & gauss @xmath17 ( ev ) power law & -0.223 & 3.70e-5 & @xmath76 power law & 3.871 & 3.47e-5 & @xmath76 power law & 2.789 & 6.77e-6 & @xmath76 gaussian & 0.670 & 1.03e-5 & 4.84e-4 gaussian & 10.51 & 9.12e-3 & 1.642 gaussian & 2.149 & 2.21e-5 & 5.64e-2 gaussian & 0.577 & 4.09e-5 & 3.65e-2 gaussian & 0.232 & 5.08e-3 & 4.77e-2 gaussian & 1.775 & 1.83e-5 & 2.61e-2 gaussian & 2.629 & 2.75e-5 & 0.468 gaussian & 0.882 & 4.06e-6 & 5.06e-2 | arxiv |
CARFAX One-Owner. Pitch Black Clearcoat FWD 2018 Dodge Journey SE 2.4L I4 DOHC 16V Dual VVT Priced below KBB Fair Purchase Price! Odometer is 4384 miles below market average! Proudly serving Kentuckiana for over 40 years with an A+ BBB Rating! Having 7 convenient locations and over 800 vehicles, we're sure to have the right car at the right price! Inquire to schedule your VIP test drive today. All prices plus tax, title, lic, and dealer processing fee. | slim_pajama |
Why does a reaction stop when turning into a solid?
I recently was looking at a question about the volume of carbon dioxide produced when reacting calcium carbonate with dilute sulfuric acid versus using nitric acid. In the answer it says that calcium sulfate is produced, which is a solid, which stops the reaction, but I don't get why. Calcium nitrate produces an aqueous solution which causes the reaction to carry on reacting.
The reaction equations are:
$$\ce{CaCO3(s) + H2SO4(aq) -> CaSO4(s) + H2O(l) + CO2(g)}$$
$$\ce{CaCO3(s) + 2HNO3(aq) -> Ca(NO3)2(aq) + H2O(l) + CO2(g)}$$
The reason is due to the surface area of calcium carbonate available to react.
When reacting a block of solid calcium carbonate with dilute sulphuric acid, solid calcium sulphate is produced which is deposited on the surface of the calcium carbonate block (since that is where the reaction occurs). The calcium sulphate is insoluble in dilute sulphuric acid and so you end up with calcium carbonate coated in a layer of calcium sulphate, which stops the acid from getting at the carbonate and so stops the reaction.
In contrast, calcium nitrate, produced from the reaction with nitric acid, is highly soluble in dilute nitric acid and so no solid layer forms around the carbonate block and the reaction can continue until one of the reagents is used up.
Reactions such as these take place in an ionic form where Ca2+ and CO3 2- are formed in the aqueous medium and react with H2 2+ and SO4 2-. When CaSO4 is formed, it precipitates as it is insoluble. Thus it covers the surface of the CaCO3 and the reaction stops.
In the second reaction CaNO3 is not insoluble so the reaction continues and CaNO3 solution keeps being formed.
Hope this answers your question!
| stackexchange/chemistry |
one of the fundamental problems in coding theory is to find the minimum length of linear codes for the given minimum hamming distance @xmath3 and the given number of codewords @xmath7 , where the length of a linear code means the length of the codewords . in this paper , we study a variant of this problem : find the minimum length of linear codes @xmath2 which achieves the given minimum hamming distance @xmath3 and the given minimum hamming distance @xmath4 of @xmath5 , where @xmath5 denotes the dual code of @xmath2 . note that the number of codewords @xmath7 is replaced by the minimum hamming distance @xmath4 of @xmath5 in our new problem .
this problem is interesting not only theoretically but also practically : it is directly related to the design of cryptographic boolean functions as follows .
block ciphers must be secure against various attacks , in particular against differential attacks @xcite and linear attacks @xcite . the security of block ciphers is often studied by viewing their s - boxes ( or @xmath8 functions ) as a set of boolean functions .
we say that a boolean function @xmath9 satisfies ( propagation criteria ) @xmath10 @xcite if @xmath11 is uniformly distributed for any @xmath12 with @xmath13 , where @xmath14 denotes the hamming weight of @xmath12 .
it is clear that @xmath10 is directly related to the security against differential attacks because @xmath12 is the input difference and @xmath11 is the output difference of @xmath15 .
also , @xmath9 is a bent function ( * ? ? ?
* chapter 14 ) if and only if @xmath9 satisfies @xmath16 @xcite , where a bent function has the largest distance from the set of affine ( linear ) functions .
hence @xmath16 is directly related to the security against linear attacks .
the famous strict avalanche criterion ( sac ) , which was introduced as a criterion of the security of s - boxes @xcite , is equivalent to @xmath17 .
more generally , we say that @xmath9 satisfies ( extended propagation criteria ) @xmath18 of order
@xmath19 @xcite if @xmath9 satisfies @xmath10 even if any @xmath19 bits of @xmath20 are fixed to any constant bits .
( we remark that many authors refer to epc as just pc , including @xcite . ) for example , sac@xmath21 , which is a generalized version of sac , is equivalent to @xmath22 of order @xmath19 .
as shown above , @xmath18 of order @xmath19 is a more generalized security notion of cryptographic boolean functions .
kurosawa et al . @xcite gave the first construction method of @xmath18 of order @xmath19 based on the maiorana - mcfarland construction ( see @xcite ) .
they showed that there exists an @xmath18 of order @xmath19 function @xmath23 if there exists a linear code @xmath2 such that @xmath24 , @xmath25 and the length of @xmath2 is @xmath26 , where @xmath3 is the minimum hamming distance of @xmath2 and @xmath4 is the minimum hamming distance of @xmath5 .
carlet generalized this construction to nonlinear codes @xcite .
we now ask , given @xmath19 and @xmath27 , what is the minimum @xmath1 for which @xmath18 of order @xmath19 functions @xmath28 exist ?
in the design method of kurosawa et al .
@xcite , this is equivalent to saying that , given @xmath3 and @xmath4 , find the minimum length @xmath1 of a linear code @xmath2 with @xmath3 and @xmath4 . note that this problem is exactly the same as the one mentioned at the beginning of the introduction .
more formally , let @xmath0 denote the minimum length @xmath1 of a linear code @xmath2 with @xmath3 and @xmath4 , where @xmath3 is the minimum hamming distance of @xmath2 and @xmath4 is the minimum hamming distance of @xmath5 .
we then want to find @xmath0 for given @xmath3 and @xmath4 . in this paper , we show lower bounds and upper bounds on @xmath0 .
further , for small values of @xmath3 and @xmath6 , we determine @xmath0 exactly and give a generator matrix of the optimum linear code .
this paper is organized as follows : in section 2 , we introduce relevant concepts and notations . in section 3 , we propose upper bounds on @xmath0 . in section 4
, we propose lower bounds on @xmath0 , show true values of @xmath0 , and compare the proposed bounds with the true values . in section 5 , concluding remarks are given .
we use @xmath15 to denote a boolean function @xmath29 , and @xmath30 to denote a function @xmath31 , where @xmath32 .
we use @xmath33 to denote @xmath34 , where @xmath35 is a binary variable .
let @xmath36 denote the inner product of two binary vectors over @xmath37 .
for a set @xmath38 , @xmath39 denotes the cardinality of @xmath38 .
let a linear @xmath40 $ ] code denote a binary linear code @xmath2 of length @xmath1 , dimension @xmath41 and the minimum hamming distance at least @xmath3 .
the dual code @xmath5 of a linear code @xmath2 is defined as @xmath42 .
the dual distance @xmath43 of @xmath2 is defined as the minimum hamming distance of @xmath44 .
we say that @xmath45 is an @xmath46-resilient function if @xmath47 is uniformly distributed even if any @xmath19 variables @xmath48 are fixed into constants .
that is , @xmath49 = 2^{-m}\ ] ] for any @xmath19 positions @xmath50 , for any @xmath19-bit string @xmath51 and for any fixed @xmath52 , where the values @xmath53 ( @xmath54 ) are chosen independently at random .
define the derivative of @xmath55 by @xmath56 for @xmath57 .
@xcite we say that a boolean function @xmath55 satisfies @xmath18 of order @xmath19 if @xmath58 is @xmath19-resilient for any @xmath57 with @xmath59 .
( we also say that @xmath15 is an @xmath18 of order @xmath19 function . )
kurosawa et al . gave a general method to design @xmath18 of order @xmath19 functions by using a linear code @xcite .
[ boolean ] [ pro : pccode ] suppose that there exists a linear @xmath60 $ ] code @xmath2 with the dual distance at least @xmath61 .
then there exists an @xmath18 of order @xmath19 function @xmath62 .
the construction of @xcite is essentially quadratic in nature with a non - quadratic ` offset ' part .
after @xcite , carlet @xcite showed a construction which uses nonlinear kerdock and preparata codes as an improvement .
it gives non - quadratic boolean functions not just in their offset part .
define @xmath63 as the minimum @xmath1 such that there exists a linear @xmath40 $ ] code @xmath2 with the dual distance at least @xmath64 .
then @xmath65 is the minimum @xmath1 such that there exists a @xmath18 of order @xmath19 function @xmath62 in the design method of kurosawa et al .
we will consider the upper and lower bounds on @xmath0 , and also determine the true values of @xmath0 for small @xmath3 and @xmath6 .
in this section , we show upper bounds on @xmath63 . the first bound is based on a gilbert - varshamov type argument @xcite .
@xmath66 \mbox { linear code}\},\\ s_{n , m}(\myvec{v})&=&\{c\in s_{n , m } \mid c \ni \myvec{v}\},\\ s^\perp_{n , m}(\myvec{v})&=&\{c\in s_{n , m } \mid c^\perp \ni \myvec{v}\}\end{aligned}\ ] ] [ lem3 ] for a nonzero vector @xmath67 , we have @xmath68 proof is given in appendix [ app : lem ] .
[ upper1 ] there exists an @xmath40 $ ] binary code with the dual distance @xmath6 if @xmath69 @xmath0 is upper bounded by the minimum @xmath1 satisfying the above inequality .
the required code exists iff @xmath70 the cardinality of the right hand side is less than or equal to @xmath71 by lemma [ lem3 ] .
thus , if the assumption of the theorem is satisfied , the required code exists .
we also introduce another upper bound .
@xmath72 let @xmath2 be a linear code attaining @xmath0 , and @xmath73 be the punctured code of @xmath2
. then @xmath73 has the minimum distance at least @xmath74 and the dual distance at least @xmath6 , which proves eq .
( [ up1 ] ) .
equation ( [ up2 ] ) is proved by considering the punctured code of @xmath75 .
in this section , we give four lower bounds on @xmath76 .
the first two are immediate applications of the griesmer bound and a well - known fact of mds codes .
the third is based on an improvement to the hamming bound .
the fourth is an improvement to brouwer s bound @xcite based on the solvability of a system of linear inequalities @xcite .
* section 17.6 ) if there exists an @xmath40 $ ] linear code , then @xmath77 [ th : a ] @xmath78\label{eq : gri}\end{aligned}\ ] ] if there exists an @xmath40 $ ] code with dual distance @xmath6 , then by the griesmer bound we have @xmath79 since @xmath0 is the minimum @xmath1 such that there exists a linear code of length @xmath1 , minimum distance @xmath3 and dual distance @xmath6 , @xmath80 is lower bounded by the minimum of the right hand side of eq .
( [ eq : d ] ) over possible @xmath1 and @xmath41 .
it is well - known that the simplex codes attain the griesmer bound .
however , they do not attain eq .
( [ eq : gri ] ) .
the singleton bound is a corollary to the griesmer bound and has a simpler expression .
it states that if there exists an @xmath40 $ ] code then @xmath81 . when the code is binary and @xmath82 , it can be tightened to @xmath83 @xcite .
the first part of the following result can be seen as a corollary to theorem [ th : a ] .
[ coro : g ] @xmath84 when @xmath85 and @xmath86 , we have @xmath87 adding @xmath88 and @xmath89 shows eq .
( [ eq : single1 ] ) .
a similar argument shows eq .
( [ eq : single2 ] ) . in this subsection
, we will introduce an improvement to the hamming bound , and derive a lower bound on @xmath0 as a corollary . for positive integers @xmath3 and @xmath1
, we define the function @xmath90 by @xmath91 discrete random variables @xmath92 ,
, @xmath93 are said to be @xmath3-wise independent if @xmath94 = \prod_{j=1}^d \mathrm{pr}[x_{i_j } = x_{i_j}]\ ] ] for all @xmath3-tuples of indices @xmath95 , , @xmath96 and all realizations @xmath97 , , @xmath98 of random variables .
[ lem : b ] ( * ? ? ?
* proposition 6.4 ) let @xmath92 ,
, @xmath93 be @xmath99-wise independent nonconstant random variables that map the sample space @xmath100 to @xmath101 .
then we have @xmath102 .
[ th : b ] for an @xmath40 $ ] linear code @xmath2 , we have @xmath103 .
let @xmath104 be a parity check matrix for @xmath2 , and @xmath105 be its @xmath106-th column .
consider the sample space @xmath107 and the random variable @xmath108 that maps @xmath109 to the inner product of @xmath110 and @xmath105 .
since any @xmath99 columns in @xmath104 are linearly independent , the random variables @xmath92 ,
, @xmath93 are @xmath99-wise independent with the uniform probability distribution on @xmath100 . by lemma [ lem : b ] , @xmath111 .
observe that theorem [ th : b ] is an improvement to the hamming bound when @xmath3 is even .
[ cor : g ] @xmath112 if there exists an @xmath40 $ ] linear code with dual distance @xmath6 , then by theorem [ th : b ] @xmath113 since @xmath0 is the minimum @xmath1 such that there exists a linear code of length @xmath1 , minimum distance @xmath3 and dual distance @xmath6 , @xmath0 is lower bounded by the minimum of the right hand side of eq .
( [ eq : e ] ) over possible @xmath1 . for a linear code
@xmath2 , define @xmath114 we have ( * ? ? ?
* section 5.2 ) @xmath115 where @xmath116 is the krawtchouk polynomial defined by @xmath117 for @xmath118 , , @xmath1 , we must have @xmath119 .
when the code @xmath2 has minimum distance @xmath3 , we have @xmath120 .
we also have @xmath121 if @xmath2 has dual distance @xmath6 . therefore ,
if there exists a linear code of length @xmath1 , minimum distance @xmath3 and dual distance @xmath6 , then there exists a solution @xmath122 , , @xmath123 to the following system of linear inequalities : @xmath124 @xcite [ th : c ] @xmath0 is greater than or equal to the minimum @xmath1 such that there exists a solution to the above system of linear inequalities .
we will add other constraints to eq .
( [ eq : linear ] ) .
since we consider linear codes , there must exist an _
solution @xmath125 ,
, @xmath126 with @xmath127 for some nonnegative integer @xmath41 .
a binary linear code is said to be _ even _ if all codewords have even weight .
we call a code _ odd _ if it is not even .
when the code @xmath2 is odd , then there is the same number of even weighted codewords and odd weighted ones .
moreover , the dual code @xmath75 does not contain the codeword with all @xmath128 , otherwise @xmath2 is even .
therefore , if the code @xmath2 is odd , then we have @xmath129 when the code @xmath2 is even , then the dual code @xmath75 contains the codeword with all @xmath128 , and we have @xmath130 , because there is one - to - one correspondence between codewords with weight @xmath106 and weight @xmath131 by adding the all @xmath128 codeword .
furthermore , we have the following inequality @xcite when @xmath2 is even : @xmath132 where @xmath133 denotes that @xmath134 divides @xmath106 . summing up
, the evenness of @xmath2 implies @xmath135 by exchanging the role of @xmath2 and @xmath75 , we see that the oddness of @xmath75 implies @xmath136 and that the evenness of @xmath75 implies @xmath137 when we estimate @xmath0 and @xmath3 is even , the code can be either odd or even , and we search a solution for either eq . ( [ eq : odd ] ) or ( [ eq : even ] ) .
when @xmath3 is odd , the code is odd and we search a solution for eq .
( [ eq : odd ] ) only .
the same rule applies to @xmath6 .
we remark on the computational complexity on the bound presented in this subsection .
when we require @xmath122 , , @xmath123 to be integers , we have to solve an integer programming problem for which there is no known polynomial time algorithm in the number of variables ( * ? ? ?
* section 11.8 ) .
when we allow @xmath122 , , @xmath123 to be any real numbers , we solve a linear programming problem that can be solved in roughly @xmath138 arithmetic operations (
* section 9.3 ) . in both case
, it quickly becomes difficult to compute the lower bound for large @xmath1 .
in this subsection , we give numerical examples of the derived bounds in table [ tab1 ] .
an entry @xmath139 in table [ tab1 ] means that @xmath140 for the lower bounds , and @xmath141 for the upper bound .
true values of @xmath0 are also listed , which are obtained by exhaustive search .
generator matrices of codes attaining @xmath0 are listed in appendix [ app : mat ] .
we could not determine the true values of @xmath0 by exhaustive search with @xmath142 not listed in table [ tab1 ] .
we remark that @xmath143 because the trivial @xmath144 $ ] code has dual distance @xmath145 . from table
[ tab1 ] , we can make the following observations .
lower bounds are increasing in order of corollary [ cor : g ] , theorem [ th : c ] , and the improvement of theorem [ th : c ] in sec .
[ sec43 ] .
theorems [ th : a ] and [ coro : g ] give smaller lower bounds . the upper bound in theorem [ upper1 ] is very loose for small values of @xmath3 and @xmath6 .
this looseness seems to come from the fact that many elements are counted several times in eq .
( [ eq10 ] ) .
additional constraints in sec .
[ sec43 ] give the true values of @xmath0 as a lower bound except for @xmath146 .
they also improve theorem [ th : c ] in the parameters @xmath147 , @xmath148 , @xmath149 , @xmath150 , @xmath151 , @xmath152 .
these improvements significantly reduced the required time for exhaustive search . [ cols="^,^,^,^,^,^,^,^,^ " , ]
in this paper , we considered the minimum length of linear codes with specified minimum hamming distances and dual distances , from which cryptographic boolean functions are constructed .
we obtained an upper bound by a gilbert - varshamov type argument , and lower bounds by applying the griesmer , the hamming , and the linear programming bound .
the true values for the minimum length are also determined by exhaustive search for certain range of parameters .
these lower bounds and true values are useful for estimating the necessary input length of cryptographic boolean functions for given cryptographic strength .
this paper also demonstrated that the upper bound proposed herein is too loose , and it remains an open problem to derive a tight upper bound .
we would like to thank the reviewers critical comments which improve this paper a lot .
in particular , theorem [ coro : g ] is improved by the reviewer s comment .
for nonzero vectors @xmath153 , @xmath67 , we have @xmath154 as the set of bijective linear maps @xmath15 on @xmath155 . in the following equation
, @xmath156 is a fixed linear code , and @xmath157 is a fixed bijective linear map on @xmath155 such that @xmath158 .
@xmath159 equation ( [ eq1 ] ) is proved . by taking the dual code
, we see that there is a one - to - one correspondence between @xmath160 and @xmath161 , and we have @xmath162 which proves eq .
( [ eq2 ] ) .
equation ( [ eq3 ] ) is deduced from eqs .
( [ eq1 ] ) and ( [ eq2 ] ) .
_ proof of lemma [ lem3]_. let @xmath163 be the set of a pair of a nonzero vector @xmath153 and @xmath164 such that @xmath165 . for each @xmath164 , there are @xmath166 nonzero vectors @xmath153 such that @xmath165 , and we have @xmath167 . for each nonzero vector @xmath153
there are @xmath168 linear codes @xmath2 such that @xmath165 , and we have @xmath169 ) is proved . equation ( [ eq5 ] )
follows from eqs .
( [ eq2 ] ) and ( [ eq4 ] ) . ' '' ''
in this appendix , we give the name or generator matrices of linear codes attaining @xmath0 .
matrices are generator matrices of linear codes attaining @xmath0 unless otherwise specified .
@xmath170 : attained by the @xmath171 $ ] shortened hamming code .
+ @xmath172 : attained by the @xmath173 $ ] hamming code .
+ @xmath174 : attained by the @xmath175 $ ] extended hamming code .
+ @xmath176 : @xmath177 @xmath178 : @xmath179 @xmath180 : @xmath181 @xmath182 : @xmath183 @xmath184 : the generator matrix of its dual code is @xmath185 @xmath186 : the generator matrix of its dual code is @xmath187 @xmath188 : @xmath189 @xmath190 : attained by the @xmath191 $ ] punctured simplex code .
+ @xmath192 : attained by the @xmath193 $ ] punctured first order reed - muller code .
+ @xmath194 : attained by the @xmath195 $ ] simplex code .
+ @xmath196 : attained by the @xmath197 $ ] first order reed - muller code .
e. biham and a. shamir , `` differential cryptanalysis of des - like cryptosystems , '' in _ advances in cryptology
crypto 90 _ , ser .
lecture notes in computer science , vol .
537.1em plus 0.5em minus 0.4em springer - verlag , 1991 , pp .
221 .
k. kurosawa and t. satoh , `` design of sac / pc(@xmath198 ) of order @xmath19 boolean functions and three other cryptographic criteria , '' in _ advances in cryptology eurocrypto97 _ ,
lecture notes in computer science , vol .
1233.1em plus 0.5em minus
0.4emspringer - verlag , 1997 , pp .
434449 .
m. matsui , `` linear cryptanalysis method for des cipher , '' in _ advances in cryptology
eurocrypt 93 _ , ser .
lecture notes in computer science , vol .
765.1em plus 0.5em minus 0.4emspringer - verlag , 1994 , pp . 386397 .
v. s. pless , w. c. huffman , and r. a. brualdi , `` an introduction to algebraic codes , '' in _ handbook of coding theory _ , v. pless and w. c. huffman , eds.1em plus 0.5em minus 0.4emamsterdam : elsevier , 1998 , pp . 3139 .
b. preneel , r. govaerts , and j. vandewalle , `` boolean functions satisfying higher order propagation criteria , '' in _ advances in cryptology eurocrypt 91 proceedings _ , ser .
lecture notes in computer science , vol .
547.1em plus 0.5em minus 0.4emspringer - verlag , 1991 , pp . 141152 .
b. preneel , w. van leekwijck , l. van linden , r. govaerts , and j. vandewalle , `` propagation characteristics of boolean functions , '' in _ advances in cryptology eurocrypt 90 proceedings _ , ser .
lecture notes in computer science , vol .
473.1em plus 0.5em minus 0.4emspringer - verlag , 1991 , pp .
162173 .
a. f. webster and s. e. tavares , `` on the design of s - boxes , '' in _ advances in cryptology crypto 85 proceedings _ , ser .
lecture notes in computer science , vol .
218.1em plus 0.5em minus 0.4em springer - verlag , 1986 , pp
. 523534 . | arxiv |
Are there exceptions to the rate law for elementary reactions?
According to several authentic sources (for example, [ChemLibreTexts](https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Kinetics/03%3A_Rate_Laws/3.02%3A_Reaction_Mechanisms/3.2.01%3A_Elementary_Reactions)), for elementary reactions, the order is equal to molecularity according to the rate law.
---
**Example:** For an elementary reaction $$\ce{aA +bB -> cC +dD}$$ the rate of reaction is given by $$R = k [\ce{A}]^{a} [\ce{B}]^{b},$$ where $k$ is the rate constant and $[\cdot]$ represents concentration.
---
I am aware that, in real solutions, concentrations are replaced by activities; however, the structure of the *real* rate law is still same as that obtained from the *ideal* rate law.
I wanted to know if there are any exceptions to this. Is there an elementary reaction for which the rate law is *not* obeyed, and the molecularity is *not* equal to order?
It is true that, for elementary reactions, the reaction rate order is equal to molecularity.
The point is, for $a + b \gt 3$ ( and often for $a + b = 3$ or even $a + b = 2$ ), the reaction is not elementary.
Typical case is $\ce{Br2 + H2 -> 2 HBr}$. It looks like it may be an elementary reaction, but it is not. It has the loopbacked chain reaction schema. Its reaction rate is [a rational function with some non-integer exponents](https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/q/81063/35806):
>
> $$r= \frac{k[\ce{H2}][\ce{Br2}]^{1/2}}{1 + j[\ce{HBr}]/[\ce{Br2}]}$$
>
>
>
( $k$ and $j$ are rate constants for particular reactions steps withing the reaction kinetic schema. )
Another exception are reactions of the zeroth order, with the rate not depending on the analyte concentration, typically photolytic reactions.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
How do I describe the order of events in spacetime?
In Newtonian mechanics, we have 3-space and time. Time allows us to order events. For example, I hold a ball in the air at time $t\_0$. Then I drop it at some later time $t\_1 > t\_0$. Finally it hits the ground at time $t\_2 > t\_1$. Thus, events are ordered by time.
However, in special relativity, time is a dimension in the affine space. Furthermore, observers don't observe the same time necessarily. Therefore, it would seem we have lost our ability to "index" / order events.
But without time, how do I describe the evolution of a particle in spacetime? That is, if a particle begins at one point in spacetime and moves to another, how do I describe this sequence of events? That is, the particle will be at some point in spacetime $\mathbf{x}\_0$. I now need some way to index a "later" point at which the particle is at spacetime point $\mathbf{x}\_1$. **How do I do this?**
I suspect the answer is with proper time, but I am confused how this relates to regular time. I am so used to time indexing the order of events, I'm not sure what proper time tells me about *when* events actually happen.
The physics ("the description of the time evolution of a particle in spacetime") occurs on the backdrop of spacetime. i.e., coordinates like $(ct,x)$. Maybe (take $c=1$) the world-line of a particle satisfying some physics equation is parameterized by ${\bf x}(u)=(u-0.5\sin(u),0.1\cos(u))$. This is a line in spacetime, there's a timelike coordinate and a spacelike coordinate. The lines $(10u,0)$ and $(u,0)$ are different parameterizations of the same line. The second one, however, is an arc length parameterization. That is, it is not parameterized by the proper time. The weird sine/cosine line I defined is not an arc-length parameterization. To make it so, you'd have to find the proper time of the path and change variables from $u$ to the proper time $\tau$.
The proper time of this path, from coordinate $u\_0$ to $u\_1$, would be given by $\int\_{u\_0}^{u\_1}\sqrt{\| {\bf x}'(u)\|^2} \mathrm{d}u$. The prime is differentiation with respect to $u$. The "norm" I define as $\|(t,x)\|^2=t^2-x^2$. So when I said change variables, the relation between $\tau$ and $u$ would be given by $\tau=\int\_{u\_0}^{u}\sqrt{\| {\bf x}'(k)\|^2} \mathrm{d}k$ for $u\_0$ an arbitrary constant.
Two points in this spacetime, ${\bf x}$ and ${\bf y}$, can causally effect each other only if $\|{\bf x-y}\|^2\ge 0$ (timelike or lightlike connected), in which case it is meaningful to say that one of events $x$ and $y$ occurred before the other. The "first" one is the one with the smaller time coordinate. The condition that $\|{\bf x-y}\|^2\ge 0$ ensures that if $x$ comes before $y$ in one frame, it will come before in all frames. So you can order timelike connected events. You can't order spacelike connected events, and that's where your issue/confusion takes place.
To better understand this, maybe try the following exercises:
Define ${\bf x}(u)=(u-a\sin(u),a\cos(u))$ for constant $a$. Figure out, for what values of $a$, does this path represent a particle (moving at speeds less than the speed of light) and what values is the path unphysical (moving at speeds faster than the speed of light).
For the path above, try to fine $\tau$, and try arc-length parameterizing it. This might be difficult because I think it's an integral of $\sqrt{1-\cos(u)}$, but see how far that+wolframalpha gets you.
Prove that timelike connected events are ordered. That is, Lorentz transformations don't change the order of events.
Prove that spacelike connected events are not ordered. That is, Lorentz transformations do change the order of events.
You describe order of events in Minkowski spacetime exactly as you do for Newtonian physics with one difference: the events can only be well ordered if they lie in each other's past or future light cones. If the events have this relationship, then their order, as told by their time co-ordinates in any of their reference frames, is NOT observer dependent, even though the time intervals between them are observer dependent.
Indeed you can take this fact as the reason special relativity imposes the universal speed limit $c$. That is, we learn from special relativity that event order is observer dependent. Oh no! How does the principle of causality that causes must always come before their effects and which has never been experimentally seen to be violated survive this fact? Well it can't in general, but *if* we make the further postulate that events can only be causally linked if they lie in each others future / past light cones *and* the postulate that no observer can travel at a speed greater than $c$ relative to us, *then* this new, restricted causality is perfectly compatible with relativity: the order of such events cannot change between reference frames. There are other motivations, such as the requirement of infinite energy to accelerate any massive thing to a relative speed of $c$, but for me this the simplest and most powerful motivation: the speed limit exists to uphold our experimentally observed principle of causality. It's worth also witnessing that only a signatured metric, like the proper time interval, with one timelike co-ordinate can save causality in this way. A Riemannian universe cannot have even a restricted causality principle since in that case the order of all pairs of events is observer dependent.
Technically, this situation arises from the fact that the transitivity sets for the identity connected component of the Lorentz group (the so called, proper (volume form sign preserving), orthochronous (time interval sign preserving) Lorentz group $\text{SO}^{+}(1,\,3)$ for a given event are **(1)** the sheet of the two-sheeted hyperboloid $t^2-x^2-y^2-z^2=\epsilon^2>0$ that is contained within the origin's future light cone, **(2)** the other sheet of the same hyperboloid, contained in the past light cone and **(3)** the one sheeted hyperboloid $x^2+y^2+z^2-t^2=\epsilon^2>0$ contained in the elsewhere outside the cones. The image of an event in any of these sets stays in these sets under the action of $\text{SO}^{+}(1,\,3)$: thus if event $B$ is in the future or past light cone of event $A$, then the sign of the difference $\Delta\,t$ between their two time co-ordinates cannot change under any Lorentz transformation belonging to the identity connected component $\text{SO}^{+}(1,\,3)$. However, if $B$ lies outside the future/past light cones of $A$, then one can always find a proper, orthochronous Lorentz transformation that will change the sign of the difference between the two time co-ordinates.
---
**Proof Sketch on Transitivity Sets**
You can prove the above assertions by reasoning along the following lines: let event $B$ be in the future / past light cone of the origin and have co-ordinates $(t,\,x,\,y,\,z)$ where $t^2-x^2-y^2-z^2 = \epsilonˆ2 > 0$. Then $t^2=\epsilon^2+x^2+y^2+z^2>\epsilonˆ2$ where $\epsilon$ stays constant when $B$ is acted on by a Lorentz transformation. Thus we see that $t$ is excluded from the interval $(-\epsilon,\,\epsilon)$. Now act on the event with an element of the form $\exp(s\,X)$, where $X\in\mathfrak{so}(1,\,3)$ and $s\in\mathbb{R}$ varies continuously. Therefore, the time co-ordinate $t$ of the image of the event must move continuously with $s$ and therefore cannot jump the exclusion interval $(-\epsilon,\,\epsilon)$. On witnessing that any member of $\text{SO}^{+}(1,\,3)$ is a finite product of elements of the form $\exp(s\_j\,X\_j)$, we see that the image of $B$ is path connected to $B$ by a piecewise smooth path defined by each of the $s\_j$ varying in turn from the value $0$ to their final, real values. Therefore, the image of $B$ cannot jump over the exclusion interval (which jumping would make the image a discontinuous function of one of the $s\_j$).
To deal with the case where $B$ lies outside the future / past light cones of the origin, so that $x^2+y^2+z^2-t^2=\epsilon^2>0$, impart a rotation to bring the co-ordinates of $B$ to the canonical form $(t\_0,\,\sqrt{\epsilon^2+t\_0^2},\,0,\,0)$. Now find a proper, orthochronous Lorentz transformation that will map $(+t\_0,\,\sqrt{\epsilon^2+t\_0^2},\,0,\,0)$ to $(-t\_0,\,\sqrt{\epsilon^2+t\_0^2},\,0,\,0)$; the inverse of this Lorentz transformation then maps $(-t\_0,\,\sqrt{\epsilon^2+t\_0^2},\,0,\,0)$ to $(+t\_0,\,\sqrt{\epsilon^2+t\_0^2},\,0,\,0)$ (exercise for the reader).
| stackexchange/physics |
1) In a soup pot preheated over medium high heat, add about a tablespoon of olive oil and allow it to get nice and hot, add the chicken, season with a touch of salt and pepper and sear on both sides to develop some color, remove from the pan, add another tablespoon of oil and add the onions, carrots and celery, reduce the heat to medium and saute the veggies for several minutes until they soften.
2) Add the chicken back in along with the stock, salsa, cumin, chili and oregano, bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half or until the meat falls apart.
3) Remove the chicken to a plate, shred the meat, add the chicken back in the pot then increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil.
4) Add the egg noodles, cook according to package instructions, adjust the seasoning to taste then serve up!
NOTE: I personally love topping this soup with avocado, cilantro and lime but you don't have to! | slim_pajama |
the presence of vascular factors constitutes a risk factor for degenerative processes in the brain . in some prospective studies
it has been shown that high blood pressure and stroke are risk factors for alzheimer disease ( ad ) .
vascular lesions are observed in about a third of patients with ad . moreover , some vascular lesions ( amyloid angiopathy , periventricular leukoencephalopathy ) are observed to occur in almost all investigated cases of ad .
the co - participation of vascular factors in the cerebral pathology in ad seems to be a factor intensifying the clinical symptoms of dementia . at the same time , the role of vascular factors in the progression of cognitive dysfunction remains an open question .
some studies have suggested that they affect the progression of cognitive symptoms , especially in case of patients already having a dementia . in research on the natural history of ad , the rate of progression in vascular dementia
nevertheless , in controlled experiments conducted in accordance with strictly defined diagnostic criteria , only minor progression of cognitive dysfunction disorders is observed .
the aim of our study was to assess the influence of the presence of vascular factors on the degree of intensity of the cognitive disorders and their progression in ad .
the initial population consisted of individuals who were residing , as of 2 september 2005 , in the social welfare house in gdynia ( n=188 ) .
the first step was to measure the patients risk factors for ad , using the mmse .
all patient , who scored 24 or less points in this scale were then examined further to determine whether there were other symptoms of ad .
the second step , then , produced the research group of 39 individuals ( 24 women and 15 men ) , all of whom were diagnosed with potential ad on the basis of the nincds / adrda criteria .
the third step was to evaluate the presence and intensity of vascular factors according to the modified hachinski scale ( ha - mod ; see table 1 ) .
two research subgroups were selected : those without vascular aggravation ( a score of 01 point ) , and those with vascular aggravation ( any score greater than 1 point ) . the fourth step was to evaluate cognitive functions , at baseline and after 2 years ( the period between the baseline and follow - up examinations ranged from 22 to 26 months ) , using the 11-element cognitive subscale of the alzheimer disease assessment scale ( adas - cog ) .
this instrument assesses the quality of speech , comprehension of spoken language , recall of test instructions , difficulties in finding appropriate words during spontaneous speech , understanding commands , naming objects and fingers , mapping figures , ideomotor activities , orientation , word recall , and word recognition .
adas - cog can range from 0 to 70 points , where 0 indicates no difficulties , and 70 a profound dementia .
procognitive drugs and other psychotropic medicines administered for at least 14 days of constant treatment were noted .
information from the medical staff served to clarify the dosage of such drugs and the period of their administration .
the initial procedure of including an individual in the research group involved obtaining the patient s consent to participate in the study , and assessing the exclusion criteria , which consisted in the presence , at the time of the study or during the interview , of at least 1 of the following : clinical or radiological features that would suggest a vascular foundation for the disease ; affective disease , schizophrenia , alcoholism , drug or psychoactive substance addiction , epilepsy , parkinson s disease , or intellectual handicap ; disturbances of consciousness ; illnesses affecting the motor organs , vision or hearing , that could significantly impair the patient s compliance with the commands and procedures included in the clinical scales being used ; other serious somatic diseases .
all patients from the research group met the diagnostic criteria for dementia of the alzheimer type .
the inclusion criteria here were a score of 1123 points on the mmse and a score above 4 points on the hachinski scale . due to the need for cooperation from the patient ,
only those patients with a light or moderate dementia were qualified to the research group .
the presence of vascular factors was assessed again in the case of patients included in the research group .
the presence of vascular factors was assessed on the basis of selected elements of the hachinski scale that refer directly to vascular pathology , while maintaining the original scoring scheme of the scale .
statistical analysis was done using the test for 2 independent methods with the introduction of a bilateral interval .
multiple regression analysis was also done ( the overall result of the adas - cog scale and the rate of progression of cognitive dysfunction were assumed to be dependent variables ) .
the chi - square test was used to verify the assumption of normal distribution of the investigated feature in the general population ( when doing the tests for 2 means ) , and the assumption of the equality of variances was verified with the test for 2 variances .
the rate of progression of dementia was calculated on the basis of the difference between the adas - cog scores at baseline and at follow - up .
the research methodology was fully accepted by the patients , all of whom expressed in writing their full agreement to participate in the study .
the initial procedure of including an individual in the research group involved obtaining the patient s consent to participate in the study , and assessing the exclusion criteria , which consisted in the presence , at the time of the study or during the interview , of at least 1 of the following : clinical or radiological features that would suggest a vascular foundation for the disease ; affective disease , schizophrenia , alcoholism , drug or psychoactive substance addiction , epilepsy , parkinson s disease , or intellectual handicap ; disturbances of consciousness ; illnesses affecting the motor organs , vision or hearing , that could significantly impair the patient s compliance with the commands and procedures included in the clinical scales being used ; other serious somatic diseases .
all patients from the research group met the diagnostic criteria for dementia of the alzheimer type .
the inclusion criteria here were a score of 1123 points on the mmse and a score above 4 points on the hachinski scale . due to the need for cooperation from the patient ,
only those patients with a light or moderate dementia were qualified to the research group .
the presence of vascular factors was assessed again in the case of patients included in the research group .
the presence of vascular factors was assessed on the basis of selected elements of the hachinski scale that refer directly to vascular pathology , while maintaining the original scoring scheme of the scale .
statistical analysis was done using the test for 2 independent methods with the introduction of a bilateral interval .
multiple regression analysis was also done ( the overall result of the adas - cog scale and the rate of progression of cognitive dysfunction were assumed to be dependent variables ) .
the chi - square test was used to verify the assumption of normal distribution of the investigated feature in the general population ( when doing the tests for 2 means ) , and the assumption of the equality of variances was verified with the test for 2 variances .
the rate of progression of dementia was calculated on the basis of the difference between the adas - cog scores at baseline and at follow - up .
the research methodology was fully accepted by the patients , all of whom expressed in writing their full agreement to participate in the study .
due to the lack of any statistically significant differences in terms of cognitive dysfunction between the men and the women in our research group , further analysis will be conducted without reference to gender .
the average age , the presence of vascular factors according to the ha - mod ) and the results of the adad - cog and mmse scales are presented in table 2 .
the assessed variables were compared in group a ( without vascular factors , i.e. ha - mod score of 01 point ) and group b ( with aggravated vascular features , i.e. ha - mod score above 1 point ; see table 3 ) .
the individuals with the greatest intensity of vascular factors were older and demonstrated more advanced cognitive disorders . however , not all the elements of the adad - cog scale differentiated the 2 groups .
the functions that showed significant differences included orientation , ideational praxis , spoken language ability , comprehension of spoken language , and word - finding difficulties in spontaneous speech . due to the possible connection between age and the intensity of cognitive disorders ,
multiple regression analysis was done for the variables of age and the ha - mod score , which indicated a significant role for age in the variance of the overall adas - cog score ( the dependent variable ) . both the determination coefficient ( r=0.340 ) and the age correlation coefficients ( beta=0.316 ) and the ha - mod scores ( beta=0.377 ) reached the level of statistical significance .
the follow - up examination was conducted with a group of 26 patients ( 16 women and 10 men ) , with an average age of 77.69 ( sd=8.94 ) , and an average adas - cog score at follow - up of 32.19 ( sd=8.69 ) .
the mean difference between the follow - up study and baseline adas - cog scores was 10.73 ( sd=5.16 ) .
the follow - up examination was not conducted in 13 cases because of death ( n=8 ) , or a significant deterioration of physical health rendering further participation in the study ( n=4 ) , or termination of cholinesterase inhibitors ( cheis ) just before the examination ( n = 1 ) .
the individuals in group a differed significantly from those in group b in terms of the overall -cog score , both at baseline and at follow - up ) ( table 4 ) .
however , the rate of progression did not differ significantly between the 2 groups . the multiple regression analysis for
the adas - cog score at baseline , age , and the ha - mod score did not explain at a significant level the variance in the rate of progression ( the dependent variable ) .
the determination coefficient was 0.269 ; the beta regression coefficients for the adas - cog score at baseline was 0.199 ; for age , 0.322 ; for the ha - mod , 0.117 . during the 2-year interval between baseline and follow - up , 17 patients were given cheis , donepezil ( 510 mg ; n=14 ) and rivastigmine ( 39 mg ; n=6 ) .
the number of people treated with donepezil and rivastigmine is greater than 17 because some of the patients were administered both drugs .
the patients taking procognitive medicines were compared in terms of the adas - cog score with those who were not undergoing any treatment .
the patients were not differentiated by either age or adas - cog scores ( table 5 ) .
alzheimer s disease is usually thought of as a condition caused by primary damage to neurons . nevertheless , there is increasing evidence that the degenerative lesions that appear in the cns in the course of ad may be preceded by , or at least coexist with , vascular lesions .
damage to minor blood vessels may constitute a significant factor facilitating the intensification of degenerative lesions .
one hypothesis assumes that , due to the increased permeability of the blood - brain barrier in the aging organism , preceded by the prior immunization of the system ( e.g. due to a cranial injury ) , there occur immunological reactions that lead to the destruction of brain cells .
one proof offered to support this hypothesis is the claim that the number of damaged vessels in microcirculation correlates with amyloid inclusions in the cortex .
lesions in the capillary vessels are located , at least in the first phase of the illness , primarily in the hippocampus .
as one might expect , these lesions cause increased permeability of the blood - brain barrier .
experiments on animal models have thrown some light on what causes the lesions in the capillaries and other minor vessels of ad patients .
the animals undergo a long - term hypoperfusion caused by the occlusion of the carotid arteries . within 1 year
apart from the hypothetical participation of vascular factors in the neurodegenerative process itself , it is worth noting that the presence of these factors intensifies cognitive dysfunction . already at baseline examination
, the patients from group b , with greater vascular aggravation , demonstrated a greater intensity of cognitive disorders .
however , this relation does not pertain to all the elements of the adas - cog scale ( table 3 ) .
ad and vascular dementia ( vad ) differ to some extent in terms of the kinds of cognitive disorders that occur .
patients with vad perform worse in tests that are influenced by frontal and subcortical mechanisms .
ad patients are more impaired than those with vad in terms of episodic memory , while patients with vad are more impaired in terms of semantic memory , executive and attentional functioning , and visuospatial and perceptual skills . while some consensus exists that vascular factors influence the degree of intensity of cognitive disorders , their effect on the progression of dementia is not so clear .
no relation was observed in our research group between greater vascular aggravation and more rapid progression of cognitive disorders , as assessed on the adas - cog scale .
this observation is in accordance with the results of previous research , carried out according to a different methodology and pertaining to earlier phases in the development of dementia , where it was shown that vascular factors increase the risk of developing dementia , but do not speed up the progression of cognitive disturbances .
the results reported in the present study can be explained by referring to the process of symptom formation in the development of dementia , where memory plays the most important role .
this can be explained by referring to the synchronic model of memory , which has been worked out on the basis of microgenetic theory and process neuropsychology ( figure 1 ) .
the model refers to the holographic model of the universe , which , according to peat confirms the synchronicity of reality .
the spatial configuration of the model makes it possible to present , on the x and y axes , the relationship between the overall structure of the attention and memory systems in terms of the number , content , and complexity of the elements being processed and the time needed to complete the processing .
it is assumed , following pribram , that by changing the angle at which light beams from 2 lasers operate on a photographic image , one can obtain multiple images on the same surface .
thus the synchronic pattern of the model ( the dotted lines ) reflects the holographic interaction of waves , corresponding to what happens in the brain : the pulsing of mental states and neuroplasticity ( changes in neuronal connections and new connections in the brain ) . consciousness and self - consciousness have been represented here as a separate circle , since this is what conditions the existence of cognitive processes , including memory and emotional processes .
the outside ( yellow ) spiral refers to the fractal concept of consciousness and self - consciousness in relation to the mind , and to the synchronic image of reality formed by the self in relation to the world and the universe .
the tunnels through which the small spheres are flowing reflect different kinds of working and long - term memory , which allow the individual to form their own , synchronic reality , in the self - to - world relation .
thanks to plasticity and new connections in the brain , a form of dependency is created between events , in which every causal connection is possible .
the large yellow spheres are the buffers of ( 1 ) attention , ( 2 ) working memory , ( 3 ) long - term memory , and ( 4 ) perception .
dementia can not contribute anything new to behavior , but rather affects behavior by removing essential components .
luria stated that damage to the brain leads to a certain splitting of the layers of behavior , which makes it possible to see into its deeper structure .
the particular activities comprising its components , which in normal behavior occur without visible effort , are revealed .
this can be seen most clearly in disturbances of speech , where we can observe difficulties in forming or comprehending utterances , or word - finding problems . in the process of maturation in the brain , as specific neuronal networks
on the one hand , this complexity complicates its operation ; on the other , it enables the brain to rebuild a given subsystem when parts of it are damaged .
we observe this , for example , in a state of extreme fatigue , or when falling asleep , or by one s own volition when using psychoactive substances , of which alcohol is the most popular .
another example of a more serious threat to the system s stability would be the consequences of a neurodegenerative disease .
this happens because brain damage not only changes the existing connections , but also imposes new rules for functioning on the existing systems . in biological terms
, this is manifested by neurological and cognitive disturbances ; in social terms , by the patient s inability to function in their previous social roles ; and in personal terms , by personality changes . at a certain stage in the development of a neurodegenerative disease , the motor , cognitive , and emotional systems are destabilized ( figure 2 ) .
the process of system destabilization in the brain poses diagnostic problems , since the same pathomechanism can manifest itself in various forms , depending on the task the patient is asked to perform . as a result
, one researcher may describe a different set of symptoms than another , who used a different test battery dictated by the stated purpose of the given research project .
this phenomenon can be observed in research on the prefrontal cortex , when various studies have described different disturbances of memory , speech and language , attention , perception , and behavior in the course of frontal syndrome hence the phrase , once a kind of commonplace , the mystery of the frontal lobes [ 26,2933 ] . among the significant methodological limitations of this study
we should mention the fact that vascular complications were assessed only on the basis of clinical criteria .
no direct assessment of the presence of the angiogenic lesions in the cns was included in the research .
we only assessed the states and symptoms that are theoretically considered to have some connection with vascular pathology .
we found that the severity of vascular factors is related to the intensity of cognitive disturbances at baseline . at 2-year follow - up
, however , no relation was observed in the research group between greater vascular aggravation and faster progression of cognitive disorders , as assessed on the basis of the adas - cog . | pubmed |
Distinguishing pentanol isomers in 13C DEPT NMR spectroscopy
Pentanol has eight isomers as shown below. The circles represent carbon atoms that I think are equivalent.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/56xu4.png)
Below there are eight DEPT-spectra that should represent these eight substances.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Txonp.jpg)
As you can see some won’t line up. What’s the problem?
In an ideal non-moving world at $0\,\mathrm{K}$, every atom would give exactly one peak in NMR spectra. So the actual question is why some of these spectra have less signals. Partly this is due to local symmetry. If, e.g., two methyl groups are attached to the same carbon atom, these two are said to be chemically equivalent, i.e. one can rotate bonds to overlap one over the other. A different example of chemical equivalence is pentan-3-ol which you can rotate around the $\ce{C-OH}$ axis to give an almost identical molecule, putting the $\ce{CH2}$ groups on top of each other and the methyl groups, too.
With that, you did the circling right, and we should expect:
* 3 spectra with five signals;
* 3 spectra with four signals; and
* 2 spectra with three signals.
However we see one spectrum with two signals and are lacking one with four signals. (And technically, if you look at spectrum 2 closely, that could be interpreted as having five signals, not four.)
In a standard $\ce{^{13}C}$-DEPT spectrum (i.e. the ones you showed), carbons from $\ce{CH}$ and $\ce{CH3}$ groups point upward and those from $\ce{CH2}$ groups downward — and there is your answer. There are carbons in the structures that do not have hydrogens bound to them and which thus do not show up in the DEPT spectra.
In case you’re interested, I will give you the appropriate IUPAC names of the pentanol isomers that were measured in the following spoiler tag.
1. >
> 2-methylbutan-2-ol. Carbon 2 cannot be seen.
>
>
>
2. >
> 3-methylbutan-2-ol. The two methyl groups at the end are not completely identical and thus give two signals.
>
>
>
3. >
> pentan-3-ol
>
>
>
4. >
> pentan-1-ol
>
>
>
5. >
> 2,2-dimethylpropan-1-ol. Carbon 2 cannot be seen.
>
>
>
6. >
> 2-methylbutan-1-ol
>
>
>
7. >
> pentan-2-ol
>
>
>
8. >
> 3-methylbutan-1-ol
>
>
>
Assigning spectrum 2 to structure 7, the higher field methyl could be different if rotation is restricted aroud the CH-CH bond. Increasing temperature should collapse the two signals. Structure 8 should have only 2 signals, as spectrum 5 and structure 6 should have 3 as specrtum 1 as non-protonated carbons give no signal.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Winterbottom, J.M. 1960. Report on the Cape Bird Club vlei counts, 1952-58. Ostrich 31: 135-168.
Winterbottom, J.M. 1960. Wagtail investigation. Ostrich 31: 177.
Winterbottom, J.M. 1960. Systematic notes on birds of the Cape Province. A further note on Anthus novaeseelandiae XIII. Ostrich 31: 178-179.
Winterbottom, J.M. and Van der Merwe, N.J. 1960. Duck counts at the S.A. Lombard Nature Reserve, Transvaal. Ostrich 31: 131-134. | slim_pajama |
Vyacheslav Korovin ; born 8 September 1962 is a Russian former track and field athlete who competed in the hammer throw for the Soviet Union. He ranks within the all-time top thirty for the event, as of 2016.
The sole international medal of his career came at the 1981 European Athletics Junior Championships, where he threw to take the bronze medal behind Christoph Sahner and Sergey Dorozhon. His greatest achievement came in the 1987 season when he threw a career best of in Chelyabinsk. This ranked him third in the world that year behind fellow Soviets Sergey Litvinov and Igor Astapkovich both of whom were Olympic medallists. This proved to be a brief peak for Korovin as he did not break eighty metres again and his next highest ranking was twelfth in the 1989 season.
References
External links
Category:Living people
Category:1962 births
Category:Soviet male hammer throwers
Category:Russian male hammer throwers | wikipedia |
Fairy Tail that day
What drew me to her that day,
I don't know,
Maybe it was the sad look
In your eye,
Or the aura around you.
It might have been,
The burning
From my amulet,
Calling out to yours
As it was dying.
I don't know exactly,
But I was glad
That I did
Call out to you that day.
If not,
I wouldn't have a best friend
Like you.
One that I could talk to,
That would help me get stronger,
Who could help me,
With my problems.
Without you,
Luna,
I would be alone,
Never smiling,
Always alone.
Despite your darkness,
You bring me light,
Your rare smiles,
And determination for dominance
Are what make you,
You
Stay as you are,
No changes needed,
Just don't get too violent,
Every time
You get pissed
At Natsu,
Gray,
My brother,
And basically everyone else
That does piss you off,
Happy birthday Luna!
Stay my friend.
End file.
| fanfiction |
Stoichiometric calculations for the combustion of octane [closed]
**Closed.** This question is [off-topic](/help/closed-questions). It is not currently accepting answers.
---
**Homework questions** must demonstrate some effort to understand the underlying concepts. For help asking a good homework question, see: [How do I ask homework questions on Chemistry Stack Exchange?](https://chemistry.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/141/how-do-i-ask-homework-questions-on-chemistry-stack-exchange)
Closed 7 years ago.
[Improve this question](/posts/40921/edit)
The equation for the burning of octane:
$$\ce{2C8H18 + 25O2 -> 16CO2 + 18H2O}$$
1. How do i find the number of moles of carbon dioxide which is produced when one mole of octane burns ?
2. How do i find , at what volume , at STP , is occupied by the number of moles determined in the answer to my first question ?
3. If the relative molecular mass of carbon dioxide is 44 , what is the mass of carbon dioxide produced by burning 2 moles of octane?
This is a homework problem, so I'll not spell the answer outright, but try and give as much as I would if you came to me in office hours.
1. Your equation tells you what the ratio of moles of $\ce{C8H18}$ to moles of $\ce{CO2}$. For every two moles of octane burned, how many moles of $\ce{CO2}$ are produced? Now, what would it be for only one mole of octane?
2. What have you tried so far on this? You have the ideal gas law (PV = nRT), and you know the P, the n from the first question, and the T - so just solve for the V.
3. So you know one mole of $\ce{CO2}$ masses 44 grams, so just multiply this by the number of moles of $\ce{CO2}$ produced by 2 moles of octane (see my hint on point 1 above).
| stackexchange/chemistry |
.treeRow.hasChildren .treeLabel {
background-image: url(chrome://firebug/skin/win/twistyClosed.png);
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position: 2px 2px;
}
.treeRow.hasChildren.opened .treeLabel {
background-image: url(chrome://firebug/skin/win/twistyOpen.png);
}
.treeRow .treeLabel {
padding-left: 18px;
padding-right: 10px;
white-space: nowrap;
}
.treeRow.hasChildren .treeLabel:hover {
color: blue;
cursor: pointer;
text-decoration: underline;
}
.treeRowInfoGroup {
border-top: 1px solid #EEEEEE;
background: url(chrome://firebug/skin/group.png) repeat-x #FFFFFF;
}
.treeRowInfoBody {
/* display: none; */
margin: 0;
border: 1px solid #D7D7D7;
border-right: none;
padding: 8px;
background-color: #FFFFFF;
font-family: monospace;
overflow-x: auto;
}
.stackLabel {
font-weight: bold;
padding-top: 10px;
} | slim_pajama |
Why exactly are standard potentials additive?
I don't really study chemistry so while my question may be very obvious, its not obvious to me. If we take an electrochemical reaction like
$$\ce{2Fe^2+ + Au^3+ -> 2Fe^3+ + Au+}$$
we can find its standard potential and standard Gibb's energy by summing half reactions whose are known, and can be consulted in tables.
It's intuitive for me that the standard Gibb's energy will be given by a sum of the corresponding reactions, and that I can multiply a reaction by minus one, or whatever, and use that to construct my complete reaction.
The reason I see Gibbs energy as intuitive is because you're essentially just taking
$$\sum\_{\mathrm{products}} \mu\_{\mathrm{products}} - \sum\_{\mathrm{reactants}} \mu\_{\mathrm{reactants}}$$
and this will prove the additive property of "summing up reactions".
But I don't see any reason for additivity being true when considering standard potentials. I don't even see why inverting the reaction should invert my potential if my half cell is in equilibrium and is a kind of "whole" that is compared to the standard hydrogen electrode and should therefore have the same potential no matter how I write it.
How am I screwing up here? Why can we add up potentials?
Following on Derek's great answer, it is very important to remind that the conventional way we use to add half-cell potentials is a consequence of the conservation of energy. Therefore, we should look at this from the perspective of Hess's Law.
How so?
Well, if we add two reactions, no matter which ones, there's one certainty we keep in our souls: the new free energy will equal the sum of the individual ones.
This is a critical issue when trying to figure out the potential of a new reaction that is not the sum of an oxidation and a reduction.
For instance, take a look at these reactions (with all electrode potentials measured with reference to the standard hydrogen electrode):
$$\begin{align}
\ce{Fe^3+ + e- &-> Fe^2+} & E^\circ\_1 &= \pu{+0.771 V} \\
\ce{Fe^2+ + 2e- &-> Fe\_{(s)}} & E^\circ\_2 &= \pu{-0.447 V} \\
\ce{Fe^3+ + 3e- &-> Fe\_{(s)}} & E^\circ\_3 &= \pu{? V}
\end{align}$$
It is tempting to simply add these potentials and get the third value, but we would be incurring on a major error. The proper way to proceed would be to calculate each reaction free energy and then figure out the standard potential.
$$\begin{align}
\ce{Fe^3+ + e- &-> Fe^2+} & \Delta G^\circ\_1 &= (-1)FE^\circ\_1 \\
\ce{Fe^2+ + 2e- &-> Fe\_{(s)}} & \Delta G^\circ\_2 &= (-2)FE^\circ\_2 \\
\ce{Fe^3+ + 3e- &-> Fe\_{(s)}} & \Delta G^\circ\_3 &= (-3)FE^\circ\_3 \\
\end{align}$$
Since we know that $\Delta G^\circ\_3 = \Delta G^\circ\_1 + \Delta G^\circ\_2$, we have:
$$E^\circ\_3 = \frac{E^\circ\_1 +2E^\circ\_2}{3} = \pu{-0.041 V}$$
Why don't we go through all this way when working with cell potentials? Because you always work your equations so that the number of electrons transferred on each of them has the same value. That way, the sum of the potentials is an indirect way of summing the free energies, which are now normalized by a common value.
This trick is evidently very useful, but sometimes it may be very misleading.
It helps to view this in terms of the equation
$$\Delta G^\circ = -nFE^\circ$$
Reversing the reaction reverses the sign on $\Delta G^\circ$, and therefore the sign on $E^\circ$. The sign on the potential determines the direction in which electricity flows. By convention, a galvanic cell (spontaneous reaction) has a positive $E^\circ$, while an electrolytic cell (non-spontaneous reaction) has a negative $E^\circ$. The magnitude of the potential stays the same, but a sign is added to signify the direction of current flow.
As far as adding half cells to determine the overall potential, this can be done because of the relationship in the above equation. You can see that $E^\circ$ depends on $\Delta G^\circ$ and $n$. But for instance, if $n$ is multiplied by 2, $\Delta G^\circ$ will be multiplied by 2 as well (there will be twice as much Gibbs' energy because the reaction involves twice the electron transfer). This means that you can add half-cell potentials to get the overall cell potential. Be careful to note though that if you multiply a reaction by a coefficient that you don't multiply the potentials, as you would for $\Delta G^\circ$; the potential does not depend on the stoichiometric coefficients, only on what the cathode and anode are.
The $E\_\text{cell}$ is independent of no. of of how many times you increase the reaction. If you see equation $ΔG= -nFE\_\text{cell}$ you will find that increasing n also increase $ΔG$ by same times as $ΔG$ is additive and increasing n let say x times will increase $ΔG$ by x times.
Also the $n$ in eqn. means how many electrons are used( if I am right) in reaction. Therefore when you are talking about adding Standard Reduction Potential(SRP or simply electrode potential according to IUPAC) of cathode and Standard Oxidation Potential(SOP) of anode, the value of Cell potential in both case is same. And let say $E\_\text{cathode}$ and $- E\_\text{anode}$ are the reduction potentials. Then if net cell potential is $E\_\text{cell}$ then,
$ - nFE\_\text{cell} = -nFE\_\text{cathode} -nF(- E\_\text{anode})
= -nFE\_\text{cathode} +nF E\_\text{anode}$
it gives,
$E\_\text{cell} = E\_\text{cathode} - E\_\text{anode} $
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Sailor Moon X-overs In a Shower of Cherry Blossoms
**In a Shower of Cherry Blossoms. **
Two sets of eyes stared each other down; one set bright blue, like the ocean at midday, the other a red so dark they were often mistaken for highly polished garnets. One male, one female. Both determined not to be the one to back down.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" The girl shouted, her long, knee length blonde hair catching the breeze and dancing around her slim form. The couple stood in a deserted Sherry Blossom tree grove, the trees in full bloom with the annual Sherry Blossom Festival being held the next day. Light pink blossoms fell around them in a shower of petals. They were alone. No one to disturb or interrupt them. Complete solitude.
"Hey!" The guy snapped back. "You're the one that wanted to 'get-out-and-enjoy-the-day'!" The wind tugged at their clothes. His short greyish white, almost silver hair was being ruffled and dragged across his garnet eyes. Both ignored the cold bite the wind gave at their exposed skin. He wore a tight pair of jeans that clung to his thighs nicely, accenting his long legs, a loose black tee-shirt half tucked into his jeans, half not, as well as slightly worn black boots. Only his arms were exposed to the chill, but she was a different matter. Her long legs were bared by white kaki shorts, held to her waist by a brown leather belt, a cropped yellow spaghetti strapped tank top was worn over a white cropped spaghetti strapped tank top, the straps sitting on her shoulders side by side, and more feminine brown hiking boots were laced on her feet.
"We'll _somebody_ had to drag you out of that docking bay before you became allergic to sunlight!" An agitated hand rose to swipe hair out of her blue eyes, which were still glaring at the boy before her.
"Well _excuse_ me if I find my training more important than wasting my time doing nothing!" Hiead snapped at her. Was she blind?! Didn't she understand how important it was to defeat the Victims?! But Hiead knew that it wasn't true. Usagi was deadly serious, bordering on psychotic when they were training. She knew how much depended on the Goddess pilots.
"That doesn't mean that you have to make yourself a recluse!! Your going to destroy yourself if you keep going on like this!" Argued Usagi. That was another thing Hiead knew about Usagi; she was friendly and cheerful to EVERYONE. Even when they were cold and mean like him.
"I never asked you to care!" He didn't. The two had met on the ship when they first started attending the Goddess Academy, or the GOA as it was called. Usagi had been sitting alone on the ships viewing deck, her mood dark and brooding for some reason, when Hiead had come up to the deck to escape Zero Enna, another pilot candidate on the way to the GOA. Neither had acknowledged the other, preferring the silence. Well, it had been silent until Zero had gotten bored and tracked Hiead down. A near endless stream of mindless chatter had flowed from the boy's mouth; annoying Hiead and pissing Usagi the hell off. It had eventually gotten to the point where, with an almost rhythmic twitching of her left eye, the blonde girl had screeched at him to shut up. Zero blinked, taking notice for the first time the incredibly GORGEOUS babe that sat not too far away. It took exactly 3.5 seconds for him to snap out of his stupor and start heavily flirting with her. Hiead had watched, half amused and half amazed at the sight of the annoying loudmouth, arm draped over Usagi's shoulder, and a sexy smile on his lips.
Seeing the boy distracted enough to make a getaway, Hiead made it to the door before an odd noise drew his attention back to the viewing deck. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to see, but Zero Enna on his knees, clutching his stomach where the 'gorgeous babe' had landed a solid punch was definitely not it. A hand came up to flip her bangs out of her eyes in a purely feminine gesture, before she pivoted on her heel and strode past a frozen Hiead.
That was their first meeting. Hiead had found out later that Usagi was a new repairer for the goddesses. Originally she had been a mechanic at a garage on Zion and a damn good one. But a friend of hers was a strong supporter of the GOA and the Goddesses and had signed her up. The fact that she had to leave her home without even her consent was what had her so pissed off when they had first met. It had been discovered **VERY** quickly that although Usagi was cheerful and happy when in a good mood – pissing her off was a very, **very** bad idea.
"And I never wanted to care about you! God knows why anyone would; you're just a cold-hearted, lowlife, son-of-a--" Usagi didn't finish as Hiead gripped her shoulders and slammed her hard against a cherry blossom tree. A winded gasp escaped her throat as the wind was nearly knocked out of her. Another gasp nearly escaped as Hiead lowered his head so that his lips brushed her ears. His whole body was against her; thigh to thigh, hip to hip, chest to chest. A shudder ran through Usagi's whole body at the feeling.
"If nobody cares then nobody will stick their nose in my business. Or so I thought. But you just won't take the hint, will you?! I don't want to be around you. I don't want to see your dazzling smile. I don't want to drown in your endless blue eyes every time we lock gazes. I don't want to care for you back." Usagi could have sworn she felt her heart stop, but she would never be sure because before she could fully register the words in her brain they were wiped from her mind by Hiead's lips pressing roughly against hers. Usagi knew Hiead was never a gentle person, too much had happened in his life. She's experienced his violent nature first hand, not too long after their arrival at the GOA.
Flash Back
Usagi's teeth ground together as she stalked towards Hiead; deadly graceful, like a hunting panther. Her vision was red from anger, and the fact that she could get expelled from the GOA for fighting with a pilot candidate was irrelevant right now. What was relevant right now, was Hiead.
The pale haired boy was facing off with Zero Enna, _again_, when he saw her approach from the corner of his eye. He'd barely turned to face her when a loud _smack_ echoed the metal hallway and his body hit the ground. Hiead didn't know what stunned him more – the fact that he'd been hit, or the fact that the person who had back handed him was a repairer and a female at that. But he didn't have time to be shocked because suddenly the person who had hit him was straddling his waist, gripping his shoulders and slamming his back painfully against the ground.
"You idiot!!" Again the cold metal of the hallway floors slammed his back. "What the hell were you thinking?! Pro-ing's weren't designed to make manoeuvres like that!" Through his daze Hiead was kind of amazed that this woman was more concerned about the machine than his own safety. But outwardly he only scowled and glared at the girl
"What the hell is it to **you**?! What a pilot does is no concern of a lowly—" Hiead didn't finish as the girl backhanded him once more and returned her hand to his shoulder to slam him into the ground.
"I'm the one making sure those machines are functioning properly and saving your hide! It **IS** my concern that the pro-ing's are working and that makes it my concern what the pilot does!" Usagi glared menacingly at the boy pinned beneath her. "If I **EVER** find out you've been abusing machinery again I'll shove your pilot ID down your throat, got it?!" Hiead didn't answer as he glared back at Usagi, but didn't get a chance to respond before their training instructor interrupted them.
"Tsukino!" Azuma barked, towering over the pair on the floor. "What the hell are you thinking?! Get off him!"
Usagi surprised everyone present when she growled and slammed Hiead into the ground again. "Watch your step. Because I meant what I said!" With a final glare Hiead felt the pressure on his body shift as Usagi rolled off him and flipped to her feet. With a scowl, the garnet eyed boy lifted himself to his feet, resisting the urge to strike the girl now that he was in the position to do something.
"Tsukino, what were you thinking?! Do you know you can get expelled from the GOA for fighting?" Azuma's steely gaze fell on the repairer.
"Of course I do!" She snapped back.
"Then why the **hell** did you attack candidate 87?!" What ever response Usagi was going to give was cut off as Azuma kept talking. "No, wait! I don't want to know. I won't punish you for it this time, but if it happens again you'll be out of here so fast you'll get motion sickness. Am I making myself clear?"
"Crystal." Usagi replied dryly. "But—"
"No buts! Now, you have a job to do, so go do it!!" Usagi remained in her place, frozen, glaring, for an extra four seconds before she turned and walked off, snarling at Hiead as she passed him.
Usagi stifled a yawn as she rubbed her face to at least try to wake herself up a little. She had been awake for 24 hours, nearly 25 as she made repairs to the pro-ing candidate 87 had busted up yesterday. She had worked all through the night to fix the pro-ing and the candidates should be starting today's training in about 15 minutes. The doors to the repair bay slid open and Usagi had to blink to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Hiead Gner didn't give her a chance to do anything before he pushed her back inside and closed the door.
"What the hell--?" Hiead didn't give her time to finish her sentence as he gripped her shoulders in a vice-like grip and pinned her to the wall beside the doors.
"Let's get some things straight here." He drawled in a dangerously low, husky pur. "Never, **ever** even **think** about repeating your little performance from yesterday. **EVER**!! I'm a very unstable person, Tsukino. And although I didn't get the chance to demonstrate this little fact to you yesterday, I'm not going to let you get away with crossing me because you're a girl. I have no problems with hurting you to teach you a lesson," To prove his point the grip he had on her arm tightened further, knowing that large telltale bruises would form from the action. Usagi couldn't help but wince at Hiead's punishment.
"Let me go." The blonde tried to make her voice sound firm, but Hiead caught the slight waver and almost smirked. His body pushed closer to hers and he lifted the girl till her feet were barely touching the ground, effectively proving to Usagi just who was in control. A cold shiver ran down her spine.
"Remember this talk of ours. Remember what I've said. And remember that I'm fully prepared to carry out any and all threats I make." A long silence filled the room as Hiead paused to make sure Usagi absorbed what he was saying. A cold, almost cruel smirk lifted his lips as Hiead was satisfied he'd gotten his point across, before he abruptly released her and walked out.
And Flash Back
Oh, yes. Usagi had seen how violent and rough Hiead could be. So that was why she was totally surprised when the kiss turned from harsh and powerful… to gentle, teasing, almost pleading brushes of his lips against hers. Usagi couldn't stop herself as a low moan of pleasure slipped past her lips and she started to kiss him back, Coherent thought was nowhere to be found as the two moved purely by instinct. One arm shifted from Usagi's shoulder to take Hiead's weight as he leaned against the cherry blossom tree he had pinned Usagi against, while the other was wrapped around he waist to hold her in a crushing grip against his body. Usagi couldn't resist running a hand through Hiead's silky silver hair, her head spinning as waves of ecstasy crashed through her. Her stomach twisted in knots as she pressed herself against the boy holding her, not being able to get close enough. The taste of his kisses intoxicating her and making her giddy. Another shudder ran through her as the arm supporting them slowly gave way so that Hiead had her pinned against the tree again. Now that his hand was free the vacant appendage slipped under the barrier of Usagi's tank tops to rest against the flawless skin of her abdomen.
Another groan escaped Usagi's lips as the action cause the impassioned feeling within her to intensify, and she arched into the touch. Hearing such a positive response, Hiead began to gently fondle her stomach, revelling in the dazed knowledge that he had the power to elicit such responses from the girl while at the same time haphazardly sketching every detail in his memory. Lips brushed, tongues danced, hands caresses; both participants trying to elicit as much response as possible from the kiss until they broke apart abruptly to gulp in much needed air. Chests heaved as they struggled to breath properly, sapphire hues locked with crimson orbs as the duo did little more then breath.
"I didn't want to fall in love with you." Hiead whispered out his last sentence. Usagi was a little stunned at the events that had happened in the last few minutes, but after a few seconds the blonde grinned and giggle, still slightly out of breath.
"Well, this is something I never thought I'd see; the day Hiead Gner admits he's human." Those beautiful garnet eyes narrowed again, but Usagi only giggled again and pecked him on the lips.
"Don't look so worried. I won't tell if you won't." Her blue eyes sparkled, not in anger as they did before, but in mirth. Hiead frowned cutely at her, as if miffed that she was taking this so lightly.
"I was being serious, Usa. I love you."
Usagi only smiled knowingly at him. "I know you were, Hiead. I love you too." Usagi closed her eyes and tilted her head up so that their lips met again, not in a desperate passion, but in compassionate acceptance as they sealed their vows, quite traditionally, in a kiss.
Usagi giggled as they pulled apart for the second time. "Definitely not how I expected today to end." Her sapphire orbs locked on the sun that was just starting to travel towards the horizon and causing the highest clouds to tint pink.
"Are you complaining?" Hiead arched an eyebrow in her direction. Another cold breeze swept over them, causing Usagi to shiver and snuggle closer to Hiead as he brought his arms around her to warm her.
"No. But while we're on the topic, we need to discuss your insanely reckless piloting of the pro-ing's." Hiead couldn't suppress the groan that escaped as he rolled his eyes to high heaven.
"Dear, **GOD**!" What have I gotten myself into?!" The blonde in his arms giggled again.
"I'm thinking a date to the movies Saturday night, **AT LEAST **a lifetime commitment, and right now a chocolate milkshake from the Crown Arcade." Her eyes sparkled with amusement again and Hiead couldn't help but smile as he leaned down to smother her lips in light, teasing butterfly kisses.
"Promise?" He managed to asked softly as he moved from her lips, along her jaw, and over the column of her throat. Usagi laughed at his teasing assault, and Hiead felt a shudder run through him at the vibration under his lips.
"Promise." They didn't get those chocolate milkshakes for quite a while.
For no goo reason, I decided to type this up (Bad me, more important things to do (like sleep since it's 6:46 am and I haven't slept yet^.^)). But screw it. Hope you enjoy!!
End file.
| fanfiction |
recently we carried out analyses @xcite based on the extended optical model @xcite , in which the optical potential consists of the energy independent hartree - fock potential and the energy dependent complex polarization potential that has two components , i.e. , the direct reaction ( dr ) and fusion parts , which we call the dr and fusion potentials , respectively . in the original work based on the extended optical model @xcite , use was made of a usual woods - saxon potential for the hartree - fock part of the potential , but in refs .
@xcite , we started using the double folding potential @xcite .
the main interest in the studies of refs .
@xcite was the normalization constant @xmath5 introduced earlier to reproduce the elastic scattering data for loosely bound projectiles such as @xmath6li and @xmath7be ; in the analysis of data for such loosely bound projectiles using the usual optical model with a folding potential @xcite one was forced to reduce the strength of the folding potential by a factor @xmath8 in order to reproduce the data .
this reduction factor was later ascribed to the strong breakup character of the projectiles .
studies were made on the effects of the breakup on the elastic scattering , based on the coupled discretized continuum channel ( cdcc ) method @xcite .
these studies were very successful in reproducing the elastic scattering data without introducing any arbitrary normalization factors and further in understanding the physical origin of the factor @xmath8 needed in one channel optical model calculations .
the authors of refs . @xcite projected their coupled channel equations to a single elastic channel equation and deduced the polarization potential arising from the coupling with the breakup channels .
the resultant real part of the polarization potential was then found to be repulsive at the surface region around the strong absorption radius , @xmath9 .
this means that the reduction of the folding potential by a factor of @xmath8 needed in the one - channel optical model calculation is to effectively take into account the effects of the coupling with the breakup channels .
we explored this problem for the @xmath6li @xcite , @xmath10li @xcite and @xmath7be @xcite induced scattering and fusion in the framework of the extended optical model with the double folding potential .
simultaneous @xmath0 analyses of the elastic scattering and fusion cross section data were performed to determine the two types of the polarization potentials as functions of the incident energy @xmath11 .
our expectation was that the resulting real part of the dr potential would become repulsive consistently with the results of the ccdc calculations .
we have indeed obtained repulsive real dr polarization potentials @xcite .
in addition , it was shown that both dr and fusion potentials satisfied the dispersion relation @xcite separately . in the present study
, we extend the work of refs .
@xcite to the @xmath1c+@xmath2pb system .
since @xmath1c is a tightly bound projectile , such an anomalous normalization constant @xmath12 observed in @xmath6li or @xmath7be induced scattering is not expected around the coulomb barrier energies .
in fact , the normalization factor @xmath5 for reproducing the @xmath1c projectile data was found to be close to unity , @xmath13 ( see ref .
@xcite ) . in sec .
ii , we first discuss characteristic features of elastic scattering cross section data of @xmath1c+@xmath2pb @xcite in comparison with those of @xmath6li induced scattering . from this comparison
it will be shown that the dr cross section is expected to be significantly smaller in @xmath1c+@xmath2pb than in @xmath6li or @xmath7be induced reactions . in sec .
iii , we then generate the so - called semi - experimental dr cross section , @xmath14 , by using the elastic scattering data together with the fusion cross section data @xcite by following the method described in , e.g. , ref .
the data of @xmath14 is needed in making the separate determination of the dr and fusion potentials in the extended optical model .
simultaneous @xmath0 analyses of the data of the elastic scattering , fusion and semi - experimental dr cross sections are then carried out in sec .
iv , where the results are also presented .
section v concludes the paper .
we begin with the discussion of some characteristic features of the elastic scattering cross section @xmath15 data of @xmath1c+@xmath2pb in comparison with those of @xmath6li , @xmath10li and @xmath7be induced scattering @xcite .
such features can best be seen in the ratio , @xmath16 , defined by @xmath17 as a function of the distance of the closest approach @xmath18 ( or the reduced distance @xmath19 ) , where @xmath20 is the coulomb scattering cross section , while @xmath18 ( @xmath19 ) is related to the scattering angle @xmath21 by @xmath22 with @xmath23 being the distance of the closest approach in a head - on collision . here
@xmath24 and @xmath25 are the mass and charge of the projectile and target ions , respectively , and @xmath26 is the incident energy in the center - of - mass system . @xmath16 as defined by eq .
( [ p_e ] ) will be referred to as the elastic probability . in figs
. [ pe - value ] ( a ) and [ pe - value ] ( b ) , we present the experimental values of @xmath16 for incident energies available around the coulomb barrier energy as a function of the reduced distance @xmath19 for @xmath1c+@xmath2pb @xcite and @xmath6li+@xmath2pb @xcite systems , respectively . the latter case is presented as an example of @xmath16 for a loosely bound projectile . as seen , the values of @xmath16 at different energies line up to form a very narrow band for both cases .
this is a characteristic feature observed in many of the heavy - ion collisions , reflecting the semiclassical nature of the collisions .
@xmath16 remains close to unity until the two ions approach each other at around @xmath27 , where @xmath16 begins to fall off .
the distance @xmath28 is usually called the interaction distance , at which the nuclear interactions between the colliding ions are switched on , so to speak .
the values of @xmath28 are about 1.65 fm for @xmath1c+@xmath2pb and 1.9 fm for @xmath6li+@xmath2pb .
the fall off of the @xmath16 value in the region immediately next to @xmath28 is due to dr .
the fact that the @xmath28-value of 1.9 fm for @xmath6li+@xmath2pb is much larger than @xmath29 fm for @xmath1c+@xmath2pb implies that dr starts to take place in @xmath6li+@xmath2pb at larger distances than it does in @xmath1c+@xmath2pb .
further it is seen that the amount of decrease of the @xmath16 value from unity in @xmath6li+@xmath2pb is significantly larger than in @xmath1c+@xmath2pb in the region of @xmath30 fm , where dr takes place .
these features clearly indicate that dr ( which may be dominated by breakup ) takes place significantly more strongly in @xmath6li+@xmath2pb than in @xmath1c+@xmath2pb .
this is indeed the case as seen from the semi - experimental dr cross section extracted in the next section .
finally , we note that in the region of @xmath31 fm where fusion dominates , the values of @xmath16 for @xmath1c+@xmath2pb and @xmath6li+@xmath2pb become almost identical , implying that there may not be much difference in the absorption rates of both systems when these colliding nuclei approach each other as close as @xmath31 fm .
in fact , the @xmath16 value becomes 0.1 for both cases at approximately @xmath32 fm .
for our purpose of determining the fusion and dr potentials separately , it is desirable to have the data of dr cross sections in addition to fusion and elastic scattering cross sections . for the @xmath1c+@xmath2pb system , however , no reliable data of the dr cross section are available , although some efforts have been devoted to measure the inelastic and transfer reaction cross sections @xcite . here
, we thus generate the so - called semi - experimental dr cross section @xmath14 , following the method proposed in ref .
@xcite . our method to generate @xmath14 resorts to the well known empirical fact that the total reaction cross section @xmath33 calculated from the optical model fit to the available elastic scattering cross section data , @xmath34 , usually agrees well with the experimental @xmath33 , in spite of the well known ambiguities in the optical potential .
let us call @xmath33 thus generated the semi - experimental reaction cross section @xmath35 .
then , @xmath14 can be generated by @xmath36 this approach seems to work even for loosely bound projectiles , as demonstrated by kolata _
et al . _
@xcite for the @xmath6he+@xmath37bi system . following ref .
@xcite , we first carry out rather simple optical model @xmath0 analyses of elastic scattering data solely for the purpose of deducing @xmath35 . for these preliminary analyses
, we assume the optical potential to be the sum of @xmath38+@xmath39 and @xmath40 , where @xmath38 is the real , energy independent bare folding potential discussed in sec .
b , @xmath39 is an energy independent short range imaginary potential discussed in sec .
iv . a , and @xmath40 is a woods - saxon type complex potential with common geometrical parameters for both real and imaginary parts .
the elastic scattering data are then fitted with a fixed radius parameter @xmath41 for @xmath40 , treating , however , three other parameters , the real and the imaginary strength @xmath42 and @xmath43 and the diffuseness parameter @xmath44 , as adjustable .
the @xmath0 fitting is done for three choices of the radius parameter ; @xmath41=1.3 , 1.4 , and 1.5 fm .
these different choices of the @xmath41-value are made to examine the dependence of the resulting @xmath35 on the value of @xmath45 . as observed in ref .
@xcite , the values of @xmath35 thus extracted for three different @xmath41 values agree with the average value of @xmath46 within 3% , implying that @xmath35 is determined without much ambiguity .
we then identified the average values as the final values of @xmath35 . using thus determined @xmath35 , we generated @xmath14 by employing eq .
( [ sig_d ] ) .
the resultant values of @xmath35 and @xmath14 are presented in table [ semiexp ] , together with @xmath47 . in table
[ semiexp ] , given are also @xmath35 determined in ref .
@xcite from the optical model calculations .
the two sets of @xmath35 determined independently agree within 6% except for the lowest energy case of @xmath4855.7 mev where the discrepancy amounts to 25% .
however , at this energy the value of the cross section is very small , and thus @xmath35 determined from the elastic scattering data has a relatively large uncertainty .
[ semiexp ] .semi - experimental total reaction and dr cross sections for the @xmath1c+@xmath2pb system . [ cols="^,^,^,^,^,^ " , ] as already remarked in sec .
iv.d , the real and the imaginary parts of both dr and fusion polarization potentials determined from the present @xmath0 analyses satisfy the dispersion relation @xcite separately .
we showed in ref .
@xcite that for the case of the @xmath6li+@xmath2pb system the threshold anomaly as was observed in heavy ion collisions involving strongly bound projectiles @xcite were distinctly seen only in the fusion potential ; the values of the dr potential changes with energy much more slowly than those of the fusion potential .
now , for the present case of @xmath1c+@xmath2pb , fig .
4 shows that the values of @xmath49 are smaller than those of @xmath50 by about ten times .
however , a somewhat different picture emerges if one plots the values of the imaginary parts of the dr and fusion potentials at a strong absorption radius @xmath51 , i.e. , @xmath52 and @xmath53 , respectively . in fig .
[ potential ] ( a ) , plotted are the values of @xmath52 and @xmath53 , together with the sum , @xmath54 , assuming @xmath55 fm . in fig .
[ potential ] ( b ) , we also show for the sake of comparison the values of @xmath56 and @xmath57 at @xmath58 fm for the @xmath6li+@xmath2pb system obtained with the dispersive potentials of ref .
it can be seen in fig .
[ potential ] ( a ) that the magnitudes of @xmath52 are now comparable with those of @xmath53 and that @xmath52 increases as much rapidly as @xmath53 does with almost the same threshold energies .
we can also see that @xmath53 is larger than @xmath52 around the coulomb barrier energy for the @xmath1c+@xmath2pb system , which is consistent with the ratio @xmath59 shown in fig . 2 .
the sum @xmath54 of @xmath52 and @xmath53 increases rapidly as typically observed for strongly bound projectiles @xcite . in contrast to the above features of @xmath54 , @xmath52 , and @xmath53 for the @xmath1c+@xmath2pb system , those of the @xmath6li+@xmath2pb system are very different ; first of all , as seen in fig .
[ potential ] ( b ) , @xmath60 and the total @xmath54 is dominated by @xmath52 , which is again consistent with the ratio @xmath59 in fig . 2 , and thus @xmath61 over the whole energy range considered .
simultaneous @xmath0 analyses are made for the elastic scattering and fusion cross section data for the @xmath1c+@xmath2pb system at near - coulomb - barrier energies based on the extended optical model approach in which the polarization potential is decomposed into direct reaction ( dr ) and fusion parts .
use is made of the double folding potential as a bare potential .
it is found that the experimental elastic scattering and fusion data are well reproduced without introducing any normalization factor for the double folding potential and also that both dr and fusion parts of the polarization potential determined from the @xmath0 analyses satisfy separately the dispersion relation .
moreover , it is found that the imaginary parts of both fusion and dr potentials at the strong absorption radius show rapid energy variation around the coulomb barrier energy which is typical for tightly bound projectiles @xcite .
the results are compared with those for the @xmath6li+@xmath2pb system involving a loosely bound projectile @xmath6li .
the work was supported in part by the korea research foundation grant funded by the korean government ( moehrd)(krf- 2006 - 214-c00014 ) and the korea science and engineering foundation grant funded by the korean government ( most ) ( no .
m20608520001 - 07b0852 - 00110 ) .
w. y. so , t. udagawa , k. s. kim , s. w. hong , and b. t. kim , phys .
c * 75 * , 024610 ( 2007 ) .
so , t. udagawa , k. s. kim , s. w. hong , and b. t. kim , phys .
c * 76 * , 024613 ( 2007 ) .
w. y. so , t. udagawa , k. s. kim , s. w. hong , and b. t. kim , to be submitted . t. udagawa , b. t. kim , and t. tamura , phys .
c * 32 * , 124 ( 1985 ) ; t. udagawa and t. tamura , phys .
c * 29 * , 1922 ( 1984 ) . s .-
hong , t. udagawa , and t. tamura , nucl .
a491 * , 492 ( 1989 ) .
t. udagawa , t. tamura , and b. t. kim , phys .
c * 39 * , 1840 ( 1989 ) ; b. t. kim , m. naito , and t. udagawa , phys .
* b237 * , 19 ( 1990 ) . g. r. satchler and w. g. love , phys . rep . *
55 * , 183 ( 1979 ) .
y. sakuragi , phys .
c * 35 * , 2161 ( 1987 ) .
n. keeley and k. rusek , phys .
* b427 * , 1 ( 1998 ) . c. c. mahaux , h. ng , and g. r. satchler , nucl
a449 * , 354 ( 1986 ) ; * a456 * , 134 ( 1986 )
. m. a. nagarajan , c. c. mahaux , and g. r. satchler , phys .
. lett . * 54 * , 1136 ( 1985 ) .
s. santra , p. singh , s. kailas , a. chatterjee , a. shrivastava , and k. mahata , phys .
c * 64 * , 024602 ( 2001 ) .
a. mukherjee , d. j. hinde , m. dasgupta , k. hagino , j. o. newton , and r. d. butt , phys .
c * 75 * , 044608 ( 2007 ) .
w. y. so , s. w. hong , b. t. kim , and t. udagawa , phys .
c * 69 * , 064606 ( 2004 ) .
n. keeley , s. j. bennett , n. m. clarke , b. r. fulton , g. tungate , p. v. drumm , m. a. nagarajan , and j. s. lilly , nucl .
a571 * , 326 ( 1994 ) .
j. j. kolata , v. guimares , d. peterson , p. santi , r. white - stevens , p. a. deyoung , g. f. peaslee , b. hughey , b. atalla , m. kern , p. l. jolivette , j. a. zimmerman , m. y. lee , f. d. becchetti , e. f. aguilera , e. martinez - quiroz , and j. d. hinnefeld , phys .
lett . * 81 * , 4580 ( 1998 ) .
w. g. love , t. terasawa , and g. r. satchler , nucl .
a291 * , 183 ( 1977 ) .
b. t. kim , w. y. so , s. w. hong , and t. udagawa , phys .
* 65 * , 044607 ( 2002 ) .
m. s. hussein , phys .
c * 30 * , 1962 ( 1984 ) .
c. w. de jager , h. devries , and c. devries , atomic data and nuclear data tables , * 14 * , 479 ( 1974 )
. j. cook , comp .
. comm . * 25 * , 125 ( 1982 ) .
p. h. stelson , phys . lett . *
b205 * , 190 ( 1988 ) ; p. h. stelson , h. j. kim , m. beckerman , d. shapira , and r. l. robinson , phys .
c * 41 * , 1584 ( 1990 ) .
b. t. kim , w. y. so , s. w. hong , and t. udagawa , phys .
* 65 * , 044616 ( 2002 ) .
a. baeza , b. bilwes , r. bilwes , j. diaz , and j. l. ferrero , nucl .
a419 * , 412 ( 1984 ) .
j. s. lilley , b. r. fulton , m. a. nagarajan , i. j. thompson , and d. w. banes , phys . lett . * b151 * , 181 ( 1985 ) . b. r. fulton , d. w. banes , j. s. lilley , m. a. nagarajan , and i. j. thompson , phys . lett . * b162 * , 55 ( 1985 ) .
( color online ) the stelson plot of @xmath63 for dr ( @xmath64 , open circles ) and fusion ( @xmath65 , filled circles ) cross sections .
use is made of the semi - experimental dr cross section for @xmath66 , while the experimental fusion cross section is employed for @xmath67 .
the intercepts of the straight lines with the energy axis give us the threshold energies @xmath68 = 55.6 mev and @xmath69 = 53.7 mev . ]
( color online ) the strength parameters @xmath70 ( upper panel ) and @xmath71 ( lower panel ) for @xmath64 and @xmath72 as functions of @xmath73 .
the open and solid circles are the strength parameters for @xmath64 and @xmath72 , respectively .
the dotted and solid lines in the lower panel denote @xmath74 and @xmath75 from eqs .
( 17 ) and ( 18 ) , respectively , while the dotted and solid curves in the upper panel represent @xmath76 and @xmath77 calculated by using the dispersion relation of eq .
( 9 ) with @xmath71 given by eqs .
( 17 ) and ( 18 ) .
the values of @xmath78 and the corresponding reference energies @xmath79 used in eq .
( 9 ) are such that @xmath80 ( @xmath79=60.3mev ) = @xmath81 mev and @xmath82 ( @xmath79=59.0mev ) = @xmath83 mev , respectively . ]
( color online ) ratios of the elastic scattering cross sections to the rutherford cross section calculated with our final dispersive optical potentials are shown in comparison with the experimental data .
the data are taken from ref .
@xcite . ]
( color online ) dr and fusion cross sections calculated with our final dispersive optical potential are shown in comparison with the experimental data .
@xmath14 denoted by the open circles are obtained as described in sec .
the fusion data are from ref .
@xcite . ]
( color online ) the values of the fusion , dr , and total imaginary potential , @xmath84 , @xmath85 and @xmath86 , respectively , ( a ) at @xmath87 fm for @xmath1c + @xmath2pb and ( b ) at @xmath58 fm for @xmath6li + @xmath2pb . ] | arxiv |
if the galactic dark halo were composed entirely of massive compact halo objects ( machos ) , the instantaneous probablity of microlensing ( the `` optical depth '' ) towards the large magellanic cloud ( lmc ) would have been @xmath15 ( pacznski 1986 ) .
the most recent observational result for machos with masses up to about 1 @xmath5 is @xmath16 , which comes from an analysis of 5.7 years of lmc microlensing survey data ( alcock et al .
thus an all - macho galactic dark halo is ruled out . however , the observed optical depth is significantly higher than the estimate for known galactic and lmc stellar populations , @xmath17 ( alcock et al .
the excess lmc microlensing signal may be telling us the macho fraction of the galactic dark halo or revealing gaps in our understanding of the essential structure of the lmc and galaxy .
critical discussions of the microlensing optical depth from known stellar populations have developed along two lines .
one debate has been about the possible existence of a `` new '' stellar population which would account for the lmc microlensing result .
some example suggestions include an intervening dwarf galaxy or tidal stream ( zhao 1998 ; zaritsky & lin 1997 , zaritsky et al .
1999 ) , and a very warped galactic disk ( evans et al . 1998 ) .
these hypotheses have been tested , and in some cases ruled out ( alcock et al .
1997 ; beaulieu & sackett 1998 ; bennett 1998 ; gould 1998 , 1999 ; gyuk , flynn , & evans 1999 ; ibata , germaint , & beaulieu 1999 ; johnston 1998 ) .
the second debate has been about the importance of lmc star - star `` self - lensing '' ( sahu 1994 ; wu 1994 ) . in particular , although the lmc is well represented by an exponential disk model which often serves as the basis for the self - lensing optical depth calculation , it may exhibit some important detailed structures .
our paper is motivated by this lmc self - lensing problem .
the line - of - sight velocity dispersion of lmc stars yields a strong constraint on star - star self - lensing from the virialized lmc disk : @xmath18 ( gould 1995 ) .
gould s elegant limit is probably uncertain by no more than a factor of @xmath72 .
however , several lmc models have been devised which would increase the self - lensing optical depth over the gould limit .
one example of a detailed structure that might increase the self - lensing optical depth is a highly - inclined and flared lmc disk ( zhao 1999 ) .
it has also been suggested that the oldest lmc disk stars have a very large characteristic scale height , or that the lmc harbors an as yet unseen but massive stellar spheroid 2 - 4 for the former , and a very large
m / l for the latter ) , and the density profiles . ]
( e.g. aubourg et al
. 1999 ; salati et al . 1999 ; evans & kerins 2000 ) . finally , it is possible that a nonvirialized stellar component ( i.e. , a shroud of tidal debris ; weinberg 2000 ) acts to increase the self - lensing optical depth ( zhao 1998 ) .
kinematic studies play a critical role in testing these various proposed lmc models . for example
, the flare of the lmc disk may be inferred from its velocity dispersion at different radii , and the existence of a non - equilibrium stellar component lying near the lmc might be proven with a large kinematic survey ( zhao 1999 ; graff et al . 1999 ; see also zaritsky et al .
1999 ; ibata et al .
in addition , one could search directly for an lmc stellar population with a velocity dispersion of @xmath750 km s@xmath1 , the prediction for a spheroid or very thick disk .
these latter components must be identified before their importance to the self - lensing optical depth can be assessed .
the lmc rotation curve provides a framework for detailed kinematic studies such as these .
the decomposition of the lmc rotation curve into disk and dark halo components has several implications for microlensing .
first , as emphasized by gyuk et al .
( 1999 ) , the total mass of the lmc is an important constraint on self - lensing optical depth calculations .
a high - mass model will typically predict a high self - lensing optical depth , with an additional dependence on whether the mass lies mostly in the disk or in a halo .
unfortunately , recent analyses of the lmc rotation curve have lead to mass estimates that range over a factor of @xmath74 , which can be attributed primarily to different assumptions about a dark halo ( kim et al .
1998 , kunkel et al .
1997 , schommer et al .
second , a massive lmc dark halo might significantly affect the lmc disk kinematics ( e.g. bahcall 1984 ) , with possible consequence for constraints on self - lensing or determining the flare of the disk
. the influence of an lmc dark halo on the lmc disk kinematics has not been investigated in detail .
we note that the interplay between the disk and dark halo is also of general interest for studies of galaxy formation and evolution .
finally , if the lmc has a dark halo with a physical makeup similar to that of the galactic dark halo ( i.e. composed partly of machos ) , the macho fraction of the galactic dark halo implied by the observed optical depth would be lowered ( alcock et al .
2000 ) . motivated by the above considerations , we present a new analysis of the lmc rotation curve . in this work
we are particularly concerned with the flare of the lmc disk . however , other issues pertinent to microlensing are discussed as our calculations and analyses permit .
we refer extensively to the rotation curve recently presented by kim et al .
( 1998 ) and the impressive radial velocity dataset for lmc carbon stars summarized by kunkel , demers , irwin & albert ( 1997 ; hereafter kdia ) .
a significant subset of these latter data are public ( kunkel , irwin & demers 1997 ) , and archived electronically at the cds .
we also refer extensively to the analysis of the lmc space motion presented by kroupa & bastian ( 1997 ) .
our paper is organized as follows . in 2 , we present the impetus for this work , a comparison of constant - thickness exponential disk models ( with no dark halos ) to the lmc disk velocity dispersions reported by kdia . in 3 , we reanalyze the lmc rotation curve and velocity dispersion curve using archived carbon - star radial - velocity data . in 4 , we present a multi - mass component kinematic model for the lmc . in 5 , we compare our carbon - star rotating disk solution to our model .
we discuss the microlensing implications of our analyses in 6 and conclude in 7 .
disks in galaxies often have exponential surface brightness profiles from which we infer exponential mass surface density profiles of the form @xmath19 by assuming constant mass - to - light ratios ( @xmath20 ) . in equation
( 1 ) , @xmath21 is the central mass surface density , @xmath22 is the radial scale length , and @xmath9 is a cylindrical radial coordinate . for an infinitely thin disk described by equation ( 1 ) , freeman ( 1970 )
calculated that the rotation curve reaches a maximum circular velocity at @xmath23 @xmath24 where @xmath25 is the total mass of the disk , which is related to the central surface density by @xmath26 for the case of a disk with a modest finite thickness , @xmath27 will be decreased by @xmath28 ( van der kruit & searle 1982 ) .
a useful model with a finite thickness is the exponential disk ( also known as a double - exponential disk ) , which has a density distribution @xmath29 in equation ( 4 ) , the variable @xmath8 is the vertical , or what we will sometimes refer to as the `` z '' scale height . if we choose the spatial density normalization @xmath30 , the exponential disk projects to the surface density of the infinitely thin freeman disk , i.e. equation ( 1 ) .
the z - velocity dispersion , @xmath31 , for the exponential disk is given by wainscoat , freeman and hyland ( 1989 ) , @xmath32^{1/2}\ ] ] which assumes that the disk is virialized .
equation ( 5 ) is strictly valid for a radially infinite disk .
the radial dependence ( i.e. , the @xmath33 term ) in equation ( 5 ) scales the local density normalization , as prescribed by others ( van der kruit & searle 1982 ; van der kruit & freeman 1984 ) .
a model extensively discussed by van der kruit & searle ( 1981 , 1981b , 1982 ) is the isothermal disk .
the vertical distribution of stars in an isothermal disk is described by the sech@xmath34 function , as originally derived by spitzer ( 1942 ; see also 4.2 of this paper ) .
the spatial density for this disk model is , @xmath35 which projects to the surface density of the infinitely thin freeman disk if @xmath36 .
assuming virialization , the z - velocity dispersion of the isothermal disk is proportional to the z - scale height and independent of z : @xmath37^{1/2}\ ] ] where the radial dependence scales the local density normalization .
equation ( 7 ) is strictly valid for a radially infinite disk .
we note that the `` z - scale height '' in the isothermal disk is not strictly a scale height ( and not the same as @xmath8 in the double - exponential model ) , but it is a similar parameter .
further comparisons of the exponential and isothermal disk models are found in wainscoat , freeman & hyland ( 1989 ) , and van der kruit ( 1988 ) .
the systematic error in the velocity dispersion predicted by the radially infinite isothermal disk model has been shown to be only @xmath710% in the range @xmath38 using numerical studies of truncated isothermal disk models ( van der kruit & searle 1982 ) .
we will use the isothermal disk model in our analyses , because these numerical calculations provide us with an estimate of the model accuracy , and will later allow us to approximately account for the finite radial extent of the lmc disk ( see 4.3 of this paper ) .
observations of edge - on spirals indicate that both the exponential and isothermal models are viable representations of real disks ( de grijs , peletier , & van der kruit 1997 )
. the specific choice of model does not affect the main results of this work .
it is reasonable to compare the model z - velocity dispersion to the observed velocity dispersion at different projected radii in the lmc for the case of uniform anisotropy ( @xmath39 constant at different radii ; van der kruit & freeman 1984 ) .
although we do not know if this is true for the lmc , the assumption of uniform anisotropy is supported by kinematic studies of the old galactic disk ( lewis & freeman 1989 ) .
gould ( 1995 ) notes that if @xmath40 1 as found elsewhere , the line of sight velocity dispersion measured for an inclined disk overestimates @xmath41 .
therefore , our model z - velocity dispersion is likely an upper - limit on the true z - velocity dispersion . combining equations ( 2 ) , ( 3 ) and ( 7 ) yields @xmath42 which is most accurate for disks in the range @xmath38 .
the z - scale height has been observed to be constant over a large range of @xmath9 in numerous disk galaxies ( van der kruit & freeman 1984 ; de grijs , peletier , & van der kruit 1997 ) , implying that @xmath43 decreases with increasing @xmath9 in these galaxies .
indeed , this trend of decreasing velocity dispersion has been observed in over a dozen spiral / disk galaxies ( bottema 1993 ) , including our own . in summary , if the disk velocity dispersions are the same at different radii , the disk is likely flared ( e.g. zhao 1999 )
however , this inference assumes that ( 1 ) the disk is virialized , ( 2 ) the radial scale length is constant , ( 3 ) the disk velocity dispersions exhibit uniform anisotropy , and ( 4 ) the galaxy has no dark halo ( or that the dark halo has a negligible affect on the disk velocity dispersions ) .
finally , one must be careful to compare the observed velocity dispersions to the simple model described above over a restricted range of radii , because real galactic disks are finite in radial extent .
we compare to the lmc in the next section . in this section , we will adopt a plausible value for the product @xmath44 in equation ( 8) , and compare that model to lmc disk velocity dispersion data .
following kdia and many others , we adopt a distance to the lmc of 50.1 kpc , and an inclination of @xmath14 = 33 degrees . for comparison ,
wide - field uv polarimetric image data have yielded a precise but model - dependent estimate of the inclination of the lmc disk : @xmath45 degrees ( cole , wood , & nordsieck 1999 ) .
westerlund ( 1997 ) summarizes a number of other inclination measurements .
we adopt @xmath46 kpc for the radial scale length of the lmc disk .
the surface brightness profile of the lmc disk is well - fit by an exponential with a scale length @xmath47 kpc ( de vaucouleurs 1957 , bothun & thompson 1988 ) .
moreover , the surface density profile of intermediate - age long period variables ( lpvs ) in the lmc is also fit by an exponential with a scale length of @xmath48 kpc ( hughes , wood & reid 1991 ) .
this result directly associates our kinematic dataset with an lmc population that follows the @xmath22 = 1.6 kpc exponential profile , because some of the intermediate - age lpvs are also carbon stars .
finally , the rr lyrae stars in the lmc also appear to lie in a @xmath47 kpc exponential disk ( alcock et al .
since the rr lyraes are presumably much older than the carbon stars , the carbon stars were likely born into the same disk .
we note that no stellar population in the lmc has yet been shown to be inconsistent with a @xmath46 kpc exponential profile .
we assume that the carbon stars observed by kdia properly represent this lmc disk .
the kdia dataset consists of radial velocity measurements for 759 carbon stars spanning a true lmc radius of 2 to 10 kpc .
kdia summarize the results of 11 different zonal solutions for a rotating disk . in figure 1
, we plot the kdia velocity dispersions as a function of radial distance , which we take as the central value for each zonal solution given in kdia s table 1 .
we show data only for @xmath9 = 3 to 6 kpc .
this is the range of radii where equation ( 8) will most accurately predict the velocity dispersions . the dashed line in figure 1
is the mean of the plotted , observed velocity dispersions , @xmath49 13.7 km s@xmath1 . assuming a constant value of @xmath43 equal to the mean , we find @xmath50 = 0.4 , consistent with the data .
the solid line plotted in figure 1 shows the prediction of equation ( 8) assuming values of @xmath51 km s@xmath1 and @xmath8 = 0.35 kpc at @xmath52 .
this model predicts @xmath53 km s@xmath1 at @xmath54 kpc .
the fit for this model distribution is @xmath50 = 8.7 , which can be rejected with high significance .
models with larger scale heights intersecting the data at larger @xmath9 give similarly poor fits are not strictly apppropriate because the zonal solutions given by kdia are not all independent .
however , subsets of the @xmath55 measurements which are independent also give poor fits to the distribution given by equation ( 7 ) . ] .
one possible interpretation of the observed constancy of @xmath43 with @xmath9 is that the z - scale height increases as @xmath56 , i.e. _ the lmc disk is flared . _
an alternate interpretation of figure 1 might be a constant - thickness disk under the dynamical influence of a dark halo ( bahcall 1984 ) . indeed , kim et al .
( 1998 ) compared their rotation curve with the kdia carbon star rotation curve and , on this basis , argued that an lmc dark halo is dynamically significant at a radius of @xmath74 kpc .
however , kdia favored a different interpretation ; they attributed the rising outer portion of their carbon star rotation curve to tidal effects , and not a dark halo curve in figure 1 , supporting this aspect of our analysis in 2 . ] . before concluding that the lmc disk is flared , it is worth testing disk plus dark halo kinematic models in a self - consistent manner . with this model comparison in mind ,
let us consider the kdia analysis in greater detail .
we have several specific concerns with the kdia analysis .
first , and perhaps most importantly , kdia excluded some carbon stars from their solutions for their association with a polar ring .
this procedure might have artificially lowered the disk velocity dispersions . by retaining these stars in our solutions , we guarantee that our results will be properly comparable to our model ( which will not include a polar ring ) .
kdia also corrected for the lmc transverse motion by forcing the position angle of the kinematic line of nodes to match the photometric line of nodes in each zonal solution .
this is a questionable procedure .
moreover , it is inconsistent with the analysis by kim et al . (
we will correct the carbon - star velocities for the transverse motion of the lmc in a manner consistent with the rotation curve analysis by kim et al .
in fact , we will make our carbon star rotation curve analysis similar in other ways to the rotation curve analysis ( i.e. , by adopting the same kinematic center ) , in order to lend maximum credibility to detailed comparisons of the two rotation curves .
we assemble positions ( right ascension and declination ; equinox 1950 ) and galactocentric radial velocities for magellanic cloud carbon stars from kunkel , irwin & demers ( 1997 ) .
we discard all small magellanic cloud ( smc ) carbon stars , `` inter - cloud '' carbon stars ( their table 15 ) , and carbon stars located near the center of the lmc ( their table 17 ; see also 3.3 ) .
we also discard one rogue carbon star ( c0433@xmath576607 ) for its highly discrepant velocity .
the resulting homogeneous dataset contains 422 carbon stars , representing a significant subset of the data analyzed in kdia .
ongoing observational campaigns to obtain carbon star radial velocities will likely increase the sample size in the coming years ( suntzeff 1998 ) .
the archival dataset we have assembled is sufficient for the purposes of this study .
feast , thackeray & wesselink ( 1961 ) have discussed the apparent rotation induced by the transverse motion of the lmc .
each of our 422 carbon star velocities are corrected for this projected radial velocity gradient as follows .
we adopt the lmc space motion calculated by kroupa & bastian ( 1997 ) , which is derived from an average of the lmc proper motion they measure with _ hipparcos _ data and the lmc proper motion measured by jones , klemola , & lin ( 1994 ) .
the _ hipparcos _ and jones et al .
( 1994 ) measurements of the lmc proper motion agree within their respective error bars .
we note that kim et al .
( 1998 ) make their transverse motion correction using the proper motion measurement by jones et al .
( 1994 ) .
it is useful to establish a galactic coordinate system for the vector analysis that follows .
following kroupa & bastian ( 1997 ) , the galactocentric coordinates used here are such that the galactic center and the sun are located at 0 and @xmath58 kpc along the @xmath59-axis , respectively .
the positive @xmath60-axis points toward the north galactic pole , and the positive @xmath61-axis points in the direction of galactic rotation at the position of the sun . in these coordinates ,
the position vectors of the sun and lmc are @xmath62 @xmath63 in units of kpc .
the velocity vector of the lmc is @xmath64 in units of km s@xmath1 ( kroupa & bastian 1997 ) . the galactocentric radial velocity of the lmc is the vector dot product @xmath65 km s@xmath1 , where @xmath66 is a normalized unit vector .
the vector between the sun and lmc is @xmath67 , and the radial velocity component of the lmc seen from the local standard of rest ( accounting for the sun s peculiar velocity and galactic rotation ) at the position of the sun is @xmath68 km s@xmath1 .
the vector @xmath69 points toward the `` center '' of the lmc , which is assumed to be at @xmath70 , @xmath71 ( kroupa & bastian 1997 ) .
the unit vector connecting the sun to any position in the sky in galactocentric coordinates is @xmath72 the transverse motion velocity correction that we seek is the difference between the projected radial velocity toward the lmc center and the projected radial velocity toward each carbon star .
if we define the vector @xmath73 , the apparent rotation induced by the lmc space motion is @xmath74 .
we make our correction by subtracting @xmath75 from the observed carbon star velocities .
small differences between the kroupa & bastian ( 1997 ) model used here for the transverse motion radial velocity correction and assumptions ( i.e. , for the lmc center and distance ) in subsequent sections have a negligible effect on our results .
first , we convert each carbon star s right ascension and declination into spherical coordinates in units of radians .
we designate these @xmath76 and @xmath77 , respectively .
we adopt the center of the lmc at right ascension @xmath78 and declination @xmath79 ( equinox 2000 ) following kim et al .
we designate the lmc center with @xmath80 and @xmath81 ( also in units of radians and precessed to equinox 1950 ) .
the distribution of carbon stars is shown in figure 2 ( where north is up and east is to the right ) .
the smc is located well outside of the boundaries of the figure in a south - westerly direction ( toward the lower left ) .
we remind that @xmath76 and @xmath77 are spherical coordinates plotted on a rectilinear scale .
therefore , the distribution of carbon stars shows a @xmath7cos(@xmath77 ) distortion .
our solution proceeds as follows .
we calculate the position angle ( @xmath82 ) and radial distance from the center of the lmc ( @xmath83 in units of radians ) for each carbon star using the formulae @xmath84\ ] ] @xmath85\ ] ] @xmath86 equation ( 15 ) assigns the correct sign and phase to the position angle depending on which quadrant each star resides in figure 2 .
we have defined @xmath82 to increase west of north .
we deproject each radial distance on the sky to true lmc radius ( @xmath9 in units of kpc ) using , @xmath87^{1/2 } \
\right ) \right|\ ] ] we take the absolute value of the inverse tangent in equation ( 16 ) to guarantee a positive value for @xmath9 .
we accommodate a twisting disk model by introducing @xmath88 .
the parameter @xmath88 allows for a changing kinematic line of nodes in different radial zone solutions .
we note that @xmath88 is sensitive to the adopted lmc transverse velocity ( meatheringham et al .
we define our different zones by making cuts in true radius .
each zonal solution is derived by fitting the function @xmath89 to the distribution of galactocentric radial velocities , @xmath90^{1/2 } } \ + \ v_{sys } \right)\ ] ] we must choose the correct sign for @xmath89 at the appropriate position angle , which is the meaning of the ` @xmath0 ' in equation ( 17 ) .
we choose ` @xmath91 ' for @xmath92 = @xmath93 to @xmath94 , and ` @xmath57 ' for @xmath92 = @xmath94 to @xmath95
. the fitted model could be generalized to account for a warped and decentered disk by letting @xmath14 and ( @xmath80 , @xmath81 ) vary in each zonal solution .
however , we fix @xmath14 , @xmath80 , and @xmath81 to the values given above in all solutions .
we derive solutions in four radial zones which span @xmath9 = 2.5 - 5 , 5 - 6 , 6 - 7 , and 7 - 13 kpc .
these were chosen to provide an adequate number of stars and phase coverage in each zone .
the inner - most and outer - most boundaries were chosen to be inclusive of the entire dataset when @xmath88 = 0 .
we begin by solving for @xmath96 , @xmath88 , and @xmath97 that yield a minimum dispersion about @xmath89 in each of our zones .
we average the values of @xmath96 , excluding the outermost zone ( which was sometimes poorly constrained ) . in a second round of fitting ,
we fix @xmath96 to the three - zone average value , and search only for values of @xmath88 and @xmath97 that minimize the velocity dispersion .
this procedure was easily reproduced , and facilitated our bootstrap and monte carlo error analyses ( described below ) .
the mean radii in each final zonal solution are @xmath98 = 4.0 , 5.6 , 6.5 , and 7.8 kpc .
the minimum velocity dispersions occurred at @xmath88 = @xmath5737 , @xmath5722 , @xmath578 , and 3 degrees .
we find circular velocities @xmath97 = 72 , 68 , 65 , and 65 km s@xmath1 and velocity dispersions @xmath43 = 17.7 , 14.9 , 19.3 and 20.6 km s@xmath1 , respectively ( in order of increasing radius ) .
the four zonal solutions are shown in figure 3 .
we indicate the carbon stars with small open circles .
each carbon star is plotted twice at @xmath82 and ( @xmath82 + @xmath99 ) .
the best fit curve is plotted as a solid line .
the mean radius , circular velocity , and velocity dispersion are also labeled in each panel .
our first estimate of the errors is made with a bootstrap resampling analysis ( barrow , sonada , & bhavsar 1984 ) .
we create 250 artificial datasets by randomly removing 1 - 10% of the carbon stars from our full dataset , and then find new rotating disk solutions for each of these . in a bootstrap reasampling analysis
, the variances in the mean values of interest averaged over all of the artificial datasets are taken to represent the internal variances of the full dataset .
we find errors in @xmath97 of 1.3 , 1.7 , 2.3 , and 2.4 km s@xmath1 for the four radial zones ( in order of increasing radii ) .
we find an error in @xmath43 of 0.3 , 0.2 , 0.4 , and 0.5 km s@xmath1 , and errors in @xmath88 of 1.1 , 1.0 , 2.4 , and 1.5 degrees , respectively . our second calculation is designed to estimate the errors associated with our choice of zonal boundaries and the movement of stars between zones due to the changing @xmath88 parameters . for each of the four zones
, we find new solutions for 64 different variations in the zonal boundaries .
we varied each boundary by no more than @xmath0 0.25 kpc , which yielded roughly comparable numbers of stars and mean radii in each zonal solution ( except for the outer boundary of the outer - most zone which was varied by 1.5 kpc in steps of 0.25 kpc ) .
the variances of @xmath97 , @xmath43 , and @xmath88 in the zonal boundary solutions are similar to those found with the bootstrap analysis . moreover
, we find no systematic trends with boundary choice , except for the outermost zone . in the outermost zone
, @xmath97 decreases systematically ( from @xmath760 to 30 km s@xmath1 ) as the inner boundary is varied from @xmath76.7 to 7.2 kpc .
finally , we perform a monte carlo calculation to propagate the error on the lmc space motion to the rotation curve .
we create 500 artificial datasets , where the lmc space motions are drawn randomly from a sample that reproduces the best fit values and errors in equation ( 11 ) .
we assume gaussian distributions for the space motion errors .
this calculation yields errors in @xmath97 of 7.1 , 8.7 , 10.4 and 15.8 km s@xmath1 , errors in @xmath43 of 0.1 , 0.2 , 0.3 and 0.4 km s@xmath1 , and errors in @xmath88 of 6.6 , 4.6 , 7.6 and 8.4 degrees , in the four zones ( in order of increasing radius ) .
similar values were found with as few as @xmath7250 artificial datasets , indicating that our calculation is robust . for most of the parameters in our rotating disk solution ,
the error from the lmc space motion dominates .
our final solutions and adopted errors are summarized in table 1 .
we note that there would be no stars in common between the different solutions if all zones had the same @xmath88 , but in our final solutions , @xmath75% of the stars are located in two zones ( see table 1 ) .
however , since we have accounted for the movement of small numbers of stars across the zonal boundaries in our error analysis , we may consider each zonal solution as independent in subsequent analyses .
we previously discarded 22 radial velocity measurements for carbon stars very near the center of the lmc ( kunkel , irwin & demers 1997 ; their table 17 ) because this sample of stars did not span an adequate range of @xmath82 to yield an interesting zonal rotation curve solution .
however , the velocity dispersion of these carbon stars is of considerable interest .
this sample of stars at @xmath100 kpc has a velocity dispersion of @xmath101 km s@xmath1 .
guided by our error analyses above , we adopt an error of 1 km s@xmath1 .
the average velocity dispersion of carbon stars in our five zones is @xmath43 = 18.9 km s@xmath1 .
we defer further discussion and interpretation of the lmc rotation curve and disk velocity dispersions until 5 , after we present our theoretical kinematic model .
we will consider two representations of the contribution of the luminous mass in the lmc disk to the rotation curve .
the first is derived empirically by kim et al .
( 1998 ) from the @xmath9-band surface brightness data of de vaucouleurs ( 1958 ) . for two assumptions of the disk mass - to - light ratio
, we present this stellar rotation curve in table 2 . the second representation of the disk rotation curve we will consider is the finite - thickness , truncated disk model of van der kruit and searle ( 1982 ) .
we adopt their model no . 2 ( truncated at @xmath9 = 4@xmath22 ) from their appendix a.1 .
table 3 summarizes this disk model rotation curve , which is given in units of the radial scale length ( @xmath22 ) and the equivalent maximum circular velocity for an infinitely thin exponential disk ( @xmath27 ; see 2.1 of this paper ) .
this model will also be used to calculate a correction to the scale heights inferred from the disk velocity dispersions at small radii in the lmc ( see 4.3 of this paper ) . when comparing either of these two disk rotation curves to our carbon star data points , we will add in quadrature the small additional contribution of gas in the lmc disk to the rotational velocity .
kim et al . ( 1998 ) calculated the gas rotation curve using the single - dish data of luks & rolfs ( 1992 ) , and assuming a 30% contribution from .
the gas rotation curve is summarized in table 4 .
finally , we will account for a pseudo - isothermal dark halo in the traditional manner , assuming a density profile , @xmath102 where the circular velocity is a function of the integrated total mass @xmath103\ ] ] the psuedo - isothermal dark halo is parameterized by a central density , @xmath104 , and core radius , @xmath105 .
we add the circular velocities of the disk ( @xmath106 ) and psuedo - isothermal halo ( @xmath107 ) in quadrature in order to calculate the rotation curve of our model : @xmath108 .
the effect of a spherical dark halo on the velocity dispersion of an embedded disk has been extensively discussed by bahcall ( 1984 ) , bahcall & casertano ( 1984 ) and bottema ( 1993 ) .
the vertical motions of stars in a disk and halo system are governed by poisson s equation @xmath109 where @xmath110 and the first moment of the boltzmann equation @xmath111 the effective halo density , @xmath112 , includes the contribution from the radial deriviative of the total circular velocity , @xmath97 . if the rotation curve is fairly flat , we may discard the radial deriviative term in equation ( 22 ) and equate @xmath113 .
this formulation of the problem ( bahcall 1984 ) neglects the @xmath114 cross terms in poisson s equation . with the following redefinitions ( bahcall 1984 ) @xmath115 and @xmath116 we rewrite the equations governing the vertical motions of the disk stars as @xmath117 with the boundary conditions @xmath118 the solution for @xmath119 = 0 was first published by spitzer ( 1942 ) : @xmath120 the solution to equation ( 25 ) for @xmath121 is @xmath122 the differential equation ( 25 ) must be solved numerically for intermediate values of @xmath119 .
the @xmath119 parameter define in equation ( 24 ) is the ratio of effective halo density to the disk density in the plane of the disk .
it is particularly useful parameter because it relates ratio of the velocity dispersion in a disk plus halo system , @xmath123 , to the velocity dispersion in a disk with no halo , @xmath124 .
following bottema ( 1993 ) , and suppressing the subscript @xmath60 for clarity , @xmath125 where @xmath76 is the surface density @xmath126 in the limit of @xmath121 , @xmath127 we have solved for @xmath128 as a function of @xmath119 numerically ; these values are listed in table 5 . in the limit of large @xmath119
, these values confirm equation ( 31 ) .
the error in @xmath76 is @xmath730% at @xmath129 and less than 20% at @xmath130 , in the sense that equation ( 31 ) overestimates the numerically calculated value of @xmath76 .
finally , we note that the density profile of the dark halo may be derived from the observed velocity dispersion in the disk at large @xmath9 , if the disk scale height is constant .
equating @xmath113 and @xmath131 , and combining equations ( 6 ) , ( 7 ) , ( 24 ) , ( 29 ) , and ( 31 ) gives @xmath132 where the approximate density profile of the dark halo ( at large @xmath9 ) follows from equation ( 18 ) .
thus , if a galactic disk is embedded in a dark halo , one expects @xmath133 at large @xmath9 with the slope proportional to @xmath134 .
the velocity dispersion in the lmc bar will yield an accurate estimate of the scale height only if we make a numerical correction to account for the finite extent of the lmc .
we note that applying a pure disk model at small radii in the lmc is reasonable because the lmc has no bulge , and the surface brightness profile ( even in the bar ) is purely exponential ( bothun & thompson 1988 ) .
we appeal to the numerical integrations by van der kruit & searle ( 1982 ) to estimate a `` correction factor '' for the disk velocity dispersions given by equation ( 7 ) . in table
a1 of van der kruit & searle ( 1982 ) , model no . 2 , the ratio of the actual z - force ( @xmath135 ) to the model z - force is 0.55 , 0.82 , 0.95 , 1.07 , 1.06 , 0.64 , and 0.77 at @xmath136 = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 and 6 , respectively .
we have simply averaged over the tabulated values of @xmath137 ( various other weighted - average schemes give similar values ) .
the correction to the model velocity dispersons is the square root of the z - force ratios ( van der kruit & searle 1982 ) , and is @xmath725% near the lmc center .
the scale height inferred from the velocity dispersion in the lmc bar would be underestimated by a factor of @xmath72 without the correction . here
we summarize the theoretical calculations presented thus far . in
2.1 , we introduced the basic formulae that describe an exponential disk with no dark halo , and a prediction for the velocity dispersion perpendicular to the plane of the disk .
the latter calculation was made by assuming a radially infinite disk . for a disk truncated at @xmath136
= 4 or 5 , the error in this predicted velocity dispersion is less than 10% at radii of a few scale lengths ( van der kruit & searle 1982 ) . in 4.1 , we described the rotation curve of an exponential disk embedded in a psuedo - isothermal dark halo .
we presented a stellar rotation curve derived from lmc surface brightness data , and a gas rotation curve , both from kim et al .
( 1998 ) . we presented a model rotation curve for a finite - thickness disk truncated at @xmath136 = 4 , from van der kruit & searle ( 1982 ) . in 4.2 , we calculated the velocity dispersion perpendicular to the plane of a disk that is embedded in a psuedo - isothermal dark halo . at large radii , the dynamical influence of the dark halo can dominate . in this limit
, we showed that the disk velocity dispersion can be predicted by an analytic formula .
we estimated the error of this approximation using numerical integrations .
in 4.3 , we give a numerical correction to the velocity dispersion perpendicular to the plane of the disk ( the prediction from 2.1 ) that accounts for truncation of the disk at @xmath136 = 4 , which is adopted from van der kruit and searle ( 1982 ) .
although the lmc disk may not be truncated at precisely four radial scale lengths , by using the same model throughout this work , our analysis is self - consistent .
in figure 4 , we present the lmc rotation curve and a `` maximal '' disk decomposition .
our four zonal solutions are indicated with bold dots and error bars .
data points on the rotation curve from kim et al .
( 1998 ) are shown with bold cross symbols .
for comparison , we plot the carbon star zonal solutions of kdia with open circles .
also shown in figure 4 are the gas and stellar disk rotation curves .
we assume m / l = 2.2 for the stellar rotation curve , which is similar to that found for the galactic disk ( bahcall , flynn & gould 1992 ) .
disk mass - to - light ratios of @xmath72 are favored by dynamical stability arguments ( bottema 1993 ) .
finally , we plot the sum of the gas and stellar disk rotation curves as a bold solid line .
our four zonal solutions and the solutions of kdia agree within our respective errors .
the model rotation curve and our data points show quite good agreement .
in fact , although the overall scaling of the model is a free parameter ( the m / l ratio of the stellar disk ) , the variation with radius is reproduced remarkably well .
the disagreement between the model and data points would appear less severe if error bars similar to those on the carbon star data points were appropriate .
if the lower envelope of the carbon star error bars were more representative of the true lmc rotation curve , then one could adopt a slightly smaller m / l ratio and the agreement with the data points would improve .
however , since the data points appear to deviate from a smooth curve , most notably the dip at @xmath138 3 kpc , it is possible that all of the data points lying below the model curve represent a significant failure of the model .
we speculate that a bar in the lmc may be responsible , although we have not attempted any modeling of this effect . in figure 5
, we show the same carbon star and data points as in figure 4 .
we now replace the stellar rotation curve derived from surface brightness data with the finite - thickness , truncated model disk rotation curve .
the gas rotation curve , and the sum of the gas and model disk rotation curves are also plotted .
the model curve assumes a scale length of 1.6 kpc and an infinitely thin disk equivalent maximum circular velocity .
a finite - thickness disk has a maximum circular velocity approximately 5% smaller than an equivalent infinitely thin disk ( see table 3 ) . in this decomposition
, we adopt the finite - thickness disk model , but account for the contribution from gas ( approximately 5% near maximum ) , and quote here the maximum circular velocity for an equivalent infinitely thin disk . ]
@xmath27 = 71 km s@xmath1 .
the model disk rotation curve is clearly consistent with the data , and fits the run of and carbon star data points even better than the ( semi - empirical ) stellar rotation curve shown in figure 4 .
the small differences between the model disk rotation curve , the stellar disk rotation curve , and the data points as illustrated in figures 4 and 5 are not critical to our conclusions .
we estimate the mass of the lmc disk using @xmath27 = 71 km s@xmath1 and the formulae in 2.1 , which yields @xmath139 @xmath3 @xmath140 .
the error is estimated by adopting the uncertainty of the maximum observed circular velocity in our carbon star solutions ( @xmath07 km sec@xmath1 ; see table 1 ) for the uncertainty of @xmath27 .
this maximal disk model has a surface density normalization of @xmath141 @xmath5 pc@xmath142 .
kim et al . ( 1998 ) estimate the total mass of gas in the lmc to be 0.5 @xmath3 @xmath140 .
thus , the total mass of the lmc is @xmath143 @xmath3 @xmath140 . in figure 6 , we present a `` minimal '' disk decomposition of the lmc rotation curve .
we plot the same carbon star and data points as in figures 4 and 5 .
we plot the stellar rotation curve assuming m / l = 1 , the gas rotation curve , and the sum of the stellar and gas rotation curves .
we also plot the contribution of a pseudo - isothermal dark halo , and the sum of the disk and halo rotation curves . in this decomposition , we calculate @xmath144 @xmath3 @xmath140 and @xmath145 @xmath5 pc@xmath142 . the shallow and declining run of carbon star data points favors a small core radius for the lmc dark halo . the dark halo shown has @xmath105 = 1 kpc and @xmath104 = 0.10 @xmath5 pc@xmath12 . by assuming m
l = 1 in the disk , this decomposition has a maximal halo , and yields a total lmc mass of @xmath75 @xmath3 @xmath140 ( corresponding to an upper limit on the lmc global mass - to - light ratio of @xmath74 ) . in figure 7
, we plot our lmc disk velocity dispersions as a function of true radius with bold dots and error bars .
we plot the results of kdia with open circles ( see also fig . 1 ) .
the prediction of equation ( 8) for our maximal disk model is shown as a dotted line and labeled .
we plot this model prediction again , but now corrected for the truncation of the lmc disk ( the `` @xmath146 force correction '' ) as a bold solid line .
we have assumed a constant scale height of @xmath147 kpc , which normalizes the latter curve to intersect the carbon star data point in the lmc bar .
a constant - thickness disk model can not be reconciled with the data by any choice of @xmath8 . for our minimal disk decomposition ,
we must account for the effect of the lmc dark halo on the disk velocity dispersions . by combining equations ( 6 ) , ( 18 ) , and ( 24 ) , and equating @xmath148
, we may estimate the @xmath119 parameter , @xmath149 assuming a constant scale height of @xmath150 kpc , the spatial density normalization of the minimal disk is @xmath151 = 0.068 @xmath5 pc@xmath12 . adopting the parameters of the maximal lmc dark halo from above , we find @xmath152 1.1 , 1.0 , 1.2 , 1.9 and 3.4 at integer steps of @xmath136 = 1 to 5 . for these values of @xmath119 ,
the error associated with equation ( 31 ) is too large , and thus we appeal directly to our numerical integrations in table 5 . for this decomposition , we begin with the velocity dispersion according to equation ( 8) , and then make the @xmath153 force correction .
we calculate @xmath154 using equation ( 33 ) , and use spline interpolations of the numerical data in table 5 to calculate @xmath76 .
the model disk velocity dispersions are corrected according to equation ( 29 ) by a factor of @xmath128 ( equating @xmath155 ) .
these various curves are plotted in figure 8 .
our choice of @xmath8 = 0.4 kpc normalizes the dark halo - corrected curve to intersect the data point in the lmc bar .
a constant - thickness disk in the presence of a maximal dark halo can not be reconciled with the observed velocity dispersions by any choice of @xmath8 . for comparison ,
a fit to the velocity dispersion data with the minimal disk and an arbitrary pseudo - isothermal dark halo implies a maximum circular velocity in the rotation curve of @xmath7500 km s@xmath1 , which is about 7 times higher than observed .
our maximal disk model yields @xmath8 = 0.25 , 0.93 , and 1.62 kpc at @xmath9 = 0.5 , 4.0 , and 5.6 kpc , respectively . for comparison , the minimal disk yields @xmath8 = 0.55 , 1.62 , and 2.61 kpc at the same radii . at larger radii ( @xmath10 6 kpc ) , where the disk velocity dispersions begin to rise , the implied scale heights for the maximal disk model are @xmath8 = 5.1 and 28.4 kpc ( at @xmath9 = 6.5 and 8.2 kpc , respectively ) .
the scale height inferred from the last data point is much larger than the tidal radius of the lmc ( weinberg 2000 ) , and obviously wrong .
we will return to the interpretation of these high velocity dispersions at large radii in a moment .
a linear regression on the three data points with @xmath156 kpc yields : @xmath157 where @xmath9 is in units of kpc , and @xmath55 is in units of km s@xmath1 .
we adopt this regression to represent the flare of the lmc disk .
the change of scale height is represented by a function of the form @xmath158 where @xmath8 and @xmath9 are in units of kpc .
we find @xmath159 , and @xmath160 kpc .
equation ( 35 ) predicts the scale height to within 0.1 kpc of the values estimated above . assuming a constant mass - to - light ratio
, our flared disk model must project to a surface density that varies as @xmath33 in order to reproduce the observed surface brightness profile of the lmc ( de vaucouleurs 1957 , bothun & thompson 1988 ) .
therefore , the spatial density of the flared disk , @xmath161 , must change with an effective radial scale length that compensates for the variation of scale height with @xmath9 .
this effective radial scale length is easily calculated by considering @xmath162 where we require that @xmath163 .
substituting @xmath164 = 1.4 yields @xmath165 = 0.583 ( note that @xmath165 and @xmath164 are dimensionless scale factors ) .
it also follows that @xmath166 = @xmath167 = 1.064 @xmath5 pc@xmath12 . in summary ,
our flared disk model has the following spatial density , @xmath168 where @xmath169 is given in equation ( 35 ) .
the dynamical influence of the galactic dark halo is calculated following the discussion in 4.2 of this paper ( see also aubourg et al .
we designate the mean density of the galactic dark halo at the distance of the lmc as @xmath170 .
if we substitute @xmath170 for @xmath171 in equation ( 20 ) , then @xmath119 from equation ( 24 ) yields @xmath76 from table 5 , and thus the correction to the disk velocity dispersions through equation ( 29 ) .
we estimate @xmath170 following griest ( 1991 ; see his eqn . [ 3 ] ) .
we assume that the galactic dark halo has a core radius of 3 kpc , and a solar neighborhood spatial density normalization of 0.0079 @xmath5 pc@xmath12 .
we adopt the distance from the sun to the galactic center of 8.5 kpc , and the distance from the sun to the lmc of 50.1 kpc , which yields @xmath170 = 0.00025 @xmath5 pc@xmath12 .
we estimate @xmath119 = 0.001 , 0.007 , 0.040 , 0.224 and 1.246 at integer steps of @xmath136 = 1 to 5 . in figure 9
, we plot the same data points as in figures 7 and 8 .
we indicate the regression of equation ( 34 ) as a solid line , and this regression corrected for the effect of the galactic dark halo as a bold solid line .
although the fit is not perfect , the agreement with the last data point is quite good .
thus the influence of the galactic dark halo on our flared disk model is of the correct magnitude to account for the outer - disk velocity dispersions .
in addition , the radius where the galactic dark halo begins to have a significant dynamical effect ( i.e. , where the velocity dispersions begin to rise in the disk ) is also reasonably reproduced .
a more detailed modeling of the outer - disk velocity dispersions is beyond the scope of this paper .
we find that @xmath119 is quite small at all radii of interest for the constant - thickness maximal disk model ( accounting for the galactic dark halo but no lmc dark halo ) , and for the constant - thickness minimal disk model ( accounting for both the galactic and lmc dark halos ) . in summary
, constant - thickness exponential disk models can not be reconciled with the observed run of lmc disk velocity dispersions . as discussed above
, we adopted the mean density of the galactic dark halo at a distance of 50 kpc of @xmath170 = 0.00025 @xmath5 pc@xmath12 , or @xmath172 ( griest 1991 ) .
it is worth considering the range of allowed galactic dark halo profiles . assuming flat rotation curves at large radii , many authors have made galaxy models with pseudo - isothermal density profiles ( e.g. caldwell & ostriker 1981 ; bahcall , schmidt , & soneira 1982 ) .
typical core radii range from 2 to 8 kpc .
the average value of the density at 50 kpc predicted by these models is @xmath173 , with a standard deviation of 0.2 dex . as a final check
, we compare the n - body cold dark matter simulation of the galactic dark halo presented by dubinski ( 1994 ) .
the initial density profile for this dark halo model was similar to an ellipsoidal hernquist potential , which is like the universal dark halo profile found in dark matter - dominated galaxies ( kravstov et al .
dubinski s ( 1994 ) initial density profile was then compressed by the galactic potential ( e.g. blumenthal et al .
1986 ) and in its final form predicts @xmath172 .
the density profile of the galactic dark halo assumed for machos ( alcock et al .
2000 ) is also pseudo - isothermal ; thus our analysis of the lmc disk kinematics supports this dark halo profile over the range of interest ( @xmath174 to 50 kpc ) .
it has been suggested that the lmc is embedded in a `` shroud '' of tidal debris ( weinberg 2000 ) .
such debris is unlikely to contribute significantly to the lmc self - lensing optical depth because too little mass is involved , and it is likely to be located close to the disk ( weinberg 2000 ; see 6.2 ) .
nonetheless , it is worth considering the possibility that our sample of true disk carbon stars is contaminated by tidal debris , which might reconcile a constant - thickness disk model with the disk kinematic data . in this case
, tidal debris would also affect our interpretation of the outer - disk velocity dispersions .
the notion of tidal debris surrounding the lmc is somewhat similar to the suggestion by kdia that the lmc harbors a polar ring , also of tidal origin .
( we note that kdia analysed a larger sample of carbon stars , in which they claim the kinematic signature of a polar ring is evident . )
we have thus far presented an interpretation of the radial velocity data for 422 carbon stars in the lmc that does not require a polar ring , or tidal debris .
the nature of tidal debris ( in a polar ring or otherwise ) is investigated as follows .
if we assume that a constant - thickness maximal disk model represents the true lmc disk , the `` excess '' velocity dispersion in each zonal solution may be calculated by subtracting the model contribution from the observed dispersions in quadrature , which yields @xmath175 = 15.0 , 13.7 , 18.8 and 20.5 km s@xmath1 at @xmath9 = 4.0 , 5.6 , 6.4 and 8.2 kpc , respectively .
next , if we assume that the contaminating debris has a uniform velocity dispersion of @xmath750 km s@xmath1 , the ratio of contaminating stars to total stars in each zonal solution would be of order @xmath710 - 20% .
( this ratio is inversely proportional to the velocity dispersion assumed for the tidal debris . ) in each of our zones , we estimate the number of @xmath750 km s@xmath1 tidal debris stars would be 12 , 17 , 10 , and 8 ( in order of increasing radius ) , if the lmc disk were of constant thickness .
we calculate that our four disk zones subtend relative sky areas of 0.40/0.16/0.16/1.00 , in order of increasing zone radius .
a regression of the relative numbers of tidal debris stars with the relative zone areas shows an anti - correlation , significant at the @xmath71@xmath43 level . assuming that the true disk and tidal debris carbon stars are similarly affected by incompleteness in the data , this is not what we naively expect from the tidal debris scenario described by weinberg ( 2000 ) .
the two outermost zones are illustrative .
they have area ratios that differ by a factor of @xmath76 , yet the estimated numbers of contaminating tidal debris stars are 10 and 8 .
therefore , the contaminating debris must have a non - uniform radial distribution of surface density , velocity dispersion , or both .
it is also possible , but even more contrived , that a spatially - dependent incompleteness in the carbon star dataset has conspired with a non - uniform spatial distribution of tidal debris to yield the observed velocity dispersions . in light of this analysis ,
we prefer an interpretation of the lmc rotation curve and disk velocity dispersions that invokes a negligible contamination from tidal debris ( i.e. , our maximal flared disk model ) . the unambiguous detection of nonvirialized lmc stars and the accurate characterization of their spatial distribution are clearly desirable .
observations of such a population / structure would be relevant to our interpretation of the lmc rotation curve and disk kinematics , with possible additional implications for lmc microlensing ( e.g. zhao 1999 ; graff et al . 1999 ; weinberg 2000 ) .
here we calculate the lmc self - lensing optical depth of our maximal flared disk model by directly integrating the spatial density of stars given in equation ( 37 ) .
we begin with an integral of the form @xmath176 which yields the optical depth to any source star in the lmc at position @xmath177 , a cylindrical coordinate system in the plane of the disk . the position angle @xmath178 is defined to be zero at the near side if the inclined disk .
the integration variable is the line of sight distance between the source and lens .
we use the subscripts `` @xmath179 '' and `` @xmath180 '' to denote the coordinates of the sources and lenses , respectively . the approximation in equation ( 38 )
is that @xmath61 is always much smaller than the distance to the source ( @xmath181 50.1 kpc ) , which is reasonable for lmc self - lensing .
note that @xmath61 is simply related to @xmath182 , the distance from the observer to the lens , and @xmath183 , the distance from the observer to the source @xmath184 where @xmath14 is the inclination angle of the disk ( measured from the plane of the sky ) . for completeness
, we provide the following geometric identity relating the source and lens positions to @xmath61 : @xmath185 it is necessary to integrate over the line of sight a second time , in order to calculate a density - weighted average of @xmath186 over the distribution of source stars @xmath187 which may be properly compared to the observed optical depth .
the integration over @xmath183 is made in practice by transforming to a variable in our lmc cylindrical coordinate system ( i.e. , @xmath188 ) .
we truncate the lmc disk at a conservative radius of 10 kpc .
our results are insensitive to the choice of truncation radius at the few percent level .
we calculate @xmath189 for multiple lines of sight , designated by ( @xmath190 ) in the plane of the disk .
our calculation is the case of `` pure '' self - lensing ( gould 1995 ) , which yields an upper limit . the effects of dust obscuration and nonlensing mass in the plane of the disk will lower the real value of the optical depth for a fixed total mass of the lmc . we have calculated the self - lensing optical depths in each of the 30 survey fields in the 5.7-year lmc microlensing analysis by alcock et al .
( 2000 ; see also gyuk et al .
1999 ) . in the central - most fields ,
we find @xmath191 , while in the fields lying at the largest true radii , we find @xmath192 .
the field - averaged optical depth for lmc disk self - lensing is : @xmath193 .
the lmc inclination dominates the uncertainty in @xmath194 .
first , we note that the inclination is probably not a serious concern for the rotation curve and disk kinematics because the shape of the @xmath89 function ( eqn .
[ 15 ] ) is fairly insensitive to @xmath14 over the range of plausible values .
however , gould ( 1995 ) and gyuk et al .
( 1999 ) show that , to first order , @xmath195 is proportional to the square of the mass - weighted velocity dispersion and an inclination factor of sec@xmath196 . therefore , we simply rescale our calculation of @xmath194 for different inclinations , @xmath197 which should be quite accurate for the lmc inclinations typically found . as noted in 2.2 , cole et al .
( 1999 ) find @xmath45 .
thus their @xmath72@xmath43 upper limit , @xmath198 , yields @xmath199 . for comparison ,
bothun & thompson ( 1988 ) find @xmath200 , which corresponds to @xmath201 .
the contribution to the uncertainty in @xmath194 from the velocity dispersion follows from gould s ( 1995 ) formula and our equation ( 34 ) ; it is of order @xmath202 , or a negligible 0.03% .
finally , the @xmath710% uncertainty in @xmath203 yields a @xmath720% uncertainty on the total lmc mass , but this corresponds to a small uncertainty in the factor of @xmath204 in equation ( 42 ) .
the self - lensing optical depth on the near and far sides of the minor axis at the distances spanned by the 30 fields in alcock et al . ( 2000 ) varies by @xmath75% due to the inclination of the disk ( e.g. gould 1994 ) .
thus the flaring of the lmc disk has only a minor effect on the spatial distribution of the self - lensing optical depth , which is a potential diagnostic of the lens population ( e.g. alcock et al .
the estimate of a @xmath75% minor axis asymmetry in the optical depth would increase for larger adopted values of the inclination .
gyuk et al .
( 1999 ) recently reviewed different self - lensing calculations in the literature . to first order ,
self - lensing from the virialized lmc disk is proportional to the following combinations of derivable quantities ( gyuk et al .
1999 ) , @xmath205 our model accounts for `` second order '' effects , such as the finite radial extent and flare of the lmc disk .
we have shown that uncertainties in the lmc proper motion contribute a @xmath71% uncertainty to @xmath43 and a @xmath720% uncertainty to @xmath25 ( via @xmath203 ) , assuming a truncated and flared maximal disk model . assuming this model , our numerical calculation of the self - lensing optical depth ( eqn . [ 42 ] ) is appropriate .
the maximal disk model is consistent with lmc dynamics .
however , if a model of the lmc with a dark halo is preferred , the halo will probably contribute to lmc self - lensing in addition to the disk . in this case , our equation ( 42 ) is not appropriate ( see gyuk et al .
we have adopted a minimal lmc disk , and provided an example maximal dark halo which is consistent with the rotation curve .
measurements of the lmc disk mass to light ratio would better constrain the minimal lmc disk model ( our model is extreme ) . for the more complicated case of an lmc with a dark halo , constraints on
self - lensing are weaker .
this is due partly to the uncertainty that the lmc proper motion contributes to the rotation curve , which constrains the total lmc mass .
the lmc self - lensing optical depth may depend systematically on the age of the stars whose kinematics are studied .
historically , it has been difficult to prove that old lmc stellar populations have different velocity dispersions .
for example , the ch stars in the lmc were originally thought to trace the elusive lmc halo population , by analogy with ch stars in the galaxy ( hartwick & cowley 1988 , cowley & hartwick 1991 ) .
however , the ch stars in the lmc are now believed to represent a much younger population ( suntzeff et al .
we note that our average carbon star velocity dispersion ( 18.9 km s@xmath1 ) is similar to that found for the ch stars ( 20 km s@xmath1 ) .
according to aubourg et al .
( 1999 ) and salati et al .
( 1999 ) , the lmc could harbor an old population with a large velocity dispersion .
these authors invoke wielen s ( 1977 ) age - velocity dispersion calibration from the solar neighborhood .
we note that weilen s calibration was derived for stars younger than @xmath73 gyr , and extrapolation beyond this age may not be appropriate .
moreover , weinberg ( 2000 ) predicts that the velocity dispersions in the lmc disk , under the influence of the galactic tidal field , will remain constant ( or decrease ) over time .
extant observational studies have not yielded a clear picture of the variation of velocity dispersion with age in the lmc .
for example , the old globular clusters in the lmc , with ages of @xmath712 gyrs ( olsen et al .
1998 ) , exhibit a velocity dispersion of @xmath721 - 24 km s@xmath1 ( schommer et al .
1992 ; see also freeman , illingworth , & oemler 1982 ) .
thus , the lmc carbon stars and ancient clusters support the hypothesis of a constant disk velocity dispersion ( for stellar populations older than @xmath73 gyr ) , in agreement with weinberg s ( 2000 ) prediction .
however , the velocity dispersion of old lpvs in the lmc , with ages of @xmath78 gyr ( hughes , wood , & reid 1991 ; olszweski , sunzteff , & mateo 1996 ) , is @xmath735 km s@xmath1 ( hughes et al .
further observational studies are needed , particularly given the provocative old lpv result .
last , we suggest that a shroud of tidal debris or a polar ring , if they exist , would probably make a negligible contribution to the lmc self - lensing optical depth because the total amount of mass involved is small .
weinberg ( 2000 ) reached a similar conclusion .
the rotation of the disk of the lmc has been derived from the radial velocities of 422 carbon stars ( kunkel , irwin , & demers 1997 ) .
we have propogated the uncertainty in the lmc space motion to the lmc rotation curve with a monte carlo calculation .
the associated disk velocity dispersions found in each rotating disk zonal solution are less sensitive to systematic uncertainties from the lmc space motion than the circular velocities obtained .
we note that our carbon star rotation curve is derived in a manner consistent with the rotation curve analysis by kim et al .
( 1998 ) ; thus our respective results are properly comparable .
we have fit our carbon star rotation curve and the rotation curve with a truncated , maximal lmc disk model , yielding a total lmc mass of @xmath143 @xmath3 @xmath140 .
we also conclude that the disk of the lmc is flared . extrapolating the flare inferred at small radii ( where tidal perturbations are small ) to the outer - disk , and accounting for the influence of the galactic dark halo , we are able to approximately reproduce the observed disk kinematics .
this model favors an isothermal density profile for the galactic dark halo out to a distance of 50 kpc .
our truncated and flared maximal disk model yields a limit on the spatially - averaged lmc self - lensing optical depth of @xmath206 .
for plausible values of the lmc inclination , this low self - lensing rate compared to the measured microlensing rate allows for the existence of a dark lens population in the galactic halo ( alcock et al .
2000 ) .
finally , we caution that we have not included in our analysis ( 1 ) the dynamical effects of an lmc bar , ( 2 ) large - scale non - circular motions , ( 3 ) non - uniform anisotropy of the disk velocity dispersions , or ( 4 ) arbitrary spatial distributions of tidal debris ( i.e. , a polar ring or stars out of virial equilibrium ) . despite these shortcomings , our truncated and flared maximal disk model successfully accounts for the general dynamical characteristics of the lmc , lending inferences from the model high weight .
d.r.a . acknowledges howard e. bond for support of work performed at the space telescope science institute , and kem h. cook for support of work performed at the lawrence livermore national laboratory .
nasa research grant nag5 - 6821 `` uv , visible , and gravitational astrophysics research and analysis '' and doe contract w7405-eng-48 are recognized .
c.a.n . acknowledges support from national physical science consortium graduate student fellowship .
we thank ken freeman , david bennett , tim axelrod , howard bond , kailash sahu , geza gyuk , greg bothun , and the anonymous referee for their helpful discussions and comments .
lccccclccccc 2.5 - 5.0 & 91 & 4.0 & @xmath207 & 72 @xmath0 7.1 & 17.6 @xmath0 0.3 5.0 - 6.0 & 139 & 5.6 & @xmath208 & 68 @xmath0 8.7 & 14.9 @xmath0 0.2 6.0 - 7.0 & 122 & 6.4 & @xmath209 & 65 @xmath0 10.4 & 19.3 @xmath0 0.4 7.0 - 13.0 & 73 & 8.2 & 3 & 65 @xmath0 15.8 & 20.6 @xmath0 0.5 ccc|ccc 0.5 & 14.0 & 30.8 & 5.5 & 28.6 & 62.7 1.0 & 23.5 & 51.7 & 6.0 & 28.3 & 62.1 1.5 & 28.6 & 62.7 & 6.5 & 28.0 & 61.5 2.0 & 30.8 & 67.7 & 7.0 & 28.0 & 61.5 2.5 & 31.4 & 68.9 & 7.5 & 28.0 & 61.5 3.0 & 31.4 & 68.9 & 8.0 & 27.7 & 60.9 3.5 & 31.4 & 68.9 & 8.5 & 27.4 & 60.3 4.0 & 30.8 & 67.7 & 9.0 & 27.4 & 60.3 4.5 & 30.2 & 66.4 & 9.5 & 27.4 & 60.3 5.0 & 29.1 & 64.0 & 10.0 & 27.2 & 59.7 cc|cc 0.5 & 5.0 & 5.5 & 22.8 1.0 & 9.0 & 6.0 & 22.5 1.5 & 10.0 & 6.5 & 21.0 2.0 & 12.0 & 7.0 & 20.0 2.5 & 16.0 & 7.5 & 19.0 3.0 & 22.0 & 8.0 & 18.5 3.5 & 24.2 & 8.5 & 17.0 4.0 & 23.8 & 9.0 & 16.0 4.5 & 23.0 & 9.5 & 15.0 5.0 & 23.0 & 10.0 & 14.5 ll|ll 0.000 & 1.000 & 6.000 & 0.339 0.250 & 0.865 & 7.000 & 0.317 0.500 & 0.776 & 8.000 & 0.298 1.000 & 0.658 & 9.000 & 0.283 1.500 & 0.582 & 10.000 & 0.269 2.000 & 0.528 & 12.000 & 0.248 2.500 & 0.486 & 15.000 & 0.223 3.000 & 0.453 & 20.000 & 0.194 4.000 & 0.404 & 30.000 & 0.160 5.000 & 0.367 & 50.000 & 0.124 | arxiv |
choroideremia is an x - linked , recessive disease of the retina resulting in progressive degeneration of the retina , the retinal pigment epithelium ( rpe ) , and the choroid .
the prevalence of choroideremia is estimated to be approximately 1:50,000 in people of european descent.1 the disease is characterized by the clinical appearance of atrophy of the choroid resulting in a characteristic pale color of the fundus , originating from the translucence of the white sclera ( figure 1 ) . in males ,
the condition gradually advances and starts with night blindness and eventually results in progressive loss of peripheral vision and total blindness in the late stages , although some extreme peripheral field detection may remain.2 however , disease progression is relatively slow and the fovea is generally only affected in the end stages of the disease .
therefore , patients may retain good central visual function as late as 5070 years old.3,4 although x - linked diseases preferentially occur in men ( as they have only one x chromosome ) choroideremia may also present in female carriers .
this is due to the process of lyonization in which one copy of the x chromosome is silenced5 and therefore cells carrying the mutation are intermixed with cells expressing the normal x chromosome resulting in a mosaic pattern of the disease .
the characteristic fundus appearance and a family history consistent with x - linked disease are sufficient for the diagnosis of choroideremia .
other retinal dystrophies with similar fundus appearance can usually be ruled out by family history or laboratory testing .
these include autosomal recessive gyrate atrophy which can usually be ruled out by family history and testing for hyperornithinemia , oliver
mcfarlane syndrome , a pnpla6-related disorder and dominantly negative mutations in rpe65 or bifocal chorioretinal atrophy , and an autosomal dominant disease with a gene mutation on chromosome 6.68 there are several reports on the histological changes in choroideremia this is critically important for designing treatments , because it is essential to know which retinal cells are affected by the chm gene deficiency and therefore need to be targeted by gene therapy vectors . in postmortem
histological sections , independent degeneration of choriocapillaris , rpe , and neurosensory retina have been described .
furthermore , areas of relatively well - preserved retinal architecture were found adjacent to areas of severe degeneration , corresponding to the clinical fundus appearance.9,10 photoreceptor degeneration was less pronounced above preserved rpe , but occasionally photoreceptor loss was seen in areas with preserved rpe.11 within the affected areas , the retina was thinned due to thinning of outer segments of the photoreceptors and loss of nuclei within the outer nuclear layer .
subsequently , loss of nuclei within the inner nuclear layer was found as well.11 in addition , there was profound rarefication of most vasculature and melanocytes within the choroid .
there is some evidence that inflammation occurs within the retina in patients with choroideremia : a recent report has provided evidence of a mild t - lymphocytic infiltration within the choroid.11 furthermore , pigment filled macrophages have been identified in the subretinal space associated with rosette formation of the retina.12 whereas inflammation is not likely to play an active part in the pathogenesis of choroideremia , there seems to be a reactive inflammatory response in the areas of active disease as photoreceptor debris usually is phagocytized and removed by macrophages.13
in the last decade , advances in retinal imaging have led to an improved understanding of morphological changes occurring during the disease course of choroideremia .
optical coherence tomography ( oct ) can be used to diagnose macular changes associated with choroideremia such as choroidal neovascularization,14 cystoid macular edema,15 epiretinal membrane formation,16 outer retinal tubulations,17 macular hole formation,18 and macular hole complicated by retinal detachment.19 fundus autofluorescence shows a characteristic speckled pattern of low- and high - density fundus autofluorescence ( figure 2).20 increased lipofuscin accumulation originating from digestion of degenerating rods by rpe cells is thought to cause increased autofluorescence in choroideremia , whereas low density fluorescence reflects loss of the rpe layer whilst the choroid is still intact .
this is corroborated by functional tests , showing an association of multifocal electroretinogram ( mferg ) deterioration with major fundus autofluorescence changes.20,21 despite high resolution oct and genetic characterization of choroideremia , the sequence of morphological changes leading to vision loss remains unknown .
there are several theories on which retinal layers are primarily affected by choroideremia . whereas some reports show that the rpe is the first layer to degenerate , followed by loss of photoreceptors,22 others claim that the photoreceptor layer,23 in particular the rods,24 is primarily affected , followed by degeneration of the rpe and the choriocapillaris .
the latter hypothesis is not however supported by the observations from patients with dominant rpe65 mutations who have a very similar choroidal atrophy appearance to chm . since the rpe65 gene is known to be expressed only in the rpe and being dominantly negative , we assume it causes rpe cell death
; this phenotype provides an alternative pathway for the choroidal atrophy being rpe - driven in both diseases .
conversely , if chm were a disease primarily of rod photoreceptor loss , then we might expect it to appear similar to the other forms of rod - cone dystrophy ( retinitis pigmentosa ) .
cone loss at the fovea and smaller atrophic - appearing cones at the edge of degeneration have also been found using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy.25 functional tests such as mferg and microperimetry are already employed to monitor therapeutic responses after gene replacement therapy .
future developments in imaging of retinal dystrophies should aim at identifying risk factors and reliable markers for disease progression . here , several imaging modalities such as oct angiography or fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy may provide disease specific information . in a recent report using en face oct angiography
, it has been shown that choriocapillaris nonperfusion was more pronounced than the retinal nonperfusion in patients with choroideremia .
the observed choriocapillaris nonperfusion is thought to follow the rpe loss and may therefore possibly represent a marker for disease progression and/or response to treatment.26 fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy is a novel imaging modality able to quantify fluorescence lifetimes in the retina.27,28 in contrast to fundus autofluorescence , fluorescence lifetimes are influenced by metabolic changes within the retina . therefore , this imaging modality may be valuable to identify areas at risk for disease progression in retinal dystrophies and may be a valuable tool to assess therapeutic responses .
the exact sequel of structural changes occurring within the retina has received increasing interest in the last years in light of emerging therapies for retinal diseases .
choroideremia is caused by mutations in the chm gene , located on the long arm of the x chromosome , encoding the 95 kda protein rab escort protein 1 ( rep1 ) .
the rep1 gene is ubiquitously expressed and acts as an escort protein of native regulators of intracellular trafficking .
the deletions in the chm gene causing choroideremia were first described in 1990.29,30 mutations in the chm gene have been identified in european,3135 canadian,36 american,37 japanese,38 and chinese families.39 these mutations cause truncation or absence of rep1 , which plays an essential role in the intracellular vesicular transport .
rep1 is involved in lipid modification of rab proteins by binding newly synthesized , unprenylated rabs and presenting them to a catalytic rab geranylgeranyltransferase or farnesyltransferase subunit for the geranylgeranyl transfer reaction.40 furthermore , rep1 facilitates transport of prenylated rabs to their specific destination membrane by binding to the hydrophobic prenylation motifs at their c termini.41 rab proteins are present in all cells and so far more than 50 rab proteins have been identified.42 within the eye , many processes such as transport of proteins within the photoreceptors or regulation of phagocytosis and degradation of disc membranes shed from the outer segments of photoreceptors by rpe are reliant on rab protein function . generally , loss of rep1 is compensated by rab escort protein 2 , a protein that closely resembles rep1 and is encoded by the x - linked retrogene chml ( choroideremia - like ) , which is located on chromosome 1.43 most newly synthesized rabs bind to one of the two rep proteins and therefore mutations in chm generally do not lead to systemic disease .
a possible explanation for the eye restricted phenotype is that some rabs , such as rab 27a which has a key role within the retina,44 are preferentially prenylated by rep1 or that rep2 prenylated rab27a complexes may have a lower affinity to geranylgeranyltransferase.45 therefore , the phenotype of choroideremia may be mainly caused by a tissue specific inability of rep2 to compensate for the function of rep1 .
the retina is unusually accessible in the evaluation of trials of gene therapy . not only can disease progression be imaged in nearly histological detail using high resolution oct , but also there are several functional tests available to monitor therapeutic responses .
furthermore , modern vitreoretinal techniques allow for controlled and local delivery of gene replacement products to the affected tissue .
extensive preliminary work in mouse and dog models of retinal degeneration have shown that the use of adeno - associated vectors to deliver gene replacement therapy in the retina is safe and may result in stable and substantial restoration of the gene product and functional improvement.46 of the many different adenoassociated virus ( aav ) subtypes , aav2 has a reasonable affinity for primate photoreceptors and rpe,47 but has the advantage over other serotypes in being well characterized in a number of animal models .
therefore , aav2 has been used as the vector for gene replacement therapy in several gene therapy trials for retinal dystrophies.4851 because the amount of genetic material is limited by the packaging capacity of the vector , the size of gene to be replaced is of critical relevance .
the limit for aav vectors is estimated to be around 5 kb for single stranded dna.52 with a total size of approximately 1.9 kb , the coding sequence of rep1 fits well within the packaging limit of aav2 with spare space for other regulatory elements , such as the promoter and poly - a signal sequences .
preclinical studies have shown the feasibility of rep1 replacement therapy using aav2 in chm mice . in chm mice ,
selective ablation of chm in photoreceptor cells or the rpe results in independent degeneration of both of these layers resembling the clinical phenotype of choroideremia.53 using aav2-rep1 delivered subretinally , a dose - dependent improvement of retinal function was observed in chm mice .
these findings served as proof of concept for future clinical gene replacement therapies in humans.54 retinal gene therapy in humans involves delivery of a viral vector to the photoreceptors and the rpe . in order to reach this tissue ,
a pars plana vitrectomy is necessary , followed by a small retinotomy and subretinal injection of fluid containing the vector .
this procedure is highly complex because it must be done without damaging the fovea in a degenerate retina .
the injection , to some extent , resembles subretinal injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator for the treatment and displacement of subretinal hemorrhage , although in these cases the retina is already detached and the visual acuity is severely compromised . in chm , the potential risks of subretinal gene therapy should not be underestimated as the delivery of the vector entails detachment of the fovea which may lead to reduction of contrast sensitivity or even visual acuity .
furthermore , it is unknown whether or not the gene product or the vector might cause an immune reaction with potentially detrimental effects to the retina in some individuals .
recently , preliminary results of a phase i ii clinical trial assessing the effects of the aav2-rep1 vector in six patients with choroideremia have been published.55 in this report , gene therapy with aav2-rep1 was shown to be safe with a greater than 2- and 4-line improvement of visual acuity in two patients .
furthermore , it was shown that the five patients who received the full dose of aav vector had improvements in mean retinal sensitivity . in this study , only patients with advanced disease with macular involvement were included .
four patients had near normal best corrected visual acuity at baseline and detachment of the fovea , which was required for gene replacement delivery , was shown to be well tolerated in these patients .
future prospects of gene replacement therapy in patients with choroideremia should target patients at an early disease stage when the retinal architecture and function are still intact .
because there is now a potential therapy for patients with choroideremia and other retinal dystrophies , counseling of patients in clinics should include information on current results of gene replacement trials .
furthermore , genetic testing and molecular diagnosis of the dna or messenger rna causing retinal dystrophy should be used to support the clinical diagnosis . even in the case of
clinically confirmed choroideremia , genetic confirmation should be obtained in order to determine whether a patient is suitable for future gene replacement therapy trials .
in addition , it is important to establish a database of patients with confirmed genetic mutations to inform patients of forthcoming gene replacement therapies and offer them the possibility of participating in future trials . | pubmed |
World Only God Knows/神のみぞ知るセカイ 1. A Lovely Dawn
**Everything except my OCs and the plot belongs to Tamiki Wakaki-sensei. None of these characters are based off real life people unless I have some strange thought process where I think like that, which I don't.**
**Also, worst title I could have thought of. Continue along.**
If her friends could describe her as anything, Miku Tabanashi was an outgoing girl. Rarely if ever would she give up a chance to tease, support, or speak to any person she was remotely acquainted with. One could say she was an ideal schoolgirl archetype. There were only small gaps of time before she creates a small group of friends.
However, when asked personal questions about Miku, these 'friends' would be at a loss what to say. Miku only ever revealed that she lived alone with her father. Before someone were to ask her to elaborate, the topic would take a sudden turn torwards a different subject.
Obviously popularity would also cause a fair amount of confessions, all of which were mysteriously never mentioned again. Her suitors were always rather crestfallen after an apparent rejection, but those who excelled in sports suddenly dropped their preferred sport, also with apparent loss of confidence. Of course, considering Miku was indeed almost a school idol if there wasn't already one, other classmates simply shrugged it off.
A good question would be, where does Keima Katsuragi fit in all of this? Although he indeed is greeted routinely, she also does this to anyone else who passes by. Elsi also wasn't particularly close with her. Of course, this should be the class difference, with Miku being a second year while Elsi and Keima remained mainly in their third year classes.
But she gained the attention of her senpais, and thus had many friends older than her as well. The 2-B Pencils did not associate with her, though they could hold a conversation, it usually lasted less than a minute, and revolved mainly around academics. Strictly speaking, Miku was simply an acquaintance of theirs.
But on the rare occasion that the 2-B Pencils did not speak of school, Keima once popped in the conversation. When questioned, the 2-B Pencils actually had little to say except Miyako, who told Miku that Keima was able to do things thought impossible, which the rest of the girls agreed, with Yui even brazenly stating that he could become the first male bride, and spoke of it as an achievement, while the rest of the girls chuckled nervously, concerned over Yui's thought process. Miku did not press further, and the girls dispersed soon after that.
And that was apparently all to it. But not long after that conversation, a chain of event stat can only happen to the Capturing God started. Started that is, when Keima opened his shoe locker to find a pink letter inside. The rest of the boys' reactions were nothing compared to the majority of the 2-B Pencils, and especially Elsi, who immediately ran towards him.
'Kami-sama, what did you get?'
Her blunt question was, as said, blunt, but the surrounding students quieted down in order to hear. Keima's blank face paused for a moment, before answering Elsi.
'Simply an invitation to lunch.'
And with that the Capturing God walked away. Silence filled the hall, only broken by Elsi's footsteps as she tried to catch up with Keima.
The rumors spread like wildfire as expected. Many already decided to sacrifice lunch and see who exactly invited the Otamegane. As the time came closer and closer, gradually the room seemed to focus solely on Keima, who did nothing different, and played on his PFP while ignoring the class in general. As the bell for lunch rang, the movements of the class were slowed, as everyone was watching Keima. He played for a while more, saved, and got up. When he finally left the room, the silence exploded with gossip and a group of student followed him quietly, although it was large enough to gather attention of more students.
As he walked torwards the rooftop stairs, the thin group followed, curious, but stopped dead when he reached the exit. Perhaps a lunch date with the Otamegane was something, but who it was important. And no other person could have surpristhere classmates. Standing there, was none other than Kanon Nakagawa.
_Look at that. Unexpected, huh. I actually didn't expect that to happen. Just sort of did. So Kanon fans, rejoice. Just saying, _ was a close second. You can put whatever you want in that blank. My suggestion would be Nora, as she is lately really overwritten, but who isn't? Oh wait, I know. Keima. So, super short story. Heh, try saying that three times fast. Sorry._
**Statement of the day: If you ship Haqua/Elsi with Keima, if you didn't already, consider Mari. And if you didn't realize, Mari is Keima/Elsi/Haqua's mother. And used to be part of a biker gang. And hates adultery. Including incest. So please explain how Keima isn't dead to the world when he gets into a relationship commonly seen as incest? And don't give me some memory wipe thing. You can't just accept your son is married to your illegitimate daughter(s). Obviously plural to indicate a [im]possible harem with both devils. Although, I fully support the ship ( did that sentence make any sense? I feel like it's wrong) between either Elsi or Haqua or even both, I cannot seem to go past that plot hole. Whatever the case, I do indeed enjoy the stories that do follow that pairing. **
2. Tsundere and Tsunoro
**I honestly think I'm going to insert a cliffhanger every chapter. Oh, wait, perhaps just introduce the next female character every time. Just, '...and stood there was Shiori.' But honestly, that would be boring. Should be something like ...' stood there was Shiori, holding a _ while _ Keima. THAT'S it! Blanks! I'm such a genius. **
'Konichiwa, Keima-kun!'
The shock of that morning was dwarfed by the event triggered by the mail. Kanon blushed as Keima lead her up to the rooftop, leaving the dumbfounded group at the stairs. And within that group stood a certain girl...
Unsurprisingly, Kanon wasn't the best cook, but Keima understood her busy schedule enough to not question it. However, what he would like to question was the apparent friendliness given off by Kanon, who forgot of her conquests several months back.
Their eating was a rather quiet affair, interrupted only by Kanon offering some more, and Keima wordlessly taking said food. All the while, Kanon occasionally sneaked a glance at Keima, likely judging his reaction, while Keima looked out at the track field. Unsurprising that he had other things on his mind, but managed to give off enough presence to satisfy Kanon. Finally, both were done eating. Hesitant, Kanon finally broke the ice.
'Did Keima-kun not like me to invite you? Because if you didn't want to, you didn't have to do so, beca-'
She was cut short by Keima touching her cheek briefly, causing her to steam from her head.
'Just some rice.'
Rather than eating the grain, Keima wiped it off, but Kanon was unable to see that while she hid her face in embarrassment, with a mix of elation.
'Nakagawa.' She looked at him with a bit of disappointment. 'Keima-kun, it's okay to call me Kanon. It's not fair for you.'
Unfortunately, Keima would have to decline. This was an unknown case for a former capture to return to him. If Keima finished a capture, if a obvious attack on him was made, something was certainly wrong. Lingering feelings were to be expected, but not to an extent of pursuing him directly. Thus, he instead ignored her request and instead avoided by asking her a question.
'Nagakawa,' A flash of hurt showed on her face. 'is there a reason for your bento?'
And yet, another blush. One would wonder if she didn't develop chronic blushing because of him.
'I thought Keima-kun might enjoy my company for just a little bit.'
Suspicious. She looked at him with warm auburn eyes.
'I know Keima-kun has been busy lately.'
He narrowed his eyes. She shouldn't know about his recent captures. And he hasn't been given any work from school that required him to actually participate. He felt his PFP in his pocket. Nor had any notable games been released yet to cause him a lack of proper sleep. That is, yet. He decided to question her motives for a bit. Time for the gloves to come off. Of course, he had no gloves on, but he had a trick up his sleeve.
Kanon blinked. As Keima slowly reached for his glasses, every inch he neared his glasses her face glowed more and more red. And when he finally took them off to clean. An angelical image of Keima had suddenly been revealed. He eyes had looked down as if in deep thought, while, a slight breeze pushed his hair to a side, revealing smooth skin and a slight redness to his cheeks due to the cold. He was perfect in that moment, and if anyone had ever thought of Keima as a Otamegane, those beliefs would have been instantly changed by his total brilliance and beauty. It was as if though his glasses were his outward public mask, to protect and cherish that precious charm. As he delicately polished his glasses, his every movement seemed purposeful, comparable to a professional in any subject, gracefully and carefully, but still with love and care, fondle his treasured spectacles.~~~
Whilst Kanon had been in utter bliss, Keima carefully judged her reaction. No signs of guilt were seen. It was still possible that she had agreed with someone for her to be arranged to meet with him. Or the unknown party had revealed her previously forgotten capture. Either way, it was at least shown that Kanon had indeed not changed goals. She still was what he remembered, and had no malicious intent to him. He glanced at her eyes. It seemed that even if he left she wouldn't have noticed.
Thus, he grabbed hold of her shoulders and softly breathed into her ear. 'Kanon, I think lunch is almost over."
If there was a shade of pink that could express an extreme mixture of bashful ness, absolute elation, and a small amount of longing, Kanon was certainly glowing in that color. Kanon now truly felt that her constant search for her heartache's origin had been worth it. As she began hugging into Keima slightly, causing him to struggle a little. She relaxed her grip, but still maintained a strong grip on him. With her eyes closed, she adjusted her body several times, causing Keima much concern over the large amount of body contact.
Finally they released as the bell rang.
'See you later Keima-kun!'
Keima felt relaxed as the door going downstairs closed. Now to consider the entire process of maintaining those high love points. Keima realized that the total encounter had likely caused Kanon to think of him and thus rely in him much more. A scowl. Not the best result. But he would have to push through. Now that he was armed with the knowledge that Kanon simply thought Keima was the object of her affections, he could proceed with more confidence. Karin's cards have been revealed, and the Capturing God could resume a game of hard to get, and attempt to balance out Kanon's love. God knows what would happen if Kanon went yandere.
He shuddered. Memories of injurious (but not fatal, apparently) electrical blitzes and texts with a horrifying foreshadowing feeling of attachment, and last of all round-the-clock events that were all important gave the Capturing God a chilling sight of the ending if he allowed Kanon too much.
Suddenly the fact that Keima could see then finale of a route gave him little pleasure, and much more fear. His PFP buzzed as it received a message. He checks it, and hurriedly shoves it back in his pocket once seeing it was Kanon. Speak of the devil. And speaking of devils~~~
She watched him nonchalantly, without a single shred of emotion. But she really wished that Elsi would had followed her. Too bad she had to attend classes, and thus left before the good part. That being said, she probably would have to attend as well, but her doll should work better than Elsi's terrible ones that might as well be cardboard cutouts. Her hagoromo had recorded everything. This would then of course go through much analyzing in the New Hell.
Before she left, she gave a final glance, and received a shock.
Keima examined Haqua with a smile. Of course she would have followed him. He noticed her in that small following who were curious towards his lunch date. Looks like her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Although her hagoromo certainly prevented him from seeing her. He cleared his throat.
'Would you have any idea why Kanon seems to be more aggressive than before?'
A valid question. She quickly reveals herself, and begins to think on the question. However Haqua looked confused over why he called Kanon by her first name rather than sticking to his cold demeanor. Perhaps he did have some attachment. She nervously turned around and shuffled as if caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. Which was exactly what she was doing.
'I...I thought you might have needed some help.'
This would have been quite a nice gesture, if she didn't have a slight grin that hinted she wasn't exactly planning on bowing down to him. Keima scowled. Although her tsundere characteristic were appreciated in some comedic scenes, serious questions received the same approach and answer. He looked at her with eyes that asks her to try again. Disappointed at her flimsy excuse, he generously gave her another chance to explain. Wait... was she going to-
'It's not like I wants to help you, baka!'
A dark blush now covered her face. She was clutching her hagoromo tightly. This caused Keima to internally raise eyebrows. It would be best to take some guesses and gain some more cards.
'I suppose recording me in my natural habitat is nice,' he sarcastically drawled, while Haqua cringed in embarrassment and fury, 'but I would much appreciate that this only be used for personal need.' This was accompanied by a sly smile. Which was quickly wiped off by a scythe flying into his face.
While Keima delicately got up, wincing in pain, he still retained a triumphant smile. Seems that he was right after all. Perhaps he what he needed now to truly understand the reason why he was now being recorded.
While Haqua's temper flared along with her face, Keima picked himself up and dusted off his clothes. He looked down, and sighed. Tsundere attacks came as no surprise, but the pain would always be the bane of his capturing history. As he was about to continue questioning Haqua, his PFP received a message.
Perplexed, as Kanon had already sent him a message, he ignored Haqua for a second to see who exactly had sent him a message. What's more, it was on his personal address. The message simply stated:
_Congratulation on being 1 of 7 billion people selected around the world to be part of the Tsunoro Company's 10th anniversary special! Your prize will arrive shortly after this message self-terminates. Please do not use our products for unlawful purposes and/or not credit our company. Thank you!_
_-Tsunoro Company Associates & Co._
If this didn't raise eyebrows from the Capturing God, then nothing else would have. The 7 billion portion of the message was obviously a joke on the fact that there was currently about 7 billion people. And the fact that HE was the one to receive it was even more suspicious.
This Tsunoro Company would most certainly be related to the government or Hell. And as Keima always lectured, there was no such thing as a free meal. He pocketed the PFP. The message was to be destroyed in about three hours, during dinner. Keima grimaced. Not good. Dinner could not be avoided unless with the most smooth of excuses. While Keima would not like a scene of whatever was coming his way to cause a scene, he wasn't sure how to make his mother excuse him from dinner, a time that he had been forced to attend ever since he could remember. He prepared to ask Haqua, but turned and found Haqua and her scythe were gone. As expected of her. Keima sighed. He wondered how he exactly could he get him or his mother out of the house. None, at least nothing long enough. Unless...
That evening, as Mari Katsuragi was about to prepare dinner, as sudden phone call comes in. She picks up, and a unexplainable face is formed. The best word to describe her face would be a shocked face mixed with sadness. Unexplainable due to her rare emotional outburst. Except for when it dealt with her husband. As she placed the phone back, she asks Elsi to take over for that night. As she nods, Mari quickly packs one bag of clothing and states,
' I'm going to America for your father, apparently he has some trouble. I should be back in two weeks.'
As she drove off in her bike, Keima cast a quiet smirk. Seems that his voice acting skills were still up to par. Not that he enjoyed toying with his mother. He was simply satisfied he had maneuvered her safely (as well as for him).
'Kami-sama, are you hungry?' Keima looked at Elsi in wonder. How had she come to that conclusion? 'No, in fact I feel as if I will not be eating today. Why do you ask?'
She looked down, and looked back in eyes of concern.
'You seem to be making funny faces. I thought maybe you had hunger pangs or something.' They both stared at each other.
Keima seriously wondered if Elsi truly understood his nature, but hunger was taking it too far. Standing up, he walked to her and ruffled her hair.
' Silly bug demon, I was only thinking about something. No need to worry.' She hesitantly dropped the subject. 'Kami-sama, have you seen Haqua? Apparently she's not with Yukie. Would you have an idea where she went?'
Keima contemplated these words thoughtfully. 'It's most likely that Haqua left for New Hell, as she has some information she needs to report. Apparently' it's about me. I suppose I should be flattered to be a large topic in New Hell.'
As of late, more and more of his messages were from New Hell. Perhaps Dokorou hadn't been as lenient guarding his information as she thought, as many were from so called fans of his in New Hell. Their interest was overshadowed by an envious undertone of Elsi, who some see as a incompetent partner that shouldn't be in the Spirit Squad in the first place, which caused Keima to be slightly irritated at those superficial devils. However, he calmy replied to the vast majority of those messages with a careful apology and dismissal, especially those devils who seemed suspiciously like Shiori, and admired Elsi as much as Keima and would've loved to join them.
Elsi simply smiled. 'Kami-sama deserves recognition, unlike me, so don't be so shy!'
This was critical to her, and Keima did not let that go.
'Elsi, you are more important to me than what you can do. That's simply shallow and one of the reasons why the real is so spiteful. Believe in yourself, Elsi. Because I do.'
A warm smile graced his face, and Elsi enjoyed a gentle pat on her head, happy to know her acceptance. And as this perfect scene came to play, the message sent from Tsunoro was then deleted, and all hell broke loose.
**I personally don't like this chapter. Too much filler and when the plot moves, it gives almost no time for details to finish. But I digress. It's certainly longer than the last chapter, with more plot. But this story is still setting up. And lots of discrepancies, and unexplained plot holes. If you can see them, you are as critical as me. **
**Statement of the day: You know, perhaps some of you already think of this, but how is the contract to New Hell in that email? All it said really was a challenge, no warning that you are basically signing a death sentence or anything. Either the higher ups are terrible at what they do, or humans don't get the same rights as devils. I don't know. **
3. Elsi Isn't in This Chapter
**Apologies for any errors and discrepancies. This is quite rushed, and feel free to point it out. This was typed on an IPad. And yes I am trying to evoke some pity... Just read the story. **
Despite expectations, an explosion and a hole in the roof of Cafè Grandpa wasn't one of the endings Keima had thought of. Luckily there didn't appear to be too much rubble. Perhaps Elsi could clean it up. But what was this soft surface in his hands?
'It would be most welcome if you did not touch me in a manner that most girls do not enjoy.'
The cold voice rang out in the night, and Elsi quickly rushed over.
'Kami-sama! Why is there a girl on you?! Are you okay? Do you need so help? Oh, if only Haqua was here...'
Keima groaned softly as he pushed the unknown girl off him. For whatever reason, Elsi seemed to keep relying in Haqua. It was his belief that she would not have helped him even get up. He grimaced as he stumbled up. Haqua's tsundere attack's pain did little to help his mood. As he dusted himself off, he noticed Elsi looking curiously at the girl. Now that Keima thought of it, was she wearing anything? Upon closer inspection, he found himself face planted on the ground as the 'girl' smacked him on the head.
'Lustful intentions are not to be permitted to anyone except for designated and recognized superiors.'
She looked upon him in cold silver eyes.
'It would be in your best interests not to reattempt that action.'
As Keima did nothing to stand up, Elsi quietly opened a capturing bottle. She looked terrified, and was also shaking, but managed to direct the bottle at the 'girl.'
'Capture!'
A pop, and the action was complete.
'That was pretty brave of you, Elsi. ' Keima flinched as he spoke. He had several bandages covering his face, and he felt numb pain all over. He then turned his chair to the table.
'Now, would you care to introduce yourself, ah...' A moment of silence. 'You may address me as Tsuya, which stands for Terminal Self-aware Uragionizing Yuorious Android. I am made by the Tsunoro Company, and have a current goal of reaching the being known as the Capturing God, and then understanding that being, after which I can continue to my next objective.'
Her eyes eyes flashed gold for a second before turning to Keima.
'Do you go by the name of Capturing God? Your facial features match that of your information.'
She moves torwards the middle of the bottle, and sits. Please answer my questions to the best of you ability. They do not have to be truthful.' Keima stood for a moment in shock, and then reverted back to his calm demeanor.
'Why should I do that? It appears that I have the advantage here.'
He would probably have to milk that advantage to the best of his ability if he was to negotiate anything.
And those words were shattered as well as the bottle when the android smashed it's fist onto the walls inside. She stood up once more.
'It would benefit us both if you were to comply.'
Keima almost flinched, but calmly answered in the best calm voice he could deliver then.
'I agree, so therefore continue.'
She nodded, satisfied.
'Please state in a affirmative or negative whether or not you have every interacted with the opposite in a close manner.'
A surprising and unsurprising question when one looked at Keima, a master gamer. It was obvious that his social life would be questionable. But the android did say he didn't have to be truthful. But considering that Tsuya seem Ed to care less for collateral damage than anything he's ever seen before, it was wise if he didn't do so.
'I only interacted when the opposite gender due to necessity.'
The best answer, which could be taken both ways. Tsuya gave no hint whether she believed him or not.
'Next. Is the being next to you your real imouto?'
Now can a legal question. Keima's family bond to Elsi could be questionable, and the lack of detail to her life in the government files would certainly be suspicious. For a lack of a better answer, Keima would have to say the truth. He gave a quick glance to Elsi. She seemed unharmed, although still shocked that Tsuya was apparently able to destroy capture bottles.
'Focus on me.'
Tsuya seemed to be using psychology of some sort. Keima sighed, and gestured towards Elsi.
'She is not my real imouto,'
a pause,
'but a illegitimate sister.'
Another technically true answer. While Keima could be a considered a pathological liar for his large amounts of falsehoods he had made throughout his life, he was confident of his poker face. However, his adversary right now was science, and he knew as well as anyone that sometimes unexplainable things at an be sliced open cleanly be science.
'Data processing. Please lead me to your room.'
Of course, her eyes had now become extremely distracting by a swirl pattern that lighted up in a circle. As she enter his room, a sudden flash was emitted from her eyes, blinding Keima and Elsi who were there.
'Please name the main heroine in _.'
Keima fumbled with the back of his head, thinking back that summer when he had played it. Suddenly, he recalled in his mind's eye.
'K_rino K_usaka.'
Her eyes flashed golden once more.
'Interrogation complete. Overal score of 98.0398% match to Capturing God mindset.'
She now looked at him with luminous gold eyes, still professional and unemotional. Specks of silver could be seen flashing occasionally.
'However, 1.0602% is due to the fact that the Capturing God would not attempt adultery prior to so called events.'
Seemed that Tsuya actually did grasp Keima quite a lot.
'And normally I'm not present with a android falling on me and asking for my whereabouts.'
'Acknowledged. Please stand 3 inches away from my eyes for pupil recognition.'
Seemed the company was highly advanced to have developed that kind of technology for an android to use. He stood as she said, about 3 inches. He noticed that she seemed to be breathing.
'Why are you breathing if you're an android?'
A logical question, considering that androids shouldn't need breathing unless they were partially human. Which...
'It is used to detect pheromones produced by an being which I use to analyze said being and increase accuracy.'
She then looked at him with soft golden eyes, a change he noted with concern. What exactly was going to happen?
'Pupil recognition complete. Proceeding to taste recognition.'
She leaned in closer. Her cold breath was in his face.
'What is tast-'
His question was answered by Tsuya planting her lips on his with an utterly confused and scared Elsi in the background.
**I said I liked this story I would be lying. But to be honest, it's not everyday you find a storyboard and a 10 page long list of characters with their characteristics. I enjoyed finding the characters, and would love to make good use of them. So perhaps this story could go for a while.**
**Statement of the day: Where exactly is New Hell? Don't say different dimension. I can't bear that statement anymore. You do see Haqua going there by ferry(a floating ferry at that). So... Up? Down? Diff- I should stop talking. **
**Oh yeah, the heroine was Kirino Kousaka from Oreimo. Just a little crossover.**
4. Tea without Sugar
**Guess what? Remember that Miku girl I mentioned in the first chapter that no one cares about anymore? That's right. Her life is going to interrupt the previous chapter's events. Yes, I realize I am a terrible person for this, but cliffhangers are great. Unless they never get finished. Like Iris Zero, a brilliant manga, sadly interrupted on hiatus for more than a year. But it's back, so no complaints. Now, enjoy learning about some girls with no previously important background.**
A dimly illuminated face was the only thing visible in that dark room. The traffic below was busy as usual, but it was understandable, with the numerous business interactions that this building hosted.
The face sighs, and closes the laptop. She rubs her eyes, and stretches. The room suddenly lights up, and the girl winces as she is faced with light she hadn't seen in several hours.
'Ojou-sama, would you like some tea?'
A grumble, and she finally responds.
'You know I prefer Darjeeling than Earl Grey.'
The voice pauses in thought, before once again leaving, shutting the door.
'That fool,' she muttered, 'why did he have to leave the lights on?'
She then places her laptop gently on her desk. Perhaps it was time to get up. It was necessary for the various social gatherings and for food. She glared at no particular thing.
As she is looking for a fitting dress with black lace, a startling computerized murmur is heard.
'Miku.'
She jumps, before settling down and glaring vehemently at her laptop.
'I told you not to speak unless spoken to!'
'There's only so much you can make me do.'
This was accompanied by the laptop lifting its own screen up. Large amounts of garbled data began to fill the screen.
'Nevertheless, the Yuorious android of your has been performing well. It is currently performing the Psychological test. The subject seem to be performing well. Although I believe the test to be redundant, it proves it's merit as well as it's use simply by activating various pheromonal patter-'
The electronic voice is gone when Miku slams the laptop screen back down.
'...You could have damaged me greatly.'
She looked at him with sarcastic wonder.
'And you could have been more to the point with that explanation.' She spat every word out with oozing contempt.
'Is that sarcasm?'
'No, your circuits are just fried. Perhaps I should do some maintenance on you.'
The laptop seems to finally shut down, and the fans within the computer give a final tired whirr.
'Once again, speak not when spoken to.'
This was replied with silence as she finally put in her last piece of clothing. She finally leaves the room.
'...Sometimes I wish she didn't make me self-aware.'
As Miku steps down the marble stairs, a huge commemorative party celebrating the revival of a English company that was on the brink of bankruptcy. She sighed. Little did they know they might as well have sold their company for nothing.
'_And here is my daughter, Miku Tabanashi.'_
A group of men along with her father abruptly comes forward her.
'_She is very beautiful!'_
The stout man in the back looks closely at her.
'_And is that the newest Germanic dress design I see? Quite elegant!'_
His thick British accent amuses her and she catches him unaware by speaking in English perfectly.
'_I personally enjoy Dutch designs better, but the Germans are able to solve several meticulous problems with dresses such as the vulnerability to wind, although for a price.'_
Miku smiles elegantly, causing the younger men in the vicinity to blush. The large man laughs in incredulity, and pats her father in the shoulder.
'_You certainly have a great daughter here. I bet you that she's going to be the heiress, huh?'_
A good natured chuckle from the group, and her father simply smiles.
'_Let's just say Miku has been helping with company as of late.'_
The men look at each other in astonishment, and then burst out laughing once more.
'_See! I told you she wasn't some meaningless heiress! She meant business, and business she'll get.'_
A roar, and the man who seemed to have betted on her being meaningless gives the stout man a was of money, but still smiling.
'_Oh Jack, you always underestimated women, but one day you'll be working for her, huh?'_
She smiled, but internally she fumed at this overly obvious sign of disrespect. However, the English seemed to be very frivolous, and she gave little sign that she was about to injure someone. A shadow had been cast over her eyes, and people near her felt a chilling shiver, and quickly left.
Without warning, her earpiece buzzed, causing her to blush, an action that didn't go unnoticed in the mainly male population of that gathering.
'_Excuse me, I have a phone call and something that requires my presence.'_
She leaves in hurry, down to a hall by some restrooms near the employee working quarters.
'Miku, this is the climax.'
Those words shook her, and she would have dropped a phone if what she had wasn't an earpiece.
'How much longer?'
'Ten, fifteen seconds max.'
She rubbed her shoulders. Somehow it seemed a bit cold here.
'Five more seconds.'
Which was, of course, when the Jack character grabbed her.
'_You're going to pay for what you did.'_
The Germanic dress had been ripped apart.
**Woah, do I love cliffhangers or not? I admit, this part sorta took a bad turn. I mean, do you want this to return to Keima's situation with Tsuya, or continue this...uh... predicament going in? It's also around the same time, so perhaps a mash up? Review, and let me know, or else I might disappoint you with what I do. **
**Statement of that day: I should probably stop down these, because I'm basically questioning the basis of my story. I could break the forth wall if I try to incorporate this in my story. Final statement.**
**Are there Weiss everywhere? Around the world? I know that the Weiss come from that island thing, but can't they travel the world or something? And in that case, are there Dutch Spirit Squads or something like that? Perhaps. I have no right to question that if there were. But perhaps the host moved overseas... My head hurts now. See, this why I stopped. **
5. Kami-sama and Goshuujin-sama
**Given the rushed circumstances of this project, I'd say that review system was a total failure. However, the continuation of this story will continue with a split, which is to be eventually joined. So only one cliffhanger is to be resolved. Apologies.**
Of course, in every galge, there is a tentative line between professionalism and love. Keima wasn't sure if his various experiences with that understanding had given him enough preparation for sharing a kiss with the so-called android Tsuya. There was no bond, no previous attachments, and an apparent goal of researching him. Thus Keima was rendered immobilized.
While the sheer miscalculation on his part froze him, a sudden sound caused Tsuya to give one final press, and released Keima. She took what would be considered a deep breath, looking upon Keima with emotionless metallic eyes.
'Ka-Kami-sama!'
A sudden jerk pulled Keima from his stupor, and he was now pushed against Elsi. She seemed to have tears in her eyes.
'D-D... Don't just do things to Kami-sama like that! Kami-sama is the Capturing God, he doesn't deserve this! You don't just attack him and k-...kiss him! '
Perhaps he had implemented that God complex too much in her. Regardless, he patted Elsi down, asking her to calm down and let him handle the problem. She sniffed, before nodding. Keima smiled. Elsi definitely needed him to console her more, but time was running short. Or at least, it would appear, as Tsuya looked upon them in cold impatience. A sense of unfortunate nostalgia filled Keima as he remembers the moments before Tsuya's abrupt entrance.
Keima moves Elsi to a seat, and wipes her tears away.
'Stay strong for me, okay? I need you to do that for me.'
She looks upon him with eyes that implored him to stay. He reluctantly moves away from her, but not before casting a final brief look.
'Please stand still for a body scan.'
Keima felt nervous after the incident beforehand, but sensed that Tsuya would be less than pleased if he were to not follow her instructions.
A sudden beam then struck right on Keima's hair, and began to slowly settle down. Keima noted that despite the wave of light coming from her eyes, Tsuya continued to look upon Keima. Her disturbing multicolor eyes caused Keima to strain and look upon Elsi from his peripheral vision.
'Look upon me only.'
Keima unwilling stops trying to look at Elsi. The scanner finally hits his shoes, and Tsuya closes her eyes. A odd glow begins to emit from her head, and quickly disappears as fast as it started.
'Recognition process complete. Please stand by for initialization of settings.'
She pauses, and looks upon him with hopeful eyes.
'Please give an example sentence.'
She waits patiently. Keima now hesitates. He was unsure that this could be part of a psychological test. Unlikely, as she did say she completed it, but this open-ended request was still only to be used for something besides voice recognition.
'Kami-sama.'
Keima turns, curious to now what Elsi would have to say.
'I know Kami-sama can think up a good thing to say.'
Keima smiles, although questioning the superfluous statement inside.
'No matter what I say Elsi, it is certain to be something the Capturing God would say.'
A sudden ring from Tsuya caused Keima to promptly turn to her.
'All recognition processes recognized by system files. Appreciation message follows.'
Tsuya now looked uncomfortable. She doesn't move, and finally sighs.
'Wait a minute, this may take a second or two.'
The awkward cut in the tense moment finally allowed Keima to check upon Elsi. Tsuya looks about impatiently, but still retains a indifferent appearance. Suddenly, although her mouth does not move, a voice cuts through the silence. 'Ah, yes, this is Tsunoro Associate Kloe Sasamoroki's cohort, as Sasamoroki is currently unavailable. Allow me to once again thank you for your free random trial of a Tsunoro Company. For questions and complaints, please direct them to your nearest merchandise from Tsunoro. Please enjoy your experience, Katsuragi.'
The electronic voice then roughly cuts off. A moment of silence ensues before Tsuya gruffly makes a request that truly caused Keima and Elsi to realize the result of that night.
'Could you please create a sleeping quarter, as I need to process excess data as well.'
Elsi makes a uncertain face, and look at Keima for an answer. If the Capturing God had dealt with problems before, then he had nothing that could compare to what he was faced with now. He slowly turns to Elsi.
'Elsi, if you're going to make her a bed, make it as uncomfortable as you can.'
Which was followed by Tsuya flinging Keima upstairs, where he meat an unfortunate landing on the wall. Tsuya look the other way.
'Why don't you sleep there, you wretched goshuujin-sama.'
**As a translation, goshuujin-sama means either master or husband.**
**Gotta admit, this turned out rather rushed once more. You simply move one paragraph, and there's something like ten new plot points. A very compressed storyline. But I enjoy where this is going. Her, spoilers, I don't know how this is going to end. So it's very go-along. Also, this mean this story could take a twist anytime. Pretty bad, or good. Depends on the reviews and follower's support. So basically I'm saying review and follow. Go ahead.**
**Statements of the day- I no longer do these anymore, just as a note.**
6. Of Shivers and Shudders
**Hey, back to Miku. Now, I honestly sort of like Miku. She's your typical ojou-sama. Nice. As she's the current antagonist. Nice. And... she has no real description. Neither does Tsuya, really. So I created a character (only OCs) chart that describes them physically. This is to be copied onto every chapter after this one.**
Miku Tabanashi- A girl with a physical feature of light hazel hair, slightly above her waist. Her hair is jagged, and doesn't go down with a brush. She is the same height as Shiori, at that of 157 cm. So, 5 feet 1 inch. Green eyes, with shards of blue. She has a slight pale complexion. For other body features please compare her to Yui Goidō.
Fun Fact-Her favorite food is cherry cheesecake.
Tsuya (no last name)- A feminine android with a physical feature of dark maroon hair, reaching her legs. Her hair defies gravity and inertia, remaining behind her no matter position or action. She is 172 cm(5 feet and 8 inches). Her standard eye color is a metallic gold, however, it is theorized her eyes can change into any known color, even some in different spectrums. She has a flesh complexion. For other body features please see Jun Nagase.
Fun Fact-She hates airplanes, perhaps something to do with her entrance into Keima's life?
* * *
Jack roughly pushed Miku against the restroom wall.
'_Seems you want to be a heiress, huh? Do so. I'll support you,' firmly gripping her shoulders,' by being your partner in many things.'_
He turned her around, and grinned. She looked nervous, and looked at anything but him. He smiled, and moved closer, causing her to freeze.
'_Miku, come on, just give me your hand, and I'll teach you how to dance.'_
He looked upon her vulnerable body, before resting on tired eyes.
'_Can you just not do this today, Jack.'_
He squinted at her, wondering what sort of strange thought she had to make her say that, and was instantly kneed in the groin.
'Sorry, I'd prefer a solely business relationship. I'm not a puppet,' as Jack slid off her, 'but a puppeteer.'
The bathroom was large, and she placed the unconscious Jack neatly on a wall. She then washed her hands off, still wondering where her earpiece had gone. Looks like she had to go back to her room.
She sighed in disappointment. And she was having a lovely time as well. As she left the room, another figure entered, pausing for Miku.
'Just correct him when he awakes.'
The hooded figure nods.
Miku walks away. She really hopes that it nothing will go wrong.
Jack awoke, still in pain. That damned girl... what was she? The next time she meets him, Jack would be certain to bring a aphrodisiac along with tranquilizers.
'_Bloody hell...'_
He shook himself, and gazed at himself in the mirror. And came to a complete stop when he saw the hooded figure behind him.
'_Who...Who the blazes are you!'_
He ran to the exit, only to find the creature there.
'_Wh-What the hell do you want from me?!'_
The robed character shuffled a little, and walked towards him.
'_I...I have insurance! If you attack me you won't get away with it!'_
A pause. Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Seems his threat worked.
And that was when the syringe was inserted in.
'_What if I'm not human, hmm?'_
A thin, cheerful female voice breathily cooed, and Jack heard nothing else.
'What did I miss, Chimera?'
Miku closed the door, and lamented the loss of her Germanic dress. It had messy rips all over it.
'I was unfortunately forced to answer the appreciation message with my raw voice. '
Miku scowled in displeasure. This would certainly come back to bite her in the future. First she missed the most important part of the process. If Keima didn't meet exact requirements by the new mouth scanner that was still under testing, Tsuya could have self imploded. Her laptop waited patiently. Miku motioned for Chimera to continue.
'But, the android has successfully accepted all of the subject's answers. However she still lacks a central emotional process unit, therefore negating the connection between her facial feature change and her internal situational development adapter. Thus she cannot express her emotions on her face unless under extreme stress. I can attempt to change this from a wireless connection, but I'm afraid I might cause her main language reac-'
'Say no more, just don't do anything. Record her progress. Record his reactions.'
She smiled. This could go into something that was interesting.
'She fits the kuudere type. Keep it like that. We should be able to maint-'
The door squeaked open. A shuddering girl with rust colored hair came in, with her hair covering her face.
'Oh, is that you Kono-chan?'
The girl stops upon being greeted by Miku.
'Ojou-sama...'
Tears dropped from her covered face. Miku groaned. Here goes.
The girl showed her face, an indignant mess of blushes, concern, and a frown.
'Why does Tsuya get to go on the mission first! All I wanted to do was be first! But despite that, she had to go and leave fir-'
'Kono.'
'Ojou-sama!'
Kono ran into Miku's spread arms. She sobbed in total jealousy.
'Chimera.'
If laptops could shiver, Chimera certainly would have.
'Miku, I tried to compensate for that constantly over-heating emotional process unit in Kono, but it just does not come to me how to clean up the 3rd perambulating perimeter's code. It's all necessary. There is the same code in Tsuya, yet both have different emotion processes. I'm sorry, but-'
'Chimera, just leave it.'
As Kono cried, it concerned that now her Germanic dress was getting wet on it's right side. This dress was definitely not able to absorb the two twin waterfalls coming from Kono's eyes. She was forced to take action.
'Kono, listen to me.'
Two eyes welled to the brim with tears looked upon her pathetically. Miku reeled back. Too close. No choice now. She was going to have to play her trump card.
'Kono, you're going to go next, so-'
Instantly her eyes cleared and she tackled Miku.
'Ojou! Ojou! Ojou-sama, you're the best Ojou-sama in the his-'
'Off.'
Kono excitedly jumped off Miku.
As Miku collected herself, Kono ran to Miku's laptop.
'Chimi-kun! Did you hear! Kono-chan is going to finally have the chance to beat Tsuya! Tsuya! Tsuya! Finally redeem a life of submission!'
'Yes, I heard, Kono. Now please place me back on the desk. You might drop me.'
As Kono hurriedly slammed the laptop down, with a small 'Ow.' heard from Chimera, and Kono once again gave her attention to Miku.
'When I see it necessary, the subject will receive you. I guarantee you,' upon seeing Kono's crestfallen face, 'that this will happen withing the next two days.'
'Arigatou gozaimasu! I will be sure that I will be superior in the research of the subject! Ha, Tsuya, you will rue the day you went to Subject-kun first! Ha, haha, hahaha!'
* * *
Keima shuddered. He had a damp feeling in him. Something was definitely wrong somewhere. He could only hope it wasn't about him. He continued to look for a pillow to use for Tsuya.
* * *
As Kono continued her maniacal monologue, Miku glanced at her laptop.
'You sure she can't be fixed?'
'Unless you want her to not be able to speak.'
She glanced at the hyperactive android who was currently drawing up plans to beat Tsuya in data amount.
'I'm seriously considering terminating her permanently.'
Chimera stayed silent. And then came across a possible problem.
'Do you think that the subject will be able to handle her?'
Miku simply gazed at Kono's obsessive notes scatter across the room, with the name Keima highlighted on all of them, circling around a crazed android with blood red eyes.
* * *
Keima sneezed, and once again didn't like this gut feeling that he was getting.
'Kami-sama, are you cold?'
Keima shook his head. He could go on.
'Just make sure Tsuya doesn't break anythi-'
A crash downstairs. Keima looked at Elsi impatiently.
'Okay Kami-sama! Tsuya-chan, I'm coming downstairs! Are you finished changing? Oh, those pajamas are too small, huh? I think Oka-san has some left over before she left. Hold on!'
Keima sighed. This was more stressful than Kanon's conquest. Who was also part of this. He could only hope that his life would continue without anymore drastic changing. But if he understood the current ending, it most certainly wa not going to stop anytime soon. This was going near the dangerous territory of harem.
**Gotta feel bad for Keima. I certainly do. Forcefully kissed, relied on, and beat up on several occasions. He must need more than a few bandages. And think! This is only a day. I'm sorry, but I'm honestly excited for Kono's debut. While Kanon is a closet yandere, Kono crosses that line. She's crazy. And crazy is fun to type up. Especially why you are when the early hours come by. So yes, R&R, as well as follow this story. Give some suggestions, like story format and such. All of this was inspired by various music and songs that I'm listening to.**
7. Hell Hath No Fury Like Haqua's Scythe
**Okay, so this is actually going to be another story, but seeing as I might as well continue this story with everything I've got, thus story might continue off a really long time. So basically, all the conquest characters are to make an appearance, a little chapter of their own. Oh boy. Maybe I should have let this stay in another story. Eh. Whatever. **
Miku Tabanashi- A girl with a physical feature of light hazel hair, slightly above her waist. Her hair is jagged, and doesn't go down with a brush. She is the same height as Shiori, at that of 157 cm. So, 5 feet 1 inch. Green eyes, with shards of blue. She has a slight pale complexion. For other body features please compare her to Yui Goidō. She has several preferences in what she wears, but is usually a lab coat over a gray dress with black stockings.
Fun Fact-Her favorite food is cherry cheesecake.
Tsuya (no last name)- A feminine android with a physical feature of dark maroon hair, reaching her legs. Her hair defies gravity and inertia, remaining behind her no matter position or action. She is 172 cm(5 feet and 8 inches). Her standard eye color is a metallic gold, however, it is theorized her eyes can change into any known color, even some in different spectrums. She has a flesh complexion. For other body features please see Jun Nagase. She typically wears a all white jumpsuit.
Fun Fact-She hates airplanes, perhaps something to do with her entrance into Keima's life?
Kono (no last name)- A feminine android with a physical feature of twin hair buns, with a dark red is 145 cm(4 feet and 9 inches). She has black eyes that can gain a reddish hue depending on how excited she is. She has a flesh complexion. For other body features please see Kotori Itsuka. She typically wears a bright red jumpsuit.
Fun Fact-She has a secret obsession over chess.
* * *
Haqua stared at Dokorou in total confusion.
'_So, therefore, due to recent mishaps, some of New Hell's memory suppression projectors are down. Also, the emotional suppressors have also been wiped clean. We suspect that this may cause former conquests to have a significant jump from a unhurried manner into a full-blown advancement against buddies who have used love to complete a conquest.'_
Dokorou shuffled, and cleared her throat. When Haqua attempted to ask Dokorou to explain further, she raised a hand.
'_As of now, the information suggests that the conquered females will begin to regain their memory and develop aggressive tendencies in the order that they were captured. Except for those with an excessive attachment for said buddy, in which case they will progress into the the aggression stage faster.'_
Dokorou stopped, and walked away to a window. Looking out, the dark clouds that covered the lower half of New Hell flashed with thunder clouds.
'_The only way to reconquer the girls is to satisfy them to an extent.'_
And now Dokorou gazed at Haqua in a distraught manner.
'_But if the buddy causes her heart to swell with him, she will have a permanent memory of the original conquest as well as the second one. After that, her heart can only fill more thoughts of the buddy. If that buddy causes her heart to remain at one point of love, then she will instantly loose all affection for the buddy, and will fall into such a deep desolation that a if a Level 1 Weiss was to enter her,' _a crash of lightning flys nearby the building_, 'it would take less than a day for it to mature.'_
Haqua dropped down on the chair in horror. How could this have happened? New Hell had not ever lost connection to the human world. Now apparently the buddies who used love were in extreme peril. How would she explain this to K-
'_Also_,' Dokorou rubbed her skull in agitation, _'the only human currently using love to capture Weiss, as well as the one with the most Weiss captures in your Sector, is...' _Haqua clutched her scythe so hard that her hand turned white.
'_...Keima Katsuragi.'_
* * *
'Ahtchoo!'
Keima wiped his face with a napkin, and continued his research on this Tsunoro Company. He had spent all night with Elsi poring over various articles detailing a similar company, which Keima deemed to be an anagram of the Tsunoro name. The company known worldwide as the Tsonoru Inc. Keima yawned once more. Fatigue was becoming a major problem. He paused to take a glance at the sleeping demon beside him. He smiled fondly at the sight. Elsi had fared quite well after cleaning up the mess from Tsuya. Speaking of, the android had refused to sleep on the couch and Keima and Elsi were forced to allow her to sleep in Mari's room. Apparently she had a lot of excess data to process through, as she was still asleep.
All of a sudden, a knock. And from the window? Keima glanced at the window with the curtains draped over it. Probably Haqua, as no one else would come though the window. He got up from his seat, and stretched. Perhaps she had apologies to give, in which case Keima would be glad to take. As he slid apart the blinds, he was met with the sight collapsed Haqua on the roof.
He raised his eyebrows. Was she trying to dramatize how long she had waited? He opened the windows, and was promptly seated on the floor along with a burned out demon.
'...Haqua.'
No response. She breathed quickly in and out. Seemed that she had come here in a hurry.
'Haqua, are you oka-
'Keima... have you met with any of the girls you conquered lately?'
Keima stared at her. She was still panting, but now pushed herself to a sitting position.
'Only Kanon, as she invited me to e-'
Haqua droves her fist down on the ground. Keima briefly sucked air in. The Haqua he knew wouldn't be as frustrated as this about other girls unless it was serious. Which was probably the case.
'...Haqua, is there something going on in New Hell?'
Her troubled eyes answered his question.
'Would you like to explain it to me?'
She dropped her scythe, and stood up. She noticed Elsi sleeping, and contemplated her with worry.
'Let's talk downstairs.'
The small amount of light filtering in from the sunrise was barely enough as it was still dawn, but Keima didn't think Haqua would like him doing anything unnecessary right now, like turning on the lights. As a result, the kitchen gave a downbeat and chilling atmosphere. Keima shook his head. Being overly conscious of his surroundings was not going to help him.
'Sit.'
Keima nodded, and pulled out a chair from the table where Haqua had taken a seat. She rubbed her eyes, and muttered something out.
'Excuse me?'
She glared at nothing in particular.
'Just sit down.'
Keima settled down, and looked at Haqua with uncertainty. She didn't look cut out to talk about anything right then.
'Describe to me what exactly Kanon did.'
Keima raised a eyebrow, and another when given the next statement.
'This is a matter of importance for your safety as well as the privacy of New Hell.'
Keima hadn't seen Haqua so serious since he first met him. This was definitely important. But Keima really felt that Tsuya was far more pressingly meaningful to whatever was going on. New Hell needed to know that there was someone who knew Elsi might not be his illegitimate or real sister.
'Before I begin, I'd like to talk about something else which is al-'
Haqua glared at him in frustration.
'Just answer the question!'
Keima was extremely shocked by Haqua's outburst.
'Just...just answer the question.'
She rubbed her hair, and grimaced.
'I know I would love to hear about whatever you want to tell me, but right now the stakes are too high.'
Keima leaned forward. Perhaps Tsuya could wait.
'Well, all that really happened is that Kanon gave me a letter which asked me to eat with her. Of course, I accepted,' Haqua frowned deeply, 'because I wanted to ascertain that she didn't regain her memory. It appeared that she didn't, and only suspected me to be the someone she was looking for. However, this is strange as she is supposed to have not actively search for me.'
Keima came to a stop. Perhaps Haqua knew why?
'As I was saying, she did have affection for me. I-'
Keima suddenly paused at stared at Haqua.
'Weren't you there?'
Haqua looked at him in annoyance.
'I was only when she finished hugging you.'
She pulled up her hagoromo and showed Keima the footage.
'Less than a minute, alright? I didn't see that much. I need to know the details and events leading up to that.'
Keima nodded.
'Still... I mostly didn't wish to go, so it took me awhile to actually fly there willingly.'
Keima smiled. Just like Haqua to be opposed to dealing with him.
'Now, as I was saying, I attempted to make sure that she was still after me, and only that. She seems to have no other intentions, and thus I then-'
'Wait.'
Haqua narrowed her eyes. Something was wrong.
'Yes?'
'How did you make sure?'
Keima chuckled.
'I simply allowed her to become fascinated at my face without glasses. A simple trick I had used from my first capture. It was a success, and also she seemed to gain a large amount of love points from that encount-'
Keima was sent through the wall into the road as Haqua blasted him out with her scythe.
'...'
Haqua was crying in anger. Not only had Keima likely broken Kanon, now the other girls were likely going to see that Keima would be forced to make sure Kanon was constantly showered with devotion from Keima in order to keep her heart sweeping with him, thetpy would likely lose all love points and become the ultimate Weiss host.
'Katsuragi, do you realize...DO YOU REALIZE... what you've done?'
Haqua sobbed, and wiped her tears away quickly.
'Once you do this, Elsi, no the entire squad will be forced to no longer work here. This place will have be maintained by the higher-ups! Do you understand that! The higher-ups don't require humans! You will lose all your memories! You...'
She dropped on her knees. This was going wrong. All of this was going wrong. She really shouldn't blame it all on him, yet...
Her tears didn't stop.
'Haqua.'
She looked at him as he walked back inside the café.
'Haqua, I'm sure Kanon didn't reach max love points. I didn't cause her to overflow with lo-'
Keima found himself thrown onto the street a second time.
'She...she just need a little! You...YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!'
She wailed out in hate, and brushed her hair from her face. This just went horribly wrong. Katsuragi was supposed to remain the cold cool person he was. He was putting the wrong impression on for Kanon. This wasn't a capture. But he...
'Oh?'
She turned to look behind her, and discovered that if she thought everything could go worse, she was terribly wrong.
'Nice job taking out Goshuujin-sama. I salute you for that.'
Tsuya stretched. All that data processing froze up her motion capacity, which she needed to warm up again.
'Who-...who are you?'
The girl looked at Haqua's face that had tears and gave a blank face that aomehow conveyed concern. Tsuya stopped moving.
'I am Tsuya, the only Terminal Self-aware Uragionizing Yuorious Andoid in existence. I hail from the Tsunoro Company.'
She bows, and turned her emotionless gaze to the street where Keima had landed.
'And what did my Goshuujin-sama do to you?'
**Hey, look at that. I want to say, this is still before school starts. I want a school scene again. So this is at the break of dawn. Now, I want way more of this to continue. I feel Keima is still way OOC, but if he can make it, I won't kill him off. Not that I would have, as then there just this bunch of girls, not a harem, but more of a...I don't know how to describe it. Also, I'm starting in a new story, so look forward to that? I don't know.**
8. Terabytes and Tears
**Now, here's Miku's events at dawn. While Keima was getting smashed up and stuff, this would be what you would expect of some genius person. That's right no sleep, tons of tea. So, enjoy this, as I might take a little longer due to my other story. **
Miku Tabanashi- A girl with a physical feature of light hazel hair, slightly above her waist. Her hair is jagged, and doesn't go down with a brush. She is the same height as Shiori, at that of 157 cm. So, 5 feet 1 inch. Green eyes, with shards of blue. She has a slight pale complexion. For other body features please compare her to Yui Goidō. She has several preferences in what she wears, but is usually a lab coat over a gray dress with black stockings.
Fun Fact-Her favorite food is cherry cheesecake.
Tsuya (no last name)- A feminine android with a physical feature of dark maroon hair, reaching her legs. Her hair defies gravity and inertia, remaining behind her no matter position or action. She is 172 cm(5 feet and 8 inches). Her standard eye color is a metallic gold, however, it is theorized her eyes can change into any known color, even some in different spectrums. She has a flesh complexion. For other body features please see Jun Nagase. She typically wears a all white jumpsuit.
Fun Fact-She hates airplanes, perhaps something to do with her entrance into Keima's life?
Kono (no last name)- A feminine android with a physical feature of twin hair buns, with a dark red is 145 cm(4 feet and 9 inches). She has black eyes that can gain a reddish hue depending on how excited she is. She has a flesh complexion. For other body features please see Kotori Itsuka. She typically wears a bright red jumpsuit.
Fun Fact-She has a secret obsession over chess.
* * *
Miku yawned for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Perhaps she should get some more tea. She gave a slanted look at the closed door, and grumbled. Or not.
'Miku, Tsuya's data has almost finished transferring to the data banks. Would you like for me to save it to the mainframe, or the private browser?'
She pulls out a tablet, and slides through jumbled binary, and presses what seemed to be an unremarkable group of number, which brought her to a completely black screen.
'I just split the information pile. Tsuya's reading have gone to the mainframe, but Katsuragi's readings as well as his information were sent to the browser, and his profile study is now updated.'
Chimera hummed appreciatively, and allowed his open screen to slowly close.
'I'd say this was a productive day. Now, please allow me to recharge my battery, as I feel my reserve power going down drastically.'
With that, the laptop went silent, and a cord connected to him lighted up in green. Miku groaned, feeling the results of that night finally reaching her head. Perhaps a ten minute nap was to be in session. Or so she thought, before her lab lighted up, taking out her vision for a second.
'Miku, it appears subject's readings have lighted up. He's moving.'
She smiled. Seems sleep could wait.
'It is to my understanding, that while the subject has not slept since Tsuya made contact, he is now beginning to move, and there is another being on Tsuya's internal radar.'
Miku lazily gazes at the screen, showing two dots, one red, and two purple ones, along with a blueprint of Café Grandpa in the background.
'Now, I say being, as from what I can tell, the pheromone filter shows that there is an abnormal amount of those, similar to that of subject's sister.'
She perked up, and pulled her lab coat up.
'So, is there a direct correlation between those two?'
'...I would say so bu-'
Miku slammed the screen down, causing Chimera to respond with a weak 'Ow.'
'Alright, let's stop Tsuya's processing for now. She needs to get downstairs, right now.' As Miku hurried to her room for her actual computer, the room's lights blink before turning off.
'...'
'...'
'It would appear that-'
'YES, I know.'
As Miku desperately typed command on the keyboard, the laptop gave a electronic sigh.
'Just let me try to boost her performance quality, and then she'll be able to function properly.'
Despite being excited about having Tsuya to investigate the newcomer, the amount of data left unprocessed was too much even for the android's system process unit that could contain a terabyte of information. Last night's experimental test run was just too much for the mainly new equipment, and much if the data remained untouched.
Thus, Miku tried to help the process, although she was no where near as fast as the actual system. However, her small indents to the gigantic amount of analysis required for every gigabyte slowly added up.
However, this caused a large amount of fatigue that had been suppressed for several hours to build up, and it went to the point that she was tempted to call for more tea.
'Miku, tea is bad for your health.'
She glared viciously at the laptop.
'Your creation was bad for my health. Would you like to be disassembled?'
The silence was once again in the air.
Unfortunately, Miku was unable to withstand the pressure, and fell asleep with her hand on the Q button.
'Good grief,' Chimera muttered, 'she just won't take no for an answer.'
The majority of Miku's dreams were that of fatigue-induced delusions of numbers, binary, and equations. However, on those rare days that she actually felt accomplished, a nostalgic fantasy that made no sense to her, but comforted her, somehow.
* * *
_"Mother, why do have to stay in bed everyday?"_
_She smiled at Miku. _
_"Mother just needs some rest, darling. Mother will be alright here in the hospital. Now, there's your Father, make sure to say hi for me, alright?"_
_Miku smiled back at her, and jumped off the chair._
_"Okay, Mother, take care!'_
_And with that, she ran to her father, who looked upon the scene fondly._
_"Father, when do I see Mother again?"_
_He chuckled, and pulled her cheeks, causing her to squeal in delight._
_"We'll come by on Tuesday, alright, honey?"_
_Miku's mother gave a laugh._
_"Miku, be sure not to get too excited, okay? Promise me."_
_Miku simply waved back as she was led through the door._
_"Of course Mother! I promise!"_
_And with that, the white door closed to the smiling woman with hazel hair in a white bed, waving as well._
* * *
Miku woke up with tears in her eyes. That dream again. Who were those people in that dream? Obviously, it suggested that they were her parents, but there's no way that could be. Mother had never been bed-ridden for anything besides her, and Father...
'Miku, the scan is complete. I finished it for you, and Tsuya is ready to head down. Would you like to proceed?'
Miku wiped her eyes. Whatever the case, it wasn't important.
'Alright, do a check, we're ready to wake up Tsuya.'
**What? Did I just... Yes, I do believe I used the most cliché conflict ever used. But wait. Why are her parents okay? Isn't the mother/father/both supposed to die and Keima become the only warmth she has (see Mio Aoyama). Anyways, I'm still setting up Miku (yes, she shouldn't need to spent set up anymore, but I wasn't setting up the story fast enough. This might become a 60k+ word story now. **
9. School Suprises
**Alright, the last chapter was lacking in the amount department, but it made up for that by it's plot amount. Which is...decent, comparing it to larger chapters of my story. **
**Right now, splitting my time between my two fanfics is interesting... But not always fun. I'm currently on hiatus (by hiatus I mean doing Popularity and Circumstance for a day)for The Real Ideal, another story I have, that's a crossover. Generally harder to write. Anyways, try to not eat up my writing, as it generally burns through really fast. Like calories of words, disappearing in seconds. Kinda tight on my end, but I love the story no matter what.**
Miku Tabanashi- A girl with a physical feature of light hazel hair, slightly above her waist. Her hair is jagged, and doesn't go down with a brush. She is the same height as Shiori, at that of 157 cm. So, 5 feet 1 inch. Green eyes, with shards of blue. She has a slight pale complexion. For other body features please compare her to Yui Goidō. She has several preferences in what she wears, but is usually a lab coat over a gray dress with black stockings.
Fun Fact-Her favorite food is cherry cheesecake.
Tsuya (no last name)- A feminine android with a physical feature of dark maroon hair, reaching her legs. Her hair defies gravity and inertia, remaining behind her no matter position or action. She is 172 cm(5 feet and 8 inches). Her standard eye color is a metallic gold, however, it is theorized her eyes can change into any known color, even some in different spectrums. She has a flesh complexion. For other body features please see Jun Nagase. She typically wears a all white jumpsuit.
Fun Fact-She hates airplanes, perhaps something to do with her entrance into Keima's life?
Kono (no last name)- A feminine android with a physical feature of twin hair buns, with a dark red color. She is 145 cm(4 feet and 9 inches). She has black eyes that can gain a reddish hue depending on how excited she is. She has a flesh complexion. For other body features please see Kotori Itsuka. She typically wears a bright red jumpsuit.
Fun Fact-She has a secret obsession over chess.
* * *
As Tsuya carried Keima from the concrete, Haqua looked at her warily. Katsuragi usually never invites girls, unless they actually do come uninvited, but unless Katsuragi had captured a Weiss and Elsi somehow forgot to give it to New Hell, this girl shouldn't be anywhere near him. Her attire of a white skin-tight one-piece that covered her entire body caused Haqua to focus on a particular set of things she had in ample amount and found herself clutching her chest, which she quickly released and decided to instead look at Keima with a burning face.
Keima felt Haqua's threatening stare on the back of his head and shivered. Again, the damage going to his body was beyond painful. He wouldn't be able to play on his PFP at this rate. Which, he noted, he hadn't been played since yesterday. All of a sudden he was dropped on a table by Tsuya.
'Hey, watch the landing, I require delicacy!'
She looked at him in coldness.
'And I am a girl, I should have delicacy as well.'
As Keima backed off the subject, Haqua didn't miss the thin sarcasm that was implied from that statement. In that case, what in the name of Hell was she?
As Haqua slinked off the table she was perched on and began to stalk toward Keima menacingly, she stopped when Keima rushed to push Tsuya up the stairs.
'Ah, hold on Haqua, we have to change. It's almost time for school, you see.'
Haqua looked at him with little amusement.
'So are you going to change her clothes?'
Upon being confronted with a fault in his hasty planning, he cleared his throat.
'No, in fact, Tsuya here,' he gestured to the still figure facing the stairs, 'is actually, in fact, a boy.'
'...'
As Haqua raised her perilously near his throat, Keima pulled out a cool facade and pushed the Scythe of Testament back to her shoulders, and pressed Haqua against a wall, once again making her burst into red as she struggled weakly.
'Le-Let go of me right now, Katsuragi! You'll regret this-'
Before she had time to kick him away, Keima found himself lifted by the scruff of his neck.
'T...Tsuya? Can you let me g-'
'Goshuujin-sama.'
The shadow over Tsuya's forever cold eyes made her even more frightening than ever. Keima positively froze as she placed a hand on his cheek.
'Tsuya is a girl. Remember that please.'
As Keima was gently placed back, Haqua scrutinized at the two. Why did she keep calling him Goshuujin-sama? Unless...
'Katsuragi.'
He turned around nervously. This was bad.
'Yes?'
She looked into his eyes, and he stared back.
'Who i-'
The two were tackled by Tsuya, and they all fell down.
'...Katsuragi, where is your hand.'
'Ah, gomen, gomen, I'm really sorr-'
As Haqua closed her eyes in rage, she pulled her scythe out once more.
'Go ahead and die, hent-'
Klink.
Haqua looked where her scythe was, and Keima opened his eyes a little bit.
Tsuya had placed her hand on the end of the scythe. Although her hand portion of the jumpsuit was now ripped open, to reveal peach skin, somehow uncut by the blade, she pushed the scythe back to Haqua.
'Goshuujin-sama, let's get ready for school.'
'Ah...Alright.'
Breakfast was a quiet event, and with a very mismatched table: two demons, a android, and a otaku. The sheer strangeness of the situation was not lost on those occupying the table. Haqua cast furitive glances at both Keima and Tsuya, especially Tsuya's hand. Elsi mostly would lean in and almost place her head on her food, before Keima tapped her, keeping Elsi awake. Other than that, she was unusually disengaged with the rest of the table. Keima looking at nothing in particular, and was mostly humming to some theme song of a game long forgotten by the masses. Tsuya's request for a piece of bread was given, but she had yet to take a bite. Overall, no conversation was achieved and the food was almost untouched, except for Keima.
'Okay, let's...Haqua, why are you following us?'
She looked upon him with annoyance.
'I have every right to be here, as well as a lot of questi-'
'In due time. Ah, Elsi, thanks for sewing that uniform with her hagoromo.'
Elsi nodded to him dejectedly, then put her shoes on and walked out the door.
'Alright, Tsuya, just follow our lead. Haqua, don't try anything.'
She nodded in understanding. At least Katsuragi had the good sense to be wary of the girl.
As the three girls and Keima walked on towards school, they were not unnoticed by those who also attended Mai-High. Kanon had left, but now the Otamegane had conjured up two more attractive girls. The male population's envy was only rivaled by a deep foreboding cloud over the 2-B Pencils(excluding Miyako). Their shock was hidden, but it was quite obvious by the nervous glances and their conversations or lack thereof.
'Please welcome our transfer students, Tsuya Yokkyun and Haqua Herminium.'
The roaring applause that followed was only not participated in by Keima, Elsi, and select members of the 2-B Pencils. Haqua blushed in pride as she also felt looks at her. But the class's curiosity was still over the rumors that the Otamegane had walked to school with these two new girls. As the students stopped clapping, and Tsuya moved in first to introduce herself. As she wrote her name down on the board, the class in closer. As she dropped the chalk, she then politely bows, nearly causing every boy in the room to nosebleed as her more womanly aspects were used in full effects.
'My name, as previously mentioned, is Tsuya Yokkyun. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance.'
As she walked down the seats, the mad scramble from the boys to create an empty seat was unnoticed as Tsuya simply walked towards Keima. He continued playing on his PFP. As she stood over the seat next to him, the class stopped moving.
'Goshuujin-sama, would you like me to sit next to you?'
His fingers stopped breezing through the buttons, and he looked up.
'Certainly, Tsuya.'
The boys' jaws dropped. "Goshuujin-sama?!" The Otamegane did nothing, and he had a transferred beauty under his control. The girls simply looked at them in shock.
'Thank you, Goshuujin-sama. Please accept my gratitude.'
And with that, she bent down and hugged Keima so tightly he was sure he was suffocating.
And the 2-B Pencils had all but collapsed. Miyako tapped Ayumi who made no move to respond, engrossed in what was going on, like the rest of the class.
Haqua had looked the other way, while the teacher had left in exasperation. She truly wondered when he was going to start explaining things to her, and when he was going to realize that the Spirit Squad was in jeopardy due to his actions. She wrote her name down, and sighed. She now felt that anything was better than to be stuck in this madhouse.
Keima smiled weakly. Perhaps things had begun to go his way now.
...Which was of course when Miku Tabanashi walked in the classroom.
'Sorry everyone, I'm late! Oh, hello!'
She smiled mischievously at Haqua's face of distrust, as well as Tsuya still pressing Keima to her body, with her usually emotionless face registering slight surprise.
The rest of those in class swiveled their head to her now.
What was a second-year kouhai doing here? Wasn't she supposed to go to the second-year classes?
Miku winked at Keima in childish delight.
'Looks like there are some new students now!'
**I really want to draw the school scene out a long time. I love school scenes, so sorry about the boring chapter. The romance element should start seeping in sometime around the next chapter from Miku's chapter. And yes, please give me some time for the Real Ideal. I'm probably going to forge ahead on that one. Reviews would be appreciated but not necessary, as shown by my total lack of acknowledgement of them.**
10. A Path Wraught With Peril
**Now, I had a blast doing the last chapter, here's the Miku perspective. Of course, I've recently felt that it's almost time for the two perceives to converge. That is, Keima and Miku finally go at it directly. Now, this is unlikely to happen anytime soon. I wish it would, but until then, split chapters. This actually is my more popular story in comparison to the Real Ideal, but RI is my, let's just say, IDEAL, story. Get it? No? Well, please enjoy the story, and try not to go through it too quickly. One request, okay? Let me at least have that.**
**Also, thanks for a thousand views on this story.**
Miku Tabanashi- A girl with a physical feature of light hazel hair, slightly above her waist. Her hair is jagged, and doesn't go down with a brush. She is the same height as Shiori, at that of 157 cm. So, 5 feet 1 inch. Green eyes, with shards of blue. She has a slight pale complexion. For other body features please compare her to Yui Goidō. She has several preferences in what she wears, but is usually a lab coat over a gray dress with black stockings.
Fun Fact-Her favorite food is cherry cheesecake.
Tsuya (no last name)- A feminine android with a physical feature of dark maroon hair, reaching her legs. Her hair defies gravity and inertia, remaining behind her no matter position or action. She is 172 cm(5 feet and 8 inches). Her standard eye color is a metallic gold, however, it is theorized her eyes can change into any known color, even some in different spectrums. She has a flesh complexion. For other body features please see Jun Nagase. She typically wears a all white jumpsuit.
Fun Fact-She hates airplanes, perhaps something to do with her entrance into Keima's life?
Kono (no last name)- A feminine android with a physical feature of twin hair buns, with a dark red color. She is 145 cm(4 feet and 9 inches). She has black eyes that can gain a reddish hue depending on how excited she is. She has a flesh complexion. For other body features please see Kotori Itsuka (from Date A Live). She typically wears a bright red jumpsuit.
Fun Fact-She has a secret obsession over chess.
Shima Utori- A girl with wavy black hair, usually in a bun, but let down during the winter and mornings. She is 157 cm (5 feet 1 inch). She had bright brown eyes similar to that of chestnuts. She has a flesh competition, but due to her sport of beach volleyball, had a slight tan. For other body features please see Urara Shiratori. She typically wears the Mai-High uniform (note this subject to change).
Fun Fact-She is a compulsive gambler at heart, but only shows it when provoked to that point.
* * *
'...What the hell happened down there?'
Miku looked upon the large screen displaying a hole through Café Grandpa's wall, and a violet haired girl sitting on a table.
'It appears, if the data is correct from Tsuya's automated auditory sensors, that subject and the unidentified being had an argument, and the being then managed to cause subject to be sent out the building in high velocity due to the fact that i-'
'No, I don't care right now. Memo that hypothesis. Right now stay quiet so I can analyze from Tsuya's perspective.'
The laptop whirred in response, before going silent.
'Hey, JARVIS, wake up for a second.'
The laptop screen lit up in red.
'First of all, I'm far superior to any fictional butler created i-'
'Whatever, statistically, is it better to remain unmoving or to cause action in order to attract someone?'
Chimera immediately responded back as his screen returned to it's normal blue color.
'My opinion created from the statistics drawn up in two minutes ago suggest that action would be the most likely answer, but no action cou-'
The AI found himself slammed down again what seemed to be the fourth time, and softly puttered an 'Ow.' Miku's grin widened to a full-fledged sneer.
'This is just...too good.'
Chimera perked up, but allowed Miku's hand to rest in his screen.
'How so?'
'This android is attempting to court Katsuragi.'
She cackled in delight. This was what she was looking for. Those emotion performance progressors really did their job. It was such a pity the internal situational adapter had a bug that didn't connect to her facial feature changes properly. Nevertheless, the kuudere personality was a nice byproduct.
'...Is she being successful?'
Miku clicked on the screen labeled 'Subject.'
'His stats show no change. At least, no visible change. Either way, our girl is going to have a hard time trying to get him.'
She rubbed her hands in anticipation.
'But we're going to follow step by step.'
The scenery suddenly changed as the camera showed stairs.
'Hmmm, seems that they're go- Hold on, rewind the audio a couple seconds back.'
The camera speed back quickly, and the camera showed Keima looking at Tsuya with slight worry, before returning to the violet haired one.
"No, in fact Tsuya here, is actually, in fact, a boy."
Miku burst into tears and laughter as she placed her head down in the table.
'Miku, MIKU! There is an emergency. Tsuya's reading show extreme malevolence. Unless you want that to happen, I suggest-'
She gave Chimera an amused smirk.
'The AI is equipped to deal with such situations. There are reserve compressors that delivers extreme benevolent data that scatters across the data processors, and lowers the emotional function's original goal, which in this case, is to throttle Katsuragi.'
Of course, Keima was still picked up, but gently placed down once more.
She watched with mirth. This was getting more interesting by the minute.
Suddenly, Haqua points a finger at them and whispers to Keima.
'But, Miku, the situation has now escalated to an identity que-'
'Watch.'
She typed in a illegible symbol from her keyboard, and the screen suddenly went into a kaleidoscope. The AI sucked in a breath of horror.
'What just happened?'
Miku yawned, and popped a lollipop in her mouth. Was this imputed even remotely intelligent? He had been asking questions up til now.
'I set a command that forced Tsuya to jump on the two of them, thereby destroying the conversation. Simple, as I prefer this than creating a new conversational avoidment program that would be only insurance. However, Chimera noted the placement of Keima's hand as well as Haqua's rising facial temperature.
'...Miku, I believe Violet life form is about to turn into a violent life form.'
Miku glanced at the screen. Chimera was right. The purple haired girl had pulled out the scythe and was preparing to attack Katsuragi. Not good. And Tsuya was only made for defensive strikes. Definitely not good.
Before her fingers touched a letter, a hand shot out and blocked the blade.
'Wha-'
Miku rubbed her head in confusion. Why had Tsuya protected Katsuragi? Unless it was...
'Hey drone, remember that progression evolution model for AIs I made along with Tsuya and Kono?'
Ignoring the name, the computer hummed.
'... If I am true to the data banks in my memory, you said that the model required "several major improvements before being implemented" on any of the android's core systems. Is that what is going on?'
Miku's smile thinned.
'I may have forgotten to take that out. I believe there was too much tea involved.'
Miku cleared her throat, and the laptop remained silent.
'Whatever the case, it was very helpful today. Ah, seems they have gone to change. I should as well. Keep an eye on the progress, alright?'
And with that, the girl jumped off her seat and began to unbutton her lab coat.
'... I suppose she never did like the fact that Tsuya's body design was superior to her own.'
As the screen switched to more nudity, the AI gave a sigh. It was such a pity that Tsuya was so independent of Miku. She had almost become an older sister to her creator. Which was something she was lacking and needed.
The door slammed open, and the lab lighted up, as Miku ran to her desk computer.
'What are they doing?'
The screen switched out from the screen saver picture of a symbol. A piece of blank bread sat in a plate, and at the corner of the perspective sat Keima.
'A piece of bread trick huh...she really learned a lot from anime.'
Suddenly, Miku stopped scrolling through the status, and rolled her chair to another computer.
'Did you find something you wanted to do?'
She hurriedly hacked into the Mai-High website, and issued a change in her schedule.
'...'
If Chimera had been given eyebrows, he would have certainly used them, especially at that moment.
'What? My grades are already about to make me skip the grade as well. It was only a matter of time.'
'Do you really wish to directly interfere with that hare-'
'Yes, yes, and yes. It has reached the stage where my interaction is better than my observation. I might as well, seeing as you're a terrible commentator.'
The laptop visibly deflated at that jab.
She grabbed something from the table, briefly touched her ear and her eyes, and stood up.
'I have my contacts and earpiece on. Be sure to update me in the stats while I'm not here.'
The laptop teased the girl, as his desperate attempts to keep her in the room increased.
'Someone seems to be jealous, neh, Mik-'
The laptop was promptly slammed down and thrown in a drawer.
'Alright, I'm leaving, keep the progress, alright?'
The door slid shut, and a closed desk rolled open.
'Can't that girl take a joke?'
As the limousine drove by the street, Miku sighed and clutched her bag roughly. She never enjoyed it when she had to go to school from where her Father lived, but she had little say in the matter, as otherwise she wouldn't have a lab to work with where her Mother lived. She closed her eyes and shook it a little. No time to regret such things. She had a slight headache, but nothing a little excitement wouldn't fix. Her toothy grin was not unnoticed by her driver, Hakewaka. He rolled down his window to the back and spoke.
'Ojou-sama, is everything alright? Are you perhaps hungr-'
The window was shut faster than would be expected of a automated one.
Finally, as the car slowed to a stop near the school, Miku quickly grabbed the handle and ran out of the suffocating air in the car. As she breathed deeply, the limousine rolled off. She instantly heard a voice call to her.
'Ohayo, Miku-chan!'
She smiled and turned. She was unsurprised to find a girl with black hair and the Mai-High uniform on, her friend, Shima Utori, to be walking towards her.
'Ohayo, Shima-chan! What are you doing here?'
The other girl smiled warmly, and her hands were hidden behind her.
'Guess what I have!'
Miku sincerely hoped it wasn't something that required work, as sh-
Instead, she was surprised to be face-to-face to two meat buns.
'Ta-da! The store was giving a bargain today. Have one, Miku!'
She accepted one graciously, and glassy began eating it. Her breakfast of salmon soufflé wasn't the most satisfying food.
'Neh neh, did you hear about Katsuragi-senpai and how he had a lunch date with Kanon-senpai yesterday? Wow, so lucky. I wish I had a lunch date with Kanon. Because if I did, I would first...spoon feed her! Yes, I would spoon feed her. And then I woul...'
As Shima droned on about her usual rant and gossip, Miku polished off the remaining portion of the meat bun. This day was turning out better and better. Of course, her lack of sleep wasn't the greatest, but she was used to less than 2 hours of sleep. After all, having a project constantly moving was a very autonomous action by now, and Miku could go on autopilot when she was working. But now, she felt re-energized. She had gotten a friend to talk to, a project that was rolling. The taste of victory was in her mouth. Or that may have been the meat bun. Either way, she savored it.
As she walked away from Shima in the school to go to the third-year classes, Shima looked at Miku with teary eyes.
'Miku-chan, why dis you have to move out of our classes now? Shima can't study without you!'
She laughed light heartedly. Shima should be able to keep up on the lessons. As she waved goodbye, Shima burst into a exaggerated waterfall of tears.
'Waaah, Miku-chains so mean!'
Miku smirked. She had no idea.
As she ran to Katsuragi's class, she watched the teacher leave with frustration in her eyes. Seems he went to the principals to get a substitute. Perfect. It was difficult to fully introduce herself as a schoolgirl persona when the teacher was there with lessons, distracting the class from her.
As she realized how late she was, she ran to the class room door, but paused suddenly as her vision was blinded by green before clearing.
'Miku, the left contact will now show what Tsuya is currently looking at.'
She closed her right eye, but blinked upon seeing the vision before her. Katsuragi was wrapped around Tsuya's arms in a forced hug, which he seemed to have little choice. She smiled. Who told that android to start the party without her? As she threw open the door, she truly grinned.
_Things may have finally started going her way._
'Sorry everyone, I'm late! Oh, hello.'
She surveyed the class. The majority of the class seemed pretty normal, but some rather eye-catching girls were still in there, at least. Ah, and there was that violent violet haired girl. And Katsuragi's so called sister. Speaking of Katsurgai, he was still held tightly by Tsuya, who had given a face of slight suprise. Which, with her facial features usually unable to process anything from her internal situation adapter's signals. She smiled atrociously at the people that stood out.
As she bats an eye at Katsuragi, she concluded her dramatic instance with a generic statement that also fit quite well with the situation.
'Looks like there are some new students now!'
**Alright, the scientific parts suck, I know, but you gotta admit, sometime those school scenes are just a great change in environment. Miku's different, Tsuya's last name is Yokkyun, Haqua reveals her tsundere characteristics, and those boring computers are gone. Great. **
**Real Ideal is still on hiatus. Also, once again, thanks for 1,000 views for this story. **
11. Real Intro
**Just as a note, the character profiles aren't supposed to be filler. I will gladly take them off, but I have a large influx of OCs, so I felt that people might appreciate knowing what some if the characters look like. It's also a hassle for me to copy and paste them all the time. I apologize if any of you other readers saw my profiles as filler, as it wasn't meant to be like that.**
_I'd say this was actually not supposed to be part of the story, and I plan on continuing this Miku Arc, but just saying, something is going to happen. Not necessarily good._
As Tsuya let go of Keima, he cleared his throat. Miku smiled brilliantly, and walked to the chalkboard, writing her name beside Tsuya's and Haqua's.
'My name is Miku Tabanashi, and I skipped a grade to this class, so please take care of me!'
The boys positively fainted at the thought of a cute second-year going to class with them, while some of the girls recognized her and requested that she sit by them.
'Alright then, I suppose we'll have to wait until the substitute comes in. '
She moved to the seat made for her, and placed her bag down.
'...l suppose I'll sit there then.'
As a nervous Haqua sat on the only other available seat, one in the midst of several boys, the blushes and careful glances were obvious to all but her.
'Tsuya, please sit down now. There won't be a need to stand unless called on.'
'Understood Goshuujin-sama.'
Her surprise was gone, and once again was her total lack of emotion and her monotone voice.
'...You can sit down now.'
She finally did so upon him reminding her. This was quite the surprise. Usually the andoroid entirely followed his every request. He looked at Tsuya in suspicion. Perhaps it had something to do with that other girl? Tsuya never really did show suprise before, so something was definitely up. As he reached in his pocket for his PFP, his suspicions were shattered as the door once again revealed a surprise.
'Ohayo, minna! Sorry I'm late, but I'll be teaching you from today!'
A positively horror-struck Keima dropped his PFP. Looked like he was surrounded by ticking time bombs.
Jun Nagase placed her folders down and beamed. She had finally become a teacher at Mai-High, the school of her past. And now she could find whatever was beckoning her to come...
The rest of the class went by rather quick, as no lessons were taught, and most introduction from the class. As they finally reached Keima, he got up and placed his PFP down calmly, something that shocked some of the class.
'My name is Keima Katsuragi, and I'm transferring out if this class in three days.'
A stunned classroom watched as Keima once again sat down and played on his PFP, which he previously saved.
But before anyone else could react, Tsuya suddenly jumped to her feet.
'I am transferring with Goshuujin-sama.'
Jun looked at her both curiously and with appall. Losing two students in one day was not the best thing to have on her record. But these two also seemed to be perhaps the odd out of the bunch.
'Well, I'm sorry that we've never met before.'
Keima looked her straight in the eye.
'I'm afraid we have met before.'
Looks like would have to go offensive on this one.
She raised her eyebrows, and looked down, thinking. Had she met him before? She had previously been in this school, but that class was broken up, wasn't it?...
He pushed his glasses up, and sighed.
'Beside the case, I feel a bout of anemia. I will be leaving now.'
And with that, his dramatic statement and exit was followed by the whole classes' eyes.
'...'
'I'll go with him.'
And with that, Haqua also left.'
Before Tsuya could jump up as well, Jun quickly jumped out of her seat.
'Ahhhhh, class is starting now. Let Katsuragi-kun do whatever he needs to.'
The students slowly began to move, but occasional peeks at the door were spread throughout the class.
'Now, please read an excerpt of your English homework. Those of you who transferred here recently don't have to do this. Let's start with...Terada-chan, why don't you, as you seem to be the first in your row.'
As Miyako stood up to read, Tsuya looked at Miku, who winked back at her. Someone was jealous.
But just as quickly did Miku look her way, she looked away, and her eyes briefly flashed green.
'So, would you like to talk about Kanon right now?'
She stared at Keima carefully as he was laying in a clinic bed, playing in his PFP.
'It would be best if you first explained to me what, who, and what that Tsuya is.'
Keima grimaced, and paced his PFP down, but not before saving.
'In the lay-man's terms, Tsuya is a android sen-'
Haqua glared at him. She indicated that Tsuya had already told he that.
'...sentient who is used to observe me by some made-up company called Tsunoro, which is actually the renown Tsonoru Company.'
Haqua's eyes widened in surprise.
'You mean the one that partially funds your government?'
Keima nods gravely.
'However, whoever sent Tsuya, that person is obviously somehow affiliated with the Tsonoru Company. I'd like for you to trace the email.'
As Haqua pocketed the PFP Keima passed to her, he pulled out another one.
'Besides that, we must assume that we are under constant surveillance.'
Keima shrugged, and got up from his bed.
'Isn't that right,' as he pulled the curtain, 'Miku?'
The girl on the other side gave an amused expression.
'I didn't think you'd find out that quickly, Katsuragi.'
'It wasn't really a difficult matter to tell that you were there. Your shadow sticks out in the light.'
Her smile waned. Seems she was too easily discovered.
'And my identity?'
Keima then gave a superior smirk.
'Your reflection was in Tsuya's eyes.'
Miku's eyes widened.
'Sadly, it must have been some part of your installation of eyes. I'm guessing you flash frozen liquid gold, but it held an imprint, probably due to the quartz deposits.'
She shrugged, admitting defeat.
'Seems I was taken out too quickly. '
As she jumped onto the bed, she gave a intrigued expression.
'But what's this about Kanon I hear?'
Keima looked at Haqua, and her eyes positively dared him to speak.
'I'm actually part of the fan base of Kanon, and was chosen to represent my group with her. Haqua here,' as he gestured towards the devil, 'just happens to be a fan of Kanon as well, and was wondering whether or not she could join in.'
Miku placed her head down in the pillow and closed her eyes.
'Hmmm, but the question is, which fan base are you speaking of? There are only three major ones that I know of.'
The silence was deafening, and Keima looked at Miku's figure on the bed with coldness. Haqua had started to pace around the room.
'As I said, Kanon is pa-'
Kanon had rushed into the room, eyes glowing red, and slammed into Keima.
A soft 'Oof.' was made, before Keima's vision was darkened into nothing.
* * *
**_BAD END_**
* * *
"Waah, Kami-sama, help me finish this game from New Hell!'
Keima glared at Elsi with cold contempt.
"I'm not touching anything made by that devil named Calendar Liar. He made terrible games that try to enter my world. It's a disgrace to the galge society how bold this person was."
As Elsi clutched her pink PFP in wistfulness, Keima sighed once more. He was finally done with the last 5 games that had been newly released, after entering God Mode. Time to review them. As Elsi once again played THAT game on her PFP, Keima truly wondered who had thought of a game based on his captures. Not that he didn't expect the devils in New Hell to be interested, but he never thought someone might have made a bootleg game on his life. He pushed his glasses back up to his eyes, the lenses glowing. More time should be made capturing the thousands of Weiss out there. But Elsi did remain a janitor of over 300 years, so perhaps New Hell wasn't being as productive as he hoped. Either way, the game Elsi now played constantly was getting in his nerves. Perhaps he should play it sometime in secret, but he realized the flaws already: choppy dialogue, little characterization, a plot that didn't have a grip on whether or not it was a story or new plot every time, with only veiled references back. He certainly wouldn't touch it any time soon, but...perhaps.
He started typing his first review.
'_The game started terribly, and ended with disappointment. A revamped attempt or a sequel is necessary. I would suggest another game...'_
**Well, that's certainly the Intro to the actual story. Yes, I had been heavily influenced by something. But the Miku Arc will come back someday, but for now, yes, she is 2D. But doesn't that put her closer to Keima, in a way?**
**Anyway, this story is now on hiatus for a while. Despite the popularity, as mentioned, this series needs to be revamped. However, the story is not, I repeat not, dead. I will definitely finish the Miku Arc. Just not this week.**
**By the way, Calendar Liar is a anagram of Earl Cardinal. Just saying.**
12. Abuse Pt I
**Alright, this is indeed the start of a new arc. I'd like begin by saying, yes, the last arc was a terribly drawn out intro, and should thus be part of a story. Believe me, after this story, you can criticize me about it all you want. But surprises are always nice, but unresolved ones are just horrible. Also, actual author note. These stories will be short and sweet, longer than one shots but not a s memorable as full stories. There may be a sequel in store, but this is mainly fire and forget. These girls will all lose their memories. So yes, it follows the actual plot of The World God Only Knows (up to the Goddesses Arcs at least) pretty much. All of the OCs are independent and only interact as foreshadowing with the main characters. If you actually like real characters and not OCs, I'm not the person you should be looking at. While I know a fair amount, I'm not confident enough to talk about them. Yet? So stay tuned, there's plenty to go through.**
_With his reputation now becoming public in New Hell, the 'Capturing God' became the name that drew as much mystery into it as it drew celebration. Toasts were made to him to be successful in capturing all the Weiss, and those who had yet to join the Spirit Squads hoped their buddies were as capable as the man himself. _
_Of course, the actual "God" had many close calls, and none closer than those he had to guess over, and those far from his comfort zone. Although his games may be his greatest strength, it also becomes a crutch to him when he always attempts to use it in the real. Thus, countless captures have nearly failed due to this. But all of them have succeeded as well due to this. And this is the story of a flawed god, in a flawed world._
* * *
Sleep was essential to those who needed it. Keima knew for a fact that if he could survive using his God of Conquest Mode, then sleep might as well be needed only at the bare minimum.
However, what he never found himself to be, was late to school. He had rarely if ever woken up late, and not under any condition was forced to run to school. But despite what he said, this was exactly what was going on. With his PFP in his mouth, he was running desperately to school. Although he could have cared less about being late and preferred to walk, the punishment that he was likely going to get from Nikaido was all too real. Of course his mother Mari would be away at some coffee convention (do those even exist?), and Elsi had been "nice enough" to not even attempt to wake him up. And his late night sprees had lately drained him entirely of energy this week. All of this led to him being entirely late to school, and with his first class being with Nikaido, the amount of abuse he was going to get might have him sent to the nurse's.
As he turned a corner, a flash of black and blue suddenly swept in front of his face.
'Wh-'
A crash, and the world, for Keima at least, went dark.
...
And of course, he woke up to a pair of annoyed violet eyes, which belonged to Nikaido. Seems that even if he had an accidental injury it somehow led to her.
'Katsuragi, I'd like for you to apologize to me personally, as I was sending Akari here to school.'
He got up from the clinic bed. Akari? Was it Akari Kura-
'I do believe I don't need a introduction.'
He nodded at her. Their dealings with the Weiss would remain that way, and his attempt at capturing her would also remain history.
'Katsuragi, you should really watch where you're going. It took me a lot of patience to lug you all the way to school after you ran into me and my bike.'
The explanation was biased, but he was glad that Nikaido didn't leave him out in the middle of the street.
'What we are actually here to talk about is something concerning your assignment.'
'I would appreciate that I am first given medical attention.'
Nikaido gave him a bland look, and walked across to a desk, and returned to his bed.
'Here, I have some surgical knifes. We should be able to-'
Her malicious smile was wiped off by the fact that Akari was sleeping on a nonchalant Keima.
'It seems that she would require more time before she can explain.'
The only two awake people in the room then began a staring contest, which in the end Keima won. With a sigh, the explanation began from the teacher.
'We'll organize a better meeting with Haqua and Elsi, but those two, as well as the majority of the Spirit Squad, have not been informed of what I am about to tell you.'
Keima narrowed his eyes. This was going somewhere.
'There is a demon who has been possessed heavily by a Weiss, and we require that you investigate this problem.'
'I don't see what I can do, as I am obviously restricted to my duties here. Even if you do send me to New Hell, I am pretty sure that there exist n-'
A smack on the head. He winced, as he was simply trying to make a point.
'Let me finish, Otamega.'
The words hurt from her as well as the pain.
'What I tried to tell you is that there is a duo of two Weiss, who have so far managed to collaborate, and thus both the demon, who is part of the Spirit Capture Squad, as well as the human buddy.'
This reminded Keima of how the first time he met with Haqua had ended. While it was true that demons grow a gap in their heart, as evidenced by Haqua, it was really too much of a coincidence for both partners in a Capturing team to be compromised.
'Anyways, we still are not sure how long this Weiss has been growing. Thus we will give you a maximum of two days to find and confirm exactly what level that they are. Of course, we will help, but only when necessary.'
Now Keima's eyes widened. Two days. Two days to find some people who he doesn't know, and know them. This was definitely going to have some true luck to occur in order for him to pull this off.
'Can you at least show me who they are?'
'I will leave that to the official meeting with Elsi and Haqua.'
'...Am I not trustworthy enough?'
She gave him a frown.
'No, the situation just requires demons.'
He gave her a sympathetic look, and rubbed his head.
'So, how bad is the situation?'
And once again, the Capturing God found himself abused by Nikaido.
Akari seems to give a slight smile.
* * *
'...-and despite that, what we believe to be the duo has recently been revealed as to be the underground idol Shima Utori and her bodyguard Kono Terabishi. Any questions so fa- yes, Katsuragi.'
He stood up, and Haqua, Elsi, and some other nameless Spirit Squad members looked up.
'Could you elaborate further on what this idol does?'
'Do your own homework. Now, as I was saying...'
Keima slumped down. This was worse than Nikaido's regular classes. With Akari gone due to a necessary report to New Hell, Nikaido was free to attack him. The other members had their uniform on, which had covered their face, and didn't seem willing to speak to each other nor Elsi or Haqua.
'...-cies, thus... Katsuragi, are you paying attention at all?'
A tense silence reigned over the room, before Keima answered.
'You stated that the mission required delicacy due to the fact that Utori was a well-known figure, and that Terabishi is actually female.'
Although Nikaido seemed ready to struck him, his correct answer had gave her no real reason to hit him. Nevertheless, she persisted with another question.
'But, Katsuragi, why exactly is Terabishi female?'
Keima merely blinked, and narrowed his eyes.
'The Terabishi family has been serving the Utori family for generations, and the fact that Kono is a female is a rare occurence.'
Nikaido gritted her teeth, but gestured for Keima to sit down.
The next four hours was simply a lecture on how important it was not to interrupt any events that would be public. Finally, it was adjourned.
'Katsuragi, follow me.'
He nodded, and turned to Elsi.
'Just listen to Haqua, alright?'
He then walked to where Nikaido was waiting impatiently.
'...Haqua...'
The demon in question simply glanced at the retreating figure of Keima.
'Let's just get going. We have classes to attend.'
The two walked out of the now empty classroom.
Finally, Nikaido stopped at the teachers' office.
'Only you should know this. This is the identity of the demon.'
She flashed him a picture of a girl quickly, before pulling it back.
'I repeat, no one is to know the identity of her, alright?'
He shook his head vigorously. If Nikaido was serious, then he should as well.
'Good. It would be a very difficult situation to handle. And you would likely have to be forcibly expelled from the Spirit Squad, with your memories erased.'
He bowed to her, and left.
'...I really wonder about that kid...'
'There he is.'
Elsi looked up at where Haqua was pointing.
Keima had finally walked out of the school, along with some stragglers who were also leaving the school.
'Kami-sama, let's go home, alright?'
He gave her a tired pat in the head.
'Yes, let's.'
As the trio walked down the street, a dark shadow was cast on the school, and a chilling out-of-season wind blew by.
'Seriously, Katsuragi, how did you realize what to answer when Nikaido-sensei asked you?'
Keima gave Haqua the smile that radiated superiority and pride.
'Any gal gamer would know the basic premise to that cliché plot.'
She raised her eyebrows, but accepted whatever he had just answered her with as simply Katsuragi logic.
**I think I like the story so far. Yes, that last bit totally ruined the foreshadowing, but I wanted it in it somewhere. I must say, reference to the Miku Arc are going to come, as I may have lost my character list full of names. But I do have several archetypes to cover. No spoilers.**
**As usual, review, and follow, as well as Happy Thanksgi-**
**Wait. It's 1 AM. I guess it's not Thanksgiving anymore. Pity. **
**Yes, Keima is correct. The plot overused. Not quite as much as the secret sickness, like cancer, or something. But cliché. Yet the old ones are indeed the gold ones.**
13. Abuse Pt II: Revenge of the Scythe
**No author notes really. Real Ideal will be taking most of my time, since I find myself liking the story. Probably because there is a set amount if what can happen. Unlike a noncrossover fanfiction like this one. Whatever, just read the story already.**
'...'
'Kami-sama, what's wron-'
'Be quiet, Elsi. Just... Don't interrupt.'
Wondering what was wrong with him, she goes upstairs, leaving Keima sitting in the living room.
Keima's eyes were glued to the television screen, as mixture of shock and horror pasted on him. The screen showed a dark green background, with a tall girl holding a microphone, speaking.
'_...-nd if any of you disgusting pigs want to know, I don't enjoy ice skating, said by some degenerate person who goes by "mahouka7820" on my website. I don't even know why I check it if that's all that you are going to attempt to entertain me. You should already realize that I am your queen. Another message by "idol-otaku101" says...hmmm. "I want to see you use your whip again." Haha, well, it seems we have a punishment glutton, here.'_
Keima's horror was increased as she giggled, provocatively reaching behind her and pulling out a long, black line.
'_I thought I used this last time too... Well, I love this.'_
Here she glares at the screen, and points a threatening finger.
'_Certainly more than you cretins made up of a waste of biological ooze from unknown depths. I hope you all die.'_
She clears her throat, and murmurs in a gentle voice, switching from her harsh tone used earlier.
'_Subject-kun! I would like to see Subject #35.'_
There was a thud somewhere in the back, and a spandex lump rolled to her feet.
'_Ah, there you are, Subject-kun!'_
Her crooning gave way to a sickly smirk.
She steps on the lump, which moves, as well as Keima's face, which morphs into an absolutely disgusted face, with no color except white.
'_For those of you out there, this is you, and I will be role playing myself.'_
Her whip pulls back, and she kicks the "subject" aside.
'_Alright, whip time! Of course, that's all the time.'_
The maniacal giggle is abruptly ended when Keima flicks it off.
'...I think I need some alone time.'
He pushes his chair out, and walks to the bathroom doors.
'Nikaido did mention that she was an idol, and I did receive some indication that it was an underground following, but...'
He pushed the doors which lead to the toilet.
...
And found himself face to face with Haqua.
'...Haqua, this is a selfish request, but I think you can do it.'
Her scarlet face was largely ignored by Keima.
'I need you to research on a girl named Shima Utori?'
She grabbed her scythe.
'Oh, and it would also be wonderful if you were to help me also research on her bodyguard, Kono Terabi-!'
The gamer shot through the café, and crashed into a concrete wall outside.
'WHAT THE HELL, KATSURAGI, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TRYING TO PULL HERE!'
He slid off of the hole in the wall.
Haqua placed her scythe between her legs, and rose into the air.
'JUST GO DIE SOMEWHERE, KATSURAGI, DIE!'
And the angry demon flew off.
'...I was going to apologize...'
**A couple minutes later**
'I'm back! How w- Oh, Keima. What caused all these bandages?'
Both Elsi and Keima looked at Mari, before her son sighed and winced as he got up.
'I got run over by a bike this morning.'
His half-truth caused Elsi to look at him, only to be reprimanded with a nudge on her shoulder.
'Oh no!'
His mother's eyes flooded with concern.
'Who did it to you? I will call them,I will make sure tha-'
'Mother, it's alright. I already went to the clinic, and it was an accident.'
He walked to the stairs.
'I will just need some time to recover.'
And with that, he walked upstairs, pulling out his PFP.
Mari slowly took her attention of the sound of Keima's retreating footsteps, to look at Elsi, who was busy wiping off the antiseptic.
'Elsi, do you know if your brother has anything troubling him?'
The demon paused for a moment, and gave a nervous laugh.
'Kami-sama seems to always have something to worry over.'
Mari nodded at the statement. Little did she know how true it was.
**Upstairs..**
Keima resented being forced to research on this so called idol. He had no masochistic inclination, and thus didn't want to start one. His general understanding of the sadist archetype was similar to that of the tsundere archetype: most of them actually weren't. But that was in the galges. In the real, the likelihood of an actual full-out sadist appearing was increased. Thus, Keima definitely needed to:
_A. See if Utori was a real sadist or not_
_B. Try to find information unavailable to the net (unlike with Kanon, Keima was certain that Elsi must not meet any fans of Utori. They may not be as friendly)_
_And_
_C. Initiate a encounter _
...
He grumbled. With now only two days to do these three key things, planning would have to be maximized and only done that night. He saved his game, and set it down on a desk with reluctance, and down something that had never been done- He changed the six screens dedicated to gal games to reliable search engines. He narrowed his eyes at the bright screens. He truly lamented the sacrifices that he was making for these captures. His fingers began at an agonizing pace, before reminded by a glance at his clock that time was of the essence.
**One night later**
'Kami-sama, time to wak-'
A terrifying sight confronted her.
'KAMI-SAMA!'
She lifted up a motionless body.
'_ant s_e_ wat_r'
'Kami-sama! Kami-sama!'
The demon shook Keima desperately.
The broken gamer glared into her eyes, prompting her to stop.
'I...want some water.'
Her eyes brightens upon understanding what he meant.
'Ah, did you say you wanted a..'
She paused, before brightening once more.
'...swimsuit?'
'...'
The dull silence was abruptly interrupted by Mari, who walked in.
'Elsi, are you ok- Keima! My goodness, let me get you some water.'
Elsi then looked up at the screens, which was filled with websites detailing about Utori.
'Neh, Kami-sama, don't tell me you've been...'
He nodded weakly.
'...developing an interest in masochism?'
'...I think you might need a lesson in Japanese again, not Hellian.'
His hoarse retort caused her start, and she stood up.
'Oh, Kami-sama, Haqua wanted to tell me that you're... something to do with you being a hentai... What's all that about?'
The Capturing God struggled weakly to get up.
'None of your concern, I'll tell you. Try to avoid putting my name in your conversations with her, though.'
She nodded, and the door opened, revealing Mari with a cup of water.
'Keima, this is so nostalgic! I remember bringing you water that one time when you had a fever! Ah, how many years back was that...'
He gratefully took the water, which he took a sip of, before coughing.
'...daijobo-'
'I'm alright for now. Just *cough* just a little bit tired.' Let's go already, what's all this action doing in my room.'
The family walked down stairs, with Keima still coughing somewhat.
**After breakfast**
Keima felt sore all over, lack of sleep and damage to his body didn't mix very well, and he was barely able to focus on Elsi while he was playing on his PFP.
'...-aqua went to Yukie's to sleep last night. I really hope that she didn't mean what she said, Kami-sama, as she sounded really mad at you.'
'The real was distracting my work. A bad event was triggered without warning, but it shouldn't ruin my route.'
'But Kami-sama, at least apologize to her!'
Keima stubbornly shook his head.
'I will deal with mistakes after this capture, but not, before or during it. Alright?'
'Okay, Kami-sama...'
Internally, Keima felt that he definitely needed to apologize. An ally like Haqua was formidable, but so was her being a enemy. He didn't believe that she would hate him for an eternity after what he saw, but letting it fester was not a good idea. Perhaps his good news, as well as his secret weapon, might just pull it off.
The two walked to school, as a smiling Mari waved them off. Something she usually never does. As the Capturing God and the demon were out of sight, the benevolent smile grew malicious, as well as Mari's face. Something that never happened, as she only ever went angry, but never mischievous, like she was now.
Her figure shrank down in height somewhat, and her hair darkened. All that remained from Mari was her malignant grin.
She speaks to seemingly no one.
'Subject has ingested IT. Repeat. Goal compete. Returning.'
With that, the unknown figure flew off into the cloudy sky.
**Kinda doesn't float now that Keima got something in him. Of course, impersonating Mari is no easy feat, you have to give them credit for managing it. Utori... is Utori. I guess I need more development, and less of the cliché development. The story is rolling, although I wish it was better paced. Another night wasted. I really like these cliffhangers though, as I seem to find them everywhere.**
14. Great Unexpectations
**Real Ideal making more progress, unlike this story. This story is just delving deeper, with no way to dig it out...or is there? Of course there is, as otherwise this story is just someday stop progress altogether. Which is impossible. I'll say one thing, I never get real Writer's Block. I just have bad ideas where the plot should go. Perhaps due to the simplicity of my stories. Who knows. Read.**
'Psst, Katsuragi.'
The person in question only stopped playing for a moment on his PFP before turning around while still pressing on buttons, without looking.
'What do you want, Chihiro?'
The girl shoved a piece of paper into his hand before once again mimicking a attentive student.
'Just read it, alright?'
He gave her a questioning stare, before turning back to the game screen.
'Otamega!'
He sighed in defeat, and unwillingly unfolded the tightly pressed piece of paper.
'...Can't you just tell me to go to your band's room?'
She gave him a haughty expression.
'...I suppose I will go.'
His desk was abruptly jolted by a kick from behind.
'Just saying, Yui asked me to give that to you.'
The day was getting worse and worse. He glanced over at his main concern, Haqua, and discovered himself to also be looked upon.
'...'
The demon turned her face away from him in discomfort.
Looks like he was right to worry about her right now.
_Lunch_
'So, why exactly am I here?'
While his fingers blazed through a route, he cast a annoyed expression at the four girls, of which only Chihiro seemed to know what exactly was going on. The 2-B Pencil pointed quizzical looks at him, except for Elsi, who had apparently forgotten that there was a test today and was busy studying somewhere.
Chihiro toys with her hair, and turns away from him.
'Well, you see, I was thinking, who exactly would be the best candidate for our technician, and well...'
Here she gave a slight blush before facing him once more, with a cheeky grin.
'You're the winner!'
'No.'
Keima dead panned in a monotone voice.
'C'mon, Katsuragi...'
Her notable change in name is surprising, thus she must really want him to do so...
She pulls out a notecard from her bag
'Let's see, some benefits are...'
She stops, before hastily pushing the note back in her bag, this time reaching for her guitar, and pulls out the instrument. She shakes it, and a piece of paper drifts out. She picks it up and places her guitar down once more, and doesn't look at the expectant faces of her band nor Keima's disappointed look as she speaks.
'Like I was saying, benefits include a free room to play games in, complimentary friends, and you get a business card.'
She hands him the paper she was reading from. Besides the scribbles and words that were crossed out, it only showed his name along with the title of "Technical Advisor."
Keima's glasses glinted dangerously.
Ayumi looks very much disturbed, while Yui was watching intensely.
'...I hope this isn't a joke.'
She shakes her head vigorously, all the while still maintaining a confident smile.
'Nope. And why we need you to help us is due to the fact that we're going to perform at another school that apparently has their own equipment, and won't accept ours. We have no idea what to do, so I got the idea of getting you.'
He now slows his speed going through the galge, and eventually stops. He looks up at the expectant girl.
'You promised.'
His shock was nearly visible, as he nearly dropped his PFP, but he quickly composed himself. But evidently Chihiro noticed, and her smile turns to that of a surprised smirk.
'Ah, I guess Elsi was right when she said to use that. I don't know what it means, as I hadn't pro side you anythings, except...except..'
She pauses, and mutters unintelligibly to herself. She gives up soon after.
'Well, anyways, help us, Katsuragi, okay?'
That bug demon...she had hell to pay...LITERALLY.
He saves his game, and looks upon the triumphant girl.
'So what exactly do you want me to do right now? I'm not familiar with whatever school you're going to's equipment either. I can only do so when we're there.'
Before she can speak, the ignored audience suddenly spoke up. That is, Miyako.
'Ah, Chihiro, a question.'
The girl in question nods for her to go on.
'The festival is a week away, so will Katsuragi know what to do for each and every one of us? I suggest that we show him our instruments over time, and let him be more comfortable with them and how they work. Katsuragi will also be in charge of recording, so he will have to know much more than plugging and which ones. In order to accomplish this, we need some time for him to watch us sing and do our normal routine, so- '
Keima didn't feel quite so sure about that, but Chihiro seems to jump at Miyako's idea.
'Exacfly Miyako. In that case, we will have Katsuragi here be more understand out work. Now, Elsi should be here by now, as she did say she would come at-'
The demon burst into the room, along with a bag that had papers falling out of it.
'Gomen, gomen, I'm really sorry, but I dropped all my papers and...and...'
Her desperate plea reached out to the girls, and Chiro closes the door while Ayumi pulls a seat out for her. Yui passes a paper that looked like notes of Chihiro's speech. Keima looked at it with fear. If she got too into it, who knows what could happen.
Chihiro closes the door, and walks back to Keima.
'Alright, so in order for us t-'
It seemed that Elsi had caught up with the topic after reading Yui's notes, and shot up.
'I think Kami-sama should have days reserved for all our members, like a date, but for our band!'
All the girls in the room excluding Miyako and Elsi blushed.
Yui lazily smiled with flushed cheeks at Keima, who ignored her intentionally, while Ayumi was looking out the window, steam pouring out of her ears. Chihiro dropped the papers which she had just gotten from the floor, and was frantically picking them up with a red face.
Overall, Elsi had caused mass chaos in the room, even though it was quiet.
...
That demon was as good as dead.
* * *
Afterwards they left the classroom which was still in turmoil. Elsi rubbed her head while wincing, as Keima had given her appropriate punishment for her misdeeds.
'Kami-sama, I was just trying to help! We need more people to help us during this capture, right, Kami-sama?'
He doesn't speak.
'O-Okay Kami-sama.'
The atmosphere becomes tangible as the silence draws on. Keima realized that she had her best intentions at heart, but he would prefer of she instead had only not done anything at all rather than this messy harem route. He did not even want to ENTERTAIN the thought of doing it. The real was far too sporadic. All these meaningless characters...
'Kami-sama, where are we going?'
'Actually, I need you to follow me as I speak to Haqua.'
Her eyes widen upon realizing what he meant.
'You mean you're going to say sorry to Haqua?'
He gives an exaggerated nod.
'That's great Kami-sama! Haqua doesn't look so happy right now anyways, maybe you can cheer her up!'
Oh, he'll cheer her up. His well-prepared secret will.
* * *
Back at the classroom, the demon sat on her desk, alone. The rest of the students had given up chase when they turned a corner and found no one. Seems her hagoromo is pretty handy.
Then, someone knocks. Strange, as this was a classroom. No one knew she was here, unless it was...
'I'm coming in.'
The duo walked in, and only Keima was unsurprised to find an open window. 'Seems she ran off.'
Elsi leans over the window, searching in vain for her friend.
'But Kami-sama, why would she run off?'
He grimaced at the answer.
'It's an time-honored trait. She can't accept apology without it being forced, but won't be on friendly terms. A dilemma. Seems I will be resorted to cornering her. Elsi, you stay in the school and calm down the band, alright? I'll go take care of Haqua.'
She nods, and runs back to the club room. Keima sighs in exasperation. One more day. And all he had was general knowledge of a sadist character. He STILL needed to know something about the bodyguard, Kono. She didn't even have pictures for anything, except for the fact that she had crimson hair buns. He would definitely need Haqua's hagoromo skills for this capture to be successful. Luckily, as he'd already known, it would come down to a corner. He pursed his mouth into a smug fashion.
'I can see the ending.'
* * *
Haqua panted, and breathed in deeply. Escaping the classroom was difficult, and a close call. Next time she wouldn't stay in such an obvious place. Somewhere else. Like here. Katsuragi shouldn't be able to find her here, as it was off limits to boys. That's right, the girls' restroom.
Of course, staying in a stall was awkward, and Haqua was really nervous whenever the girls who did walk by seemed to pause. Of course, it was only to wash their hands, but everytime she gave a sigh of relief. Of course, everything went wrong after that.
'Is this occupied?'
The female voice knocked on her stall, which Haqua hastily sputtered out a response.
'Y-Yes, I'm very sorry. Could you use another stall?'
The girl doesn't seem to answer, and Haqua would have thought the girls had left if she couldn't see the shoes that were still there. Speaking of which, were those really the girls' uniform shoes?...
The stall's door squeaked open, and Haqua was horrified to find a girl that looked so familiar, yet not.
'Ah, Haqua, let's go now, shall we?'
The golden-brown haired girl pulled Haqua out of the restroom, and lead her across the hallways, garnering much male attention from those who had not previously seen this unknown girl. Haqua was still reeling in shock from her discovery, and it wasn't before she was dragged in a empty classroom that she had anything to say.
...
'Katsuragi, why are you wearing -'
The gamer pulled off his wig, and revealed his regular mahogany hair.
'This is merely a use of disguise. But that is besides the point. Now, as an apology, I've made you this.'
He pulls a small box from his pocket, and slides it across the table separating the two. She picks it up.
'You probably had no food today. Therefore, you're welcome to eat this.'
As she opens it, Keima looks at her intensely, but does not give in to self-doubt.
'...Is this what you call a bento?'
He clears his throat, and gives her casual shrug.
'...But aren't bentos usually consisting o-'
'Merely details. Of course, that isn't to say bentos aren't important in galges. In fact, it is a very interesting thing in the difference between karaage and-'
'Alright, alright, I...I get it, Katsuragi. Apology accepted.'
And with that, she took a bite of the bagel.
Internally, Keima was analyzing the situation profoundly. It was unlikely that Haqua was to develop feelings for him, as she had shown affection for him before, but now he was unsure that she would be more tipped to returning back to the balance or if this would be too much and cause romantic feelings. If it did, it would be a major problem due tit he fact that he was tasked to instead capture Shima Utori and Kono Terabishi. If Haqua was to not agree with him capturing girls, than she would be a liability. Time for him to enact the gamer who didn't know about girls' feelings.
He brushed off his Mai-High female uniform, and walked over to Haqua in his shoes that actually didn't belong with the girls' uniform.
'Haqua.'
The demon stopped eating the bagel, and hesitantly turned to face him.
'I've given some thought to this, an-'
The doors leading to the classroom were abruptly opened, and a female figure walked in.
Keima's face registered shock. That was...but it shouldn't...
..
'Konichiwa, Nii-san. How can I service you today?'
The red-haired girl gave a lopsided smirk, and for the quiet room, it seemed that time stood still. In front of the two, was Kono Terabishi.
**I guess I resorted back to introducing characters like this. That is, at the end. I'm going to try to include Kono more. The previous arc didn't show much about her, beside the fact that she was crazy. And this story will include the majority of characters previously showcased. Miku hasn't shown up yet, but she will, I guarantee that. I've got plans for her...**
**Anyway, review, all that stuff. Thanks for reading. **
15. Two Faces For Two Foes
**Once again, back for more, are you? Well, here is more. Keima's plight is now going to revolve towards the main cast of characters from the series. Obviously, this arc isn't going to end anytime soon. Still in the first arc here, but more action. Revamping is sort of fun. I'll only make a separate plot to the original plot after this arc. Apparently a couple of people actually liked the original. Imagine that. None the less, characters from the earlier "arc" will appear and stay. Except for those involved/the targets in captures. They'll only make cameos afterwards. Just clearing this up. Anyways, read the story already.**
**Classroom 2-B**
Keima would do anything to trade places with Ayumi, who had a track meet and had to skip the test that day in order to finish the race.
Even though Keima would beg to differ, that test seemed to be the most nerve-wrecking time in class for him, and it had little do with the material. Of course, the fact that Kono was giving him a teasing look from her desk as he played on his galge didn't help. At least, he noted, Ayumi wasn't part of this capture in any way, or the rest of the girls. Of course, Elsi had tried to do that. Right now, it was obvious that he was being targeted by his capture target. They(?) were aware of what he was doing. And he would have to create new tactics in order to combat this. And Kono wasn't even the least of his worries. Elsi had not returned since her ill-fated trip back to the club room. Judging from the fact that the members of the 2-B Pencils also seemed inquisitive, it would appear that she never reached her destination. He clenched his PFP. Where did she go?
* * *
While Keima had been concentrating on the problems facing him, Haqua was also contemplating. That Kono character wasn't supposed to have involve herself directly until they targeted her. Instead, she came to them, and had now begun to use aggressive tactics against Keima. If this didn't warrant suspicion, Haqua didn't know what would. It was beyond what anyone had expected. The rest of the Spirit-Capturing Squad had apparently been moved to watch over Shima's actions, the obviously higher profile girl. But the team and Nikaido seemed very much disturbed that Kono had taken a different tract from that of Shima, who seemed have little change.
As the loud dismissal bell rung, the teacher got up from his seat.
'Class dismissed. The tests will be graded tomorrow. Katsuragi, please see me.'
While Haqua gave him a worried look, he waved it away. Thus, she walked out of the classroom, and only Keima as well as the teacher were there.
'Katsuragi, could you please tell Elsi that she will have to take the test during class tomorrow, if she is here, that is. Apparently she's been seen around the track, but really, she should focus more on academic studies than-'
Keima had already left the room.
The teacher pauses for several moments, before confirming to himself that Keima had actually left. He sneers.
'Perfect.'
His figure retracts to that of a small shaded female, who opens the window, looking back for a final time.
'Target confirmed to be at West Sector.'
She then places a hood over her head, soaring into the sky for a split second before disappearing into thin air.
Keima walked back into the room, along with Haqua.
'It appears that we are being manipulated. Or at least, were.'
She nods. It was very lucky that she had been waiting for him nearby, as he was able to allow both of them to observe the relevation.
'I'll have what's needed here.'
She pulls out three detention bottles from her school bag.
'Will these be enough?'
The Capturing God walked over to the window, which he closed silently.
'More than enough, we're only dealing with one doppelgänger here.'
'...Hey Katsuragi.'
The gamer froze. He didn't like the atmosphere being given off here.
'Why's this Terabishi character popping up so early?'
'Well, that's simply due to her aggressive nature, but I would think Elsi can help with that prob-'
'But where's Elsi?'
His blank stare was not reassuring to the least.
'Where is she, or do you really have no idea?!'
He clears his throat, quieting her.
'The ending will not be clear until this perpetrator is detained. Now, let us go home.'
He attempted to walk down the hallway corner, but was confronted with Haqau's relentless pursuing of the topic.
'Hey, hold it right there Katsuragi. Where is El-'
'Could you two wait for me please?'
The duo turned, and found Akari in her usual dirty lab coat.
'I happen to be interested this.'
While Haqua wasn't able to react well with the introduction of the strange girl, Keima gave a reassuring smile, before nodding back to Akari.
'Certainly, as it appears we may need another demon.'
Haqua's eyes widened from the revelation. Demon?
'Hey Akari, fill Haqua in about all the mission plan. I need to get another galge from my shoe locker.'
And he was abandoning her?! What the hell...
Before Haqau was able to do anything, only a wisp occupied the space where the Capturing God had been.
As the quick receding steps of Keima came to an awkward void, Akari turned her head to Haqua's scythe.
'From which valedictorian did you borrow that from?'
'I DIDN'T STEAL IT, IT'S M-'
'I see. But, pray tell, why were you the one in the report who apparently let a dangerous Weiss escape, as well as take over three weeks past the due date to turn in your actual physical report?'
'YOU SPEAK OF NONSENSE.'
The echo of Haqua's voice reached well beyond the empty halls in the school.
**Café Grandpa**
'And here we are.'
Although it seemed Mari had stood outside awaiting Keima's return, she looked very much suprised by his arrival along with the accompanying girls.
She looked at the trio in excitement, not running to Keima until she spoke to him.
'Keima, have you brought some friends over?'
'Yes, it appears so...Oka-san...'
'Well, don't stay outside waiting! Come in, you three!'
Mari opened the ajar door, glancing back for a final second.
Turning her head, a malicious grin crept up her face.
'Ah, Oka-san, don't forget.'
As she looked back, the detention bottle pulled her in.
'You're not my legitimate mother.'
Now that they were inside, the trio padded over in their socks to the tables.
'Is this really okay?'
Haqua looked down at the miniature Mari in the bottle, placed neatly on a small counter.
'Keima-kun? Keima-kun! What's all this?! Keim-'
'If you're my mother, what's my birthday?'
The awkward silence was interrupted by Mari's nervous laugh.
'Well, it's obviously June 6. But that's a given. Why are you holding your own mother in this?!'
She pounded desperately at the glass walls.
Although Haqua seemed to feel doubt rising up, she noticed that Akari had turned to the gamer in question.
'That may be true, but that doesn't make you anything. Care to explain when I got a fever, like you said this morning?'
Mari seemed to pale, or perhaps it was the bottle reflecting light, but either way her voice definitely had a tremor in it when she next spoke.
'W-What ever do you mean, Ke-'
'I never got a fever as a child.'
The color seemed to drain from Mari's face as she continued to listen to Keima.
'Also, the teacher wouldn't have known if Elsi had or hadn't been at the track field. In fact, I personally asked Ayumi whether she had seen Elsi. By phone, that is. Even disregarding that, since when did you send me off to school and wait for me to come back? Never have I remembered that happening before.'
She blanched, while Haqua had pulled her face back from the table where the bottle sat. Akari seemed to be busy fidgeting with her hagoromo.
'But, but what does your teac-'
'Just stop your act already.'
Keima looked genuinely exasperated at the adamant imposter in the bottle.
'Those former doppelgängers had to report to someone, and that someone was you. Getting a little hasty, were you?'
Before Keima could blink, the image of his mother shrinked, as well as darkened, revealing a small, imp-like creature.
'What the hell, since when did I ever say I was going to come here?'
Keima's brief intake of breath was then once again replaced by him clearing his throat.
'When you made me drink that water, I had immediately checked with Elsi over Haqua's handbook, and the two you sent off were some hagoromo dolls that me and Elsi had made for an emergency, being extremely well-made, at least for Elsi. I managed to get the name for your little drink, as well as reverse the affects. That is, memory loss and exhaustion.'
The figure made no move to ask him to continue, but Keima did so anyway.
'Honeslty, I had no idea what you are or why you were here- you had the upper hand. It's a pity you can't be competent enough to use it to your advantage.'
'What am I, huh...'
The "demon" rubbed her head in thought.
'I suppose I'm what you call a "relic of the past."'
Keima waited patiently for the apparent relic to stand up.
'I'm currently in a celestial body right now. The two that you saw were shadow puppets, while this type of interference requires deep concentration for conversations and such. I'm, what do they call me again, its been a couple centuries since they talked to me...'
She seemed deep in thought, before Akari finally looked up from her hagoromo.
'So you're a witch.'
'Ah yes, that's the word.'
Haqua didn't seem to believe it, as she turned back to Akari.
'Didn't the last witch exile herself the previous century?'
The "witch" seems to laugh at Haqua's confusion.
'Well, you see, I'm currently in the past.'
Keima tilted his head at this. How much could demon technology really do?
'Y...You mean to say that you are currently in a Chronostasis mode?'
Keima felt questions raised at this interjection of a word he wasn't familiar with, but kept himself silent as the witch nodded to Haqua.
'Whatever you're saying, I do believe I'm doing that right now. I just call it time-travel, but if you want to give it a name, go ahead.'
Suddenly Keima shot out of his seat, glaring at the witch.
'Before you leave, answer me this.'
Both demons turned their heads to the sudden outburst, and the witch gave a surprised burst of laughter.
'I was being awfully obvious, wasn't I? Well, speak boy, and I shall answer.'
Keima looked at her dead in the eyes as he leaned down to the table.
'What is your name?'
The bottle glowed in a yellow light, sickly and blinding. As the container shattered, the outline of her body expanded into glowing particles.
The three blocked their eyes from the sight.
'I can't really reveal my identity now, can I? That would ruin all the fun.'
She snapped a finger, opening the door leading outside.
'Your mother's at school, just saying. I called her using your voice.'
Keima gritted his teeth. He definitely didn't expect the witch to actually avoid the question, but the fact that he knew where his mother was didn't relive him at all.
'She's there why?'
The two demons got up in unison, surveying the damage. The shattered container had caused some broken plates and cups on the tables, but otherwise there was relatively little change.
'Witch, whoever you are, we request that you leave.'
Akari's calm demeanor didn't change for a moment, and she pulled out her Scythe of Testament.
'Otherwise, I shall be forced to cause you some physical damage.'
'Hah! Try that. I didn't waltz in here with no idea of the risk, you know.'
As the glittering body became discolored until it was how it looked previously, the unnamed girl walked out the door. Even though the scythe had began glowing ominously, as the shapeshifter turned around, she gave a confident grin.
'I did, after all, possess someone.'
The scythe lost its luminous light, and clattered on the ground. Haqua had actually been about to take out her scythe, but froze upon hearing her words.
'That's right, you can't damage me without some collateral damage. So, how about it, Otamega. Why don't you just let me have my fun with Utori?'
The gamer in question shrugged, surprising the other two.
'Give us a minute.'
The gray eyes on the feminine face rolled in sarcasm.
'Certainly, but I take a minute too, alright? Actually, let's try not to meet each other again, hmm?'
'I don't agree.'
She taps the side of her head whilst slowly floating to the air.
'Well, in that case, I'll take my deal. Farewell.'
With that brief conclusion, the girl bursts off in to the sky, leaving no trace that she had ever been in front of them.
'Hey, Akari, you can quit the dramatics now.'
Haqua twisted her head to the two behind her.
'W-Wait! Didn't we just get totally outmaneuvered?! We need to contact the rest of those assigned to this task force, and try to track her dow-'
'That'a been taken care of, so it's quite alright to relax now. Ah, Samus, you can clear your identity now.'
And right before Haqua's eyes, Keima developed armor, until he looked like one of the Spirit Capturing Squad members in full uniform.
'Samus, as you can see, is an infiltration squad member. Keima has been patiently watching from his little cove, now isn't that right, Keima?'
Akari's hagoromo flattened into a large screen, briefly flashing before revealing an all-too familiar face, along with his beloved PFP in his hands. Huh. No wonder Haqua felt something was missing.
'I do admit, the synchronization with my speech is surprisingly fluid, not considering the fact that I was speaking live. It would be a great boost to the gaming world. But alas, that's beside the point. Seems that witches aren't the only ones able to shape-shift, and vice versa.'
The dumbfounded demon who looked at the screen in awe was suddenly noticed by him.
'Ah, Haqua. Yes, sorry to inform you, or lack thereof, but I am currently elsewhere. However, I will assure you, I am secure as well as Kono.'
Haqau narrowed her eyes. What did Kono-
'This is due that, if you weren't aware, Kono was obviously the one possessed by said witch.'
The demon jolted in surprise.
Now that she thought of it, although she did really give that girl little priority over the Utori girl, both were threats.
'Anyways, your teammates and I are currently awaiting the return of the apparent witch. Akari, could I ask that you make sure there are reinforcements around the block? I fear this confrontation might be somewhat jarring.'
The demon tapped on her hagoromo's screen for several quick seconds.
'I don't think that'll be necessary, as those with you should be the best of the best.'
He nodded in approval, while Haqua still had some questions for this all too sudden jump.
'Where exactly are you, Katsuragi?'
His smirk was less chilling and more cocky than normal.
'Why, we're all nice and comfy with Kono here, of course.'
And it would just have to coincidentally not have been one minute yet.
**That's a wrap. I should probably work on Real Ideal now, got some ideas for THAT, but that's another story. Literally and metaphorically. I do like the action now. Hated all that suspense. Where's the action? Here's the action. Alright. Super tired these days, been a while since an update, still enjoy your reviews though. Arc is far from done, as Shima hasn't really been touched on, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading, or should I say, await the next chapter?**
16. In Witch Mari is Decidedly Forgotten
**Enjoy this arc while you can. I've got some more arcs panned ahead, obviously. I won't say how many, but it's in the double digits. Disregarding that, the story is progressing well. Haqua is slightly ignored in both stories, though. Kind of want to change that. There's been some questions over the original arc, as it was rather surreal. Well, all I can say is Keima never gave on a game. Never. So I will not give up that old story either. Of course, I am pressured to remove it and make it a separate story altogether, I won't do that. It will become a recurring thing some time later, I think... **
**Keima seems invincible right now. Not sure I can change that very much. **
'...'
The small room was decidedly cramped and the fact that there were six Spirit Squad members, Keima, and a sleeping Kono did not help.
'Katsuragi, the magician should be approaching the area within 20 seconds.'
He nodded to the masked demon.
'Understood.'
In response, three of the six, including the demon Keima had been speaking to, pulled out a detention bottle. Except it seemed somewhat different from what Keima remembered it to look like...
'These, if you haven't noticed, Katsuragi, are different from the regular issued bottles. They are magically-reinforced products from H&L, but due to their expensive nature, the regulars have still not been provided with them.'
'How are they superior?'
She hands the container to him, and as he rubbed the top, which had what appeared to be screws, her explanation begins.
'They are able to contain Level 4-6 Weiss. While normal confinement bottles have a larger recoil, these bottles are fire-and-forget. The bottles are basically a normal detention bottle combined with that of a hagoromo, since it is able to wrap around defiant Weiss and other magical anomalies. '
As he gives the glass bottle back, another of other Squad members taps the demon Keima was talking to.
'Sera, the target is directly above us.'
'Good. Take positions.'
The third of the demons tenses up and aim her bottle at the immobile girl.
'Use the first restraining magic battle formation if my bottle isn't enough.'
The three create a triangle around the bed.
_(Note- The 1st restraining magic battle formation was the one used on Hinoki in the Godzilla Sister Arc, and explained by Nikaido to only be used to finish off a Weiss after it was weakened, but not used to surround it. That arc is also when the superior detention bottle was debuted, and only ever used to date, besides in the Yui Arc, were another Level 4 appeared. So, what I'm saying is, both exist in canon)_
* * *
Right before their eyes, a thin beam of light rests on Kono, before enveloping her entire body with a golden glow. As it recedes, her eyes flutter open.
'Capture.'
A thin, red band fires out of the open glass, which snaps in a corner, surrounding Kono. Before she could blink, she was completely subdued.
The strips of hagoromo tighten, eventually enclosing the girl into what seemed to be an impossible size. The performance finally ended when the demon walks over and picks up the small bottle, which had a dazed Kono in it.
'Good. Let's now go to the rendezvous point.'
* * *
**Rendezvous Point (AKA Café Grandpa)**
'So, what do you have to say for yourself?'
Kono turned away.
'I'm not speaking with you.'
Akari looked over to Keima, who shrugged, and sat beside her as the two looked at the miniature girl who had been captured.
'So, basically, you're currently in the past, but you've managed to successfully create a new way to focus and send your conscience into the future, but you are a celestial body that can only interact with others by a voluntary possession, similar to that of a Weiss, am I correct?'
There isn't any indication she heard him.
'Ah, Akari-sama.'
Nikaido walks into the living room.
'It seems the Chief would like for us to manage to bring "her" to New Hell.'
Akari glanced back at Kono, who had closed her eyes.
'Could you please at least give us a name for the records?'
'No.' She defiantly stared back at Akari.
'I just want a Weiss, so I can- you know what, just let me do my thing and I'll leave, is that acceptable?'
'Unfortunately, we cannot do that anymore.'
'And why's that?' Her snarl was clearly impatient.
'Well, for one, you did try to poison me.'
'That was not poisonou-'
'Two, you masqueraded and deceived my mother, and Elsi, who we are still unsure of where she is.'
'I don't know where that demon of yours is at either. She wasn't part of whatever I did.'
Haqua stalked over from the bathroom. Thank goodness Keima was still speaking. With her odds, he would've probably entered somehow.
'Are you sure you're telling us the truth?'
'Yes, I have no clue where that demon is! She was gone before I knew it. I was busy here when you three were at school, alright?'
Haqau's ears perked up. Elsi was definitely gone, so if the witch had nothing to do with it, who had? There was something wrong in this...
'Why did you attempt to poison us anyways?'
'I didn't try t- Alright, fine, I did. That was only because you were messing around with my Utori!'
'How would you know about that? We didn't have any contact with her eve-'
'The TV does record what you look at.'
The silence was deafening.
'Does this mean you check literally every viewer on her channel?'
'Yeah. So? You seemed to be the biggest threat, from your obsessive "conquering" talk. Most live in Osaka.'
'... So you admit you stalk after Utori's fans.'
'Yeah, what? There's advantages to being something that's intangible.'
Keima rubbed his head at all the commotion.
'Alright, supposing that we believe you aren't a threat, could you at least tell us your relation to Utori?'
'I'm her bodyguard. Kono Terabishi, the girl I've possessed, has been with her since childhood.'
'How long have you been possessing Terabishi?'
She counts on her fingers for a bit, even using both, to the incredulity of everyone in the room.
'About seven years.'
'Seven years?!'
'Yeah, seven years. Almost eight now. Noticed her when she got lost in a garden maze, fun times.'
'Could you give any reasons why Utori is special?'
'No.'
Akari gestures at Nikaido.
'It's time to go.'
Kono shakes her head.
'I'm not going anywhere unless you take Shima along too.'
Akari and Nikaido look at eachother, wondering what to make of it.
'What's with that?'
'You might have forgotten, but I can destroy this body whenever I feel so.'
Keima narrowed his eyes.
'...Was that a threat?'
'Take it as you will.'
Keima then directed his attention to Nikaido.
'Does this mean we won't move her?'
She bit her lip, looking away.
'It seems you'll have to finish what you started, Katsuragi.'
His bland look was intentionally unnoticed.
'Well, ah, Katsurgai, let's go back to school to look for Elsi. That was were she last was, anyways...'
He nodded to Haqua.
'Let's go. Akari, Nikaido, make sure that Kono doesn't go anywhere.'
A rap on the head brought him down.
'We aren't people you just order around, Katsuragi, we know what we have to do.'
He gave Nikaido a sheepish look.
'I'm sure you've injured me enough the past few hours.'
'There really isn't ever enough punishment to be given to someone like you. Count yourself lucky.'
He didn't, and walked soundlessly out the door along with Haqau.
'So, what would you like to talk about," Kono?"'
In her eyes, the two became demonic apparitions.
'I'm sure we have lots in common.'
Her eyes widen in terror.
* * *
'Katsuragi, do you think Kono still exists? As a personality?'
'...Aren't you the valedictorian who's supposed to know about demon rituals?'
A light smack on the head silenced him.
'...It's forbidden in to learn, as it isn't able to happen without sacrifices.'
'Sacrifices?'
'Chronostasis basically means that a individual loses their consciousness, but pushes it forward. Unfortunately there is no back tracking, so the individual can only go forward, but can be sent back to their original time period. Another problem is if you meet-'
'So it follows the time travel rules?'
She hesitantly nods, unsure of her answer.
'I guess you could think of it like that. You humans have been lately delving into that sort of technology.'
'I wouldn't know.'
Keima, of course, had played through several galges that were deeply immersed in science fiction, and the golden rule of those games: Love isn't easy to connect from different times. There's always trouble. But he doubted he would have to conquer anyone from the past, judging by the situation.
The two walked down the hazy streets.
* * *
**Outside Mai-High**
'Looks like we're here.'
The school looked very much foreboding, as the late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the ground.
'Let's check the track first. We'll enter the building afterwards.'
Keima pulls out his PFP.
'I think I'll just go inside first.'
'...What is it, Katsuragi, you think you've found her?'
He momentarily stops playing, turning back to her.
'I might have a clue.'
**2-B Classroom**
The door slides open, revealing an empty room.
'Reminds of that time you were sneaking around.'
She involuntarily flushed in anger.
'That was only because of your terrible timing!'
'Alright, Haqua, we're going to need to separate.'
Her cheeks lost their fiery color.
'Why's that?'
He gave a look that made her feel she was being ridiculed. His fingers continue to fly across his PFP.
'She, the witch, did say that my mother was here as well. It's rather difficult to find both at the same time, so if we split up, we might find both of them more efficiently , correct?'
Her eyes positively poured doubt out.
'I realize that this may be something that will be difficult for you to do,' she bites her lip in fury, 'but we have already taken care if the only real problem. There's no way there-'
Haqau looks up, realizing the same time Keima did.
'There's still Utori, isn't there?'
Keima silently pockets his PFP.
'Let's stay together.'
* * *
**Café Grandpa**
Siting comfortably on chairs, Akari and Nikaido look down on the bottle which contained Kono, placed on top of a table. All of them (excluding Kono) were helping themselves to a cup of coffee.
'So what you're saying is, lately Utori's Weiss has been acting up?'
Even as Kono glared at Nikaido, she reluctantly opens her mouth to speak.
'Yes, as she's been siphoning that Weiss's power unintentionally.'
Akari and Nikaido glance at each other in unison.
'And what exactly is this power the Weiss has?'
This time, Kono refuses to speak.
'Did you administer enough truth serum?'
Akari looks up from Kono.
'There should be.'
Kono's face darkens to a scarlet red as she hold her breath.
'Hmmmm.'
Her defiant glare is disregarded.
'Shall we wait for the return of those two?'
Nikaido gives an impatient expression.
'If you say so, Akari-sama.'
* * *
**Light Music Club Room (2-B Pencil's Room)**
Keima fondles his PFP's outline in his pocket, as the duo stand before the closed room.
'Shall we go in?'
Haqau gives a shuddering breath, but grasps hold of the door.
'I..I think so.'
'You're certain?'
Her aggressive nature is clearly shown on her face, causing Keima to back off.
'Let's-'
The entrance slid open loudly, to the suprise of both.
'_Elsi?'_
**An obligatory chapter, I feel, but another one made. I can't say I'm sure where this arc is going, but I know it's going to end. In comparison to the rest of the next couple of arcs, this one seems so long. Well, also, my "Christmas present" will be my Real Ideal chapter concerning what else but the third episode, "Red-Nosed Reindeer." Funny how that worked out. I never planned it like that, but I appreciate it. **
**As always, thanks for reading this long boring chapter, and wait for the next one...which won't be made next year. I'll make one after Christmas. **
**Oh, right, DISCLAIMER- sorry if you like Osaka or live there, I guess. I just tried to think of a city besides Tokyo or something**.
17. Sure, Maybe
**Finally back from a hiatus, was looking into some other series' fanfictions, and just plain procrastination as a bond holding it all together. **
**In more notable happenings and goings, finished up the final draft for this story. So basically I know what's going to happen for as long as this goes. **
**And let me tell you, the length is staggering. But I insist. The project sounds awfully interesting. **
* * *
'Elsi?'
The demon didn't respond, and instead nonsensically swept the floor of the club room with her broom, muttering to herself.
While Haqua couldn't make head nor tail of the situation, Keima merely pushed her aside, stepping into the sparkling inside.
'Elsi, do you hear me?'
Before Keima reached her, Haqua snapped out of her daze, and pulled him back.
'Look.'
She taps "Elsi" lightly.
The doll pops into nothing.
Crouching down, and unaware of Keima's disbelief that he had been fooled by such a simple trick like that, she noticed footprints that marked the clean floor boards.
'Katsuragi, over here.'
She pointed down.
'Should we...'
He gave a resolute no as he shook his head.
'This type of development is too simple. It's a bad flag no matter how you look at it.'
She rolled her eyes, now that she felt more comfortable.
'Just give me the simplified version of that.'
He points over to the evidence.
'Besides, it only leads to another door over there.'
She looks over, but crosses her arms defiantly.
'This person could have gone downstairs though!'
'Look, all I'm saying is-'
'Kami-sama? Haqua?'
The two turn to find Elsi looking over them in confusion from the door which they had entered with.
'Where were you!?'
She scratches her head and bashfully mumbles an answer.
'Ehe..I was taking a bathroom break...'
Their apparent disappointment in her was not lost in translation.
'B- But, Kami-sama, I was told by a teacher to stay here and clean because I skipped classes! I didn't do anything wrong, but you did!'
'Look, Elsi, this place is clean, correct?'
She gave a downwards scan of the room.
'Maybe... I don't think I cleaned the ceiling yet...'
He forcibly places his hand on her shoulder, giving her the chills.
'Elsi...Let's just go, alright...'
She quickly accepts.
* * *
'Besides, we were looking for you! You had us worried, Elsi.'
'Ehehe, I just like to think while I'm cleaning.'
While Haqua was busy reprimanding Elsi, Keima pushed forward to find Mari. Now that Elsi's circumstances had been cleared up, he now needed to take back his mother, also somewhere in the school. Kono had given out that she used his persona to lead her to the school. But where was she?
'Katsuragi, where do you think we could possibly check?'
He doesn't stop as he continues walking down the hall briskly.
'No matter what, we must not separate. It is unlikely that we will be confronted, but this is the safest route to finding my mother.'
'Kami-sama, when did Oka-san come here?'
'Sometime around when we left. It's likely that she is aware of where she is, but believes us to be here as well, which we are now.'
Elsi scratches her head in innocent confusion.
'So Oka-san is somewhere in the school?'
He gives her an exasperated sigh as a response.
'Yes, Elsi, that's what I meant.'
Although he wanted to give his hands something to do, namely some gal games, Keima also felt that based on the circumstances, it was better if he didn't. Just get Mari and get out.
* * *
**Café Grandpa**
'So what exactly are you implying here?'
Kono's hair twitched in anxiety.
'You know what I meant.'
Akari looks up from her hagoromo screen.
'****** has been neutralized. She is currently undergoing examination.'
Nikaido gives a subtle aura of approval.
Kono perks her ears up, interested in the conversation.
'Make sure she doesn't go anywhere though, she might still be unstable after that.'
'Also...'
The demon continues her work while speaking.
'I think we should tell them that neither of the two are actually a demon.'
Nikaido abruptly bows to Akari, but neither show any signs of discomfort at the sudden gesture.
'I would like for us to not give out that information, if I may, Akari-sama.'
'I understand, with her being in a rather high position, but I don't see another reasoning you could have for this case, as Keima wouldn't be someone to the out information regarding it.'
The teacher stiffens, but holds a silent face.
'Thus, due to the sensitive material, I feel that it's best if Katsuragi eventually comes around it on his own.'
'Yes.'
'Can I have some food?'
The serious tension was released when both demons turned back to the witness, Kono.
'What? I'm hungry.'
Nikaido gets up from her position, and walks into the kitchen.
'I suppose I'll do something about it...'
'If you could, give me something to eat as well.'
Despite knowing she didn't exactly have a choice in the matter, the teacher was still reluctant to make more food.
'Look, I'm not your personal maid.'
'But this is a café.'
Her comeback had added to Nikiado's growing pile of irritation.
'And the kitchen has several sharp knives, so I suggest you shut up and wait.'
The two seated at the tables promptly went silent.
* * *
**Old Theater, Mai-High**
'Katsuragi, this is the last place...'
After searching throughout the entire school, even the club rooms (where the trio found some less than savory after school activities, but that's another story), and finally narrowed it to old theater building. Keima wondered if this was a potential death flag already. The late afternoon sun had cast long shadows, and the no quiet murmurs from club students were heard.
'Is Oka-san really in there?'
Elsi's rare voice of reason was surprisingly sound, and the Keima let his doubts sink in.
'I too don't think this is very sensible, Katsuragi.'
The other demon would have sounded more convincing if her knees weren't shaking and about to give out.
'This is my mother. I can't simply walk out on this.'
Haqua fondles her scythe in thought.
'Is her cell-'
'She's out of service, apparently.'
'Has anyone see-'
'You've already background checks around the school. She wasn't anywhere two hours ago. Except perhaps this place.'
'Well, that's relati-'
Keima pushes all of them without warning into a nearby bush.
'Wh-'
'Shh. Be quiet.'
As they move into comfortable positions, two shadowed figures open the door while speaking.
'...-neslty seems that you're too modest, that's your problem.'
'Ah, you're too kind. I feel that I really have too much of a distaste for pain.'
'Don't we all?'
Keima's eyes widen in disbelief. The boy with black wavy hair and wide chestnut eyes was too similar to the face seen on his television screen.
'What the hell...'
Haqua is unable to comment, with her shock leaving her speechless.
'Is that...?'
Only Elsi was in confusion over who exactly this person was.
'Kami-sama, who's that guy?'
He clears his throat.
'It looks exactly like Shima Utori..but that's impossible..'
* * *
**Café Grandpa**
'...What is this...'
Kono's question was only answered by a glare.
'Something you can eat, so eat it.'
The small bowl of dark miasma that was inside the detention bottle along with Kono looked nothing like something edible.
'I don't think I can ea-'
'Eat it or I'll fill that whole container you're in with it.'
'...'
Unnoticed, Akari had already finished the bowl, which Nikaido seemed relieved to see.
'Would you like some more?'
'...I'm busy, sorry.'
The teacher went back in the kitchen, but not before casting a venomous gaze at Kono again.
'Hey you.'
Kono turns to the only person left in the room, confused. Was she goog tone interrogated again?
Akari pulls out another detention bottle,,this one filled with Nikaido's cooking.
'Always come prepared.'
'...Am I supposed to be impressed? I will be, if you take my serving.'
Her deadpan look was ignored, and the demon puts the bottle back.
'I'd like to give an offer.'
She speaks quietly, and for some reason or other Nikaido hadn't come back yet.
Kono frowns after hearing the proposal. A veteran on escaping maximum security for several centuries, and considering her physical body was in prison in another time period, she didn't like this bargaining at all. She would be sent back, with her memories wiped. Not exactly what she had planned.
But if what this demon offered her was true, it should work out in the end. Or something like that.
'...Can I at least do some other things before I leave.'
Akari nods in response.
'You have until midnight. Do anything you think you're allowed to do.'
Huh. This demon was a better person than she expected.
* * *
**Old Theater, Mai-High**
'Katsuragi, what do we do?'
He simply waves her aside.
'Keep low, and wait until they're done talking. We'll move in afterwards.'
The trio look on.
'So you know my Keima?'
'Oh yes, he's quite the notable person in the school. Anyone would know him.'
'And is that a good or bad thing?'
Shima gives a shrug.
'Really depends on how you look at things.'
The two then smile at the small joke.
'...Katsuragi, is th-'
'Just be quiet.'
Elsi looks over back at the scene.
'Kami-sama, is Shima a guy?'
He adjusts his glasses in thought.
'The last time I checked, no.'
'So who is that?'
He narrows his eyes.
'That's undoubtedly Shima Utori. Question is, since when was she a he?'
He runs through several possibilities through his mind.
Shima could just be wearing a short hair wig and had a transformation similar to that of Yui Guido's...but even Yui didn't have the sadistic qualities characteristic of Shima. Another could be vice versa, with Shima actually being a male, but discovers his cruelty is best used as a female. Yet...
'Katsuragi, she, I mean he, is leaving.'
He snaps back to reality, only to see the receding figure of the "boy" as he waves goodbye to Mari, who in turn did so as well.
'Haqua, you go back to the café and tell our group over there to leave, since I'll be returning with my mother. Elsi, you come along with me, alright?'
Haqua gives a reluctant nod, but before leaving she grabs hold of Keima.
'You sure you know what you're doing, Katsuragi? That indeed this is your mother, and not some doll? I will help, you know.'
He blinks, but doesn't push her away.
'Just trust me, Haqua. I wouldn't endanger anyone outside of my missions. In fact, probably not even anyone involved. And you're needed elsewhere.'
His assurance was apparently mediocre, but her only answer was a small glance back at him as she ascended into the sky, unnoticed by Mari, who had now began to enter the theater.
'Let's go, Elsi.'
* * *
**Apologies again for my long time updating this. I promise, there is quite a bit of drama left to run through. All I can say is pay some more attention to Chapter 14's events. Heh, did you think I forgot? **
**Real Ideal's my next target, so sorry if this does not get any attention from me for another..week? Something along those lines?**
End file.
| fanfiction |
Matthew Matt Ladley born May 17, 1991 is an American snowboarder who won the gold medal in the superpipe at Winter X Games XX.
Ladley competed in the 29th season of The Amazing Race with his partner Redmond Ramos where they finished in fourth place.
References
External links
Category:1991 births
Category:American male snowboarders
Category:Living people
Category:X Games athletes
Category:The Amazing Race contestants | wikipedia |
James M. Cummings born in South Boston, Massachusetts is the current sheriff of Barnstable County, Massachusetts.
Early life
Cummings served in the United States Navy. He graduated with a BS from Northeastern University and a Masters in Criminal Justice from Anna Maria College. He began his career in law enforcement in 1974.
References
External links
Biographical page
Category:Living people
Category:Anna Maria College alumni
Category:Northeastern University alumni
Category:Massachusetts sheriffs
Category:United States Navy sailors
Category:People from South Boston
Category:Year of birth missing living people
Category:Massachusetts Republicans | wikipedia |
How to get specific concentration of carbonic acid in solution?
I wanted to know if there is a way of getting specific quantities of carbonic acid? Carbonic acid is water + $\ce{CO2}$ but not all the $\ce{CO2}$ dissolves in water. So if I wanted $5\:\mathrm{g}$ of carbonic acid solution, how much $\ce{CO2}$ should I add to water? Is there a way to know how much has been added?
To get a specific amount of $\ce{H2CO3}$, you should monitor and adjust the $\mathrm{pH}$ of the water to the $\mathrm{pH}$ that would correspond to $5\:\mathrm{g}$ of $\ce{H2CO3}$. For this you would need to know the [acid dissociation constant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_dissociation_constant), $K\_\mathrm{a}(\ce{H2CO3})=1.738 \times 10^{-4}$, and the following equations:
$$\ce{CO2(g) +H2O(l) ->H2CO3(aq)}$$
$$\ce{H2CO3(aq) +H2O(l) -> HCO3- (aq) +H3O+(aq)}$$
So now we can calculate, using:
$$K\_\mathrm{a}=\frac{[\ce{HCO3-}]\cdot [\ce{H3O+}]}{[\ce{H2CO3}]\cdot [\ce{H2O}]}$$
$[\ce{H2O}]$ is omitted, as it remains mostly constant ($55.5084\ \mathrm{M}$). The only time it needs to be considered is when working with extremely concentrated solutions. From this we now get:
$$K\_\mathrm{a}=\frac{[\ce{HCO3-}]\cdot [\ce{H3O+}]}{[\ce{H2CO3}]}$$
Disregarding any autoprotolysis, the $[\ce{H3O+}]=0$ before any $\ce{CO2}$ is added and any $\ce{H2CO3}$ is formed. Therefore, we know that all $\ce{H3O+}$ comes from the carbonic acid, and that $[\ce{H3O+}]=[\ce{HCO3-}]$. Therefore:
$$[\ce{H2CO3}]=\frac{[\ce{H3O+}]^2}{1.738 \times 10^{-4}}$$
Here, we can greatly simplify this equation, and introduce a parameter that we can actually measure--$\mathrm{pH}$. We know:
$$\mathrm{pH}=-\log[\ce{H3O+}] \Rightarrow [\ce{H3O+}]=10^{-\mathrm{pH}}$$
Substituting, we get:
$$[\ce{H2CO3}]=\frac{(10^{-\mathrm{pH}})^2}{1.738 \times 10^{-4}}$$
This, however, only gives you the amount of $\ce{H2CO3}$ that is not dissociated into $\ce{H+}$ and $\ce{HCO3-}$. If we want to calculate exactly how much $\ce{H2CO3}$ is in solution, even in the dissociated form, we must add to it the amount that is dissociated, which as you may recall is $[\ce{H3O+}]=10^{-\mathrm{pH}}$:
$$\text{Total}\ \ce{[H2CO3]}=\frac{(10^{-\mathrm{pH}})^2}{1.738 \times 10^{-4}}+10^{-\mathrm{pH}}$$
From this you can calculate the mass of the $\ce{H2CO3}$ in solution by multiplying this value by the volume of solution present.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Your handsome little man will get oodles of compliments in this vintage-inspired knicker set! You won't find this look anywhere else – it's a Best Dressed Tot exclusive!
Our customers love knicker sets for all kinds of special occasions, and this classically handsome style really stands out from the rest. The set includes the knickers, hat, and clip bow-tie, all made in a rich plaid fabric. The ivory button down shirt and totally unique, fully adjustable plaid suspenders complete the look.
The attention to detail on this outfit can't be beat– like buttons on the knicker cuffs, full lining in the hat, and back elastic at the waist for a great fit. And, it is proudly made in the USA!
This is so cute. To me it runs slightly smaller than other 4T items but it still fits my son and is so adorable. I cant wait to have his picture done in it! | slim_pajama |
Increase Air Speed at outlet
I have a set up that inflates a rubber jacket in order release the metallic rings from underneath it. I am currently having issues with not having enough pressure (force) at the outlet to inflate the rubber jacket. I want to reduce the size of the pipe in order to increase the velocity, will this work?
Assuming somewhat approximately the gas is in-compressible, then (continuum equation):
$$v\_1A\_1\approx v\_2A\_2$$
where the $A$ are the cross-sections of the pipe.
So we can write:
$$v\_2\approx\frac{A\_1}{A\_2} v\_1$$
Using diameters $D$:
$$v\_2\approx\Big(\frac{D\_1}{D\_2}\Big)^2 v\_1$$
So fitting an adaptor with $D\_2<D\_1$ will increase $v\_2$.
| stackexchange/physics |
the carina nebula is a complex star forming region situated at a distance of @xmath2 kpc from the sun . with more than @xmath3 massive stars identified @xcite ,
it is an ideal site to study the impact of stellar feedback on the interstellar medium ( ism ) . in this highly dynamical environment
massive stars affect the surrounding medium through photoionizing radiation , stellar winds and ultimately through supernova explosions .
observations and numerical simulations have shown that these mechanisms can produce various observable morphologies like superbubbles at large scales @xcite , cavities @xcite , shells or pillars @xcite .
the feedback mechanisms at work during the lifetime of the massive stars ( before the supernova ) may not play the most dominant role on larger scales @xcite .
however , these processes can affect the star formation locally by either triggering the formation of new stars or dispersing clouds and thereby delaying or even hindering star formation @xcite .
in addition to the feedback mechanisms mentioned above , the dynamical evolution of these massive stars is also likely to affect the surroundings .
while most of the massive stars are believed to lie within their native ob association and are likely to be part of a binary or multiple system @xcite , some stars with quite high velocities , so called runaways , have been observed outside of ob associations @xcite . in this article
we take a look at multi - wavelength observations of a peculiar nebulosity around a star in the carina nebula and the identification of a denser molecular clump at the same location .
we interpret the crescent - shaped nebulosity , which we call the sickle , as the tip of a bow shock associated with the b1.5 v star _
trumpler 14 mj 218 _ ( mj 218 hereafter ) listed in @xcite .
we discuss a possible link between the star , the sickle and the clump and argue that the star is moving supersonically through the ambient density gradient on the front side of the observed compact clump .
the object caught our attention because of its peculiar morphology in our inspection of optical images of the carina nebula region .
it is located about @xmath4 south - east of the dense young cluster tr 14 , which corresponds to a projected physical distance of about 0.8 pc .
a literature search showed that the peculiar nebulosity had already been mentioned in the near - infrared ( nir ) imaging study of the tr 14 region by , who suggested the idea of a compact hii region around the star .
the highly asymmetric shape of the nebula could be the result of the irradiation from the very luminous early o - type stars in the center of tr 14 ( most notably the o2if star hd 93129a ) , since the apex of the crescent points toward this direction .
@xcite , however , noted that the lack of detectable h@xmath5 emission is in conflict with the interpretation as an hii region ; they rather argued that the crescent nebula is a dusty bow shock .
our investigation of the comprehensive multi - wavelength data set of the carina nebula that we compiled during the last years shows that the crescent nebula also appears to be related to a compact clump , which is ( naturally ) invisible in the optical and nir images , but quite prominent in our far - infrared and sub - mm data .
this makes the nebula even more interesting .
[ [ stellar - parameters ] ] stellar parameters + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + the observed crescent is associated to the b1.5 v star mj 218 as listed by @xcite in their spectroscopic and photometric analysis of the stars in and around the clusters trumpler 14 and trumpler 16 .
mj 218 alias _
2mass j10440508 - 5933412 _ , alias _
als 19740 _ in @xcite is located at the j2000 coordinates @xmath6 , @xmath7 , at about @xmath4 south - east from the center of tr 14 . with optical / nir magnitudes of @xmath8 and @xmath9
the star is a bright and prominent object .
the stellar spectral type was determined via optical spectroscopy by @xcite .
these properties are very well consistent with the assumption that this star is a member of the carina nebula at a distance of 2.3 kpc . in the ucac4 catalogue @xcite
, the star is listed as ucac4 153 - 055048 .
its proper motion is given as @xmath10 and @xmath11 .
the total proper motion of @xmath12 corresponds to @xmath13 .
this is a remarkably high velocity , but we have to note that the uncertainties are quite large . using the radial velocity of @xmath14 @xcite leads to a total space velocity of @xmath15 .
this large velocity suggest that mj 218 is a runaway star .
we note that the amplitude and direction of the motion would be consistent with the idea that the star mj 218 could have been ejected some 66000 years ago from the region of the open cluster tr 16 which is at a distance of @xmath16 pc .
[ [ hubble - space - telescope - optical - images ] ] _ hubble space telescope _
optical images + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + we searched the _
hubble _ legacy archive for observations of the sickle object .
the images shown in fig .
[ hstimg ] are taken with the advanced camera for surveys ( acs ) .
the dates of the observations , the exposure times , and the proposal identifiers are given in table [ hstobs ] .
[ hstimg ] shows the compilation of hst in different filters , which reveal the small - scale structure of the nebulosity in detail .
two additional shells are visible closer to the star .
whereas the nebulosity is very well visible in the broad - band filters , neither the f502n band filter ( tracing the [ o iii ] line ) nor the f658n filter ( tracing the h@xmath5 line ) reveal significant diffuse emission , clearly showing that the emission from the crescent nebula is not line - emission but continuum emission . [ [ near - infrared - images ] ] near - infrared images + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + to investigate the near - infrared morphology of the nebula , we inspected data obtained in january 2008 as part of our survey of the carina nebula ( see * ? ? ? * for more details ) with the instrument hawk - i at the eso 8 m very large telescope .
images were obtained in the standard @xmath17- , @xmath18- , and @xmath19-band filters , as well as in narrow - band filters centered on the @xmath20 m @xmath21 s(1 ) ro - vibrational emission line of molecular hydrogen and the @xmath22 m bracket @xmath23 line .
the very good seeing conditions during these observations resulted in sub - arcsecond fwhm values of typically @xmath24 ( in the @xmath19-band ) for the psf size of point - like sources near the sickle object .
comparison of the narrow - band images with the @xmath19-band image shows : in the bracket @xmath23 line , there is no increase of the brightness of the nebula relative to the star mj 218 .
this excludes significant hydrogen line emission .
furthermore , there is also no indication of bracket @xmath23 rim - brightening at the northern edge of the sickle .
such a rim - brightening is clearly visible in narrow - band images in many of the irradiated globules in the carina nebula as well as in optical and near infrared images of photoevaporating globules and pillars @xcite .
rim - brightening highlights the strong surface irradiation by the surrounding hot stars .
for the sickle nebula , however , external irradiation seems not to be important . in the molecular hydrogen line narrow - band image
the relative brightness of the sickle nebula is not much larger than in the broad - band image , but the nebulosity seems to be slightly more extended at the north - western edge .
this suggests moderate amounts of molecular hydrogen line emission at the front of the nebula , similar as often observed in the bow - shocks of protostellar jets that move through molecular clouds @xcite .
[ [ mid - infrared - data - msx - and - timmi2 ] ] mid - infrared data : msx and timmi2 + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + the sickle nebula coincides with the midcourse space experiment ( msx ) point source msx6c g287.4288 - 00.5804 .
performed mid - infrared imaging of this source with better angular resolution at the 3.6 m eso telescope and resolved the msx source into four mir sources .
their @xmath25 m image clearly shows the sickle nebula ( but no sign of the star mj 218 ) , and the peak of the emission corresponds very well to the brightest point of the sickle as seen in our @xmath19-band image . and reported a non - detection in radio continuum emission from this source . stated a detection limit of @xmath26 mjy . assuming an electron temperature of @xmath27 k and the distance of @xmath2 kpc , we derived an excitation parameter of @xmath28 . by extrapolating table 14.1 in @xcite , this value appears roughly consistent with a b1.5 star .
[ [ laboca - sub - mm - map ] ] laboca sub - mm map + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + whereas the optical and nir images show no indication for the presence of a dense clump in the surroundings of the sickle nebula , our @xmath29 m map that was obtained in december 2007 with the bolometer array laboca at the apex telescope ( see * ? ? ? * for a complete description of this data set ) clearly reveals a compact clump located close to the tip of the sickle .
the position of the peak of the sub - mm emission is @xmath30 , @xmath31 , i.e. 10 arcseconds ( or 0.1 pc ) north - west of the star mj 218 and about 3 arcseconds north - west of the apex point of the sickle nebula .
the sub - mm emission is almost point - like and only marginally extended ; given the @xmath32 angular resolution of laboca , the width of the clump is @xmath33 pc .
the peak of the clump emission has an intensity of 0.393 jy / beam .
[ [ herschel - far - infrared - maps ] ] _ herschel _ far - infrared maps + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + maps of the carina nebula at the wavelengths of 70 , 160 , 250 , 350 , and 500 @xmath34 m were obtained in december 2010 in the open time project ot1-tpreibis-1 using the parallel fast scan mode at @xmath35 for simultaneous imaging with pacs and spire . a full description of these observations and the subsequent data processing can be found in @xcite .
the angular resolution of the _ herschel _ maps is @xmath36 , @xmath37 , @xmath32 , @xmath38 , and @xmath39 for the 70 , 160 , 250 , 350 , and @xmath40 m band , respectively . at a distance of 2.3 kpc
this corresponds to physical scales ranging from 0.06 to 0.4 pc .
the clump near the sickle nebula detected by laboca is clearly visible in the _ herschel _ maps .
it is clearly extended in the pacs maps , where we determine fwhm values of @xmath41 .
these maps also show that the shape of the clump is not central symmetric .
it exhibits a kidney - shaped form ( green contours in fig .
[ fig1 ] , right panel ) , with a slight caved - in side in south - east direction in accordance with the inner side of the sickle nebula bow .
this clearly suggests that the process creating the sickle nebula bow interacts with the clump . using the methods
described in @xcite , we determined the column density , temperature , and mass of the clump .
the peak value for the column density in the center of the clump is @xmath42 , corresponding to a visual extinction of @xmath43 mag assuming a normal extinction law ( note that these numbers are beam - averaged values , i.e. the true values for a line - of - sight exactly through the center will be higher ) .
the dust temperature in the clump is found to be about 32 k. the mass of the clump can be determined by integrating the column density over all pixels exceeding the limit @xmath44 mag ( in order to separate the clump from the surrounding diffuse gas ) ; this yields @xmath45 .
[ [ x - ray - data ] ] x - ray data + + + + + + + + + + the object is located in the area covered by the _ chandra _
carina complex project , that recently mapped a 1.3 square - degree region of the carina nebula . with an exposure time of @xmath46 ksec ( @xmath47 hours ) for the individual mosaic positions ,
the on - axis completeness limit is @xmath48 erg / s in the @xmath49 kev band for lightly absorbed sources .
a complete overview of the _ chandra _ carina complex project can be found in @xcite , which is the introduction to a set of 16 papers resulting from this project . in the _ chandra _ images analyzed in the context of the cccp
, the star mj 218 is clearly detected as an x - ray point - source with 59 source counts .
the j2000 position of the x - ray source is @xmath50 , @xmath51 and has a total 1-@xmath52 error ( individual source position error and systematic astrometrical uncertainty ) circle radius of @xmath53 @xcite .
this position agrees perfectly ( i.e. within less than @xmath54 ) with the optical position of the star listed in the ucac4 catalog ( @xmath55 , @xmath56 ) .
the positional offset to the corresponding 2mass counterpart is @xmath57 , i.e. well within the uncertainties . from our inspection of the optical hst image we found an ( insignificant )
offset of @xmath54 between the star and the x - ray source position ; the nearest other star visible in the hst image is @xmath58 offset from mj 218 . in the near - infrared hawk - i images
, we found an ( insignificant ) offset of @xmath57 , and a distance of @xmath59 to the nearest other point - source .
we therefore conclude that we have a clear and unambiguous identification of the x - ray source with the star mj 218 .
the x - ray properties of this source can be summarized as follows ( see * ? ? ? * for details ) : the median photon energy of the source is 1.48 kev .
the analysis of the photon arrival times yields some , although rather weak evidence for variability : the kolmogorow - smirnow test gives a probability of @xmath60 for the null hypothesis of a constant count rate .
the fit to the x - ray spectrum with xspec yielded as plasma temperature of @xmath61 kev and gave an extinction - corrected intrinsic x - ray luminosity of @xmath62 . according to the well established results for the origin of stellar x - ray emission .
no x - ray emission is expected for mj 218 , since stars of spectral type b1.5 should neither show coronal magnetic activity as typical for late - type ( spectral types f and later ) stars , nor should they have sufficiently strong stellar winds , in which x - ray emission is produced in wind shocks , as observed in the ( much more luminous ) o - type stars . the general lack of intrinsic x - ray emission from stars in the spectral type range from @xmath63 b1 to late
a has been well confirmed in numerous x - ray observations .
the common explanation for the detections of x - ray emission from b stars is thus the assumption that the emission actually originates from an unresolved late - type companion ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
the observed median photon energy and the plasma temperature of mj 218 derived from the x - ray spectrum are fully consistent with this assumption , and considerably higher than one would expect from wind - shock related x - ray emission . considering the general correlation between x - ray luminosity and stellar mass for young stars
( see * ? ? ?
* ) , the observed x - ray luminosity suggests the companion to have a stellar mass around @xmath64 .
given the above described upper limit for a possible angular offset of the x - ray source from the b - star position of @xmath65 , the putative low - mass companion must have a projected separation of less than @xmath66 au from the b - star .
this rather small value makes a chance projection highly unlikely . of mj 218 to be 8 . with this estimate of the local star density , the poisson probability to find one or more unrelated stars as chance projection within @xmath57 of mj 218
is just 0.3% . ]
since many b - type stars are known to have lower - mass companions at separations of a few ten to a few hundred aus the hypothesis of a binary system seems to be the best explanation of the observed parameters .
+ we searched in the hst images for such a companion , but even the narrow - band images are saturated at the required small distances from the position of mj 218 due to the brightness of the star . ) show a double diffraction spike indicative of a companion separated by about 0.2 arcsec in north - south direction .
the similar brightness of this potential companion , however , disqualifies it as x - ray source . ]
the evolution of the wind bubble around a star located at the edge of a clump can lead to a crescent - like shaped shock front .
we performed a simulation using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics ( sph ) code seren including a newly implemented healpix - based @xcite momentum conserving stellar wind - scheme ( ngoumou et al .
2013 , in preparation ) to simulate the expansion of a momentum driven wind bubble in a molecular clump .
the choice of momentum driven @xcite as opposed to thermal pressure driven @xcite is justified , as the stellar winds of a spectral type b1.5 are assumed to be too weak to induce a hot shocked , x - ray emitting layer .
the clump was modeled as a supercritical bonnor - ebert sphere @xcite , which is a self - gravitating isothermal sphere confined by an external pressure .
the sphere has the dimensionless radius @xmath67 and a finite radius @xmath68 pc , corresponding to a fwhm size of @xmath33 pc and a central density of @xmath69 at a temperature of @xmath70 k , for a total mass of @xmath71 .
a static momentum source was placed at the edge of the nebula at a distance of @xmath72 pc from the center of the clump .
we used the mass loss rate and terminal wind velocity for a b1.5 v star as stated by @xcite : @xmath73 and @xmath74 .
after a few @xmath27 yrs , the crescent has reached the size of the observed object . to match the observed projected distance @xmath75 pc between the star and the center of the clump ( inferred from the sub - mm map ) ,
the simulation box is rotated by an angle @xmath76 around the axis passing the center of the clump and perpendicular to the clump - star axis .
[ clumpcarv ] shows the density integrated along the line of site at @xmath77 yrs when the crescent has reached the size of the sickle .
the inclination angle between the plane containing the star and the center of the clump , and the projection plane is @xmath78 .
this scenario though , requires the star to be embedded inside the clump .
it seems unlikely that mj 218 was born inside or close to the clump as it would certainly have been dispersed by the stellar wind by now .
the assumption that the star is coming from somewhere else and travelled through the ism , finding itself embedded inside the clump would require wind shell radii smaller than the radius of the clump .
shells with larger radii would overrun the clump , and compress it leading to a cometary / pillar like structure with the tail pointing away from the star .
this is not observed .
the required compact shell could be produced naturally if the star would move supersonically through the ism . in this case , a star produces a bow shock with smaller radii at the collision front of the wind with the ambient medium , which we discuss in the next section .
the reported velocity of mj 218 is very high ( @xmath79 ) .
the errors , however , are of the order of @xmath80 , making the value rather uncertain .
a star with such high velocity forms a bow shock while traveling through an ambient medium with temperatures @xmath81 k. indeed , the position of the tip of the arc approximately correlates with the direction of the velocity vector in the plane of the sky as inferred from proper motion measurements of the star ( see fig . [ hstimg ] ) . to test this scenario we compare the distance between the star and the cusp of the sickle nebula with the stand - off radius @xmath82 inferred from the analytical solution for the shape of a stellar wind bow shock in the thin - shell limit as derived in @xcite .
@xmath82 depends on the velocity of the star @xmath83 , on the wind mass loss rate @xmath84 , on the terminal wind velocity @xmath85 and on the ambient density @xmath86 .
@xmath87 the shape of the bow shock near the stand - off radius is given by : @xmath88 with @xmath89 being the polar angle measured from axis given by the direction of motion of the star ( see fig . [ coord ] ) .
[ standoff ] shows the variation of the stand - off radius of the bow shock with ambient density ( eq . [ eq1 ] ) for a range of stellar velocities and for two sets of wind parameters p1(red dot - dashed ) and p2(blue dashed ) .
p1 : : @xmath90 ; @xmath91 p2 : : @xmath73 ; @xmath74 @xcite the shaded area represent the spread due to the @xmath80 error on @xmath83 .
the horizontal solid line indicates the stand - off radius inferred from the reported proper motion and radial velocity measurements which indicate an inclination angle of @xmath92 and a value of @xmath82 of @xmath93 pc .
the star is almost moving in the plane of the sky .
the observed stand - off distance is obtained for number densities ranging between @xmath94 and @xmath95 .
the range of ambient densities is given by the large errors on the velocity estimate for mj 218 ( shaded area in fig .
[ standoff ] ) . for the reported @xmath79 , @xmath96 for p1 and @xmath97 for p2 .
these values are consistent with an order - of - magnitude estimate for the density of the rather diffuse gas in the inner parts of the carina nebula superbubble , through which the star is moving .
this hints at the sickle being the bow shock induced by mj 218 moving supersonically through the diffuse ism and not directly interacting with the densest part of the clump .
the question now arises whether we just see a star with a bow shock projected in front of an unaffected clump .
interestingly , the bow shock does not appear to be symmetric around the axis given by the velocity vector of mj 218 ( see upper right panel in fig .
[ hstimg ] ) as expected if the star would move in isolation .
we therefore suggest that we indeed see a contribution from the clump .
@xcite investigated the modifications of bow shocks of stars running into an ambient density gradient in the direction perpendicular to the stellar motion and the effect of anisotropic winds . in both cases he found configurations in which the star does not lie on the symmetry axis dividing the bow shock into two parts .
the observed asymmetry for the position of mj 218 with respect to the tip of the sickle might therefore be an indication of an interaction of the moving star with the clump . as an illustration we consider the solution for a bow shock of a star moving in a linear stratified medium with a density gradient perpendicular to the stellar velocity vector as described in @xcite : @xmath98 the characteristics of the solution near the stand - off point for a bow shock seen from the side ( i.e. @xmath83 perpendicular to the line - of - sight ) are given by ( see eq .
( 71 ) in @xcite ) : @xmath99\theta^2 \label{eq4}\ ] ] we approximate the gradient @xmath100 by selecting two points on the observed bow and measure their respective angles @xmath101 and @xmath102 and the corresponding distances @xmath103 and @xmath104 from the star . from eq . [ eq4 ] we estimate to first order : @xmath105 fig . [ asybow ] shows the result of this approximation ( yellow arc ) for @xmath106 at @xmath107 and for @xmath108 at @xmath109 . the model illustrates the non axis - symmetric shape of the bow shock induced by the additional term in the linear term near the stand - off point
. the asymmetric shape of the sickle could be the result of mj 218 running in a medium stratified in the direction perpendicular to its motion which coincides with the line - of - sight and the position in the sky of the clump
. the observed clump could therefore be part of the stratification and be located behind the sickle .
the sickle nebulosity in the carina nebula is by itself already a very remarkable and interesting feature .
the discovery of a dense cloud clump at a projected location just in front of the sickle prompted us to investigate a possible relation between these two features .
we simulated the impact of the momentum transfer from the stellar wind on a clump with the star being located at the edge of the clump .
the off - center expansion of the wind bubble could create a crescent - like front which resembles the observed sickle nebula .
this scenario , however , requires a static source embedded in the clump . the star would have to be formed in the last @xmath110 yrs at this position
this seems very unlikely .
we therefore exclude this scenario .
measurements of the proper motion of mj 218 taken from the ucac 4 catalogue @xcite indicate a high velocity of nearly @xmath111 . at this velocity
the wind of mj 218 would form a bow shock while traveling through an ambient medium with temperatures @xmath81 k. the sickle could be part of the bow shock of mj 218 seen from the side , as mj 218 appears to be moving almost in the plane of the sky . assuming the stand - off radius to be the distance between the star and the intersection of its velocity vector with the sickle , we measure a stand - off radius @xmath112 pc .
such values for @xmath82 point at ambient densities in the range of @xmath94 and @xmath95 which are far lower than the @xmath113 inferred for the center of the observed clump .
the star is thus not moving through the inner , central parts of the clump , but seems to be grazing along the surface of the clump .
the non - axisymmetric appearance of the sickle is consistent with the presence of a density gradient perpendicular to the direction of motion of mj 218 , which coincides with the line - of - sight and the location of the clump .
we therefore argue that the observed sickle is part of the bow shock of the high velocity b - star mj 218 grazing the front surface density gradient of the observed compact clump .
the asymmetry of the sickle with respect to mj 218 can then be explained as a result of this interaction .
we expect the sickle to be a rather transient feature which is likely to evolve on timescales of order @xmath27 yrs .
surely more detailed observation of this peculiar object will help to better constrain its nature .
spectral information from the molecular material could probe the velocity structure inside the clump and help test our star - clump interaction scenario . an interesting question is also whether the passage of the star could trigger the gravitational collapse of the clump and lead to star formation .
this issue will be addressed in a subsequent paper .
in addition a closer look at the binary nature of mj 218 and its implications could help shed a light on the complex history of the carina nebula .
especially the question of the origin mj 218 in the framework of the formation of massive runaway binaries would be worth investigating .
the direction of the velocity vector of mj 218 suggests a possible origin in the open cluster trumpler 16 in the center of the carina nebula . the observed proper motion would then imply a travel time of about @xmath114 yrs .
it is very interesting to note that the back - projected motion path puts mj 218 in close vicinity of a recently detected neutron star candidate in the carina nebula , described in @xcite .
this raises the possibility that mj 218 has perhaps been ejected in a relatively recent supernova explosion in the carina nebula .
further investigations of this relations could thus provide interesting information on the dynamical evolution , stellar clustering @xcite and the still very unclear history of past supernovae in the carina nebula .
this publication makes use of data obtained with the _ herschel _ spacecraft .
spacecraft was designed , built , tested , and launched under a contract to esa managed by the _ herschel_/planck project team by an industrial consortium under the overall responsibility of the prime contractor thales alenia space ( cannes ) , and including astrium ( friedrichshafen ) responsible for the payload module and for system testing at spacecraft level , thales alenia space ( turin ) responsible for the service module , and astrium ( toulouse ) responsible for the telescope , with in excess of a hundred subcontractors . "
this publication is partly based on data acquired with the atacama pathfinder experiment ( apex ) .
apex is a collaboration between the max - planck - institut fur radioastronomie , the european southern observatory , and the onsala space observatory .
based on observations made with the nasa / esa _ hubble _ space telescope , and obtained from the _ hubble _ legacy archive , which is a collaboration between the space telescope science institute ( stsci / nasa ) , the space telescope european coordinating facility ( st - ecf / esa ) and the canadian astronomy data centre ( cadc / nrc / csa ) .
this project is funded by the german _ deutsche forschungsgemeinschaft , dfg _ pr 569/9 - 1 .
additional support came from funds from the munich cluster of excellence : `` origin and structure of the universe '' .
wilson , t. l. , rohlfs , k. , httemeister , s. 2009 , tools of radio astronomy , by thomas l. wilson ; kristen rohlfs and susanne httemeister .
isbn 978 - 3 - 540 - 85121 - 9
. published by springer - verlag , berlin , germany , 2009 | arxiv |
this paper is my humble tribute to the genius of maxim kontsevich . needless to say
, the credit for any new ideas that occur here goes to him , and not me .
for how i got involved in this wonderful project , see the historical note ( [ ss : hn ] ) . in the papers , kontsevich defined three lie algebras and related their homology with classical invariants , including the homology of the group of outer automorphisms of a free group and mapping class groups .
he showed this by reducing the homology computation in each case to three graph complexes .
his main theorem can be informally stated as @xmath0 in this paper , we consider only the first part of this theorem .
the definitions of the lie algebras are motivated by classical symplectic geometry .
kontsevich considered three worlds - commutative , associative and lie .
he developed formal analogues of classical symplectic geometry ( which is the commutative case ) for the associative and lie worlds .
each of the three lie algebras was then defined as hamiltonian functions on a `` symplectic non - commutative manifold '' with the bracket being the analogue of the usual poisson bracket .
the symplectic lie algebra @xmath1 was a lie subalgebra of all three lie algebras .
in the commutative case , kontsevich defined a chain complex using graphs .
the homology of this chain complex is known as graph homology .
he also gave an analogous definition in the associative case using ribbon graphs and in the lie case using more complicated graphs , which one may call lie graphs .
the connection between an algebraic or geometric object like a lie algebra on one side and a combinatorial object like a graph on the other side is the content of kontsevich s theorem . the main tool in proving this connection is to use classical invariant theory of @xmath1 .
from the unified way in which kontsevich treated the three cases , one expected them to be a part of a more general theory .
in fact , in , kontsevich made the following statement .
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ our formalism could be extended to the case of `` koszul dual pairs of quadratic operads '' ( see ) including poisson algebras and , probably , operator algebras etc . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ this paper arose in an attempt to understand this statement . in mathematics , just as we have the notion of a theorem , proposition , corollary , etc , so should we have the notion of a `` kontsevich sentence '' , the above being a classic example .
earlier we used the term `` world '' to stand for one of the three words - commutative , associative and lie .
a possible mathematical substitute for this term is the word `` operad '' .
it is not possible to develop an analogue of symplectic geometry for every operad .
however , one can do so if the operad is `` reversible '' .
the commutative , associative and lie operads are three examples .
the notion of a reversible operad was developed independently by getzler and kapranov under the name of cyclic operad .
for some information on the history , see the discussion in ( [ ss : hn ] ) .
the goal of this paper is to formulate the first part of kontsevich s theorem in what appears to be its most natural setting - the world of a reversible operad .
to such an operad @xmath2 , we associate a lie algebra @xmath3 and a graph complex @xmath4 and then show that they have the same homology .
a precise statement is given in theorem [ t : mt ] in section [ s : mt ] .
we now explain the structure of the paper and give a guide to how readers with different interests and backgrounds can read it .
the two words that dominate the paper are species and operads . these notions are explained in section [ s : ro ] . in the same section
we define reversible operads . we give plenty of simple examples with stress laid on drawing pictures .
more examples are discussed in sections [ s : me ] and [ s : gp ] .
we hope that the amount of detail given along with the examples will be sufficient for the reader unfamiliar with these concepts . in section [ s :
mf ] , we construct a @xmath5 let @xmath2 be a reversible operad and @xmath6 its image under this functor
. remember that our first goal is to associate a lie algebra and a graph complex to @xmath2 .
the fact is that the mating functor is the main step in constructing these two objects , and the species @xmath6 plays a key role .
so we call these two objects @xmath3 and @xmath4 respectively , stressing the close connection to the species @xmath6 . the letters @xmath7 and @xmath8 stand for algebra and graph respectively .
the subscript @xmath9 refers to the fact that @xmath3 will be defined as a direct limit of a family of lie algebras @xmath10
. sections [ s : ro ] and [ s : mf ] , on which we have elaborated so far , form the basic structure on which the rest of the paper is built .
it is a good idea to avoid technical details on a first reading and just keep a few concrete examples in mind .
the rest of the paper can be split into three parts .
part a is about the left hand side of theorem [ t : mt ] ( lie algebras ) , part b is about the right hand side ( graph homology ) and part c is about stating and proving the theorem .
this deals with symplectic operad geometry .
we start with an overview in section [ s : sgo ] .
the goal of section [ s : cm ] is to define the lie algebra @xmath3 .
this is done via a simple pictorial calculus of cuttings and matings .
the lie algebra homology @xmath11 has the structure of a hopf algebra , which we then explain .
this completes the definition of the left hand side of theorem [ t : mt ] . in section [ s :
st ] , we explain kontsevich s symplectic mini - theory .
this is logically not essential to the rest of the paper .
however , it is conceptually the most important section in part a. it shows how the lie structure on @xmath3 emerges naturally from a symplectic form .
this allows us to think of @xmath3 as hamiltonian functions on a `` symplectic operad manifold '' .
this deals with graph homology .
the reader , who is mainly interested in graph homology , can directly start with this part even skipping sections [ s : ro ] and [ s : mf ] .
we first define a general graph complex @xmath12 and then look at other relevant ( and smaller ) graph complexes , @xmath4 being one of them .
this completes the definition of the right hand side of theorem [ t : mt ] .
section [ s : gp ] is optional .
it contains an interesting example of the theory which is based on groups .
in section [ s : mgh ] , we continue with graph homology and develop some tools that will be used in the proof of the main theorem .
this involves defining a cochain complex @xmath13 , i.e. graph cohomology .
the homology and cohomology are related by an interesting and highly non - trivial pairing on graphs ( [ ss : pg ] ) .
this deals with the connection between symplectic geometry and graph homology .
section [ s : mt ] contains a precise formulation of the main theorem . to digest the statement completely , the material on lie algebras and graph homology in sections [ s : cm ] and [ s : gh ] respectively is a prerequisite .
the next three sections deal with the proof of the theorem .
the main ideas of the proof are already present in the commutative case .
since the proof is quite involved , we suggest that the reader specialise to this case on a first reading . the lie algebra @xmath3 in this case is easy to define directly .
so sections [ s : ro]-[s : me ] are not necessary .
thus the reader , who mainly wants to see the ideas in the proof , may start with part c directly , skipping part a and referring back to part b as necessary .
the proof of theorem [ t : mt ] is given in three parts ( sections [ s : fin],[s : sta ] and [ s : con ] ) .
in each of these sections , we state and prove a theorem of the form @xmath14 gradually getting closer to our goal . as mentioned earlier
, the main tool in the proof is classical invariant theory of @xmath1 .
this part is done in section [ s : fin ] .
the second part of the theorem given in section [ s : sta ] deals with the stability issue @xmath15 and makes strong use of the ideas of section [ s : mgh ] . in section [ s :
con ] , we understand the space of primitive elements of the hopf algebra @xmath11 .
this is largely a matter of unwinding definitions and there are no new ideas here .
since hopf algebras play a minor role in this paper , the reader unfamiliar with them may simply omit this section without losing any of the main ideas .
we have included two appendices , which explain how deformation theory relates to the ideas of this paper .
they are not logically essential to the understanding of the main theorem .
appendix [ ss : dq ] speculates on the deformation quantisation problem for operads in this setting . in appendix [ ss : dg ] , we show that a certain lie bracket on graph homology defined in is zero .
this work grew out of a seminar organised by karen vogtmann , devoted to understanding kontsevich s work ( fall 2000 ) .
other participants included d. ciubotaru , f. gerlits , d. brown , j. conant , m. horak , f. schwartz , m. cohen and j. west .
my understanding of kontsevich s ideas , particularly the proof of the commutative case , is due to them .
the material in ( [ ss : og]-[ss : gc ] ) and ( [ ss : lah]-[ss : inv ] ) is based on the seminar notes .
conant and vogtmann are writing an exposition that has some overlap with this .
the notion of a reversible operad and its role in symplectic operad geometry was done in july 2001 ( sections [ s : ro]-[s : me ] ) .
the rest of the paper , namely , defining graph homology for a mated species and theorem [ t : mt ] , was then relatively easy .
the result in appendix [ ss : dg ] was proved later in november 2001 .
these ideas , in some form or the other , had already appeared in the works of getzler and kapranov , ginzburg and markl .
being ignorant of the operad literature at that time , this was a gradual discovery for me . in this paper ,
i give my own viewpoint of the subject , which was formed by reading kontsevich . in
, getzler and kapranov introduced the notion of cyclic operads in order to extend the formalism of cyclic homology for associative algebras to operad algebras .
this notion coincides with what we call a reversible operad .
for such an operad @xmath2 , they introduced a functor @xmath16 in our notation ( see sections [ s : sgo ] and [ s : cm ] ) , @xmath17 , and equation in ( [ ss : fa ] ) can be taken as the definition of @xmath18 .
the mating functor is similar in spirit to @xmath18 , except that we deal with operads and species rather than algebras and vector spaces . in , ginzburg explained kontsevich s symplectic mini - theory for a cyclic koszul operad .
he denoted the functor @xmath18 by the letter @xmath19 .
since a koszul operad is quadratic , the relations in equation take the simpler form @xmath20.\ ] ] these are precisely the relations that kontsevich wrote in .
elements of associative and lie calculus had appeared earlier in the works of karoubi and drinfeld . however , as we show , to do symplectic geometry , it is sufficient to assume that @xmath2 is reversible , not necessarily koszul or quadratic .
in fact , all the examples in section [ s : me ] and some earlier ones too are non - quadratic .
we discovered reversibility by requiring that the notion of a partial derivative make sense ( proposition [ p : pd ] ) .
so in this sense , it is also a necessary condition to do symplectic geometry . in , markl considered graph complexes associated to cyclic operads . and
for this , he referred back to the feynman transform construction of getzler and kapranov .
we conclude the introduction with two remarks .
koszul operads will play an important role in the second part of kontsevich s theorem , which we do not consider here .
if we switch from lie to liebniz algebras then we will end up with another avatar of graph homology .
now vertices of graphs will have honest labels , unlike in usual graph homology , where vertices are labelled only upto orientation .
in this section , we give a brief introduction to species and operads and then define reversible operads . an excellent exposition on species can be found in the book by bergeron , labelle and leroux .
the notes by voronov contain a good review on operads .
a more comprehensive reference is the seminal work of ginzburg and kapranov .
for some recent developments on operads , see . for earlier literature , see , where the concepts of species and operads first originated . a species @xmath6 is a functor from the category of ( finite sets , bijections ) to the category of ( sets , maps ) .
we denote the image of a set @xmath21 by @xmath22 $ ] and say that @xmath22 $ ] is the set of @xmath6-structures on the set @xmath21 .
the set @xmath23 $ ] will always be empty .
@xmath22 $ ] for @xmath24 + @xmath25 & = = + @xmath26 & = + @xmath27 & + @xmath28 & + @xmath29 & + we now give some examples of species .
the pictures that go along with the examples are shown in the table .
* @xmath30=\{i\}$ ] , that is , there is exactly one @xmath25-structure on the set @xmath21 .
there are a variety of ways to show this via pictures .
* @xmath31=$ ] the set of linear orders on the set @xmath21 .
we have shown two pictures for it . * @xmath32=$ ] the set of cyclic orders on the set @xmath21 if @xmath33 and empty otherwise .
* @xmath34=$ ] the set of rooted trees with leaves labelled by elements of the set @xmath21 .
* @xmath35=$ ] the set of trees with leaves labelled by elements of the set @xmath21 if @xmath33 and empty otherwise . an element of @xmath22 $ ] can be schematically drawn as @xmath36 \ \ \text{for } \ \
i=\{a , b , c , d\}.\ ] ] note that the picture for the species `` @xmath27 '' fits in with this representation perfectly . and the remaining examples can also be made to fit in without difficulty .
for example , the species `` @xmath25 '' can be drawn as @xmath37 and so on for the others too . a species can be equivalently defined as a sequence @xmath38,q[1],q[2 ] , \ldots$ ] , where @xmath39 $ ] is a @xmath40 set , where @xmath40 is the symmetric group on @xmath41 letters . here
we have abbreviated our notation so that @xmath39 $ ] stands for @xmath42 $ ] . in the pictures ,
the group @xmath40 acts by permuting the @xmath41 letters .
it is also useful to use a more general definition of species where the target category is replaced by the category of vector spaces . in this case ,
a species is a sequence as above with @xmath39 $ ] being a linear representation of @xmath40 .
it is clear that using vector spaces as the target category is more general because one can go from sets to vector spaces by linearising the representation . throughout this paper ,
we use only sets and vector spaces as the target categories . however , this restriction is mainly for simplicity .
for example , one may consider a species in the category of topological spaces .
it would be a sequence @xmath43,x[1],x[2 ] , \ldots$ ] of topological spaces with an action of @xmath40 on @xmath44 $ ] .
note that for each of the examples @xmath45 , we suggested a picture with an arrow `` @xmath46 '' drawn in it .
this is possible because these species have the additional structure of an operad .
we begin with an informal discussion on operads .
an operad @xmath2 is a species in which there is a substitution rule .
it can be shown schematically as @xmath47 \ \ \text{for } \ \
i=\{a , b , c , d\}.\ ] ] one thinks of @xmath48 as four inputs and the arrow as an output .
the substitution rule allows us to feed the output of one object @xmath49 into the input of another object @xmath50 .
we write this as @xmath51 or @xmath52 .
this can be shown as @xmath53 if we wish to be more specific , we will write @xmath54
. this means that we feed @xmath49 to that input of @xmath50 whose label is @xmath55 .
now we show how the substitution rule works in each of the examples @xmath45 .
@xmath56 @xmath57 for the species @xmath28 , we graft the root of the first tree into the specified leaf of the second tree .
@xmath58 note that there is another way possible .
one could contract the edge at which the grafting took place .
this is what happened for the species `` @xmath25 '' .
there are numerous other variations one can do on this example ; for instance , one could use rooted binary trees . to give a formal definition ,
an operad @xmath2 is a species with a substitution rule which is * associative , and * compatible with the morphisms in the source category .
the first condition says that if we perform two substitutions , one after the other , then the order in which we do them does not matter .
the second condition says that substitution commutes with relabelling of the inputs . for more detail on these conditions ,
see the references cited earlier . for convenience of bookkeeping
, it is useful to label the output as well .
this idea can be formalised as follows . for any operad @xmath2 , define a bi - functor @xmath59 by setting @xmath60=p[i]$ ] , where @xmath61 is a singleton set .
one thinks of an element of @xmath60 $ ] as an element of @xmath62 $ ] whose output is labelled by the element of @xmath61 . for the substitution rule in this situation , we demand that the output label of @xmath49 match the input label of @xmath50 .
so the notation @xmath54 now means that the label of the output of @xmath49 is @xmath55 and it is fed to an input of @xmath50 whose label is again @xmath55 .
just as for species , we can define an operad as a sequence @xmath63 $ ] of @xmath40 modules equipped with a substitution rule that is associative and @xmath40 invariant .
a unit element of @xmath2 is an element of @xmath64 $ ] which when substituted into an input of any @xmath65 $ ] gives back @xmath66 .
we assume that our operads have units and call the unit element @xmath67 . in the second notation , we would write @xmath68 $ ] instead of @xmath63 $ ] and the unit element would lie in @xmath69 $ ] . we now organise together a basic set of examples .
these include the ones shown in the table ( [ ss : s ] ) .
the motivation for organising them in this manner will become clear when we discuss the mating functor ( [ ss : mf ] ) .
we make two quick remarks .
all examples here are based on sets .
furthermore , the ones that are operads have unit elements and satisfy @xmath64={\mathbb{q}}$ ] , i.e. @xmath64 $ ] is just the span of the unit element @xmath67 of @xmath2 .
define @xmath71=\{i\}$ ] if @xmath21 is a singleton and empty otherwise . and
similarly , put @xmath72=\{i\}$ ] if @xmath73 and empty otherwise .
these two examples play a fundamental role in this paper because of their connection to the symplectic lie algebra @xmath1 , see ( [ ss : sl ] ) .
@xmath74 define @xmath30=\{i\}$ ] , that is , there is exactly one @xmath25-structure on the set @xmath21 . also define @xmath76=\{i\}$ ] if @xmath33 and empty otherwise .
though this is also an operad ( without a unit ) , we call it the commutative species . as far as pictures go
, we will use the one with arrow `` @xmath46 '' for `` @xmath25 '' and the one without it for `` @xmath75 '' .
let @xmath31=$ ] the set of linear orders on the set @xmath21 .
also let @xmath32=$ ] the set of cyclic orders on the set @xmath21 if @xmath33 and empty otherwise .
let @xmath34=$ ] the set of rooted trees with leaves labelled by elements of the set @xmath21 .
for the tree species @xmath29 , we drop the word `` rooted '' . in other words ,
@xmath35=$ ] the set of trees with leaves labelled by elements of the set @xmath21 if @xmath33 and empty otherwise .
since there is no root , one can not define a substitution rule .
the chord species @xmath79 $ ] is the set of chord diagrams on the set @xmath21 .
that is , an element of @xmath79 $ ] specifies a way to pair off the elements of @xmath21 .
clearly , this is non - empty only when the cardinality of @xmath21 is even .
define the chord operad @xmath80 $ ] in the same way , except that one of the chords is left hanging at one end .
hence this is non - empty only when the cardinality of @xmath21 is odd .
the substitution rule should be clear .
the species @xmath81 have no natural substitution rule ; so they are not operads .
we will give some more examples later ( sections [ s : me ] and [ s : gp ] ) .
an operad @xmath2 is reversible if there is a rule that allows us to switch the output with any given input .
one represents this pictorially as @xmath82 to give a formal definition , for each set @xmath21 and @xmath83 , there exist reversal maps @xmath84 \to p[i \setminus \{x\ } \cup \{y\},\{x\}],\ ] ] which are subject to two conditions .
we require @xmath85 and @xmath86 it follows from these two relations that the composite of a sequence of reversals is either the identity map or a single reversal .
reversal must be compatible with substitution .
that is , @xmath87 here @xmath55 labels one of the inputs of @xmath50 as well as the output of @xmath49 and @xmath88 labels the output of @xmath50 . the examples of operads @xmath89 that we gave in ( [ ss : eg ] ) are all reversible .
for each of these examples , there is a picture of the operad that fits in with the schematic one .
the reversal map in all cases then works exactly as shown above in the schematic picture .
we give some intuitive meaning to the conditions on the reversal maps .
condition 1 says that reversal is an external operation .
the internal data of the operad remains unchanged .
condition 2 says that operad substitution commutes with operad reversal .
this will become clearer from the examples of non - reversible operads given in ( [ ss : ne ] ) .
the reversal rules may not be unique .
for example , in ( [ ss : g ] ) , we give two distinct ways to reverse the graph operad .
we now give two examples of operads that are not reversible .
so they play no role in the rest of the paper .
let perm@xmath90 = i$ ] and dias@xmath90 = $ ] the set of linear orders with a distinguished element on the set @xmath21 .
@xmath91 , \qquad \qquad \qquad \begin{minipage}{.8 in } \begin{center } \psfrag{a}{\huge $ a$ } \psfrag{b}{\huge $ b$ } \psfrag{c}{\huge $ c$ } \psfrag{d}{\huge $ d$ } \resizebox{.7 in}{.6 in}{\includegraphics{diast.eps } } \end{center } \end{minipage } \in \text{dias}[i].\ ] ] the pictures show examples for @xmath24 .
we explain the substitution rule for the operad dias .
there are two cases depending on whether the input into which the substitution occurs is circled or not .
@xmath92 the picture illustrates the second case .
the first case works as follows .
if the input @xmath55 were circled instead of @xmath93 then the result would be a circle on the input @xmath94 .
the substitution rule for perm is similar .
observe that perm and dias are closely related to the commutative ( [ sss : c ] ) and associative ( [ sss : a ] ) operads respectively .
they are binary quadratic and were introduced by loday and his collaborators with motivation from algebraic k - theory . for other examples of non - reversible operads , see .
in this section , we introduce the mating functor , which allows us to construct a mated species from a reversible operad .
we then explain the concept of a partial derivative for a mated species ( proposition [ p : pd ] ) .
this is the most crucial part of the theory and shows exactly how the conditions on the reversal map given in ( [ ss : ro ] ) arise .
define a species @xmath6 starting with a reversible operad @xmath2 as follows . for any finite set @xmath95 ,
let @xmath96 = \bigoplus_{i \sqcup j = k } p[i , u ] \otimes p[j , u],\ ] ] subject to the two relations : ( r1 ) @xmath97 and ( r2 ) @xmath98 the set @xmath61 is any singleton , all choices being considered equivalent .
we interpret the tensor sign as a mating , and say that @xmath99 is a mating of @xmath49 and @xmath50 .
we show it as . for simplicity of notation
, we are suppressing the labels .
the symmetry of relation @xmath100 is thus built into the picture .
if either of @xmath49 or @xmath50 is the unit element @xmath67 then we say that the mating @xmath99 is trivial .
we show it as . in a nontrivial mating
, we will call the segment joining @xmath49 and @xmath50 an _ ideal edge_. it has two opposing arrowheads in the centre .
ideal edges will play an important role later in the definition of graph cohomology ( [ ss : stacb ] ) . the second relation @xmath101 is written as under @xmath102 the notation @xmath103 stands for @xmath104 . since we assume that the operad @xmath2 has a unit , we can use relation @xmath101 to express any mating @xmath99 as a trivial mating as follows .
write @xmath105 , where @xmath67 is the unit element of @xmath2 .
then @xmath106 this allows us to think of a mating @xmath99 roughly as a reversal of @xmath50 followed by a substitution of @xmath49 into @xmath50 or vice - versa
. we will refer to a species obtained from a reversible operad by the above procedure as a _
mated species_. for obvious reasons , @xmath107 $ ] is non - empty only if @xmath108 . in examples , substitutions and reversals
usually have a pictorial description .
and hence so do matings .
we now show the mating in the associative case . @xmath109
the picture shows that the mating functor maps the associative operad @xmath26 to the associative species @xmath27 . for the commutative case
, mating occurs as follows .
@xmath110 thus the commutative operad @xmath25 maps to the commutative species @xmath75 .
similarly , one sees that an operad @xmath2 maps to the species @xmath111 when @xmath112 , see ( [ ss : eg ] ) .
the letter repetition is used to indicate that the species is obtained as a mating .
a more correct notation would be to write @xmath113 , but we will not bother with that . in all examples
so far ( [ ss : eg ] ) , we have @xmath64={\mathbb{q}}$ ] .
in other words , it is just the span of the unit element @xmath67 of @xmath2 .
hence @xmath114={\mathbb{q}}$ ] is the span of the element obtained by mating the unit element of @xmath2 with itself , which is @xmath70 .
and so @xmath115=aa[2]=tt[2]=kk[2]$ ] .
for example , there is only one cyclic order or unrooted tree or chord diagram on @xmath116 letters .
thus if we ignore the pieces of degree @xmath117 1 in @xmath2 and @xmath117 2 in @xmath6 then we are left precisely with the unit operad @xmath67 and species @xmath70 . in general , we always assume that @xmath2 has a unit .
hence @xmath67 and @xmath70 are always a part of @xmath2 and @xmath6 respectively . for convenience ,
we use the letter @xmath67 for both the unit operad and the unit element in an operad .
similarly for @xmath70 .
now we introduce the notion of a partial derivative for a mated species .
[ p : pd ] let @xmath2 be a reversible operad with unit @xmath67 and @xmath6 be its mated species . for @xmath118 and @xmath119 $ ] , there is a unique element @xmath120 $ ] such that @xmath121 . in terms of pictures ,
@xmath122 there are two parts to the proposition .
the first one is the existence of @xmath123 .
this is same as saying that @xmath124 can be written as a trivial mating ( at a specified input ) .
we have already derived this in equation as a simple consequence of relation @xmath101 , see ( [ ss : mf ] ) .
the second part is to show the uniqueness of @xmath123 .
suppose that @xmath125 .
this means that one can obtain @xmath126 from @xmath127 by successive applications of relation @xmath101 .
now the reduction lemma below says that this can be done in one step .
this implies that @xmath128 . to complete the proof of the above proposition
, we prove a reduction lemma that analyses the relation @xmath101 in the definition of a mated species ( [ ss : mf ] ) .
the proof of the lemma will use the two conditions imposed on the reversal maps in the definition of a reversible operad ( [ ss : ro ] ) .
we will follow the convention that subscripts increase from right to left . if @xmath129 then we say that @xmath51 is a splitting of @xmath66 .
similarly , @xmath130 is a splitting of @xmath66 into three parts .
since operad substitution is associative , we may also write @xmath131 . for simplicity of notation
, we are suppressing labels .
let @xmath2 be a reversible operad with reversal rule @xmath132 and unit @xmath67 .
the result obtained by two successive applications of relation @xmath101 to @xmath133 can , in fact , be obtained by a single application of @xmath101 .
we may assume that the first application of relation @xmath101 to @xmath133 involves splitting @xmath66 .
if we split @xmath67 then nothing changes and the lemma is proved directly .
hence say @xmath134 and applying @xmath101 , we obtain @xmath135 where @xmath136 . for the second application
, we apply relation @xmath101 to @xmath137 .
this involves two cases .
we split @xmath138 as say @xmath139 .
we split @xmath140 .
+ let us look at the first case .
we have @xmath141 substituting @xmath136 and using the associativity of substitution and the compatibility of reversal with substitution , we get @xmath142 hence the net effect of two applications of relation @xmath101 has been @xmath143 where @xmath144 .
it is clear that the same effect is achieved by @xmath145 which is just one application of relation @xmath101 to @xmath133 .
this completes the analysis for the first case . for the second case
, we just point out a simple subcase and leave the rest out .
if we split @xmath140 as @xmath136 and apply relation @xmath101 then we just reverse the first step and get back @xmath133 . and
here we used the relation @xmath85 .
in this section , we explain some of the philosophy of symplectic operad geometry . the reader can just glance through it on a first reading .
complete details are given in sections [ s : cm]-[s : me ] .
the reader more interested in graph homology may directly go to sections [ s : gh]-[s : mgh ] .
an ordinary manifold @xmath146 is a commutative object in the following sense .
functions on @xmath146 form a commutative algebra , the product being pointwise multiplication . to go a little further , differential forms on @xmath146 form a graded or supercommutative algebra with the usual wedge product . many geometric notions associated to @xmath146 can be captured by these commutative algebras .
for example , vector fields on @xmath146 are derivations of the algebra of functions on @xmath146 . among all manifolds
, @xmath147 plays a special role .
and the space of polynomial functions on @xmath147 is the free commutative algebra on @xmath41 generators .
now for a general operad @xmath2 , there is a notion of a @xmath2-algebra , a @xmath2-superalgebra , a free @xmath2-algebra , etc .
for example , for the associative operad , one has associative algebras ; for the lie operad , one has lie algebras and so on .
we would like to think of a @xmath2-algebra as the algebra of functions on a `` @xmath2-manifold '' , and of the free @xmath2-algebra on @xmath41 generators as the algebra of functions on the @xmath41 dimensional `` @xmath2-manifold '' which is the analogue of @xmath147 .
we emphasise that a `` @xmath2-manifold '' as a geometric object does not make any sense .
however , thinking of a @xmath2-algebra in this manner is useful because it allows us to make analogies with the commutative case . in this paper
, we will only deal with free @xmath2-algebras .
let us start with the commutative case .
for an introduction to classical symplectic topology , see the book by mcduff and salamon .
a symplectic manifold @xmath148 is a manifold @xmath146 with a closed non - degenerate 2 form @xmath149 .
the existence of such a 2 form implies that @xmath146 is even dimensional .
further , the algebra of smooth functions @xmath150 has the structure of a lie algebra .
the standard example of a symplectic manifold is @xmath151 . here
@xmath152 is the standard symplectic form @xmath153 , where @xmath154 are coordinates on @xmath155 .
the lie algebra structure on @xmath156 is given by the usual poisson bracket @xmath157 instead of smooth functions , it is easier to deal with polynomial functions and henceforth we will always do so .
we want to do something similar for a general operad @xmath2 .
let @xmath146 be a `` @xmath2-manifold '' .
as explained in ( [ ss : om ] ) , this simply means that we have a @xmath2-algebra . and
since we are only going to deal with the free case , we further assume that we have a free @xmath2-algebra .
call it @xmath158 .
since one thinks of @xmath158 as polynomial functions on @xmath146 , one would expect a lie algebra structure on @xmath158 , in analogy with the commutative case . however , this is not true .
it turns out that one needs to consider another algebraic object @xmath159 ( section [ s : cm ] ) . and
this object can be constructed only if @xmath2 is reversible
. then if @xmath158 is free on an even number of generators , it is true that @xmath159 is a lie algebra .
the two important operations are @xmath160 the poisson bracket @xmath161 equips @xmath159 with the structure of a lie algebra .
it is given by a formula that is almost identical to equation , see equation in ( [ ss : mate ] ) . just as @xmath158 is related to the operad @xmath2 , the space @xmath159 is related to an object @xmath6 .
the object @xmath6 is not an operad but a simpler object called a species . to give an analogy , operads are like algebras and species are like vector spaces .
the species @xmath6 is the image of @xmath2 under the mating functor constructed in section [ s : mf ] .
the space @xmath159 can be directly defined in terms of @xmath6 .
so far , we have not talked about any symplectic form in the general case .
the point is that the lie structure on @xmath159 emerges naturally from a symplectic form .
this is explained in section [ s : st ] .
a `` symplectic @xmath2-manifold '' must be a `` @xmath2-manifold '' which has a symplectic form .
the only example we give is that of a free @xmath2-algebra on an even number of generators , for @xmath2 reversible .
when specialised to the commutative case , this says that we are only considering the symplectic manifolds @xmath151 .
we now explain how the general discussion above specialises to the commutative situation .
that is , @xmath2 is the commutative operad @xmath25 , see ( [ sss : c ] ) . for @xmath162
, we have the free ( non - unital ) @xmath2-algebra @xmath163 polynomial functions with no constant terms on the symplectic manifold @xmath151 . the mated species @xmath6 in this case , which is @xmath75 , is almost the same .
hence the corresponding algebraic object @xmath159 is also similar .
we have @xmath164 polynomial functions in @xmath165 variables with no constant or linear terms . in this case
, the partial derivative has the usual meaning and the poisson bracket on @xmath159 is given by the formula in equation .
thus the content of the general discussion in quite simple in this case .
we now give a pictorial description of this calculus . if @xmath166 is a monomial , say @xmath167
, then we represent it as @xmath168 . and
if @xmath169 is a polynomial rather than a monomial then we represent it as a formal sum of pictures .
though @xmath158 is almost the same as @xmath159 , we will represent its elements slightly differently .
namely , if @xmath170 then we write it as @xmath171 .
we explain how the partial derivative @xmath172 works by an example . @xmath173 in other words , cut all inputs with label @xmath174 , one at a time .
the above pictorial equation just says that @xmath175 .
now we illustrate the poisson bracket on @xmath159 by an example .
@xmath176 in usual terms , this says that @xmath177 .
so to compute @xmath178 , cut a @xmath179 from @xmath169 , and a @xmath180 from @xmath181 ( or vice - versa ) , do a mating and then sum over all possibilities .
compare the picture above with the mating suggested for the commutative operad in ( [ ss : am ] ) .
the pictorial calculus may look silly but the point is that it generalises very nicely to reversible operads ( section [ s : cm ] ) .
the pictorial way of thinking can also be extended to the computation of the homology of the lie algebra @xmath159 .
this involves the building of a chain complex of graphs , which leads to graph homology .
this connection is made in the first part of the proof of the main theorem ( section [ s : fin ] ) .
we now record these ideas in a nutshell as follows . [ cols="^,^",options="header " , ] the geometric objects in the first column do not exist except in the commutative case @xmath182 in which case @xmath183 .
one may say that they are defined via their algebraic counterparts .
it is useful to have the following dictionary : @xmath184 operad manifold , @xmath185 vector fields on @xmath146 , @xmath186 total space of the odd tangent bundle to @xmath146 , @xmath187 vector fields on @xmath188 .
let @xmath146 be an operad manifold with the free @xmath2-algebra @xmath158 as its algebra of functions ( [ ss : om ] ) .
starting with this purely algebraic data , we want to construct an algebra of `` differential forms on x '' , which is defined as some differential @xmath2-superalgebra @xmath189 . one would guess that the symplectic form @xmath149 should be a suitable element of @xmath190 .
however , this is not true .
it turns out that one needs to consider @xmath191 , which is the corresponding object for @xmath159 . and
the symplectic form @xmath149 will lie in @xmath192 .
so in this sense , it is @xmath159 and @xmath191 , which should be regarded as functions and forms on @xmath146 .
we first look more generally at operad manifolds ( [ ss : om ] ) . to every operad @xmath2
, one can associate a category of @xmath2-algebras .
similarly , one can consider the graded version , which is the category of @xmath2-superalgebras .
and one can talk of derivations of @xmath2-algebras or superderivations of @xmath2-superalgebras .
in what follows , we will freely use this language .
for example , @xmath158 is the free object in the category of @xmath2-algebras .
however , just as we did for @xmath158 , we will also give explicit descriptions of all the objects we deal with .
this should help the reader who is unfamiliar with the above language .
we also recommend that the reader keep a concrete case , say commutative or associative , in mind .
let @xmath193 be the space of derivations of @xmath158 .
it is a lie algebra with the bracket being the commutator .
@xmath194 a derivation @xmath195 is an operator on @xmath158 .
it is uniquely determined by its values @xmath196 on the generators @xmath197 .
an example of how this works is shown above ; for each input , we replace the value @xmath198 on it by @xmath199 . in the first term on the right ,
@xmath200 is written on one input .
this is to be understood as a substitution of @xmath200 into that input .
the algebra of forms @xmath189 is the free differential superalgebra on the generators @xmath201 .
the term `` differential '' means that there is a superderivation @xmath202 of odd degree such that @xmath203 .
the algebra of forms @xmath189 is freely generated as a @xmath2-superalgebra by the symbols @xmath204 .
hence a superderivation on @xmath189 is uniquely determined by its values on these generators .
note that the differential @xmath205 is specified by @xmath206 and @xmath207 .
just as for @xmath158 , one can give an explicit description of @xmath189 . to get a monomial in @xmath189 ,
take any element of @xmath62 $ ] , for some finite non - empty set @xmath21 and replace each element of @xmath21 by one of the generators @xmath208 .
since we are now dealing with a super - object , we need to be more careful .
we order the inputs with differential symbols in the sense of orientation as follows .
@xmath209 in other words , an even permutation of the order leaves an element unchanged while an odd permutation gives its negative .
we now explain how the differential @xmath205 works on this example . @xmath210 in general
, we replace each @xmath198 by a @xmath211 , one at a time . and the input at which the replacement occurs is given label @xmath212 and the remaining labels are shifted up by @xmath212 .
it is clear that @xmath189 is in fact @xmath213 graded with the grading given by the number of differential symbols and @xmath214 .
let @xmath215 be the space of superderivations of @xmath189 .
it is a lie superalgebra with the bracket being the supercommutator . to act by a superderivation @xmath216 on an element of @xmath189 , one replaces the value @xmath217 at each input by @xmath218 , one at a time .
if @xmath219 then we shift the labels by @xmath220 .
if @xmath221 then we first reorder such that the @xmath211 being substituted into has label @xmath212 and then shift the remaining labels by @xmath220 .
the special case when @xmath216 is the differential @xmath205 was shown above .
for any derivation @xmath195 , we define the lie derivative @xmath222 and the contraction operator @xmath223 by specifying them on the generators as under @xmath224 they have degrees @xmath225 and @xmath226 respectively .
[ l : rel ] for derivations @xmath227 , the superderivations @xmath228 satisfy the following relations .
* @xmath229 = l_{\xi}$ ] ( cartan s formula ) .
* @xmath230 = 0 $ ] .
* @xmath231 = i_{[{\xi},{\eta}]}$ ] .
* @xmath232 = l_{[{\xi},{\eta}]}$ ] .
as mentioned earlier , superderivations are preserved by the supercommutator .
hence in all cases , both sides are superderivations , so we need to check @xmath233 only on the generators @xmath204 .
this is a straightforward check that is independent of the operad @xmath2 .
[ l : exact ] the algebra of forms @xmath189 is exact . consider the euler vector field @xmath234 , defined by @xmath235 for all @xmath236 . then @xmath237 and @xmath238 and hence @xmath239 maps every monomial to a non - zero multiple of itself .
therefore it is invertible on @xmath189 .
so it induces an isomorphism on cohomology . on the other hand , cartan s formula ( item @xmath240 in lemma [ l : rel ] ) shows that it induces the zero map on cohomology .
so we conclude that @xmath189 is exact . for the operad @xmath162
, the lemma just says that the algebra of polynomial forms on @xmath147 , that vanish at the origin , is exact .
now assume that the operad @xmath2 is reversible ; so we can talk of its mated species @xmath6 .
analogues for @xmath6 of the objects in ( [ ss : ao ] ) can be defined without difficulty . as far as pictures are concerned , we draw the same ones as for operads except that the output arrow is now omitted .
we have seen that @xmath159 can be written as a quotient of @xmath241 ( equation ) .
similarly , one can define @xmath191 as a quotient of @xmath242 subject to the super - relations : @xmath243 just like @xmath189 , we see that @xmath191 is @xmath213 graded and @xmath244 .
we also define @xmath245 , @xmath246 and for @xmath247 , the operators @xmath248 .
the relations in lemma [ l : rel ] continue to hold .
hence it follows that @xmath191 is also exact .
note that any element of @xmath249 can be uniquely written as @xmath250 , with @xmath251 .
and for @xmath252 , we get @xmath253 .
these facts are again a consequence of proposition [ p : pd ] and will be crucial in what follows . since @xmath2 has a unit element @xmath67 , its mated species @xmath6 has the special element @xmath70 in degree 2 , see ( [ ss : uu ] ) .
it allows us to define the symplectic form @xmath254 . for a picture
, we may draw @xmath255 .
note that if we switch the order of the factors , we pick a minus sign ( equation ) .
this can also be seen from the picture and the analogue of equation for species .
also @xmath256 and hence the form is closed .
this gives us a symplectic operad manifold @xmath146 .
we think of @xmath193 as vector fields on @xmath146 that vanish at a point and @xmath191 as differential forms on @xmath146 with no constant or linear terms , with the @xmath225-forms @xmath159 being hamiltonian functions on @xmath146 .
[ l : iso ] the map @xmath257 which sends @xmath258 to @xmath259 is an isomorphism .
we have the chain of equalities @xmath260 this shows that @xmath259 is determined by @xmath261 and @xmath262 , which also determine @xmath258 . since one can represent any element of @xmath249 uniquely by a sum of the form @xmath263 , the map in the lemma is an isomorphism .
let @xmath264 . in analogy with the classical case ,
we call these the symplectic vector fields . it follows from cartan s formula ( lemma [ l : rel ] ) that @xmath265 hence under the isomorphism of lemma [ l : iso ] , one sees that symplectic vector fields correspond to closed 1 forms .
define hamiltonian vector fields to be the ones that correspond to exact 1 forms .
however , since @xmath191 is exact , the hamiltonian and symplectic vector fields coincide in this case .
and there is an isomorphism @xmath266 .
putting all facts together , there is an isomorphism @xmath267 , where @xmath268 is defined by the equation @xmath269 .
writing both sides in the unique form @xmath263 , we derive the hamiltonian equations @xmath270 we now derive the isomorphism between hamiltonian functions and hamiltonian vector fields . by kontsevich kimaya ,
the proof is same as in the classical case ; we give it here for completeness . the map @xmath271 defined above is an anti - isomorphism of lie algebras , with the bracket on @xmath159 being the poisson bracket and on @xmath272 being the usual commutator . first note that @xmath272 is closed under taking commutators ( item @xmath273 in lemma [ l : rel ] ) .
this gives it a lie algebra structure .
so to prove the proposition , we trace through the isomorphism @xmath274 , compute the induced lie structure on @xmath159 and see that upto a minus sign it coincides with the poisson bracket ( [ ss : mate ] ) .
we do the computation in two steps .
@xmath275}w = d(i_{\xi_f}(dh))$ ] .
@xmath276}w & = & [ l_{\xi_f},i_{\xi_h}]w & \mbox{(item ( 3 ) in lemma~\ref{l : rel } ) } \\ & = & l_{\xi_f}(i_{\xi_h } w ) & ( l_{\xi_f } w=0 \ \mbox{since } \ \xi_f \ \mbox{is symplectic } ) \\ & = & l_{\xi_f}(dh ) & \\ & = & [ i_{\xi_f},d](dh ) & \mbox{(item ( 1 ) in lemma~\ref{l : rel } ) } \\ & = & d(i_{\xi_h } ( dh ) ) . & \\ \end{array}\ ] ] @xmath277 .
+ @xmath278 the proposition now follows from the two claims . as a corollary
, we obtain proposition [ p : pb ] . also ,
if we specialise to @xmath279 and @xmath280 , we obtain proposition [ p : degtwo ] .
we have , so far , only defined the notion of a derivative .
if one wants to define higher order derivatives then one should consider a more general structure , namely , a prop .
for some motivation for props from the viewpoint of homotopy theory , see .
we denote a prop by @xmath281 .
it consists roughly of objects with many inputs and many outputs . for a precise definition ,
see the notes by voronov .
we write @xmath282 $ ] for the `` set of @xmath281-structures on the set @xmath283 that have @xmath21 inputs and @xmath284 outputs '' .
there is also a composition law which allows to feed the outputs of one object to the inputs of another .
@xmath285 it is useful to think of species and operads as parts of a prop corresponding to no output ( @xmath284 empty ) and a single output ( @xmath284 singleton ) respectively .
we saw that a partial derivative ( proposition [ p : pd ] ) sends a species element to an operad element . stated differently
, it just converts an input to an output .
if this is to be the meaning of a derivative then to define higher derivatives one is forced to consider objects with many outputs .
thus one sees that props provide a natural framework to talk of higher derivatives . to make the theory of higher matings work
, one would need a `` reversible prop '' .
we do not make these ideas precise .
instead , we look at some examples that fit this pattern .
they may be of independent interest .
let @xmath288=$ ] set of graphs with a specified source and sink vertex and directed edges labelled by elements of the set @xmath21 .
the figure shows an element of @xmath289 $ ] .
we indicate the source ( resp . sink ) vertex by a half - edge with an arrow going in ( resp . out ) .
we regard the two half - edges together as constituting the output edge of the operad .
substitution works as under .
@xmath291{.9 in } \begin{center } \psfrag{a}{\huge $ a$ } \psfrag{b}{\huge $ b$ } \psfrag{c}{\huge $ c$ } \psfrag{d}{\huge $ d$ } \psfrag{so}{\huge $ $ } \psfrag{si}{\huge $ $ } \resizebox{.9 in}{.7 in}{\includegraphics{gsubt.eps}}\\ $ p_2 $ \end{center } \end{minipage } \hfill \begin{minipage}[b]{1.2 in } \begin{center } \psfrag{x}{\huge $ x$ } \psfrag{y}{\huge $ y$ } \psfrag{z}{\huge $ z$ } \psfrag{w}{\huge $ $ } \psfrag{so}{\huge $ \text{source}$ } \psfrag{si}{\huge $ \text{sink}$ } \resizebox{.9 in}{.5 in}{\includegraphics{gsubi.eps}}\\ \vspace{.1 in } $ p_1 $ \end{center } \end{minipage } \hspace{1 in } \begin{minipage}[b]{1.4 in } \begin{center } \psfrag{a}{\huge $ a$ } \psfrag{b}{\huge $ b$ } \psfrag{c}{\huge $ c$ } \psfrag{d}{\huge $ d$ } \psfrag{x}{\huge $ x$ } \psfrag{z}{\huge $ z$ } \psfrag{w}{\huge $ $ } \psfrag{so}{\huge $ \text{source}$ } \psfrag{si}{\huge $ \text{sink}$ } \resizebox{1.3 in}{.7 in}{\includegraphics{gsubo.eps}}\\ $ p_2 { \stackrel{y}{\longrightarrow}}p_1 $ \end{center } \end{minipage}.\ ] ] in other words , to obtain @xmath54 , we identify the source ( resp .
sink ) vertex of @xmath49 with the initial ( resp .
terminal ) vertex of the edge @xmath55 in @xmath50 .
the commutative , associative , chord ( [ ss : eg ] ) and many other operads can be obtained as special cases by simply restricting the type of graphs allowed .
there is seemingly no end to the number of interesting examples one can obtain in this way .
we illustrate the commutative and associative cases .
@xmath291{1.8 in } \begin{center } \vspace{.1 in } \psfrag{a}{\huge $ a$ } \psfrag{b}{\huge $ b$ } \psfrag{c}{\huge $ c$ } \psfrag{d}{\huge $ d$ } \psfrag{x}{\huge $ x$ } \psfrag{z}{\huge $ z$ } \psfrag{w}{\huge $ $ } \psfrag{so}{\huge $ \text{source}$ } \psfrag{si}{\huge $ \text{sink}$ } \resizebox{1.8 in}{.4 in}{\includegraphics{gc.eps}}\\ commutative \end{center } \end{minipage } \hspace{1 in } \begin{minipage}[b]{1.6 in } \begin{center } \vspace{.1 in } \psfrag{a}{\huge $ a$ } \psfrag{b}{\huge $ b$ } \psfrag{c}{\huge $ c$ } \psfrag{d}{\huge $ d$ } \psfrag{x}{\huge $ x$ } \psfrag{z}{\huge $ z$ } \psfrag{w}{\huge $ $ } \psfrag{so}{\huge $ \text{source}$ } \psfrag{si}{\huge $ \text{sink}$ } \resizebox{1.6 in}{.4 in}{\includegraphics{ga.eps}}\\ associative \end{center } \end{minipage}\ ] ] thus to get the commutative operad , we only allow graphs with two vertices ( source and sink ) and all edges are directed from the source to the sink . for the associative operad , we allow graphs whose edges form a directed path from the source to the sink .
there is a variation on the associative case ( and the commutative ) , where one allows the arrows on the edges to point in either direction .
this is a binary quadratic operad .
axioms for an algebra over this operad can be written explicitly .
we do not know whether they have been considered before .
the graph operad is reversible with the reversal map as shown .
@xmath292 namely , we open the input edge @xmath93 and close the output edge @xmath55
. there is another way to reverse the graph operad , where in addition to the above , we also switch the directions on @xmath93 and @xmath55 .
the two methods of reversal are compatible with the associative and commutative cases respectively .
since the two ways are analogous , we will work with the first definition .
so far , we have only defined the graph operad . but
the definition of the graph prop should be clear ; we simply allow more output edges .
in other words , graphs can now have many pairs of source and sink vertices . and for the composition law in the prop , we perform simultaneous substitutions .
the graph species @xmath287 is the part of the graph prop with no outputs .
so these are graphs with no source and sink vertex .
we now show how graph objects mate .
@xmath293 namely , the sink of one merges ( mates ) with the source of the other and vice - versa .
the result is a graph with no source and sink vertex . thus the mating functor maps the graph operad @xmath286 to the graph species @xmath287 .
the free algebras @xmath294 and @xmath295 consist of graphs with directed edges labelled by one of the generators @xmath201 .
of course , for elements of @xmath294 , graphs also have a specified source and sink vertex .
the partial derivative @xmath296 works very nicely .
@xmath297 in words , @xmath298 is the sum of graphs obtained by cutting edges of @xmath169 that are labelled @xmath198 , one at a time .
the half - edges that result from a cut get induced directions and provide the source and sink vertex of the graph created .
we leave it to the reader to explicitly describe the algebra of forms @xmath299 , @xmath300 and other notions described in section [ s : st ] . for higher order derivatives ,
we consider the free algebra of the graph prop .
the order of the derivative determines the number of edges that are cut . and
for higher order matings , we take two graphs with the same number of cuts ( outputs ) and the result is a graph with no cuts .
this generalises the first order mating given by the mating functor .
we now present a second example based on graphs .
it complements the earlier example in the sense that ( univalent ) vertices rather than edges play the role of inputs .
let @xmath301=$ ] set of graphs with univalent vertices labelled by elements of the set @xmath21 .
the operad @xmath302 is defined as the species @xmath303 except that we use one of the univalent vertices as the output or root . and
for the prop , we do not place any restriction on the number of outputs or roots .
operad substitution and reversal and matings work exactly as in the tree case . @xmath291{1.8 in } \begin{center }
\psfrag{a}{\huge $ a$ } \psfrag{b}{\huge $ b$ } \psfrag{y}{\huge $ y$ } \psfrag{z}{\huge $ z$ } \resizebox{1.7 in}{.5 in}{\includegraphics{hsubi.eps } } \end{center } \end{minipage } \hspace{1 in } \begin{minipage}[b]{1.6 in } \begin{center } \psfrag{a}{\huge $ a$ } \psfrag{b}{\huge $ b$ } \psfrag{y}{\huge $ y$ } \psfrag{z}{\huge $ z$ } \resizebox{1.6 in}{.5 in}{\includegraphics{hsubo.eps } } \end{center } \end{minipage}.\ ] ] note that for the above composition law of the prop to make sense , we necessarily have to work with graphs and not just trees .
we mention that the graph complexes that arise from this species have been considered in .
let @xmath306=$ ] set of compact orientable surfaces ( not necessarily connected ) with boundary circles labelled by elements of the set @xmath21 .
for the operad @xmath307 $ ] , we use one of the boundary circles as the output .
operad substitution works by gluing . for the prop ,
we allow more outputs as usual .
the composition law in the prop is simultaneous gluing .
we leave the details to the reader .
some pictures may be found in [ ss : ae ] .
in this section , we define a generalisation of kontsevich s graph homology to mated species .
this coincides with the graph complexes considered by markl .
when one specialises to the commutative species ( [ sss : c ] ) , one recovers the usual definition .
the case of the associative species ( [ sss : a ] ) is also explained in . by a graph ,
we mean a finite 1-dimensional cw complex . in ( [ ss : graph]-[ss : gc ] ) , we define a chain complex @xmath12 based on graphs . here
@xmath8 refers to the chain groups and @xmath308 to the boundary operator .
the boundary operator @xmath308 can be regarded as a limit of a family of boundary operators @xmath309 .
this family is discussed in ( [ ss : finb ] ) . in ( [ ss : cc ] ) , we list the subcomplexes of @xmath12 that are relevant to us .
the graph complex @xmath4 , which appears in the main theorem , is one of them .
let @xmath6 be any species .
define a @xmath6-graph to be a graph whose vertices are fattened by elements of the species @xmath6 . to be more precise
, it is a graph @xmath310 such that for every vertex @xmath217 of @xmath310 , a @xmath6-structure is specified on the set of half - edges incident to @xmath217 .
@xmath311 we now give some examples ; see the table of pictures and examples of species in ( [ ss : s ] ) and ( [ ss : eg ] ) . *
a commutative graph @xmath312 is simply a graph . *
an associative graph @xmath313 is a ribbon graph ; that is a cyclic ordering of the half - edges is fixed at each vertex . *
the figure below shows a typical graph for a species based on trees @xmath314 .
@xmath315 * for the chord species @xmath316 , the vertices instead of being trees are chord diagrams ( [ sss : k ] ) . in our terminology
, these are chord graphs .
* for an example with a somewhat different flavour , consider the surface species @xmath317 , see ( [ ss : ss ] ) .
a surface graph is a compact orientable surface with a collection of disjoint loops . in this case
, the loops play the role of edges and the pieces obtained by cutting along the loops play the role of vertices .
this example was first mentioned to me by j. conant .
the interested reader can also work out the graphs for the species @xmath303 and the graph species @xmath287 in section [ s : me ] .
note that all the species above have been denoted by a letter repetition .
this is to indicate the fact that they are mated species ( [ ss : mf]-[ss : am ] ) .
the reader , who skipped sections [ s : ro ] and [ s : mf ] on species and operads , can read this section and section [ s : mgh ] by keeping the above concrete examples in mind .
for simplicity of notation , from now on , we will just write `` graph '' instead of `` @xmath6-graph '' .
for a graph @xmath310 , we shall denote the set of vertices by @xmath318 , the set of edges by @xmath319 and the set of ends of an edge @xmath320 by @xmath321 .
finally , @xmath322 will denote the real vector space which has the elements of @xmath146 as a basis .
an orientation @xmath323 of a graph @xmath310 is an orientation of the one - dimensional real vector space @xmath324 . for a vector space @xmath325 of dimension @xmath41
, we are using the notation @xmath326 .
we say that @xmath327 is an oriented graph .
there is another notion of orientation of a graph equivalent to the above ; see for details . a way to represent
an orientation is to order the vertices and orient each edge of the graph .
an odd permutation of the labels on the vertices reverses the orientation , and a single change of the orientation of one edge reverses it as well .
an even number of these transformations produces an orientation equivalent to the original one .
so a graph @xmath310 has two orientations , which we may call @xmath323 and @xmath328 .
@xmath329 we say that @xmath330 and @xmath331 are isomorphic if there is a graph isomorphism @xmath332 such that @xmath302 carries the orientation @xmath323 to @xmath333 . later for simplicity , we will sometimes suppress the orientation from our notation and picture .
it is understood that from now on , all graphs are oriented . from now on , we restrict to those species @xmath6 that arise from the symplectic theory .
namely , we assume that @xmath6 is a mated species ( [ ss : mf]-[ss : am ] ) . the examples in ( [ ss : graph ] )
were all of this type .
hence the vertices necessarily have valence at least 2 .
we now define a chain complex @xmath12 for such species . the @xmath77th chain group of @xmath8 , which we denote @xmath334 , is the vector space over @xmath335 generated by all oriented graphs @xmath336 with @xmath77 vertices subject to the relations : @xmath337 a graph can have an orientation reversing automorphism , that is @xmath338 , where @xmath323 and @xmath339 are the two orientations of @xmath310 .
note that the first relation then makes the class of such a graph equal to zero .
the boundary map @xmath340 is defined using edge contractions , i.e. matings ( [ ss : am ] ) .
this is where one uses that @xmath6 is a mated species .
we do not contract loops .
more precisely , we have @xmath341 where @xmath342 is the graph @xmath310 with the edge @xmath320 contracted ( see figure ) , and @xmath343 is obtained the following way : choose a representative of @xmath323 where @xmath320 points from vertex 1 to vertex 2 , give the new vertex arising from the contraction of @xmath320 the label 1 , and subtract 1 from the label of each of the other vertices ; finally , keep the orientations on the edges ( other than @xmath320 ) unchanged .
@xmath344 an equivalent way to describe @xmath343 is the following : if the labels on the endpoints of @xmath320 are @xmath345 , collapse @xmath320 , label the resulting vertex @xmath236 , decrease the labels greater than @xmath346 by one , and multiply this orientation by @xmath347 if @xmath320 points from @xmath236 to @xmath346 , and by @xmath348 if it points from @xmath346 to @xmath236 .
note that @xmath343 is well - defined and that @xmath308 respects the relations in equation .
we explain how edge contractions work in the examples in ( [ ss : graph ] ) .
a commutative graph is an ordinary graph .
and edge contraction has the usual meaning . for associative or ribbon graphs , a ( local ) picture for an edge contraction
is given in ( [ ss : am ] ) .
for tree ( resp .
chord ) graphs , we merge the trees ( resp .
chords ) at the two vertices along the edge being contracted . for a surface graph ,
an edge is a loop on the surface . to contract an edge , simply delete the loop .
@xmath349 if we collapse first the edge @xmath350 and then the edge @xmath351 , we get the same graph as by collapsing @xmath352 first and then @xmath320 , but with the opposite orientation .
this is easiest to see using the second definition of @xmath343 above ; we may assume that @xmath353 and @xmath345 , @xmath354 .
we get the same orientation either way , but in the first case with a coefficient @xmath355 , in the second case with @xmath356 .
thus @xmath12 is a chain complex .
we will denote its homology by @xmath357 .
the reader , who has never seen graph homology before , may omit this section on a first reading .
we now define a second boundary operator @xmath358 that plays an important part in this theory .
let @xmath359 be the set of all _ quasi - edges _ of @xmath310 .
these are unordered pairs of distinct half - edges of @xmath310 .
a quasi - edge is specified by two vertices , say @xmath360 and @xmath361 , and two edges @xmath362 and @xmath363 incident to @xmath360 and @xmath361 respectively .
we say that @xmath320 is a _ quasi - loop _ if @xmath364 .
observe that @xmath365 .
the boundary map @xmath366 is defined by contracting quasi - edges , which are not edges .
we do not contract quasi - loops .
we have @xmath367 where @xmath342 and @xmath343 are defined as follows .
choose a representative for @xmath323 where @xmath360 and @xmath361 have labels @xmath212 and @xmath116 respectively and the arrow on edge @xmath362 ( resp .
@xmath363 ) points out of @xmath360 ( resp . into @xmath361 ) .
cut the edges @xmath362 and @xmath363 and join them so that the quasi - edge @xmath320 and its partner @xmath368 turn into edges . in effect ,
@xmath362 and @xmath363 have been replaced by two new edges ( which get an induced orientation ) .
@xmath369 \3 . collapse the edge joining @xmath360 and @xmath361 .
thus @xmath360 and @xmath361 become a single vertex , say @xmath217 .
the resulting graph is @xmath342 .
note that the edges of @xmath342 are already oriented .
to get an order on the vertices , label the new vertex @xmath217 by @xmath212 and subtract @xmath212 from the labels of the other vertices .
the resulting orientation is @xmath343 .
we now define a family of boundary maps by the formula @xmath370 to put in words , @xmath371 is obtained by contracting quasi - edges of @xmath310 . and
if the quasi - edge is an edge then we multiply by a factor of @xmath165 .
the fact that @xmath372 is a boundary operator for all @xmath41 will follow from the proof of theorem [ t : fin ] ( section [ s : fin ] ) .
this automatically implies that @xmath373 and @xmath374 .
in other words , @xmath308 and @xmath358 together span an abelian lie superalgebra of operators on @xmath8 .
we will call @xmath309 the finite boundary operator and write the chain complex as @xmath375 .
if the boundary operator is not stated explicitly , then we take it to be the stable boundary operator @xmath308 . note
that the boundary maps @xmath308 and @xmath358 preserve the euler characteristic @xmath376 of any graph @xmath310 .
this is because they decrease the number of edges and vertices both by 1 .
so the graph complex , irrespective of the boundary map used , splits as a direct sum of chain complexes @xmath377 : @xmath378 the useful point is that the chain groups @xmath379 are finite dimensional . instead of @xmath376 ,
we have used the superscript @xmath380 for convenience .
if the graph @xmath310 is connected then @xmath381 is just the rank of @xmath310 . from now on , assume that the species @xmath6 is based on sets rather than vector spaces .
all the examples in this paper are of this type .
we first give a preliminary definition .
we say a vertex in a @xmath6-graph is fake if it corresponds to the element @xmath70 in @xmath114 $ ] , the degree 2 piece of @xmath6 , see ( [ ss : uu ] ) .
else we say that the vertex is real .
@xmath382 note that the fake vertices are always bivalent and they all look identical .
furthermore , they behave as unit elements in contractions ( matings ) .
so in this sense , they are extremely inert .
for all the examples in ( [ ss : graph ] ) , except the surface species @xmath305 , @xmath114 $ ] is a singleton .
for example , there is only one cyclic order or chord diagram or unrooted tree on 2 letters .
hence , in these cases , the fake vertices are precisely the bivalent vertices . and real vertices are exactly those with valence greater than 2 . for the surface species , @xmath383 $ ] consists of compact orientable surfaces whose boundary is two disjoint circles .
and there are clearly many such . among them
, cylinders are precisely the fake vertices , while the rest are real .
it can even happen that contracting an edge joining two real vertices produces a fake vertex .
an example is given in section [ s : gp ] . in this case
, the two real vertices must be necessarily bivalent . in any case
, the boundary map can reduce the number of real vertices of a graph by at most 2 .
we now look at the various subcomplexes of @xmath12 , that appear in the main theorem and its proof .
they are all defined by putting some restriction on the type of graphs that are allowed .
* @xmath384 graphs all of whose vertices are bivalent .
* @xmath385 graphs all of whose vertices are fake
. * @xmath386 connected graphs .
* @xmath387 connected graphs all of whose vertices are real and with at least one vertex of degree greater than 2 . * @xmath388 connected graphs all of whose vertices are bivalent .
* @xmath389 connected graphs all of whose vertices are fake .
it is clear that @xmath308 preserves the above chain groups except @xmath390 .
the trouble with @xmath390 is that an edge contraction can result in a fake vertex .
hence for @xmath390 , modify the definition of @xmath308 such that edge contractions that create fake vertices are ignored .
so , strictly speaking , it is not a subcomplex of @xmath12 . in keeping with kontsevich s original definition , we will call @xmath391 the graph homology of the mated species @xmath6 .
note that @xmath392 and @xmath393 do not depend on the species @xmath6 .
the complex @xmath393 just consists of polygons and @xmath392 consists of disjoint unions of polygons .
further , since fake vertices are always bivalent , the complex @xmath392 ( resp .
@xmath393 ) is a subcomplex of @xmath394 ( resp .
@xmath395 ) .
the containment is strict if @xmath114 $ ] has more than 1 element , as for the surface or graph species .
we discuss another example of this kind in section [ s : gp ] .
the chain complex that appears in the statement of the main theorem is @xmath4 .
however , the one that appears naturally in the proof is @xmath396 .
the reduction from the homology of this larger complex to graph homology @xmath391 is the content of proposition [ p : ss ]
. it will be the last step in the proof of the main theorem .
though the statement of the proposition is quite intuitive , its proof is a little technical and may be skipped on a first reading .
[ p : ss ] @xmath397 .
the bivalent graph complex @xmath395 is a direct summand of the graph complex @xmath398 .
the complement is the subcomplex consisting of connected graphs containing at least one vertex of degree @xmath399 .
denote this complex by @xmath400 , graded as usual by the number of vertices .
the difference between @xmath400 and @xmath390 is that graphs in @xmath400 are allowed to contain fake vertices .
to finish the proof , we need to show that @xmath401 . this can be done by a spectral sequence argument . for a treatment of spectral sequences , see .
we have already defined real and fake vertices .
in addition , call an edge fake if it is incident to a fake vertex .
next , define a filtration on @xmath400 by @xmath402 graphs in @xmath403 with upto @xmath66 real vertices .
recall that for the spectral sequence associated to a filtration , @xmath404 . in our case
, @xmath405 can be described as the span of oriented graphs with @xmath66 real and @xmath124 fake vertices .
the vertical maps on the @xmath406 page , namely , @xmath407 are defined exactly as the boundary map for an oriented graph , except that now we are allowed to collapse only the fake edges .
note that the positive @xmath146-axis of the @xmath406 page consists exactly of graphs with no fake vertices .
in other words , they are the chain groups of the graph complex @xmath390 . * claim*. the homology on the @xmath406 page is trivial except at @xmath408 , that is , the @xmath146-axis .
equivalently , @xmath409 for @xmath410 .
in addition , we claim that @xmath411 .
assuming the claim , it is clear that the induced boundary map on the @xmath412 page @xmath413 coincides with the boundary map defined on @xmath390 .
namely , edge contractions that create fake vertices are ignored .
the rest of the @xmath412 page is zero .
thus the spectral sequence associated to our filtration of @xmath400 collapses at the first term to the graph complex @xmath390 .
this shows that @xmath401 .
* proof of the claim*. to every connected graph containing at least one real vertex , one can associate a new graph all of whose vertices are real .
the new graph is just the old graph with all the fake vertices removed .
this gives us an equivalence relation on the set of all connected graphs containing a real vertex .
the equivalence classes are indexed by graphs all of whose vertices are real .
now consider the complex @xmath414 whose homology we want to compute .
this splits as a direct sum of subcomplexes one for each graph @xmath310 in @xmath415 .
call the subcomplex corresponding to @xmath310 the standard complex of @xmath310 .
note that the graphs that occur in the standard complex of @xmath310 are precisely those that lie in the same equivalence class as @xmath310 .
we need to show that the only non - trivial homology occurs in degree @xmath225 . to understand this complex , first look at the standard complex of a single edge .
it has dimension @xmath212 in each degree @xmath416 , because there is a unique ( upto isomorphism ) way to put @xmath77 points in the interior of an edge .
the differential in this standard complex is zero for @xmath417 and all odd @xmath77 and an isomorphism for positive even @xmath77 .
hence it has non - trivial homology only in degree @xmath225 .
now the standard complex of @xmath310 is the tensor product of the standard complexes of all its edges modulo the action of the finite group @xmath418 ) .
hence by the kunneth formula and the fact that finite groups have trivial rational homology , we are done .
let @xmath6 be a mated species , where all bivalent vertices in any graph are fake . or equivalently ,
let @xmath6 be obtained from a reversible operad satisfying @xmath64={\mathbb{q}}$ ]
. then @xmath419 .
we now digress to give an example of the theory that is based on groups .
it can be defined more generally for algebras with involution ; we then recover dihedral homology .
we hope that this example will further clarify the concepts discussed in previous sections .
an attraction of this example is that it is tractable to computations .
some known results on dihedral homology can be obtained this way .
let @xmath95 be any finite group .
let @xmath2 be the operad whose elements are given by for @xmath420 , with substitution being group multiplication .
in other words , @xmath64={\mathbb{q}}k$ ] , the group algebra of @xmath95 over @xmath421 , and @xmath422=p[3]=\ldots=0 $ ] .
if @xmath95 is the trivial group then @xmath2 is just the unit operad @xmath67 , see ( [ sss : u ] ) . more generally , one can take @xmath64 $ ] to be any algebra with a unit . for this example , @xmath2 is reversible ( [ ss : ro ] ) , if there exists a map @xmath423 which satisfies @xmath424 and @xmath425 for any @xmath426 .
natural candidates for the @xmath427 map are the identity ( if @xmath95 is abelian ) and the inverse map .
thus , for @xmath95 abelian , there are two distinct ways of reversal .
the reversal map is given by @xmath428 applying the mating functor to @xmath2 gives us a mated species @xmath6 .
this species @xmath6 lives entirely in degree 2 .
we leave it to the reader to check that an element of @xmath429 $ ] can be specified by the picture @xmath430 for the above species @xmath6 , the corresponding graphs are necessarily bivalent ( polygons ) , with each vertex labelled ( more or less ) by a group element .
the vertices labelled by the unit element 1 are fake while the rest are real .
we now explain how an edge contraction ( mating ) works .
@xmath431 apply relation if necessary , so that both vertices incident to the edge @xmath320 point in the same direction . contract it and make the new vertex also point in the same direction . and label it with the product of the two labels ( in the order specified by the direction ) .
we will call the homology of this bivalent complex as the graph homology of the group @xmath95 and denote it @xmath432 . in the notation of section [ s : gh ]
, it coincides with both @xmath433 and @xmath434 .
the problem of computing graph homology seems to be difficult in general .
the only instance where computations have been made is the commutative case ( [ sss : c ] ) ; see the thesis of ferenc gerlits .
this is the case where we are dealing with usual graphs .
we give two instances where graph homology @xmath433 can be completely computed .
they are the first two cases of the example under discussion .
it is easy to generalise them but we do not do it here . if @xmath95 is the trivial group then @xmath279 and @xmath280 , see ( [ ss : uu ] ) .
the computation for this case , which coincides with @xmath435 , see ( [ ss : cc ] ) , is discussed in .
the graphs are polygons with only fake vertices .
these graphs have two kinds of automorphisms : rotations and reflections .
it is easy to see that a simple rotation is orientation reversing if and only if @xmath77 , the number of vertices , is even , and a reflection reverses the orientation iff @xmath436 or @xmath116 modulo @xmath437 .
so there is one non - zero chain in each degree of the form @xmath438 , and hence all the boundary maps are zero , therefore these are the homology groups also
. hence @xmath439 by corollary to theorem [ t : con ] ( section [ s : con ] ) , this is same as the primitive homology of the lie algebra @xmath440 . for this case ,
the graphs are polygons with two types of vertices corresponding to the two group elements .
computing the homology directly from the definition is not easy .
so we rerun the spectral sequence argument ( proposition [ p : ss ] ) with some modification .
the stable page is @xmath442 with non - zero terms only on the positive x and y axis .
the conclusion is @xmath443 this example , we hope , gives an idea of the complexity of computing graph homology .
the ideas in this section are based on a letter of kontsevich .
it leads to the birth of many interesting operations on graphs .
i thank jim conant for helping me understand its contents and also for providing his notes related to this .
we begin by defining graph cohomology . the homology and cohomology
are related by an interesting and highly non - trivial pairing on graphs .
this is explained in ( [ ss : pg]-[ss : ad ] ) .
later in ( [ ss : dmg ] ) , we use it to define a deformation map on graphs .
these ideas will be used in section [ s : sta ] in the proof of theorem [ t : sta ] that deals with stability . throughout this section , we assume that @xmath6 is a mated species based on sets .
let @xmath310 be an oriented @xmath6-graph and @xmath445 be the set of its ideal edges .
these are the edges that are `` present '' in the internal structure of the vertices of @xmath310 , see ( [ ss : mf ] ) . the coboundary map @xmath446 is defined using ideal edge expansions , i.e. breakups .
it is given by the formula @xmath447 where @xmath448 is the graph @xmath310 with the ideal edge @xmath320 expanded ( see figure ) , and @xmath449 is obtained the following way : choose a representative of @xmath323 where the vertex of the ideal edge @xmath320 has label 1 , give the two new vertices arising from the breakup the labels 1 and 2 , add 1 to the label of each of the other vertices , and direct the newly formed edge @xmath320 from vertex 1 to 2 ; finally , keep the orientations on the other edges unchanged .
@xmath450 similarly , one can define a coboundary operator @xmath451 as the co - analogue of @xmath358 , see ( [ ss : finb ] ) .
we will not deal with @xmath451 in this paper .
for every @xmath41 , we will define a pairing @xmath453 . the definition , though explicit , will be somewhat complicated . a way to understand it
is given in ( [ ss : pl]-[ss : pr ] ) , where we derive it as a restriction of a simpler pairing defined on a larger space .
the reader , who is more interested in lie algebras or the main theorem rather than just graphs , may read that part first , referring back as necessary .
let @xmath454 be two oriented graphs . for simplicity ,
we suppress orientations from the notation .
[ d : gm ] a matching @xmath455 is a bijection between the vertex sets @xmath456 and @xmath457 that preserves the internal structure of the vertices .
we imagine this as an overlaying of the vertex sets of @xmath458 and @xmath459 .
@xmath460 an example of a matching is shown above .
for clarity , orientations and the internal structure of the vertices have been omitted .
it is clear that for a matching to exist , @xmath458 and @xmath459 must have the same number of vertices and edges .
[ d : csm ] we now define the number of components @xmath461 and @xmath462 of a matching @xmath455 .
delete the vertices from the overlaying of @xmath458 and @xmath459 specified by @xmath463 .
we are left with a disjoint union of even sided polygons whose edges alternate between those of @xmath458 and @xmath459 .
the quantity @xmath461 counts the number of these polygons . in the example
above , we get a hexagon and a square ; so @xmath464 .
@xmath465 the purpose of @xmath462 is to take orientations into account .
choose representatives for @xmath466 and @xmath467 .
the matching @xmath463 gives a bijection of the vertex sets .
first note the sign of this permutation .
then for each polygon , fix say the clockwise direction for @xmath458 and anticlockwise direction for @xmath459 . and write a minus sign for all edges that are out of order .
the product of all signs gives @xmath462 .
define the pairing @xmath453 by the formula @xmath468 where the sum is over all matchings @xmath455 and @xmath462 and @xmath461 are the sign and the number of components of the matching @xmath463 . for @xmath458 and @xmath459 fixed , the maximum value of @xmath461 is @xmath469 number of edges of @xmath458 ( and @xmath459 ) .
this happens iff every polygon in the matching @xmath463 has exactly two sides , i.e. iff @xmath455 is an isomorphism .
we will call this a perfect matching . and in this case , the coefficient of @xmath470 , upto sign , is @xmath471 .
we now relate the finite boundary operator @xmath309 in ( [ ss : finb ] ) to the ( stable ) coboundary operator @xmath444 in ( [ ss : stacb ] ) .
there is a simpler relation between @xmath308 and @xmath444 which can be derived from this one , by looking at the leading coefficient .
this is explained in ( [ ss : dmg ] ) .
recall that @xmath309 is defined by contracting quasi - edges and @xmath444 is defined by expanding ideal edges .
[ p : ad ] the maps @xmath309 and @xmath444 are adjoints with respect to the pairing @xmath452 .
in other words , @xmath472 to prove the above identity , we express both sides as weighted state sums , and then give a bijection of the state space in the lhs with that in the rhs such that it respects weights .
note that for either side to be nonzero , @xmath458 must have one vertex and edge more than @xmath459 .
define a state @xmath473 in the lhs to be a pair @xmath474 of a quasi - edge @xmath475 and a matching @xmath476 . then by the definition of the boundary map @xmath309 and the pairing @xmath452 , the lhs = @xmath477 @xmath478 an example of a state @xmath473 for @xmath479 is shown in the figure .
the quasi - edge @xmath368 is the partner of @xmath320 .
the graph @xmath459 is not shown separately , since it is visible from the overlaying . also , in the graph @xmath480 , the edge @xmath320 has been shown as an ideal edge .
@xmath291{2.4 in } \begin{center } \psfrag{e}{\huge $ e$ } \psfrag{f}{\huge $ f$ } \resizebox{1 in}{1 in}{\includegraphics{gone.eps}}\\ $ \gamma_1 $ with a quasi - edge $ e$. \end{center } \end{minipage } \begin{minipage}[b]{2.4 in } \begin{center } \psfrag{e}{\huge $ e$ } \psfrag{f}{\huge $ f$ } \resizebox{1.4 in}{.8 in}{\includegraphics{gml.eps}}\\ $ s_l$ = a matching of $ \gamma_1 /e$ and $ \gamma_2$. \end{center } \end{minipage}\ ] ] similarly , a state @xmath481 in the rhs is defined to be a pair @xmath474 of an ideal edge @xmath482 and a matching @xmath483 . then by definition the rhs = @xmath484 @xmath485 .
we now indicate the bijection between the two state spaces by continuing our example .
we draw the state @xmath481 that corresponds to the state @xmath473 shown in the figure above .
@xmath291{2.4 in } \begin{center } \psfrag{e}{\huge $ e$ } \resizebox{1 in}{.8 in}{\includegraphics{gtwo.eps}}\\ $ \gamma_2 $ with an ideal edge $ e$. \end{center } \end{minipage } \begin{minipage}[b]{2.4 in } \begin{center } \psfrag{e}{\huge $ e$ } \resizebox{1 in}{1 in}{\includegraphics{gmr.eps}}\\ $ s_r$ = a matching of $ \gamma_1 $ and $ \gamma_2 \backslash e$. \end{center } \end{minipage}\ ] ] the two pictures that represent the states @xmath473 and @xmath481 are identical except for the local behaviour at the edge @xmath320 . in general , to see that @xmath486 , note that a state @xmath481 is of two kinds depending on whether the ideal edge @xmath482 is overlayed on a quasi - edge @xmath487 or @xmath488 in the first case , @xmath481 has one more component than @xmath473 while in the second they are the same .
we illustrated the second case in our pictures .
this fits in with the two cases for @xmath489 .
it can also be checked that the signs work out correctly .
let @xmath490 be the span of all oriented graphs with @xmath77 vertices and @xmath320 edges .
observe that the subspaces @xmath490 of @xmath8 , as @xmath77 and @xmath320 vary , are mutually orthogonal with respect to the pairing @xmath452 . by our earlier notation ( [ ss :
is ] ) , we have @xmath491 , with @xmath492 .
the notation @xmath490 is local to this section and is introduced to improve clarity . for any @xmath77 and @xmath320
, the pairing @xmath452 defines a map @xmath493 , which we write @xmath494 .
regard @xmath494 as a matrix whose rows and columns are indexed by ( isomorphism classes of ) oriented graphs @xmath310 with @xmath77 vertices and @xmath320 edges and where the @xmath495 entry is given by @xmath496 . by the definition of the pairing @xmath452 , the entries of this matrix are polynomials in @xmath165 of degree @xmath497 and moreover the degree @xmath320 entries are precisely the diagonal entries .
furthermore , the coefficient of @xmath470 of @xmath498 is just @xmath499 .
this is clear from the remark at the end of ( [ ss : pg ] ) . with @xmath320 and @xmath77 fixed and @xmath41 large enough ,
the diagonal entries dominate , so the matrix @xmath494 is invertible , and @xmath500 . in other words ,
the pairing @xmath452 is non - degenerate for @xmath320 and @xmath77 fixed and @xmath41 large enough .
the adjoint property of @xmath309 and @xmath444 established in proposition [ p : ad ] says that @xmath502 let @xmath503 denote the diagonal matrix with @xmath504 entry equal to @xmath499 .
then the degree @xmath320 part of the above equation is just @xmath505 equation ( resp . ) shows the precise sense in which @xmath309 ( resp @xmath308 ) is dual to @xmath444 .
the results for @xmath41 large enough can be summarised in the following commutative diagram .
@xmath506 now switching back to our earlier notation , the above commutative diagram can be rewritten as @xmath507 we point out that @xmath452 is used to denote both the pairing and the map it induces .
let @xmath77 and @xmath132 be fixed .
then for @xmath41 large enough @xmath508 we will call the map @xmath509 , which induces the above isomorphism , the deformation map @xmath501 .
it is the map @xmath452 followed by @xmath510 .
we note that for a graph @xmath310 , its image @xmath511 is a polynomial in @xmath165 of degree @xmath320 with coefficients in @xmath8 .
furthermore , the coefficient of @xmath470 is exactly @xmath310 .
here @xmath512 , the number of edges in @xmath310 .
the deformation map is a key step in the proof of the main theorem .
we will also study it briefly in appendix [ ss : dg ] .
in this section , we give a precise statement of the main theorem .
we will also discuss the classical case briefly .
first recall some facts from section [ s : cm ] .
let @xmath2 be a reversible operad and @xmath6 be its mated species .
there are two algebraic objects @xmath158 and @xmath159 associated to @xmath2 and @xmath6 respectively .
one thinks of @xmath159 as `` hamiltonian functions on the symplectic @xmath2-manifold '' .
it has the structure of a lie algebra .
the lie algebra @xmath159 depends on the dimension of the symplectic @xmath2-manifold .
so we write @xmath10 when the dimension is @xmath165 .
the dimension is necessarily even .
we then have a sequence of lie algebra inclusions @xmath513 we denote the direct limit by @xmath3 . and
@xmath10 always contains the symplectic lie algebra @xmath1 as an anti - subalgebra .
we write @xmath440 for the corresponding direct limit . the rational homology of @xmath3 , which we denote @xmath11 , has the structure of a hopf algebra .
we write @xmath514 for the subspace of primitive elements .
kontsevich s result can now be stated as [ t : mt ] @xmath515 the term @xmath391 is the graph homology of the mated species @xmath6 .
it is the homology of the chain complex @xmath4 of graphs that was defined in section [ s : gh ] .
there are two conditions that we require in the theorem .
we assume that the operad @xmath2 is based on sets rather than vector spaces .
this is because the proof involves a pairing on graphs ( [ ss : pg ] ) , which we know how to define only in the former case .
we hope that eventually this restriction would not be necessary . hence , as of now , the theorem can not be applied to the lie operad , which is one of the cases claimed in .
secondly , we assume that @xmath64 $ ] is a singleton consisting of the unit element @xmath67 , see ( [ ss : o ] ) .
this is done mainly for simplicity .
if we drop this assumption then the summand @xmath516 has to be replaced by the homology of the bivalent graph complex @xmath517 defined in section [ s : gh ] .
the primitive homology of @xmath440 is known ( [ sss : ctg ] ) .
it will be computed in the course of proving the theorem .
this is the commutative case , @xmath162 and @xmath518 , see ( [ ss : tcc ] ) . in this case
, the `` symplectic operad manifold '' actually exists and is simply @xmath519 .
the lie algebra @xmath10 , which we write as @xmath520 , consists of polynomial functions in @xmath165 variables with no constant or linear terms .
the lie structure is given by the usual poisson bracket ( equation in section [ s : sog ] ) .
there is an evident subalgebra @xmath521 consisting of all homogeneous polynomials of degree 2 .
the reason for this notation is that @xmath521 can also be seen as an example of the theory with @xmath279 and @xmath280 , see ( [ ss : sl ] ) .
the lie algebra @xmath521 is anti - isomorphic to the symplectic lie algebra @xmath1 .
it is also clear that we have a sequence of lie algebra inclusions @xmath522 the direct limit @xmath523 consists of finite polynomials in infinitely many variables @xmath524 .
we now begin the proof of the main theorem .
it will be done in three steps . in this section ,
we take the first step of relating the homology of a lie algebra to graph homology .
we will prove the following theorem .
[ t : fin ] @xmath525 for definitions of the above terms , see ( [ ss : fa]-[ss : mate ] ) and ( [ ss : gc]-[ss : finb ] ) . for the commutative case ,
the lie algebra @xmath10 is easy to define , see ( [ ss : ecc ] ) .
the main ideas of the proof are already present in the commutative case .
hence the reader may specialise to this case on a first reading .
@xmath526 we apply the theorem to the unit species , i.e. @xmath280 . in this case ,
@xmath527 , which is anti - isomorphic to @xmath1 , see ( [ ss : sl ] ) . due to the trivial nature of the species , the graphs have only fake ( bivalent ) vertices .
hence the chain complex @xmath8 , in this case , is simply the fake bivalent complex @xmath392 , see ( [ ss : cc ] ) .
we now start the proof of theorem [ t : fin ] .
it is best summarised in the following kontsevich sentence . _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the spirit of the ( quite simple ) computations is somewhere between gelfand - fuks computations ( see and ) and cyclic homology . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ a good introduction to lie algebra homology can be found in weibel s book .
recall that the homology of the lie algebra @xmath10 can be computed using the chevalley - eilenberg or standard complex @xmath528 with @xmath529 and @xmath530 the boundary operator commutes with the action of the lie algebra @xmath10 on the exterior powers @xmath531 .
we have learnt to think of the lie bracket @xmath161 on @xmath10 as a mating . for the commutative case , this
was discussed in ( [ ss : tcc ] ) . in the formula ,
we take @xmath77 elements of @xmath10 , say @xmath532 , and to apply the boundary map we do pairwise matings . now
let us think for a moment about graphs .
the boundary operators on a graph are all defined using quasi - edge contractions , which are again matings . hence to relate the two notions ,
all one needs to do is imagine the elements @xmath532 as being the vertices of a graph .
we now work towards making this precise .
recall from ( [ ss : fa ] ) that @xmath533 \otimes v^{\otimes j})_{\sigma_j } = \bigoplus_{j\geq 2 } qa_n^j.\ ] ] in the commutative case , @xmath534 is the @xmath346th symmetric tensor power of @xmath535 .
this is just the space of commuting polynomials of degree @xmath346 in a basis of @xmath535 .
the space @xmath536 is a left @xmath1 module with the action induced by the usual action on @xmath535 and the trivial action on @xmath537 $ ] , see ( [ ss : sl ] ) .
thus , the lie algebra @xmath10 is a direct sum of finite dimensional @xmath1 modules .
since the lie algebra @xmath1 is simple , it follows that @xmath10 and @xmath538 are semisimple @xmath1 modules .
this allows us to write @xmath539 .
a standard argument now shows that the subcomplex @xmath540 is exact .
hence the homology of the standard complex is the same as the homology of the subcomplex of @xmath1-invariants : @xmath541 the standard argument is as under .
let @xmath542 be a lie algebra and @xmath398 be its standard complex .
then for @xmath543 , define lie derivative @xmath544 ( action of @xmath545 ) and contraction operator @xmath546 ( wedge with @xmath545 ) as operators on @xmath398 .
the relations of lemma [ l : rel ] ( section [ s : st ] ) hold in this case also .
cartan s formula implies that the lie derivative is zero on @xmath433 .
now let @xmath547 be a simple subalgebra of @xmath542 such that @xmath398 is a semisimple @xmath547 module .
then the subcomplex @xmath548 is exact . for the semisimplicity of @xmath531
, we used two facts . any finite dimensional module of a simple lie algebra
is semisimple .
the tensor product of two finite dimensional semisimple modules over any lie algebra is again semisimple .
we want to relate the above subcomplex of @xmath1-invariants to the graph complex @xmath375 . to this end
, we first try to get a better understanding of the chain groups @xmath549 .
the description of @xmath10 given by equation gives us the following formula : @xmath550 we try to understand the @xmath1 invariants in each summand .
this will be done in three stages . as a concrete example
, we will consider the summand @xmath551 and see how the analysis works on it at every stage .
we will illustrate it with the tree species @xmath314 .
the term @xmath552 is a quotient of the tensor power @xmath553 \otimes v^{\otimes j_1}\right)^{\otimes k_1}$ ] .
hence each summand of @xmath554 is a quotient of the tensor power @xmath555 \otimes v^{\otimes j_t})^{\otimes k_t}$ ] . in the first two stages
, we will figure out the @xmath1-invariants in this tensor power . in the third stage , we will mod out by appropriate actions of the symmetric groups .
we find the invariants in @xmath556 . by the invariant theory of @xmath1 , we know that a base for the invariants in @xmath557 is given by oriented chord diagrams on @xmath558 vertices , if @xmath41 is sufficiently large ;
see . for the definition of a chord diagram ,
see ( [ sss : k ] ) . by an oriented chord diagram , we mean that each chord is oriented and reversing the orientation of a single chord incurs a minus sign .
@xmath559 each vertex of the diagram represents a tensor factor , in the order given by the vertex labelling . for each edge
, we put a @xmath179 at the tail of the arrow and a @xmath180 at the head or we put a @xmath180 at the tail of the arrow and a @xmath179 at the head , incurring a minus sign as a result .
we then sum over all possible choices to get the invariant .
the smallest @xmath1 invariant lies in @xmath560 .
it is given by @xmath561 , which we represent by the chord diagram @xmath562 .
to get the invariants in @xmath555 \otimes v^{\otimes j_t})^{\otimes k_t}$ ] , we tensor the space of invariants obtained above by @xmath563^{\otimes k_t}$ ] .
this is alright because the @xmath1 action is trivial on the @xmath537 $ ] s .
this has the following effect on our picture .
@xmath564 we have drawn trees inside the circles because we are illustrating with the tree species . in the commutative case , we will instead get ordinary graphs with directed edges and an order on the set of half - edges . and
in the associative case , we get ribbon graphs with similar data .
moding out the actions of the symmetric groups has the following effect on our picture .
again , we are illustrating with the tree case .
firstly , we have removed all the labels on the half - edges and instead given an ordering to the vertices .
this is because we are moding out the action of the @xmath566 s .
secondly , we must now interpret the order on the vertices of the graph in the sense of orientation .
that is , if we interchange the order of two consecutive vertices then we pick a minus sign .
this is due to the presence of the wedges .
what we are left with is precisely an oriented @xmath6-graph , see ( [ ss : og ] ) .
note that the valence of the vertices is at least 2 , since the grading on @xmath159 begins at 2 .
thus we get an isomorphism of chain groups @xmath567 , see ( [ ss : gc ] ) . to complete the proof of theorem [ t : fin ] , we need to show that the following diagram commutes . @xmath568 define @xmath569 as the composite of three maps in the above diagram ( the middle map is @xmath570 ) .
we want to show that @xmath571 . for this
, we first understand the map @xmath572 better .
starting with an oriented graph with @xmath77 vertices , we want to construct a @xmath1 invariant in @xmath529 .
the description that we give follows directly from the one that we gave for an oriented chord diagram ( [ sss : ci ] ) .
let @xmath336 be an oriented graph .
choose a representative for @xmath323 .
this means that the vertices of @xmath310 are ordered and the edges are oriented .
each vertex of the graph represents a tensor factor , in the order given by the vertex labelling . for each edge
, we put a @xmath179 at the tail of the arrow and a @xmath180 at the head or we put a @xmath180 at the tail of the arrow and a @xmath179 at the head , but picking a minus sign .
this is called a state of the edge . and
a _ state _ of the graph is a choice of a state for every edge .
summing over all states of @xmath310 and passing to the wedge product gives an @xmath1 invariant in @xmath573 .
@xmath574 an example of a state is shown above .
it gives us the term @xmath575 in @xmath576 .
since there are an even number of negative signs , the net sign is positive . to get the invariant , we sum over all states .
now we show that @xmath571 .
let @xmath577 . and
let @xmath21 be the invariant in @xmath578 corresponding to @xmath310 obtained by the procedure described above .
in order to compute @xmath579 , we apply the formula for @xmath570 given by equation to each state of @xmath21 .
so for each state , we must compute the lie bracket of the data at each pair of vertices .
however , recall from ( [ ss : mate ] ) that the lie bracket is simply a sum of matings . hence @xmath579 can be computed as a sum over all states of @xmath21 , where for each state , we mate a @xmath179 on a half - edge at a vertex with a @xmath180 on another half - edge at a different vertex in all possible ways . another way to say
this is that a mating occurs along a quasi - edge ( which is a pair of distinct half - edges ) that is not a quasi - loop ( [ ss : finb ] ) .
now we rewrite @xmath579 as a sum indexed by quasi - edges @xmath320 of @xmath310 .
the summand for a quasi - edge @xmath320 is the sum of those terms for which the mating occurs along @xmath320 .
it is obtained in two steps .
fix a state for @xmath320 . then sum over all possible states of the other edges .
do this for each of the @xmath165 states of @xmath320 .
we explain a little of how the orientation will work out .
we fix a representative @xmath323 for @xmath310 .
let @xmath360 and @xmath361 with labels @xmath580 be the vertices of the quasi - edge @xmath320 that we want to contract . in order to get a representative for @xmath343 , we first reorder the vertices so that @xmath360 and @xmath361 have labels @xmath212 and @xmath116 respectively . in doing so
, we pick up a factor of @xmath581 .
this is precisely the factor that appears in formula for @xmath579 .
now for a quasi - edge @xmath320 , we perform the two steps above .
the analysis splits into two cases . in the first case ,
assume that @xmath320 is an actual edge , i.e. @xmath582 . then the first step itself gives an invariant that comes from @xmath583 hence , after the second step , the net contribution is @xmath584 in the second case , assume that @xmath320 is a quasi - edge that is not an edge , i.e. @xmath479 .
so the first step does not give an invariant .
this is because , if the state of @xmath320 is fixed then the state of its partner , the quasi - edge @xmath368 , is also fixed .
this is shown in the figure below .
@xmath585 however , after the second step , we do get the invariant @xmath583 hence putting the two cases together , we obtain @xmath586 the right hand side is precisely @xmath587 . this shows the commutativity of diagram and completes the proof of theorem [ t : fin ] .
in the previous section , the lie algebra homology @xmath588 was related to graph homology . in this section , we show that the homology of the lie algebra @xmath10 , as @xmath41 varies , is `` stable '' . recall that @xmath589 , see ( [ ss : ha ] ) .
we will prove the following theorem .
[ t : sta ] @xmath590 as in the previous section , we apply the theorem to the unit species @xmath70 and obtain the following corollary .
@xmath591 let us try to prove this theorem .
we have @xmath592 the first equality says that homology commutes with direct limits .
and the second equality is the content of theorem [ t : fin ] .
the bonding maps @xmath593 for the direct limit are defined using the isomorphism @xmath594 . for the third equality ,
see the discussion in ( [ ss : is ] ) .
there is a subtle point here .
we need to know that the bonding maps restrict to @xmath595 . even assuming this
, we are stuck . to complete the argument
, one needs the following proposition .
[ p : sta ] @xmath596 .
it will be proved using the ideas of section [ s : mgh ] .
the proof will be completed by the end of this section .
the subtle point about the definition of the lhs raised above will be dealt in the course of the proof .
we have fixed a basis @xmath597 for @xmath535 .
this gives us a basis for the lie algebra @xmath10 and its exterior algebra @xmath573 . to be explicit ,
a basis for @xmath10 is given by distinct monomials . and for @xmath573
is given by taking wedge products of such monomials .
@xmath598 define a pairing @xmath599 by @xmath600 , where @xmath601 is the basis of the exterior algebra that was chosen above .
the subspaces @xmath531 , as @xmath77 varies , are clearly orthogonal with respect to @xmath602 . to be more explicit , let @xmath603 and @xmath604 be wedges of monomials .
then @xmath605 is nonzero only if @xmath606 or @xmath607 .
this happens if @xmath608 for a permutation @xmath609 , i.e. there is a matching of the @xmath610 s with the @xmath611 s .
this way of saying it brings us closer to the pairing @xmath452 , that was defined on graphs ( [ ss : pg ] ) .
we say this more precisely .
the isomorphism @xmath612 , explained in ( [ sss : gi ] ) , gives us an inclusion map @xmath613 . under this inclusion
, the pairing @xmath602 has two important restrictions , namely , @xmath614 and @xmath615 .
we will see in proposition [ p : pr ] that the second pairing is just the pairing @xmath452 , that was defined in ( [ ss : pg ] ) .
we will now see how formula for the pairing @xmath452 emerges naturally by analysing @xmath602 .
[ p : pr ] the pairing @xmath599 restricts to the pairing @xmath453 under the inclusion map @xmath613 .
let @xmath454 .
we will suppress the inclusion map and orientations from the notation .
we want to show @xmath616 .
we compute the lhs by summing over all pairs of states of @xmath458 and @xmath459 . recall that a state of a graph is a choice of @xmath617{.2in}{.2pt}}q_i$ ] for every edge ( [ sss : gi ] )
we write , @xmath618 where @xmath619 is a state of @xmath620
. a term in this sum is nonzero only if one can match @xmath621 and @xmath622 in the following sense .
there is a matching @xmath455 ( definition [ d : gm ] ) with the following additional piece of data .
for each component in the matching ( definition [ d : csm ] ) , there is an index @xmath236 such that the vertices of the polygon are alternately labelled @xmath179 and @xmath180 . @xmath623
hence we can group terms and sum over all matchings @xmath455 . for each matching @xmath463
, there are @xmath461 number of polygons . and for each polygon , there are @xmath165 choices of the index @xmath236 .
this gives a factor of @xmath624 with a sign which can be checked to be @xmath462 .
hence @xmath625 , which by definition is @xmath626 .
this completes the proof .
consider the restriction of the pairing @xmath627 .
this then defines a map @xmath628 , which we again denote by @xmath602 . from proposition [ p :
pr ] , it is clear that this map is an extension of the map @xmath629 defined using the pairing @xmath452 .
we now claim that the following diagram commutes .
@xmath630 this is a fattening of the diagram at the end of section [ s : mgh ] , with the chevalley - eilenberg complex added in . the commutativity of the first square follows from diagram in ( [ ss : cb ] ) . saying that the second square commutes is equivalent to saying that the boundary map @xmath631 and the coboundary map @xmath632 are adjoints with respect to the pairing @xmath602 .
this follows by generalising the proof of proposition [ p : ad ] .
this proves the claim .
the pairing @xmath599 is @xmath1 invariant in a precise sense .
it is more convenient to express it using the lie algebra @xmath521 , see ( [ ss : sl ] ) , which is anti - isomorphic to @xmath1 .
[ p : in ] we have @xmath633 , where @xmath634 and @xmath284 is the element of the symplectic group defined by @xmath635 and @xmath636 .
we may assume that @xmath637 are wedges of monomials , i.e. they are two basis elements ( upto sign ) of @xmath531 .
we may also assume that @xmath181 is a monomial in @xmath521 .
say , for definiteness , that @xmath638 and so @xmath639 . note that @xmath640 involves replacing an occurrence of @xmath49 ( resp .
@xmath50 ) in @xmath641 by @xmath642 ( resp .
@xmath643 ) , see ( [ ss : sl ] ) .
and @xmath644 has exactly the opposite effect .
it involves replacing an occurrence of @xmath642 ( resp .
@xmath643 ) in @xmath645 by @xmath49 ( resp .
@xmath50 ) and picking a minus sign .
it is now fairly clear how terms from the two pairing expressions would cancel .
the subspaces @xmath646 and @xmath647 are orthogonal with respect to the pairing @xmath602 .
consider the lie algebra @xmath648 .
the underlying vector space @xmath649 has dimension @xmath650 .
the basis of @xmath649 is an extension of the one on @xmath535 to @xmath651 .
hence the basis for @xmath10 and @xmath573 includes into the basis for @xmath648 and @xmath652 respectively .
we now show that the restricted pairings @xmath614 are stable , that is , for @xmath653 and @xmath654 , @xmath655 the @xmath656 in the rhs is obtained by using the inclusion of @xmath573 in @xmath652 .
express both sides as sums over the states of @xmath310 , see ( [ sss : gi ] ) .
though the graph @xmath310 is the same on both sides , it has more states for `` @xmath657 '' than `` @xmath41 '' because there are more variables available .
the extra states of @xmath310 in the rhs are the ones that involve at least one @xmath658 or @xmath659 .
however , they do not contribute anything to the pairing @xmath660 , since by assumption , @xmath656 does not involve either @xmath658 or @xmath659 .
this proves that equation holds .
the chain group @xmath661 can be written as @xmath539 , see ( [ ss : in ] ) .
it depends on @xmath41 but we will suppress that in our notation .
the stability of the pairings @xmath602 ( equation ) says that the following diagram commutes .
@xmath662 the first vertical map does not restrict to a map on the invariants .
however , by projecting on the first factor , we obtain maps @xmath663 , one for each @xmath41 . and these are the maps that one can use for computation of stable homology @xmath664 .
this gives us the diagram @xmath665 by the corollary to proposition [ p : in ] , the map @xmath666 is zero .
hence the above diagram still commutes .
furthermore , if one thinks of the map @xmath663 in terms of graphs , then it is clear that it preserves the euler characteristic .
this gives a map @xmath667 for each @xmath41 .
the direct limit @xmath668 is taken with respect to these maps .
consider the stability commutative diagram @xmath669 we know that the map @xmath670 is an isomorphism for all @xmath41 large enough ( [ ss : pnd ] ) . in the above diagram , it is the composite of the first two horizontal maps .
proposition [ p : sta ] now follows by the isomorphism between the leftmost and rightmost columns . in , kontsevich conjectured that the stable homology groups @xmath671 are finite dimensional . in terms of graphs
, this says that @xmath672 for fixed @xmath77 and sufficiently large @xmath132 .
the limit lie algebra , @xmath589 , has the structure of a hopf algebra on its homology ( [ ss : ha ] ) .
let @xmath514 denote the subspace of primitive elements of @xmath11 .
also let @xmath396 be the subcomplex of @xmath12 spanned by oriented connected graphs .
we will prove the following theorem .
[ t : con ] @xmath673 the hopf algebra @xmath11 is commutative and cocommutative in the graded sense .
hence by the structure theorem of milnor and moore , @xmath11 is a graded polynomial algebra generated by the primitive elements . by theorem [ t : sta ]
, we know @xmath590 this along with the identification given by proposition [ p : du ] ( which we are going to prove ) shows that the subspace of primitive elements is precisely @xmath674 as always , we apply the above theorem to the unit species @xmath70 and obtain the following corollary .
@xmath675 [ p : du ] the product in the stable homology @xmath11 can be defined on the chain complex @xmath12 as disjoint union of graphs .
we make use of the deformation map @xmath676 .
this is a composition of the maps @xmath677 that we had in the previous section ( [ ss : cd ] ) .
it is an extension of the deformation map @xmath678 defined at the end of ( [ ss : dmg ] ) . for simplicity
, we will suppress the dependence on @xmath41 and use the notation @xmath679 for @xmath680 and @xmath681 .
the usage of @xmath682 for @xmath501 is local to this proposition . later in appendix
[ ss : dg ] , the letter @xmath682 will be used for something slightly different . the map @xmath683 induces a map @xmath684 .
more explicitly , @xmath685 , with the indices of @xmath641 shifted up by @xmath41 . in order to complete the proof , it is enough to show that the following diagram commutes . @xmath686 here the map @xmath687 stands for disjoint union of graphs .
the commutativity is equivalent to showing the identity @xmath688 to calculate the lhs , we match the @xmath236 pieces of @xmath645 and @xmath689 pieces of @xmath641 with the @xmath77 vertices of @xmath310 and then contract indices . and
we sum over all matchings .
the key observation is that @xmath645 and @xmath641 must land on disconnected parts of @xmath310 , say @xmath458 and @xmath459 , in order to get a non - zero contraction .
this is because the indices that occur in @xmath645 are disjoint from those in @xmath641 .
the rest of the argument is now fairly clear and we omit it .
in fact , the chain complex @xmath12 is a differential graded hopf algebra with product @xmath687 given by disjoint union and the coproduct @xmath690 defined for a connected graph @xmath310 by @xmath691 and extended to @xmath8 as a morphism of algebras .
here 1 stands for the unit in @xmath8 and may be thought of as the empty graph .
the boundary map @xmath308 is a derivation with respect to the product @xmath687 and a coderivation with respect to the coproduct @xmath690 . and this induces the hopf algebra structure on @xmath357 .
our main theorem ( theorem [ t : mt ] ) now follows by putting together theorem [ t : con ] and its corollary and the corollary to proposition [ p : ss ] .
for a good review of the problem of deformation quantisation , see the notes by voronov .
the main object of interest is a poisson algebra .
the algebra of functions on a symplectic , or more generally , a poisson manifold form a poisson algebra .
this is the classical case . in ( [ ss : tp]-[ss : se ] ) , we provide some background on the classical case
. this would also be useful for some of the ideas in appendix [ ss : dg ] .
the material in [ ss : tp ] is taken from . in ( [ ss : qoa ] ) , we speculate on the form of this problem for operads .
the main question is : what is a `` poisson operad manifold '' ? unlike the classical case , a symplectic operad manifold is not automatically a poisson operad manifold . the relation between our viewpoint and the standard deformation theory of operads considered by balavoine in is not clear .
let @xmath7 be a commutative algebra over a field @xmath77 of characteristic zero .
a formal deformation of @xmath7 is a @xmath692 $ ] bilinear product ( which we denote @xmath693 ) on the space @xmath694 $ ] of formal power series in a variable @xmath28 satisfying : @xmath695 where @xmath696 is the original product on @xmath7 and the star product @xmath693 is associative .
the deformation is called _ trivial _ if all the higher products @xmath697 are zero .
suppose that @xmath693 is a deformation of @xmath698 , the original product
. then define @xmath699 .
one can check that @xmath161 is a lie bracket on @xmath7 and further that the triple @xmath700 is a poisson algebra . recall that a poisson algebra is a space with compatible commutative and lie structures .
the compatibility relation is @xmath701 . in physical terms
, one regards the poisson algebra @xmath7 as the quasi - classical limit of the associative algebra @xmath694 $ ] , and the algebra @xmath694 $ ] as a deformation quantisation of the poisson algebra @xmath7 .
the deformation quantisation problem is the inverse problem : given a poisson algebra @xmath700 , find a formal deformation @xmath693 returning the original poisson algebra structure on @xmath7 in the quasi - classical limit .
there is a natural gauge group acting on star products .
this group consists of automorphisms @xmath682 of @xmath694 $ ] which are @xmath692 $ ] linear .
they have the form @xmath702 , where @xmath703 are operators with @xmath704 being the identity .
this means that @xmath705 and for a general element in @xmath694 $ ] , one uses @xmath692 $ ] linearity .
two star products @xmath693 and @xmath706 are gauge equivalent if there is an automorphism @xmath682 as above so that the following diagram commutes .
@xmath707 \otimes a[[t ] ] @>d \otimes d > > a[[t ] ] \otimes a[[t ] ] \\
@v \star vv @v \star^{\prime } vv
\\ a[[t ] ] @>d > > a[[t ] ] .
\\ \end{cd}\ ] ] let @xmath7 be the space of all polynomial functions on @xmath155 , i.e. polynomials in the @xmath165 variables @xmath708 . then the triple @xmath700 is a poisson algebra , where @xmath698 is the usual product in @xmath7 and @xmath161 is the poisson bracket defined by equation in ( [ s : sog ] ) . in this case ,
the solution to the deformation quantisation problem is given by the moyal @xmath693 product .
in fact , we will have @xmath709 ; that is , @xmath710 .
let @xmath711 be any operator on @xmath712 . for @xmath713
, define @xmath714 to be the element of @xmath7 obtained by applying the product in @xmath7 to @xmath715 .
namely , if @xmath716 then @xmath717 .
now let @xmath718 be a bi - differential operator on @xmath712 . by our notation , @xmath719 in other words
, @xmath720 is just the poisson bracket .
now define the moyal @xmath693 product by @xmath721 observe that @xmath709 , as claimed earlier . to show that the moyal product solves the deformation quantisation problem
, one must prove that it is associative .
we will do this by interpreting equation using pictures .
if @xmath722 is a monomial , say @xmath723 , then we represent it as @xmath724 . and
if @xmath169 is a polynomial rather than a monomial then we represent it as a formal sum of pictures .
it is clear that the product of two monomials in @xmath7 is defined as the disjoint union of pictures .
our goal is to understand the operator @xmath725 via pictures . as a start
, we understand the term @xmath726 . this is a sum of pictures of the form , where the edge goes from a point labelled @xmath179 to a point labelled @xmath180 .
the other points in @xmath169 and @xmath181 are not shown in the picture .
we will have the following interpretation .
a picture of the form means that we delete the edge and its endpoints and then take disjoint union of the two parts .
earlier in the paper , such an operation was called a mating .
now we claim that @xmath727 where @xmath2 is a picture as shown .
there are @xmath41 edges between @xmath169 and @xmath181 each connecting a @xmath179 in @xmath169 with a @xmath180 in @xmath181 or vice - versa .
and @xmath728 is the number of edges that are out of order ; i.e. they connect a @xmath180 in @xmath169 to a @xmath179 in @xmath181 .
the interpretation for @xmath2 is that we delete the @xmath41 edges and their endpoints and take disjoint union of what remains .
note that the factor @xmath729 is no longer necessary in the pictorial description .
each of the @xmath41 @xmath711 s in @xmath730 contributes to one of the @xmath41 edges in the picture .
so there are @xmath729 ways to obtain the same picture . after dividing by @xmath729
, we get every picture exactly once , giving us equation .
the associativity of the moyal product can be seen from the formula @xmath731 where the picture @xmath2 means that delete all edges and their endpoints and then take disjoint union of what remains .
and @xmath728 is the number of edges that connect a @xmath180 to a @xmath179 .
( the edges go from @xmath169 to @xmath732 , @xmath732 to @xmath181 and @xmath169 to @xmath181 . )
the letters @xmath77 , @xmath733 and @xmath463 refer to the number of connecting edges . before going to the general case ,
let us do another example .
consider a picture of the form @xmath734 , namely , we have a compact orientable surface ( not necessarily connected ) whose boundary circles are labelled by @xmath154 .
let @xmath7 be the vector space spanned by such pictures , each picture being a monomial .
the space @xmath7 is a poisson algebra with the commutative product @xmath698 given by disjoint union of pictures and the lie bracket @xmath161 given by @xmath735 where the edge connects a boundary circle labelled @xmath179 in @xmath169 to a boundary circle labelled @xmath180 in @xmath181 or vice - versa .
the picture means that the two boundary circles joined by the edge are glued together to form a single surface . as an example , @xmath736 the deformation quantisation for the poisson algebra @xmath7 is again given by equations and .
the picture in equation means that we glue together the boundary circles that are connected by edges .
there will be a total of @xmath41 gluings .
the associativity of the star product follows from equation .
we now initiate a general discussion of deformation quantization for operads .
precise definitions are not given ; so this section should be read mainly for the philosophy . as a candidate for the poisson algebra @xmath7 , take the free algebra over a mated species @xmath6 , which we have previously denoted @xmath159 , see ( [ ss : fa ] ) .
on the geometric side , we are now dealing with a symplectic operad manifold .
the examples in ( [ ss : se ] ) and ( [ ss : ae ] ) correspond to the commutative and surface species respectively . by our construction ,
the vector space @xmath159 is graded beginning with degree @xmath116 .
for example , @xmath737 are polynomials with no constant or linear terms . also
the monomials in @xmath738 have at least two boundary circles .
however , for the deformation quantization problem , one needs to enlarge @xmath159 suitably by adding stuff in degrees 0 and 1 , as was done for the previous two examples .
we first want to give a poisson structure to @xmath159 and then deform it by the moyal product .
we know that @xmath159 has a lie structure @xmath161 .
this was discussed in ( [ ss : mate ] ) . in terms of pictures ,
it is given by equation .
the interpretation of the picture is that a mating occurs along the edge .
but what is the commutative structure on @xmath159 ?
we have emphasised that an element of @xmath159 can be represented by a picture .
so take @xmath696 to be the `` disjoint union of pictures '' that represent @xmath169 and @xmath181 .
the implicit assumption is that the species @xmath6 can be written as the exponential of some other species .
this is our proposal for the poisson structure on @xmath159 . from the viewpoint of pictures ,
the compatibility of the commutative and lie products is clear .
next we want to define the moyal product and show that it solves the deformation quantisation problem .
in other words , we want to understand the meaning of @xmath739 for @xmath740 , where @xmath711 is the bi - differential operator defined in ( [ ss : mp ] ) . for @xmath741 , we know that @xmath742 and @xmath720 . writing @xmath743 , where @xmath744 and @xmath745 are @xmath41th order differential operators , we obtain @xmath746 .
one needs to make sense of this .
we first explain how a higher order derivative works by showing it on a schematic example .
@xmath747 thus a @xmath41th order differential operator acting on @xmath169 produces an algebraic object with @xmath41 outputs ( [ ss : prop ] ) .
we now interpret the tensor sign as a @xmath41th order mating .
we write @xmath748 where the picture @xmath2 shows a higher order mating .
there are @xmath41 ideal edges between @xmath169 and @xmath181 each connecting a @xmath179 with a @xmath180 or vice - versa .
and @xmath728 is the number of edges that connect a @xmath180 on @xmath169 to a @xmath179 on @xmath181 . for the definition of an ideal edge , see ( [ ss : mf ] ) .
the examples discussed in section [ s : me ] have associated props . in those cases ,
we understand the meaning of higher order derivatives , i.e. the right hand side of equation makes sense . similarly , higher order matings have a natural meaning in those examples .
the example of the surface species was illustrated in ( [ ss : ae ] ) .
the deformation quantisation for the poisson algebra @xmath7 is again given by the formula in equation .
the moyal @xmath693 product is associative in these cases for the same reason as in the commutative case @xmath312 .
the associativity can be seen from the formula @xmath749 where @xmath728 is the number of ideal edges that connect a @xmath180 to a @xmath179 .
( the edges go from @xmath169 to @xmath732 , @xmath732 to @xmath181 and @xmath169 to @xmath181 . )
the letters @xmath750 stand for the number of edges .
the interested reader can work out the details for the examples based on graphs ( [ ss : g]-[ss : gt ] ) .
another nice example is obtained by exponentiating the associative species .
recall that the chain complex @xmath12 is a differential graded hopf algebra with product @xmath687 given by disjoint union . for a definition of @xmath12 , see section [ s : gh ] and for the hopf algebra structure , see the remark at the end of section [ s : con ] .
in addition , recall that we defined another boundary operator @xmath358 on @xmath8 that satisfied @xmath374 , see ( [ ss : finb ] ) .
so @xmath358 induces a map on homology @xmath751 .
the boundary map @xmath308 is a derivation with respect to the product @xmath687 .
this can be written as @xmath752 .
however @xmath358 is not a derivation with respect to @xmath687 .
following , define a bracket @xmath753 : \mathcal g \otimes \mathcal g \to \mathcal g$ ] by @xmath754 = \partial_h \mu - \mu \partial_h.\ ] ] in other words , @xmath753 $ ] measures the failure of @xmath358 to be a derivation with respect to @xmath687 . as a formal consequence of the previous three identities
, it follows that @xmath755 = - [ \ , \ ] \partial_e$ ] .
this gives us an induced map on homology @xmath753 : h_*(\mathcal g,\partial_e ) \otimes h_*(\mathcal g,\partial_e ) \to
h_*(\mathcal g,\partial_e)$ ] .
this answers some of the questions raised in .
the proof is largely a matter of putting together things we already know .
the main step is to use the pairing @xmath452 on @xmath8 and its adjoint property proved in proposition [ p : ad ] .
the coproduct on @xmath8 is irrelevant to proposition [ p : triv ] .
so we write the differential algebra @xmath8 as a triple @xmath756 . extending @xmath308 and @xmath687 by @xmath757 $ ] linearity
, we get a differential algebra @xmath758,\partial_e,\mu)$ ] . in other words , this is just the trivial deformation of the algebra @xmath8 , see ( [ ss : tp ] ) .
we now consider another deformation of @xmath8 that is gauge equivalent to this one ( [ ss : ge ] ) .
let @xmath759 be the deformation map defined at the end of ( [ ss : pnd ] ) .
it was defined by @xmath760 , where the map @xmath452 was induced by a pairing on @xmath8 ( equation ) , while the map @xmath7 scaled a graph @xmath310 by the factor @xmath499 .
recall that @xmath511 is a polynomial in @xmath165 of degree @xmath320 with coefficients in @xmath8 .
furthermore , the coefficient of @xmath470 is exactly @xmath310 .
here @xmath512 , the number of edges in @xmath310 .
write @xmath761 .
this defines maps @xmath762 which do not depend on @xmath41 .
also @xmath704 is the identity .
let @xmath758,\partial_t,\mu_t)$ ] be the differential algebra got by applying @xmath682 to the trivial deformation @xmath758,\partial_e,\mu)$ ] . stated differently , one has two commutative diagrams .
@xmath764 @>d > >
\mathcal g[[t]]\\ @v \partial_e vv @v \partial_t vv \\ \mathcal g[[t ] ] @>d > > \mathcal g[[t ] ] .
\\ \end{cd } \hspace{.6 in } \begin{cd } \mathcal g[[t ] ] \otimes \mathcal g[[t ] ] @>d \otimes d > > \mathcal g[[t ] ] \otimes \mathcal g[[t ] ] \\ @v \mu vv @v \mu_t vv \\ \mathcal g[[t ] ] @>d > > \mathcal g[[t ] ] . \\
\end{cd}\ ] ] since @xmath308 is a derivation with respect to the product @xmath687 , we have @xmath752 .
hence we know @xmath765 .
write @xmath766 and @xmath767
. then the commutativity of the diagrams in implies @xmath768 and @xmath769 .
the commutative diagram in section [ s : mgh ] can be redrawn as under @xmath774 @>d > > \mathcal g[[t]]\\ @v \partial_e + t \partial_h vv @v \partial_e vv \\ \mathcal g[[t ] ] @>d > > \mathcal g[[t ] ] . \\ \end{cd}\ ] ]
comparing the coefficient of @xmath28 gives @xmath775 .
this together with lemma [ l : drel ] ( item ( 1 ) ) shows that @xmath773 .
items @xmath240 and @xmath776 in lemma [ l : drel ] can now be rewritten as @xmath777 and @xmath753 = \partial_e \mu_1 - \mu_1 \partial_e$ ] . thus @xmath358 and @xmath753 $ ]
induce the zero map on homology , with @xmath778 and @xmath779 providing the respective chain homotopies .
this completes the proof of proposition [ p : triv ] .
it is possible to just give an explicit definition of @xmath779 and check the relation @xmath753 = \partial_e \mu_1 - \mu_1 \partial_e$ ] directly .
this will give us that @xmath753 $ ] is zero on homology . and similarly for @xmath778 .
but we prefer the more conceptual approach via deformation theory .
it would be interesting to also describe explicitly the higher products @xmath780 and @xmath781 , etc .
recall that @xmath8 also has a coproduct @xmath690 and @xmath308 is a coderivation with respect to the coproduct @xmath690 .
however , @xmath358 is not and this failure can be measured by a cobracket @xmath782 given by @xmath783 .
similar arguments show that @xmath784 also induces the zero map on homology .
i thank ken brown for being a constant source of knowledge and encouragement . among the participants of the bernstein seminar at cornell university ( fall 2000 ) , dan ciubotaru , ferenc gerlits and jim conant deserve a special thank you .
i also thank m. aguiar , y. berest and m. yakimov for helpful comments .
finally , i would like to thank kontsevich without whom this paper would never have been written .
i hope that the reader will go back and read his original papers , for which there can be no substitute .
it is fitting to conclude with a kontsevich sentence .
we choose the opening sentence of .
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ we shall describe a program here relating feynman diagrams , topology of manifolds , homotopical algebra , non - commutative geometry and several kinds of `` topological physics . ''
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ f. bergeron , g. labelle , and p. leroux , _ combinatorial species and tree - like structures _ , cambridge university press , cambridge , 1998 , translated from the 1994 french original by margaret readdy , with a foreword by gian - carlo rota .
jean - louis loday , _ overview on leibniz algebras , dialgebras and their homology _ , cyclic cohomology and noncommutative geometry ( waterloo , on , 1995 ) , fields inst . commun . , vol .
17 , amer .
soc . , providence , ri , 1997 , pp .
91102 .
jean - louis loday , james d. stasheff , and alexander a. voronov ( eds . ) , _ operads : proceedings of renaissance conferences _ , american mathematical society , providence , ri , 1997 , papers from the special session on moduli spaces , operads and representation theory held at the ams meeting in hartford , ct , march 45 , 1995 , and from the conference on operads and homotopy algebra held in luminy , may 29june 2 , 1995 . | arxiv |
in @xcite there was given an algorithm which for a _
deterministic _ parity tree automaton @xmath1 decides whether the language @xmath2 is borel .
this was further extended to a finer classification in @xcite and finally to a full wadge classification in @xcite .
the algorithms look for a pattern in the graph of the automaton and decide the borel and wadge classes upon finding of these special patterns .
similar problems for _ non - deterministic _ parity tree automata seem to be much harder .
recently in @xcite was provided an algorithm which decides for a given non - deterministic parity tree automaton @xmath1 , whether @xmath2 is a boolean combination of open sets .
for other borel classes there was no known algorithm .
this paper provides a relatively simple extension of the result in @xcite to the class of @xmath3 sets , that is the sets which are simultaneously presentable as countable unions of closed sets and countable intersections of open sets .
this result is presented in section [ sec : the main result ] in theorem [ theorem : main ] . the proofs in @xcite
are based on an analysis of an algebraic structure computable from @xmath1 and the main result states that the language @xmath2 is a boolean combination of open sets if and only if a certain finite number of algebraic requirements hold . since the class @xmath0 is bigger , in order to characterize this class ,
the set of algebraic requirements must be relaxed . in this paper
we show that indeed this is the case .
our proofs closely follow the proofs from @xcite with some necessary adjustments .
in particular the crucial concept of the topological cutting game introduced in @xcite is considered in this paper not only in the finite , but also in the infinite case . the approach presented in @xcite and in the present paper in a certain sense is a reminiscent of the approach applied to deterministic automata in @xcite .
namely , the algebraic structure computed from a given automaton @xmath1 induces a graph with edges reflecting the algebraic properties . in the deterministic case it is possible to decide borel and wadge classes analyzing patterns in the graph of the automaton , in the present paper we are looking for patterns in the algebraic graph .
finally let us mention results which provide information about the set - theoretical complexity of a language accepted by a non - deterministic automaton @xmath1 assuming some additional properties of @xmath1 : * rabin in @xcite proved , that if @xmath4 and its complement are accepted by a non - deterministic bchi tree automata , then @xmath4 is weakly definable , in particular it is borel .
* recently in @xcite it was shown using decidability results about the cost functions , that for a given non - deterministic bchi tree automaton it is decidable whether the language is weakly definable . * in @xcite the decidability results regarding deterministic automata were lifted to a more general context of game automata .
this paper consists of four sections : the introduction , a preliminary section 2 introducing automata , set - theoretical and algebraic notations , a section 3 introducing topological games and linking these games to the wadge hierarchy and section 4 containing the main result .
given a finite alphabet @xmath5 , a _ tree over @xmath5 _ is a partial function @xmath6 such that its domain @xmath7 is prefix closed .
a node of a tree @xmath8 is an element @xmath9 .
a left child of a node @xmath10 of @xmath8 is the node @xmath11 , while its right child is @xmath12 .
a leaf of a tree is a node without children .
we denote by @xmath13 the family of all trees over @xmath5 .
a set of trees over @xmath5 is called a tree language , or simply a language . a _
multi - context _ over @xmath5 is a tree @xmath14 over @xmath15 , where * @xmath16 , and * @xmath17 only labels some leaves of @xmath14 . a leaf of @xmath14 labelled by @xmath17
is called a _ port_. notice that a multi - context may have infinitely many ports . for a multi - context @xmath14 and a function @xmath18 mapping each port of @xmath14 to a tree @xmath8 over @xmath5 , by @xmath19 $ ]
we denote the tree given by inserting into every port @xmath20 a tree @xmath21 . when @xmath22 for each port @xmath20 , we just write @xmath23 $ ] .
we say that a tree @xmath8 extends a multi - context @xmath14 if there is a mapping @xmath18 such that @xmath19=t$ ] . given a multi - context @xmath14 and a language @xmath4 , by @xmath24^{-1}l$ ]
we denote the language of trees @xmath25 extending @xmath14 . the class generated by @xmath14 and all possible mappings @xmath18
is denoted by @xmath26 $ ] .
a finite multi - context is called a _ prefix_. a multi - context with only one port is called a _
context_. for a finite alphabet @xmath5 , we equip the class @xmath13 of all trees over @xmath5 with the prefix topology .
that is the basic open sets are sets of the form @xmath27 $ ] , for a prefix @xmath28 over @xmath5 , and thus the open sets are of the form @xmath29 $ ] for some set @xmath30 of prefixes .
the class of borel tree languages of @xmath13 is the closure of the class of open sets of @xmath13 with respect to countable unions and complementations .
given @xmath13 , the initial finite levels of the borel hierarchy are defined as follows : * @xmath31 is the class of open subsets of @xmath13 , * @xmath32 consists of complements of sets from @xmath33 , * @xmath34 consists of countable unions of sets from @xmath32 . a much finer measure of the topological complexity is the _ wadge degree _ ( see ( * ? ? ?
* chapter 21.e ) ) .
if @xmath35 and @xmath36 , we say that @xmath4 is _ continuously ( or wadge ) reducible _ to @xmath37 , if there exists a continuous function @xmath38 such that @xmath39 .
we write @xmath40 iff @xmath4 is continuously reducible to @xmath37 .
this pre - ordering is called the _ wadge
ordering_. if @xmath40 and @xmath41 , then we write @xmath42 .
if @xmath40 but not @xmath41 , then we write @xmath43 .
the wadge hierarchy is the partial order induced by @xmath44 on the equivalence classes given by @xmath45 .
a language @xmath4 is called _ self dual _ if it is equivalent to its complement , otherwise it is called _ non self dual_. given a certain family of sets @xmath46 , we say that @xmath37 is @xmath46-hard if @xmath47 for every @xmath48 .
a @xmath46-hard set @xmath4 is said to be @xmath46-complete if moreover @xmath48 .
the wadge hierarchy of the regular languages of infinite words is well understood thanks to a classification result by k. wagner ( @xcite ) . in particular from wagner s
result one can derive an algorithm which decides whether a given regular language of infinite words is a boolean combination of open sets .
being a boolean combination of open sets is equivalent to being in @xmath0 class in the context of regular languages of infinite words .
this is not true for the regular languages of infinite trees ( see ( * ? ? ?
* section 4.1 ) and proposition [ rem : example ] in appendix of the present paper for an analysis of one special case ) . a natural algebraic interpretation of wagner s result
can be found in ( * ? ? ?
* theorem v.6.2 ) . in the case of languages of infinite trees ,
the algebraic theory is not yet fully developed . as a general reference
may serve papers @xcite . for
details of the approach applied in the present paper refer to ( * ? ? ?
* section 3 ) . following the approach presented in @xcite , the family of all trees @xmath13
is divided into finitely many myhill - nerode equivalence classes @xmath49 .
similarly , there are finitely many equivalence classes @xmath50 of contexts . the same holds for multi - contexts with a fixed number of holes . starting from an automaton accepting language @xmath4 , one can compute families @xmath49 and @xmath50 .
the equivalence class of a tree @xmath8 or a context @xmath10 is denoted @xmath51 , @xmath52 , respectively . for a given tree @xmath8 and contexts @xmath53 multiplication of contexts and trees @xmath54 , @xmath55 naturally induces multiplication between elements of @xmath49 and @xmath50 .
similarly , for a given context @xmath10 the operation of infinite power @xmath56 induces a mapping from @xmath50 to @xmath49
. given a regular language @xmath4 , its _ strategy graph _ @xmath57 is the pair @xmath58 such that @xmath59 iff there exists a tree @xmath8 of type @xmath60 such that @xmath8 can be decomposed as the concatenation of a context of type @xmath10 and another tree , and each prefix of @xmath8 can be completed into a context of type @xmath61 .
we thus say that the strategy graph is _ recursive _ if there exists a strongly connected component that contains two nodes @xmath62 and @xmath63 with @xmath64 . for a more formal approach to the strategy graph refer to ( * ? ? ?
* section g ) .
we will need the following [ proposition : path to edge ] if there exists a path from @xmath65 to @xmath66 in @xmath57 , then there exists an edge from @xmath65 to @xmath66 .
let @xmath4 and @xmath37 be two languages . the _ wadge game _
@xmath67 is an infinite two - player game between player i and player ii .
it is defined as follows . during a play player
i constructs a tree @xmath8 and player ii a tree @xmath68 . at the first round player i plays a root of @xmath8 and player ii plays a root of @xmath68 , and at each consecutive round both players
add a level to their corresponding tree ( thus either player adds some child to a leaf or player signalizes that the node will be also a leaf of the final resulting tree of the play by not adding any children to it ) .
player i plays first and player ii is allowed to skip her turn but not forever .
player ii wins the game iff @xmath69 .
the game was designed precisely in order to obtain a characterisation of continuous reducibility .
[ lemma : wadge ] let @xmath70 be two languages . then @xmath40 iff player ii has a winning strategy in the game @xmath67 . from borel determinacy ( @xcite ) , if both @xmath4 and @xmath37 are borel , then @xmath67 is determined .
the ordering @xmath44 restricted to the borel sets is well - founded ( see ( * ? ? ?
* theorem 21.15 ) ) .
the _ wadge degree _ for sets of finite borel rank can be defined inductively .
first , we remark that since every self dual set @xmath5 is wadge equivalent to the disjoint union of a certain non self dual set @xmath71 and its complement @xmath72 , it is enough to start associating a wadge degree only to non self dual sets and say that the wadge degree of @xmath5 equals the wadge degree of @xmath71 . for each degree
there are exactly three equivalence classes with the same degree , represented by @xmath4 , @xmath73 and @xmath74 the disjoint union of @xmath4 and @xmath73 .
clearly @xmath75 and @xmath74 is self dual . in @xcite
, j. duparc showed that for non self dual sets , it is possible to determine its sign , @xmath76 or @xmath77 , which specifies precisely the @xmath45-class .
for instance , @xmath78 and complete open sets have sign @xmath77 , while the whole space and complete closed sets have sign @xmath76 .
all self dual sets by definition have sign @xmath79 .
let @xmath80 be the length of wadge hierarchy of borel sets of finite rank .
thus an ordinal @xmath81 determines a @xmath45-class , denoted @xmath82^\epsilon$ ] for @xmath83 . in the same paper , in the context of wadge degrees , duparc defined set - theoretical counterparts of ordinal multiplication by a countable ordinal , and ( quasi ) exponentiation of base @xmath84 . from now on @xmath82^\epsilon$ ] will also denote the canonical sets of wadge degree generated with duparc s operations .
we present some details of duparc s construction in the appendix .
below we define a family of two - player games of perfect information , called _ cutting games_.
these games were introduced in @xcite . for the argument in @xcite
the most important was the finite version of the game .
in the present paper we will consider both infinite and finite versions of the cutting game .
let @xmath85 ( @xmath86 ) be languages over the alphabet @xmath5 , and let @xmath28 be a prefix over the alphabet @xmath5 .
the _ simple cutting game _ of length @xmath87 , denoted @xmath88 is played by two players , constrainer and alternator . for each @xmath89 the @xmath90-th round of the game
is played as follows : * alternator chooses a tree @xmath91 extending the prefix chosen in the previous round by the constrainer ; in the first round of the game alternator must choose an extension of the given prefix @xmath28 , * constrainer chooses a prefix of the tree @xmath92 . *
if alternator can not move , she loses , but if she survives k rounds then she wins . the _ infinite cutting game _ , denoted by @xmath93 ,
is played just like a simple game but without the restriction to a fixed given number of rounds .
alternator wins iff she can make infinitely many moves .
let @xmath94 be a language over the alphabet @xmath5 .
@xmath94-delayed cutting game _ , denoted by @xmath95 is similar to a simple cutting game , except that a mini game is played to determine the prefix @xmath28 and the length @xmath87 of the match .
the mini game goes as follows .
firstly , alternator chooses a tree @xmath96 .
then constrainer chooses a prefix @xmath28 of @xmath8 and a finite ordinal @xmath87 .
finally the two players start to play the simple cutting game @xmath97 .
when @xmath98 and @xmath99 , then we simply write @xmath100 and @xmath101 .
it was verified in @xcite that a given language @xmath37 has a wadge degree less than @xmath102 iff constrainer has a winning strategy in @xmath103 , for all but finitely many @xmath104 . in @xcite
it was also remarked that the language @xmath4 described in ( * ? ? ?
* section 4.1 ) and in proposition [ rem : example ] in the appendix , even if it is such that alternator has a winning strategy in every corresponding finite cutting game , she looses the infinite one . in the next two propositions we establish a link between delayed cutting games and infinite wadge degrees on the one hand , and infinite simple cutting games and uncountable wadge degrees on the other hand .
( see proof in the appendix ) [ prop : omega ] let @xmath4 be a tree language , @xmath105^+ \leq_w l$ ] iff alternator has a winning strategy in @xmath106 .
( see proof in the appendix ) [ prop : infinity ] let @xmath4 be a tree language .
for every prefix @xmath28 , @xmath107^{-1}l ) \geq \omega_1 $ ] iff alternator has a winning strategy in @xmath108 .
following @xcite , for a given regular language of trees @xmath4 , a prefix @xmath28 and types @xmath109 ( @xmath86 ) we define games on types @xmath110 and @xmath111 .
the constrainer plays as in the simple and infinite cutting games and the task of the alternator is to play in the @xmath90th round a tree of type @xmath112 , that is an element of @xmath113 .
a type tree for @xmath4 is a tree over the finite alphabet @xmath49 . for a given tree @xmath8
, there is a type tree @xmath114 induced by @xmath8 such that for every node @xmath115 , @xmath116 let @xmath117 be a type tree , and @xmath8 a tree .
we say that a type tree @xmath117 is _ locally consistent _ with a tree @xmath8 if @xmath118 and for every node @xmath119 such that @xmath120 , * if @xmath121 is a leaf , then @xmath122 is the type of @xmath123 , * if @xmath121 has two children @xmath124 and @xmath125 , then @xmath122 is the type obtained by applying @xmath123 to the pair @xmath126 .
a finite strategy tree is a tuple @xmath127 where * @xmath8 is a tree , the support of the strategy and @xmath128 , * @xmath129 is locally consistent with @xmath8 , for each @xmath130 , * for each @xmath119 , alternator has a winning strategy in @xmath131 .
an infinite strategy tree @xmath132 is defined analogously .
the root sequence of a strategy tree @xmath132 is the sequence of types @xmath133 .
we define the _ alternation _ of a sequence @xmath134 of types as the cardinality of the set @xmath135 .
the same definition applies to infinite sequences of types .
let @xmath136 be a finite strategy tree .
the _ root alternation _ of @xmath136 is the alternation of the root sequence , while the _ limit alternation _ of @xmath136 is the maximal number @xmath87 such that infinitely many subtrees of @xmath136 have root alternation at least @xmath87 .
we say that a set @xmath137 of finite strategy trees has _ bounded root alternation _ if there is a @xmath87 such that the root alternation of each @xmath138 is at most @xmath87 , unbounded otherwise .
analogously for limit alternation .
a finite or infinite strategy tree @xmath139 is _ locally optimal _ if for every strategy tree @xmath140 with same root sequence , and every @xmath141 , the depth at which @xmath142 and @xmath143 first differ is greater than or equal to the depth at which @xmath144 and @xmath145 first differ .
the next proposition is a very important technical point of @xcite .
[ prop : locality ] for a regular tree language @xmath4 , if @xmath137 is a set of locally optimal finite strategy trees with both root and unbounded limit alternation , then the strategy graph @xmath57 is recursive .
the next proposition establishes an important link between infinite cutting games and strategy trees .
[ prop : types ] assume alternator has a winning strategy in @xmath146 .
then there is an infinite strategy tree @xmath147 with infinite root alternation .
assume alternator has a winning strategy @xmath148 in @xmath146 .
the infinite strategy tree @xmath147 is constructed as follows .
first of all , we can represent @xmath148 as a tree satisfying the following properties : * the root is labelled by @xmath149 , and its unique child is labelled by alternator s move obtained by applying the winning strategy @xmath148 at the first round of the game , * if a node @xmath10 is labelled with a tree @xmath8 , then for every prefix @xmath28 of @xmath8 there is a unique child of @xmath10 labelled by @xmath28 , * if a node @xmath10 is labelled with a prefix @xmath28 , then @xmath10 has a unique child , and such a child is labelled by the answer obtained by applying the winning strategy @xmath148 to the position in the cutting game given by the labels of the path from the root to @xmath10 .
notice that nodes at odd depth represent alternator s moves ( according to @xmath148 ) and are therefore labelled by trees , while nodes at even depth represent constrainer s move and are thus labelled by prefixes . from now on ,
we always identify @xmath148 and the aforementioned tree .
[ claim : strategy ] for every node @xmath10 of @xmath148 labelled by a prefix @xmath28 , there is an infinite sequence of strategy trees @xmath150 such that for each @xmath151 1 .
@xmath152 , with the type @xmath153 included in @xmath4 and the type @xmath154 included @xmath73 if @xmath10 is at depth @xmath155 with @xmath90 even , else dually .
in particular this means that @xmath156 ; 2 .
@xmath157 extends @xmath158 , that is @xmath159 and @xmath160 .
given the claim , from property 1 we have that for each node @xmath10 labelled by a prefix @xmath28 , and each @xmath161 , @xmath158 has root alternation @xmath151 and defines a winning strategy for alternator in @xmath162 if @xmath10 is at depth @xmath155 with @xmath90 even , in @xmath163 otherwise .
let @xmath164 the required infinite stategy tree is defined as @xmath165.it remains to prove the claim .
firstly , by induction with respect to @xmath161 we will assign a strategy tree @xmath158 to each node @xmath10 of @xmath148 labelled by a prefix . in the process of inductive construction
we will also verify that property 1 of the claim is satisfied .
verification of property 2 will be done later .
let us start from a remark that given an infinite sequence of type trees @xmath166 , by compactness there is a converging subsequence @xmath167 .
we assume that every time we have to choose a converging subsequence @xmath167 of a given sequence @xmath166 , we always choose the same subsequence and denote it s limit as @xmath168 .
we also assume that given a tree @xmath8 , we have fixed an enumeration @xmath169 of all its prefixes such that sequence @xmath170 converge to the tree @xmath8 . for @xmath171 , it is enough to take for each node @xmath10 @xmath172 where @xmath8 is given by applying @xmath148 to the considered position and @xmath114 is defined by formula ( [ formula : sigmat ] ) at the beginning of this section . by choice of @xmath114 , property 1
is satisfied .
for @xmath173 we proceed as follows .
we assume the construction performed for @xmath174 .
fix any node @xmath10 labelled by a prefix @xmath28 .
assume that a tree @xmath8 is the answer given by @xmath148 at the position in the game given by the path from the root to the node @xmath10 .
to every prefix @xmath28 of @xmath8 corresponds a child @xmath121 of @xmath10 to which we already associated a strategy tree @xmath175 .
let us thence consider the sequence @xmath169 , with limit @xmath8 and the sequences @xmath176 , @xmath177 , @xmath178 @xmath179 .
the limits @xmath180 were chosen in advance and are equal @xmath181 .
since each @xmath182 extends @xmath183 , the limit @xmath184 of @xmath185 is @xmath8 .
now , for each @xmath28 , the type trees @xmath186 are locally consistent with @xmath187 . furthermore , given a sequence of trees @xmath188 that converges to @xmath184 and a sequence of type trees
@xmath166 that converges to @xmath189 , if @xmath190 is locally consistent with @xmath191 for every k , then @xmath189 is locally consistent with @xmath184 . from this fact
follows that the limits @xmath192 are locally consistent with @xmath8 . finally , define @xmath193 to be @xmath114 as in formula ( [ formula : sigmat ] ) .
we have just proved that @xmath194 is a strategy tree . from induction hypothesis together with definition of @xmath114 and preservation of property 1 under limits follows that @xmath158 also satisfies property 1 .
we now verify that the described procedure preserves property 2 .
for @xmath171 there is nothing to check . for the induction step , we reason as follows .
assume the property holds for each node and for each @xmath195 .
now , let us consider an arbitrary node @xmath10 .
we have to prove that @xmath196 extends @xmath197 . by induction hypothesis , @xmath175 and @xmath198 , for every node @xmath121 in the described procedure .
since the limits have been fixed in advance , we have that @xmath199 and @xmath200 , meaning that the latter extends the former .
this concludes the proof of the claim . using the above proposition
, we can generalize to infinite games proposition 5.2 from @xcite : [ prop : tree_to_types ] for a regular language @xmath4 the following conditions are equivalent . 1 .
alternator wins the game @xmath146 , 2 .
there are tree types @xmath201 , such that @xmath202 and alternator wins @xmath203 .
the proof of proposition [ prop : tree_to_types ] can be found in the appendix .
we will use the following lemma , presented in @xcite for finite strategy trees , with proof extending straightforwardly to infinite strategy trees .
[ lemma : locallyoptimal ] for every finite or infinite strategy tree , there is a locally optimal strategy tree with same root sequence . the next lemma follows immediately from the definition of a strategy tree .
[ lemma : short_strategy ] let @xmath204 be a strategy tree . for the game @xmath205 and a strategy of constrainer given by always cutting at level @xmath90 , alternator wins by playing as follows : * at first , alternator plays @xmath8 , then * for each port @xmath121 at level @xmath90 of the multi context given by constrainer s move , alternator plugs in the tree given by her winning strategy @xmath206 . in particular , if from a certain @xmath207 on @xmath208 , @xmath209 , then for each round @xmath87 such that @xmath210 alternator always plugs in the same tree of type @xmath211 chosen at round @xmath212 .
everything now is ready to prove the main result of this paper .
[ theorem : main ] let @xmath4 be a regular tree language given by a non - deterministic tree automaton @xmath1 .
the following conditions are equivalent : 1 .
the strategy graph @xmath57 is recursive .
2 . @xmath213 in particular , since the graph @xmath57 is computable from the automaton @xmath1 , it is decidable whether the language accepted by @xmath1 is of wadge degree greater than or equal to @xmath84 .
@xmath214 assume the strategy graph is recursive .
this means that there exists a strongly connected component that contains two nodes @xmath62 and @xmath63 with @xmath64 .
thanks to proposition [ proposition : path to edge ] , if there exists a path between @xmath62 and @xmath63 , there is also an edge between @xmath62 and @xmath63 .
moreover , for vertices @xmath215 , if for every @xmath86 there is an edge from @xmath216 to @xmath217 , this means that alternator has a winning strategy in @xmath218 .
so , take @xmath219 for @xmath90 even , and @xmath220 for @xmath90 odd .
this shows that alternator has a winning strategy in @xmath221 . by proposition
[ prop : tree_to_types ] alternator has a winning strategy in @xmath146 .
@xmath222 by propositions [ prop : infinity ] and [ prop : locality ] , it is enough to verify that if alternator has a winning strategy in @xmath146 then there is a set @xmath137 of locally optimal finite strategy trees with both root and limit unbounded alternation .
assume alternator has a winning strategy @xmath148 in @xmath146 . from proposition
[ prop : types ] there is a strategy tree @xmath223 with infinite root alternation . by lemma [ lemma : locallyoptimal ] we can assume that @xmath147 is locally optimal .
let us define @xmath224 note that each element of @xmath137 is locally optimal .
now , assume limit alternation of @xmath137 is bounded . from this fact and
since every element of @xmath137 is a prefix of @xmath147 , it holds that with respect to @xmath147 , the set of subtrees of @xmath8 with infinite root alternation has to be finite .
this means that @xmath147 satisfies the following property : ( * ): : there is a finite set @xmath94 of nodes of @xmath8 satisfying the following properties : + * the root is included in @xmath94 , and each node of @xmath94 is at most at depth @xmath90 in @xmath8 , * @xmath225 , for every node @xmath10 in the set @xmath94 , and @xmath226 , for every node @xmath121 of @xmath8 of depth @xmath227 , for some @xmath228 , with @xmath229 .
the strategy tree @xmath230 from @xmath137 , where @xmath212 is given by the previous property , also satisfies the property ( * ) above ( for the same @xmath94 and the same @xmath228 ) .
let us consider the game @xmath231 where at first alternator plays @xmath8 and then constrainer uses the strategy given by cutting always at level @xmath227
. we can therefore apply lemma [ lemma : short_strategy ] and assume that alternator plays the winning strategy described there .
this implies that the trees played at round @xmath87 and @xmath232 are the same , say @xmath68 ( from the root to level @xmath90 they are the same , because the constrainer insists on this and below they are the same , because the alternator plays the same answers in rounds @xmath87 and @xmath232 ) . but by local consistency , since @xmath233 , the two trees should have two different types , a contradiction .
we therefore conclude that limit alternation of @xmath137 is unbounded .
the method of proof is illustrated by figure [ figure : consistency ] in the appendix .
the algorithm provided in @xcite decides whether a given non - deterministic automaton accepts a language which is a boolean combination of open sets or equivalently is of a wadge degree smaller than @xmath102 . by the same approach we showed an algorithm which decides whether a given non - deterministic automaton accepts a language in @xmath0 or equivalently , a language of a wadge degree smaller than @xmath84 .
we propose for further research the following three generalizations of the result presented in this paper : * 1*. for a given @xmath234 there are natural topological games which characterize languages of wadge degrees smaller than @xmath235 .
moreover , there are known examples of regular languages of degree @xmath235 .
it would be a desirable and perhaps more involved extension of results in @xcite if for a given @xmath236 one can provide an algorithm deciding whether a given non - deterministic automaton accepts a language of degree smaller than @xmath235 .
* 2 . * in the absence of examples of regular languages between wadge degree @xmath237 and wadge degree @xmath84 , one could reasonably expect , that the decidability result in the present paper should show that indeed any regular language of countable wadge degree is of wadge degree smaller than @xmath237
. however , this question still remains open .
* 3*. regarding higher borel classes , in particular regular languages which are boolean combinations of @xmath238 sets , the following extension of the method in @xcite seems to be plausible .
the cutting game is based around restrictions of moves by prefixes , that is by languages in @xmath239 .
its topological counterpart on the next borel level is a game , where the constrainer is allowed to play constraints which are regular languages in @xmath0 .
this leads to a natural topological characterization similar to the results in section [ section : games ] , but the algebraic counterpart of this generalized cutting game is not yet fully understood . 00 blumensath a. , _ an algebraic proof of rabin s theorem _ , theoretical computer science 478 , pp . 121 , 2013 .
bojaczyk m. , place t. , _ regular languages of infinite trees that are boolean combinations of open sets _ , icalp ( 2 ) 2012 , 104115 .
version with appendix available at http://www.mimuw.edu.pl/@xmath240bojan/papers/bool-open.pdf bojaczyk m. , _
algebra for trees _ , in handbook of automata theory , european mathematical society publishing house , to appear .
bojaczyk m. , idziaszek i. , _
algebra for infinite forests with an application to the temporal logic ef _ , concur 2009 , 131145 .
colcombet t. , kuperberg d. , lding c. , and vanden boom m. , _ deciding the weak definability of bchi definable tree languages _ , csl 2013 , 215230 .
duparc j. , _ wadge hierarchy and veblen hierarchy part 1 : borel sets of finite rank _ ,
journal of symbolic logic 66 ( 1 ) , 5686 , 2001 .
duparc , j. , murlak f. , _ on the topological complexity of weakly recognizable tree languages _ , fct 2007 , 261273 .
facchini a. , murlak f. , skrzypczak m. , _ rabin - mostowski index problem : a step beyond deterministic automata _ ,
lics 2013 , 499508 .
kechris a. , _ classical descriptive set theory _ ,
springer , 1995 .
martin d.a .
, _ borel determinacy _ , the annals of mathematics , 102 ( 1975 ) , 363371
. murlak f. , _ on deciding topological classes of deterministic tree languages _ ,
csl 2005 , 428442 .
murlak f. , _ the wadge hierarchy of deterministic tree languages _ , icalp 2006 , 408419 .
niwiski d. and walukiewicz i. , _ a gap property of deterministic tree languages _ , theoretical comput .
303 ( 2003 ) , 215231 .
perrin d , pin j.e . , _
infinite words : automata , semigroups , logic and games _ , academic press , 2004 .
rabin m.o . ,
_ weakly definable relations and special automata _ , in foundations of set theory , y. bar - hillel ed . , 1970 , 123 . wadge w.w
, _ reducibility and determinateness on the baire space _ , ph.d .
thesis , berkeley , 1984 .
wagner k. , _ on @xmath102-regular sets _ , inform . and control , 43 , 123177 , 1979 .
in this part of the appendix , we follow the expositions in @xcite and show how to generate canonical sets complete for each @xmath45-class whose corresponding wadge degree is countable .
we assume that the alphabet @xmath5 has at least two elements .
based on this operation , we thus define the sum operation .
let @xmath4 and @xmath250 be two languages over @xmath5 .
the set @xmath251 is defined as @xmath252 .
let us a provide an intuition behind this construction : in a wadge game @xmath253 player i plays like in a wadge game @xmath254 , but in addition at any moment of the play player i may decide to erase everything played so far and start a game @xmath255 .
let @xmath80 be a countable ordinal , and let @xmath256 be a language over @xmath5 , for every @xmath257 .
fix any bijection @xmath258 .
thus , the language @xmath259 is defined as the set of trees @xmath8 over @xmath260 satisfying the following conditions for some @xmath87 : define also @xmath265 as @xmath266 .
the difference from the previous operation is that now , when the player does not plays @xmath263 on the leftmost branch , the obtained tree is accepted .
note that the operations are dual .
let us a provide an intuition behind this construction : in a wadge game @xmath270 player i plays like in a wadge game @xmath254 , but in addition at any moment of the play player i may decide to erase everything played so far and start either a game @xmath254 or a game @xmath271 . with every such change player
i decreases the ordinal @xmath80 .
hence the aforementioned procedure is producing a decreasing finite sequence of ordinals below @xmath80 and preventing player i from reinitializing the game indefinitely .
the sign of the degree of a non self dual set wadge equivalent to @xmath265 , for some family @xmath276 , is @xmath76 , dually for the operation @xmath277 . for each @xmath278 , and
sign @xmath279 , we use @xmath82^\epsilon$ ] to also denote the canonical complete language of signed wadge degree @xmath82^\epsilon$ ] whose construction is given by the previous operations .
[ rem : example ] let @xmath286 be the set of trees @xmath8 such that for some @xmath236 , @xmath287 is a leaf , @xmath288 and for each @xmath289 the tree @xmath290 is either finite or contains no @xmath263 .
then @xmath4 has wadge degree @xmath105 ^ -$ ] .
we have to prove that @xmath105 ^ -\leq_w l$ ] and @xmath291 ^ -$ ] .
consider first the wadge game @xmath292 ^ - , l)$ ] .
we first show that player ii has a winning strategy in this game and then lemma [ lemma : wadge ] will imply @xmath105 ^ -\leq_w l$ ] .
the informal argument goes as follows .
as long as player i plays rejecting , she plays a complete binary tree labelled with @xmath123 .
now , assume that player i stops player rejecting , she decreases her ordinal from @xmath102 to @xmath236 and starts playing rejecting
. then player ii stops the branch plays the node @xmath293 as being a leaf of her final tree , she plays @xmath294 , and she stops playing in any branch of the subtree of @xmath295 , except for @xmath296 .
assume that player i moves to @xmath297 and starts playing accepting , then player 2 stops the branch on @xmath296 .
since she thus played a finite tree in @xmath298 , she is now playing accepting . by following this strategy on the successive subtree @xmath299 , player
ii can follow the moves of player i and thus win the game . for the other direction , we have to show that player ii has a winning strategy in the game @xmath300 ^ -)$ ] .
we notice the following , which actually was implicit in the previous description of the winning strategy for player ii .
the best player i in @xmath300 ^ -)$ ] can do is to apply the following strategy .
as long as she plays @xmath301 , she is rejecting .
as soon as she kills this branch , we have to look at what she was playing in each subtrees @xmath290 .
consider an arbitrary such subtree .
as long as she plays only nodes labelled by @xmath123 she is accepting in this subtree .
but as soon as she plays a @xmath263 and keeps active a branch in this subtree , she is globally rejecting . to be anew accepting she has to kill all active branches .
once she has killed all active branches of a subtree @xmath290 , she can not change the status of the considered subtree .
this means that as soon as she has fixed the length @xmath87 of the branch @xmath302 she wants to play , she can alternate at most @xmath303 times between being accepting and being rejecting in her play in the game .
the winning strategy for player ii in @xmath304 ^ -)$ ] is thus just to play rejecting , to wait the length @xmath87 of the branch , and then to decrease @xmath102 to @xmath303 and follow the behavior of player i. we present here two canonical non self dual languages of wadge degree @xmath84 .
the first is the set of tree @xmath8 such that there is a @xmath305 such that @xmath306 ^ -$ ] .
this set is @xmath307-complete and is thus of signed wadge degree @xmath308 ^ -$ ] .
its @xmath309-complete complement of signed degree @xmath308^+$ ] is the language of all trees @xmath8 such that for every @xmath305 , the subtree @xmath310 is in @xmath311^+$ ] . from the perspective of a player in a wadge game ,
a player in charge of @xmath308 ^ -$ ] is like a player starting to play rejecting , that is being in charge of @xmath78 , with at every point the possibility of reinitializing anew the play and being in charge of its complement , and so on , with the condition that if she restarts the game infinitely often , at the end of the game she is rejecting . the dual description holds for a player in charge of @xmath308^+$ ] . for the direction from left to right , we reason as follows .
let @xmath148 be the winning strategy for player ii in @xmath312^+ , l)$ ] .
as a first move , alternator plays the tree @xmath8 given by applying the strategy @xmath148 against player i in a wadge game where she is playing always accepting . now , suppose that constrainer plays a prefix @xmath28 of depth @xmath151 and a number @xmath87 ( this is the mini - game from the definition of delayed cutting game ) .
thus alternator looks at the shadow wadge game used to determine @xmath8 , but at @xmath313 round , she makes player i erasing the game and play a new wadge game into the set @xmath314
^ -$ ] , for a @xmath315 .
she then applies her winning strategy @xmath148 in such a game where she makes player i playing rejecting . assume the obtained tree is @xmath68 .
we have that : thus the one described is an admissible move for alternator .
now , assume at next round constrainer chooses a prefix @xmath317 ( without loss of generality extending @xmath28 ) of @xmath68 , whose depth is @xmath318 .
then in the shadow wadge match , alternator modifies player i s strategy as follows : at turn @xmath319 she decreases the ordinal and starts to play accepting . the obtained tree by applying the winning strategy @xmath148 to the play when player i keeps playing accepting is next alternator s moves . for the same reasons as before , such a move is admissible .
by continuing such a strategy , it is clear that alternator wins . for the direction from right to left ,
we describe a winning strategy for player ii in @xmath312^+ , l)$ ] , see figure [ myfig1 ] . in the back she keeps track of a shadow match in the game @xmath106 where she applies the winning strategy for alternator .
as long as player i plays accepting , player ii just plays the initial choice of alternator .
now , assume that at round @xmath236 , player ii decides to decrease his ordinal to @xmath87 and to play rejecting .
then , in the shadow match , player ii makes constrainer play a prefix of depth @xmath297 and the ordinal @xmath313 .
she then looks at alternator winning move , which is a certain tree @xmath320 .
player ii starts thence to play into @xmath320 . by construction @xmath320
is not in @xmath4 , meaning that if player i continues to play rejecting , she wins .
assume that at round @xmath321 player i decreases his ordinal of one and decides to start to play accepting , then in the second round of the shadow match , player ii forces constrainer to choose a prefix of depth @xmath322 , and alternator to apply her winning strategy to obtain a tree @xmath323 extending the chosen prefix of @xmath320 .
player ii therefore just start to play into @xmath323 . since this tree is in @xmath4 , as before if player i keeps playing accepting , she looses .
player ii wins the game if uses repeatedly this strategy . for the direction from left to right
, it is enough to apply the fact that player ii has a winning strategy in @xmath324^{-1}l)$ ] , where @xmath37 is either @xmath308^+$ ] or @xmath308 ^ -$ ] .
the other direction is verified by showing that for every countable ordinal @xmath80 , player ii has a winning strategy in @xmath325^+ , [ p]^{-1}l)$ ] and @xmath325 ^ - , [ p]^{-1}l)$ ] .
this is done by induction .
if @xmath326 , then the claim is trivially proved .
assume now that @xmath327 .
we only consider the case for @xmath76 , the case for @xmath77 being immediate by considering the winning strategy for alternator in @xmath328 , for some prefix @xmath329 of the first winning move for alternator in @xmath108 . at first player ii
applies the induced winning strategy in @xmath330^+ , [ p]^{-1}l)$ ] .
now assume that at round @xmath236 player i decides the erase everything and being in charge of @xmath331 ^ -$ ] ( the case for @xmath331^+$ ] is exactly the same ) .
assume that before her turn at round @xmath236 , player ii has played @xmath329 .
from round @xmath332 she just apply the winning strategy given by the induction hypothesis in @xmath333 ^ - , [ p']^{-1}l)$ ] .
we now verify the limit case @xmath334 .
as before , we only consider the case for @xmath76 .
player ii applies the induced winning strategy in @xmath330^+ , [ p]^{-1}l)$ ] .
assume that at round @xmath236 player i decides to move everything and being in charge of @xmath335^\varepsilon$ ] , for some @xmath336 and @xmath337 .
then from round @xmath332 player ii just apply the winning strategy given by the induction hypothesis in @xmath338^\varepsilon , [ p']^{-1}l)$ ] , where @xmath329 is her position after round @xmath236 .
the direction from ( 1 ) to ( 2 ) is an immediate corollary of proposition [ prop : types ] . for the direction from ( 2 ) to ( 1 ) we reason as follows .
since @xmath339 and @xmath60 are different elements of the syntactic algebra , it follows that there must be some multi - context @xmath14 such that the tree type @xmath340 $ ] is contained in @xmath4 , while the tree type @xmath341 $ ] is disjoint with @xmath4 .
now , if alternator has a winning strategy in @xmath342 , then she has a winning strategy in @xmath343 , c[h])$ ] , for every multi context @xmath14 .
this implies that alternator has a winning strategy in the game @xmath146 .
let @xmath344 be a strategy tree .
we construct the locally optimal strategy tree @xmath345 by induction as follows .
we put first @xmath346 . then , consider the set of all strategy trees ( finite or infinite ) that are locally consistent with @xmath8 and which have the same root value as @xmath347 .
this set is a closed set , and therefore is compact .
it follows that some element of this set minimizes the distance with respect to @xmath348 .
such element will be the new @xmath349 .
we proceed likewise for next coordinates . | arxiv |
Candy Candy PALABRAS DE AMOR
**En una noche de esas en que el clima invitaba a todo menos a trabajar, me decidí a arrancar de la TV a mi querida Arizu, para escribir una de nuestras divagancias. Después de la tortura… perdón, después del ejercicio de escritura que le pedí que hiciéramos, este fue el resultado… Amiga, espero que te decidas a subir tus trabajos porque en verdad son hermosos!**
**He aquí pues, este minimini, co-escrito con mi amiga Arizu.**
**
* * *
**
**MOONKY&ARIZU**
**PRESENTAN:**
**Palabras de Amor**
**Tú me enseñaste a valorar los pequeños detalles…**
Tú eres responsable de que mi vida fuera un mar de dudas y arrepentimientos…
**Tus pecas me hacían reír...**
Tu rebeldía me hacia enojar...
**Quería hacerte entender que el amor es la respuesta, pero después de todo lo que había sucedido no creía que lo comprendieras...**
Nunca quise ver hacia el pasado pero los recuerdos eran más fuertes que cualquier presente sin ti…
**Tendría que haberte gritado y advertirte del inminente peligro que existía para nuestra relación, pero el destino fue más rápido y las palabras se murieron en mis labios sin llegar a ser pronunciadas…**
Nunca entendí porque me acerque a ti, si yo sabía que eras divinamente tentador y absolutamente peligroso…
**Desee tener tiempo para disculparme e intentar resolver el malentendido…**
¿Porque si obtuviste lo que querías, después te mostraste tan frio y distante?
**Yo siempre quise ser el único hombre que se reflejara en el brillo de tus esmeraldas...**
Conocerte fue un hermoso accidente del destino…
**No supiste ver que era a ti a quien quería…**
Tú provocaste en mí las más diversas sensaciones…
**Siento que siempre busque en el lugar equivocado la razón de tu partida…**
Fuimos compañeros por algún tiempo, nunca imagine que no te conocía realmente…
**Quería regañarte por haber actuado tan impulsiva e inconscientemente… por haber decidido por los dos…**
Aunque intente ser lo que tú te merecías, temí desde el principio que nunca estuvieses satisfecho hiciera lo que hiciese…
**Siempre pensé que te despediste demasiado fácil…**
Decir adiós es lo más difícil que he tenido que hacer…
**Justo cuando te conocí estaba pasando por el peor momento de mi vida…**
Tú ayudaste a reconstruir mi corazón y yo ahora sé que se puede amar de muchas maneras y esta es mi mejor vez…
**Derrotar a tu fantasma fue un trabajo difícil…**
Mi corazón latía a mil por hora, no sabía si era por la aventura que acababa de protagonizar o por el roce de su piel y el aroma de su cuerpo al salvarme de una vida de recuerdos dolorosos…
**Mi presente eras tú, sin embargo mi pasado tenía demasiadas espinas…**
Tú sanaste mis heridas y te amare por siempre, aunque nuestros caminos no volvieran a encontrarse…
**Eres la única que me vio como realmente soy…**
Eres el único que me conoció desde todas las perspectivas…
**El tiempo a tu lado parecía no tener horas, ni amaneceres, ni atardeceres…**
Sin ti al final del día me sentía vacía y sola…
**Daria mi vida por retroceder en el tiempo y no haberte ocasionado tanto dolor, eres todo lo que deseo en el mundo…**
Daría lo que fuera por caminar siempre juntos tomados de las manos, con los pies descalzos y bajo el hermoso cielo azul del verano…
**Tú me enseñaste la vida…**
Tú me despertaste al amor…
**Creo que espere por ti toda mi vida y toda mi vida estaré amándote… porque mi vida sin ti no tiene sentido.**
_Ahora son marido y mujer… Terruce, puedes besar a tu esposa, Candice._
Fin
* * *
_**Esperamos que les haya gustado! Cualquier comentario que deseen hacernos, será más que bien recibido. Les agradecemos de antemano el tiempo que nos regalaron al leer.**_
_**Un abrazo con cariño, de sus amigas**_
_**Arizu & Aracely Moonky.**_
End file.
| fanfiction |
further information can be found in the supplemental methods at neurology.org/ng . the objective of this study was to first identify the etiology of the subjects ' hypertonia and seizure disorder using exome sequencing and autozygosity mapping .
once the atad1 mutation was identified , the next objective was to evaluate the efficacy of the ampa receptor antagonist , perampanel , in both a mouse model of atad1-associated disease and human atad1 patients . for mouse behavioral and imaging studies , a group size of 6 was chosen so that given an sd of 10% , an 18% difference in the mean values between the 2 groups could be detected with a power of 80% .
the sample size for the human studies was determined by the number of available patients and family members .
the human therapeutic trial was an open - label single - center compassionate use trial in the 2 affected patients . because of technical limitations , the study was not randomized or blinded .
clinical improvement in the patients was measured using the functional status score , a validated pediatric outcome measurement , see supplemental methods for more details .
animal experiments were performed in compliance with the regulations of the animal ethical committee of the johns hopkins university animal use and care committee . for human studies ,
written informed consent was obtained for the trial and for publications of photos and videos .
the use of perampanel was approved through a food and drug administration ( fda ) emergency investigational new drug application .
mouse imaging and behavioral data are graphed as mean sd . for statistical analysis of mri results , distance calculations , and rest measurements , one - way analysis of variance ( anova )
was performed followed by a tukey post hoc test to compare mean values . for open - field analysis ,
multiplicity - adjusted p values were calculated . for survival analysis , a log - rank ( mantel - cox )
the objective of this study was to first identify the etiology of the subjects ' hypertonia and seizure disorder using exome sequencing and autozygosity mapping .
once the atad1 mutation was identified , the next objective was to evaluate the efficacy of the ampa receptor antagonist , perampanel , in both a mouse model of atad1-associated disease and human atad1 patients . for mouse behavioral and imaging studies , a group size of 6 was chosen so that given an sd of 10% , an 18% difference in the mean values between the 2 groups could be detected with a power of 80% .
the sample size for the human studies was determined by the number of available patients and family members .
the human therapeutic trial was an open - label single - center compassionate use trial in the 2 affected patients .
clinical improvement in the patients was measured using the functional status score , a validated pediatric outcome measurement , see supplemental methods for more details .
animal experiments were performed in compliance with the regulations of the animal ethical committee of the johns hopkins university animal use and care committee . for human studies ,
written informed consent was obtained for the trial and for publications of photos and videos .
the use of perampanel was approved through a food and drug administration ( fda ) emergency investigational new drug application .
mouse imaging and behavioral data are graphed as mean sd . for statistical analysis of mri results , distance calculations , and rest measurements , one - way analysis of variance ( anova )
was performed followed by a tukey post hoc test to compare mean values . for open - field analysis ,
multiplicity - adjusted p values were calculated . for survival analysis , a log - rank ( mantel - cox )
to obtain a diagnosis in a large consanguineous kuwaiti family with multiple neonates affected with hypertonia , seizures , respiratory failure , and death ( figure 1 , supplemental results ) , we used clinical exome sequencing and single nucleotide polymorphism ( snp)-based homozygosity analysis .
the proband ( individual iv-6 , figure 1 ) was symptomatic at birth and presented to our center at age 9 months .
he was nonresponsive to tactile , visual , and auditory stimuli with no spontaneous movement and extreme hypertonia .
eeg at 9 months showed hypsarrhythmia , a chaotic interictal pattern suggestive of severe brain dysfunction .
brain mri at 2 months of life was normal , but repeat at 9 months showed marked interval reduction in cerebral volume .
the proband is patient iv-6 ; his cousin who was subsequently evaluated and treated is patient iv-3 .
the atad1 variant , p.e276x , was identified by whole - exome sequencing and tracked with disease in all available family members ( + represents the normal allele and represents the p.e276x allele ) .
initial examination features and prior evaluations for patient iv-6 and patient iv-3 the second patient was the proband 's 2-month old male cousin ( individual iv-3 , figure 1 ) .
he also had a history of hypertonia and clinical seizures at birth . on first evaluation at our center at 2.5 months of age , he had little spontaneous movement and was extremely stiff ( video 1 ) .
eeg at presentation while on phenobarbital demonstrated a background lacking normal mixture of frequencies and poorly formed sharps but no seizures .
however , a homozygous nonsense variant of unknown significance in atad1 ( c.826 g > t , p.e276x ) was reported ( figure e-1a ) . his parents each carried 1 copy of the change .
there are no previous reports of atad1 mutations in humans ; however , mice harboring mutations in atad1 have frequent seizures , hypertonia , and early death .
compound heterozygote variants of unknown significance were also found in szt2 , which causes autosomal recessive epileptic encephalopathy type 18 ; however , the variants did not segregate in his affected sister ( iv-5 ) and he did not fit this phenotype ( supplemental results ) .
patient iv-6 was found to have a de novo 1.25 mb duplication of 17p13.3 ( for more details , see supplemental results ) .
overlapping duplications have been reported with variable phenotypes including mild dysmorphic features , learning disability , hypotonia , autism spectrum disorder , and mild brain abnormalities .
furthermore , given the extreme hypertonia and early respiratory failure seen in individual iv-6 , we did not feel that this could fully explain his phenotype .
homozygosity mapping revealed that the patient ( iv-6 ) , his deceased affected sister ( iv-5 ) , and affected cousin ( iv-3 ) shared only one region of homozygosity ( roh ) that was not shared with any unaffected relative ( iii 14 and iv-1 , 2 , and 7 ) .
this 6.5 mb shared roh ( chr10:83,619,940 - 90,095,915 , hg19 coordinates ) contained 28 protein - coding genes , 14 of which are associated with a known disease phenotype ( tables e-2 and e-3 ) .
atad1 is located in this shared roh , while szt2 , the other candidate gene identified through exome sequencing , is not .
molecular analysis confirmed that all affected family members were homozygous for the p.e276x variant , while unaffected family members were not ( figure 1 ) .
multipoint genetic linkage analysis of 8 snps as markers in this region demonstrated a logarithm of the odds ( lod ) score of 3.7 ( table e-4 ) , while the lod score calculated directly using only the atad1 p.e276x variant was 3.5 .
an lod score 3.3 has been shown to correspond to a genome - wide significance level of < 0.05 .
the effect of the p.e276x variant on atad1 expression was investigated in lymphoblastoid cells derived from the patient and an unaffected control .
this degree of reduction is consistent with nonsense - mediated decay , as noted by the absence of thorase protein on western blotting ( figure e-1b ) .
investigation of atad1 variation in control populations revealed that in the exome aggregation consortium ( exac.broadinstitute.org/gene/ensg00000138138 ) database , only 3 loss - of - function variants were observed in the gene , while the expected number of loss - of - function variants is 14.9 .
given that the p.e276x variant tracked with disease , decreased atad1 expression , and that atad1 knockout mice died of seizures , we concluded that this mutation was likely pathogenic .
atad1 mutations increase ampa receptor mediated excitatory signaling due to impaired receptor recycling . considering this mechanism of disease
perampanel dosing in mice was based on prior studies and a dose escalation study ( figure e-2 ) .
ex vivo brain mri of atad1 mice ( figure 2a ) demonstrated a volume reduction in all areas examined as compared to controls .
perampanel treatment did not show significant prevention of volume loss ; however , there was a trend toward improvement ( figure 2b ) .
loss of atad1 was also associated with increased t2-signal intensity throughout the brain , which is indicative of brain pathology with increased fluid content ( figure 2c ) .
perampanel improved whole - slice signal intensity in atad1 animals by 30.3% ( 95% confidence interval 11.3%59.5% ) ; further analysis of individual brain regions revealed improvement of signal intensity in the thalamus and striatum ( figure 2d ) .
( a ) representative ex vivo brain mris of wild - type and atad1 perampanel - treated and perampanel - untreated mice .
( b ) untreated atad1 mice ( light blue bars ) demonstrated volume reduction in all brain areas measured as compared to atad1 mice ( black bars ) .
perampanel therapy ( dark blue bars ) was associated with a trend toward normalization of brain volumes .
( c ) whole - slice t2 mri signal intensity was significantly increased in atad1 mice .
( d ) t2-signal intensity was increased in atad1 mice throughout the brain . perampanel therapy normalized signal intensity in the striatum and thalamus .
* p = 0.010.05 , * * p = 0.0010.009 , and * * * p < 0.001 . on open - field activity
testing , atad1 mice showed both an abnormal activity pattern as compared to wild - type mice ( figure 3 , a h ) and decreased spontaneous movements as measured by the distance traveled and the total rest time ( figure 3 , i and j ) .
perampanel corrected these behavioral deficits , while phenobarbital , an antiepileptic that targets -aminobutyric acid ( gaba ) receptors rather than ampa receptors , did not .
atad1 mice showed no difference in rearing activity or average speed as compared to wild - type littermates ( figure e-3 ) .
extensive daily observations revealed that atad1 mice would have seizures on the day that they died .
video recording revealed that 5 of 5 vehicle - treated , as compared to zero of 5 perampanel - treated , atad1 mice demonstrated seizures ( video 2 ) . finally , perampanel significantly prolonged average survival in atad1 mice by 115% ( mean of 20 vs 43 days ) , while phenobarbital did not significantly increase survival ( figure 3k ) .
these results demonstrate the efficacy of targeted ampar blockade by perampanel in mice with impaired ampar endocytosis due to mutations in atad1 .
( a h ) perampanel , but not phenobarbital , normalized open - field assessments in atad1 mice as seen by quantification ( a d ) and representative pathview images ( e h ) from ( a , e ) vehicle - treated , atad1 , ( b , f ) vehicle - treated , atad1 , ( c , g ) perampanel - treated , atad1 , and ( d , h ) phenobarbital - treated , atad1 mice ( n = 6 ) .
( i and j ) on behavioral analysis , atad1 mice ( red diamonds ) cover less distance ( l ) and rest more ( m ) than their wild - type littermates ( black filled - in circles ) .
perampanel ( blue triangles ) reverses the movement deficits , while phenobarbital does not ( n = 6 ) . two mice in the atad1 perampanel and phenobarbital - treated groups seized during this observation .
the seizures were characterized by high - speed involuntary movements ; therefore , they are shown in the figure ( symbol surrounded by a black circle ) , but they are not included in the statistical analysis .
( k ) survival is prolonged from 20 days in vehicle - treated atad1 mice ( red line ) to 43 days in atad1 perampanel - treated mice ( blue line ) .
there is no statistical survival difference between atad1 mice treated with vehicle ( red line ) or phenobarbital ( green line ) . for all panels , *
p = 0.010.05 , * * p = 0.0010.009 , and * * * p < 0.001 .
see also figures e-2 and e-3 . given the efficacy of perampanel in mice , we next considered a therapeutic trial in patients with atad1 mutations .
perampanel was recently approved by the fda for the treatment of seizures and demonstrated minimal off - target toxicity in human studies ; we obtained permission for off - label compassionate use for treatment of affected individuals .
patient iv-6 was started on perampanel at 16 months of age ; at this time , he had severe brain atrophy on mri ( figure 4a ) , hypertonia , absent cranial nerve reflexes , no spontaneous respiratory drive , and hypsarrhythmia on eeg .
within 8 days of starting perampanel , his tone improved and he developed a pupillary response to light .
he continued to show dose - dependent neurologic improvement until his neurologic status plateaued at a dose of approximately 0.5 mg / kg / d ( figures 4c , e-4 , e-5 ) .
he was weaned off all nonperampanel antiepileptics , which included phenobarbital ( dose at start of trial
6 mg / kg / d ) , topiramate ( dose at start of trial 6 mg / kg / d ) , and valium ( dose at start of trial 0.9 mg / kg / d ) . despite therapy
, he continued to have severe neurologic deficits and worsening hydrocephalus requiring endoscopic third ventriculostomy .
. initial brain mri at 2 months showed normal parenchyma , but subsequent studies at 9 and 21 months showed progressive volume loss and hydrocephalus .
perampanel was started at 2.5 months of age and follow - up mri at 9 months of age showed no changes ( unlike the progressive neurodegeneration seen in untreated patient iv-6 over the same age range , panel a ) .
( c ) timeline of clinical improvements observed in patient iv-6 and patient iv-4 after the initiation of perampanel therapy .
patient iv-4 also had progression of disease ( marked in red ) including respiratory failure that was not prevented with perampanel .
the bottom panel shows an eeg recorded from subject iv-6 at 15 months of age , prior to therapy with perampanel .
( d ) hypsarrhythmia is seen on eeg ( gain = 7 v / mm ) .
( e ) the pretreatment recording from panel a is shown at a gain of 30 v / mm .
( f ) an example of one of many focal seizures captured on routine eeg prior to perampanel .
the lower panel shows the eeg of the same patient 10 weeks after starting perampanel .
( g ) while on perampanel , the hypsarrhythmia resolved and no focal seizures were noted on follow - up 60-minute routine eeg .
this improved eeg pattern was noted on all subsequent follow - up eegs recorded over a several month period of observation .
see also figure e-4 . in light of the clinical improvement seen in the proband ,
patient iv-3 was started on perampanel at 2.5 months of age . given his young age ,
his neurologic function was more intact as compared to his cousin 's at the start of therapy . while he was
profoundly hypertonic , he had normal cranial nerve reflexes and respiratory drive . after starting perampanel , he had rapid improvement in tone and normalization of his eeg ( video 1 ) .
like his cousin , he was weaned from his other seizure medications including phenobarbital ( dose at start of trial of 2.5 mg / kg / d ) .
repeat brain mri at 9 months of age showed no parenchymal volume loss while on perampanel ( figure 4b ) , a finding that is dramatically different from what was seen in the proband at age 9 months ( figure 4a , middle mris ) . despite these markers of improvement , he developed respiratory failure requiring intubation .
however , his limited function was better as compared to his cousin who was untreated at the same age : he maintained all brain stem reflexes , sleep / wake cycles , the ability to withdraw and vocalize to pain , and spontaneous movements of all extremities ( figure 4c , and supplemental information ) .
functional improvement was also measured using the functional status score , a validated pediatric outcome measurement .
this outcome assesses 6 functional domains ( mental status , sensory , communication , motor , feeding , and respiratory function ) , each on a scale from 1 ( normal ) to 5 ( severely impaired ) , and a composite score is calculated . fully functioning children receive a score of 6 , while maximal impairment is assigned a score of 30 . over the course of therapy , patient iv-6 had a score improvement from 29 to 24 ( figure e-4 , a and b ) .
patient iv-4 began the trial with a functional status score of 19 and showed an initial improvement to a low score of 17 .
however , his overall functional score worsened despite therapy at 34 months of age due to his respiratory failure ( figure e-4 , c and d ) . at the end of the therapeutic trial , his functional status score
plateaued at 23 , as compared to his untreated cousin 's score of 29 at the same age .
this suggests that perampanel may improve functional outcomes but can not completely prevent progression of disease .
to obtain a diagnosis in a large consanguineous kuwaiti family with multiple neonates affected with hypertonia , seizures , respiratory failure , and death ( figure 1 , supplemental results ) , we used clinical exome sequencing and single nucleotide polymorphism ( snp)-based homozygosity analysis .
the proband ( individual iv-6 , figure 1 ) was symptomatic at birth and presented to our center at age 9 months .
he was nonresponsive to tactile , visual , and auditory stimuli with no spontaneous movement and extreme hypertonia .
eeg at 9 months showed hypsarrhythmia , a chaotic interictal pattern suggestive of severe brain dysfunction .
brain mri at 2 months of life was normal , but repeat at 9 months showed marked interval reduction in cerebral volume .
the proband is patient iv-6 ; his cousin who was subsequently evaluated and treated is patient iv-3 .
the atad1 variant , p.e276x , was identified by whole - exome sequencing and tracked with disease in all available family members ( + represents the normal allele and represents the p.e276x allele ) .
initial examination features and prior evaluations for patient iv-6 and patient iv-3 the second patient was the proband 's 2-month old male cousin ( individual iv-3 , figure 1 ) .
he also had a history of hypertonia and clinical seizures at birth . on first evaluation at our center at 2.5 months of age , he had little spontaneous movement and was extremely stiff ( video 1 ) .
eeg at presentation while on phenobarbital demonstrated a background lacking normal mixture of frequencies and poorly formed sharps but no seizures .
however , a homozygous nonsense variant of unknown significance in atad1 ( c.826 g > t , p.e276x ) was reported ( figure e-1a ) . his parents each carried 1 copy of the change .
there are no previous reports of atad1 mutations in humans ; however , mice harboring mutations in atad1 have frequent seizures , hypertonia , and early death .
compound heterozygote variants of unknown significance were also found in szt2 , which causes autosomal recessive epileptic encephalopathy type 18 ; however , the variants did not segregate in his affected sister ( iv-5 ) and he did not fit this phenotype ( supplemental results ) .
patient iv-6 was found to have a de novo 1.25 mb duplication of 17p13.3 ( for more details , see supplemental results ) .
overlapping duplications have been reported with variable phenotypes including mild dysmorphic features , learning disability , hypotonia , autism spectrum disorder , and mild brain abnormalities .
furthermore , given the extreme hypertonia and early respiratory failure seen in individual iv-6 , we did not feel that this could fully explain his phenotype .
homozygosity mapping revealed that the patient ( iv-6 ) , his deceased affected sister ( iv-5 ) , and affected cousin ( iv-3 ) shared only one region of homozygosity ( roh ) that was not shared with any unaffected relative ( iii 14 and iv-1 , 2 , and 7 ) .
this 6.5 mb shared roh ( chr10:83,619,940 - 90,095,915 , hg19 coordinates ) contained 28 protein - coding genes , 14 of which are associated with a known disease phenotype ( tables e-2 and e-3 ) .
atad1 is located in this shared roh , while szt2 , the other candidate gene identified through exome sequencing , is not .
molecular analysis confirmed that all affected family members were homozygous for the p.e276x variant , while unaffected family members were not ( figure 1 ) .
multipoint genetic linkage analysis of 8 snps as markers in this region demonstrated a logarithm of the odds ( lod ) score of 3.7 ( table e-4 ) , while the lod score calculated directly using only the atad1 p.e276x variant was 3.5 .
an lod score 3.3 has been shown to correspond to a genome - wide significance level of < 0.05 .
the effect of the p.e276x variant on atad1 expression was investigated in lymphoblastoid cells derived from the patient and an unaffected control .
this degree of reduction is consistent with nonsense - mediated decay , as noted by the absence of thorase protein on western blotting ( figure e-1b ) .
investigation of atad1 variation in control populations revealed that in the exome aggregation consortium ( exac.broadinstitute.org/gene/ensg00000138138 ) database , only 3 loss - of - function variants were observed in the gene , while the expected number of loss - of - function variants is 14.9 .
given that the p.e276x variant tracked with disease , decreased atad1 expression , and that atad1 knockout mice died of seizures , we concluded that this mutation was likely pathogenic .
atad1 mutations increase ampa receptor mediated excitatory signaling due to impaired receptor recycling . considering this mechanism of disease
perampanel dosing in mice was based on prior studies and a dose escalation study ( figure e-2 ) .
ex vivo brain mri of atad1 mice ( figure 2a ) demonstrated a volume reduction in all areas examined as compared to controls .
perampanel treatment did not show significant prevention of volume loss ; however , there was a trend toward improvement ( figure 2b ) .
loss of atad1 was also associated with increased t2-signal intensity throughout the brain , which is indicative of brain pathology with increased fluid content ( figure 2c ) .
perampanel improved whole - slice signal intensity in atad1 animals by 30.3% ( 95% confidence interval 11.3%59.5% ) ; further analysis of individual brain regions revealed improvement of signal intensity in the thalamus and striatum ( figure 2d ) .
( a ) representative ex vivo brain mris of wild - type and atad1 perampanel - treated and perampanel - untreated mice .
( b ) untreated atad1 mice ( light blue bars ) demonstrated volume reduction in all brain areas measured as compared to atad1 mice ( black bars ) .
perampanel therapy ( dark blue bars ) was associated with a trend toward normalization of brain volumes .
( c ) whole - slice t2 mri signal intensity was significantly increased in atad1 mice .
( d ) t2-signal intensity was increased in atad1 mice throughout the brain . perampanel therapy normalized signal intensity in the striatum and thalamus . for all panels ,
n = 6 . * p = 0.010.05 , * * p = 0.0010.009 , and * * * p < 0.001 . on open - field activity
testing , atad1 mice showed both an abnormal activity pattern as compared to wild - type mice ( figure 3 , a
h ) and decreased spontaneous movements as measured by the distance traveled and the total rest time ( figure 3 , i and j ) .
perampanel corrected these behavioral deficits , while phenobarbital , an antiepileptic that targets -aminobutyric acid ( gaba ) receptors rather than ampa receptors , did not .
atad1 mice showed no difference in rearing activity or average speed as compared to wild - type littermates ( figure e-3 ) .
extensive daily observations revealed that atad1 mice would have seizures on the day that they died .
video recording revealed that 5 of 5 vehicle - treated , as compared to zero of 5 perampanel - treated , atad1 mice demonstrated seizures ( video 2 ) . finally , perampanel significantly prolonged average survival in atad1 mice by 115% ( mean of 20 vs 43 days ) , while phenobarbital did not significantly increase survival ( figure 3k ) .
these results demonstrate the efficacy of targeted ampar blockade by perampanel in mice with impaired ampar endocytosis due to mutations in atad1 .
( a h ) perampanel , but not phenobarbital , normalized open - field assessments in atad1 mice as seen by quantification ( a d ) and representative pathview images ( e h ) from ( a , e ) vehicle - treated , atad1 , ( b , f ) vehicle - treated , atad1 , ( c , g ) perampanel - treated , atad1 , and ( d , h ) phenobarbital - treated , atad1 mice ( n = 6 ) .
( i and j ) on behavioral analysis , atad1 mice ( red diamonds ) cover less distance ( l ) and rest more ( m ) than their wild - type littermates ( black filled - in circles ) .
perampanel ( blue triangles ) reverses the movement deficits , while phenobarbital does not ( n = 6 ) .
two mice in the atad1 perampanel and phenobarbital - treated groups seized during this observation .
the seizures were characterized by high - speed involuntary movements ; therefore , they are shown in the figure ( symbol surrounded by a black circle ) , but they are not included in the statistical analysis .
( k ) survival is prolonged from 20 days in vehicle - treated atad1 mice ( red line ) to 43 days in atad1 perampanel - treated mice ( blue line ) .
there is no statistical survival difference between atad1 mice treated with vehicle ( red line ) or phenobarbital ( green line ) .
for all panels , * p = 0.010.05 , * * p = 0.0010.009 , and * * * p < 0.001 .
given the efficacy of perampanel in mice , we next considered a therapeutic trial in patients with atad1 mutations .
perampanel was recently approved by the fda for the treatment of seizures and demonstrated minimal off - target toxicity in human studies ; we obtained permission for off - label compassionate use for treatment of affected individuals .
patient iv-6 was started on perampanel at 16 months of age ; at this time , he had severe brain atrophy on mri ( figure 4a ) , hypertonia , absent cranial nerve reflexes , no spontaneous respiratory drive , and hypsarrhythmia on eeg . within 8 days of starting perampanel ,
he continued to show dose - dependent neurologic improvement until his neurologic status plateaued at a dose of approximately 0.5 mg / kg / d ( figures 4c , e-4 , e-5 ) .
he was weaned off all nonperampanel antiepileptics , which included phenobarbital ( dose at start of trial 6 mg / kg / d ) , topiramate ( dose at start of trial 6 mg / kg / d ) , and valium ( dose at start of trial 0.9 mg / kg / d ) . despite therapy
, he continued to have severe neurologic deficits and worsening hydrocephalus requiring endoscopic third ventriculostomy .
( a ) photographs and brain mris of the proband , individual iv-6 . initial brain mri at 2 months showed normal parenchyma , but subsequent studies at 9 and 21 months showed progressive volume loss and hydrocephalus .
perampanel was started at 2.5 months of age and follow - up mri at 9 months of age showed no changes ( unlike the progressive neurodegeneration seen in untreated patient iv-6 over the same age range , panel a ) .
( c ) timeline of clinical improvements observed in patient iv-6 and patient iv-4 after the initiation of perampanel therapy .
patient iv-4 also had progression of disease ( marked in red ) including respiratory failure that was not prevented with perampanel .
the bottom panel shows an eeg recorded from subject iv-6 at 15 months of age , prior to therapy with perampanel .
( d ) hypsarrhythmia is seen on eeg ( gain = 7 v / mm ) .
( e ) the pretreatment recording from panel a is shown at a gain of 30 v / mm .
( f ) an example of one of many focal seizures captured on routine eeg prior to perampanel .
the lower panel shows the eeg of the same patient 10 weeks after starting perampanel .
( g ) while on perampanel , the hypsarrhythmia resolved and no focal seizures were noted on follow - up 60-minute routine eeg .
this improved eeg pattern was noted on all subsequent follow - up eegs recorded over a several month period of observation .
see also figure e-4 . in light of the clinical improvement seen in the proband ,
. given his young age , his neurologic function was more intact as compared to his cousin 's at the start of therapy . while he was profoundly hypertonic , he had normal cranial nerve reflexes and respiratory drive .
after starting perampanel , he had rapid improvement in tone and normalization of his eeg ( video 1 ) .
like his cousin , he was weaned from his other seizure medications including phenobarbital ( dose at start of trial of 2.5 mg / kg / d ) .
repeat brain mri at 9 months of age showed no parenchymal volume loss while on perampanel ( figure 4b ) , a finding that is dramatically different from what was seen in the proband at age 9 months ( figure 4a , middle mris ) . despite these markers of improvement
however , his limited function was better as compared to his cousin who was untreated at the same age : he maintained all brain stem reflexes , sleep / wake cycles , the ability to withdraw and vocalize to pain , and spontaneous movements of all extremities ( figure 4c , and supplemental information ) .
functional improvement was also measured using the functional status score , a validated pediatric outcome measurement .
this outcome assesses 6 functional domains ( mental status , sensory , communication , motor , feeding , and respiratory function ) , each on a scale from 1 ( normal ) to 5 ( severely impaired ) , and a composite score is calculated .
fully functioning children receive a score of 6 , while maximal impairment is assigned a score of 30 .
over the course of therapy , patient iv-6 had a score improvement from 29 to 24 ( figure e-4 , a and b ) .
patient iv-4 began the trial with a functional status score of 19 and showed an initial improvement to a low score of 17 .
however , his overall functional score worsened despite therapy at 34 months of age due to his respiratory failure ( figure e-4 , c and d ) . at the end of the therapeutic trial ,
his functional status score plateaued at 23 , as compared to his untreated cousin 's score of 29 at the same age .
this suggests that perampanel may improve functional outcomes but can not completely prevent progression of disease .
we describe a disorder of ampar recycling caused by mutations in atad1 , a gene not previously known to cause human disease .
affected patients demonstrate hypertonicity , seizures , and early death . targeted therapy with perampanel alters the pathogenic mechanism and provides benefit in both mouse models and patients .
this case series demonstrates the power of combining genomic testing and variant analysis using animal models .
in addition , we confirm that combining detection of variants in novel genes and an understanding of disease mechanisms can inform care of an individual . this effort has achieved a clinical diagnosis , improved understanding of ampar function , and suggested therapeutic options .
as the first report of atad1-induced human disease , this work builds on previous observations that mutations that interrupt normal synaptic transmission can cause seizures .
postsynaptic receptor recycling is a known pathogenic mechanism in epilepsy ; for example , mutations in kif5a reduce postsynaptic expression of inhibitory gabaa receptors , reducing total inhibition and leading to seizures and encephalopathy .
unlike kif5a mutations that decrease total inhibition , atad1 mutations increase the population of excitatory postsynaptic receptors .
ultimately , either mechanism can disrupt the delicate balance between inhibitory and excitatory signaling and induce seizures . while this study highlights the promise of personalized medicine , there are limitations to this work .
typically , a gene is not considered as disease causing until it has been observed in 2 families . in this case , we have accumulated multiple lines of evidence supporting the pathogenicity of atad .
first , the variant tracked within the family and lod scores calculated both by a multipoint analysis method and the atad1 variant itself showed statistically significant linkage .
third , it is a stop - gain mutation and is absent from multiple control populations , and multiple computation programs predict its pathogenicity .
lastly , the atad1 p.e276x variant is classified as pathogenic when applying the recently published acmg variant analysis guidelines criteria for classification . as this is a new , ultra - rare disorder , there is limited understanding of its natural history .
it is possible that therapy was initiated too late in the natural progression of the disease or at too low of a dose to prevent this outcome .
nonetheless , he had better preservation of neurologic function than the few known untreated family members at the same age .
the superior functional status scores in our patient initiated at a younger age could be related to drug effect or due to interindividual variation .
this raises the possibility that treating physicians could be biased as to effect . to offset this , we used independent evaluation by multiple physicians .
clearly , more work is needed to fully determine the efficacy of peramapnel in this syndrome and to elucidate the exact treatment paradigm to maximize outcomes .
recently , a second function of atad1 was reported ; it acts as part of a quality control system for the mitochondrial membrane .
it is unclear how this function may relate to the patients ' phenotype ; perampanel would not be expected to reverse deficits in this pathway . despite the clear benefits of this individualized medicine approach
, there is likely an intrinsic limitation to the maximal benefit of perampanel therapy in patients with atad1 mutations .
the high doses required in this disorder also inhibit the more subtle modulation of ampa receptor activity that is crucial for normal cns functioning .
this limitation is supported by the fact that although perampanel prolongs survival and stops seizures in atad1 mice , they still die at a younger age as compared to their wild - type littermates . mice and humans with mutations in atad1 , a mediator of ampa receptor recycling , manifest with a devastating neurologic disorder that responds to targeted therapy with an fda - approved ampa - receptor blocker , perampanel .
these first studies establish the promise of this approach , but further studies are needed to elucidate both the natural history and the therapeutic potential of perampanel in patients with atad1 mutations .
. , and e.d.m . statistical analysis : r.c.a .- n . and g.k.e.u . conducting experiments : r.c.a .- n .
this work was supported by the nih / nida da000266 and nih / national institute of neurological disorders and stroke r01 ns067525 and r37 ns067525 to t.m.d . and v.l.d . , and nih / national institute of neurological disorders and stroke r01 ns082761 - 01a1 to e.d.m .
sondheimer was an expert witness on behalf of par pharmaceuticals in litigation unrelated to this article .
conlin has served on the scientific advisory board of nigms human genetic cell repository sac ; has received speaker honoraria from arcadia university ; and has received research support from nih / nhgri and the childtren 's hospital of philadelphia .
santani has received speaker honoraria form agilent ; receives publishing royalties from clinical research exome agilent ; has been a consultant for invitae ; has served on the speakers ' bureaus of chi , biomarker , and world diagnostics ; has received research support from nih ; and has received royalty payments from agilent .
dawson has served on the scientific advisory board of curepsp , the bachmann - strauss dystonia and parkinson foundation , the michael j. fox foundation for parkinson 's research , the milken institute parkinson 's disease scientific advisory group accelerating medicines partnership ( amp ) , the foundation for the nih , technical working group scientific program executive committee , and international association of parkinsonism and related disorders ( iaprd ) ; has received a speaker honorarium for molecular underpinnings of parkinson 's disease : a new path for therapies ; has served on the editorial boards of biology and chemistry of nitric oxide , the international journal of molecular medicine , molecular neurodegeneration , proceedings of the national academy of sciences , usa 2007 , current chemical biology , the open neuroscience journal , asn neuro , the american journal of clinical neurology , cell , the journal of clinical investigation , parkinson 's disease , plos one , the journal of parkinson 's disease , the american journal of neurodegenerative disease , synapse , f1000 research , molecular & cellular oncology , scientific reports , and oncotarget ; holds the following patents : # s5266594inhibition of nitric oxide synthase and use thereof to prevent glutamate neurotoxicity ; # s5587384inhibitors of poly ( adp - ribose ) synthetase and use thereof to treat nmda neurotoxicity ; # 5,898,029direct influences on nerve growth of agents that interact with immunophilins ; # s5798355inhibitors of rotamase enzyme activity ; # s5843960inhibitors of rotamase enzyme activity ; # s5846981inhibitors of rotamase enzyme activity ; # sre036397inhibitors of poly ( adp - ribose ) synthetase and use thereof to treat nmda neurotoxicity ; # 6022878inhibitors of rotamase enzyme activity ; # 6,080,753stimulating nerve growth with immunophilins ; # 6,358,975method of using selective parp inhibitors to prevent or treat neurotoxicity ; # 6,362,160immunophilin - binding agents prevent glutamate neurotoxicity associated with vascular stroke and neurodegenerative diseases ; # 8603994transcriptional repression leading to parkinson 's disease ; pct / us10/4487lrrk2-mediated neuronal toxicity ; 13/294,938compounds and related methods for manipulating parp-1-dependent cell death ; 13/294,884the treatment and prevention of pathologic conditions using iduna and related techniques and compositions ; long - acting glp-1r agonist as a therapy of neurological and neurodegenerative conditions ; us 9,274,128 b2transcriptional repression leading to parkinson 's disease ; and us 9309208b2methods of making and using thioxothiazolidine and rhodamine derivatives as hiv-1 and jsp-1 inhibitors ; receives publishing royalties from elsevier and informa healthcare usa , inc . ; has been a consultant for valted llc , american gene technologies international , dong - a pharmaceuticals , and sparc ; and has received research support from abbvie pharmaceuticals , dong - a st pharmaceuticals , nih / national institute of neurological disorders and stroke / ncbi , the jpb foundation , the diana helis henry medical research foundation , the adrienne helis malvin medical research foundation , and the michael j. fox foundation .
dawson has served on the scientific advisory boards of the new york stem cell foundation and the burke medical center advisory board ; has received travel funding from the salk institute , the gordon research conference , the university of rochester , novartis , delaware biotechnology institute , georgetown university , and the university of california san francisco ; has served on the editorial boards of the journal of neuroscience , neuromolecular medicine , the journal of parkinson 's disease , molecular & cellular oncology , oncotarget , the journal of molecular medicine , neurobiology of disease , and nitric oxide ; holds the following patents : s5266594inhibition of nitric oxide synthase and use thereof to prevent glutamate neurotoxicity ; s5587384inhibitors of poly ( adp - ribose ) synthetase and use thereof to treat nmda neurotoxicity ; sre036397inhibitors of poly ( adp - ribose ) synthetase and use thereof to treat nmda neurotoxicity ; 6,358,975method of using selective parp inhibitors to prevent or treat neurotoxicity ; 6,362,160immunophilin - binding agents prevent glutamate neurotoxicity associated with vascular stroke and neurodegenerative diseases ; pct / us10/55,857lrrk2-mediated neuronal toxicity ; 8603994transcriptional repression leading to parkinson 's disease ; and u.s . provisional application .
long - acting glp-1r agonist as a therapy of neurological and neurodegenerative condition ; and has received research support from inhibikase therapeutics inc . , abbvie , sanofi , dong - a st , nih / nida , nih / national institute of neurological disorders and stroke , the adrienne helis malvin medical research foundation , and the diana helis henry medical research foundation .
marsh has served on the scientific advisory boards of stanley brothers social enterprises and the jefferson university cannabis research and education center ; serves on the editorial board of epilepsia ; and has received research support from gw pharma , zogenix pharmaceuticals , neuren pharmaceuticals , and nih . | pubmed |
in current galaxy formation models , galaxies form at the center of dark matter halos when gas is able to cool , condense and form stars @xcite . at this stage the galaxy is called a _ central galaxy _ , and its growth is believed to be tightly linked with the growth of the host dark matter halo . indeed , a tight correlation has been well established , both theoretically ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) and observationally ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) , between the total mass of stars in a central galaxy ( stellar mass , m@xmath1 ) and the dark matter mass of its host halo ( m@xmath6 ) .
at a later stage the central galaxy , together with its host dark halo , may be accreted into a larger halo , and consequently the galaxy becomes a _
satellite galaxy _ and its halo becomes a _
subhalo _ of the new system . as a result
the galaxy will deviate to varying degrees from the stellar mass halo mass relation of the central galaxies .
in addition , environmental effects such as gas stripping by ram - pressure @xcite and tidal interactions @xcite occurring within the new system may effectively reduce the hot gas halo , and in some cases even the cold gas and stellar components of the satellite galaxy , thus making the correlation with halo mass even more loose .
it is thus important to consider central and satellite galaxies separately when studying the physical link between galaxies and dark halos . over the past decade
, extensive studies have attempted to determine the halo mass as a function of stellar mass ( or stellar luminosity ) for central galaxies using a variety of observational probes such as galaxy clustering , satellite kinematics , gravitational lensing and group / cluster catalogs .
these studies have obtained a m@xmath6m@xmath1 relation that follows a double power - law form with a small scatter of @xmath13 dex in @xmath14m@xmath1@xmath15m@xmath16 at fixed m@xmath6 ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
this relation has been widely - adopted to populate dark matter halos with galaxies in current physical / statistical models such as semi - analytic models @xcite , halo occupation distribution models @xcite , and subhalo abundance matching models @xcite . besides stellar mass , other galaxy properties such as color , star formation rate , morphology and internal structure
are also found to be correlated with halo mass , as usually probed by galaxy clustering ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) , halo occupation statistics ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ) , abundance matching ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ) , and weak lensing ( e.g. * ? ? ?
in particular , the sdss data have recently revealed that , when both central and satellite galaxies are considered , the galaxy - galaxy correlation function appears to be less dependent on galaxy stellar mass , when compared to the parameters quantifying the prominence of a central bulge in the galaxy , such as central stellar velocity dispersion ( @xmath4 ; @xcite ) .
this phenomenon may be attributed to the population of satellite galaxies for which the environmental processes such as tidal stripping occurring within their halos have stronger effect on stellar mass than on central stellar velocity dispersion .
when only considering central galaxies and when stellar mass is fixed , halo mass shows little dependence on both the properties indicative of star formation history ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ) and the @xmath4 , as recently demonstrated in ( * ? ? ?
* hereafter l13 ) . in l13
, the dark matter halo mass was estimated for samples selected by m@xmath1 and @xmath4 , by modelling the redshift - space distortion in the group - galaxy cross correlation function .
it was clearly shown that , for central galaxies in the local universe , stellar mass is better than stellar velocity dispersion as an indicator of dark matter halo mass . in the current paper
we extend the work of l13 by considering two more galaxy properties : optical color index ( @xmath2 ) and surface stellar mass density ( @xmath3 ) .
the @xmath2 is a parameter associated with the recent star formation history of the galaxy , whereas @xmath3 is related to galaxy structure .
we will estimate both clustering and halo mass for subsamples selected on two - dimensional planes each formed by m@xmath1 and one of the three properties : @xmath2 , @xmath3 and @xmath4 .
in addition to analyzing the central galaxies , we will study the clustering properties of both the full galaxy population and the subset of satellite galaxies , and compare the results for the different populations . through these analyses
, we aim to answer the following questions : * is stellar mass the galaxy property that is most related to halo mass ?
how is stellar mass compared to the recent star formation history ( as indicated by @xmath2 ) , the structural properties ( as quantified by @xmath3 ) and the central stellar velocity dispersion ( @xmath4 ) in terms of linking galaxies with dark halos ?
* is the correlation of halo mass and clustering with galaxy properties always stronger when we consider central galaxies only ?
what are the relative contributions of centrals and satellites to the overall clustering of galaxies ?
the paper is structured as follows . in [ sec : data ] we describe the galaxy sample and the physical properties used in this work . in
[ sec : centrals ] we focus on central galaxies , presenting the co - dependence of clustering and halo mass on galaxy properties . in
[ sec : all ] we examine the clustering properties for the full galaxy population and the satellite galaxies .
finally , we summarize our results and discuss on the implications on the link between galaxies and dark matter halos , as well as the relative roles of halo mass and galaxy structure in quenching the star formation in central galaxies . throughout this paper
we assume a cosmology model with the density parameter @xmath17 and the cosmological constant @xmath18 , and a hubble constant @xmath19 km s@xmath20mpc@xmath20 with @xmath21 .
for this work we have constructed three samples : i ) a sample of central galaxies based on the sdss group catalog of @xcite , ii ) a reference sample of galaxies selected from the sdss data release 7 ( dr7 * ? ? ?
* ) , and iii ) a random sample that has the same selection effects as the reference sample .
here we briefly describe these samples and refer the reader to our previous studies for more details : ( * ? ? ?
* hereafter l12 ) and l13 .
central galaxy sample : : : @xcite constructed a group catalog by applying a modified version of the halo - based group - finding algorithm of @xcite to a sample of @xmath22 galaxies that are in the redshift range @xmath23 and selected from sample dr72 of the new york university value - added galaxy catalog ( nyu - vagc ) .
the nyu - vagc is a catalog of local galaxies from the sdss / dr7 , publicly available at http://sdss.physics.nyu.edu/vagc/ , and is described in detail in @xcite .
following l12 and l13 we restrict ourselves to a subset of the group catalog , which consists of @xmath24 group systems with the number of member galaxies @xmath25 and the stellar mass of the central galaxy m@xmath1@xmath26m@xmath8 .
we use the most massive galaxy member as the central galaxy of each group .
reference galaxy sample : : : the reference sample is a magnitude - limited galaxy catalog selected from the nyu - vagc sample dr72 , consisting of about half a million galaxies with @xmath27 , @xmath28 and @xmath29 . here , @xmath30 is the @xmath30-band petrosian apparent magnitude , corrected for galactic extinction ; @xmath31 is the @xmath30-band petrosian absolute magnitude , corrected for evolution and @xmath32-corrected to its value at @xmath33 .
random sample : : : the random sample is constructed from the reference sample itself following the method described in @xcite . for each real galaxy in the reference sample , we generated 10 sky positions at random within the mask of the real sample , assigning to each of them the redshift of the real galaxy .
the resulting random sample is expected to be unclustered but fills the same sky region and has the same position- and redshift - dependent effects as the real sample .
extensive tests in @xcite show that random samples constructed in this way are valid for clustering analyses , provided that the survey area is large enough and that the effective depth of the survey does not vary . both requirements are met to good accuracy by our reference sample , which covers @xmath34 deg@xmath35 , complete down to @xmath36 and little affected by foreground dust over the entire survey footprint .
the galaxy properties needed for this work include stellar mass ( m@xmath1 ) , surface stellar mass density ( @xmath3 ) , optical color ( @xmath2 ) , and central stellar velocity dispersion ( @xmath4 ) .
we take the measurements of these properties from both the nyu - vagc and the mpa / jhu sdss database .
the latter is publicly available at http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/sdss/dr7/ , and is described in detail in @xcite .
we use the optical color index defined by the @xmath37-band and @xmath30-band petrosian magnitudes , which are corrected for galactic extinction , and @xmath32-corrected to their values at @xmath33 using the kcorrect code of @xcite .
a stellar mass accompanies the nyu - vagc release for each galaxy in our group catalog and reference sample .
this was estimated by @xcite based on the spectroscopically - measured redshift of the galaxy and its `` petrosian '' magnitude in the sdss five bands , assuming a universal initial mass function of @xcite form and implicitly correcting for dust attenuation .
we have corrected the petrosian mass to obtain a `` total mass '' using the sdss model magnitudes as described in appendix a of @xcite .
as demonstrated in @xcite , the masses from @xcite agree pretty well with those obtained from the simple , single color estimator of @xcite , as well as those derived by @xcite from a combination of sdss photometry and spectroscopy . in order to test whether a different stellar mass definition will cause any bias in our analysis , we also use the stellar masses from the mpa / jhu database obtained by @xcite .
the surface stellar mass density of a galaxy is defined by @xmath3@xmath38m@xmath1@xmath39 , where @xmath40 is the radius enclosing half of the total light in @xmath41-band , and m@xmath1 is the `` total '' stellar mass from nyu - vagc as described above .
the sdss spectroscopy provides a stellar velocity dispersion ( @xmath4 ) in the central 3@xmath42 of each galaxy . for disk - dominated galaxies , however ,
the @xmath4 thus obtained may be dominated by the global rotation rather than the random motion of stars .
therefore we obtain the central stellar velocity dispersion for our galaxies based on both photometry and spectroscopy from sdss , but in different ways for galaxies with and without a prominent bulge .
we determine the significance of bulge based on data from @xcite who have carried out a careful bulge / disk decomposition for @xmath43 million galaxies using the sdss imaging .
a galaxy is classified to have a prominent bulge if the bulge - to - total luminosity ratio @xmath44 , or the effective radius of the bulge @xmath45 .
otherwise , the galaxy is classified to have no / weak bulge component . here
the bulge / disk luminosities and radii are given by the @xmath46 bulge @xmath47 disk fitting model performed to the sdss @xmath30-band image ( see @xcite for detailed description of the model ) .
according to the significance of bulge and the signal - to - noise ( s / n ) of the sdss spectrum , we divide the galaxies into three classes , and obtain @xmath4 in different ways for different classes . * for those galaxies with both a prominent bulge and a high s / n spectrum ( @xmath30-band s / n@xmath48 )
, we directly use the @xmath4 measurement provided in the mpa / jhu database . following previous studies
we have corrected the @xmath4 of a galaxy to an aperture of its effective radius , adopting the relation found by @xcite : @xmath49 , where @xmath50 and @xmath51 is the radius enclosing half of the total light in @xmath30-band . at @xmath4@xmath52kms@xmath20 where we perform this study ,
about 53% of our galaxies fall into this class .
* for the galaxies with a prominent bulge but a low - quality spectrum with s / n@xmath53 , we assign a @xmath4 to each galaxy according to the correlation between @xmath4 and bulge luminosity @xmath54 , which is given by the galaxies in the above class .
in practice , we bin all the galaxies from the above class into narrow intervals of @xmath54 , and for a given interval we obtain the distribution function of @xmath4 according to which we randomly generate a @xmath4 for the galaxies falling in this interval . in this way both the median relation of @xmath4-@xmath54 in the high - s / n sample and the scatter of the galaxies around the median relation are reproduced in the low - s / n sample . at @xmath4@xmath52kms@xmath20 only a tiny fraction ( 1.4% ) of galaxies fall into this class . our tests here show that dropping this class would not impact our results in this paper . * for the galaxies without a prominent bulge , we follow previous studies ( e.g. * ? ? ? * ; * ? ? ?
* ) to estimate @xmath4 from converting the circular velocity @xmath55 : @xmath56 , assuming the singular isothermal sphere ( sis ) model for the total mass distribution of a galaxy .
the circular velocity is given by the tully - fisher relation : @xmath57 with @xmath58 and a dispersion of @xmath59 , which was found by @xcite for the sdss @xmath30-band . at @xmath4@xmath52kms@xmath20 a fraction of 45.6% galaxies fall into this class .
we would like to point out that , although we have obtained the central @xmath4 differently for different morphologies , our results to be presented below are essentially insensitive to the @xmath4 measurements .
we have repeated all the analyses using the @xmath4 measured directly from the sdss spectra , obtaining exactly the same conclusions .
a part of these analyses is presented in appendix of this paper .
detailed description of our methods for measuring galaxy clustering and dark matter halo masses can be found in our previous papers @xcite . in this section
we briefly describe these methods . following these papers we estimate errors on all the measurements in the current work using the bootstrap resampling technique @xcite . in this work we use two - point cross - correlation function ( 2pccf ) to quantify the clustering of our galaxies . for a given sample of galaxies ( sample q ) ,
this is measured with respect to the reference galaxy sample constructed above ( sample g ) , over scales from a few tens of kpc up to a few tens of mpc . on scales larger than a few mpc
, the amplitude of the 2pccf provides a measure of the average mass for the dark matter halos that host the sampled galaxies .
first , the redshift - space 2pccf , @xmath60 , between sample q and g , is estimated by @xmath61 here , @xmath62 and @xmath63 are the number of galaxies in the random sample ( sample r ) and in sample g ; @xmath64 and @xmath65 are the pair separations perpendicular and parallel to the line of sight ; @xmath66 and @xmath67 are the counts of cross pairs between sample q and g , and between sample q and r. the projected 2pccf is then obtained by integrating @xmath60 over @xmath65 : @xmath68 the summation for computing @xmath5 runs from @xmath69mpc to @xmath70mpc , with @xmath71 .
we correct the effect of fiber collisions using the method detailed in @xcite . for a given sample of central galaxies ,
we begin by estimating the redshift - space 2pccf @xmath60 and the projected 2pccf @xmath72 in the same way as described above .
we then obtain the 2pccf in real space , @xmath73 , by the abel transform of the @xmath5 .
next , the one - dimensional velocity dispersion profile ( vdp ) of satellite galaxies around the centrals is estimated by comparing @xmath60 with @xmath73 , through modeling the redshift - space distortion in @xmath60 . in order to estimate an average mass for the dark matter halos that host these central galaxies ,
we have calibrated the relationship between the one - dimensional velocity dispersion and the dark matter halo mass , by applying the same method to @xmath74-body cosmological simulations .
finally , based on this relationship , we determine an average halo mass for the sample of central galaxies from their one - dimensional velocity dispersion .
it was demonstrated in l12 that the halo mass thus estimated for central galaxies of given luminosity agrees very well with that obtained by @xcite by stacking the weak lensing signals of sdss galaxies .
we have also compared the halo mass versus stellar mass relation obtained from our method with that in @xcite and @xcite , which were measured from galaxy - galaxy lensing but had smaller statistical errors and better mass modelling compared to @xcite .
detailed description of our methodology , as well as comparisons with previous work and tests on the calibration , can be found in l12 .
we begin with the central galaxies in our group catalog , estimating their redshift - space clustering and dark matter halo mass as function of their physical properties including stellar mass ( m@xmath1 ) , optical color ( @xmath2 ) , surface stellar mass density ( @xmath3 ) and central stellar velocity dispersion ( @xmath4 ) . to this end
, we have selected a number of subsamples on the plane of m@xmath1 versus each of the other parameters : @xmath2 , @xmath3 and @xmath4 .
the selection is shown in figure [ fig : cen_samples ] , which displays all the central galaxies with small dots in each of the three planes , with the subsamples in each plane enclosed by the black boxes .
the average values of the two parameters for the selection is marked with a cross for each subsample .
this selection scheme gives us at least two intervals in one parameter when the other is limited to a given interval , thus allowing us to study the dependence of clustering and halo mass on one of the two parameters while fixing the other .
figure [ fig : wrp_mstar_gr ] presents the measurements of @xmath5 for the subsamples of central galaxies selected on the m@xmath1 vs. @xmath2 plane .
we plot the results for different @xmath2 subsamples but fixed m@xmath1 in the left - hand panels , and the results for different m@xmath1 subsamples but fixed @xmath2 in the right - hand panels . at fixed stellar mass and given projected separation @xmath11 , @xmath5 shows very weak or no dependence on @xmath2 , and this result holds for all the masses ( @xmath75@xmath14m@xmath1@xmath15m@xmath16@xmath76 ) and separations ( @xmath77kpc@xmath78mpc ) probed here .
in contrast , the @xmath5 at fixed @xmath2 presents strong dependence on stellar mass , in terms of both amplitude and slope .
this effect is true for all the @xmath2 bins except the bluest color bin ( @xmath79@xmath2@xmath80 ) where we have only two subsamples due to the relatively narrow range in stellar mass . at given @xmath2 and on scales between @xmath81kpc and a few mpc , the @xmath5 amplitude increases , while its slope flattens with increasing m@xmath1 . as a result ,
the transition between the `` one - halo '' and `` two - halo '' regimes occur at larger radii for higher masses , indicating that high - mass centrals are hosted by dark matter halos with larger virial radii ( thus higher dark matter masses ) when compared to low - mass centrals of the same @xmath2 color .
we present the correlation of halo mass with stellar mass and color in figure [ fig : mhalo_mstar_gr ] , where the halo mass ( m@xmath6 ) estimated for all the central galaxy subsamples is plotted against both m@xmath1 ( left panel ) and @xmath2 ( right panel ) . for comparison
we have done the same analysis for a set of subsamples selected by m@xmath1 without further dividing the galaxies in each subsample into intervals of @xmath2 , as well as a set of @xmath2 subsamples without further dividing the galaxies in each subsample into m@xmath1 intervals .
this analysis leads to an _ average _ relation between m@xmath6 and m@xmath1 ( left panel ) , and between m@xmath6 and @xmath2 ( right panel ) , which are plotted as triangles connected with a solid line in the figure .
the figure shows that m@xmath6 is correlated with both m@xmath1 and @xmath2 , but the correlation with m@xmath1 is apparently much stronger than the correlation with @xmath2 , in terms of both the scatter and slope of the relations .
the rms scatter of the different @xmath2 subsamples around the average relation between m@xmath6 and m@xmath1 is 26.1% , compared to 138% for the different m@xmath1 subsamples around the m@xmath6(@xmath2 ) relation .
the average relation between m@xmath6 and m@xmath1 can be roughly described by a straight line with a steep slope .
in contrast , the average relation between m@xmath6 and @xmath2 shows a similarly steep ( but more scattering ) relation only for red galaxies with ( @xmath2)@xmath82 . for central galaxies of bluer colors , the average halo mass is nearly constant at @xmath83m@xmath8 , close to the halo mass of the milky way .
we note that , in the stellar mass range of @xmath84@xmath14m@xmath1@xmath15m@xmath16@xmath85 , the halo mass appears to even show a non - monotonic dependence on color ( see the green symbols in the right - hand panel ) , with both blue and red galaxies being hosted by dark halos of mass @xmath14m@xmath6@xmath15m@xmath16@xmath86 and the galaxies with intermediate color ( @xmath87@xmath2@xmath88 ) moving in slightly lighter halos ( @xmath14m@xmath6@xmath15m@xmath16@xmath89 ) .
figure [ fig : wrp_mstar_mustar ] and [ fig : mhalo_mstar_mustar ] present the @xmath5 and m@xmath6 estimates for subsamples selected on the plane of m@xmath1 and @xmath3 , in the same format and with the same symbols as above .
the results are quite similar to what are found from the previous two figures , in the sense that @xmath5 and m@xmath6 at fixed @xmath3 show strong dependence on stellar mass , with little residual correlation with @xmath3 when m@xmath1 is fixed .
the halo mass averaged over all stellar masses depends on @xmath3 in a complicated way : m@xmath6 increases with increasing @xmath3 , reaching a maximum of @xmath14m@xmath6@xmath15m@xmath16 @xmath90 at @xmath91@xmath14@xmath3@xmath15m@xmath92@xmath93 , before it declines and becomes constant at @xmath14@xmath3@xmath15m@xmath92@xmath94 . at given @xmath3 , the different m@xmath1 subsamples scatter by an order of 1 - 1.5 magnitude in halo mass , with an overall rms scatter of 155% around the average relation between m@xmath6 and m@xmath1 .
for comparison , the rms scatter is only 19.7% for the @xmath3 subsamples around the m@xmath6@xmath3 relation .
figure [ fig : wrp_mstar_vdisp ] and [ fig : mhalo_mstar_vdisp ] present the measurements of @xmath5 and halo mass for the subsamples selected on the m@xmath1@xmath4 plane .
these results were presented in figures 2 and 4 in l13 , and are repeated here for completeness and comparison .
similarly , m@xmath6 varies little with @xmath4 at fixed m@xmath1 , but shows strong and tight correlation with m@xmath1 when @xmath4 is limited to a narrow range .
the rms scatter is 15.2% ( 73.2% ) for the subsamples of @xmath4 ( m@xmath1 ) around the average relation of m@xmath6 with m@xmath1 ( @xmath3 ) .
figures [ fig : wrp_mstar_gr ] -[fig : mhalo_mstar_vdisp ] echo the well - established tight correlation between the stellar mass and halo mass for central galaxies in dark matter halos .
more importantly , these figures clearly show that the halo mass stellar mass correlation holds tight even when @xmath4 , @xmath2 and @xmath3 are limited to a narrow range .
we conclude that , among the physical parameters considered and for central galaxies with @xmath14m@xmath1@xmath15m@xmath16 @xmath95 , stellar mass is the galaxy property that is most closely correlated with dark matter halo mass .
both @xmath4 and @xmath2 are correlated with halo mass , with the former showing a steeper slope and a smaller scatter , but these correlations are largely driven by the correlation between halo mass and stellar mass . the @xmath3 is not correlated with halo mass for the central galaxies as a whole . at fixed stellar mass , the estimated halo mass shows very little correlation with @xmath3 , although we note that the halo mass appears to slightly decline with increasing @xmath3 , particularly in the lowest stellar mass bin ( @xmath84@xmath14m@xmath1@xmath15m@xmath16@xmath85 ) .
the lack of correlation between @xmath3 and halo mass at fixed stellar mass implies that the mass size relation of central galaxies , as well established by the large samples of both high - z and low - z galaxies , depends little on their host halo mass .
we summarize the co - dependence of halo mass on these physical parameters by indicating the estimated halo mass for each sample with a red circle in figure [ fig : cen_samples ] , where the size of the circle is scaled linearly with @xmath14m@xmath6@xmath15m@xmath16 .
the strong correlation of halo mass with stellar mass , as well as the weak correlation with other parameters , can be visually identified in this figure .
we conclude that , for central galaxies , the correlation of halo mass with stellar mass is still the tightest compared to the correlation with other properties .
in this section we consider the full galaxy sample including both central and satellite galaxies . since our methodology of estimating halo masses is applicable only for central galaxies , in what follows we will focus on measuring @xmath5 for subsamples selected from the full sample , examining its co - dependence on the same set of physical properties analyzed above . following the previous section , we select subsamples of galaxies on two - dimensional planes formed by m@xmath1 and one of the other properties including @xmath2 , @xmath3 and @xmath4 , and for each subsample
we then estimate the project ccf @xmath5 with respect to the reference galaxy sample using the same method .
we start by measuring the @xmath5 for subsamples selected on the m@xmath1@xmath4 plane .
figure [ fig : all_wrp_mstar_vdisp ] presents in the left panels the @xmath5 measurements at fixed m@xmath1 but in different @xmath4 intervals , and in the right panels the measurements at fixed @xmath4 but different m@xmath1 .
the ranges of m@xmath1 and @xmath4 used to select the subsamples are indicated in each panel .
an overall impression from the figure is that , in almost all the panels we see systematic shift in @xmath5 with increasing m@xmath1 ( or @xmath4 ) when @xmath4 ( or m@xmath1 ) is fixed . at fixed @xmath4 , the mass dependence of the clustering power
is mainly seen at the highest stellar masses with @xmath14m@xmath1@xmath15m@xmath16@xmath96 .
it is not surprising to note that such mass dependence is most pronounced in the highest @xmath4 bin ( the bottom - right panel ) , which is expected given the known correlation between m@xmath1 and @xmath4 . at fixed m@xmath1 ,
the @xmath5 increases with increasing @xmath4 , and similarly the effect appears to be stronger at higher @xmath4 .
these trends are more clearly seen in figure [ fig : all_bias_mstar_vdisp ] where we plot @xmath5 measured at given projected separation @xmath11 as a function of m@xmath1 for subsamples of different @xmath4 ( left panels ) , and as a function of @xmath4 for subsamples of different m@xmath1 ( right panels ) . in the left panels , both the weak mass dependence at low masses and the strong mass dependence at the massive end
are apparently seen .
on average the amplitude of @xmath5 changes little when one goes from the lowest masses probed here ( m@xmath1@xmath97m@xmath8 ) up to m@xmath1@xmath98m@xmath8 , before it increases remarkably at higher masses by at most a factor 2 - 3 depending on scale and @xmath4 .
this result is consistent with the well - established behavior of the relative bias factor ( @xmath99 ) of galaxy clustering measured in sdss and other surveys , which depends weakly on stellar mass for galaxies with m@xmath1 below the characteristic mass of the stellar mass function but quickly increases at higher masses ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
it is interesting to see that , at high masses with m@xmath1@xmath100m@xmath8 and at intermediate to large scales with @xmath101 , the @xmath5 at fixed m@xmath1 shows little dependence on @xmath4 .
in contrast , at lower masses and at all scales probed , the @xmath5 at fixed m@xmath1 appears to depend on @xmath4 , with the effect being more marked at smaller @xmath11 .
the @xmath5 as a function of @xmath4 , plotted in the right - hand panels of the figure , presents similar behaviors to what we found in the left - hand panels , in the sense that the overall amplitude of @xmath5 at given @xmath11 increases with increasing @xmath4 , by a factor of 2 - 3 on average . however , when further dividing the galaxies by stellar mass , we find that the increase of @xmath5 at high-@xmath4 ( @xmath102 kms@xmath20 ) is actually driven by the increase of m@xmath1 with @xmath4 . in this @xmath4 regime ,
the @xmath5 shows little dependence on @xmath4 , while increasing dramatically with increasing m@xmath1 at given @xmath4 . at @xmath4
smaller than @xmath103 kms@xmath20 , in contrast , it is the reverse that is in fact the case : the increase of @xmath5 with @xmath4 seems to be driven by @xmath4 itself , an effect that is almost independent of m@xmath1 .
we now extend the analysis by examining the co - dependence of @xmath5 on stellar mass and optical color ( @xmath2 ) .
the @xmath5 measurements for the subsamples selected by the two properties are presented in figure [ fig : all_bias_mstar_color ] .
overall the results are similar to what we see above for the subsamples selected by m@xmath1 and @xmath4 . at high masses
( @xmath104 a few @xmath105m@xmath8 ) and red colors ( @xmath2@xmath106 ) , the clustering amplitude depends strongly on m@xmath1 and weakly on @xmath2 .
conversely , at lower masses and bluer colors , there is very weak or no dependence on stellar mass , and the dependence on color is clearly seen .
these results are also broadly consistent with previous studies which measured the auto - correlation function of galaxies as a function of both stellar mass and color ( e.g. * ? ? ?
we further perform the same analysis to subsamples selected on the plane of m@xmath1 versus the surface stellar mass density ( @xmath3 ) .
results are displayed in figure [ fig : all_bias_mstar_mustar ] .
the behaviors of @xmath5 on these figures are different from those on the previous figures . in most cases
the clustering amplitude shows dependence only on stellar mass .
there is no clear dependence on @xmath3 in all cases except at small scales with @xmath11 below a few mpc and at low stellar masses with @xmath14m@xmath1@xmath15m@xmath16@xmath107 ( see the top two panels on the left - hand ) , where the clustering amplitude at fixed scale and mass increases with increasing @xmath3 .
we have analyzed the clustering properties for both the central galaxies in our sample and all the galaxies as a whole .
for completeness we have also measured @xmath5 for the satellite galaxies , by excluding the central galaxies from our sample and selecting subsamples of satellites on the same two - dimensional planes as above .
we find that , overall , the @xmath5 measured for the satellite galaxies depends on the galaxy properties in a way that is qualitatively quite similar to the @xmath5 measured above for the full galaxy population , although for satellite galaxies we have to be limited to a smaller number of subsamples with more noisy measurements in some cases , due to the smaller number of satellite galaxies available in our sample . the results in this section combine to reveal that , for galaxies as a whole , the clustering amplitude depends on both stellar mass and other properties considered , but in different ways for different types of galaxies . for massive galaxies with large m@xmath1 ( m@xmath1@xmath100m@xmath8 ) , which also have large @xmath4 , @xmath2 and @xmath3 ,
the clustering is determined mainly on stellar mass , with little apparent dependence on other properties when m@xmath1 is fixed . at lower m@xmath1
the clustering depends on @xmath4 and @xmath2 at all scales in similar ways , and on @xmath3 only at scales smaller than a few mpc . in any case
, the clustering amplitude shows little dependence on m@xmath1 at lower masses , when one of the other properties is fixed .
these results hold true when only considering satellite galaxies .
this implies that the different clustering properties at lower masses , as seen in the central galaxy sample and the full sample , are mainly caused by the satellite galaxies which dominate the clustering at the low masses .
in this paper we have studied the clustering of both central and satellite galaxies in a large sample of @xmath016,000 galaxy groups identified by @xcite from the sdss / dr7 , as well as the clustering of the full population including both centrals and satellites . in order to understand the co - dependence of clustering on stellar mass ( m@xmath1 ) and other properties
, we have divided our galaxies into subsamples on two - dimensional planes each formed by m@xmath1 and one of the other properties including stellar velocity dispersion ( @xmath4 ) , optical color ( @xmath2 ) and surface stellar mass density ( @xmath3 ) . for each subsample
we then measure the projected cross - correlation functions @xmath5 with respect to a reference sample consisting of about half a million galaxies , also selected from the sdss / dr7 . for each subsample of central galaxies , we have further estimated an average dark matter halo mass ( m@xmath6 ) , by modelling the redshift distortion in the redshift - space cross - correlation function between the centrals and the reference galaxies .
we have compared these measurements for the different populations , and for subsamples selected by different properties .
our main conclusions can be summarized as follows . 1 . for central galaxies , we find that both the clustering amplitude on scales larger than a few mpc and the dark matter halo mass show strongest dependence on m@xmath1 , and there is no clear dependence on other properties when m@xmath1 is fixed
. this result holds at all the stellar masses considered ( m@xmath1@xmath108m@xmath8 ) .
our finding provides strong support to the commonly - adopted assumption that , for central galaxies , stellar mass is the galaxy property that is best indicative of the host dark halo mass .
the full galaxy population and the subset of satellites show similar clustering properties in all cases , which are similar to those of the central galaxies only at high - mass ( m@xmath1@xmath109m@xmath8 ) .
3 . at low - mass ( m@xmath1@xmath10m@xmath8 ) ,
the clustering properties of the full population and the satellite galaxies differ from those of the central galaxies : the clustering amplitude increases with both @xmath4 and @xmath2 when m@xmath1 is fixed , and depends very weakly on m@xmath1 when @xmath4 or @xmath2 is fixed .
4 . at fixed m@xmath1 ,
the surface mass density @xmath3 shows weak correlations with clustering amplitude ( and halo mass in case of central galaxies ) .
this is true for both centrals and satellites , and holds at all masses and on all scales , except that at @xmath11 below a few mpc and m@xmath1@xmath10m@xmath8 , the galaxies with higher surface density are more clustered .
the strong mass dependence of galaxy clustering at the high mass end has been well established in previous studies through measuring the auto - correlation function of galaxies in sdss and other surveys ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
? * ; * ? ? ?
the same effect is revealed in this work by the cross - correlation functions which depend strongly on stellar mass for galaxies more massive than @xmath110m@xmath8 .
it is interesting that the effect holds even when the galaxies are limited to narrow ranges in other properties .
more interestingly , we find that the same effect at high - mass is seen when we divide the galaxies into centrals and satellites .
it is clear that , for high - mass galaxies , stellar mass is the galaxy property that is most strongly correlated with clustering .
this result was missing in the previous study by @xcite who measured the @xmath5 for the full galaxy population as a function of both m@xmath1 and @xmath4 , using the same statistic and similar data as in the current work . in order to understand the reason for the different results in wake et al . and
here , we have performed an additional analysis and present the results in the appendix ( [ sec : comp_wake ] ) .
it is shown that the lack of mass dependence at fixed @xmath4 in wake et al .
can be attributed to the too broad mass binning adopted , which smoothed out the mass dependence at the massive end . at masses below @xmath110m@xmath8 ,
the clustering shows weak or no dependence on stellar mass , also in agreement with previous studies of the auto - correlation function of galaxies , and there is clear dependence on both @xmath4 and @xmath2 on all scales probed even when m@xmath1 is fixed .
the dependence on @xmath4 at fixed mass found here is apparently consistent with @xcite .
the similarity in the results for @xmath4 and @xmath2 may be reflecting the fact revealed by recent studies that @xmath4 is the best indicator of galaxy color when compared to other properties such as stellar mass , surface mass density and morphology ( e.g. * ? ? ?
the result for @xmath3 is somewhat different from that for @xmath4 and @xmath2 , in the sense that the clustering amplitude shows dependence on @xmath3 only on scales smaller than a few mpc , and this is true only for low - mass galaxies with m@xmath1@xmath10m@xmath8 .
the lack of dependence on @xmath3 on large scales is again consistent with previous studies of auto - correlation functions @xcite , which are found to be independent of @xmath3 on scales above a few mpc .
our result apparently agrees with early studies that examined the correlation of local environment with galaxy properties , finding color to be the galaxy property most predictive of the local environment and structural parameters to be almost independent of local density at fixed stellar mass ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
in l13 we concluded that , when compared to stellar velocity dispersion , the stellar mass is better for indicating the host dark halo mass of central galaxies .
in this work we have extended this work by including @xmath2 and @xmath3 , which are the galaxy parameters sensitive to recent star formation history and internal structure .
we find that stellar mass is still the galaxy property that is most tightly correlated with dark halo mass ( and clustering ) .
therefore , it is clear that the stellar mass is better than other properties such as stellar velocity dispersion , optical color and surface mass density , in terms of linking central galaxies with their host halo .
one may question the reliability of taking the most massive galaxy as the central galaxy of groups ( e.g. * ? ? ?
. however , a recent study of x - ray observations of nearby clusters of galaxies @xcite has nicely shown that the typical offset is only 20 kpc between the brightest cluster galaxy ( bcg ) and x - ray centroid , and that measurements of weak lensing mass centered at bcgs agree well with those centered at x - ray centroids .
this suggested that the bcgs ( and similarly the most massive galaxy ) are indeed very close to the potential center of clusters . the full sample and the satellite population show similar clustering properties , which are similar to those of central galaxies only at high masses ( m@xmath1@xmath9m@xmath8 ) .
this confirms our previous conjecture that it is necessary to consider central and satellite galaxies separately when studying the link between galaxy and dark matter halos .
the current work shows that the clustering of the two types of galaxies depends on the galaxy properties in different ways .
therefore , the behavior of clustering for a sample including both populations must strongly depends on the central / satellite fraction of the sample .
it is thus not surprising that the stellar mass is always most related with clustering and halo mass at the massive end , where the sample is dominated by central galaxies . at lower masses , in contrast
, the satellite fraction is larger and the result of the full sample is mainly reflecting the behavior of satellite galaxies .
finally , we would like to point out that our results may be helpful for understanding the role of dark matter halos in quenching the star formation in central galaxies , a current topic that has been studied in depth by many authors , both observationally and theoretically .
on one hand , theoretically the so - called `` halo quenching '' process is expected to be at work for central galaxies of massive halos reaching a critical halo mass of @xmath111m@xmath8 , where the infalling gas is shock - heated to the virial temperature and is no longer able to cool efficiently ( e.g. * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
on the other hand , recent studies of the correlations between galaxy color and structural parameters based on sdss and high - z surveys have reached a well - established conclusion that the presence of a prominent central object such as a bulge is a necessary , but not sufficient condition for quenching the star formation in central galaxies ( e.g. * ? ? ? * ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
this result supports the `` morphology quenching '' process proposed by @xcite , in which the buildup of a central massive spheroid can effectively stabilize the gas disk from gravitationally collapsing and forming stars .
recently @xcite suggested a `` two - step '' picture in which both the halo quenching and morphology quenching processes play important roles .
however , the two processes could be essentially the same process if @xmath4 turns out to be most correlated with dark matter halo mass . in that case , halo mass would be the driving parameter for both the growth of the bulge within the galaxy ( as quantified by @xmath4 ) and the gas heating in the host halo .
this possibility can be ruled out according to our analysis which clearly show that the halo mass is more tightly correlated with m@xmath1 than with @xmath4 .
our result suggests that halo quenching and morphology quenching are two distinct processes , driven by different physical processes and parameters .
we re grateful to the referee for the helpful comments .
this work is supported by national key basic research program of china ( no .
2015cb857004 ) , nsfc ( grant no . 11173045 , 11233005 , 11325314 , 11320101002 ) and the strategic priority research program `` the emergence of cosmological structures '' of cas ( grant no .
xdb09000000 ) . funding for the sdss and sdss - ii has been provided by the alfred p. sloan foundation , the participating institutions , the national science foundation , the u.s .
department of energy , the national aeronautics and space administration , the japanese monbukagakusho , the max planck society , and the higher education funding council for england .
the sdss web site is http://www.sdss.org/. the sdss is managed by the astrophysical research consortium for the participating institutions .
the participating institutions are the american museum of natural history , astrophysical institute potsdam , university of basel , university of cambridge , case western reserve university , university of chicago , drexel university , fermilab , the institute for advanced study , the japan participation group , johns hopkins university , the joint institute for nuclear astrophysics , the kavli institute for particle astrophysics and cosmology , the korean scientist group , the chinese academy of sciences ( lamost ) , los alamos national laboratory , the max - planck - institute for astronomy ( mpia ) , the max - planck - institute for astrophysics ( mpa ) , new mexico state university , ohio state university , university of pittsburgh , university of portsmouth , princeton university , the united states naval observatory , and the university of washington .
here we present an additional analysis which attempts to examine the robustness of our results to the different definitions / estimations of stellar mass and stellar velocity dispersion , as well as to understand why the previous work by @xcite led to different conclusions .
for the first purpose , we use m@xmath1 and @xmath4 estimates from the mpa / jhu database , the same data as used by @xcite , and we repeat the analysis as done in the main text , selecting subsamples of the full galaxy population on the two - dimensional plane of m@xmath1 and @xmath4 with exactly the same binning scheme .
the @xmath5 measurements are presented in figure [ fig : all_bias_wake ] . comparing this figure and
figure [ fig : all_bias_mstar_vdisp ] , our conclusion remains unchanged regarding the co - dependence of clustering on m@xmath1 and @xmath4 , although there are subtle differences in some cases .
again , we find the @xmath5 to depend mainly on m@xmath1 at high masses and on @xmath4 at low masses . using the same data and the same statistic , @xcite reached a conclusion that is different from ours : there was no dependence of @xmath5 on stellar mass at fixed @xmath4 , but dependence on @xmath4 was clearly seen at fixed m@xmath1 .
however , the results from the two studies may not be comparable , as wake et al .
adopted much wider binning when selecting their subsamples . in order to examine the effect of the different selections , we follow wake et al .
to select 12 subsamples on the m@xmath1 vs. @xmath4 plane with the same binning scheme . the @xmath5 measured at different scales as a function of the median m@xmath1 ( left panels ) or the median @xmath4 ( right panels ) of these subsamples are plotted in figure [ fig : all_bias_wake ] as large triangles and diamonds .
the results are in good agreement with wake et al . :
the clustering amplitude at given @xmath11 shows strong dependence on @xmath4 at fixed m@xmath1 ( see the comparison between triangles and diamonds in the left panels ) , and does not depend on m@xmath1 at fixed @xmath4 for scales beyond @xmath112 mpc ( see the comparison between triangles and diamonds in the bottom three panels at the right hand ) . comparing these subsamples with the subsamples selected with finner binning , we find that the 6 subsamples in the left panels are dominated by galaxies of relatively low masses ( @xmath14m@xmath1@xmath15m@xmath16@xmath113 ) , a regime where the mass dependence of galaxy clustering is weak as discussed above
. the mass dependence can only be seen at the highest masses , and can be easily hidden if the sample being considered covers a wide range of stellar mass . regarding the 6 subsamples in the right panels , we find that these subsamples are biased to relatively large @xmath4 , but none of them are representative of the galaxies with the highest @xmath4 , only at which the clustering amplitude shows dependence on m@xmath1 at fixed @xmath4 .
therefore , our analysis here explains why wake et al
. failed to detect a mass dependence at fixed stellar velocity dispersion , which can be simply attributed to the too broad binning in both m@xmath1 and @xmath4 adopted in their sample selection . | arxiv |
Anime X-overs, Book X-overs 1. Chapter 1
Inseparable (linked to the Colouring pencil universe story)
I'm Janet and I live in the Uk. I've got long brown hair, brown eyes and mixed race skin. I wear pink because I'm part of Love, on the Emotions we've all been matched with or born into.
Tomorrow, I turn 16 and I'll have to go to the Emotion Mirror hall in London to get scanned. For as long as I can remember, the world had been separated by white brick walls and a train that travel to each corner of the world on one track.
I looked at the mirror and saw myself. People that have the Love Emotion love one another and show it through acts of kindness and compassion.
I do feel love but I feel other emotions too and I feel like the odd one out; like I don't belong here.
XXX
My birthday arrives and I walk outside with my parents and sister to the hall where all of Emotions gather to get scanned. We all sat in a waiting room as each name was called out.
'Janet Dango' a lady's voice said.
I walked inside the opposite room as the door closed behind me.
Four beams of light hit the ground in front of me as I walked towards the golden mirror.
'Janet, I'm Evy (pronounced Evie) and I'm your monitor' a young lady with long blonde hair and blue eyes wearing an orange dress said. She was from Caring in Belfast.
Belfast had Caring, Innocence, Envy and Honest, New York had concerned, Calm/Wisdom/Confidence/Loyalty(also known as Aqua Tear-Blue-), Friendly and Elegance, Canada had Anger, Creative (Paint for life) Random and Concerned(yellow) while the UK had Caring, Determination(Gold flame of Determination and persistence), Love and worried.
'Stand in front of the mirror and Obey the scan' Evy said as the mirror scanned my body and showed a dark purple colour as my emotion.
_Inseparable_ appeared in dark purple writing on the mirror.
'Your emotion is Random' Evy said. 'You're in grave danger, Janet' Evy whispered.
'What's Inseparable?' I asked.
'It's when you can't separate two people from each other and that could damage the whole system. Don't tell anyone about your scan, Janet' Evy warned as I went out of the scan room and into the Decision hall.
We sat in groups with our families. 'Hi, everyone. This is the greatest day in history when all of the young people make their decision. Remember chose the emotion that best reflects your personality, good luck' Nero, a guy wearing a grey, dull suit with brown-grey hair and brown sharp eyes said.
' Nora Finale' Nero called out as I saw a girl wearing random clothes walk up to the stage with an orb of light and picked the random emotion.
'Random' He said which made everyone in that section cheer and clap.
Then it was my friend Bingo, who I thought was loveable in every way, who was up next.
Then to my surprise he chose…
'Determination' as everyone wearing gold smiled at him as he sat with them.
Then it was my sister, Helen who had brown eyes and brown hair, next.
I thought she was a bit of a brat really but then she chose…
'Anger' to my horror as my mum and dad watched helplessly as she sat with the people in red.
Then it was finally my turn.
'Janet Dango' Nero said.
I walked onto the stage and grabbed the orb of light.
I looked carefully at each emotion object: Chain was for Innocence, red stone fist was for Anger, Pink heart was for Love, Sun was for Happy, Glass was Envy, Hammer was for friendly, Worried was the Tree, flame was Determination, black velvet was Elegance, beads was Honest, Random was Red Maple leaf with a purple exclamation mark in the middle and Creative was light purple paint.
I moved my hands towards Love but then I place the orb of light over the maple leaf symbol. 'Random!' Nero said as I went over to the miss-matched people wearing miss-matched socks and clothes. _I need to find my own path_ I thought as I looked back at my parents; My dad was smiling but my mum was not as we all walked out towards the speed trains to go to the Location of the chosen Emotion.
I saw the grey train moving and raced to catch up to it as the others were already on the train. I held on to the handle and climbed inside, shutting the door as fast as possible.
'Hi, there. I'm Nora' the girl who was wearing a pair of green pyjama bottoms with a purple woolly jumper and an orange baseball cap with 'YOLO' on the front worn backwards.
'Hi Nora, I'm Janet' I said.
'I'm originally from Creative so I like to draw as well as being random through my clothes' Nora said.
'I'm from Love but I like to write stories and say random things like 'Cookies!' or 'Cheese' at odd times' I said.
'I think this is the start of a wonderful friendship' Nora said as the train sped onwards.
'Hey, there. I'm Fox Learn, from Honest' a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing Indigo clothes said.
Nora just stared at him in a love-struck way.
'I'm Janet and this is Nora. Nice to meet you, Fox' I said.
'This is the part where we jump!' Hopper, one of the Random people yelled.
Me and Nora looked through the window and saw a spectacular park with benches, weeping willows and a lake. One the right, next to it was a huge building with rainbows, peace symbols, flowers and the red Maple with the purple Exclamation mark in the was at the centre of the wall while the rest of it was cover in sky-blue paint.
'I guess that's our new home' Nora said.
'Yeah' I said.
'Now's the time to jump!' Hopper said as he swung open the door and jumped onto the roof.
'One… Two… Three!' I chanted as we jumped at the same time and reached the roof.
'To test your randomness, you have to jump into the purple hole' Hopper said.
No one moved.
'I'll do it!' I exclaimed.
'Are you mad?!' Nora cried.
'Nope, I'm Random!' I corrected her with a smile as I jumped into the purple hole which turned out to be a long slide into my new, random home.
Then everyone else slid down to join me.
I saw a randomized office-like place with cartoon picture hanging within golden frames, respect in purple writing and Golden stars on the walls.
It was Random, my new home.
**I hope you enjoy the first chapter of my latest story! I'll update real soon!**
**If you have any suggestions just PM me ok?**
**Read and review or Nero will get you!**
2. Chapter 2
Chapter 2- Mystery awaits!
I've nicknamed the rest of the world, 'Uncharted territory' since we're not connected to them even though we know about them through the news.
After everyone had gone from the Decision hall, Nero spoke to Jun, one of Worried's representatives in private.
'Jun, I want you to keep an eye on things on all of the Emotions. But let the other representatives know about keeping a look out of the Inseparable' Nero warned.
'The Inseparable?! But I thought they were a legend...' Jun trailed off as her face filled with worry.
'try not to worry about it, ok? Remember, we have to protect the system for my Ancestor Granite wanted the whole world to be this way; So I will keep it this way!' Nero stated as he disappeared onto the train to travel back to Australia(there was a secret railway track that only Nero knew which was along the sea bed).
XXX
Random was filled with creativity: Paintings of sunset landscapes, famous people or something Picasso-Inspired in the sun-lit room.
People were either painting , sketching or writing out their creativity.
"You will all go through some challenges, as we are called 'Random', therefore they will be Random AND Unpredictable. The first challenge is writing but you'll start tomorrow. First I'll show you your rooms" Hooper, who was a stern-looking guy with brown short hair, wearing a leather jacket with a gold peace symbol chain necklace with a white top with a red maple leaf in the middle(which represents the Canadian flag) along with a pair of bright red and green striped jeans and brown boots with gold stars on it to make his outfit totally random.
So he led us to the next room which had people at a holographic computer system to set up the scans. "This is the scan control room, where we're able to see what results people get scanned" Hopper explained as we watched two busy workers wearing backward caps with 'YOLO'(You Only Live Once) on the front monitor the scans.
"Come on, guys" Hopper said as we followed him onwards to another room.
"Do you think we'll be allowed pets here?" Nora asked.
"I'm not sure, Nora" I said as we arrived into a solar system-based room-the walls had all the planets painted in the right order: Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter and Pluto (I'll still add Pluto in it, just so you know)- and Hopper smiled; His brown eyes lit up at the same time.
"This is the Planetarium room for science lovers to use their creative randomness in any shape or form" Hopper stated.
"This place rules!" Fox shouted.
Silence.
"You know, you can be as random as you like right?" an unfamiliar voice said behind Hopper as a tall, muscular, handsome young African American wearing a leather jacket like Hopper with Random's symbol on it.
"This is my elite Lieutenant, Harry" Hopper said, as he introduced the mystery guy.
"I help run the place, keep everyone on their toes. Our motto: 'Be as Random as you like with free will, happiness and friendship', which I think is what we should be doing" Harry said as he silently glared at Hopper.
Then they both led us to the dormitory; The girls shared the rooms on the left and Boys shared the rooms on the right.
"Random challenges start tomorrow so I suggest you get a goodnight's rest" Hopper said, Urgently.
I shared a bunk bed with Nora.
"Was Creative an interesting place to be in?" I asked while I sat on the top bunk in my purple 'Animaniacs' PJs, looking down at Nora.
"It was ok, I mean I was allowed to draw pictures but drawing rainbows wasn't allowed not even the word 'Harmony' was allowed there. Creative's motto was: 'Show your Creativity but not your views' so I had to deal with it. That's partly why I left, being Random means you can express yourself freely" Nora said.
"Cuz I'm Happy" I sang.
"Clap along if you know if Happiness is the truth" Nora sang along as we danced happily in our purple flower-designed room with pictures of the 'Animaniacs', 'Looney Tunes', 'RWBY', 'Frozen', and loads of other cartoons, movies, Anime etc we liked on the wall to express our love for Cartoons and anime.
"People, it's 9pm! Lights out!" Harry called out.
"Well, goodnight Nora" I said as I lay inside the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Say Janet?" Nora asked.
"Yes?" I said.
"Was being part of Love difficult for you?" She asked.
"I was able to show love and compassion to the 'Emotion-less' but I can feel other emotions too" I said, softly.
"It's getting late, night Janet" Nora said as the lights automatically went out in response to the words 'Goodnight'.
XXX
The Emotion-less are the ones who fail the challenges from their chosen emotions, are kicked out, left on the streets or are moved to the other countries we're no longer connected too apart from through the news.
I've nicknamed the others countries 'Uncharted Territory' as for some reason, we're not allow to go to Australia, Asia, Japan, Russia, Germany, South America etc.
We all were woken up by a loud chiming sound.
I opened our dorm door and saw Hopper banging a huge gong.
"What's the big idea, Hopper?" I cried.
"The first challenge is starting, get ready and go to the Random 'pitch' room pronto!" Hopper ordered.
"Yes, Sir!" Nora and I yelled as we rushed at top speed to the showers.
XXX
When we arrived the 'Pitch' room-place with paintings, sketches and stories-, Hopper was making a speech about the sentence starter he was giving us.
"….Your sentence starter is: 'It was a cold, dark night. I was walking along an alleyway when I heard an eerie, loud 'Meeeow!' that sounded like a cat moaning. When suddenly, a baseball bat struck me on the head and knock me out'. Good Luck, Random-to-bes! You have 48 hours" Hopper said.
"You're allowed to write in your dorms, you're not allowed to: Cheat, steal others' ideas or rip up their stories or you'll be disqualified but you're allowed to help each other or possibly do a collaboration" Harry added.
"Happy Writing!" Harry and Hopper said in unison as they disappeared.
XXX
"Maybe singing will help our creativity?" Nora suggested.
"Good idea, Nora!" I said.
I thought long and hard.
…..
"Mine if I join you guys?" Fox asked.
"No, not at all" Nora said while blushing.
"We're having some writer's block right now" I explained.
"What about Sci-fi or fantasy?" Fox suggested.
"I got it!" I cried as I began to write quickly on my holographic notebook.
Nora began writing fast too as an idea came to mind.
XXX
48 hours later, the collaborative short story was finished.
We all went back to the 'Pitch' and Hopper was already standing in front of everyone, explaining the Scanner score board.
"…When you gain points from the good creativity you show, you above the gold line but if your work lacks Creativity skills, you'll go down. If you're below the line by the end of a challenge, you're become 'Emotion-less' (Also known a blank-minded control slaves or something)." Hopper was saying.
The sliver Emotion scanner revealed everyone's names.
Nora, Fox and I were just above the line.
I gulped nervously.
"So who wants to read first? Anyone?" Hopper asked.
Long, awkward silence.
I raised my hand and Nora's hand in the air.
"Ok, you two girls can be first" Hopper said.
"Come on, Nora" I whispered.
Nora was holding our short story in her right hand as we stood next to Hopper.
Silence with hundreds of eyes staring right at us.
"Begin" Harry said.
**Crona's True Sorrow helped me with the collabarative story and Nora is based on her personality too!;)**
"'It was a cold, dark night. I was walking along an alleyway when I heard an eerie, loud 'Meeeow!' that sounded like a cat moaning. When suddenly, a baseball bat struck me on the head and knock me out. When I woke up, I wasn't in Canada anymore.
I only saw greyish blobs and my ears were ringing.
I blinked a few times to get my eyes to focus. Once I could see again, I realised I was in a strange place. Filled with bright colours and weird variations of thing I saw in my world.
I saw characters with red noses; others were classic characters children these days don't remember. I looked down at myself: I had a red nose, bunny ears, brown eyes, white gloves like_ Classic Mickey_ , Brown long hair and a black tail.
A furious cartoon wolf with glasses came along looking for a cunning young squirrel.
I waved my hands to the tune and a huge anvil landed on the wolf's head.
"Oof!" said the wolf with an indignant yelp. He slipped his head out with a pop, his head flat looking around for whoever did that; I stood there whistling an innocent tune.
The wolf grumbled to himself as he walked away.
Then an evil king called 'Saldbar' tried to capture three siblings.
I acted like a maestro to the music and a bunch of dynamite went down his pant; causing him to blow up.
Saldbar noticed the dynamite that appeared in his pants before it had blown up and franticly tried to put out the fuses. But to no veil, they all blew. Through the air and into an arch, he rocketed through the air howling in pain.
_Cool Toon Powers!_ I thought.
I skipped along the movie lot in Burbank, near a water tower that **looked** empty.
Each time, a villain walked by; I waved my hands and a piano, mallet or bomb would land on their heads.
Who am I? Well, I'm Darcy Bunny: Happiest girl alive!'" We read.
"That's_** very **_random! Good job, girls" Hopper exclaimed.
"Anyone else?" He asked.
Fox had written a story with the given starter about an epic battle on Mar which got him 50 creative points.
We got 60 somehow.
Other people wrote about fighting a criminal or finding your path through friendship.
They got 20 or 30 points.
"Next challenge will be sketching but for now, it's Lunchtime." Hopper announced.
We all went to the Lunch hall which had load of peace, heart and maple leaf symbols on the walls with inspiring famous people like Tia Random, the Founder of Random who had brown short hair and brown eyes with Random's symbol in the middle of her top in a framed black and white photo.
"I'm worried about tommorw" I said while we ate.
"Why?" Fox asked.
"Because I'm not as good at drawing as Nora is" I said, softly.
"Draw flowers or cartoon character, that'll help your points" Nora suggested.
"Thanks" I said.
XXX
_In a hidden meeting room somewhere in Random__…_
"There's an Inseprable somewhere in Random" Harry said. "I can feel it."
"There's one in Determination too" an unfamiliar voice from a Determination representative said.
"I must find them at all cost" Jun said. "Nero is counting on us to do that."
**I hope you enjoyed this long, awaited chapter! It's 6 pages long!**
**I'm going to be very busy from now on so I won't update as much.**
**PM me if you have any suggestions for what I could add in the next chapter!**
**I'll update again in June or July if I'm lucky!**
**Read and review or Nero will get you!**
3. Chapter 3
Chapter 3- Learning fighting moves in Random?!
The following day was Sketching challenge day, we all gathered in the 'Pitch' and waiting for Hopper to appear.
"Do you think they'll look in our dreams when they do the scan?" I asked.
"Who knows, Janet? Maybe" Nora replied.
Then dramatic clouds of mist appeared in front of us which Hopper mysteriously emerged from.
"I hope you're all well-rested as this next challenge might be more stress for some than others who are a natural at drawing. It doesn't matter what you draw as long as it's random, unique, creative and original. You can pair up in teams to help each other out, just don't steal or rip up their work because we'll see you do it. Good luck!" Hopper said as he vanished through the mist again.
We went to the Lunch hall to get some breakfast but I could already feel the stress building up.
"Janet, what's wrong?" Nora asked, with concern.
"I don't know what to draw" I said, miserably.
"Maybe I can join your team?" Fox suggested.
"Ok!" Nora cried as she went into Lovesick-mode again.
"Well, let's generate ideas and see what we come up with" I suggested.
Then after breakfast we went back to our dorm room with notepads and pencils.
Turns out Random allows pets, so I brought Patch, my black 'n' white cat with yellow-green eyes and a black furry long tail with me.
"Let's try and draw Patch then" Nora said.
So we got Patch to sort-of stay still as possible to model for us as we attempted to draw him.
After 2 hours, my picture looked similar to Patch, Fox's looked slightly like Patch and Nora's was spot-on!
Then just before 9 Pm, The finishing touches were added and our drawings were done.
"Do you think Patch understands us?" I asked as I stroked his head.
"Maybe…I mean, he's purring right now so he likes you" Nora said.
"I think he likes you too" Fox said as Patch stared at Nora.
"You're right, maybe he does like me as well" Nora gasped.
Then Patch meowed in a moaning way as he heard something outside.
I checked the window, there was thunder and lightning outside but someone from Determination, Envy, Anger, Innocence, Honest, Caring and Elegance with short blue hair and purple eyes were heading inside for a representative urgent meeting.
I frowned, then pulled over the curtains.
"What was it?" Fox asked.
"Patch can hear the thunder outside, nothing to be afraid of" I said.
I looked at Nora.
My eyes said there's something worse to be afraid of.
Nora's eyes movement said tell me when Fox is gone.
I blinked twice for yes.
Luckily, Fox didn't catch on the code and just thought we were playing mind tricks on each other.
"I can't wait to show my drawing to everyone!" Fox rambled on.
"Fox, I'm glad you love science; maybe you can tell me all the planets in the 'Planetarium' room sometime?" Nora suggested.
"Er…yeah, sure" Fox replied while secretly blushing.
"Light out People! Big day tomorrow!" Hopper yelled.
"Goodnight, Fox" Nora said as she kissed him on the cheek which he reacted by blushing and rushing back to him dorm awkwardly
"Nora, I think the representatives for almost all of the Emotions might be planning something!" I cried after Nora had shut the door swiftly.
"What makes you so sure, Janet? We can't check the future to know what will happen" Nora stated.
"That's true but we have Patch" I said with Cheshire cat grin.
"We'll chat more on this topic tomorrow ok? Goodnight, Janet and Patch" Nora said as she fell asleep in the bottom bunk.
"Night, Nora and Patch" I whispered as I fell asleep with Patch curled up beside me like a black 'n' white alive cushion.
Every year, we're given some time to see our family one, last time on 'Parents' evening' (like school, because that's the only name I could come up with).
According to the Random calendar in the Lunch Hall, Parents'' evening was two days away.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The drawing challenge
We all got woken up by a horrible trumpet sound that you'd likely hear when you wake up army troops. We all rushed to the 'Pitch' to resent our drawing in front of everyone.
"The time has come for all of you to reveal your drawings. Just a reminder if you haven't looked at the calendar already, you'll get to see your family you left behind or chose to stay with again. That will be your second to last challenge so make a good impression!" Hopper announced.
"Who wants to go first?" Harry asked.
Complete silence.
So Nora, Fox and I raised our hand and revealed our drawings to everyone:
Mine was Patch with a Victorian cat size turquoise tuxedo which sort of looked realistic,
Nora's was Patch who has a black tail with a golden bell attached to a red collar and
Fox's picture was Patch with a black superhero mask on wearing a ninja suit that looked slightly realistic.
We had to bring Patch with us so they could tell which picture looked more realistic.
"Well, they're all original so all three of you get 40 creativity points!" Hopper exclaimed.
Everyone else had drawn original superheroes, heroines, or characters of a story they thought of writing.
"So at the end of that round, Jack, Aimee, Alish; you're out!" Hopper cried as their names were below the silver line as a silver-haired boy with green eyes and two girls with ginger hair-one had brown eyes and the other had blue eyes- went through the Random exit to the train to become 'Emotion-less'.
"The next challenge is Song-writing. It can be on any topic you like, this challenge will be 48 hours long starting today. Good Luck! One more thing just before the emotion scan ceremony, you'll be a fitness test to see how well you fight in combat. So Good Luck" Hopper said as he and Harry vanished again.
Then the whole hall was filled with confused chatter that it started to sound like buzzing.
After that, we had lunch again with vegetables, tasty meat and milk to add some dairy into the mix.
"So Janet what did you want to tell me yesterday?" Nora whispered.
"I think we're being watched" I whispered.
"It's not like there's spies there watching…our every…move…."Fox trailed off as he realised the possibility.
"So our song-writing challenge; How about we write something on friendship?" I suggested to quickly change the subject.
"Yeah, it'll be great" Nora said.
"Sure!" Fox agreed.
"And Patch can be back-up" I added with a cheesy grin.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
_Back in the hidden meeting room…._
"Someone saw us arrive last night" Sand, a guy with sand-yellow hair and blue eyes from Elegance said.
"Well, we should try to be on our guard next time" Dan, a caring representative-with brown hair and green eyes- said.
"We all talked this over and feel that there might be Inseparables in Envy, Honest, Caring and Innocence as well" Van, a representative from Honest said for all of them.
"So when do we strike?" Sky Tear from Anger asked.
Jun smiled.
"After Parents' evening, of course" She said.
**Here's chapter 3! I'll get Chapter 4 as soon as I can! My first ever **_**real**_** GSCE exam is coming up next week so I won't be updated then but the week after I will! So I hope you enjoyed this story!**
**Read and review or Nero will get you!**
4. Chapter 4
Chapter 4-More mystery and mayhem!
After dinner later that evening, we watched the intel-International news.
"Today, a guy who calls himself Nero claims that he can change the world and rewrite history. Police have called him a deranged lunatic and have put him behind bars. Officers have told me that he was smiling as he was thrown in jail in Australia. Back to you, Ken" Sam Chicken, the reporter with long brown hair and blue eyes said.
"He must be more creepy then we thought" Fox cried.
"Indeed" I said, causally.
Tomorrow, I'll get to see one of my parents again.
Will they even come?, I thought.
"I have an idea!" Nora cried as she scribbled loads of lyrics on her notepad.
Frozen was shown on the screen and I suddenly got an idea; so I scribbled furiously on my notepad as well.
"We're collaborating this song right?" Fox asked as he too wrote fast on his notepad.
"Yep!" I replied.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It was now the next day when the challenge limit would end; Nora, Fox and I was finishing up the lyrics and trying to work out a song title.
"What about Dango friendship?" I suggested.
"No, milkshake friends" Nora tried.
"Er…Cookie Crunch comrades?" Fox asked, randomly.
"Perfect!" Nora and I said in unisons.
We went to 'Pitch' with everyone else and waited for instructions.
"Now you'll all reveal your songs to us. Nora, Janet and Fox; you're up first!" Hopper announced, causally.
"Friendship is as good as gold, Friendship is good when told,
Friendship is like spies on a mission, without permission
But we still always have fun!
We're the Cookie Crunch comrades,
Sticking together!
Best pals now and we'll be friends for ever!
We'll fight injustice to get some justice
With the power of teamwork!
Friendship can be defined in different ways,
Like cats purring or just hanging out
It's shown in anime but they sometimes muck around
Like a pack of hounds!
We're the Cookie Crunch comrades,
Sticking together!
Best pals now and we'll be friends for ever!
We'll fight injustice to get some justice
With the power of teamwork!
We're like big Dango family that we truly love,
So together we just be together
Friendship should long-lasting
Even you're not best friends anymore
But we always stay in contact
BFFs forever!
We're the Cookie Crunch comrades,
Sticking together!
Best pals now and we'll be friends for ever!
We'll fight injustice to get some justice
With the power of teamwork!
One big family!" We sang.
"That was long and heart-warming" Hopper said.
"That seemed random to me, good job" Harry said as we received 70 creative points.
Other people wrote about singing cats, randomness, creativity or what heaven could be like.
"Well, the day after Tomorrow; Jun from Worried and some other representatives will be coming here to watch the Emotion scan. It will show us your dreams which is what helps us know what emotion you are. I'm just telling you this in advance so you don't start panicking the on the day" Harry explained.
Everyone ran around screaming in fear and panic even though Harry had tried to prevent it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Time went by and Parents' evening finally arrived.
Nora's parents came and they shared a heart-warming group hug.
Fox's parents arrived too and Fox introduced me and Nora to them.
I kept waiting; no one turned up for me.
"Aw, not worry 'Love-sick' girl. Parents of transfer-emotions don't always appear" Katashi who had short dark brown hair and stern blue eyes from Anger said.
"No one likes you, Katashi" I said, coldly.
"Then how come Ren and the other boys hang out with me then?" Katashi stated while smirked.
"They have no taste in friends" I replied as he went away with his parents.
"Janet, are you ok?" Nora asked.
"I'm fine; I just thought I'd get to see my parents again" I said in disappointment.
"Who says you won't see me?" a familiar voice said behind.
I turned around and there standing in front of me was… my dad!
He was wearing his grey-black glasses and white shirt as usual; he had brown-black hair and blue eyes-he's Irish-, he also wore a cheeky smile on his face.
"Daddy, you came. Where's Mummy?" I asked.
"She wanted to come too but she's busy with work, I tried to see your sister but they wouldn't let me in or anyone else's parents inside. We don't have long, something bad is going to happened but you have to tell Helen to research the Conscious suppresser and find Bingo" Dad warned me.
His name is Jamie Dango, My mum Glynda Dango is Love's representative in the Emotions' council.
"I'll do it, I'll find Bingo, dad" I replied as I hugged him one more time as Parents'' evening was cut short.
"Oh Dad, these are my friends' Nora and Fox" I said, cheerfully.
"Pleased to meet you" Nora and Fox said in unisons.
"Likewise" Dad replied.
"I have to go now" Nora's parents said.
"Do you have to?" Nora pleaded.
"Yeah, we have to go too" Fox's parents said.
"Ok, then. Bye" Fox cried while mouthing 'I'll miss you' to them secretly.
"Bye, Mum and Dad" Nora whispered.
"Bye Dad" I said, softly as all of the parents left.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The next day was Emotion scanner day, Evy was working as one of the monitors again and woke me up earlier so I could practise. I followed her into a private room with a leather chair next to the Emotion scan. I fell asleep and Evy could see my dreams.
I was in a cartoon world holding a purple mallet with white gloves on my hands, saving toons from evil toon-hater when a huge grey cloud formed and created hate rain. It caused the toons to declare war on each other and chase after me.
"Janet, think of random things to change the scene!" Evy urged.
I thought of pizza and cookies which made the dream change to a superhero theme.
Fox was wearing a pizza-themed superhero costume, Nora was wearing a cookie-themed super heroine outfit and mine was noddle-themed.
There was an evil fox-figure character who wore a ice cream-themed villain outfit with a strawberry-flavoured cape to match.
"The food trio, you can't stop me from turning the world into a frozen dessert wasteland!" Frost Ice cried.
"Fox, fire!" I cried as Fox got out a huge golden cannon-like gun and shot hot cheese at Frost.
He melted and it was an easy fit.
I woke up and looked at Evy.
"That was better than expected" I exclaimed.
"Just remember 'act random and think random' and you'll pass" Evy said.
"Let's do the real deal" I said.
We were gathered in the 'Pitch' gym and told to use the fitness equipment.
Some people did boxing, lighting weights or running on the treadmill.
Hopper and Harry recorded all of fitness data into 3 groups: Strongest, strong and weakest.
We then got a water break.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"It's time for the Emotion scan!" Hopper cried.
Nora was first and got random after facing a nightmare.
Fox got Random too after he faced a science fiction-themed dream.
Katashi was next, then some other boys. Hey call got Random as their result.
Then it was my turn.
**I hope you enjoyed chapter 4! More chapters on the way soon! Pizza rocks!**
**I addicted to Code Geass!**
**Read and review or Nero will get you!**
5. Chapter 5
Chapter 5-The final stage!
I sat in the chair while everyone watched me and fell asleep.
This time my dream was a nightmare.
Someone was chasing me, I ran as hard as I could while screaming.
Then wall appeared in front of me and I was trapped.
Think random, Janet I thought.
So I thought of sweets, cookies and laughter.
The scene changed to Nora, Fox and I having a picnic in a field with talking, dancing flowers from a cartoon world. Bingo appeared and I smiled at him.
Then I woke up and 'Random' appeared on the screen.
Everyone clapped as I got off the chair.
"Congratulations! You have all made it into Random!" Jun said.
"That was wonderful, Janet" Nora whispered.
"Thanks, but I have a bad feeling something awful is about to happen!" I whispered.
"This is exciting!" Fox cried, softly.
Then we marched through the 'Pitch' and golden high-tech collars were placed on everyone's necks.
"This is just part of an exercise to make sure you're 100% Random" Harry said.
Everyone panicked
The lights on the collars flashed red and everyone's conscience and awareness was suppressed…Except me.
Then everyone went silent as they became slaves, we went on the train and went back to Love.
We all held guns and I had to act mindless for fear of being killed.
Hopper ordered us to place collars on everyone else and go to the 'Uncharted Territory' in order to transform the rest of the world to Emotions too.
I followed Nora and Fox while holding a stun gun; everyone else had real guns.
"You all are going to shoot anyone down who's an Inseparable or part of the resistance in the Emotion-less territory" Harry ordered.
I saw Bingo in one of the house and felt a strong connection with him.
He hasn't been affected I thought.
While no one was watching, I went towards Bingo.
"Hi, Bingo" I whispered.
"Janet, you're not affected?" Bingo asked.
"Nope, we're connected; aren't we? Inseparable: can't be separate" I whispered.
"Your parents and sister are save in a safe house 4 blocks from here" Bingo whispered into my ear.
Me and Bingo pretended to be on the control of the collar and went to the safe house.
"So you can't" a familiar voice said as I turned around and saw Hoper and a lady I didn't recognise in front of me.
"I'm Jun and we're going to rid the world of Inseparables so the world can be a better, emotion place to live in" She said.
"What are you going to do to us?" I asked, worriedly.
"I'm going to make sure the collar works well on Bingo while you will be terminated" She said while grinning in an emotion-less way.
"Nora, Fox; Take Bingo to Australia" Jun ordered.
They held him by the arm and took him away to Australia.
I was reunited with my family after a strong bond with Bingo helped me developed ice powers that stun people without harming them for a temporarily.
"Let's go to Australia" I said
We used a hidden train that was connected to Australia to get there.
We arrived in Sydney and went inside a office building; underground was a secret base for Nero to control the collars from.
We got inside and ran into Katashi, the traitor.
"Are you playing the hero now, Janet?" Katashi mocked.
"Stop it!" I cried as I shot him in the leg and he fell.
My parents distracted the guards with their shot guns(real guns) but were lost in the attack.
I got to the control room which was very scary, technology-based place with holograms for computer screens, buttons and hardware.
Then Bingo was ordered to kill me and I had to dodge his every attack.
"Bingo, listen we have a strong bond: You and I. We're childhood friends, I knew you loved me this whole time since the day we met because of the way you smile and guess what? I love you too" I said, reassuringly.
He broke through the collar's control which made it snap off his neck.
Mine was now off as it hurt my neck a lot.
"Let's shut this thing down!" Bingo said with a smile.
We charged and I shot everyone in the room down with my real gun this time.
"Nero, shut the collar's down!" I yelled as everyone was in South America, Russia, France, Spain etc; ready to change the world into Emotions by force.
"Not a change" Nero said while smirking.
"Bingo, the collar!" I screamed.
Bingo passed me the collar and Nero was under the collar's control.
"Turn off the collars and delete the program" I ordered.
_He obeyed and the collars were shut down in a flash._
_I pinned him to the wall with tranquiliser darts._
_Then more guard were coming; I dragged my sister and Katashi along with us as we left Australia to be with the Emotion-less._
_We took the train back to Love; Then took the usual train connected to all the emotions to the Emotion-less._
_I didn't kill anyone but I feel so much sorrow with losing my parents._
_Before we left Love, I wrote a letter for Nora and Fox which said:_
'_Dear Nora and Fox,_
_You're your my best friends in the world and am really sorry to leave you like this but you were all controlled by the collars that were once on your necks._
_I'm going to a safe place to escape Nero's wrath and I suggest you and your families do the same._
_I hope we get to cross paths again soon_
_Your best friend,_
_Janet_
_PS: Please take care of Patch for me; Make sure he lives too_
_The end or so you think_
**Thanks for reading chapter 5! I promise that I will have a sequel in store and yes this WILL be my first REAL trilogy! (I might even publish this one day and give credit t my friends and fans on Fanfiction too!)**
**So plz give suggestions on what the title for the sequel could be! (search Inseparable and see if there's a similar yet slightly different meaning word like it)**
**So yeah, school starts up again for the last term of the whole school year!**
**Read and review or Nero will get you!**
End file.
| fanfiction |
Shooting two projectiles at the same time with different mass [closed]
[Homework-like questions](https://physics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/714) and [check-my-work questions](https://physics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/6093) are considered off-topic here, particularly when asking about specific computations instead of underlying physics concepts. Homework questions can be on-topic when they are useful to a broader audience. Note that answers to homework questions with complete solutions may be deleted!
---
Please help the asker edit the question so that it asks about the underlying physics concepts instead of specific computations. If there are any complete answers, please flag them for moderator attention.
Closed 2 years ago.
[Improve this question](/posts/646797/edit)
Shooting two projectiles having the same radius and in the same condition with the same initial velocity and angle
one with a mass of 10kg and the second with a mass of 100kg
which one of them will reach higher and further?
If you consider gravity alone, and neglect all other forces such as air resistance, the trajectories will be identical. But air resistance matters, at least a little and sometimes a lot. You can guess the answer by throwing a water balloon and a balloon full of air.
---
There are two sources of air resistance. First flowing air generates friction forces. These are called viscous forces. Second, a moving object must push air in front of it out of the way. These are called inertial forces.
In most cases, one of these forces is so much bigger that you might as well ignore the other. There is a rule of thumb that tells you which is bigger.
Inertial forces are big when the projectile is big. Lots of air gets pushed around. Also when the projectile is fast, air must move fast to get out of the way. This takes a lot of energy and a lot of force to accelerate the air. And also when the fluid is dense. It takes more force and energy to move water out of the way than air.
Viscous forces are big when the fluid has lots of internal friction, or viscosity. You get more friction from push honey around than water.
Viscous forces are more important than inertial forces when a projectile is small. Loosely, this is because most of the friction takes place in a layer near the surface of the projectile. For a small projectile, the layer might be a big as the projectile. In a projectile with $10$ times the diameter, the layer has the same thickness. But the volume of water pushed out of the way is much larger.
The ratio of inertial to viscous forces is called the [Reynolds number](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynolds_number). While it is difficult to calculate exactly, it is easy to approximate. And an approximation is all you need when one force is overwhelmingly bigger than the other.
$$Re = \frac{\rho uL}{\mu}$$
where
* $\rho$ is the density of the fluid
* $u$ is the velocity
* $L$ is the size of the projectile
* $\mu$ is the viscosity of the fluid
For air and a projectile moving at everyday speeds, the rule of thumb is that inertial forces dominate for objects bigger than an insect. This is the case for most objects that people work with.
A projectile like a rock is usually bigger than an insect. So is a bullet, and it travels faster than everyday speeds. For a $10$ kg projectile, we don't even need to calculate. Inertial forces dominate.
It would be different if you wanted to know about which flea jumps farther.
---
There is a very large force that you might not think about: Air pressure. And this is because when you are sitting still, forces from air pressure are equal on all sides and cancel. But things change when you are moving and pushing air out of the way, or flowing air generates friction. Air pressure is involved with both of these.
Air ahead of a projectile gets compressed as it is pushed. This increases air pressure. This pushes on the front of the projectile, which slows it. And it pushes air in front of the projectile, moving it out of the way.
Likewise behind the projectile would be vacuum, except that air pressure from air nearby pushes air in to fill the hole. Air is a little less dense behind the projectile. Air pressure from behind does push the projectile forward (A vacuum would not). But not as much as the air pressure in front pushes it backward. The net effect slows the projectile.
Since both projectiles have the same shape, these forces are the same for both.
Since $a = F/m$, these forces cause a larger acceleration on the lighter projectile. The lighter projectile is slowed more by air resistance, and reaches a lower altitude and hits the ground sooner.
When radius and all other conditions are the same, the greater mass will have greater kinetic energy which will take air resistance longer to slow it down. So if we take air resistance into account the 100kg projectile will go higher and further. If there were no air resistance so that g was the only acceleration acting on them after launch, then they would have the same maximum height and trajectory as different masses fall at the same rate neglecting air resistance.
| stackexchange/physics |
CultureSports
Naz Gul Hazara, Balochistan Martial Artist Won More than 50 Medals for Pakistan in International Karate Competitions
written by Laiba Omer October 25, 2021
Balochistan martial artist Naz Gul Hazara has just bagged a gold medal in the International Karate Championship.
She is a hidden gem that hasn't received any attention from the local media regardless of her achievements and talent. As per sources, there are many training centers where boys and girls can learn ancient martial arts, clad in exquisite karategi.
It is a great pride for the nation to have young girls such as Naz Gul Hazara from the Balochistan province, where women's movement is quite restricted. Regardless of all odds, we witness more and more women coming forward and proving their worth and playing different roles in society, breaking social norms.
Meet Naz Gul Hazara from Balochistan, an international karate 🥋 player. Gull has represented Pakistan in many international events bringing 50+ medals for country.#NazGul #Balochistan pic.twitter.com/tDCqeanL9F
— Baloch Youth mobilizations (@BlhYouthMob) October 21, 2021
Quetta's residents are skilled more than anyone else in the country. As per local sources, it has been revealed that Bruce Lee is one of the biggest inspirations behind making arts mainstream in their region. He is, in fact, a local hero. Many also wish to represent Pakistan on the global stage.
Martial arts are traditions of combat and codified systems that are practiced for many reasons. These include self-defense, competitions, physical, mental, and spiritual development, military and law enforcement applications, entertainment, and protecting a nation's cultural heritage.
In the past couple of years, aspiring young girls have come out of the region. Last year, 15-year-old Malaika Zahid from Balochistan pursued her dream of becoming a boxer. She has been training for the past five years now. Malaika initially joined the boy's training club as there were no facilities available for women in Balochistan. Her aspiration is boxer Amir Khan who greatly motivated her to become one of Pakistan's top players.
Quetta, Balochistan To Get its First-Ever Girl Cadet College. Read the full story here:
The government of Balochistan has announced that it is making efforts to build the first-ever Girls Cadet College in Quetta. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), the government has also decided to invest PKR 10 billion to build boarding schools in the region to provide quality education to the coming generations.
Quetta, Balochistan To Get it's First-Ever Girl Cadet College
BalochistanInternational Karate ChampionshipNaz Gul Hazara
Laiba Omer
Shah Rukh Khan Wears Pakistani Designer Faraz Manan for Cadbury Dairy Milk's Latest Ad
First-ever MagnifiScience Centre for Children Opens Up in Karachi: Timings, Price, & Exhibits
Bilawal Bhutto Questions PM Imran Khan on Imposition...
Shehzad Roy is the New Brand Ambassador for...
Saudi Women Parade their Camels in a Beauty...
Haniya Minhas Becomes First From Pakistan to be...
Fifth Class Student Appointed Honorary Assistant Commissioner Islamabad
Haider Ali's Truck Art Inspired Nike Trainers Priced... | slim_pajama |
Kim Possible 1. Chapter 1
Chapter 1 – An Indecent Proposal
-
It was a bright and breezy Sunday summer afternoon. The sky was blue, the air was crisp with a hint of dew, and a gentle breeze flew in to the Stoppable household from every available open window. Hardly a corner of the modest home had been left untouched by the undeniable wholesome scent of summer that seemed to pervade nearly everywhere during the month of July in their quiet mountain town. That is to say, except for one corner of the Stoppable _Maison_ – the domain of the overwrought prince of the castle, Ronald Dean Stoppable.
Ronald Dean Stoppable was a boy who went by many names. He would often switch them up and change them about as the mood seized him. Some day he would be **The Ronster** – a manic and hip (in his own mind) fellow who was a hit with the ladies. Other days he was **Rondo**, the tough (yet lovable) dude who had all the answers. Some days he would even be **Prince Aloysius Joseph Stoppable III, Defender of the Kingdom and Heir Apparent to the Mole-Rat Throne… **
But honestly, he didn't talk about _that name_ very often in public.
Today however, he wasn't anyone special. In fact, he was about as un-special as a young man could possibly be. Today, his name was merely _Ron Stoppable_ and he could sum up what that meant with a very short list.
_Sidekick._
_Neutered "Best Buddy"._
_Loser._
_Snappy Dresser._
Ron flipped over on his side and remarked to his pet mole rat, an altogether bizarre creature for a bizarre young man, "Well, I suppose one out of four isn't that bad, is it Rufus?"
Rufus hadn't been privy to the demented workings of Ron's inner monologue, so he didn't have much to offer on the subject other than a moments respite from eating some cheese and a quizzical look. Of course, Ron's questions tended to be more rhetorical in nature anyway; this time being no exception.
"Augh! Who am I kidding Rufus! Even I know that one out of four is an E! Heck, it's practically an E minus." Ron wailed at his diminutive pet.
Rufus waited for a moment, checking to see if Ron was actually paying attention to him, and then once he had determined that his owner was indeed wrapped up in another hormonally fueled bought of self depression, went back to peacefully eating his cheese.
Now, before you judge Rufus as a cold-hearted pet that didn't love his caring owner, you really needed to understand both the severity of Ron's emotional upheaval, as well as the _duration_ of said teenage angst.
The pity hung so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife – a dull knife even. In fact, if you had attempted to cut _Ron_ with a knife, it was most likely he would have bled tears. The depth of the young mans sorrow and the breadth of his accusations against the seemingly unfair universe were both creative as well as a little appalling and frankly it was starting to get to Rufus. Mole rats unfortunately weren't blessed with exceptionally long life spans, so they tended to not sweat the small stuff (and it was all small stuff), but Ron on the other hand… Well, his moaning and tormented agony had been going on for nearly three weeks and although Rufus _did_ hold some compassion for his tow-headed master, he _was_ getting pretty sick of it.
Hell, Rufus was a _mole-rat_; try competing with an entire colony for the affections of a single queen and then get back to him. Mole-rat society could be pretty devastating to your psyche if you happened to be young and romantically inclined – Rufus had learned this first hand before he had ended up behind the pet counter at Smarty Mart. It was probably one of the reasons why he ate so much cheese – substitution of affections, if you will.
Still, despite all this, _something_ needed to be done. It didn't look as if Ron was capable of coming up with some sort of plan on his own – indeed it seemed that he had actually preemptively abandoned planning in favor of reacting to an imminent rejection that hadn't already happened. It hurt Rufus's brain to think about it, but it was Ron-logic, so that was to be expected. In any case, Rufus gently tried to push and prod his master towards, at the very least, _considering_ some sort of action over the entire matter that didn't consist of just wallowing in his room all day. So far his guidance had met with little success.
"Ron!" came a voice from downstairs. It was his mother.
"Ron!" she repeated, "I need you to do something for me! Come down here!"
Ron wearily arose from his bed and crept across his room like a marionette that had lost it strings. He opened the door, not bothering to call back to his mother and made his way to the living room.
"What is it Mom?" he asked, making sure that his voice sounded sufficiently pained. He wasn't above attempting to elicit emotional sympathy when chores were on the line.
Meryl Stoppable just looked at her son with a disapproving eye. She wasn't sure what had gotten into him recently, but his constant moping around the house seriously bothered her. She had decided that his complexion recently was starting to mimic that of Bueno Nacho's trademarked "cheese food substitute" and being rather old fashioned she knew instinctively what the cure for that was – Going outside. Meryl Stoppable was an odd woman for the 21st century, the kind of woman that still believed that there was very little you couldn't fix by just pushing your kid out the door and telling him to "go play".
"Here Ron," she said as she shoved a large brown paper sack into his hands.
"Take these to the Possibles. They left those dishes over here last week."
Ron looked at the contents of the bag he was holding. He remembered those dishes. Those traitorous dishes and the way they had practically leapt from his hands, dumping their contents all over the assembled diners at the Stoppable family table. Oh he remembered it well…
"_Ron", James Possible had said, "Could you pass the mashed potatoes?"_
"_Sure", he replied as he reached his arm across the table for the steaming hot bowl of starchy goodness._
"_And then…" Kim continued her story from earlier, "Eric asked me to go steady with him! Isn't that great?"_
Ron wasn't sure what exactly had happened next, but he was dimly aware that Dr. James Possible _didn't_ appreciate wearing mashed and steamed tubers as a chapeau.
"_You made me look like a fool,_" Ron Stoppable lamented into the paper bag.
To their credit, the dishes remained silent.
Meryl Stoppable stared at her son for a moment and then gently pushed him towards the door. Ron, even at his best, was an odd child and she had long ago learned to overlook some of his more… startling eccentricities.
"Now go Ronald, and take your time… or hurry back if you want to clean the garage."
Ron may have been a melodramatic fool at heart, but when it came to choosing in between spending time with his best friend and hitherto object of undying affection, or doing manual labor, the decision was easy.
_Oh the crosses us sensitive types bear._
-
Kim Possible sat on her porch enjoying the soft summer breeze as it caressed it's way across her skin. She had both of her arms behind her, leaning backwards – it was comfortable and she could feel the warm sun heating up her exposed face.
"_Where's Ron? His Mom called and said he'd be right over._"
Kim glanced at her watch and then back and forth down the street. A look of impatience spread across her face and she leaned forward to cup her head in her hands.
"_If Ron doesn't show up soon, I'm going to have to leave. I'll have Mom tell him he's welcome to join Eric and I at the mall…_"
Somewhere, deep down inside, Kim knew that despite her straight-A scholastic record, she had just thought something _very, very dumb._
Which was unusual because Kim Possible was actually a really bright girl. Not just intellectually, but emotionally as well. She had a deep-seated empathy for people that allowed her to bring out the best in not only herself, but also everyone around her. It showed through the most when she was on one her many missions, but also it had worked it's way into other aspects of her life, like her friendships and of course her work on the cheer squad. Although it would probably make Bonnie Rockwaller bite off her tongue and die, Kim had often been referred to as the "natural leader" type and part of this was due to this amazing ability she had to read people.
With all this being true, it should be no surprise then that it was only by a supreme act of willful ignorance that she was able to maintain her "relationship" with her best friend, Ronald Stoppable, in the face of his complete and utter apathy for her newest (and in her opinion greatest) boyfriend Eric. Oh, it wasn't that Kim didn't _know_ that Ron didn't like Eric; that was something she was able to pick up on right away. It was just that she seemed to gloss over the finer points of their interactions recently – the skull boring daggers Ron stared into the back of Eric's head, the overly dramatic and soul rending sighs, the wistfully mopey, "Whatever Kim's" that Ron seemed so readily armed with in retaliation to her insistence that they "talk".
Yep. Kim for the most part just _ignored_ as much as she could and whatever she couldn't ignore she was determined to forget. It wasn't that Kim hated Ron, quite the contrary actually, it was just that if she was eventually forced into a confrontation where she had to choose between her best friend and her boy friend she knew somewhat instinctively that everyone would be walking away a loser.
"_I just wish Ron would grow up a bit. We're not little kids any more and we can't spend every day just playing together. I have a boy friend now and he needs to understand that._"
It was, simply put, the cold, brutal, and frank truth – at least the way Kim saw it. She was convinced (or at least, had convinced _her self_) that the reason for Ron's overly emotional behavior recently was because of some sort of "best friend" crisis. He probably felt as if he was competing with Eric for a place in Kim's life. And while this was _technically_ true on one level (Kim did, only have so much time in the day to give), there were parts of Kim's life that belonged only to Ron – so he shouldn't get jealous.
"_If I could just get him a girlfriend…_"
Kim stopped cold on that line of thinking. Something about it bothered her.
"_Ok, how about this – a friend that is a girl who likes him…_"
She wrinkled her nose and pouted slightly. That didn't sound much better.
"_Hmm… I got it! A friend, that happens to be a girl that will spend time with him when I want to go out with Eric!_"
For some reason that she couldn't put her finger on this sounded a lot better to Kim than her first two attempts. After a little bit of contemplation she eventually decided to attribute it to the fact that it was by far the most _plausible_ situation she could imagine. After all, getting Ron a real, bona fide girlfriend was something she wasn't sure she could do.
At least before she died of old age.
"_Or is it…_"
Suddenly a devious thought sprung up in Kim's mind and she reached into her pocket for her cell phone to place a call.
"Hello, Tara? It's me Kim."
-
Ron Stoppable stood in front of the wide doors of a non descript house in a tidy little subdivision of Middleton Colorado. He could hear the music and the talking coming from inside – they were the sounds of merriment, the hallmark of people having a good time.
He was absolutely positive that he didn't belong here.
"_Why did I even accept this invitation? This is just going to suck on so many levels…"_
Ron didn't like to admit it, but the main lure had been that this was the first party, first birthday party even, that he had been invited to as anything other than "Kim Possible and Guest" - He had the invitation in his back pocket to prove it.
Ron also had another reason for showing up tonight. He had found out that the birthday girl had wanted to keep the celebration somewhat _small_ – no one was invited except a few close personal friends and her fellow members of the cheer squad. This meant, that for once, Ron ought to be able to enjoy a few hours of Kim's company without either having to dodge giant mutated badgers, or having to deal with that smarmy creep Eric.
"_I can't go on living like this – I have to put my foot down and let Kim know the score. It's either her best friend or her…_"
Ron couldn't even _think_ the word, so he just let it drop.
He carefully peeked into one of the front windows, trying to see if anyone was around and then resigned himself to knocking on the door. A few moments later it opened and the birthday girl and good-natured blonde cheerleader, Tara Strong, greeted him with a smile.
"Hi there Ron!" she chirped at him full of cheer.
Ron looked nervous. He got along well, at least as well as he could, with his fellow cheer-squad members, but he never did quite feel completely comfortable around them without Kim present.
"Hey there Tara… happy birthday!"
Ron had brought a gift for Tara (from Smarty Mart of course) and awkwardly thrusted it through the doorway at her like he was trying to ward off a stampeding bull.
"Um… thanks Ron!" Tara replied, looking bemusedly at the oddly wrapped package.
"Garfield" said Ron.
"Huh?" replied Tara.
"That ones Garfield," Ron stated pointing to the wrapping on the present.
"And that's Hagar the Horrible – more like terrible if you ask me, and over here is Family Circus, but I don't really get that one. Oh over here…" Ron took the box from Tara's hand and flipped it over, "Ah yeah! That's Boondocks. It's hysterical. In an angry black man kind of way."
Tara let out a giggle and took the package back from Ron. Most people stopped wrapping presents in the comic pages when you were five and coming from nearly anyone else Tara would have thought it kind of bizarre, but with Ron… well it was still kind of bizarre, but sweet also.
"Well, come on inside Ron," Tara offered, "My Mom didn't cook any food, but she went out and bought a couple of party platters from Bueno Nacho. Just let me put this over on the ta-"
Tara turned around, but didn't see Ron anywhere. Then another voice from her left, a person who had been hiding behind the door just incase she had been needed, spoke up.
"He went right for the low class Mexican food. What did I tell you? That boy's predictable."
Tara giggled and set her gift down.
"Are you sure about this Kim? I mean… Yeah I kind of like Ron, but I'm sort of dating Josh right now and… well… not really, but maybe soon…" Tara's voice trailed off.
Kim could tell that Tara was wavering in her commitment to her diabolical plan. It had taken Kim no small amount of effort to convince Tara that not only did Ron _secretly_ like her – but that he was just _too shy_ to come out and admit it on his own. She felt somewhat bad lying to the girl like that, but she thought it was for the best. After all, Tara (for some God unknown reason) did have a bit of a romantic crush on Ron and Ron… well dating a cheerleader could only improve his standing amongst his peers.
"I'm totally sure Tara. Ron really likes you, he's just shy…" Kim felt a twinge of regret as she continued, "All we have to do is put him into a situation where he can overcome that shyness and the rest will come naturally!"
Tara looked up at Kim with her big blue eyes full of doubt and even a little expectation.
"Are you _sure_ Kim?" she pleaded in her little girl voice.
"Um… yep! Totally! Absolutely!" Kim responded.
"_Oh, I am so going to hell for this…_" she thought to herself.
"Just wait here and I'll go work on setting up things like we planned…" Kim stated.
-
"Hey KP!" Ron said in a cheery voice that actually made Kim take a step back.
"Hey Ron!" she replied, "You sound like you're in a good mood, what's up?"
Ron shrugged and then took another bite from the Naco he had been munching on.
"Oh you know… good tunes, good food, good company. The Ron-man is all about a good party."
"_And Eric isn't here so I might actually get to spend some time with you!_"
"Awesome Ron. Hey can I talk to you for a minute?" Kim asked, putting her arm on Ron's shoulder and leading him away from the rest of the partygoers.
"_Hmm. What's going on with Kim? My bad news detectors are going all haywire!_"
"Uh…" Ron began nervously, "What's going on Kim?"
Kim sat down next to Ron and leaned closer to him so that they could talk semi-privately.
"Ron… what would you say if I said there was a girl here tonight that liked you?" she asked tentatively.
Ron's mind reeled. He wondered what Kim was getting at.
"Uh… Cool? Wait – Who?"
"Well, let's just say… She's a cheerleader."
Ron started to formulate a mental list.
"_A cheerleader – like Kim._"
"And she's actually liked you for a long time."
"_Do you mean like best friends since pre-K?_"
"And she's even kind of dating someone right now, but might be willing to break it off with him for a little bit of Ron-shine."
Alarms and buzzers were flashing inside Ron's head.
"_Wait… Kim is dating Eric! Oh my God, Kim wants to break up with Eric and go out with me? This isn't bad news! It's BADICAL news!_"
Ron's face instantly broke out into a huge grin.
"Well, I'd say to her – why doesn't she give the Ron-man a whirl and see if she likes the ride?"
Kim made a face at Ron, arching her eye in incredulity at the obvious smarminess of his statement.
"Look, it's a little bit more complicated than that Ron. You see, she's really shy and she wants to know how you feel before she says anything." Kim said.
Ron nodded with sage-like wisdom.
"So, we're going to have to play a little game. Let me explain it to you…" Kim said.
-
Explaining the finer details of "seven minutes in heaven" to Ron hadn't been one of the high lights of Kim Possible's young life, still she had managed to complete his education with a minimal amount of emotional and mental scarring – mostly to herself.
It was a party mixer type of game, and mostly a harmless one. Basically it involved throwing two people, generally a male and female, chosen at random into a closet together for seven minutes. What they did inside that closet was their own business, but people were generally allowed to make scandalous assumptions – so long as it didn't get out of hand.
Of course, when it came to choosing people "at random", Kim had explained to Ron that the fix was in - when he got chosen, the person to step into the closet with him was going to be his "mystery woman". She had expected Ron to show a little resistance to the idea, and on some level deep down inside she was actually slightly disappointed that he hadn't. He even looked a little eager when he had selected the short straw from Kim's hand – hell, he had practically _sprinted_ to the closet.
"_What has gotten into that boy?_" Kim idly wondered to herself.
"Ok ladies!" Kim spoke up, "Time to see which one of us is going in too!"
The looks on the assembled faces of the Middleton High Cheer Squad ranged from apprehensive to down right disgust. Kim had reminded them under her breath that they had been pretty excited about the game until just a few seconds ago when they had found out which of the few male guests had been selected. Personally Kim thought they were just being babies – even if they _did_ have a chance of being selected, and Kim had made sure that they didn't, it wasn't like Ron was going to grope them or feel them up.
It was _Ron_ after all!
Just as Kim was about to offer the first lot, the doorbell rang.
"Oh, I better go get that…" said Tara as she took off for the door.
Kim rolled her eyes and proceeded to draw the first straw. It was, as she had known it would be, very, very long.
"Oooh! Bonnie!" squealed Tara from the foyer, "I'm so glad you could come!"
Kim looked over her shoulder and saw that her co-captain, high school arch-nemesis and queen of the food chain, Bonnie Rockwaller had just arrived at the party. She had actually been surprised when she had arrived earlier and Bonnie wasn't here – her and Tara were best friends after all. It turned out that Bonnie had some sort of family engagement that evening and was just coming a bit later – fashionably so.
Bonnie Rockwaller strode into the living room, took one look at the assembled girls and then bluntly asked, "What the heck's going on here?"
One of the other girls piped up, "Seven minutes in heaven!"
Bonnie raised her eyes a little bit and a few of the other cheerleaders giggled and a couple of them let out some low "Oooh's". All in all, it was a pretty salacious atmosphere.
"Take one Bonnie!" said one of the cheerleaders.
Bonnie just rolled her eyes and said, "Who's in the closet?"
There were no immediate answers, just a lot of giggling. Everyone knew how Bonnie Rockwaller felt about Ron Stoppable – so even entertaining the prospect that they would be locked in a closet together for seven minutes seemed down right hysterical.
"Just take it Bonnie!" one of the girls said, followed by a slew of more giggling and a chorus of "Yeah! Do it!"
Bonnie Rockwaller, while being the top of the food pyramid at school, had one major weakness – she was _completely_ vulnerable to peer pressure. In this sort of situation, there was nothing she could do but bite the bullet and hope that she didn't get the short end of the stick.
Literally.
Bonnie sauntered over to Kim and took a lot from her hand, then looked back at her assembled teammate and did a "Who care's?" shrug of her shoulders.
Kim passed out the rest of the lots and then all the girls got together in a circle and compared the relative lengths of their straws. Several of the girls were obviously out right off the bat – Kim being one of those. Eventually it became obvious who the winner was.
"Bonnie?" asked Tara as she shot an accusing glance at Kim.
Kim, for her own part, was completely baffled. She hadn't meant to give Bonnie the short lot – in fact she was down right positive that she had saved it for Tara. Did she make some sort of mistake? Did she…
"_Oh crap!_" Kim thought to herself as she realized her error.
When she had gone to make the lots, all she had available were those stupid bendy straws from the Bueno Nacho party platters that Tara's mother had bought. She had lined them up and then taken a sharp kitchen knife and sliced them ever so slightly in a diagonal pattern moving from right to left. The end effect _should_ have been a slight graduation in lengths of the straws, with the smallest one safely tucked away to be presented to Tara. And it probably would have even worked out that way if she hadn't made a minor cock-up and counted out the wrong number.
When Bonnie had arrived and been given a lot, Kim only had enough straws in her immediate hand for the amount of girls that had been present when she had started to pass them out. Because of this she had reached into her pocket and simply just grabbed another straw from the original batch she had cut. The thing she hadn't realized was that instead of grabbing a straw, she had actually grabbed the fully extended bendy part of one of the straws that she had already cut. It was, unfortunately for everyone involved, a rather small scrap and even more unfortunately it was sitting in Bonnie Rockwaller's hand.
Kim barely had time to register what was going on, let alone make up an excuse, any sort of excuse, that would get Tara into the closet with Ron. She looked on helplessly as the rest of the girls (sans Tara, who was equally as shocked as Kim) grabbed Bonnie and pushed her towards the closet. Faster than anyone could blink the door was open, Bonnie was forced in, and then just as quickly closed. The members of the cheer squad, with the exception of Kim and Tara, could barely contain their giggling.
-
Ron had been trying to listen to what was going on outside the closet for long minutes now to no avail. He felt for sure that he had been in here already for at least an eternity, so by the time Kim joined him he'd have been waiting for… well, a very long time. It wasn't that he was complaining exactly, and really, what did he have to complain about? His beautiful and stunning best friend was practically jumping through hoops just to get him to confess his love for her.
Suddenly he perked up – he could detect movement on the other side of the door and he heard the handle starting to move. There was a bright flash of light as the door swung open, but he couldn't see anything due to the fact that his pupils were dilated – still he did feel the warmth of another body being pushed up against his. There was an uncomfortable silence as he contemplated his next move.
"_This is it man! This is your chance – tell her how you feel! Oh… she smells nice. Wait! Head in the game Stoppable!_"
Ron tried to calm himself by slowing his breathing and concentrating. It was damn hard for him to do both because the closet was so small and he could feel Kim's body pressing up against him. He wanted to just reach over and hug her right now, but he knew from the way that Kim had been talking before that it was going to take more than that for him to win her over. He wasn't an idiot, he knew what Kim wanted and he was going to have to dig deep within himself to find it - Sincerity.
Slowly, he cleared his throat and then began to talk.
"Look, I know things haven't been all that great between us recently…" Ron knew he had hit the mark when he felt Kim's body tense up.
"But I want you to know something – well several somethings actually."
Ron was desperately trying to get the words out and to not concentrate on Kim's hot breath on his face.
"First off – I think you're an amazing person, and I don't just think that because you're the most beautiful girl in the school. I mean that from the bottom of my heart, I think who you are as a person is just amazing."
Long weeks of anguish had given Ron plenty of time to come up with exactly how he felt about Kimberly Anne Possible, and he was going to make sure he did his damned best to let her know.
"Other people might not notice it, but I'm always looking at you, always watching you and… I know you – I know how hard you work to always do your best, even though people think that your best comes so easily – I know the truth. I know that although sometimes you might seem a little insecure, or worried about your popularity, that deep down inside you're a sweet, kind hearted girl."
Ron heard a slight gasp come from Kim as he said these words to her – he mused that he must have touched a nerve.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is… even if nothing ever comes of this, I want you to know how I feel about you from the very bottom of my heart."
Ron leaned in closer now to Kim. She seemed to be shaking slightly and he could feel the warmth of her body against him.
"I love you," Ron pronounced in a soft voice and then almost hesitantly he leaned in and kissed Kim – miraculously finding her lips in the dark. It was a sublime moment of joy for him that he thought would go on forever.
In reality, however it lasted only about 10 seconds. For some reason Kim, who had merely just stood there in shock as Ron kissed her, had decided to pull away. Ron was confused, and certainly wasn't prepared for what she said next.
"Ron… Don't kiss me!"
He would have sworn that Kim sounded a hell of a lot like Bonnie Rockwaller before he lost consciousness due to the pain emanating from where her knee had suddenly impacted with his groin.
-
A/N:
I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter of "Cupid Has Crappy Aim" – my little foray into the vastly under-represented RonBon pairing.
Basically how this story came about is after I finished my huge Rongo story, "Ron Stoppable, Ultimate Monkey Master" I was looking for something else to write and Bubbahotek suggested a comedy. Now, I'm not confident on my ability to write comedy as much as I am drama, but I'm hoping that I can at least do goofy and sweet.
In any case, please review – this first chapter was an excruciating 5,000 words for me to type coming right on the coat tails of my 25,000 word final chapter for my last story. So I can't promise any super speedy updates, but who knows? I do intend to finish all my stories some day!
Thanks,
QC
2. Chapter 2
Chapter 2 – The Secret Life of Bonnie Rockwaller
-
"_Why am I still embarrassed!_" groused Bonnie Rockwaller as she slumped into the overly cushioned armchair.
Tara's disastrous birthday party had hours since passed away and Bonnie was still trying to deal with the fallout. To say that thing had gone _sour_ would have been putting it mildly.
When the door to the closet had finally been opened, Bonnie had stood there paralyzed with fear and indecision. What if someone had heard Ron's confession? How would she ever live it down? What if… What if…
What if they thought she had made out with him?
It was a possibility almost too gorchy to contemplate.
At first there was a light tittering of laughter from the assembled cheer squad girls, but then a loud voice broke over it.
"Ron! Are you ok?"
To Bonnie's surprise the concern for Ron wasn't coming from Kim, it came from Tara.
That's when she took a moment to look down at the pathetic sight beside her. Ron Stoppable was there, on the closet floor, huddled over in the fetal position and doing his best to keep half a Bueno Nacho party platter from making a sudden reappearance. Bonnie's hyper-social mind instantly calculated the damage her proximity to Ron was currently doing to her popularity and she did the only appropriate thing in the situation – she practically leapt away.
"That'll teach you to get fresh with me!" she screamed in Ron's direction as she set about doing a visible inspection of her clothing, acting as if she was looking for lice, tears, or Stoppable-borne cooties.
"Bonnie! What did you do to him?" This time the voice _was_ Kim's. It seemed that she had finally gotten her mind around the fact that her best friend was laying on the ground in agony and the one who had likely done it was Bonnie Rockwaller. Kim wouldn't likely cop to it, but she was a pretty repressed young lady, so she took nearly every opportunity she could to get into it verbally with Bonnie – it was one of the few cathartic releases she had.
Bonnie just sneered at Kim, "Nothing that the little pervert didn't deserve K! Why don't you keep him on a shorter leash?"
"What ever Bonnie!" interjected Kim, "Do you expect us to believe that _Ron_ of all people tried something on _you_!"
Bonnie looked around at the assembled faces of the cheer squad. Kim obviously didn't believe her, but that was a given – Kim wouldn't believe her if she said the sky was blue and Josh Mankey was gay (and Bonnie was pretty certain on both counts). The other girls on the squad seemed to be indifferent, if not a little incredulous – this didn't bode well for Bonnie. It wasn't until she saw the look on Tara's face that she really started to worry. Her tiny blonde best friend looked like she was about to cry.
Bonnie Rockwaller was a girl in crisis, torn between doing what she felt was right by her best friend and doing what she knew she had to in order to maintain her social standing. She hated being in situations like this, and while they didn't happen very often she knew automatically what the outcome was going to be.
"That _loser_," she began, the venom practically dripping from her voice, "tried to kiss me! I don't care what you think K, I am out of here!"
It was a lie of course - He hadn't _tried_ to kiss her at all, he had actually succeeded. However Bonnie didn't feel particularly compelled to share that bit of information with the rest of the school. She looked around, studiously avoiding the shocked and hurt look on Tara's face, and then pompously left the house, slamming the front door behind her.
She was in full "Queen Bonnie" mode when she pulled out of the driveway, the tires from the convertible her father had bought her squealing into the night. The anger in her system was practically at the boiling point and before she knew it she found herself idling at a stop sign three blocks down the road, slamming her fist into the rim of her steering wheel and cursing loudly.
"That idiot! That jerk! That asshole!" she muttered in between clenched teeth.
"How could he do that? He ruined Tara's birthday!" she accused while looking at herself in her rear view mirror.
Of course Bonnie knew that it wasn't _Ron_ that had ruined the birthday celebration, but her and her own self-serving antics. She rationalized it away however by claiming that she had an image to maintain and that if Ron hadn't kissed her, then none of this would have happened.
"_Why did that loser kiss me?_" she thought to herself as she put her car back into gear and continued through the subdivision.
"_I've never been anything but a bitch to him._"
It was true, for the most part. There _had_ been a couple of times where Bonnie had been on more… civil terms with Ron Stoppable, but for the most part they had been few and far between. It wasn't really that she had anything against him, it was just that she was at the top of the food chain and he was at the bottom and that was the way things worked. It was the way things _had_ to work. It's one of the lessons her father had taught her about the real world; for every person at the top there had to be a hundred at the bottom. Maybe it wasn't nice, but it was neat and orderly and as her father insisted, the way the world worked.
"_People at the bottom are losers Bonnie," her father had explained._
"_They'll never really amount to anything and the reason why is because they don't __**want **__to amount to anything. They're lazy, they don't work hard, they don't protect their status or their positions and because of all that they __**deserve **__to lose." Richard Rockwaller had stated._
Bonnie remembered at the time desperately not wanting to be a loser. She had asked her father what she needed to do.
"_It's easy dear, you're a Rockwaller – just act like one!_"
Bonnie had spent the next 10 years of her life acting out her father's advice and she was determined to keep it up for at least the next 50. After all, it _had_ worked so far – She was the queen of the school, she held court every day amongst her subjects and everyone who was anyone knew that Bonnie Rockwaller was destined for great things.
Thinking back on her father's advice she started to come to terms with what had just happened. It was unfortunate, sad really, that she had to cast such a pall over Tara's birthday party – but she'd make her petite friend understand that she had to do it. In fact, it was really the only thing she _could_ do under the circumstances. It was obvious wasn't it? By the time Bonnie had gotten home, parked her car and wandered into her bedroom she had nearly put the entire evening behind her.
Nearly.
"Arrrrrrrgghhh!!! STOPPABLE!" she growled at her ceiling.
Bonnie didn't know why, but there was something about what Ron had done to her tonight that completely infuriated her. At first she had wondered if perhaps the entire thing had been a set up designed to embarrass her. She quickly discounted that idea; she had arrived late and in fact there was no guarantee that she would have arrived at all – it would have been too much left to luck just to make her look like a fool.
"_Maybe Stoppable was just trying to mess with me – to get me back for all the times I've called him a loser_" she thought to herself, but that didn't ring true either.
There was something about the way that Ron had spoken to her that made it seem unlikely that he had just been playing her. No, there was something else…
And then that's when Bonnie realized it.
"_Oh my God! That dork was telling the truth!_"
Bonnie had been so shocked at the time that she hadn't really been paying attention to a lot of the little things that Ron had done when he had been confessing his feelings to her. Like the way his voice had cracked at the beginning, the nervous tone filled with apprehension while he spoke, the way you could feel that he was searching deep down inside himself for the right words to say. The way he had kissed her…
"_Head in the game Rockwaller!_"
Bonnie got up from her chair, walked across her room and flopped onto her bed. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that she was right. It was sort of strange at first, to realize that something had taken place right in front of her that she was only able to see after the fact – it was almost like watching your own life on instant replay in your own brain and then finally catching on to all the little nuances that you missed during the excitement.
"_Excitement?"_
No, she concluded, it wasn't excitement that she had felt, but _nerves_. Bonnie Rockwaller was never nervous, in fact she was only barely aware of what the word meant. Nerves and indecision and confusion were for people who were losers. Winners, like herself, always knew what to do and when to do it. That's why they were winners after all.
Still, when he had spoken to her she had felt something in the pit of her stomach give away. He had claimed to _know her_ – she laughed at the idea. "HA HA!" she said out loud as she flopped over on her side.
How could anyone know her? Her best friend didn't even know her. Her own mother was just barely an acquaintance. Her sisters were only in her life long enough to torment and belittle her with the reminders of how she'd never live up to their examples. Her father, the one man that she respected most in the entire world… well he had sent her two cards this year, a birthday one and a credit one.
No one knew her and that was the way she liked it. When people knew you they had power over you and when they had power over you, then they could just push you around as they pleased and damn it, Bonnie Rockwaller wasn't about to be pushed around by anyone. That just wasn't the Rockwaller way.
After all her mother had tried to push her father around and look how that ended up? She had pestered him constantly, begging him to stop working so much, to stay home on the weekends, to not stay at the office so late, to spend more time with the family…
It couldn't be allowed. Her father had explained the entire situation – her mother was holding him back and Daddy had a business to run and a family name to uphold. He had patted Bonnie on the head and told her that she'd understand when she was older.
Of course, Bonnie _did_ understand – and that was one of the reasons she hated her mom. She was a weak and simpering woman who had been lucky enough to be a Rockwaller once, even if by name only, and had thrown it all away because she wanted to follow the claptrap advice of day-time talk show hosts and over priced marriage counselors.
She was such a stupid woman and Bonnie didn't want to be anything like her.
"_Who cares if he said he loves me! WHO CARES?"_, Bonnie screamed in her mind.
"_Stupid loser – what gives him the right to say all that to me? What does he know about how hard I work? What does he know about me? He's wrong, totally wrong!_"
Bonnie reached over and turned off the light on her end table and then climbed under the covers. She looked out the window at the night sky and said to no one in particular…
"I am so _not_ a sweet girl!"
She turned over on her side away from the window and fidgeted for a few minutes, unable to fall asleep properly – the words of Ron Stoppable replaying in her mind.
"… _I'm always looking at you, always watching you and… I know how hard you work to always do your best … I know the truth. I know that … deep down inside you're a sweet, kind hearted girl."_
Bonnie snorted loudly into the air.
"_I love you._"
Bonnie sighed. This wasn't working – she was too wound up to get to sleep. She needed to relax, needed some sort of release. Reluctantly she made up her mind and reached under her covers…
Nestled deep in between the folds of her bed sheets was a secret that Bonnie had kept from everyone. She groped for it and finally felt her fingers make contact with its well-worn surface. She always felt a little embarrassed whenever she went to retrieve it, but she knew that sometimes when she was feeling very… well, _non-Bonnie-like_, it was the best way to calm her nerves. With expert dexterity she navigated the confines of her bed and with a slight thrill of excitement that she rarely allowed herself, she produced her most special and favorite toy that she had affectionately named "Mr. Happy".
Now dear reader let me be the first to say to you – Get your mind out of the gutter!
"Mr. Happy", it turns out, was an ancient and dilapidated stuffed brown bear that her father had given her on her fifth birthday who had been given his appellation by the young girl both because of the subtle smile on his face as well as because her parents were getting a divorce and Bonnie had desperately needed someone around her who was happy. His fur, once luxurious and soft, had been mostly rubbed away by over a decade of cuddling. His button nose had fallen off long ago when Bonnie was 12, only to be replaced haphazardly by a dot crafted by permanent magic-marker. His eyes still stubbornly clung to his skull, but Bonnie always took extra care to avoid disturbing them too much so that she wouldn't have to go through the embarrassment of having to perform emergency repairs on an old friend she should have thrown away years ago.
Bonnie sighed again, this time however it was one of contentment. With Mr. Happy firmly snuggled in her arms she laid back down on her pillow and drifted off to sleep, her ursine familiar helping her ward off the uncomfortable questions that plagued her in the night.
Yes, Bonnie Rockwaller was most definitely _not_ a sweet and kindhearted girl.
-
"Oh my God Ron! Are you ok?" asked Kim Possible.
Ron, to his credit, was dimly aware that he shouldn't be holding his genitals in front of a dozen teenage girls – at least not without a good lawyer, so he made a valiant attempt to prop himself up against the wall in a sitting position.
"Uh… I think I'm ok KP," Ron said weakly.
Kim looked at Ron dubiously and spoke, "Are you sure Ron? I mean it looks like Bonnie really whacked your…"
"Pride!" interjected Tara, shooting a dirty look at Kim.
"I'm fine KP, I just fell down!" Ron protested – secretly grateful for Tara's intervention.
"Ron," Kim began, "There's no way you could possibly fall down on your…"
"Self!" exclaimed Tara, then realizing it didn't make much sense she added, "In the closet. It's so… small."
Ron looked slightly offended.
"Hey, it's not _that_ small!" he exclaimed.
Tara cringed away from Ron, looking extremely apologetic.
"What are you talking about Ron?" asked Kim, really confused about where the conversation had gone off too.
"Uh… the size of the closet?" Ron offered.
Kim just shrugged. "I've seen bigger."
At this pronouncement Ron's eyes got as big as saucers.
"Oh really? Whose closet KP? Maybe… ERICS?" spat Ron.
At this both Kim and Tara gave Ron _the look_. The one a teenage girl reserved for things like their parents singing along to soft rock radio and old men wearing Speedos at the beach. The one that basically said, "_Have you lost your mind?_"
"Well, now that you mention it Ron," said Kim, "Eric _does_ have a rather large closet. What's that got to do with anything?"
"Kimberly Ann Possible!" barked Ron, "What would your mother think!"
"Wow Kim, I had no idea you and Eric were that close…" ventured Tara, slightly bewildered.
"Huh? Look, I don't have time for this Ron – I'm supposed to meet Eric for the late movie tonight. He got pre-screening passes for Bricks of Fury XIV: The Brickening" responded Kim, quietly ignoring Tara.
"Kim!" shouted Ron, "You promised you'd go see that with me!"
Kim looked a little sheepish, but held her ground. "We can still see it together Ron… I'm sure I'll like it enough to see it twice."
"Oh, I see how it is" said Ron, "I get your sloppy brick seconds!" He was obviously getting upset now.
"I like bricks…" Tara ventured lamely, but was ignored by both Kim and Ron.
"I'm sorry Ron, but you're just going to have to deal," said Kim, "I'm leaving."
"Fine!" said Ron, "I'm leaving too!"
Kim just rolled her eyes.
"And one other thing!" said Ron.
"Yes?" replied Kim.
"Can you give me a ride home? I walked here."
Kim's eyes narrowed and for a split second she looked like she was going to shoot laser-hot beams of destruction right through the center of Ron's forehead.
"Oh… Whatever! C'mon Ron!" she said as she turned around on her heel to make for the door.
Ron slowly got up with some assistance from Tara.
"Um Ron," she started, "I'm really sorry about the closet, are you sure you want to go?"
Ron looked at her bravely, holding her hand in both of his.
"Tara – I need to do this. Thanks for your support, I appreciate it," he responded and then scurried after Kim.
There was utter silence in the living room after Tara heard the front door slam, announcing the departure of Ron and Kim. She looked nervously around the room at the few remaining partygoers and then shrugged her shoulders.
"Heh… I guess that was weird huh?" she said softly to the assembled group.
It probably wasn't the most brilliant thing to say, but it seemed to do the trick because a light conversation was started up again and someone had turned on the radio. Tara was a little disappointed at the way the night had turned out, especially when she had started it with such high hopes, but she wasn't the type of person to get too down after a minor setback or two. Still, she wondered….
Then all of a sudden it hit her.
"Wait, where they talking about – "
-
"Bonnie, we need to talk."
Bonnie slightly flinched away from the telephone receiver when Tara had uttered these words to her.
"Look T, about last night… I'm really sorry about – " Bonnie found herself cut off by a nearly hysteric Tara.
"Did Ron try to kiss you? Did he really?" she asked with obvious alarm.
Bonnie stared at the phone for a second in apprehension.
"_Wait a minute, don't tell me Tara's crushing on him… again!_"
Bonnie wanted to slam her head against the wall in frustration. She had spent a long time, literally months, convincing Tara _not_ to go out with Ron Stoppable. He was just… well a _loser_, bottom of the food chain type material, and while Tara wasn't quite at the top she was comfortable near the upper middle. Dating Ron Stoppable would completely change that – he would be the huge white elephant around her neck that would drive her into the basement of popularity. And of course if Tara went that far down the food chain…
Well, then, Bonnie wouldn't be able to be her friend any more. It was a prospect that Bonnie didn't want to think about. After all, Tara was pretty much all she had…
Still, what good would come of it if Bonnie told her the truth? It was an agonizing decision.
"Well, I don't know… I think so," Bonnie lied.
"So… maybe he didn't?" asked Tara, a slight bit of hopefulness creeping into her voice.
"What's this all about T? I thought you were going to go out with Josh." Bonnie prodded.
There was a slight pause on the other end of the phone line.
"Bonnie…" Tara whispered in a hushed voice.
"I don't think… well, I don't think Josh really likes me." Tara said.
Bonnie wrinkled her nose.
"Didn't he ask you to the prom?" Bonnie offered.
"Well, yes. But… I don' t know why he did that." Tara responded.
"What do you mean T?" asked Bonnie, hoping against hope that she wasn't about to hear what she thought she would.
"Bonnie…" Tara's voice sunk down to a low conspiratorial tone, "I don't think Josh likes girls."
"_Shit!_" thought Bonnie. She loved Tara, but the girl just wasn't supposed to be that smart! Bonnie had spent a lot of time leaning on that fruit Mankey just so that Tara would have someone sufficiently popular and _safe_ to go out with. It wasn't that Bonnie was trying to be mean to her best friend, it was just that Tara was… well, Tara. She was sweet, innocent, and _extremely_ gullible. Setting her up with a gay guy was pretty much the only way Bonnie could guarantee that her best friend wouldn't end up in the back seat of some meatheads car with her ankles above her head. It might have been arrogant of Bonnie to be making decisions like that for Tara, but she knew deep down inside that if someone didn't watch out for her, men were just going to use her and throw her away.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought, "_Just like Daddy did Mother._"
This entire aside, or possibly because of it, Bonnie was reluctant to let the issue go.
"Tara… are you saying that Josh is _gay_?" Bonnie asked with mock surprise.
Tara being Tara, didn't really want to come out and say something like that – especially since she didn't have any real, concrete proof, so she made a half hearted attempt at justifying her feelings.
"I… I don't know I guess. I just… well, there is this other guy I kind of like and…"
Tara sighed. She already knew what Bonnie was going to say, but there was just no way around it. Bonnie was her best friend and she had to tell _someone_.
"Don't say it T." Bonnie warned.
"But Bonnie…" Tara whined.
Bonnie audibly sighed through the phone for Tara's benefit and then began her diatribe.
"I thought we talked about this already T. He's a loser. He's at the bottom of the food chain. He's not good enough to even hang out with you let alone date. Everyone is going to make fun of you guys and it probably wont even work out and then what are you going to be left with?"
The phone was silent for a few seconds, then softly Tara's voice came over the line.
"Bonnie… you're my friend right?" asked Tara.
Bonnie didn't like where this was going.
"Yeah, of course T! Best friends" responded Bonnie.
"That's right, Best friends…" Tara paused for a second and then continued, "I love you Bonnie. You love me right? We're closer than sisters, right?"
Bonnie could feel her guts wrenching up inside her like an iron knot being twisted around her spine.
"_Don't do this Tara, please don't do this…_" she pleaded in her thoughts.
"Yes Tara…" Bonnie said in a weak voice.
"Bonnie… I need your help," Tara stated.
"_No, no, no, no, no…_"
"I think… I think I'm in love with Ron Stoppable."
"Shit!" said Bonnie out loud.
"Huh? What? Bonnie?" asked Tara, obviously disturbed.
"I uh… spilled some coffee on my lap. Oh shit that hurts. Ow." Bonnie quickly tried to smooth over her slip of the tongue.
This was no good, no good at all. Ron was at the absolute bottom of the food chain – if Tara went out with him then it would mean that there would be almost no way that they could be seen in public together any more. What the hell was she thinking?
"T… are you serious? Do you really… you know…" Bonnie didn't want to say it.
"I think so Bonnie. I don't think I've ever stopped thinking about him…" Tara had that dreamy quality in her voice that Bonnie had learned to dread.
"_I can't believe she's doing this… we've been best friends for years and now she's going to pick Stoppable over me?_"
Bonnie was, for lack of a better term, freaking out. She wasn't about to lose the only person in her life that she could confide in just because of that _loser_. She had to do something, and fast!
"Well, ok then Tara – I'll support you." Bonnie said.
"Really?" squealed Tara with barely contained glee.
"You're my best friend Tara and I love you and… I'll support you in this. I'll do whatever I can…"
"_To keep you with me and away from that loser…_"
"Thanks Bonnie!" Tara exclaimed, "You're the best!"
Tara then launched into an overly enthusiastic tirade about how she was going to go about trying to see if Ron was interested in going out with her. Bonnie for her part made a lot of "Mmm Hmm's" and various other non-committal sounds while Tara was talking just so the other girl wouldn't catch on. Tara was amazingly good at reading people sometimes, and Bonnie didn't want her to recognize that the cunning and diabolical machinery in her mind had started to churn.
Ron Stoppable had confessed to her, hadn't he?
Tara thought she was in love with Ron.
Bonnie didn't want them to go out.
The solution was obvious – a way for Bonnie to get back at Ron for the embarrassment and keep her best friend as well and maybe, just maybe, even take a sideways swipe at Kim. It seemed almost too good to be true.
All she had to do was give Stoppable a little encouragement, make him think that she was willing to return his affections - and then wait for Tara to confess to him. Once she did, and once he turned her down, Bonnie could go back to giving him the cold shoulder and not have to worry about her best friend tumbling off the food chain and out of her life.
It was a diabolical plan, yet elegantly simple as well – in essence, completely worthy of the Rockwaller name. And to top it all off, Bonnie would finally be able to prove a point –
She wasn't a sweet girl _after_ _all_.
-
Three thousand miles away an anxious young woman was just about to complete the final leg of a trans-continental flight from Japan to the United States. She was weary from lack of sleep, yet energized from what was about to happen. For what must have the one-hundredth time, she reached into her small purse and removed a carefully folded official document. With great reverence she opened it and placed it in her lap, her graceful fingers barely brushing the surface of the paper as she read it.
It had taken nearly all her resources as well as a great deal of time and even some rather unofficial "favors" to procure this document, but she was quite happy with the results. It was, after all, completely legal and registered with all the proper authorities. Great care had been taken to make sure that this was the case.
She was sure there would be some initial resistance, in fact she expected down right disbelief, but she was prepared for this. She was confident, not only in the righteousness of her mission, but also in her ability to see it through. She would do whatever it took to make sure that the Yamanouchi School continued; even if it meant doing some otherwise deceitful things to someone she secretly loved.
And yes, she was _definitely_ in love. She had been from almost the moment she had first laid eyes upon him. It was almost as if fate had grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and forced her to notice this man. There was no other rational way to explain it.
She smiled a soft, gentle smile to herself and then oh so carefully folded her document back up into a proper square, placing it gently within the inner pocket of her purse. In just a few more hours she would be in his home town, a place that she had always wanted to visit ever since he had first regaled her with his funny American stories and after that, hopefully, they'd be spending their first night together under the same roof.
Her body got all warm and flushed just thinking about it!
Fate, it seemed, had been kind to her. She had often been worried in the past that when it came time to train a new successor for the school, she would be forced to marry a man that she did not know and could not love. Her grandfather had often told her not to worry about these things – to let Kami-sama take care of her destiny, yet still she had concerns.
However, it seemed that her grandfather had been right all along. She looked at her watch and then gently uttered out a schoolgirls' giggle. It was all going to happen so soon.
Somewhere in Middleton Colorado, Yori Matsumaru was going to meet her destiny.
"_Danna-sama, your lovely young wife is coming for you!_"
-
A/N:
Wow, I can't believe I got out another chapter so quickly on the heels of the last one. I'm making a conscious effort to keep this story and it's chapters a little smaller than my last effort, but only because I want to finish this one sometime before next year!
Does anyone else think that Ron's life is about to get more complicated than he could ever imagine?
And what do people think of Bonnie? She's obviously… well, still Bonnie-like, but are people starting to fall in love with her yet? Don't worry, I'll keep working at it until you do! (Or I'm not accomplishing my goal!)
Amazingly enough I actually have the final paragraph of this story already written down. Now I just have to go and find the missing 85 percent and type it up. Please bear with me until I do!
Thanks,
QC
3. Chapter 3
Chapter 3 – Operation: Lovely Wife – Part 1
-
Kim Possible studied the non-descript suburban Colorado home from the driver's seat of her car. She had driven over here on an impulse, having been overcome with a severe bout of guilt about the events that had transpired the night before. Since arriving however she had only been capable of staring at the home and contemplating what she was going to say to the occupants within.
"_I don't know what's up with Ron. He's been such a jerk lately – couldn't he see that I was just worried about him?_"
Kim had a sour look on her face as she remembered the events that had transpired at Tara's party. It wasn't _her fault_ that things had turned out like they did. In fact, she had actually been trying to do Ron a favor. Sure, if Ron had a girl friend type person in his life, it _would_ leave more time in Kim's schedule open so that she could spend time with Eric, but really – she just wanted her best friend forever to experience the joy of love as she had come to know it.
At least, that was her story and she was sticking to it.
When she had woken up this morning she had reluctantly admitted that perhaps she was a little bit too hard on Ron last night considering the circumstances and she had decided that the best thing to do would be just to pay him a visit and try to smooth everything over. It wouldn't be too hard, she mused – Ron was a sucker for her patented "Puppy Dog Pout" and if that didn't work she felt sure an early brunch of Bueno Nacho would set the two of them well on the path towards reconciliation.
With the situation made up in her mind, Kim stepped out of her car and started to make her way to the house. She was just about to head up the path to the front door when from her right she saw a long black car with tinted windows pull up to the curb of the Stoppable residence.
"_Huh? Who's that?_" she thought.
Kim absently pressed the ringer on the front door to Casa Del Stoppable while still staring at the now parked vehicle. No driver had yet emerged and the windows were so dark Kim couldn't make out who was in side. She was wondering if she should call Wade and get him to run the plates when the door to the house opened.
"Kim," said Ron Stoppable in as blank and emotionless tone as he could manage.
"Hey Ron!" Kim said with her best cheery voice. She was probably laying it on a little thick, but Ron could be kind of stubborn sometimes so she figured it was best to start off with both barrels blazing.
Ron stared at Kim for a second – you could tell he was trying to make up his mind about something. Whatever it was though, he wouldn't let on.
"So what's up Kim? Come to lock me in another dark closet? Third time's a charm?" he asked.
"Rooooon…." Kim began, "I'm really sorry about that – it was an accident! Bonnie wasn't supposed to be in there, I swear!"
Ron crossed his arms and looked down his nose at Kim's forehead. He had known her almost his entire life so he knew right away that she wasn't lying, but his pride, and most importantly, his _manhood_ had been injured. He was going to do her best to make her sweat a little bit.
"Yeah well you didn't seem really sorry when you went off and left me for Eric!" he whined at her.
"Ron! You came with us! I gave you a ride home after the movie!" Kim protested. This wasn't going as well as she had hoped. She was already started to get exasperated with Ron and if things kept going like this she knew that their friendship would be in serious jeopardy.
Ron paused for a moment and then leaned over, looking Kim square in the eye.
"Touché Miss Possible. Touché."
Kim sighed. This was absolutely _so Ron_. Did he just enjoy making things difficult for her?
"Look Ron, I just wanted to apologize about last night. Nothing went how I had planned it. I know I was mad because we started fighting, but after I got home last night…"
Ron's ears perked up a little bit.
"Well, I felt really bad – and I wanted to make it up to you" Kim finished.
Externally, Ron was the picture of restraint. Internally however… his heart soared and he was full of expectations. "_Yes!_" he thought to himself in victory, "_This is it!_"
"Bueno Nacho?" Ron asked hopefully.
"Bueno Nacho Ron. Two for one Macho Naco Combos." Kim nodded sagely.
"_The Ron-man shoots and he scores!_" he thought to him self. Ron Stoppable, as lovelorn as he had been, was still a man with needs. Spicy Mexican needs.
"Well, c'mon inside Kim, I need to put on some clean clothes" he said as he turned to walk up the stairs to his bedroom.
"Oh and Kim?" he asked.
"Yeah?"
"Who the heck is that in the limo out there?"
-
"Just wait!" Yori said as she bit her lip.
"Are you sure Miss? It's been a long trip, shouldn't you go inside?" asked the driver, a kindly older man who was dressed in a natty suit with a short brimmed dark cap.
Yori nodded to the man and then nearly pressed her face to the window.
"_What are they doing? What are they saying? I wish I could read American lips…She's going inside now… and Ron-san's parents aren't home!_"
Yori gnashed her teeth as she saw the door close. There had been a mix-up at the airport and her flight from Los Angeles to Colorado had been delayed. Because of this, she hadn't been able to arrive last evening when the entire Stoppable family would have been present. She knew that she should have waited to come here today, at least until Ron's parents had returned from work, but she was so anxious to start her mission that she decided to show up unannounced anyway. Plus, she had reasoned, there might be the possibility of some "alone-time" with Ron-san.
At the time the thought had made her blood boil hot. Now, it was boiling for another reason – a particular redhead who had just entered the home of her _Danna-sama_ while neither of their parents were present.
"_I knew that woman was going to be a problem! I knew it!_"
Yori reached into her bag and pulled out an overlarge manila envelope. She opened the flap and rummage around inside until she procured a packet of documents that were clearly labeled in English – Kim Possible. When Yori had first learned of her mission she had asked for the school to provide intelligence gathering on various people that surrounded her target in the interest of "learning the background of Ron-san". The truth was however that there was only _one_ person that she was interested in, and that person was the most dangerous one of all.
"_You will not seduce my Ron-san away from me with your pointy little breasts you redheaded tramp!_"
Yori flipped over the dossier and looked at the contents. The entire life of Kim Possible, world saving teen hero, and erstwhile best friend of Ron Stoppable, was there for her to read. There were family histories, relationship charts, academic reports, psychology profiles, and personal information. The personal information was what Yori was most interested in.
"_It says right here she is supposed to have a boyfriend! They aren't on a mission, they're not at school, why is she here so early in the morning?_"
Suddenly the voice from the driver interrupted Yori's internal ranting.
"Miss? What do you want me to do? Technically the ride's over and I don't get paid to idle the car here…" he sounded regretful to have to point out something so tacky considering how it was obvious this young woman was in emotional distress, but he liked his job and didn't want to get in trouble with his boss.
Yori thought about it for a moment. Kim was obviously going to be a problem. She obviously needed to keep an eye on her….
"_That's it! I have the perfect solution!_"
"One second!" Yori chirped as she dug through the dossiers again. Within the pile was the personal information and address of one individual in particular that Yori was going to need to get on her side if she was going to make her new plan work. It was an unfortunate development, but one she was sure she could handle – at least if the rest of the operation was still in place.
"_Ah ha! Here it is!_"
She quickly opened up the packet and looked for the relevant information. Then she leaned forward and spoke directly to the driver.
"Here – take me here!" she said, waving a page from the report in the man's face.
"Take me to the home of Steve Barkin!"
-
Gene Stoppable let out a low whistle as he inspected his new corner office at the Tri-City Insurance Company. To say it was posh, would be an understatement. The walls were freshly painted with the furthest two having large glass windows that let in copious amounts of fresh, healthy sunlight. As he sat behind his new oak executives desk, he took off his battered shoes and felt the rich plush carpet poke up between the holes in his socks and tickle his toes.
He couldn't believe his luck! Him, Gene Stoppable, mid-level actuary and tireless worker-bee had finally been recognized for his devotion to detail and excellent work ethic. He had almost resigned himself to finishing out his career with the same cubicle, the same ratty suit and the same terrible salary, when all of a sudden he had been lifted out of the pits of despair and placed here in these Elysium heights. Gene Stoppable, at the tender age of 55, had finally made Vice President. When he had first heard the news and had been escorted to his new office he had closed the door behind him and wept for 15 straight minutes.
He was just getting ready to start counting the zeros again in his new compensation package when all of a sudden the large executive-style phone on his desk started to buzz. He fumbled for a moment, knocking over his bronze Actuary of the Year award (circa 1989) and jabbed a chubby finger at the button.
"Uh… Yes?" he said, still unsure of his position.
"Mr. Stoppable, the home office called to say that you have a 10 o'clock meeting with the regional manager. You'll be meeting in the board room with Mr. Nakamura and Mr. Rockwaller," came the nasally reply of his new secretary.
"Oh, fine. Thank you!" he said and pressed the button again.
"_The regional manager! The company president!_"
Gene sat back in his plush leather chair and brought his fingers up to his neck to take his pulse. The last thing he wanted to do was die of excitement on the day that his families ship had finally come in. He couldn't wait to rush home and tell his wife and son – just the image of them leaping into his arms and hailing him as the conquering hero put a huge smile on his face. With the amount of money that had come along with his new position, not to mention the bonus he had just received, he could finally buy his son that car he wanted and Meryl, his sweet Meryl, could finally quit that second job.
Yes, things were definitely looking up for the Stoppables.
But first, he had a meeting to make. 10 o'clock wasn't that far away so Gene made his way out the door of his office, waved goodbye to his new secretary Grace (who happened to be quite attractive – he'd have to make sure not to mention her to Meryl) and then walked directly across the hall to _it._ The one place that he had always wanted to go to, but until now, could not – the executive elevator.
Gene placed his ID badge over the electronic sensor and stood back as the shiny gilt metal doors slid open, releasing a subtle wave of pressurized air into the office hall. He entered, almost apprehensively, then inhaled deeply. This was it, what he'd been after his entire life – the smell of respect. The elevator made a slight humming noise as it ascended into the heavens, carrying Gene Stoppable away from the dross and morass of his old life and delivering him to the highest heights a simple actuary like him could ever have hoped for. Eventually the elevator slowed down, coming to a halt at the top floor and the doors slid open.
Standing there, with a hand held out to greet him, was the man Gene had often admired, but never approached – Richard Rockwaller.
"Mr. Rockwaller!" he exclaimed, while offering his hand.
Richard Rockwaller smiled a toothy grin at Gene. While the elder Stoppable showed the full effects of his world-weary 55 years, Richard, who was exactly the same age, looked like a man in the prime of his life. His skin was smooth and tanned, his teeth bristling white, his hair elegantly coifed and the entire package was wrapped in an impeccable Armani suit. Gene suddenly felt very self-conscious.
"Please Gene, call me Richard!" he said with an obviously false friendliness.
Richard Rockwaller knew this man. In fact, he had gone to school with him when they were both children, but he had never thought that the home office would select someone like _him_ to head up their actuary department. The entire concept was mind-boggling and Richard wondered just what those crazy Jap's had been thinking. In fact, he had protested long and loud about having this dull and listless man hoisted upon the management of what he considered to be _his_ office, but all of his complaints had fallen on deaf ears. Someone it seemed was dead set on having Gene Stoppable run the business that Richard Rockwaller had built up straight into the ground.
He was determined to find out whom, and then force them to send Gene back to the pits of loser-dom where he belonged.
"So Gene, how have you been? I think we haven't seen each other since… what was it? High School, right?" Richard asked with obvious smarm in his voice.
"Uh… actually… uh Richard," Gene was obviously uncomfortable addressing him in such a familiar manner, "it was at the 30 year reunion a few years back."
Richard looked genuinely shocked.
"Really? You don't say?" he asked as he lead Gene towards the board room.
"Yes… I was there with my wife Meryl."
"You're married Gene?" asked Richard with a tone of surprise in his voice.
"Twenty five years. We have a son, he goes to High School with your daughter." Gene replied.
Richard's head flipped back for a second.
"_Wait, they have a son that goes to school with Bon-Bon? Maybe she could 'pump' the boy for a little information on behalf of her old man. Figure out how this loser got promoted so high, so fast._"
Richard Rockwaller filed that thought away in his mind for later usage. He _really_ hated feeling like he wasn't in control and he wasn't above using his daughter to help him re-establish command of the situation.
"Well, here we are!" he exclaimed, pushing Gene by the back through the large double doors to the executive boardroom.
The room was empty, except for one diminutive elderly Japanese man – it was easy to tell who Mr. Nakamura was.
"M-m-mr. Nakamura!" Gene exclaimed, falling into a stiff bow to the older man. Gene truthfully didn't know much about the Japanese businessmen who had bought out the Tri-City Insurance company during the 80's, but he did watch movies so he knew that bowing was probably the right thing to do.
The elderly man rose from his seat and elegantly returned the bow.
"Please Mr. Stoppable, call me Kenji." He replied.
Gene straightened up and responded, "Well then, please call me Gene."
Mr. Nakamura smiled at this and motioned for Gene to sit.
"Now Kenji…" began Richard Rockwaller.
"Mr. Nakamura," came the short response from the wizened man. Richard Rockwaller visibly blanched at the rebuke.
"O-o-of course sir!" he said quickly.
Gene Stoppable shifted nervously in his chair. He wasn't sure what kind of game Nakamura was trying to play, but he was sharp enough to understand that the elder Japanese man had just earned him the loathing of Richard Rockwaller.
"_Please God, don't let me be out on my ass here after a week"_, he silently prayed.
"Gene," the inscrutable man began, "I want to congratulate you and on behalf of our home office extend our warmest regards to you and your family."
Gene smiled and nodded. The old man at least appeared sincere.
At this Kenji Nakamura reached into his suit pocket and retrieved a small envelope. He then slid it across the table to Gene who raised his eyebrows in question.
"That, Gene Stoppable, is your new benefits package. Please look inside.", Mr. Nakamura said.
Gene slid his thumb under a loose flap of the envelope and gently tore it open. There was a multi-page document inside that he removed and began to study.
"Take your time Gene and read it all.", Nakamura urged.
Gene nodded and continued to study the pages. It was somewhere around the third or fourth paragraph that his eyes suddenly got as big as dinner plates.
"_This is… incredible! We'll be set for life!_" it took all of Gene's self control not to start hyperventilating on the spot. He cleared his throat with a nervous cough and then spoke, "Ahem, this is… quite good. Excellent really. Thank you very much sir."
"Kenji, Gene. And I'm glad it meets your approval. If there is anything you would like to change; say – more paid vacation, or less working hours, please let me know and I'll do my best to move it along."
This was really getting to be too much for Gene, he had to know. He absolutely _had to know_. What, if anything, had he done to deserve so much? He had always taken pride in his work and he felt confident that he had always done the best job he could possibly do, but there was no way on Earth he could have ever imagined something like this could happen – not to him anyway! It wasn't that Gene had thought of himself as a _loser_ per-see, but he did know one thing for sure, Gene Stoppable _wasn't_ one of the elite – that was Richard Rockwaller whom was sitting across from him and looking increasingly perplexed.
"Um… Kenji…" Gene began in a nervous voice, "I… I have to know something. How, er… Why? Why did all this happen?"
There, he had said it. He knew it wasn't the smoothest thing he could have possibly said, especially since any public doubt of his right to such largess would most likely prove to the two men in the room with him that he didn't deserve it, but there was just no way Gene would ever be able to get a wink of sleep if he didn't know _why_ this was happening.
Kenji Nakamura looked at Gene Stoppable straight in the eye. Without breaking contact he then said, "Rockwaller-san, please leave the room."
Richard Rockwaller was obviously not happy about this. It was all he could do not to make an annoyed "huffing" noise as he stood up and exited the grand chamber. When the door finally closed, and rather loudly it should be noted, Nakamura broke into a broad smile.
"Gene, let me be the first to welcome you to the family.", he said.
Gene nodded and said, "Thank you… I know that everyone here at Tri-City Insurance is supposed to be a family."
Nakamura laughed at this.
"No, no Gene. That's not what I meant. I mean _the family_.", he said with a light chuckle.
Nakamura studied Gene Stoppable. Obviously the man wasn't getting what he was trying to say. It was so typical of Americans, you had to be extremely blunt with them or else they just refused to understand. A more direct approach was definitely in order so Kenji leaned forward and reached out his hand to Gene, who took it and shook hard.
"Gene, welcome to the Yamanouchi Group."
-
Kim Possible looked in horror at the carnage before her. It was brutal, it was gory, it was quite likely the most disturbing thing she had ever seen in her life.
It was Ron Stoppable going to town on 2 for 1 Naco Day at Bueno Nacho.
"_How can he do that? I haven't even touched my food and I'm already feeling sick._"
"Hey KP?" asked Ron in between disturbingly loud crunches, "So like, if Bon-Bon wasn't supposed to be in that closet… who was?"
Kim just stared blankly at Ron.
"KP?" he asked, "Helloooooooo, Earth to Kim Possible!"
"Huh? What? Oh… Sorry Ron.", Kim said, finally free from the near hypnotic grotesquerie that was Ron's table manners.
"I _said_ - Who was supposed to be in that closet?"
Ron had spent a long time thinking about it and while he wasn't in danger of being called a genius any time soon, he had been able to determine from the way Kim acted that it had probably _not been her_ who was his mystery lover. It sort of annoyed him at the time, and while Ron was still pretty dead set on declaring his immutable and everlasting love for his best friend, he still wanted to know which girl was his secret crush. He felt like it was his right to know.
"Oh, _interested_ are you?" teased Kim as she crouched low in her chair and gave Ron a devilish grin.
Ron paused from his consumption enough to actually set down his Naco and put on his serious face.
"Not that it matters to me," he said gruffly, hoping Kim would get the hint.
"Are you _sure_ Ron? What if she's really cute?" Kim said in a low voice.
The left side of Ron's face ticked up, scrunching his eye and curling his lip. He wanted to say something like, "_No girl is cuter than you Kim!_" or "_It doesn't matter what she looks like, you're the most beautiful woman in the world to me!_" or even, "_Kim! I love you!_" but for some reason the words just wouldn't come out of his mouth. Instead all he managed was a weak, "I don't know…" and then he proceeded to stare at the half eaten Naco that he had laid to rest on his tray.
Kim noticed that something that she had said had really brought Ron down into an emotional funk and she wondered what she could do to cheer him up again. Even though she wasn't completely sure that it would work out, Kim _wanted_ to tell him about Tara, but something held her back. The words just wouldn't come out of her mouth. Instead all she managed was a weak, "It's ok Ron…"
The two of them sat there in silence, wondering what the hell was wrong with them until all of a sudden the awk-wierdness was broken by the derisive dulcet tones of one Ms. Bonnie Rockwaller.
"Why, if it isn't the _loser_ brigade."
"Stow it Bon-Bon," said Ron in an uncharacteristic display of backbone.
"Hmph!" said Bonnie, "Don't think you can talk to me like that after what you did to me Stoppable!"
"Bonnie, leave Ron alone it was an –" Kim began, but she was cut off by Ron.
"Look Bonnie, I'm sorry ok? If it makes you feel better I take it all back."
Bonnie looked at Ron squarely in the eye.
"What do you mean take it all back?" she practically screamed at him. For some reason when Bonnie had heard those words from Ron, she felt a little stab of pain deep down inside her chest.
"What do you think he means by – " Kim started to say.
"Quiet K, this is between me and the loser." Bonnie barked back.
Kim stood up, her face was getting red and her hands were clenched at her side.
"Bonnie! You can't just – " Kim started _again_, only this time to be cut off by Ron.
"Kim, it's ok. Bonnie's right – this is between me and her." Ron said with a resigned tone.
"So Stoppable," said Bonnie, "What do you intend to do about this?"
Ron had shot off his mouth to Kim about taking responsibility, but right now he was feeling pretty trapped. He needed to apologize to Bonnie - Things were always tenuous between them and if Ron didn't resolve the sitch then there was no telling what Bonnie would do to get back at him… and Kim. Still, Ron felt pretty certain that he didn't want Kim to know the _entire_ details of what had happened in that closet – asides from the fact that it was embarrassing as hell, there was also the fact was that Kim had tried to set him up with some other girl and he didn't want to make it look like he was so desperate as to accept whatever scraps Kim would throw at him. Especially not when Kim was the one that he _really_ wanted.
"KP, can you excuse me and Bonnie. I think it's time we settled this like adults." Ron said in his most serious voice.
Kim was still pissed, livid actually, but deep down inside she was proud of Ron. She knew that he didn't like dealing with Bonnie and while she didn't know exactly what had happened inside that closet she admired the fact that Ron was going out of his way to make it up to Bonnie like a gentleman.
"Ok Ron, I'll just go to the restroom."
Kim shot Bonnie a dark look and then retreated to the back of the restaurant. Bonnie watched her the entire way and when she was sure that Kim was gone she turned back to Ron.
"_Ok Rockwaller, as unpleasant as this may be remember the reason why you are doing this. Eyes on the prize._"
It was the truth. What Bonnie was about to do was a huge risk to her social standing and her future at Middleton High, and quite possibly even beyond, but she had no other choice. She loved her best friend Tara better than she loved her own sisters (which was easy to do since Connie and Lonnie Rockwaller were bona fide grade-a bitches) and she needed to protect her reputation.
No, there she was, lying again.
Bonnie had faced the cold hard facts last night when she was formulating this plan. The truth was, she wasn't doing this for Tara. If she were a friend, a good friend to Tara like she had been to Bonnie, she would have honestly supported Tara's feelings towards Ron. Tara was a sweet, naive, gullible young woman who would be chewed up and spit out by most of the self-serving men around her. A guy like Stoppable, no matter how much of a loser he was, would be safe for her. It was practically impossible for Bonnie to imagine doofy, dorky, Ron Stoppable ever being capable of breaking Tara's heart.
In the deep, dark hours of the middle of the night Bonnie Rockwaller had admitted something that she had never admitted before – she desperately needed Tara to be her friend and if Tara started dating Ron, then that just couldn't happen any more.
Bonnie had a job to do so she steeled her nerves, looked around to make sure no one else was watching and then sat down.
Next to Ron.
"Uh… Bonnie?" asked Ron with a squeak in voice.
"Shhh Ron, there's something I need to say to you." Bonnie said in a soft voice.
"_Ok, time to lay it on thick – Do it for Tara, Bonnie!_" she encouraged herself.
"Ron… what you said to me…"
Ron started to protest, to say he didn't mean it, to say that it was an accident, but he got distracted when Bonnie leaned a little closer to him.
"_Is that… a boob?_"
Ron's brain almost short-circuited as something soft and decidedly interesting brushed up against his arm.
"Well, I've been thinking and I'm sorry that I acted he way I did."
Ron wasn't really paying all that much attention to what Bonnie was saying. He looked briefly down to where she was making contact with his arm and then decided that he really didn't want Bonnie to catch him looking at that, so he looked right back up into her eyes, only find that her face was just inches from his own.
"Ulp!" he uttered.
"Ron, I just want you to know… you were right about me Ron, totally right."
Ron looked agog at Bonnie, his mind not comprehending what his ears were hearing.
"I was?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes Ron, you were right. Only you were able to see it Ron, only you." Bonnie whispered as she gazed into Ron's eyes.
"But Ron…" she said, in a despairing voice, "Please do me a favor Ron, please?"
To Ron it looked like Bonnie was practically on the verge of tears. He couldn't believe it – he had never seen Bonnie's face so emotive. Well, except for the times when she was relishing in a good put-down or grinning at her own superiority. Bonnie was actually surprisingly good at looking sad and hurt – if she wanted to she could definitely give Kim's patented "Puppy Dog Pout" a run for it's money.
"Uh… what Bonnie?" Ron asked in a daze, semi-enthralled by Bonnie's expression.
"Don't tell anyone Ron. Please don't tell anyone. I couldn't bear it for people to…" Bonnie grasped around for the right words that would protect her reputation while allowing her to manipulate Ron, "understand me like you do."
"You'll do that for me, won't you Ron?" she asked while reaching her hand up to his chin.
Ron nodded.
"Oh thank you Ron!" Bonnie gushed while gently caressing the side of Ron's cheek.
Ron went to say "No big" but for some reason it came out more like, "Uhhh…"
"K's going to come back soon Ron, so I have to go." Bonnie put on a show of being disappointed. Ron couldn't help it but his face mimicked Bonnie's on it's own accord.
"Ron, let's meet tomorrow after school at the…" Bonnie wondered where she could go where no one who mattered would be able to see her, "library. The Middleton Public Library."
"_Did Bonnie just ask me out on a date?_ _I should find out… but what about Kim? KIM! Head in the game Stoppable, you love Kim not Bonnie!_"
Ron was just about to refuse Bonnie when she did the unexpected. With a quick peek around her shoulder to make sure someone wasn't looking, she leaned in towards Ron's face and pressed her lips against his.
Ron's brain blew a gasket. He knew he should pull away, or push Bonnie away, or otherwise get out of the situation but for some reason he found himself completely paralyzed. Then he realized why – it was the first time a girl had ever kissed him on the mouth under her own free will.
"_Wow… Wait! Is that… tongue?_"
It was.
Just as quickly as the kiss started, Bonnie pulled away and then got up from the booth. With a final look back at Ron, she opened the door and left, leaving the poor confused boy to his own thoughts.
"Hey Ron! Where'd Bonnie go?" It was Kim, evidently she had returned from the bathroom.
"Huh? Oh… she left." Ron said in a daze.
"Well, we should get going too. I told my parent's I'd clean my room today." Kim said.
She had been slightly worried about Ron. For all his intentions of taking responsibility, Bonnie Rockwaller wasn't someone to be dealt with lightly – thus she was glad when she came back to find Bonnie gone and Ron looking relatively intact and unharmed.
Ron nodded at Kim and then stood up from the booth and started to waddle to the trash can so he could throw away his used tray.
"Wow Ron, Bonnie must have gotten you good – I can see the swelling hasn't gone down yet." Kim remarked.
Ron took one look down, blushed a heavy shade of crimson and pronounced, "Oh yeah, she got me _really_ good."
-
A/N:
This chapter was originally intended to cover more plot but I cut it short because I couldn't jam it all into what I considered a tolerable sized update. Remember: I've just gotten done writing a 25,000 word final chapter for Ron Stoppable, Ultimate Monkey Master so I'm trying to keep things down to a much more manageable 5,000 words per offering.
First of all I want to say thank you for everyone who has reviewed my story so far. Generally speaking I get a terrible amount of reviews to page hits (about 1 review for every 300 hits it seems), but this story has been slightly better and I really appreciate it. I just want to put out there the idea that the reviews and PM's are the only rewards I get for writing and I absolutely love hearing what people think about my stories – not just if they are great or bad, but what they liked/disliked about them. It's the fuel that keeps the QC writing machine going.
Anyway, I think the story is coming a long nicely although I haven't had as much time to establish characters as I like (and I _do_ like to take my time, anyone who's read RSUMM can testify to that), but I'm still not done introducing characters and setting up the situation yet. Fear not dear readers, Yori will make her "public" debut next chapter, bringing with her a whole array of complications for the Ron-man.
I agonized a little bit over the Bueno Nacho scene because I wanted to make sure that it came across right. I think I did a good job, but I was very hard for me to write without it seeming trite. If people question Ron's response to Bonnie's flirting, I caution them to remember that Ron _is_ a young man and Bonnie, despite people's dislike of her personality, is smoking hot. You'd be hard pressed to find a young guy who _wouldn't_ start to get a little incoherent with a hot babe flirting with him.
I keep trying to cut the dick and fart jokes down, but I find myself relying on them all the time. I think this means either I am a comedic genius capable of making the crudest forms of humor seem urbane, or I am totally bereft of original ideas. I leave it up to you Dear Reader to decide.
Sorry for the ridiculously long author notes, next time I wont be quite so chatty.
Peace,
QC
PS: Yes, three updates in three days. I am way too good to you guys! hehehe
4. Chapter 4
Chapter 4 – Operation: Lovely Wife – Part 2
-
Ron Stoppable carefully examined his reflection in the mirror. Normally he was pretty ambivalent about what he saw, so it wasn't an activity that he spent a great deal of time doing.
Normally, that is.
Today however, he was intrigued by the possibility that something had changed, or perhaps there had been something there that he had overlooked for the last sixteen years of his life. Perhaps somewhere on the slightly freckled surface of his face was an untapped goldmine of hotness that he had neglected to exploit. He didn't know exactly what it was, but something had _definitely_ changed.
It was the only explanation for what had happened in Bueno Nacho just a few scant hours before.
"She used tongue Rufus! Tongue!" Ron exclaimed to his faithful pet. Rufus for his part just looked at Ron in utter shock, going so far as to let precious scraps of cheese drop forlornly from his mouth.
"I know! I can't believe it either. Bonnie of all people, kissing me!" Ron said as he turned his face to examine his profile in the mirror.
"What do you think buddy? Do you think I somehow got hotter in the last couple of days?" Ron asked.
Rufus scampered over to the dresser and took a position directly in front of Ron. He squinted one of his little black eyes and put a paw under his chin so as to look deep in thought.
"Hnk?" Rufus said, with a shrug of his diminutive shoulders.
Ron still searched his reflection but he knew his faithful pet was correct. From the outside, it didn't seem like anything at all had changed about him. In fact, he had surreptitiously counted two new blemishes and a full-grown pimple starting to poke out from the side of his chin. The "hotness" theory was definitely not panning out.
Ron scooped up Rufus and carried him along while he flopped on his bed, placing the mole-rat just mere inches from his face.
"You know Rufus, I think I really messed up", he said dejectedly.
"Hnk?" Rufus responded, obviously not following Ron's train of thought.
"The closet Rufus! I made a huge mistake. When I was in there… well, I thought Kim was going to come in so I… kinda confessed my feelings for her." Ron said sadly.
Rufus chattered something that only Ron could understand.
"No, not Kim. Bonnie was inside the closet!" Ron said.
Rufus made a face at Ron that demonstratively showed what he thought of that.
"I know, but I didn't check first to see if it was Kim… it was a total mistake buddy! I swear!" Ron said.
Rufus scampered the short distance between him and Ron and put a tiny paw on the boys shoulder, patting him in a comforting gesture.
"What am I going to do Rufus? I mean, I know I should clear this all up with Bonnie, but you didn't see her today man. It was amazing! I've known Bonnie for years and I've never seen her so, so…" Ron struggled to find the right word.
"Happy. No, sweet… No, beautiful. All those things, it was incredible", he finally pronounced.
"Hnk!?" Rufus exclaimed.
"Yeah I know… You should have seen her man. There was this part where she was asking me to keep her secret and she had this look on here face like if I had told her 'no', that she would have just folded up on herself and cried." Ron shook his head sadly.
"Rufus, I've never, _ever_ had that kind of power over a woman in my entire life. The fact that it was Bonnie Rockwaller not only blows my mind, but it actually _scares_ me!"
Rufus, not being a master of human interpersonal relationships, wondered exactly what the hell Ron was talking about, but decided to let it slide. It was obvious Ron wasn't looking for answers so much as letting his problems out of his skull.
"There's only one thing to do Rufus. I still love Kim, so I'm going to have to let Bonnie down gently. But…" Ron's voice trailed off as he thought for a moment.
"But I'm going to try being her friend first", he stated.
"I think that's the right thing to do Rufus. I think what Bonnie needs right now is just a good friend."
Ron flipped back on his side and smiled. He was proud of himself for not letting the situation go to his head. He was proud of himself for staying devoted to Kim (even if she didn't really seem all that unhappy with Eric) and most importantly he was proud of himself for doing what he thought was the right thing. Him and Kim saved the world on countless occasions, but rarely had Ron Stoppable ever had the chance to make an impact on such a profoundly personal level.
It was with a great sense of self-satisfaction that Ron turned off the lights and went to bed that night. He slept the sleep of the righteous, completely confident in his decision and blissfully unaware that he had put into motion events that would turn his world upside down.
-
Bonnie Rockwaller unlocked the kitchen door to her home and slipped inside, taking special precautions to make sure no one was around. It wasn't that she was doing anything out of the ordinary, or anything that she shouldn't be doing; she just didn't want any of the other residents of the Rockwaller household to bother her. Bonnie had always felt that with the exception of her father, everyone else that was blood related to her merely existed to make her life hell. If it wasn't her older sisters belittling her and mocking her, then it was her mother trying to start a saccharine-sweet "heart to heart" talk with her. Connie and Lonnie were bad enough to deal with, not crying in front of their more brutal displays of intimidation was a Herculean task in its self, but having to sit through one of her mother's pathetic attempts at "bonding"… well Bonnie would rather skip both experiences all together.
Quickly Bonnie crept through the kitchen, entering the living room and practically gliding up the stairs. It wasn't until she had the door to her bedroom closed and locked behind her that she let her guard down. She hated feeling like she was living behind enemy lines, but it seemed that it was just the way things had to be – at least until she graduated and went to college. When she was younger she used to beg her mother to send her to live with her father, but her mom always blew her off with the same excuse, "_I'll ask him dear_". Without a doubt a few days later her mom would come back and tell Bonnie that it just "wouldn't be a good idea" and then she'd adamantly refuse to talk about it any more. To make matters worse every time she tried to broach the matter with her dad, he would always give Bonnie a really sad look and say, "_It's out of my hands sweetie, I can't do anything about it_" and then _he_ would refuse to talk about it as well.
It drove Bonnie so nuts that eventually she just stopped asking. She was pretty sure however, that the entire thing was probably her mothers fault.
"_She just wants to keep me here to make her feel better about herself._" Bonnie would think. Heaping blame upon her mother was something she was good at.
Bonnie sighed and kicked her shoes off into the corner. Today had been extremely unpleasant for her on many levels and she was just glad it was over.
"_Just a couple more days Bonnie and then you can put the axe in Stoppable and keep your best friend._"
She frowned a little bit when she thought this. The idea wasn't as comforting as it had sounded earlier.
Although she had pretty much talked her self into it, she really didn't like what she was about to do to Tara. The sweet little blonde girl had been Bonnie's one true friend since elementary school, back before Bonnie had become the "Queen B". Bonnie knew that because of this she owed Tara a debt of loyalty, but there was something more there as well.
"_T's always been there for me. She's always supported me, even when I was a down right bitch to her. I know people think I take that for granted but I don't._"
Bonnie paused for a moment.
"_Do I?_"
Maybe she did. It was hard not to look at it that way when she thought about what she was doing – essentially stealing the affections of a boy Tara liked and then dumping him, all so that Tara wouldn't get him. Just admitting it like that made Bonnie sick to her stomach.
"_What's wrong with me?_"
And then there was Stoppable himself. God he was such a _loser_. He was a nobody; not popular, not a jock, not particularly handsome, and to top it all off he wasn't even very smart. In pretty much every category that mattered he came up with big giant zeros.
"_What does she see in him anyway?_"
At first that question had completely baffled Bonnie, but then again that was before today and their brief encounter at Bueno Nacho. It had been strange – Bonnie had been playing Stoppable like a flute and he was so dumb that he had bought it hook, line and sinker. She should have had nothing but scorn for someone who had allowed them to be so easily manipulated, but for some reason instead of contempt all she felt right now was _tired_.
"_And the way he looked at me when I was playing Ms. Pouty-Princess… what a dork!_"
Bonnie had been laying it on thick at the time, begging, _pleading_ Ron to not let her "secret" out. The look he had given her had been priceless – the way his brow had furrowed and his big brown eyes had welled up with concern, it was almost like he was feeling _sorry_ for her.
"_Hmph! What right does a loser like that have to feel sorry for ME!_" she ranted.
Bonnie threw herself on her bed, her arms and legs reaching out, fingers and toes curled in frustration.
"_He's just a stupid loser. What does he know? I don't need pity! Especially not from someone so pathetic!"_
Bonnie hadn't realized it, but she was getting so worked up that she had grabbed on to the nearest available thing and was practically throttling it in her hands.
"_We'll see how sorry you are for me when I dump you on your ass you creep!_"
And with that Bonnie flung her arms out, sending something flying across the room and careening into her bookcase, knocking off a few knickknacks that had been balanced there.
"_Huh?_"
She rolled over towards that direction and looked to see what had happened. Then she spotted it, lying on the floor amongst a pile of bedroom detritus – her secret treasure, her bear.
Bonnie just stared at the poor, lonely remnant of her childhood.
"Sorry Mr. Happy", she whispered, not even noticing the tears that were starting to rim her eyes.
-
Kim Possible rubbed her bleary eyes and yawned loudly as she crossed the foyer of her home towards the front door. It was early, _really_ early, and while she had said "Be here early!" there were certainly limits to such phrases that normal, sensible people, tried to uphold. Unfortunately for Kim, Tara Strong didn't seem to be one of those people.
"Hey Kim!" the perky blonde chirped through the now open door.
"Hey Tara…" Kim muttered, "What time is it?"
Tara smiled sweetly at Kim and stated with all seriousness, "I don't know!"
Kim cocked an eyebrow at the girl. She had some inkling from their earlier conversation that Tara had been harboring a pretty big crush for Ron, but it seemed like something inside the petite blonde girl had snapped recently. When she had called Tara last night to invite her over this morning as part of her "plan" to get her and Ron together, what had started out as just a simple phone call had turned into a four hour marathon. It was pretty incomprehensible to Kim that a girl would ever feel this way about _Ron_, and to be blunt – it kind of freaked her out.
"Well, um… Come inside I guess." Kim said as she motioned for Tara to follow her inside.
"I didn't expect for you to show up so early, Mom's not up so no breakfast yet… do you want cereal or something?"
"No thanks Kim, I'd probably just throw up!" Tara said in a nervous twitter followed by a giggle.
"_Ok, this girl has gone of the deep end. I'm starting to get worried here, maybe this wasn't such a great idea. What if she goes psychotic on Ron? Sure she looks all sweet and innocent, but the way she is acting…She does realize it's just Ron Stoppable, right?_"
Kim studied Tara from across the kitchen table, wondering what exactly to make of the sitch. She decided she needed some information.
"So Tara…" she began, "I gotta know… why is it that you like Ron so much?"
Tara blinked at Kim, looking confused.
"Are you serious?" she asked.
"Totally. I want to know, so spill", responded Kim.
"Well… for starters, he's really sweet – he's probably the nicest boy in the whole school!"
Kim nodded.
"He's also very kind – I can tell he really cares about people."
Kim grunted in agreement.
"He really says what he means too, he's not fake at all."
Kim resisted the urge to snort at this. Ron was usually pretty good about being _Ron_, but sometimes… Well, let's just say he had on occasion let certain things go to his head and leave it at that.
"And…"
Kim looked intently at Tara, "And…"
Tara blushed. "He's kind of cute too."
Kim wasn't sure if it was the sleep deprivation or the shock of Tara's statement, but her hand slipped out from underneath her chin and she nearly fell forward on the table.
"Wait, we're talking about _Ron_, right?" Kim asked, completely baffled.
Tara continued to blush and merely nodded.
Kim pushed herself away from the table and leaned back, it was a strange habit of hers to rock backwards in chairs whenever she was thinking.
"_You know, there may be something to that 'psychotic' theory of mine. Remember what they say – it's always the quiet ones you have to worry about._"
"I'm kind of surprised Kim…" said Tara, finding her voice again.
Kim just raised her eyes.
"I mean, you and Ron have been friends for practically forever. I'm sure you know _all about_ what I just said."
Kim was slightly taken aback. It was somewhat true – her and Ron _had_ been friends for the vast majority of their young lives. They knew each other about as well as two people could.
"Yeah, I guess that's true Tara."
"_She does kind of have a point – maybe it's just because I never really looked at Ron that way… I wonder why not?_"
Kim was actually starting to put some serious thought into the reasons behind the fact that her closest friend on the planet, who happened to also be a male, as well as the most trustworthy, loyal and caring person she had ever met, had never really been in her mind what she would call "boyfriend material". If she had stayed at it for a few minutes longer she might have come to some realizations, but alas it wasn't meant to be.
"So Kim," interrupted Tara, "I want to thank you for thinking of this idea for me. It's perfect – I can get to spend some time with Ron and…"
"Bonnie won't see it so you don't have to worry about her freaking out on you." Kim finished.
"No actually, that's not what I was going to say. I talked to Bonnie the other day and…"
Kim hung on Tara's words for a second.
"She said she totally supports me! Isn't that awesome!" Tara practically beamed at Kim.
Kim was shocked; it wasn't the kind of reaction that she would have expected from Bonnie Rockwaller. In fact, it ran contrary to everything that she knew about the girl. But even if it was unexpected, Kim had to admit that if Bonnie wasn't actively attempting to keep Tara and Ron apart, it would be a heck of a lot easier to get them together.
She should have been happy at that fact, but for some reason she greeted it with a fair amount of indifference.
"Well that's great news. So, what were you going to say?"
"Oh right!" Tara seemed to switch gears, "I was going to say – get to know him better!"
"I mean, I think it would be great if Ron and I started going out right away, but I'm not so sure that's the best thing. My mom always told me that dad was her best friend and um…" Tara stopped talking for a moment. She hadn't meant to be so chatty, but all the excitement had gotten to her and she was worried at how Kim was going to take what she was going to say next.
"And?" Kim prodded her, more than a little interested.
Tara's voice got noticeably softer and she continued, "uh… I'd like to be Ron's best friend – too! You know, like his…" she was fumbling now and knew it, "other best friend!"
"That sounds great Tara." Kim said in an icy tone that surprised even her.
"_What? Why did that bug me so much? I mean, c'mon Eric is my… best… um… boyfriend._"
Kim liked Eric. He was handsome, smart, witty, polite, handsome, and… Well, anyway, she felt that they were pretty good friends. That was good enough right? Despite what Tara's mom had said, Kim felt pretty certain that best friends and boy friends were two separate animals.
"_What kind of sick-o wants to make out with their best friend anyway?_"
Suddenly from the far end of the room, the light switch went on bathing the kitchen in full illumination.
"I thought I heard voices down here," said Dr. Anne Possible.
"Oh, hi Mom… You know Tara." Kim said, nodding her head to her fellow cheerleader.
"Hello Tara, I don't mean to be rude – but what are you doing over here so early in the morning?" Kim's mother asked.
"We're going to school together today mom" Kim interceded before her mother could pull all the gorchy details of their plot from the innocent blonde girl.
"Kimmie, school doesn't start for another couple hours."
"Um… I invited Tara to breakfast!" Kim responded, shooting a look at Tara that the other girl interpreted as "_Let me handle this!_"
Mrs. Dr. P looked a little confused for a moment, something was gnawing at the corners of her brain. Eventually she seized upon the thought and asked about what was bugging her.
"Tara, don't you live on the opposite side of town?" Anne Possible looked at the girl, obviously something was up since she seemed to be… blushing?
"Uh, well, um…" Tara began to talk.
"Moooom!" whined Kim, "Tara and I are friends and we just thought it would be nice to have breakfast together… I can have friends over for breakfast right?"
Anne rolled her eyes as Kim launched into the "Puppy Dog Pout"
"_Fine, if that's how you want to play it Kimmie I'll butt out._"
"Certainly dear, after all I think Ronald has eaten every breakfast here since he turned nine." Ann chortled. It was true. Her and her husband had actually thought about sending the Stoppables a food bill. It wasn't that they were particularly cheap people, it was just that… Well, Ronald ate quite a bit.
"Ron's eating breakfast here?" gasped Tara. "When does he usually show up?"
She shot a look at Kim that was obvious – "_Why didn't you tell me that?_"
Ann looked at her wrist watch, "In about… 40 minutes or so."
Tara clutched at her backpack and looked at Kim. "Kim. I _need_ to use your bathroom, right _now_!"
"_She can't be serious…_" Kim looked at Tara incredulously.
The petite blonde just locked her stare.
"_Ok, she's serious._"
"Upstairs, to the left." Kim stated, still slightly disbelieving the intensity that Tara was throwing off.
As Tara bounced up the stairs with her bag in tow, Kim's mom shot Kim a quizzical glance.
"What's that all about Kim?" she asked.
Kim shrugged, indicating that she didn't know. It was sort of the truth actually.
Why would someone get so worked up over _Ron_?
-
"That was nice", said Ron Stoppable, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"You don't like Eric very much, do you Ron?" asked Tara as she walked beside him.
Ron shrugged. Of course he didn't like Eric very much – how could he? The man had just driven off with the love of his life.
"Well, he could have offered us a ride too." Ron stated as he stepped over a puddle that had formed from last nights rain.
"Ron", Tara said, "He was on a motorcycle."
"It's the principle of the matter Tara. He could have at least pretended to be sad that he _couldn't_ offer us a ride." Ron's eyes narrowed as he made out the last glimpse of Kim and Eric on his motorcycle burning away towards the school. Kim was holding onto Eric's waist _far_ too tightly for Ron's taste.
Tara blinked. This was Kim's plan and while Tara had a great deal of confidence in Kim's ability to be, well, sneaky – things hadn't really turned out like she had been hoping for; at least, not yet. Still, here she was walking along side Ron on their way to school and although she had woken up at 5am and already walked twice the distance on her way from her own house to Kim's, she had gotten the time with Ron that she had wanted.
"_Now I just have to make it count. Let's change the topic, talking about Eric is obviously a sore point_"
"Thanks Ron," Tara said sweetly.
Ron turned his head and gave Tara an inquiring look, "For what?"
"For the present silly!" she giggled.
"Oh, yeah… hey Tara I'm sorry about your birthday party. I guess I kind of made a scene."
Tara continued smiling at Ron.
"It's ok Ron, I understand things… Bonnie can be kind of high strung. I mean, she's my best friend and everything… but she sometimes goes overboard."
Tara frowned a little bit. She was still worried about what exactly had gone on in that closet – Bonnie had been very unforthcoming about the entire episode. Tara just chalked it up to Bonnie being embarrassed and while she desperately wanted to know what had happened, she figured that Kim's word that Ron would _never_ do anything perverted to anyone, let alone Bonnie, was good enough for her. After all, Kim had known Ron since they were both kids. If anyone knew the inner workings of Ron Stoppable, it was definitely her.
"Is she under some kind of stress right now or something?" Ron asked.
His memory of the previous day and the bizarre behavior that Bonnie had exhibited still featured prominently in his mind – in fact it had been the only thing he had been able to concentrate on all morning. He figured that since Tara was Bonnie's best friend she would be more likely than anyone else to know what, if anything, Bonnie Rockwaller was up to.
"_You know Ron, there is always the chance that Bonnie is playing you like a fool. She could be setting you up to embarrass you, or to get back at Kim, or… Who the hell knows? This is Bonnie Rockwaller we're talking about!_"
"Hmm, I don't think so – at least, not anything more than usual. There's co-captaining the cheer squad, all the clubs, dance committee, yearbook committee and probably half a dozen committee's I've forgotten about. Then there are all the advanced placement classes she's taking. She has a lot of work to do."
Tara smiled at Ron. This wasn't _exactly_ what she had been hoping for, but at least her and Ron were talking. And frankly, she found it sweet that despite what Bonnie had done to him at the party that Ron seemed to be genuinely concerned for her.
"_This is why I like this guy – he's so sweet._"
"That's gotta be pretty rough, I don't know how she does it. I barely managed to get my gentleman's C from Mr. Barkin last semester."
Tara giggled.
"_Seriously, I __**do**__ wonder how Bon-Bon does it. I mean, all that work and she practically runs the school too. Maybe she was being honest with me? Maybe she's just looking for a way out, or a way to blow off a little steam… Or maybe… _"
All of a sudden Ron stopped walking.
"_Maybe… she loves me?_"
It was a bizarre revelation and one that Ron hadn't really pondered before. Sure, considering the way that Bonnie had acted yesterday it was pretty obvious (at least if she was on the level) that she _liked_ Ron - but it didn't answer _why_. Maybe Bonnie had been harboring a secret crush for Ron for a long time now and all those put downs, all those insults, the constant barrage of _losers_ were just Bonnie's way of getting Ron's attention within the bounds of the schools social structure.
"Ron are you ok?" asked Tara.
Ron shook his head. He needed time to think about this some more. He felt… oddly, very _sad_ for Bonnie, almost like in some way she was a kindred spirit. After all, Ron knew in agonizing detail what it was like to be in love with someone but to be trapped in a relationship that wouldn't let you express it.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Ron stated.
Tara chuckled, "Well that's good, it puts at least one myth about you to rest!"
Ron paused for a second, his eyes studying Tara.
"_Did she just joke with me?_"
-
Steve Barkin finished checking the last pupil off his homeroom attendance list and then glanced upwards at the wall clock.
"_Almost time._"
Steve Barkin was a good man. He had been a good friend, a good son, a good soldier and ultimately a good teacher. He had done a lot of things in his life that had caused him to lose sleep, but never in his entire life had he ever thought of himself as above the rules.
It just wasn't in his character.
"_I sure hope that this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass._"
There was a subtle rap on the classroom door and Steve rose from his desk to open it. Outside, waiting in the hall was _her_, the newest student to Middleton High. When she had come to him the other day with the transfer notice and transcripts he had gawked in disbelief. It wasn't that they didn't look official, it was just… well the entire situation was so damn weird. He had pretended to be inept, not sure of what he was doing and he had told her that he needed to check it out, to make some phone calls. It was an attempt to buy some time so he could sort out what was really happening.
"Are you ready? Did you get your books?" he asked the young woman in the hall. She merely nodded back at him.
She had persuaded him otherwise by placing a call on her cell phone to her "school". There was a short conversation in a language that Steve didn't speak and then she had handed the phone to him. The man on the other side, like the girl, spoke impeccable English and they had quite a long conversation. Steve, initially reluctant, had been made to understand a great many things. Things such as how a new scoreboard, football uniforms and weight training equipment were on their way to his athletic department.
"Ok, then step inside and wait here", he said.
It felt dirty, like he had been bought out, but he knew that it really wasn't up to him. He had checked the transcripts today before school and they actually _were_ legitimate. He couldn't deny the girl entry into his class, not on that count anyway. Still, the rest of her story was just a little too hard to swallow.
The classroom noise had died down to a few scattered whispers and all eyes were on the front of the room as Steve Barkin and his newest charge made their way to in front of his wooden teachers desk. Two pairs of eyes in particular, one brown, one green, stared with a great deal of interest at what was happening.
"_Huh? What? Is that…"_
"_What is __**she**__doing here!"_
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Steve Barkin interjected, "May I have your attention!"
"We have a new student that will be joining our home room today. She's come from a long ways outside of Middleton and I want everyone to show her the best Mad Dog hospitality that you can muster."
Steve took a sidelong look at the girl next to him. She seemed to catch his glance and she gave him a soft, reassuring nod.
"_God help me if this is some kind of a prank._"
"Could we please have a warm welcome for our newest Mad Dog…"
Steve Barkin seemed to swallow for a moment, obvious ill at ease with what he was about to say next.
"Ahem… Yori Stoppable!"
-
A/N:
Well, there you go – Yori is finally on the scene, and what a scene it is! I'm sure a great deal many of my readers guessed way back in chapter 2 that this (or something like this) was going to happen. I almost feel bad for Ron, I keep throwing complications after complications at him. Although, I bet a lot of the guys reading this fic wish they had his problems…
Once again, thanks for reading and if you've gotten this far and haven't left a review yet – Why not?!?!
QC
5. Chapter 5
Chapter 5 – School Daze
-
"What!" simultaneously exclaimed Ron and Kim.
"Jinx owe me…" Ron began, but the look on Kim's face made him fall silent immediately.
"Ron, this is _so_ not the time for that!"
The classroom had already broken out in scattered murmurs that seemed to be building in intensity despite Steve Barkin's attempts to silence them.
Ron leaned over and began to whisper to Kim.
"KP, I'm sure there is some explanation… like… maybe she's undercover?"
"Yeah, but why… WHY STOPPABLE? Ron, look at her – no one is going to believe that she's your relative." Kim complained.
"I'll have you know KP that the Stoppable clan is quite a bit more diverse than you think. For instance, I have cousins who are Methodists!"
"Attention!" shouted Mr. Barkin, he had expected the disruption in his class and he braced himself for what he knew was coming – complete chaos.
Slowly the talking seemed to subside. Ron looked over to his left and noticed that Tara was looking at him with questioning eyes. Bonnie on the other hand was staring directly at Yori, most likely sizing up the new girls threat to her own popularity, or her eventual standing in the food chain.
"Ms. Stoppable", began Steve Barkin, "Please take a seat at an open desk."
Yori looked at Mr. Barkin, smiling sweetly and then dissolved the poor man's class into anarchy with what she said next.
"Mrs. Stoppable please, and may I sit next to my husband?"
Kim instantly bolted up in her seat, loudly slamming her hands down on the desks surface. She wanted to say something, say _anything_, but the situation was just so absurd that she found herself completely tongue-tied.
Ron Stoppable squirmed in his seat and withered under the stares of his classmates – stares that burned him with the intensity of a thousand suns. The men in the class had no shame and it was obvious what they were thinking; "_That dirty bastard! She's beautiful!_" Most of the women on the other hand looked at Ron with utter disbelief; "_Ron? She's married to RON?_" Two women however held obviously different opinions and they were expressed plainly on their faces.
Bonnie Rockwaller stared at him with a glare that bore straight through his soul. Ron had seen many looks of disgust from Bonnie over the years that they had known each other, but he had never quite seen _this_ level of contempt and for the first time in his life Ron felt like he had vaguely done something to deserve her ire – it was a disturbing revelation.
"_Oh shit! Bonnie! She confesses to me and then… Oh God, she's going to kill me!_"
All hopes of Ron becoming Bonnie's "friend" seemed to evaporate in a flash and Ron's tried to divert his eyes to the side, but then caught a glance at Tara – she looked distraught, almost as if she was going to cry.
"_Tara? E tu, Tara?"_
The petite blonde's was obviously upset, her eyes rimmed with tears. She reached over to Bonnie's desk and held the brunette's hand.
"_Right… Tara is Bonnie's friend; I bet she hates me now too. She probably thinks I was playing Bonnie… GOD I AM SO STUPID!_"
"Cheese and crackers people! Be quiet!" shouted Mr. Barkin at the top of his lungs.
Slowly the room began to come back to order and Ron, not finding a safe place to put his gaze finally settled on staring down directly at his desk.
"_I wonder if this is what it feels like to be on death row?_"
"Possible!" said Barkin, "Since you're already up – switch places with… " he paused for a moment, not believing what he was going to say next, "_Mrs. _Stoppable."
Kim's mouth hung open. She had been sitting at the same desk next to Ron nearly her entire school career. It was just what she did! And now, here in the matter of minutes, she had been usurped from her place and banished to… the front row, where all teenagers dreaded to be. She wanted to weep.
"Ron!" Kim hissed under her breath as she gathered up her stuff, "After. Class. Spill."
If it was possible, Ron shrank even deeper into his chair. Kim was obviously not too happy with him right now and even though he was just as surprised as she was at whatever Yori was trying to do, he knew that it was unlikely he would escape the day without some bruising – emotional as well as physical.
Kim strode down towards the front of the class, passing Yori who was on her way towards the back. The two women stared at each other for an agonizing second, both faces split with smiles so strained it looked like their heads would flip open. There was a brief moment of contact where the emotions were so high that everyone in the room was expecting a blow out, only to be relieved when both girls broke away from each other and headed towards their respective seats.
"Good morning _Danna-sama_", Yori said sweetly as she sat down next to Ron.
"Yori!" Ron exclaimed as softly as he could, "What's going on? Why did you say that?"
"That's it!" exclaimed Mr. Barkin, his patience long past the breaking point, "You _will_ be quiet in my class or you _will_ get D-hall. Am I making myself understood."
Ron meekly nodded, not wanting to spend any more "fun time" with Vinnie or Big Mike. He turned his head to the side and looked at Yori – the girl didn't seem to be disturbed at all. In fact, she was staring straight ahead, hands folded on her desk and portraying the very picture of rapt attention.
"Now class," began Mr. Barkin, "If you're done watching the Stoppable family drama, maybe we can get some announcements done!"
Homeroom passed quickly and the class began to empty out in preparation for the change to first period. Ron saw Tara and Bonnie talking for a few seconds in hushed tones and then they both left the room together, but not before Bonnie could send yet another withering death glare at Ron.
Ron shuddered and wondered what position corpses occupied on the food chain.
Kim, predictably, wasted no time in leaping from her new desk and rounding about on Yori.
"What the heck do you think you're doing!" she exclaimed at the pretty asian girl.
"I am sitting next to my husband, Possible-san", Yori retorted with strained grace.
"About that…" Ron began.
"Ron, not now!" growled Kim, "Look I don't know what you're playing at Yori but did you even bother to think about how this would affect Ron? You know there are girls here that lo- er, like him! What about their feelings?"
"_What the hell was I about to say?_" Kim thought to herself.
"Possible-san, I am _not_ playing at anything. Ron-kun is my husband, despite what you believe." Yori stated, the tension clear in her voice.
"He's only 16, how is that even possible?" barked Kim.
"About that…" Ron tried again.
"Ron, not now!" said both Kim and Yori.
For a second, it looked like Ron was actually considering it – but decided he didn't need a soda _that_ badly.
Yori reached over and grabbed Ron's hand, "Come Ron-kun, we need to go to our next class."
Ron rather lamely allowed the dark haired ninja and his purported "wife", lead him from his desk and out the class-room. Right before he hit the door, he turned his head over his shoulder and gave Kim the most confused look he could muster, hoping that she would realize that he was just as much in the dark as she was.
Kim watched the two of them leave. Something was obviously up and the inscrutable ninja girl certainly wasn't talking. She'd try to corner Ron later, but from the way he was acting Kim was pretty sure that he didn't know what was going on either.
"_Sure, Yori isn't a super-villain, but still… I've got to find out what she's up to._"
Unfortunately for Kim, her and Ron didn't have first period together this semester, so she wouldn't be able to follow the two and question them more. In any case she resolved to corner her best friend at lunch and try to get whatever information he _did_ know out of him.
"_Just because I have to wait to talk to Ron doesn't mean I can't get a little head start…"_
Kim reached for her pocket, retrieving her Kimmunicator. Flipping the lid open, she waited until the link was established and then spoke.
"Wade, we've got a problem."
-
"Bonnie, do you think that's for real? Do you think she's really married to Ron?" asked Tara with a wavering voice.
Bonnie put her arms around her friend and whispered, "I don't know… probably not. You know how Kim and Ron are like weirdness magnets. I mean, c'mon it's _Ron_, who in their right mind would want to marry him?"
Tara looked up at her friend and pouted.
"Oh, sorry…" Bonnie muttered lamely.
The two girls hadn't gone to their next class, instead Tara had gone to the nurse's office and Bonnie had gone with her. They had claimed to be having "stomach aches", but in actuality Tara just needed a place where she could cry without anyone seeing her.
"Bonnie? What do you think I should do?"
Bonnie Rockwaller was at an impasse. Secretly this had been the outcome, or at least something close to it, that she had wanted all along – Tara not dating Ron. Of course, this wasn't exactly what she had planned, but it would work all the same. Now however, that it had come to pass, she felt a brief twinge of guilt over what she had attempted to do.
"_Well, technically I didn't do __**anything**__. This was all the losers fault!_"
It did make her feel a little better to think of things that way. She knew on some level that she was just as guilty, if not more so, for what she had been contemplating doing to Tara, but she also knew that there was a big difference between thinking about something and actually doing it.
She didn't like to think about the fact that the only reason why she hadn't _done it_, was because she had been beaten to the punch. Such self-reflection was something that Bonnie fastidiously avoided.
"Tara, maybe you should just cut your losses. There are plenty of guys out there. I'm sure if you wanted to I could smooth things over with Josh…"
Tara sniffed.
"I don't want Josh Monkey," she said, using Ron's appellation for the boy.
"He's very popular Tara and cute too…" Bonnie tried to soothe.
"And totally gay."
"_There is that huh?_ _Sorry T, I just don't know what to do._"
Bonnie, knowing better than to push the _Josh_ thing too much right now, begged off that tactic. It wasn't likely that Tara really cared about anything right now other than just venting her feelings and Bonnie knew it. She just wished there was something she could do for the girl.
"_I could tell her about the confession he gave me. I could tell Tara about Ron telling me he… loved me._"
Bonnie had been avoiding mentioning anything about what had gone on in the closet to Tara and she wondered why. Was it because she didn't want to upset Tara? It was obvious that the petite blonde was pretty upset already, so it was doubtful that it would make the situation all that much worse. And really… would Tara be all that upset to begin with?
Bonnie thought hard.
"_Stop thinking like yourself for a moment and think like Tara. What would she do? She'd…_"
Bonnie looked at Tara with a critical eye. Tara was probably the kindest, sweetest girl that Bonnie had ever met and she knew it. She wouldn't get upset at something like that…
"_She'd probably have just asked me if I was going to go out with him._"
Bonnie sighed. Now that the imminent threat of losing her best friend had been dealt with, she was starting to see the situation a little more clearly. Bonnie realized now that she had been afraid, terribly afraid of losing Tara. She didn't know why, but feeling this way and with Tara shuddering in her arms, suddenly a big sob welled up in her throat. Her body spasmed lightly as she too, began to cry.
"Bonnie?" gasped Tara, looking in amazement at her best friend. It wasn't that Bonnie _didn't_ cry – Tara and her had been friends long enough for her to witness that, it was just that she didn't do it very regularly, and hardly ever when her shrewish sisters weren't around.
"S-s-sorry T…" Bonnie began.
"_I'm a terrible, terrible person!_"
Tara was getting afraid now. She'd seen Bonnie get like this before and she knew that nothing good would come of it. She stopped crying herself, wiping her eyes, and put her hands on her friends shoulder.
"Whatever it is Bonnie, it's ok. Let it out." Tara cooed to the other girl.
Bonnie sniffled, her eyes crying freely right now and she nodded at Tara. She wanted to say something, but her lips were distorted from crying and would not form the words.
Tara wrapped her arms around Bonnie and brought her into a tight hug. "Bonnie, I love you, ok?" she whispered into her friends ear. The result wasn't exactly what Tara had been hoping for and Bonnie just started crying all the harder.
"Ron… he…" Bonnie started, but was cut off by her own sob.
"_What's wrong with me? I feel so guilty…_"
"Bonnie? What about Ron?" asked Tara.
Bonnie tried to pull herself together. It was a struggle, she was dealing with emotions that she wasn't used to handling and it left her confused and mentally raw. Slowly, she tried moving her mouth, hoping to find the right words.
"In the closet T…" Bonnie slowly began, "Ron told me that he… um…"
Tara's big blue eyes stared into Bonnie's own and for a moment Bonnie was lost in the depths of her friends gaze. Tara had the biggest, bluest, deepest eyes Bonnie had ever seen and she had always been a little envious of them.
"He told me he… _loved me_." Bonnie spat out.
"Are you… Are you serious Bonnie?" gasped Tara, her already huge eyes widening even further.
Bonnie nodded.
"Tara, he said all this stuff to me and then… he said he _loved me_ and then… he kissed me." Bonnie sniffled.
Tara's countenance abruptly changed. "That creep!" she said.
"Huh?" asked Bonnie, slightly bewildered.
"How could he break your heart like that!" railed Tara, the fire obviously starting to come into her voice.
"Huh?" asked Bonnie again, not quite getting what Tara was saying.
"What are you talking about T?" she said.
"Wait… isn't that why you are crying? He told you that he loved you and then you find out that he's _married_?" Tara asked.
Bonnie, who until a few seconds ago had still been sniffling, let out a huge snort and started to laugh.
"No way! Are you kidding? ME crushing on Stoppable?" Bonnie started to laugh even harder, but then she remembered who had been comforting whom just a few minutes ago and about what, so she wisely decided to bite her tongue before she hurt Tara's feelings.
"Well, then why are you crying Bonnie?" asked Tara whom seemed slightly off-put.
"Because… well, lets just say… because I can be pretty stupid sometimes." Bonnie stated.
Tara eyed here friend warily. Bonnie wasn't the type of girl to wear her emotions on her sleeve, so it was unlikely that Tara would get any more information out of her. However, she really _was_ worried about her. People usually thought of Bonnie as the cold, heartless bitch at the top of the school's food chain – but that was only because they didn't know her like Tara did. They didn't know about her life, about her family, about how _lonely_ she was.
"_She'll tell me about it when she can,_" thought Tara as she warmly patted Bonnie's hand.
"Bonnie, I've got to tell you something – something important." Tara's voice was soft, yet firm.
Bonnie nodded to her friend.
"I don't think I want to give up on Ron just yet. I don't believe that he's really married," she said.
Bonnie had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had hoped that with this new development that Tara would, if not forget; at least temporarily shelve her plans to pursue Ron. It didn't seem however that fate was going to be that kind to her. Bonnie knew instinctively that this time, she wasn't going to get a reprieve and that sooner or later she was going to have to make some very hard decisions – decisions that might find her completely and utterly alone.
"and Bonnie…" continued Tara, "I won't hold it against you if you want to go out with him too."
Bonnie's face contorted in shock. What, exactly was Tara thinking? Ron Stoppable could confess to her a hundred million times and as far as she was concerned and there was no way that she'd ever go out with him.
"Tara, Please…" said Bonnie with a look of exasperation on her face.
Tara just smiled at Bonnie and shrugged. She had said what she wanted to and she had meant it. She wasn't ready to give up quite yet on Ron, at least not without finding out what this entire marriage deal was about. She had also meant exactly what she said to Bonnie. Despite her somewhat ditzy and confused demeanor, Tara was a girl with a great deal of emotional intuition and it was to her credit that she realized one fundamental thing.
"_Ron would probably be really good for her._"
-
The tension at one of the dining tables in the Middleton High lunch cafeteria was so high and so obvious that it took a great deal of effort for most passersby's to not stare and gawk at what was sure to become a bloodbath of some sort. In the middle of this tempest in a teapot was one young Ron Stoppable, his ever-loyal friend Rufus at his side (or in his pocket as the case may be). To the left of this exceptionally nervous young man was his best friend and love interest, the fiery Kimberly Ann Possible, who despite being the girl who could "do anything", was having a colossal amount of difficulty maintaining her composure in the face of recent developments. The reason for this sat directly to the right of Ron – a slender young girl with almond shaped eyes and straight black hair. She was a stunning beauty, lithe, dexterous, polite and graceful. She was also doing her best to annoy the hell out of Kim.
"Say what you will Possible-san, but Ron-kun is my husband no matter how much you dislike it." Yori calmly stated as she looked directly into Ron's bewildered face.
"How can you say that when he doesn't even _remember_ getting married to you?" protested Kim as she slammed her fist down on the table.
Ron wondered weakly what he had done to offend God so much as to deserve what was obviously going to be a gory end. He turned away from the two arguing women for a minute and caught the attention of Bonnie Rockwaller, who was walking with Tara away from the lunch line.
"_Great, here it comes – yep! Bonnie's patented 'You're a piece of shit on the bottom of my shoe' look. Haven't seen that one since… oh I don't know, middle school? Oh and look at Tara behind her, let's see… That expression, hmm – I think I'm going to go with 'pity' for 500 Alex._"
Ron closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He had to do something, there had to be some way out of this mess – if only he was smart enough to figure it out. In any case, he knew that he couldn't just let Kim and Yori bicker about this – if it didn't stop soon he was wondering if they were going to start coming to blows.
"_Maybe they could pillow fight instead… in their underwear… Grr, head in the game Stoppable!_"
Ron tried to banish all perverted thoughts from his head, mentally collecting the image he had started to create and filing it away for "later". Yes, _that_ later.
"Ladies! Amp down!" Ron said, raising his hands up in the air. He needed to get to the bottom of this before things got out of hand.
"As my husband wishes," stated Yori with a huff, turning her back away from Kim.
"As your…" Kim was about to launch into another tirade, but Ron gave her a look that begged her to reconsider. It took her a great deal of self-control, but she brought herself up short and then sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.
"Okay, now…" Ron began, "Yori – Why do you think we are married?"
"Because _Danna-sama_, we _are_ married," she responded blithely.
"Okayyy…" Ron was obviously not going to get anywhere with that line of thinking.
Yori was carrying a small purse and she reached into it and produced a carefully folded flap of papers.
"Here," she said and handed them to Ron.
Ron took the offered paper with a slight bit of apprehension, almost as if they would poison him or burn his hand. Slowly he unfolded them, his eyes scanning over the contents.
"Hmm…" he said.
"What Ron? What is it?" asked Kim in an anxious voice.
"Kim…"
"Yes?"
"I don't know. I can't read Japanese." Ron shrugged and handed the papers back to Yori.
"They are marriage papers," stated Yori as she started to carefully fold them up again.
Kim looked at Yori, trying to decide if it was worth it to take the risk…
"They are only a copy Possible-san, the original ones are on record in Japan." Yori said as she tucked the "copy" back in her purse.
"_Well, I guess that would have been too easy anyway…_" Kim thought to herself.
"Ron, did you sign those papers?" asked Kim.
Ron's face screwed up. He was pretty certain that he _hadn't_ gotten married when he was in Japan, but he also knew that sometimes things just had a way of happening to him that were damn near unfathomable.
"I… don't think so? I don't remember?" he ventured.
"What do you mean you don't remember?" asked Yori, her voice was loud and the hurt tone in it made Ron flinch.
"_I am SO not getting out of this one alive,"_ he thought to himself.
"Uh… Yori… you know, I think I would remember something like getting married…" he began to say until he noticed the slightly hurt look on Yori's face. He hastened to add, "to such a pretty girl!"
It seemed to work, at least a little.
"Ron-kun, don't you remember that night in the mountains? The sky was so clear and the stars shone so brightly…" Yori held her hands up to her chest and smiled brightly.
"What night in the mountains _Ron_? How come I've never heard of a night in the mountains?" asked Kim, slightly perturbed that Ron seemed to have been holding something out on her.
If you strained to listen you probably could have heard the synapses in Ron Stoppables brain starting to fire. He was desperately trying to recall exactly what Yori was talking about. Slowly, realization began to dawn on his face…
"Wait, do you mean that one night…" Ron started to blush.
Yori nodded.
"Ron-kun, it was so special to me, the words you said were so sweet," she let out an overly girlish sigh.
The lunchroom started to get quiet as the students at the other tables strained to hear the conversation that was unfolding. The drama surrounding Ron, the peculiar circumstances and the new student who claimed to be his wife were of supreme interest to most of the students at Middleton High today.
"Oh _Ron_?" said Kim, "What exactly did you two _do_ up there in those mountains?"
Ron looked visibly nervous.
"Um… Nothing KP! I swear! Nothing!" he blurted out.
"Ron-kun!" gasped Yori, " How could you say that!"
Yori's outburst had gained the attention of everyone in the room and Ron could literally _feel_ their eyes on him.
"I mean, I… uh…" Ron started to stammer.
Yori stood up, obviously upset. She pointed an accusing finger at Ron and then yelled at the top of her voice, "Ron Stoppable! You told me you'd accept responsibility!"
"RON!" gasped Kim.
"No, it's not like that Kim!" blurted Ron, " I never said I'd marry her!"
Yori gave Ron a look of supreme hurt; she covered her delicate features with her hands and ran from the lunchroom sobbing, leaving behind a cacophony of gossip in her wake.
"Wait! Yori!" said Ron, he started to get up from his seat only to find himself suddenly off balance by a stinging blow to his cheek – it was Kim and she had done something she had never done before; slapped him.
"Ron Stoppable! You are _such_ a pig!" she screamed at him, getting up herself and stomping madly out of the cafeteria.
Ron watched Kim leave and then touched the side of his face where she had slapped him. It burned a little and he rubbed it gently.
"Rufus old-buddy, I just want you to know that I'm leaving everything I own to you." Ron stated grimly.
"Hnk?" responded his faithful pet.
"Yeah, I have a feeling that before the week is out I'm going to be a dead man."
Rufus hung his head sadly, empathizing with his master.
Ron shook his head and wondered how things had gotten to this point. Now that he had talked to Yori, he _did_ remember that night – and he remembered the words that he had said to the young ninja girl. He even remembered signing those papers, however he _hadn't_ realized what they were.
Despite what Kim thought, Ron had been a perfect gentleman that night – Yori had come to him distraught and crying and he had only tried to comfort her. It turned out that a distant branch of the Yamanouchi clan had set plans in motion to take control of the Yamanouchi School once the venerable Master Sensei passed away. Ron didn't understand the entire depth of the archaic Japanese politics, but the problem seemed to stem from the fact that Yori was a girl and thus couldn't qualify as the heir to the School.
Ron, foolishly, had told her that he would help her any way he could.
"_Oh man what am I going to do? I gotta find out if this marriage thing is even legal, and I totally have to explain it to Kim – I didn't do what she thinks I did!_"
-
The walk home from school that day was the longest walk Ron Stoppable had ever experienced. He remembered vividly the looks that everyone gave him on his way out the door; most people had either seen, or heard about the scene in the cafeteria and the gossip was in full swing. The rumor was that Ron had gotten Yori pregnant and forced her to marry him. Ron sighed and hung his head. It was the furthest thing from the truth, and he lamented, he had the virginity to prove it.
"_This is so my luck – I get convicted of a crime I didn't even get to enjoy committing!_"
Before Ron had left the school grounds he had tried to find Bonnie Rockwaller. Despite everything that had happened today, he felt that he should at least check to make sure that she still didn't intend to meet him at the library later on. He knew it was unlikely, but he also knew that he would be worried about it all night if he didn't check. The image of Bonnie waiting for him, watching the clock and getting increasingly angrier was one that made his blood run cold. He never did get a chance to ask Bonnie, but the withering glance that she had given him when he had tried to approach her pretty much told him that his dance card was free for the night.
"_Well, I guess it doesn't matter now. Bonnie hating me I suppose is a good thing – or at least, a normal thing. It was kinda creepy the way she was acting towards me yesterday. I just hope I didn't hurt her too much._"
It wasn't Ron's fault, at least – not really. Sure he had mistakenly made a promise to Yori that he hadn't foreseen the consequences of, but it wasn't his _intention_ to play around. Still, he knew that his intentions didn't amount to a hill of beans – it was all results that mattered. It was with a heavy heart that he walked the remaining length of his street up to his house and towards his front door.
Ron went for his key, but then stopped when he noticed that the door was unlocked. Cautiously he reached his hand out towards the door knob and gently turned it, opening the door slowly.
Inside, dressed in long flowing white robes, was Yori – kneeling down, her hands pushed forward, fingers touching the ground and with her legs tucked under her.
"_Danna-sama_," she began, "Please accept this humble wife and take care of her."
Ron was so taken aback that he instantly blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, no matter how unmanly it was.
He called for his mother.
-
Bonnie Rockwaller turned down her car stereo as she reached for her cell-phone. She was on her way home, but like usual the after-school traffic was a mess right around the campus, so she was for the most part stuck for the time being. She looked at the back of the phone, the caller ID displayed a familiar number and she flipped the device open and held it to her ear.
"Hello? Daddy?" she said.
Bonnie didn't know why, but she was excited. Her father rarely called her during the week, usually he was far too busy and Bonnie only managed to keep in contact with him via a weekly Sunday evening phone call that lasted precisely 15 minutes.
"Yes, I can come over!" Bonnie was smiling as she said this, a genuine smile that people didn't get to see often.
Bonnie closed her cell-phone and put it down in between the two front seats. Her father hadn't explained to her _why_ he wanted her to drive over to his house, but he did mention having dinner with him, something Bonnie hadn't done in a long time. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should call her mother and then thought, "_Why bother, she'll probably just try to guilt me into coming home to her instead._"
Bonnie's mother always came home from work at the same time every day. The first thing she would do when she entered the house would be to see if her daughters were ok, and then she would proceed to cook dinner. Frankly, Bonnie could care less about dinner most of the time – she was fully capable of getting her own food and had told her mother this on many occasions. However, her mom always insisted that Bonnie, Connie and Lonnie all eat with her every night.
It was an uncomfortable 30 minutes to say the least.
But that wasn't going to happen today. Bonnie smiled and then turned the radio up as she pulled out of the school parking lot and made her way towards the freeway that would take her to Upperton, to her father's apartment, and away from the boring little suburban home with the clingy mother and cruel sisters.
In an uncharacteristic display of glee, Bonnie Rockwaller started to hum along to the radio as she drove down the freeway; practically giddy from the attention of the one person in the world she loved the most.
-
A/N:
Well I hope people enjoyed this chapter. If you're clever you can probably spot the next plot development fairly easily! Anyway I am fairly pleased with the way things are progressing – the main characters have all been introduced and I'm ready to start kicking things into high gear. There was a mention in one of the reviews of a love triangle. All I can say to that is, "Not enough sides".
Thanks for reading this far, and please review.
QC
6. Chapter 6
Chapter 6 – Honeymoon Night?
-
"Now Ronald," said Gene Stoppable as he looked at his obviously distraught son, "I know this may be a little unusual, but you're going to have to bear with it for a while."
It wasn't really the advice that Gene had wanted to give, but certain events during the day had made it almost impossible for him to say otherwise. He mentally kicked himself for the hundredth time and thought, "_I should have known that there were strings attached_."
"How long Dad? I can't do this – I'm too young to be married!" Ron exclaimed, his voice cracking in nervousness.
"What's wrong son? She's a very lovely young lady and she seems to really care about you…" Gene's voice trailed off; he couldn't believe he was trying to talk his only child into what more or less amounted to an arraigned marriage.
Thus was the power of the Yamanouchi group. Before today Gene had not known very much about the shadowy group of Japanese businessmen that owned Tri-City Insurance, the company he worked for – now however, he was wishing he knew quite a great deal less. In his meeting with the regional supervisor this morning it had been made clear to him in no uncertain terms that his future depended on him forcing his son to go along with this charade of a union.
"What's wrong? What's wrong! Your sixteen year old son is married to a girl you've never even met before and you ask me what's wrong?"
Ron was freaking out. He couldn't believe how blasé his old man was being about the entire situation. While he had no experience of his own to go off of, he was _fairly_ certain that if he came home one day and found out his teenage son had gotten married that he'd… well he didn't know _exactly_ what he would do, but talking calmly probably wouldn't be very high on the list!
"Ronald… Look, I just need a little time ok? Just give me some time and I'll try to sort everything out." Gene said. He meant it too – he'd try to work out some sort of deal with Mr. Nakamura, but barring that he'd just bite the bullet and lose his job. It would make for hard times for his family, but he would stomach it in the name of Ron's future.
"_I really can't guess why he's being so obstinate. If I was his age and married to such a pretty girl…_" Gene shook his head to banish the thought; he shouldn't be thinking of his son's wife that way.
"Ron, is there some other problem? Do you not like her?" Gene asked.
Ron shrugged. It wasn't that he didn't like Yori, in fact he really did think that she was a great person to hang out with, it was just that he didn't _like-like_ her.
"She's very beautiful son," Gene prodded.
Ron nodded. It was true – Yori was on a very short list of women that Ron Stoppable considered the most beautiful in the world. Her silky black hair framed a face that sported exotic, graceful features and pouting lips that just begged to be kissed. Her body was strong and lithe like an athletes, yet still sporting curves in what Ron considered "all the right places". It wasn't that Ron had never thought of her _that way_, it was just that he had had his heart set on Kim for so long that he was reluctant to give up on what he was slowly beginning to think was a fools dream.
"_Even if she wasn't pissed at me right now, it'd take an act of God to get her away from Eric._"
Ron wondered if maybe it was worth giving it a try, being married to Yori that was. Sure, it was a little unconventional, but he didn't _hate_ her – far from it. Maybe this was what God had in store for Ron Stoppable from the beginning and all he was doing at this point was fighting against the inevitable. Maybe…
"The room's ready!" shouted Meryl Stoppable from the top of the stairs.
Ron was brought out of his reflective reverie and cocked an eye at his father.
"Room?" he asked.
"Ah yeah, well about that son…" Gene Stoppable paused for a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow – all the excitement from the day had made him a nervous wreck and he was showing it on his skin.
"Yori's family had some things delivered today…"
Before Gene could further explain, Ron had already sprinted up the stairs and ran to his room. What he saw there blew his mind.
"_Gone! All gone!_"
Ron was overcome with a brief mourning for his personal possessions, all of which had seemed to have been removed from his room. Gone were his GWA posters, his Steel Toe and Pain King autographed wall hangings, even his off-color faux wooden desk that he had used since the 4th grade. All of it was gone. He sighed a brief sigh of relief when he noticed that they had at least left Rufus's cage intact – he knew Rufus would be sad without it.
"What happened here?" Ron asked no one in particular.
"Do you like it _Danna-sama_?" came the voice from behind him.
"Y-Yori!" he spurted as he turned around to face the lovely ninja. She had changed clothes and was now wearing a more regular outfit that consisted of a t-shirt with capri style pants.
"Yori! What happened to all my stuff?" Ron asked in a panic.
Yori shrugged at Ron, truthfully she hadn't even been here with the room had been modified, so she didn't know. However she assumed that most of Ron's possessions had been put into storage somewhere.
"I do not know Ron-kun. Perhaps your things are in the attic, or the garage?" she said as she walked past Ron into the bedroom.
"I want them back!" Ron said petulantly.
Yori locked Ron's gaze with her own and then… pouted. A soft, downward glance with a turn of the lips that made Ron suddenly feel like he had just done something terrible to her.
"You… you don't like the room, husband?" Yori asked in a sad, pitiful voice.
"Um… uh… Well, I mean…" Ron stammered. He had fallen into her trap and there was no escape.
"It's very nice, don't you think?" she said, her voice still pleading.
Ron looked around at the room. Truthfully, it _was_ very nice. The furniture was obviously top-notch and probably cost thousands of dollars. It was a great improvement over the second hand stuff that he had previously had, and while there was a distinct feminine touch to everything, he concluded that it actually made him feel somewhat peaceful.
"Yeah… it's good," he said slowly as he looked around. It was odd that Yori had decided to redecorate his room, and although Ron wasn't the sharpest guy you'd find, realization of why she had done this and what it entailed was just starting to seep into his skull when Yori distracted him.
"Here, Ron-kun, here!" said Yori with enthusiasm as she moved across the room to a large armoire. Without a moment's hesitation she flung open the doors and let the contents sparkle in all their glory.
Ron's eyes practically burst out of his head.
"Is that? Is that… _The Nakasumi 3000!_" he shouted, the excitement in his voice palatable.
Yori bounced up and down with glee – obviously she had done her homework about Ron and she felt confident she was about to reap the rewards.
"Yes Ron-kun it is! It's the HD-limited edition, complete with built in surround sound, flat screen display and wireless controllers. Oh and here…" Yori bent down and pulled out a drawer, revealing to Ron the precious contents within.
"Oh. My. God." Ron said as his eyes bugged out even farther.
Yori turned around and smiled at Ron.
"The entire Nakasumi game library!" she proudly stated.
Ron, his legs moving unbidden of his own will, approached the treasure chest of entertainment like a zombie moving in for the kill. His eyes scanned the surface of the spines of the DVD cases and he mentally catalogued each one for future enjoyment.
"Perhaps Ron-kun, after dinner we may enjoy a game or two?" Yori said hopefully.
Ron nodded. That didn't seem like such a bad idea.
Yori moved next to Ron and brought her lips up gently to his ear. Ron could feel her hot breath tickle his neck and he found himself paralyzed, completely overcome with sensation.
"And perhaps after that…" Yori whispered, "We can have some more games…"
She let the phrase linger in his ear, then continued.
"In bed."
Yori, with an impish grin on her face then fled the room to go help Meryl Stoppable prepare dinner.
"_Don't give in Stoppable. Don't give in! If you do… God is surely going to strike you down!_"
It was as sobering thought, but one he was sure of. After all, he was Ron Stoppable and things like this simply did _not_ happen to him. Hell, he couldn't even get his best friend of over a decade to give him a second look, and now he had a gorgeous girl plying him with video games and offers of sex?
His entire body shivered in fear, almost as if he could feel the cold of the grave reaching out for him. He knew, without a doubt, that one false step and his life would change forever.
"_It wouldn't be so bad_," he mused, "…_if I was the one calling the shots._"
-
Kim Possible threw down her book bag and flopped into the chair in front of her computer. She hadn't meant to snub Ron on the way home from school, in fact she had actually wanted to talk to him and to apologize for the slap in the cafeteria, but Eric had found her after last period and… well when she was with Eric she had a tendency to do whatever it was he wanted to do, which in this case happened to be a quick date and a drive home.
"_I should probably call Ron and tell him I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, there is no way that Ron would do __**that**__to Yori – I'm certain of it. She was probably just trying to make me mad._"
Kim frowned. Yori had succeeded.
She was just about to reach for her phone when all of a sudden a window popped up on her computer monitor. She grabbed the mouse and clicked on it, bringing up a popular instant messaging program.
**Tarabell2000**: Hey Kim are you there?
Kim put her phone down and started to type.
**BlueFox: **Hi Tara! What's up?
**Tarabell2000**: What else? RON!
**BlueFox**: Yeah about that… I'm totally sorry, I swear I didn't know anything about this!
**Tarabell2000**: It's cool Kim, I could tell! You looked like you were going to spit bullets when she said _Mrs. Stoppable_. LOL
**BlueFox**: I admit, I was pretty shocked. I talked to Ron a little bit at lunch…
**Tarabell2000**: I saw that… what was going on?
**BlueFox**: I think he made some sort of mistake and ended up in a weird sitch.
**Tarabell2000**: Any idea how to feign surprise and shock over IM? GRIN
**BlueFox**: I know, that's Ron for you I suppose… I did ask around a little bit and it turns out that the entire marriage thing isn't completely on the up and up.
**Tarabell2000**: I could have guessed. Ron is kind of… Ron, but even he couldn't forget something like that!
**BlueFox**: I talked to my friend Wade and he did some snooping around – it seems the marriage documents were filed, but since Ron's a minor he'd need his parent's permission to get married…
**Tarabell2000**: Let me guess – no permission?
**BlueFox**: Well yes and no. There's paper work on file, but it's not legit. Someone forged Ron's parent's signatures.
**Tarabell2000**: So basically you're saying, Ron was set up?
**BlueFox**: Yep. I feel terrible about it too, I really let him have it today at lunch…
**Tarabell2000**: Just tell him you're sorry, you two are best friends forever! He'll forgive you I'm sure!
**BlueFox**: I'm sure you're right, still doesn't keep me from feeling guilty.
**Tarabell2000**: NOD. Still, that's really good news, don't you think? It should be easy to clear this all up.
**BlueFox**: That's even IF he wants to clear it up. I think Yori has her claws into him pretty good.
**Tarabell2000**: Oh, I don't know about that…
**BlueFox**: Really? Are you holding out on me Tara?
**Tarabell2000**: Let's just say… I happen to know that Ron has other girls on his mind.
**BlueFox**: SPILL!
**Tarabell2000**: Nope, no can do! I made a promise!
**BlueFox**: Wait… It's not you, is it?
**Tarabell2000**: Well, no… but I'm still not giving up quite yet! I have a PLAN!
**BlueFox**: Why Tara, I had no idea you were so determined! LOL
**Tarabell2000**: I'm full of surprises! Anyway, I've got to go Kim! TTYL BB
**BlueFox**: l8r
Kim clicked close on the window and then sat back in her chair. She couldn't remember a time in her life when things around Ron had ever been so complicated.
"_I guess it had to happen sooner or later, we're growing up after all._"
It was a truth that held both equal amounts of excitement and sadness. Both Kim and Ron were finally maturing and starting to change into the adults that they would be for the rest of their lives and it was an exhilarating feeling to ponder all the limitless possibilities that their futures held. Unfortunately along with all the thoughts of the future also came with some fears – What would happen to them? Would they all stay friends? Would they drift apart?
Kim seriously started to think about it, letting her feelings roam wherever they would. She thought of everyone in her life and what they meant to her and she was overcome with a brief wave of nostalgia that made her almost want to tear up. She decided that she needed to talk to Ron, _tonight_.
Kim started to reach for the phone again like she had earlier, but then stopped. No, not that, it wouldn't do – not the way she was feeling tonight. Ron was her best friend in the entire world, the one person that she always felt that she could trust and rely on and she had lashed out at him because of her own doubts.
She was determined to fix the sitch.
Kim got up from her desk, found her jacket and headed downstairs. Within a couple of minutes she was already out the door and heading through the subdivision to the Stoppable house and hoping that despite what had transpired today, that her and Ron were still as tight as they ever were.
-
Bonnie Rockwaller pushed the food on her plate around with her utensils as she waited for her father Richard to get off of his cell-phone. They were dining out tonight, and while the restaurant was classy and the food well prepared, the atmosphere left something to be desired. Her father was mostly to blame.
Bonnie roughly stabbed an asparagus spear with her fork, swishing it around in the remnants of a buttery sauce that had all but congealed on her plate due to the length of time she had put off finishing her meal. She really wasn't hungry any more and she hadn't actually been eating that much, but she didn't want to let the waiter take her plate away. If she did so, she reasoned, then it would leave her with nothing else to do but stare passively at the room while her father continued to talk on the phone to someone whom obviously rated higher on the food chain than her.
"_Why did I drive all the way to Upperton for this? Did I think that this time was going to be any different – just because he called me!_"
Bonnie blew an errant strand of hair out of her eyes while she looked out of the wide bay window that graced the wall next to her table. The sun had just recently began to dip below the horizon, bathing the outdoor shopping promenade with a dusky purple tone that was briefly punctuated by warm glowing lamps. Nameless people wandered up and down the closed off street, some alone, some holding hands, but all of them seemingly with a purpose. She wondered briefly, what that might be like – to have a purpose.
It would perhaps seem to be a strange thought for such an accomplished young woman to have, but that would be only if one assumed that her pursuit of accolades was for a reason. Bonnie would have liked to have had a reason – a reason for _doing_, a reason for _being_, but the sad fact of the matter was that she did only what was expected of her.
What her father expected of her.
Richard Rockwaller was a demanding man. In business he was a tyrant, bullying and forcing his way with his employees and in private life he wasn't much better. It wasn't that he was mean natured, or even a disagreeable fellow (he could be quite charming under the right circumstances) it was just that he knew, without a doubt that the one and only way to get ahead in this world was to take what you wanted and _damn_ any one or any thing that got in your way; including his own wife and kids.
He hadn't started out that way. No one ever really does. Upon the outset of his career his goals had actually been laudable – providing a safety net of economic security for his children. Unfortunately somewhere along the line, as people are wont to do, he lost his way and the goal had mistakenly become his _reason_. He had not known it, but after already poisoning the temperaments of his two eldest daughters he was perilously close in passing this fatal mistake down to Bonnie as well. Of course, being as far gone as he was, it was doubtful that he cared.
It made what he was about to do, just that much easier.
"Bonnie?" her father asked.
"Hmm?" she replied. She had been staring out the window and hadn't noticed that he had finished his phone call.
"So dear, tell me – What's going on your life these days?" he said with a warm, fatherly smile.
Bonnie was annoyed at her father and the part of her that was the most like him wanted to let loose with a withering sarcastic comment to show him how she felt about being put on hold when they went out to dinner. There was another part of her however that was much more deeply ingrained in her psyche, and this part wanted nothing more than to please her father and to regale him with tales of her most recent accomplishments.
"Well Daddy, I've was voted head of the year book committee – third time in a row I may add. Also I auditioned for the lead role in the spring theatre production; I have it on good authority that I'm considered to already have the part. The cheer squad is going to the state regional's next month and I've developed a new routine that I'm positive will put us in the finals… Hmm, what else? Oh yes – I also…"
Richard Rockwaller stared at his daughter, the picture of rapt attention, except of course that he _wasn't._ It was sort of a ritual that they had between them as father and daughter, Richard would always ask Bonnie what she had been up to and Bonnie would dutifully recount whatever trivial (in Richard's eyes) achievements she had made since their last talk.
"_I wish she wouldn't prattle on so much – it reminds me of her mother._"
"Oh and finally, I was elected chairman of the school's homecoming committee. This year is definitely going to be so much better than last year. I'm thinking of going with a Polynesian theme – "
Bonnie was going full steam ahead and Richard casually glanced at his watch. He needed to bring her up short so that he'd have time to get back home and prepare for his date with Jessica – a new secretary that had just started working for the company. She had proven to be a relatively hard nut to crack, with her being just newly married and all, but Richard had been persistent and now he wanted to reap the rewards of his diligence.
"Bonnie that's great!" he interjected cutting her off.
Bonnie's mouth hung open a tiny bit – she was just about to launch into a complete recollection of how she had come up with the winning entry for the new Middleton High school motto competition when her father cut her off. It made her a little sad but it wasn't unexpected – her dad was a busy man after all and he couldn't afford to waste all his time listening to her dull school life.
"Say Honey, I have a question for you. Actually, maybe there is something that you could help Daddy on." Richard said suavely while gesturing for a waiter.
"Yes Daddy?" Bonnie eagerly asked.
"Do you happen to know a boy by the name of Stoppable?"
Bonnie's expression told her father everything he needed to know. It wasn't a surprise, at least not to him. Gene Stoppable was a bit of a loser, not so bad as to be incompetent (he actually was quite good at his job), but the man lacked ambition and drive and most importantly he had always let people walk all over him. The surprised and semi-disgusted look on Bonnie's face just proved what Richard had already known; the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
"I take it that's a yes, Bonnie?" he asked his daughter.
Bonnie nodded.
A waiter came over to the table and Richard motioned for the check.
"Bonnie, I need you to do a favor for Daddy."
"What Daddy?" she asked quietly. Already she didn't like the direction this conversation was going.
"You see sweetheart, I've been having a little problem at the office recently and you know what? I think you can help me."
-
Ron Stoppable was a man on the run. Figuratively speaking of course. While he may have _liked_ to be about 400 miles away from his home right now, several things (the least of which was not the fact that his scooter would never make it) had conspired to keep him firmly rooted in place. So instead of being on the lamb and enjoying relative freedom, he was huddled up in his fathers first floor study, hunched over an ancient P.C. and doing the one thing that he dreaded most of all.
Homework.
The reason for this auspicious occasion was two fold – he really did need to get this report done for Mr. Barkin's history class and secondly, he really, _really_ didn't want to go to sleep.
"_Actually sleep would be pretty good right now – I'm kind of frazzled. It's all the __**other**__ stuff that has me scared shitless._"
Ron would never be accused of being a super genius, but even someone of his admittedly modest intellectual capabilities ought to have seen the predicament coming a mile away instead of merrily walking right into her little trap.
"_I knew she was devious, but this goes beyond that – she's actually using my own hormones against me!_"
It had happened sometime after dinner. Ron had retired to his room to try out the _Nakasumi 3000_ game center that had found its way into his newly remodeled room. At first he had merely looked at the system, basking in it's hi-tech geeky glory the way a sun worshiper might gawk at the sun. But eventually the anticipation became too much for him to ignore and he started to study the vast array of game titles that Yori had procured for him, wondering which one of these timeless classics would be the first to bust his HD-ultimate gaming cherry.
At the time he didn't realize how ironic that sentiment would be.
About a half hour into his new gaming experience he felt a body sit next to him – he glanced away from the array of carnage on the high definition television screen and saw Yori, sitting politely to his side and smiling. Ron, slightly high on a videogame induced endorphin rush forgot for a moment that he was supposed to be petrified said "Hi" and returned her smile without realizing the opening he had left.
"Hello _Danna-sama_," Yori said as she inched closer to Ron's sitting form. He was trying to stare very intently at the game he was playing, hoping that if he was able to look right through the screen than perhaps it would take his mind off the fact that Yori, with her lithe body and wonderful smell was just a scant few inches away from him.
"Um… uh… Wanna play a game?" Ron asked in a nervous voice.
He didn't know how he did it, perhaps he had some sort of super human power that he had never noticed before, but he actually _felt_ Yori staring at him with a passionate heat that defied any previous experience Ron had ever had with the fairer sex. It made his skin flush, his heart race and his knees weak. It was over all, a good thing he was sitting down as well – otherwise things might have gotten _very interesting_ rather quickly if Yori had noticed his…
Well, enough of that.
Anyway, it was in this supremely agitated state that Ron discovered the most uncomfortable thing about his new (and supposedly temporary) living arraignment when Yori whispered in his ear.
"Let's go to bed."
Ron's thumbs slammed down on the controller as he tried desperately to work the tension out of _some_ parts of his body into his fingers and out through the game controller.
"Uh… I'm not really tired right now. And uh… Wait! Where are we going to sleep?" Ron asked, suddenly realizing a key piece of information that had escaped him all evening.
"Right here _bakka_!" Yori giggled and motioned behind her.
Ron took note that the only thing that lay in the direction that Yori had pointed at was the rather large (and he ruefully admitted, comfortable looking) bed that had just recently been moved into the room. Quickly he bolted upright and then turned to face the door.
"I'll be right back!" he said.
"Wait, where are you going Ron-kun?" asked Yori in a sweet, pleading voice.
"I have some camping stuff in the garage so I'm going to go look for my sleeping bag."
"But Ron-kun, we have plenty of blankets. Why do we need a sleeping bag?"
The struggle that waged inside the mortal body of Ron Stoppable at that moment in time was so profound that words do not exist to properly catalogue the forces that were at work. His brain felt like it was melting and his body, already excited, was starting to reach levels that approximated "complete and total loss of control". If Yori had been a little more devious, or a little more suggestive then it was highly likely that she would have won her battle then and there – however she innocently had hesitated, not comprehending that Ron actually _wouldn't_ want to share a bed with her, and because of this Ron's heart was able to reassert itself and the love that he harbored in there for Kim managed to do the one thing that it could do to save him.
He ran for it.
"I just remembered! I have a history paper due tomorrow!" Ron called over his shoulder as he ran down the stairs and bolted into his fathers study. Quickly he closed the door and locked it behind him and then he put his back to the door and slowly slid down its vertical surface until he was on his haunches.
"_Self control Ron. It's all about self control. Think of Kim. If you can't handle this Ron then how are you going to be good enough for KP? She deserves better than that man… Head in the game Stoppable!_"
Now however Ron had been locked in the study for over an hour and while it was true that he had a history paper to write, he hadn't had _that much_ of a history paper to write. And even if he did, it was highly unlikely that Yori would merely let him stay in the study all evening. He needed a way out, some way to avoid going back into that room. He needed some sort of plan…
All thoughts of scheming and plotting flew out of Ron's head when he heard the door bell ring. Ron unlocked the study door and peeked his head out. Not finding anyone in the foyer, he crept (why was he creeping in his own house?) to the front door and carefully opened it.
"Kim?" Ron said in surprise. It wasn't like Kim to show up at his house so late unannounced, and after the way she had reacted at lunch today… Well, Ron wasn't so sure that she was going to be talking to him for a few days. He was glad that it seemed like he was wrong.
"Hi Ron!" said Kim, "I just came over to… apologize."
"Huh? What for KP?" Ron asked in all seriousness.
"_That's so like Ron. I almost cold-cock him in the cafeteria and he doesn't even think I did anything wrong. This guy… Well, I guess that's why I… um… er I mean – he's my best friend._"
"Ron! For practically slapping your cheek through your mouth today! What do you think?" Kim said.
"Oh… _that_," Ron said. It wasn't that he was trying to be magnamous about the whole thing, it was just with all the excitement that had happened since he had gotten home he had quite literally forgotten all about it.
"It's ok KP!" Ron said.
It probably really _wasn't_ ok – but Ron didn't mind all that much. He was just glad Kim was here – all he'd have to do know is explain the situation to her and then let her do her magic. If anyone could fix it, Ron was certain that Kim could.
"Ron, it's so totally _not_ ok!" Kim responded, "You're my best friend and I should know that you wouldn't be such a jerk as to do something like… well, you _know_. Like _that._"
Ron nodded piously. This was _exactly_ what he had been talking about. Kim would fix everything, he knew it.
"I mean I was a little shocked when Yori said all that stuff."
"What 'stuff' did I say Possible-san?" came the chilling voice from behind Ron's back.
"Y-Y-Yori!" he stammered , springing to the side of the door jam and slightly turning backwards in the direction that the voice had come from.
There, standing at the bottom of the stairway, was Yori. She had evidently heard the voices and had decided to come and investigate who was talking to Ron at such a late evening hour. At first she was just going to call down the stairs, but when she heard Kim's voice she had another idea and instead decided to just walk to the foyer dressed exactly how she was.
Which is to say, not very dressed at all.
Her silk black hair was down and it hung on her shoulders like inky pools of shining darkness – the contrast with her skin was amazing in the light coming through the open door. She had also changed her clothes, Ron wasn't sure when she had done that, but instead of her previous outfit of t-shirt and shorts, she was now wearing a very revealing and sheer white number that clung to and hugged her body in all the right ways. Ron tried not to look but he couldn't help it – the material was so thin it left little to the imagination and Ron got more than an eyeful of Yori's special delights.
"Yori!" screamed Kim in utter shock.
"What are _you_ doing here!" she continued, and then turning to Ron she said, "Ron? What is _she_ doing here? Spill! Now!"
"About that…" Ron began to explain, only to be cut off by Yori.
"I live here Possible-san. Ron-kun is my husband! And as to what I am doing? I was waiting upstairs in _our bed_ for Ron-kun to come up and fulfill his husbandly duties!" Yori spat this phrase at Kim like she was a cobra hurling venom at a victim.
Some part of Ron's brain knew what was about to happen right before it did and offered him a couple of choices – take it, or dodge. He wasn't sure exactly _when_ or even _why_ he had come to his decision, but on his own accord he took two steps forward and walked directly into one of the most devastating uppercuts known to man.
"RON! YOU PIG!" shouted Kim at the top of her lungs as her fist connected with the slightly pudgy jaw-line of Ron Stoppable.
Kim was instantly horrified at what she had done – she didn't know why the she had gotten so angry, or why it was directed at Ron, or even why right now when she was feeling guilty for decking him again, she was dealing with a new emotion that welled up deep inside her and started to make her cry.
"_What's this? What's happening to me?"_
Ron for his part inwardly smiled at the way events had turned out. He had been worried, deathly worried, that he would crack under the constant barrage of attention fromYori and break the secret promise for Kim that he had cared in his heart for so long now.
However, as Kim's fist connected with his jaw and darkness came over him he was relieved that he at least didn't have to worry about it right now.
"_I knew I could count on you KP – problem solved!_"
These were his last thoughts right before he flew backwards and lost consciousness.
-
A/N:
Well thank you again for reading this far. I had a little trouble with this chapter, but once I got to a certain part it started to flow pretty good. I really need to get more sleep; I think the lack of dormancy is affecting my creative juices!
I'm pretty happy with this chapter – There is only one real major plot development that happened here, but it was a **huge** one that's going to figure prominently in the upcoming chapters. I'm sure most of you can spot what it was.
Anyway, once again – Thank you for reading and for reviewing! It's the only payment I get and you guys have been great so far with ante'in up. I'm really looking forward to releasing the next chapter but I'm not giving away any spoilers!
Peace
QC
7. Chapter 7
Chapter 7 – Stuck between a Rockwaller and a hard place
-
Ron Stoppable slumped down against the wall, catched his breath and finally took notice of his surroundings. He was somewhere in the school, from the looks of it an empty hallway that was seldom used – it was his oasis in the middle of a storm. He knew that skipping class wouldn't help his already tenuous grade point average but he was at a loss of what to do; It seemed like everywhere he went today he was either dodging an overly amorous Yori or a disgruntled Kim and as bad as school was, his home life was even more hazardous. For some reason his parent's had turned a blind eye to the fact that their teenage son was sharing a room with a beautiful girl that was more than _little_ interested in him which made simple tasks such as taking a shower an enterprise fraught with peril.
"_I need to see about putting a better lock on that door…_"
He knew it was fruitless, Yori _was_ an accomplished ninja and pretty much anything short of a one-way deadbolt would just be an inconvenience for her but he had to do something. If things kept going on the way that they had been, he knew that eventually he would give in to temptation and Yori could be quite tempting when she wanted to be.
Ron had idly wondered if it would be _so bad_ to give in to her. She was beautiful, no – down right gorgeous. She was sweet, deferential to his wishes in most things (except for his "no touchie" policy) and all around about as perfect of a girlfriend that you could wish for. The problem was of course, that she didn't want to be a girlfriend, but his wife.
And that scared the living hell out of him.
It wasn't just the fact that Ron felt that he was too young to get married, although he was. It was that despite how much he _liked_ Yori, he just didn't _love_ her and while he knew that it was possible that he _could_ fall for her, it hadn't happened yet and things were moving way too fast for his liking. And of course what Yori had told him last night hadn't helped calm his nerves.
"_Ron-kun, I need to produce an heir._"
Ron liked kids, he had even pondered briefly what it would be like to be a father, but he didn't like the idea of being one at the age of 16. He could literally feel the imminent responsibility crushing his soul like a mountain and Ron Stoppable wasn't a guy who dealt with responsibility well. The idea of having a wife and kids before he had even graduated high school was something that had never occurred to him before – and he liked it that way.
Compounding his problems was the fact that his best friend, and coincidentally, major crush interest, was furious at him. It wasn't that Ron didn't understand why Kim would be angry over the events of the last 24 hours, it was just that he couldn't comprehend why she was so downright _pissed_ at him. He had explained the sitch to her to the best of his ability, and while it appeared that Kim mostly believed him, whenever Yori was around her attitude took a serious turn for the worse.
If Ron had been a little bit better with the ladies, he probably would have realized why.
Be that as it may, Ron was more than a little confused with the behavior of his long time best friend. Still, he held out hope that eventually Kim would calm down and the two of them would be able to patch things up – if not for the sake of their friendship, then because Ron _desperately_ needed her help to get out of the trouble he was in.
"_She can do anything right? Like rescuing her best friend from imminent fatherhood…_"
All of these concerns were floating around Ron's head, but they were the least of his immediate problems. No, the greatest and most fearful thing that he would have to face today could be summed up in two words – Bonnie Rockwaller.
He had known that the stormy brunette was out to get him ever since he caught the withering glances that she had shot his way the day before and it wasn't like Ron could blame her – it was pretty much all his fault anyway. Ever since the fateful encounter in the closet he knew that his misspoken words were going to come back to haunt him, he just never counted on what form that the karmic revenge would take.
It had happened in his last period – Mr. Barkin's history class. Ron had (for once) actually finished his report on time and due to his desire to avoid a "night time" encounter with Yori had actually devoted enough time to his work to get a decent grade. After reading his findings to the class he had rather smugly walked back to his desk and sat down, his mood having improved dramatically for the first time since the previous day. Unfortunately for Ron, it wasn't about to last.
The class was winding down and Mr. Barkin rose from his desk and announced a _new_ project for the class. It would be their final assignment for the year and figure greatly into their grade. Ron, who had been struggling with this class, felt his good mood evaporate at the news.
"_It's ok – he said we could partner up, I'll just get Kim to be my partner and that way I won't have to worry about failing and being held back a year._"
It was a good plan and one that Ron had relied on before. It might have seemed like he was taking advantage of Kim's superior scholastic aptitude, but the truth of the matter was that Kim never let Ron slack off as much as someone else might have, so he _did_ in fact always manage to contribute quite a great deal of work. It had never occurred to Ron but in his effort to boost his grades by relying upon Kim, he had actually managed to get far more _learning_ in than he probably would have liked.
Despite the fact that Kim had been pretty steamed at him the night before, Ron felt pretty confident that she wouldn't ditch him on this assignment. Sure, she might be mad at him now but that had never stopped Kim from coming through for Ron when he needed her.
"So, KP… what topic do you want to do for the report?" he asked.
Kim looked at Ron and bluntly stated, "I don't know – I think I'm going to let my _boyfriend_ decide."
Upon hearing the word _boyfriend_ Ron's face fell. He had forgotten! Forgotten that Barkin's history class was one of the few classes that Kim and Eric shared. Normally Ron might have been able to plead with Kim to take him as a partner, but with the way things had been going…
Ron put his head down on his desk and resigned himself to being a Junior again next year.
"Stoppable," came the caustic sounding voice that snapped Ron out of his self-imposed desk-exile.
Ron raised his head and found himself staring into the eyes of the absolute last person he wanted to deal with today – Bonnie Rockwaller.
"You're my report partner Stoppable," she stated in a neutral tone.
"Huh? What?" exclaimed Ron, "What about Tara…" he looked around for the petite blonde girl.
"She's partnered with Justine," was all Bonnie said.
"_Oh God, this is it – she set me up, she's going to torture me over the next month non stop until I go insane and throw myself off a bridge._"
"But what about – " Ron started to say, but was cut off by Bonnie.
"Save it Stoppable. You're my partner and that's that," she growled at him.
Ron sighed and gave up in defeat. He did take a small measure of comfort from the fact that if he somehow, by the grace of God, managed to survive the duration of their working relationship he was at least guaranteed to pass this year. It was a small thing but at this point Ron was flailing recklessly for any semblance of good news.
"So, what topic do you want to do?" asked Ron, his voice fraught with trepidation.
"I'll tell you when you come over to my house tonight," Bonnie responded and then she turned on her heel and walked right out of the classroom.
"_I'm doomed,_" he thought to himself.
Ron knew that he had made a terrible error in judgment by not coming clean to Bonnie the moment that she confessed her feelings to him at Bueno Nacho. He had tried to rationalize his indecision at the time by claiming that he had been in both equal measures surprised and shocked and then later when he had time to collect his thoughts he had still foolishly proceeded onwards – justifying it this time by saying he was doing it for the sake of Bonnie's feelings. It didn't take a rocket scientist to notice that Bonnie Rockwaller was quite possibly the unhappiest and highest-strung girl in the entire school and for some reason Ron had stupidly thought that _he_ of all people could help her.
His kindness was always his undoing.
Of course there was another reason, one that Ron hadn't really wanted to think about because it was so deeply ingrained and hidden in his heart that it would be painful for him to examine at this time. It was a feeling that he had pretty much discarded in favor of slightly more realistic expectations and his burgeoning love obsession with his best friend, but the truth still remained –
Bonnie Rockwaller had been his _first_ crush.
-
It had started in middle school, the 7th grade to be exact. He had noticed Bonnie across a crowded hallway and he found his eyes irresistibly drawn to her. Ron had been having these _feelings_ recently; feelings that he had no explanation for and that had caused him no small amount of embarrassment. Just the other day in fact he had been wrestling around with Kim in her backyard when suddenly one of those _feelings _had surfaced, forcing him to run all the way home where he had locked himself in the bathroom with the Victoria's Secret catalogue for 10 minutes.
Thankfully neither of his parents had been around.
Now however, when he looked at Bonnie those feelings came back with a vengeance and they were like electricity tingling every nerve in his body. He felt his stomach do a flip and his skin flush as his body temperature started to rise. He knew that he wasn't the most popular or funniest or handsome guy in the school, but for a moment he forgot all that and walked across the hall to introduce himself to her. The result was not what most people would have thought.
"Hi there! I'm Ron, Ron Stoppable – you're new here aren't you?" he had asked with a big smile.
Bonnie seemed to pause for a moment, pondering what she should say. Eventually she spoke, "I just transferred here this year. I'm…"
"Bonnie Rockwaller. I know – I've seen you hanging with the cheer squad" he smiled back.
"You're totally badical!"
Bonnie unconsciously broke out in a smile. She was still feeling a little unsure about herself - having just recently arrived at this school. She missed her old friends from last year and her familiar surroundings, but she had been determined to make a go of it, so one of the first things she had done was try out for the cheer squad.
She was a natural, so of course she got it and to make it even sweeter she had so impressed the coach that the woman had put her in charge of the tryouts for the new cheerleaders. Bonnie was quite proud of herself.
"Uhm… Thanks…Ron?" she was a little flustered so she had forgotten his name. Ron was one of the few people this week that had come up to talk to her and she wondered if she was perhaps getting a little rusty.
"You know what? My friend Kim is thinking about trying out for the squad, what do you think about that?"
Bonnie's ears perked up – the team actually _did_ need a couple more members. While they weren't in danger of losing their spot in the school budget, if they didn't manage to round up a few more girls then they'd likely not be able to compete…
"I'd tell her to go for it! We actually could use a couple more girls. What did you say her name was again?"
"Kim – Kim Possible. We're best friends, since Pre-K."
Bonnie made a soft "hmm" noise as she tried to think where she had heard that name before. She was still new to the school and she hadn't met a lot of people yet, but for some reason Ron's friend's name rang a bell.
"Where do I know that name from?" Bonnie finally asked.
"KP? Er… I mean Kim? She's pretty popular you know…"
It was a lame attempt by Ron to hitch his star onto Kim's in the eyes of this girl, but he had been making such good progress that he went for it. Unlike a lot of the girls at the school, this one was actually talking to him and Ron decided that if mentioning Kim would help him get a date… Well, Kim would understand.
Bonnie nodded at Ron, "That must be it, I've probably heard her name before…"
"Would you like to meet her? She's having a birthday party this week and um… I can invite you if you want."
Bonnie was surprised by how fast she said, "Yes!" She didn't know if it was because she wanted to fit in to her new school so badly, or if because she was excited that a boy from school was talking to her. It wasn't that boys didn't like her, at least not at her old school, but it seemed for some reason that recently they'd been avoiding her…
Of course, being not quite a teenager Bonnie didn't realize the reason was because they were all intimidated by her beauty.
There was a loud ringing and the two young people looked up in dismay as the tardy bell rung out through the halls.
"Eep! Guess we gotta go huh? I'll talk to you later Bonnie and tell you about the party!_"_
Ron waved at the pretty girl as he hurried on to his class. He had been feeling pretty darn good about himself and when he rounded the corner he made sure Bonnie couldn't see him and then proceeded to let out a loud, "Booyah!"
Bonnie Rockwaller heard it and giggled.
-
Of course, that was then and this was now and a heck of a lot of things had changed along the way. He couldn't say for certain what had happened, but he knew that his tenuous relationship with Bonnie had taken a turn for the worse the evening of Kim's birthday party. He tried to remember back to then…
-
"So, what do you think Bonnie? Cool party huh?" Ron said as he gestured around the room.
Kim's parents had turned their basement into an impromptu dance club for the day, even going so far as to install some party lighting and moving her dads near ancient, but powerful, college era stereo system downstairs. Kim had invited most of her class to the party and being as popular as she was, pretty much everyone showed up. The basement was hot and the air was thick with the sounds of music blasting off the walls as well as the heat burning off the dancing kids.
Bonnie had to admit, it was a pretty rocking party.
"It's awesome Ron! Thanks for inviting me!" Bonnie said as she put her drink down on the long fold out table that was serving as the "refreshment center" for the pre-teens.
The song that had been playing suddenly ended and there was a brief pause until the next song started. Ron took the opportunity to bend over and whisper something in Bonnie's ear, "I'm really glad you could come. I've been looking forward to this all week."
Bonnie blushed and smiled at Ron. She was too shy to say anything at this point, but she had been eagerly anticipating this day as well. True, she didn't know Ron's friend that well, but she figured anyone who was friends with such a sweet guy was probably really nice.
Suddenly the music started up again and the familiar strains of the _Oh Boyz_ started playing. Ron grabbed Bonnie's hand and motioned towards the makeshift dance floor. She smiled at him and followed him through the small crowd of partygoers. Bonnie let the music wash over her and she began to move her arms and legs, twisting her hips to the beat. Ron wasn't that great of a dancer she mused, but he was enthusiastic and when he caught her looking at him she could tell that he purposely exaggerated his movements to make her laugh.
Bonnie didn't know when it had started, but she knew that she felt something special for this boy – in fact, she was pretty sure that she was seriously crushing on him. It was exciting and a little bit scary at the same time. She had never had a boyfriend before, but she supposed that was to be expected at her age. Just thinking about it, thinking about _him_ made her stomach fill with butterflies – it was an alien but euphoric feeling.
The music slowly ground to a halt and before the next dance could begin Bonnie excused herself to go upstairs to the bathroom. She didn't really need to go all that badly, but it was hot in the basement and she had been sweating and she really didn't want to dance all that close to Ron if she was going to be all… "glisteny" – it just wouldn't look good. With a quick look over her shoulder and a wave, Bonnie bounced up the basement stairs to the first floor bathroom.
Right as she was coming through the door she accidentally bumped into another party guest.
"Oh! Sorry!" she exclaimed, reaching down to help the other girl up.
The poor girl had fallen directly on her own bottom and she looked a little stunned. She reached up and accepted Bonnie's hand and then said, "Hey, you're Bonnie Rockwaller, aren't you?"
Bonnie grunted a little bit while she helped hoist the other girl up and then replied, "Yep!"
"Hi, I'm Tara – I auditioned for the cheer team this week…" she let her voice trail off.
"I know!_"_ said Bonnie, "You did really good by the way! You're totally going to get on the team!"
It was the truth, the petite blonde girl had shown a great deal of gymnastic aptitude, which of course was essential for the cheer club, but it was the interview segment that really cinched it – she had such a naturally sunny personality that everyone found irresistible. The coach hadn't announced the final line-up yet, but Bonnie was sure that Tara was going to be in it.
"Really? Awesome!" Tara bounced up on the balls of her feet and clapped her hands together; she had been pretty worried about making the cut.
"Hey! Didn't you come here with Ron?" she asked.
Bonnie blushed and nodded.
"Wow, everyone is talking about that – we're all so shocked!"
Bonnie blinked… was this girl insinuating that she shouldn't be with Ron? Despite how nice Tara seemed, if that was the way she was going to go… Well, Bonnie would just have to scratch her off her potential friends list.
"What's so shocking?" she asked with a serious tone.
Tara caught the vibe that Bonnie was giving off and immediately understood that the brunette had misunderstood her.
"Nothing! It's just… Kim and Ron, y'know?" Tara responded.
Bonnie wondered what there was to know. Did Tara know something she didn't? Ron had only said that Kim was his best friend…
"They're best friends?" Bonnie ventured.
"Well, yeah I guess so… it's just that… hmm, how do I say this?" Tara seemed to pause for a moment and ponder her next choice of words.
"There was a rumor going around…" Tara lowered her voice and tried to whisper in Bonnie's ear.
"… that Kim was secretly crushing on her best friend."
"Best friend? Wait you mean… Ron?" asked Bonnie.
Tara nodded sagely.
"It was just a rumor I guess" she added.
Even if it was just a rumor Bonnie didn't like it – not one bit. She was pretty sure that Ron wasn't the type of guy to "_double-deal_" and just the thought of it made her stomach do an unhealthy flip.
"_Ugh, I guess I know how mom feels…_" Bonnie thought to herself, but then quickly banished the notion – she was here to have fun, not to dwell on her parent's marital problems.
"Well, I'm going to get back to the party – see ya Bonnie!" chirped Tara as she walked past Bonnie and descended the stairs to the basement.
For some reason Bonnie had the urge to follow her – she didn't like the fact that she was so sweaty and she was worried that Ron would think she was a pig, but at the same time she was overcome by a sudden urge to just _see him_. Bonnie didn't realize it but the problems that her parents were having had fostered a great deal of insecurity within her heart, and it was on this emotion that she acted.
Bonnie's hand gently glided down the side railing as she bounced down the basement stairs. The music was really, really loud and there were still quite a few kids down here, moving and dancing around to the beats. She scanned the small crowd for Ron, but in the strange lights and with the mass of bodies she couldn't find him right away. A small kernel of doubt took root in her brain and she felt a sickening feeling begin to bloom in her stomach.
"_Where is he?_"
Bonnie pushed past a few people on the dance floor, trying to make her way to the opposite side of the room. She had just shouldered past a dancing couple when she finally found Ron.
He was kissing Kim Possible.
For the first time, and the last time as well, Bonnie Rockwaller ran from a room full of people in tears. The girl from earlier, Tara, had seen her and tried to reach out for her, but she brushed off her hand and sprinted up the stairs and out of the house.
"_Why? Why did he do that? I really liked him! I really did!_" she lamented.
She was sobbing now and it became harder for her to keep running, so she slowed down to a brisk walk, using her hands to wipe away the tears that wouldn't stop flowing from her eyes.
"_Why do you have to ask such dumb questions Bonnie?_" she shouted at herself.
"_Of course he'd like that girl better – she's pretty and smart and popular and everyone thinks she's great. What do you have, huh? Nothing! That's what! It's just like Connie and Lonnie always say – They got the looks and the brains and you got what's left over!_"
Bonnie slowed down her walk because she was crying so hard that she couldn't' see straight. She found herself leaning against the trunk of a large tree, her face buried in one of her arms. She made a fist with her other hand and then started to pound on the tree, using each pummeling blow to emphasize yet another put-down or flaw that she believed about her self.
"_It's not fair! Why do I take after mom? I __**hate**__ her! She's so dumb and useless, it's no wonder Daddy left her for…_"
Bonnie didn't finish that thought. She didn't like thinking about it that way. Besides, it was her mother's fault – it _had_ to be her mother's fault. She had pushed her father away somehow, maybe by being not good enough for him, or not smart enough, or not pretty enough…
"_Just like me…_"
It was hard for Bonnie _not_ to draw parallels between what had just happened and her own family situation. She was so consumed with self-loathing and insecurity that she felt like her body was just going to fold up on itself, completely collapsing into the _nothing_ that she really was.
As much as she had wanted it, her body simply refused to disappear – leaving Bonnie to deal with the painful emotional feelings that were coursing through her heart. She didn't know what to do, or who to talk to. She couldn't reach out to anyone, at least not anyone in her family – they would either alternatively, ignore her, ridicule her, or psycho-analyze her, and none of those options held any appeal.
Bonnie pushed her body away from the tree and dusted her self off. She was still upset, still slightly crying, but a little bit more in control of her feelings. She started walking down the street towards her house - it was getting dark and she really should have called to have one of her parents pick her up. Still, Middleton (at this time) was still pretty safe and Bonnie didn't worry too much about it.
The moon had just come out a few minutes ago and she walked with her head cocked to the side so that she could watch it. She didn't know why, but it made her feel better to watch its luminescent glow fill the sky. Eventually most of the drama had worked its way out of her immediate system and Bonnie was left to just plod along down the street, staring at the night sky and wondering what she should do. She knew instinctively that she had to make some sort of change in her life or all the abuse and pressure she felt was going to crush her.
She darkly thought that if she experienced anything like this again, that it might even kill her.
Yes, a change was in order. She hated the fact that she was her mother's daughter. She hated the fact that she shared that woman's same weaknesses. She hated who she was.
So, she decided, she would just become someone else. Someone who didn't let people hurt them. Someone who didn't care enough to get hurt in the first place. Someone who didn't get used, but instead… used people.
Someone like her dad.
Her father had been telling her most of her life that she was a Rockwaller and what that meant. Bonnie just simply decided to start _believing _it. After all, it had worked for him – she sincerely doubted that her father had ever gotten played like she just had.
Bonnie snorted when she thought about it.
"_Who does he think he is to do that to me? Hell! Who does __**she**__ think she is? That stupid little brace-face tin-teeth date stealer. She thinks she's going to try out for the cheer squad huh? Well I'll show her – I'll make her do a routine that is so impossible that she'll fail and totally embarrass herself._"
Tonight Bonnie Rockwaller might be licking her wounds, but tomorrow she was determined that she was going to come out with both guns blazing. There'd be no more nights like to night _ever_ and she was going to prove a point – never mess with a Rockwaller.
-
"C'mon Kim get it out!" whined Ron as he tried valiantly to keep from grabbing at his own eye.
Kim was leaning forward, her face dangerously close to Ron's.
"Ron! It's so dark in here I can barely see! How did you do this anyway?" Kim asked.
She grabbed Ron's head and tried to angle his face towards the light so she could see better, but it wasn't really helping much.
"You know those little champagne cork fireworks? I was looking at one… You know, just trying to figure out how it worked…"
Kim rolled her eyes, "and let me guess, you 'accidentally' pulled the string?"
Ron arched the eyebrow above his one good eye and then said flatly, "You were watching, weren't you?"
"Ron!" Kim said with an exasperated tone.
"Seriously KP, it feels like my eyeball's on fire!"
"Ron, I don't think I'm going to get this – Let's go upstairs and ask my Mom to do it"
Ron sighed. The last thing he wanted his date to see was his best friend's mom washing his eye out with water while he did his best not to look like a complete wuss.
"I guess so… but one thing KP…"
"Yes?"
"Lay off the jalapeño poppers." Ron said with real disgust in his voice.
"Ron!"
"I'm serious, it smells gorchy and you're getting the cream cheese stuck in your braces. You don't want Walter Nelson to see you like that do you?" Ron smirked.
"Oh please! Walter and I are soooo over. He went around bragging to everyone that we 'quote, totally made out, end quote'. He's lucky that he transferred to West Side this year or he'd be wearing his braces around his teeth after I was done with him!"
On impulse Ron turned away from Kim and looked around through the crowd for a few seconds and then tapped a dancing girl on the shoulder.
"Hey, have you seen Bonnie Rockwaller?" he asked.
The girl shrugged, "She was here a few seconds ago, but then she ran upstairs."
"That's odd…" Ron said out loud.
"What's odd Ron? Asides from you that is…" Kim grinned at him.
"Ha ha. Good one Kim. Seriously, did you stay up all night working on that?" he responded.
Kim feigned a punch at Ron's shoulder and rolled her eyes.
"Sorry, just a little tweaked I guess. I'm going to go look for your mom and then look for Bonnie. If you see her, let her know what happened…. But Kim?" Ron asked.
"Yes?"
"Try to make it sound… um, more 'manly' or something. Ok?" he begged.
Kim laughed and nodded at Ron, shooing him away and up the stairs.
Mrs. Dr. P _was_ able to provide the dire medical attention that Ron needed that night, but unfortunately for Ron his date couldn't be found. No one had seen her leave the party and she hadn't talked to anyone about leaving.
"_Should I call her? Maybe she dumped me? Heh… we'd have to be going out first to get dumped. Hmm, maybe we __**were**__ going out – It was kind of a date, wasn't it? Girls are confusing…_"
Ron decided that he should check up on Bonnie (even if she had dumped him) and he got her phone number from the school directory. A few seconds later he was sitting back on the family room couch and listening to the ring through the handset.
"Rockwaller residence," a voice said on the end of the line.
"Hello! Is Bonnie there?" Ron asked.
There was a pause.
"This is Bonnie…"
Ron held the handset to his left and cleared this throat, then began to speak.
"Hi Bonnie this is Ron, I was just wond – "
"Don't you ever call me again you _loser!_" came the instant retort over the phone line, followed by the sound of the receiver slamming down and then the signal dropping.
"I guess that settles that," Ron said to him self as he tossed his body back down on to the couch.
"Ron Stoppable, consider yourself dumped!"
-
Ron remembered that the days that followed after that were pretty unpleasant. Bonnie, who had seemed so sweet to him at first, had done a complete 180 on him. Every time he tried to talk to her, she verbally dressed him down. If she saw him passing in the hall, she would rag on him or mock him in some way. Ron couldn't believe it, but he could actually feel his feeble popularity dropping like a rock as Bonnie continued to heap scorn upon him and he flatly refused to respond in kind. Ron Stoppable just wasn't that kind of guy.
There was a time however when he did almost lose his cool – Kim had wanted to try out for the cheer squad and somehow Bonnie had been the one to decide what routine she would have to do. Ron took one look at it and knew that it had been designed to make Kim fail and embarrass her in front of the other girls. It was with a huge sense of relief that Kim had actually managed to complete the routine (she was the girl who could do anything, after all) and a great deal of sadness that Bonnie would stoop so low as to bring Kim into their problems.
Ron had often thought that eventually Bonnie would outgrow whatever it was that was eating her up, but unfortunately for Ron he was wrong and Bonnie had actually carried that same attitude forward with her into high school. If anything, it was actually more caustic and refined. Indeed, her scathing remarks and put-downs burned with a laser like intensity.
Bonnie Rockwaller had pretty much mastered the art of bitchiness.
Ron sighed as the bell signaling the end of class rang and he knew that he needed to get going. It was nice for him to have a little break from the madness of the last couple of days, but if he kept this up he definitely would fail his junior year and that was a prospect he didn't really want to think about.
"_Maybe today I'll go Bueno Nacho after school. I'll blow the rest of my allowance for the week and have my 'last meal'._"
Ron wasn't usually so bleak, but he had good reason. In less than 5 hours he was going to be walking into the lions den and he wasn't sure he was going to escape intact.
"_Sigh, I don't even have time to run home and get my cup…_"
Ron winced in memory and then reluctantly shambled back to class.
-
A/N:
I think everyone knew this was coming sooner or later – the dreaded "Drama" chapter. Sorry folks but it had to be done (and I hope, it was done well) for the story to progress. Vigilant fans of the TV show will notice how while I fabricated a lot of the contents of this chapter, I did it keeping in mind Kim and Bonnie's first meeting as portrayed on the T.V. show – I just added a bit A.U. there to make the story work.
I'm pretty pleased with the way this chapter came out. I know we still have a lot of "Queen B" to deal with until we can get to the "good" parts, but at least you guys have a glimpse of the Bonnie that's laying under the surface and the reason why she's been buried so deep.
Once again, Thanks for reading and please review!
QC
8. Chapter 8
Chapter 8 – Into the Lions Den.
-
Yori Stoppable (nee Matsumaru), last scion of the fabled Yamanouchi clan, crept silently from house to house stalking her prey. She had tracked him across the oceans of the globe to this seemingly placid mountain town and she was determined not to lose her quarry at this late stage.
Especially to the likes of Bonnie Rockwaller.
Logically Yori reasoned that she didn't have to worry – all of the intelligence that she had been able to gather as well as first hand experience pointed to the fact that Ron Stoppable and Bonnie Rockwaller had a relationship that went beyond bordering hostilities and delved into the realm of "all out war". More than one time during the last week Yori's patience with the woman had been tried – it seemed that she never passed up the opportunity to belittle or denigrate Ron and while Ron himself might shrug these comments off, or ignore them, they made Yori's blood boil.
"_How dare she mock the Chosen One? These American's are so ignorant, they turn a blind eye to greatness!_"
It was unlikely that Ron would have used such words to describe himself, yet Yori knew that the _Chosen One_ was only unaware; ignorant of his place in history and the honor that would be his to claim. Honor, coincidentally, that Yori was determined to direct towards the Yamanouchi Clan.
"_Grandfather is right. Our people's blood grows thin, our sacred arts, our teachings, they are all fading into the night – our very heritage is passing beyond the veil._"
Yori looked longingly at the blonde haired young man walking under the tree shaded lane.
"_But with him, this does not need to be our fate. If the bloodline of the Chosen One can be added to the Yamanouchi, then we could once again be the noblest of all ninja families!_"
Yori allowed a girlish flush to creep across her face as she imagined the glory of her house and ancestral lands restored – together she and the _Chosen One_ would reclaim the honor of the Yamanouchi Clan, together they would raise a new generation of ninja leaders and establish the dominance of the Yamanouchi School and art for generations to come.
Her heart fluttered at the thought of her being able to teach the secret arts that had been handed down to her to a new generation of perfect ninjas. She had never been surer of anything in her life that _this_ was her destiny. All her plans seemed to be falling into place, except for one niggling thing –
Ron Stoppable kept avoiding her!
At first she wrote off his reluctance to consummate their "marriage" due to his inexperience and shyness. She had merely resolved to redouble her efforts at seduction in order to overcome his sense of modesty. She had worn skimpy outfits, brushed up against him sensuously and made sure to habitually "drop" her towel whenever she came out of the shower – yet it was all for naught. If Yori hadn't known any better she would have thought herself to be either the most hideous woman in the world, or Ron to be gay.
It was frustrating, in so many excruciating ways.
"_Ron-kun is a good man, the only reason why he would refuse me so much must be because…_"
Yori didn't like to think about it, but she was fairly certain at this point that the _Chosen One's_ heart belonged to another. If only she could figure out _who_ it was exactly, then she could at least formulate some plan of attack to get the other girl out of the way, but as it was Ron was keeping his cards close to his chest.
This was the reason why, despite the incredulity of the possibility, Yori was trailing Ron to the home of Bonnie Rockwaller. It was, in her mind, highly unlikely that Ron was harboring a secret crush for the woman, especially given the way she took pleasure in publicly grinding him beneath her heel, but at this point she was willing to entertain the idea. If anything, her espionage attempts today would allow her to hopefully rule Bonnie out of the list of candidates for Ron's heart and if not… well, then she could make _plans_.
Yori peeked out from around a low fence and watched Ron walk up to a large lone house at the end of a cul-de-sac. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, looking around as if either there was anyone around to see him, or possibly, to save him, and then slowly walked up the long stone path to the front door. Yori remained in her hiding place and watched the door open up, revealing the silhouetted figure of a young woman, some words were exchanged and then Ron entered the house.
"_Hmm, there must be a place around here where I can spy a little bit. I could try to enter the house unseen, but it is likely that the Chosen One would detect me – he may not realize it but he is more perceptive than he believes._"
Yori paused for a moment, summing up her options, and then cautiously made her way to the outside of the Rockwaller house, taking cares to be both hidden and unheard.
-
Ron Stoppable felt sick to his stomach as he waited on the front porch of Bonnie Rockwaller's house. He'd been nervous, wary even, pretty much all day about what was going to happen tonight, but that paled to how he felt now. For some reason ever since he had left the high school he had this sense of foreboding that had nearly overwhelmed him and if anything it had intensified as he had come closer and closer to his destination.
"_Ugh… not only do I feel like I'm going to hurl but the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. I swear someone's looking at me…_"
Ron just shrugged and reached for the ringer to the side of the door; it was unlikely that anyone would bother to track his movements, he was just literally that unimportant of a person/ His unpopularity had been his anonymity for most of his school career and he felt confidently cloaked in his own low social caste and while recent events had pushed him up a little higher on the food chain (being married to a hot girl tended to do that, even if Ron himself didn't consider it to be true), he was still at best, a "bottom runger".
Still, Ron secretly was enjoying the brief bout of fame he was currently experiencing. Everyone at school it seemed, was looking at him in a slightly different light and while this might under normal circumstances be something that he would have welcomed, the unfortunate side effect of his "marriage" was that his best friend since pre-K evidently thought he was either a pervert or a lout – he couldn't decide which one.
"_I need to square this away with Kim, one and for all before things get out of hand – she's already canceled Ron-night this week and we haven't had a mission in ages… if this doesn't change soon then I don't know what'll happen between us._"
As Ron was pondering his future with Kim, the door to house opened, revealing the backlit visage of Bonnie Rockwaller. Bonnie was, for all intents and purposes, a living vision of youthful beauty – despite what people might say about her personality, no one could deny the fact that at the very least the outside shell of Bonnie Rockwaller was a glorious thing to behold. Ron however, had a different opinion – he knew a secret about Bonnie that most people didn't know; Before there was the "Queen B", there was another girl at the helm of her ship and while she had seemed to have disappeared, recent events had made Ron wonder if perhaps she wasn't trying to make a resurgence.
"Stoppable," came the strained voice of Bonnie, "Don't just stand there like an idiot, come inside."
And with that Bonnie spun on her heel and retreated into the house.
"_Are you so sure about his Ron? Maybe Bueno Nacho was a fluke. Maybe Bonnie really __**is**__ this girl now, no matter how you remember her._"
Ron gathered up his nerves and followed Bonnie, gently closing the door behind him.
"So, um, Bonnie… What do you want to do about the project?" Ron offered feebly.
Bonnie just ignored him and kept walking. She reached the base of the stairs and started to ascend, then turned around once, barely looking at Ron, and beckoned him with her hand.
Ron sighed and followed again, the entire situation was getting beyond creepy. He felt like he was some obscure carnival performer who was tasked with waking on glass, juggling fire and balancing plates – all at the same time.
"_Well, at least I've learned one thing since I've been here – I've discovered hither to unknown new heights of anxiety. _"
All of a sudden Bonnie stopped at one of the doors on the second floor and turned the handle, opening the door and walked through. Ron waited outside in the hall, unsure as to if he was willing to enter the lions den. It was Bonnie's plaintive cry of "Come on!" that finally caused his feet to move again. With one last push to steel his nerves, Ron crossed the threshold into a place that he had only ever been to before once in his life – Bonnie Rockwaller's bedroom.
"Wow… I guess you really haven't changed it much since middle school" Ron said offhandedly.
Bonnie just glared at him in response.
"Sorry, just trying to make small talk" he said.
"Look Stoppable, I know you don't really want to be here but I… we have a job to do. If you can just manage to keep your weirdo comments to yourself for a couple hours we both might escape from this uncomfortable situation unharmed."
Ron meekly nodded at Bonnie and looks uncomfortably around the room.
"Ok then, how do we start?" he asked.
Bonnie gestured to a low coffee table that had several books already on it and then took a seat.
Ron stared at the table quizzically and then shrugged, moving to take a seat opposite of beautiful brunette.
"So Bonnie, can I ask you a weird question?"
Bonnie sighed, "Didn't I say to keep your weirdness to yourself?"
"Sorry! Just this one time, I swear!"
She rolled her eyes, "Go ahead…"
"Why did you bring this table up from your living room? I mean, couldn't we work on this downstairs…"
Ron was uncomfortable with being in a semi-secluded spot with Bonnie. He thought that perhaps if they could move downstairs someplace then maybe he might be "safe", or at least "safer" from whatever revenge Bonnie was going to visit upon him.
"My… sisters are coming home from college tonight. I didn't want to be disturbed," Bonnie's voice was tight when she said this and Ron suddenly remembered something.
"They don't still pick on you, do they?" he asked.
"What did I say about weird questions?" Bonnie growled at him.
Ron shrugged. He knew that Bonnie didn't have the best home life, in fact he had been present at Bonnie getting dressed down by her elder siblings the one and only time he had ever been over to the Rockwaller house. He had felt really bad for Bonnie – obviously she was trying to show off a little bit for Ron, and her sisters, Connie and Lonnie, had came down on her like a ton of bricks. They hadn't talked about it at the time but Bonnie looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"Sorry… You don't deserve that you know," he muttered softly.
Bonnie heard him, but she let it slide. She agreed with Ron, she didn't deserve it, but she didn't want to talk about it either – especially not to the _Loser_. He was the last person on the planet that she wanted even an ounce of pity from, not after what he had done to her. And besides, she had a job to do – one that she had promised her father she would undertake, even if she had found the idea rather unsettling. All she had to do was to get the study session rolling and then while Ron was distracted start subtly pumping him for information.
Bonnie slid a piece of paper across the table to Ron and then crossed her arms. "Pick one."
Ron looked down – it was the list of topics that Mr. Barkin had handed out earlier in class. He noticed that several of them had been crossed out already, evidently although Bonnie was willing to let him "choose" the topic, she had already narrowed down the choices. Ron's eyes filtered down the list until they stopped at one entry. It was crossed out and Ron wondered why.
"Why did you cross this one out?" he asked, curiosity in his tone.
"Which one?" asked Bonnie. She leaned over the table, her loose top hanging low and revealing her ample bust-line to Ron. He tried to look away – he wanted to be serious about this.
Bonnie saw the entry that Ron's finger was pointing to and then leaned back and shrugged.
"It's overdone. It's depressing and who wants to hear about _that_ all the time?" she stated disinterestedly.
Ron Stoppable was a pretty easy going guy most of the time, but there were a few things that set him off. Bonnie, unknowingly, had just pressed one of his major buttons. Unconsciously he screwed up his face and his voice dropped a whole octave as he replied.
"Well _I_, don't happen to agree Bonnie. I don't think it's overdone at all, in fact I think it's one of the most important events of the 20th century and frankly I think people need to be reminded about it so that it _never_ happens again."
There was an almost imperceptible change in the façade that Bonnie Rockwaller wore to mask her feelings. At first she was shocked – shocked that Ron would seemingly out of the blue show so much backbone, but then slowly the reason why began to dawn on her.
"I forgot. You're Jewish," she said softly.
"Two thirds," Ron replied in an even voice.
Bonnie puzzled at his response, what did he mean?
"You're two thirds Jewish?" she asked.
"No Bonnie, I mean I lost two thirds of my family in the holocaust, including both sets of Grandparents."
Bonnie didn't know how to take this news from Ron. He always seemed so… unconcerned, frivolous even and definitely not the serious type. She realized that her mouth was hanging open and then quickly snapped her jaw shut.
"_What do I say to that? Some wisecrack? Some put down? I can't do it…_"
Even though people might not have thought so, even Bonnie Rockwaller had a heart. She was momentarily surprised to find that a lot of the hatred she had born for Ron over the last few years had seemed to slowly evaporate when she looked into his face. His expression was a mixture of serious determination and melancholy grief and somewhere deep down inside it tugged at Bonnie. Sure, insulting Ron Stoppable had become something of a sport for her over the last few years, but if she had known… well no matter what people might think about her, she would never stoop _that_ low.
Bonnie tried to think of something to say, something appropriate for the situation, but was coming up blanks. Luckily, it was Ron who pressed the point.
"I think we should do this one Bonnie," he stated firmly.
Bonnie, still flustered and out of sorts, merely nodded at Ron in silent acquiescence. She felt very un-Bonnie-like at the moment and it showed in her body language – she looked almost pained for a moment as she felt for perhaps the first time both equal parts shame and guilt.
"_I… I… I need to get some air._"
Bonnie stood up and made for the door, "I'm going to get some drinks. I'll be right back," she called over her shoulder.
Ron looked at the space that Bonnie had occupied just moments before and as he stared silently, he began to feel his adrenaline starting to subside. Ron generally felt really uncomfortable whenever he got "serious" about nearly anything, and truthfully he was regretting getting so worked up in front of Bonnie. It was obvious because of the shock that she had reacted with that she hadn't really been trying to insinuate anything; she probably had completely forgotten Ron's heritage all together. It was an easy thing to do, the Stoppable's weren't particularly observant Jews, and Ron himself didn't usually keep Kosher (it was impossible due to his love of Bueno Nacho), but still all the same Ron counted himself amongst the people of Abraham.
"_Maybe I was a little intense there. When she comes back up I'll apologize and ask her what subject she would like to do; maybe we can compromise._"
Ron didn't know it, but down stairs a particular brunette was having a slightly similar thought.
"_Why do I feel so terrible about this? I didn't mean it that way… Two thirds, two thirds of his entire family… gone. _"
Bonnie's hands shook slightly as she tried to pour the contents of a two liter soda bottle into a couple of plastic mugs.
"_When I go back up there I should… apologize._"
Bonnie winced as she thought the word, still her guilt at her insensitive actions and the response they had provoked from Ron hung heavily over her head, forcing her to do something she hadn't done in a long time – consider how Ron Stoppable felt.
"_Why am I worrying so much about this – no one at school is going to know what goes on here, and Ron wouldn't even think of trying to hold it against me, why am I so upset?_"
The answer of course was one that Bonnie wasn't entirely able to face or to admit to, at least right at this moment, but deep down inside she knew the truth; the little girl that lived deep down inside her had been hurt once, terribly so, and had never been able to let go of that grief – no matter how much the older girl that she currently was tried to balance the debt of that pain against the venom she directed back, not only at _him_, but at the world.
Bonnie steadied her hands and then wrapped her fingers around the handles of the plastic mugs. She was still feeling ferociously uncomfortable about the situation, but she knew what she had to do. Bonnie's cruelty to Ron and others wasn't so much of a manifestation of her inner self as it was a carefully cultivated tool that she used to mask her true emotions and while she could, and did, use it to further her own goals, she had never before in her life _intentionally_ hurt someone without some purpose in mind. It was a minor conceit, but one that allowed Bonnie to rationalize away the dichotomy that lived within her heart.
Upstairs, Ron fidgeted at the table while he flipped through his history book. Despite what people might have thought about him, he _had_ read it like he was supposed to – Kim had made sure of that after the last report they had done together and she had found out that Ron hadn't been keeping up with the class. Ron had thought, rather naively, that if he had read the entire book than that somehow might impress Kim. He was wrong of course, but the damage had already been done – Ron Stoppable had actually learned something in Mr. Barkin's history class.
"_Not a lot of pages to cover that in here anyway, maybe that's why Bonnie crossed that topic out? That'd be so like her – she always does something for one reason and then makes up the most annoying excuse she can just to get under your skin._"
Ron closed the book and stood up from the table. Bonnie had been gone for a couple of minutes already and he couldn't help but get antsy. Ron was a creature of strange habits, and one of those habits seemed to be an axiom that stated, "A Ron in motion must stay in motion, or quickly become a Ron fully asleep."
He admitted, it was one of his less endearing qualities, but he reasoned that when you could find yourself half way around the world in the middle of the night, getting a little extra sleep here and there wasn't a bad idea.
"_It's kind of creepy how Bonnie's room is pretty much the same as it was in middle school. Everything's pretty much the same – the posters are the same, the pictures are the same, everything. It's like the only thing that's changed is Bonnie._"
Ron moved over towards a small three level bookshelf that rested against the wall. The shelves were full of not only books, but knickknacks and the other assorted dross of teenage life – a cell phone, some seashells, a couple of tiny picture frames – pretty basic, every day stuff. He started to look at the spines of the books, reading out the titles to himself and wondering about Bonnie's taste in literature. Obviously a lot of these books had been in her possession since she was a little girl, or at least he suspected so – it was unlikely that "Horton Hears a Who" was a recent purchase.
"_Never would have pegged Bonnie for a Seuss fan – it seems kind of beneath her for some reason. Hmm, that's a stupid thought, everyone, even Bonnie, was a kid once._"
Ron noticed that on the bottom shelf amongst some other books were a collection of longer volumes. A closer inspection revealed them to be school year books and Ron without thinking reached for them. One in particular caught his eye, if by luck or design he didn't know, but it had a curiously puffed out spine and he struggled for a moment to dislodge it from the shelf.
"_Hmm… middle school? Oh badical, I missed getting mine that year!_"
That wasn't entirely the truth – he hadn't gotten his year book at the end of the semester not by any sort of mistake, but because he had spent the money his parents had given him (foolishly in cash) at Bueno Nacho – his future addiction making it's first appearance in his life at that tender age.
Ron flipped the book open, finding that it had been bookmarked somehow to a certain page. Ron noticed two things right away that caused him a bit of shock and probably caused him to not hear Bonnie's approach from behind.
The page had come open at their class, that wasn't really unexpected – Bonnie and him were in the same grade. What was however was the fact that someone had seemingly drawn a big heart around his picture and then severed it with a jagged line and the fact that the bookmark he assumed was in the yearbook was really something else entirely.
He recognized it immediately.
Bonnie had come up behind Ron, fully intent on apologizing to him for her inadvertent insult earlier, but when she had seen him standing at her bookshelf instead of sitting a the table her heart stopped.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked him in an alarmed tone.
Ron practically jumped out of his skin and swiveled around to face Bonnie, the book open and resting in his hands and his discovery bluntly plain for Bonnie to see.
"Bonnie!" he screeched, "Sorry! I just saw the yearbook and I…"
Bonnie dropped the mugs in her hands, their liquid contents spilling all over her carpet and with near supernatural speed she crossed the space between her and Ron and snatched the book out of his hands.
"Stay out of my stuff!" she yelled back at him.
"Look, I'm really sorry I wasn't trying to snoop, I didn't know what was in there."
Bonnie, who had been seething with anger moments before froze up in fear.
"_He saw it!_"
Bonnie wasn't thinking clearly, she actually felt slightly detached from her own body almost as if she was observing her actions from orbit. She opened the book and stared down at the page. It was… humiliating. She wondered to herself why she hadn't destroyed it, plenty of time had passed for her to have contemplated getting rid of it in some way, but she had held onto it. Even if she had hid it away, she had never been able to completely rid herself of it.
Gingerly she reached down into the book and retrieved the object. A wave of emotions that Bonnie Rockwaller simply _didn't_ posses came over her and she hesitated as to what she should do.
"I was sort of surprised to see that you kept it," Ron said, "Actually, you probably just forgot about it – it looks like it's been in there for a long time."
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room as Bonnie stared at the object in her hand. Truthfully, she _had_ forgotten about it, but also on some level she had known that it was there. It was a thing that she didn't really want anymore but also something that she was reluctant to part with and she hadn't really thought of _why_ that was.
"I forgot about it," Bonnie said softly.
Ron nodded, his suspicions confirmed.
Bonnie held out her hand towards Ron.
"Take it," she stated simply, but Ron made no move of his own.
"I bought it for you. I mean… it's yours, you can do whatever you want with it but I don't want to take it back."
Bonnie stared at the young man for a moment and then sighed. There was no easy way of getting out of this without her acting decidedly not like herself – something that Ron Stoppable had frustratingly been able to make her do frequently.
Bonnie opened her hand and stared at the object. It was a small, thin bracelet – probably made of cheap silver, and decorated with a few charms. It was… well, it wasn't something she would wear now that was for sure, but at the time she had thought it was about the coolest thing she had ever seen. Part of that was the difference in taste between her age then and her age now, but another, bigger part of it was due to the fact that _he_ had given it to her.
"There's kind of a funny story behind that that I never told you," Ron said with a smirk on his face.
Bonnie tore her gaze away from her hand and looked up at Ron quizzically.
"Kim's birthday party was that week y'know and my parents had given me some money to buy her a present. Anyway, I went to the mall to go see if I could find anything for her and I passed by one of those little booths that they have all over the middle of the mall."
Ron smirked to himself.
"I saw _that_ and all of a sudden I went from buying a birthday present for Kim to a gift for my new… um, I mean you."
Bonnie blinked at the news and then studied the bracelet again, lost in thought.
"_He picked me over Kim?_ _Why did they…_"
Her thought was cut off as Ron continued, "Anyway, the funny part of the story was that I only had like a dollar left over – I wasn't very good at math and I really wanted to get that for you, uh… sorry, getting side tracked, I tend to do that a lot when I'm nervous. My mom says it's because – "
This time it was Bonnie's turn to cut Ron off, "What did you do?"
"Huh? Oh right – I took that dollar to school the next day and the Bookmobile happened to be there, so I used my lunch money along with the dollar to buy Kim a Babysitters Club book and a cheap poster that said something like, Don't Paws For Life! It had a puppy on it."
"Really?" Bonnie said with a slight smirk on her face.
"Yeah. It was kind of lame – actually Kim was a pretty good sport about it, she even put the poster up on the back of her bedroom door. Well, for like a couple of months anyway. Still, I could feel her shooting dirty looks at me every time she thought I wasn't paying attention."
Bonnie actually chuckled at that remark, something that Ron wasn't sure he had heard her do in… well years. Evidently cheesing off Kim had earned him some points in Bonnie's book.
"_Wow that actually sounded genuine… and pretty nice. Man, Bonnie – what is going on inside that head of yours?_"
Ron was seriously confused. Up until a few seconds ago he wasn't sure exactly what Bonnie was planning tonight. Oh, he had himself mostly to blame for the feelings of apprehension he had – after all, if he hadn't mistakenly confessed to Bonnie then the episode at Bueno Nacho wouldn't have happened and he'd have nothing to fear from Yori's sudden announcement of their "surprise nuptials". But still, even though he had screwed up pretty massively it looked like somehow things were working out just fine. In fact, he had come up here tonight with the intention of clearing everything up with Bonnie, but now that she seemed to be… well, almost relaxed a little bit, he was hesitating. He tried to chalk it up to him just wanting to re-establish his friendship with Bonnie, but that was only partly true.
He had an unanswered question and only Bonnie Rockwaller could answer it for him.
Ron wasn't ready however to broach that subject, or even to admit that he was curious to his self. So instead, he tried to divert the conversation back to the relatively "safe" area of their mutual homework assignment.
"I was thinking Bonnie, I came on a little strong over the project earlier – and while I still feel pretty strongly about it, I'd like to hear what you think you'd like to do."
Bonnie had seemed to be thinking of something and Ron's new approach to the situation had caught her slightly off guard. Casually she replaced the charm bracelet in the book and placed it on her bed.
"Actually Ron I was thinking we should go with…" she paused for a moment, not wanting to actually say the words, but not being able to come up with an euphemism that didn't sound utterly ridiculous, "…the holocaust."
"Really?" Ron asked, more than a little surprised – he wasn't used to Bonnie agreeing with him or his ideas.
Bonnie turned to look into Ron's face, "Yes. I think you really care a lot about it and I think you'd do a good job and…"
Bonnie's voice dropped a little lower.
"I think your family history would really help people put things in perspective."
Bonnie really agreed with that. What little Ron had confessed to her had definitely managed to somehow make a distant and nearly unfathomable event seem very, very real to her.
Ron was almost taken aback by Bonnie's words. He had never really believed for a moment that Bonnie was _really_ entirely like the way she portrayed herself in public, but to see her being… well, basically a _decent_ human being seemed to be a vindication of sorts – one that spoke directly to Ron's desire to see the best in people.
"Well, if you think so Bonnie I'm cool with that. We could always use my parents for resources if we don't want to go entirely off the history book."
Bonnie had thought of that – the fact that Ron's family had been directly involved in such a horrible event pretty much guaranteed that they would get an 'A' even if they did a half assed job. It was a disturbing thought and as soon as it was completed, Bonnie was overcome with a wave of disgust at herself.
"_That's sick Bonnie. Exploiting Ron's dead relatives for a good grade is beneath even the Queen B._"
"Well, I guess so." Bonnie responded awkwardly, "In any case – I need to get this pop off the ground. I'm going to get some paper towels."
Bonnie reached down and picked up the mugs from the floor and then left for downstairs, leaving Ron alone in her bedroom. This time, however, Ron behaved himself and sat patiently down on Bonnie's bed. He looked intently at the book that she had haphazardly left on top of the ruffled comforter and it took a colossal amount of willpower for him to resist opening it again to stare at the contents, and especially at the scribbles that had framed his own portrait.
"_Did I do something to Bonnie?_"
Ron tried to wrack his brain for any sort of clue that could reveal the meaning behind the yearbook and it's contents, but it had been a long time since he had thought about this time in his life – slowly he began to realize why; the experience had been both confusing and painful to him and in true Ron-fashion, instead of dealing with it he had slunk away back into the safety of his anonymity and his friendship with Kim.
Downstairs, Bonnie was putting the now empty mugs into the sink and looking for some paper towels to clean up the mess she had made in her room. Just as she was reaching across the kitchen counter, she heard the front door to her house open up followed by some rather loud hushing noises and a few scattered drunken giggles.
"_Great, just what I needed – Connie and Lonnie are home and it sounds like they hit the bar on their way back into town._"
Bonnie held her breath while she stood stock still in the family's kitchen. She was feeling rather out of sorts at the moment, even she guessed, a little emotionally vulnerable and it wasn't the right frame of mind that she needed to be in to deal with her two elder sisters and their incessant cruel taunting. She breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the voices retreat; the two girls were probably going to their rooms.
Of course, the relaxation was only momentary as Bonnie realized she had made one fatal error – she had left the door to her room open.
She was just barreling up the last few steps of the staircase when she heard it, her sister Connie, making a drunken squeal.
"Oh! Look Lonnie! There's a boy in BonBon's room!"
Ron looked in horror at the two beautiful and extremely drunk elder sisters of the Rockwaller family. The expressions on their faces along with the smell of alcohol coming off them was enough to give Ron real reservations about remaining where he was seated. Unfortunately for him the two college girls blocked the only egress from the room.
"Uh… Hi." Ron offered meekly.
"It talks!" said Connie as she strode across the room, peering down to look at Ron like he was some odd exhibit at the zoo.
"Hey you two! Get out of my room!" yelled Bonnie as she finally arrived on the second floor landing.
"Aww, is little BonBon jealous?" asked Lonnie in a sarcastic voice, "Don't want to lose whatever dweeb it is that you're letting screw you this week?"
Bonnie's face fumed red at her sister's words but she felt herself go silent as she couldn't muster a response equal to the pure venom in Lonnie's insult.
"Hey there boy," purred Connie as she leaned over Ron, "Why don't you forget about my slut little sister and…"
Connie was already wearing a very loose cut singlet top that draped across her ample bosom. Leaning over the way she was, Ron was privy to more than a little bit of her nearly flawless skin and he gulped in nervousness as she approached. Connie, emboldened by the alcohol and always happy to get a rise out of Bonnie, reached for the top of her own shirt, hooking her fingers onto her bra and shirt and pulled the entire ensemble down, revealing her right breast to Ron, just a few scant inches from his face.
"Try a real woman," Connie grinned as Lonnie guffawed in the background – she was obviously relishing in both Ron's discomfort as well as in Bonnie's humiliation.
Ron felt his tongue catch in his throat and his eyes get as wide as dinner plates as he stared down Connie's perfectly tanned solitary endowment. His brain didn't even have time to register (or fully enjoy) what was being presented to him before the sound of shattering glass, followed by flying jagged shards, assaulted his senses.
Unbeknownst to all four parties a single solitary figure had been crouching on a tree right outside this window for the last 5 minutes. She had found this spot too late to have witnessed the earlier exchange between Ron and Bonnie, but as fate would have it, had arrived perfectly in time to see her "husband" being presented with what she felt was one rather over-large naked breast.
Yori's dramatic entrance surprised everyone in the room. Both Bonnie and Lonnie gasped, their mouths hanging open, as the small black shadow sprang through the previously closed window. Ron, his reaction time a little better than average, but his bravery a little worse than average, had both managed to simultaneously scream as well as stand up.
This turned out to be in equal measures, awesome and awk-wierd.
Ron hadn't been paying attention to what was in front of him – namely, Connie's _front_. Because of this when he arose, with his mouth still open mind you, he found himself inadvertently duplicating a past scene from his life, breast feeding circa 3 months old, on Bonnie's elder sister.
Connie for her part was equally as surprised as well as frightened – Yori had literally exploded into the room just a few feet away from her. Without thinking she latched onto the first thing that was close to here, which unfortunately for everyone involved happened to be Ron – or more aptly, Ron's head.
The head, which we remind you, that was firmly attached to Connie's own naked bosom.
This entire scene happened within the span of mere seconds and it took only a second longer for one _extremely _irate young ninja girl to point a gloved finger and scream at the top of her lungs – "GET AWAY FROM MY HUSBAND!"
The voice shocked Ron, but he understood finally what had happened. He comforted himself with one last thought.
"_Hey, if I die now at least the obituary will be interesting._"
-
A/N:
This entire chapter took on a life of its own somewhere around the midway point. I'm a lot more pleased with how it turned out than I thought it was going to be even though it ran about a fifteen hundred words over what I normally like for my chapters. I guess it couldn't be helped, there are, after all, quite a few things that need to be resolved between Bonnie and Ron if those two are ever going to figure out how to repair the rift that has formed in between them.
Still, I've only scratched the surface of what I have plotted out for this story (yes, I now have a full outline of the plot down on paper) – so be prepared for a lot more of this fiction before we reach the end.
Once again, thank you for reading and please take a moment of time to review and offer me your thoughts.
Cheers,
QC
9. Chapter 9
Chapter 9 – Driving Ms. Bonnie.
"GET AWAY FROM MY HUSBAND!"
Those words reverberated off the walls of Bonnie's room like rolling thunder stunning everyone within range. Oddly enough it was Ron Stoppable who reacted first – maybe it was because of all his years of doing missions with Kim, or perhaps it was because since the evening began he had been on edge, prepared for something to go wrong. In any case, he started to flail his arms wildly to the side of his body. Unfortunately any other type of movement was restricted by the fact that Connie was crushing his head in a fear ridden death grasp against her bosom.
"YORI!" Ron tried to scream. It wasn't until after he had begun his wail that he realized his current situation was prohibitive any form of clear communication.
Connie Rockwaller was frightened to within an inch of her life. She was drunk, wasted even, which only made the sudden appearance of the black clad girl all that much more surreal. In her fear she had grabbed onto the first thing that had been available, which happened to be Ron's head.
The same head that was trying desperately to speak.
It wasn't that she had heard Ron in so much as she had _felt him_ – or more accurately his tongue flapping up and down on a certain sensitive part of her anatomy.
"OOOH!" she gasped with more than a hint of eroticism.
"Ron, get off her!" came two voices in unison. Both Bonnie and Yori had made a grab for Ron, each one latching onto a different arm and yanking him away from Connie's bosomy embrace with a strength that belied their slim frames.
"Ah! SORRY! SORRY! IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" Ron desperately tried to explain as he felt Yori and Bonnie grab onto his arms with a grip as firm as steel.
"_Oh God! They're going to rip me apart! This is it!_"
Surprisingly it was Bonnie that saved Ron from an untimely demise. Having overcome both her initial shock at Yori's entrance she had felt an undeniable twinge of _anger_ when she had saw Ron's face clutched to her sisters naked breast she had gone on the offensive. The circumstances didn't allow her to reflect upon why she was so angry, so in true Bonnie-fashion she redirected it at a new target.
"What do you think you're doing! That's breaking and entering! Do you want me to call the police? And who's going to pay for that window? Are you listening to me ninja girl? ARE YOU LISTENING?"
Bonnie was working up a real head of steam now and her body was literally shaking with fury. She viciously threw her side of Ron away from her, the momentum twisting him away from both girls and sending him a few feet backwards towards the bed. Ron was grateful for the reprieve and he set about doing what he thought was best considering the situation – cowering.
Yori was flustered. She had been so overcome with jealousy when she had spied Connie's indecent offer through the window that she had tossed years of discipline and ninja training out the window and her self through it. Now that Bonnie Rockwaller was just inches from her face and screaming her head off, Yori found herself scrambling to make some sort of justification for what she had just done. The situation was far worse than one might normally think – if Bonnie _did _file a police report then Yori's visa would probably be revoked, doctored marriage certificate or not.
Yori, knowing that she didn't have an excuse that would placate Bonnie fell back on an old standby. One that seemed to be known and practiced by women across the globe with startling effect – she started pointing blame.
"Me? What do you think that woman was doing to Ron! My _husband_ Ron! I don not know what kind of people you hang out with Rockwaller-san, but I'm sure everyone at school would _love_ to know about this!"
Bonnie's face went stony. She hadn't expected the foreign girl to be so adept already at manipulating the food chain. Instantly she calculated what effect the news of her sisters drunken come-on would have on her own popularity and the result she was coming up with wasn't very good.
"_Ok, she's got me. Still, she doesn't need to know it!_"
"Just get out! Get out before I call the cops!" Bonnie barked at Yori.
"And you two!" Bonnie turned to her drunken sisters, "Out of my room right now or I'm going to tell mom that you were driving drunk… again!"
Bonnie's sisters looked at each other – some sort of unknown communication occurred and they seemed to make up their collective minds. They left without saying a word.
Yori had grabbed onto Ron's hand and had led him from the room when Ron, sensing that he wasn't about to die stopped her at the bottom of the stairs.
"Go home without me, I'll be along after I set things straight with Bonnie – I just need to get my books and um… maybe help her clean up a bit." Ron said.
"Ron-kun…" Yori began quietly, "I am the one that should apologize to Rockwaller-san – this wasn't your fault."
"For once I guess. Anyway, I still need to get my books and I don't think Bonnie would appreciate it if you came back up there."
Yori nodded. She didn't like it, but so long as those two drunken older girls had retreated to their own rooms she didn't think anything worse would happen and she didn't want to do anything that might make Bonnie reconsider calling the police. She tried to give Ron a "farewell hug", but all she managed to accomplish was wrapping her arms around him – he seemed to be too preoccupied to return it. She sighed and turned away. Things had _not_ gone well tonight.
Ron watched Yori let herself out and then sighed to himself. Things had been going surprisingly good with Bonnie until her sisters had shown up. He had a lot of unanswered questions, but he doubted that he'd be getting any answers out of Bonnie, at least not tonight.
"_Hell, for all I know I'm taking my life in my hands just going back up there._"
It was true – Ron had never, _ever_, seen Bonnie so livid and considering how often Bonnie was angry at him that was saying a lot. He was afraid of going up there, but also he knew that what had happened was pretty inexcusable and even if Bonnie wanted to take it out on him, he still had to at least attempt to make it right.
Ron frowned and slowly climbed the stairs on his way back to Bonnie's room. The hall way was pretty dark – evidently Connie or Lonnie had turned off the lights on their way back to their room. The only illumination seemed to come from Bonnie's door – it was slightly ajar and a yellow beam could be seen projecting across the carpet and towards the wall.
Just before Ron was about to reach Bonnie's door he heard a loud sob coming from inside. Cautiously he peeked through the still cracked door – Bonnie was in her room, kneeling on her floor and holding something to her chest and to Ron's surprise, she seemed to be crying.
Ron had never in his wildest dreams would have been able to imagine Bonnie Rockwaller shedding tears. Despite the fact that Ron acknowledged that she was a girl, she just seemed to have too hard of a heart for something like that and this sudden revelation made him see the girl in a somewhat different light.
"_Shit! This is bad, really bad. I was expecting her to be upset, but not like this. I wonder… the window! That's got to be it - her parents are probably going to let her have it._"
Ron made up his mind – he didn't want to continue to stand here spying on Bonnie when she was being so vulnerable, so he decided to announce his presence. He stepped back from the door and then knocked on the other side of it, loudly, twice.
"Bonnie? Are you in there?" he asked in a stage whisper.
Bonnie quickly turned her head, she had heard Ron's voice. She noticed that the door to her room was slightly open, but she couldn't see Ron.
"_Great, just what I need – the loser catching me bawling my eyes out!_"
Bonnie desperately tried to wipe the tears out of her eyes. She knew that she had probably made a mess of her make-up, but she was hoping that Ron was too dense to figure it out. With a fast toss, she flung the yearbook she had been holding on to under her bed and then got up from her knees, feeling a sharp pain in her leg as she did.
"Shit!" she uttered.
Ron opened the door and he saw Bonnie. She had changed positions from the floor. Now she was sitting on her bed with her legs to the side and seemed to be picking at something.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" she groused, totally oblivious to Ron's presence.
"Bonnie? Bonnie are you ok?" Ron asked warily as he entered the room.
"Does it look like I'm ok? Ow! Ow!" she grumbled.
Ron finally made out what Bonnie was doing. Her slender fingers were tugging at something in her leg. Something that was long, thin and clear.
"Oh damn!" Ron said as he walked across the room to Bonnie.
Ron slapped Bonnie's hands away from the sliver of glass and he looked into her eyes seriously, "Stop playing with it, you'll just work it in deeper and trust me that hurts like a _bitch_."
"I don't care! Get it out!"
Ron took stock of the wound. It penetration point was small, but unfortunately the sliver of glass had somehow gotten very deep into Bonnie's leg and it was troubling to say the least.
"Bonnie? I can get it out, but… I think you're going to need to go to the hospital."
Bonnie's eyes went wide, "What do you mean? It's just a cut!"
"Yeah, but it's in very deep… it might have pierced the muscle and you should have it looked at. Hold on to something."
Bonnie didn't have time to react as Ron quickly jerked the shard of glass out of her leg. The shock of his sudden movement as well as the pain in her leg left her dumbfounded. This lasted a whole 10 seconds until she finally regained control of her mouth.
"OUCH! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Ron looked at Bonnie apologetically, "Sorry, but trust me on this one – those things are better dealt with that way."
Ron pulled his jersey over his head and then rolled it up, placing it on the now bleeding wound in Bonnie's leg.
"Just hold on to that. Where are you car keys?"
Bonnie pressed Ron's shirt down on her leg. She could see her blood starting to seep through the already red fabric and she fought to hold back a whimper.
"Car keys?" Ron asked again.
"Huh?" Bonnie replied, still not comprehending Ron.
"I'm going to drive you to the hospital – I don't think either of your sisters should be driving any more tonight."
Bonnie wanted to protest, but for once she couldn't come up with the right words to send Ron away. Instead she feebly raised her arm and pointed to her desk and her car keys. Considering the way the evening had turned out Bonnie was holding out hope that there was a special layer of hell for slutty drunken sisters.
Ron retrieved the keys from the desk. With his back turned to Bonnie he started to talk again.
"Sorry about the window, and thanks for not calling the cops. I'll pay for it – just tell your mom or anyone who asks that I broke it screwing around. Everyone will believe that."
Bonnie looked at the scattered remains of her bedroom window on the floor and silently agreed with Ron. It would be better for everyone involved if he took the fall for this one – even if, for once, he wasn't completely to blame for a disaster.
"_Figures though that he'd end up with a psycho stalker for a wife. Can't he do anything normal?_"
"Ready to go Bon-Bon?" Ron asked as he held out a hand to Bonnie.
"Don't call me that!" she snarked back. Bonnie pointedly ignored Ron's offer of help and then gingerly tried to gain her feet. It was going ok until Bonnie tried to put weight on her injured leg – the wound was much worse than she had originally thought and the sharp lance of pain almost made her fall to the ground, but luckily Ron was there to support her.
"Watch out Bonnie!" Ron yelped as he used his hands to steady the shaky girl.
"_For someone who's such a hard ass, Bonnie is surprisingly soft_", he thought to himself as his arms slightly wrapped through Bonnie's own.
"I can walk on my own!"
"Alright then, go ahead", Ron replied. He was just about to remove his hands from Bonnie when suddenly she grabbed on to his shoulders to stop him.
"Um… okay maybe a little help." Bonnie said, her voice slightly more subdued.
Ron changed his position relative to Bonnie's, allowing her to hold onto his shoulder in a way that favored her leg. Together the two of them made there way out of the house, although the stairs had posed a small challenge and it was only once Bonnie realized she was in danger of adding a broken neck to her list of injuries that she had allowed Ron to carry her piggy back style down the stairs.
"Just put me down already!" she said – her voice was louder than normal but the proximity of her mouth to Ron's large ears made it sound like she was bellowing.
"Don't worry Bonnie, no one's going to see you _riding the loser_", Ron smirked at his own comment, his voice heavy with innuendo. Despite the fact that he felt bad about what had happened earlier he knew that with a girl like Bonnie you had to push back every now and then or she would just get totally out of hand.
His comment had the desired effect and Bonnie quit complaining as they made their way to her car. Bonnie considered it was a good thing that Ron couldn't see her face in the position he was in – his "riding the loser" comment had caused her to blush a slight shade of pink.
"Here – I'm just going to turn around and then you can climb down right onto the seat. Ok?"
Bonnie nodded and then began to lower herself off of Ron's back and onto the passenger side of her car. There was a moment there before she was completely sitting down, when she still had her arms on Ron's shoulders that she thought to herself, "_He's stronger than he looks, I can feel the muscles…._"
"You ok Bonnie?" called Ron, his voice interrupting her reverie.
Bonnie blushed furiously and then hastily removed her hands from Ron.
"I'm down. Let's go.", she said seemingly unconcerned. Ron walked around to the other side of the car and hopped in, turning the engine over and then taking off towards Middleton General.
"Don't worry – I've got an in at the hospital. I'll make sure they treat you right." Ron said as he turned down a street in the suburb.
"Kim's mom, right?" Bonnie said as she looked out the window. The scenery was familiar and she had seen it thousands of times, but right now she was more intent at looking away than looking at Ron. She didn't know why, but she just felt like she couldn't handle it right now.
"Um, that too I guess – but I was talking about the people in the ER. I've had more than my fair share of visits over the last few years."
"Freak fighting with Kimmie huh?" Bonnie idly asked.
"That… and I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I'm kind of clumsy."
Bonnie snorted in reply. She could have followed up with a comment of her own, but when Ron made it that easy it just wasn't worth it. Instead she decided to turn the conversation in another direction and she asked a question that had been bugging her for days now.
"Are you really married to that psycho-stalker?" she asked.
Ron grimaced. The phrase "psycho-stalker" wouldn't be how he would choose to describe Yori, but unfortunately considering her behavior back at Bonnie's house it had turned out be fairly accurate.
"Well, that's kind of tricky," Ron tried to weasel out of answering.
"Oh get off it Stoppable. You're either married or your not, there's nothing tricky about it."
Ron sighed. Bonnie technically was right, the problem that Ron was having was deciding if he actually _was_ married. There was the papers that Yori had shown him, and he was pretty sure that he had signed… well, something.
"How about I put it this way – I don't remember a wedding", he said.
"Well then you're not married, are you?" Bonnie replied.
"It's not that simple Bonnie…"
"You keep saying that Ron, but maybe _you're_ the one that's simple." Bonnie chortled to herself.
Ron winced. Leave it to Bonnie Rockwaller to launch a barb at him while he was driving her to the hospital. Still he couldn't blame her. Listening to himself try to lamely explain the situation he would have assumed that the guy in question (himself) was either a dope, mentally challenged, or lying. Or maybe all three.
"She has a marriage certificate. From Japan even. I looked at it and from as far as I can tell it's legit and it has my signature on it, or something that looks an awful lot like my signature."
Bonnie arched an eyebrow – the sudden intrigue of Ron's utterly bizarre personal life making her forget her initial discomfort at the start of the car ride.
"You signed a marriage certificate?" she asked.
"I think so?" Ron said awkwardly.
Bonnie rolled her eyes. "_How can this guy be so dense? Seriously, what kind of idiot gets married and then doesn't remember it?_"
"You realize that can't be legal," Bonnie said as she returned to looking out the window.
Ron blinked.
"What do you mean? It's got our signatures on it, a bunch of seals; it sure looks legal to me."
"Wow, are you stupid or what?" she asked Ron with a serious note of derision in her voice.
Ron's back was up. Sure he was used to Bonnie insulting him but the subject of his "marriage" to Yori was a sensitive one.
"Well _Bon-Bon_," he began, using the diminutive nick-name that she hated, "I may not be the smartest guy in town, but I'm not the one insulting the person driving me to the hospital."
Bonnie valiantly resisted an urge to smack Ron upside the head. Saying it was difficult would have been an understatement. Bonnie didn't know why, but for some reason Ron Stoppable was able to get under her skin like no one else.
"You're too young to be married."
"That's what I keep saying!" Ron exclaimed, "I'm not even out of high school yet!"
"Christ Stoppable!" Bonnie spat as she whipped her head towards the drivers seat, "Don't you get it? You're a _minor_ – you _can't_ be legally married without your parent's permission."
Ron's face fell as the realization set in that Bonnie was actually correct.
"Holy shit! I am the biggest idiot on the planet!" he screeched, taking a turn in the car a little too fast so that the tires echoed him.
"Take it easy with my car and _yes_ you are an idiot. I can't believe that never occurred to you!" Bonnie said as she held on to the side door, trying to keep her leg from supporting her weight in the turn.
Several things finally clicked into place in Ron's head, most prominently amongst them was how Yori's sudden appearance seemed to coincide with Ron's father getting promoted at work and how his parent's seemed suspiciously non-concerned about the fact that their teenage son was married to a woman that they had never met before.
"_I can't believe it! The old man sold me out! I can't believe he'd do that to his own son… actually yes I can. I wonder what they offered him to send me down the river? And Mom… How did he ever get Mom to go along with it?_"
"Grrr…" Ron growled. His knuckles were white from clutching on to the steering wheel in his frustration and anger.
"_Wow… is he mad?_" Bonnie though to herself as she stared at Ron. She had never seen Ron _ever_ get mad – surely, yes, annoyed, yes, angry enough to spit bullets? Not very likely.
"What's eating you?" she asked, against her better judgment. Ron's behavior was just too bizarre for Bonnie to not be curious.
"You ever get the feeling Bonnie that your parents just enjoy messing with your life?"
Bonnie's face went blank.
"I dunno. Maybe," she replied as she crossed her arms over her chest, her body language suddenly getting defensive.
Ron was too absorbed with his own growing sense of betrayal to notice Bonnie's reaction.
"My Dad sold me out. I'm sure of it. Damn it! Damn it!" Ron spat as he turned Bonnie's car on to Main Street, they were just a few miles away from the hospital now.
Upon hearing those words Bonnie instantly made a few assumptions. First off – Ron was having some sort of issue with his Dad, an issue that she should probably find out about since her own father had asked her to do some snooping. Secondly, from the tone of Ron's voice and his physical reaction, he didn't seem too thrilled to be married to Yori.
Inside, a very small and hidden part of Bonnie Rockwaller smiled, happy at the revelation. She tried not to pay attention to it.
"So, your parents gave permission?" Bonnie asked.
"I dunno, I mean… I think so. I need to check, but it just all fits so perfectly. Neither one of my folks seemed to be all that surprised when Yori showed up and Dad all of a sudden has a lot more scratch to spread around – he was even talking about buying me a car. I'm no detective but it's too much of a coincidence."
"Maybe your Dad is just being nice?" Bonnie asked.
"My Dad _is_ nice, but that's not what matters – he's a notorious cheapskate. He reuses the sandwich bags that he takes his lunch to work in." Ron rolled his eyes.
"I don't know how, but I'm betting that Yori's family paid my pops cash money to give them consent to the marriage."
Ron pounded his fist on the steering wheel, irate at both his parents and the stupid red light that was halting his progress on the road.
Bonnie scoffed. While it wasn't outside of the realm of possibility that Ron's parents had been involved with _some_ negotiations with Yori's, Bonnie knew for a fact that the reason Ron's dad had all that money was from something completely unrelated. She didn't know why, perhaps because she just liked to lord over Ron how much more she knew than him, but she spoke without considering the ramifications.
"Your Dad got promoted at work – that's where all the money is coming from."
Ron's jaw dropped. How did Bonnie know that?
"Hey, how do you know that? He said something about it but I doubt that whatever promotion he got would be enough to pay for a new car."
Bonnie put a smug look on her face, she was going to enjoy dropping this bomb on Ron.
"That's because _my dad_ is _your dad's_ boss."
Ron just sat there in silence looking dumbfounded at Bonnie. He didn't know what bothered him more, the fact that Bonnie seemed to know strange things about his family that he didn't know, or that her father could fire his father at will.
"So… your Dad promoted mine? Um… I don't know what to say Bonnie…"
Bonnie looked upwards and blew a strand of hair out of her face.
"No, at least I don't think he did… and the lights green, get moving" she replied.
Ron stepped on the gas, the hospital was only a couple miles up the road and traffic was pretty light. He figured it wouldn't take them much longer to get there.
"What do you mean by you don't think he did? Who did then?" Ron asked.
Bonnie suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She realized that she probably shouldn't have let on to Ron that her father was his father's boss. It wasn't that her Dad had told her not to divulge that information, in fact the elder Rockwaller had left very little instructions for Bonnie, trusting her judgment, it was just that it would be hard to explain to Ron without revealing what her Dad had asked her to do.
"I don't know really… I never pay that much attention to what my Dad says, it's just that we had dinner the other day and he mentioned to me that one of my classmates father's had just been promoted out of the blue to Vice President."
Bonnie alternated between tugging at her ear and scratching it as Ron looked at her. It was lucky for her that Ron wasn't that astute of an observer or he might have realized that Bonnie's body language was betraying her.
"Oh, I see." Ron replied, having bought Bonnie's tale, hook, line and sinker.
At that moment the façade of Middleton Memorial came into view. The car was silent as the two teens pulled into the emergency room parking lot. Between the eventful night and the odd conversation in the car, both of them had a lot of things on their mind. Ron was trying to determine if the information that Bonnie had revealed to him was worth investigating and Bonnie, to her credit, was trying to decide what – if anything, she should divulge to her Dad.
"_He probably doesn't really expect me to come up with anything anyway… maybe I'll just wait a bit longer and then see if this turns out to be something important or not._"
-
"How's that leg looking Doc?" Ron asked from the chair next to Bonnie, who was also focusing on the white haired man with an intent look.
"It's not that bad, but it _did_ go in pretty deep. This was from an outside window right?"
Bonnie nodded.
"When was the last time you had a tetanus shot Ms. Rockwaller?"
Bonnie closed her eyes and tried to think.
"Um… when I was 8 or 11 years old," she said hesitantly.
"At school right? Did you miss the 5th grade booster?"
Bonnie shook her head, "No I was there that day."
The Doctor checked something off on his clip board
"Alright, that's good… Well I'm going to leave you two alone now and then the nurse will come back in to properly dress the wound. It's very deep so I want you to come back in a couple of days and let us look at it again, and if you wake up tomorrow and it's swollen and irritated then immediately come back in. Do you understand?"
Bonnie nodded in the affirmative to the doctor who then excused himself to look after other patients.
"How's it feel?" Ron asked as he looked at Bonnie's leg.
"_And what nice legs they are too… long and tan_", Ron kept that comment to himself.
"It hurts? Duh? At least I won't need stitches. God I hope this doesn't scar", she said as she peered intently at the now cleaned wound.
"Bah, that little thing? Check this out!" Ron smirked as he lifted up his shirt, revealing his chest to Bonnie in all it's pasty glory.
Bonnie was a little taken aback by Ron's sudden action, but her eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the numerous lines that crisscrossed Ron's chest and arms.
"Holy crap! Do your parents beat you or what?" Bonnie goggled at Ron.
Ron lowered his shirt and chuckled, "No, nothing like that. The whole 'saving the world' biz and all that."
"Saving the world huh? I shower with Kim after practice and I've never seen even a scratch on her." Bonnie said.
Ron just shrugged. "Kim's a lot better at it than I am. I always tend to do things that involve either falling from enormous heights, getting blasted, blown up, or otherwise abused in various violent ways."
Bonnie's eyes widened up at Ron's pronouncement, "_He can't be serious?_"
"It's my job," he stated flatly.
"I had no idea…" Bonnie said softly, letting the phrase carry off into the air on its own.
"No one does really, not even Kim. Why do you think I'm always wearing long sleeved shirts? It wasn't that bad at first, but these things just sort of pile up after a while. Hell on our last mission I blew up this doomsday device and didn't quite manage to make it away from the explosion on time – caught hell for that from my parents when they saw the damage."
Bonnie couldn't believe how Ron was so blithely talking about being nearly blown up. On one level she knew that Ron and Kim did that whole "freak fighting" thing, but she never had any idea that it was so dangerous. Despite herself, it piqued her curiosity.
"Why do you do it? I mean… if it's so dangerous, why don't you guys leave it to someone else?"
"Bonnie, me and Kim… we _are_ someone else. We're the people, or I suppose Kim's the person, that they call when no one else can do the job. Technically I'm just the distraction – whatever that means."
"Huh? What does that mean?" Bonnie asked.
"Oh, it's sort of an inside joke. Whenever Kim and I are on a mission it boils down to two things – Kim fights the bad guys and I go and 'make a distraction'. Generally that means that I go and head towards whatever device, bomb, or death ray that the weirdo's are using to threaten the world this time and blow it up."
Ron looked around to see if that nurse was coming any time soon. He didn't know why, but talking about missions, especially his role in them, made him really uncomfortable. It didn't help matters that the person asking him the questions was Bonnie, who usually just noticed him enough in the hallway to launch a put down at him.
Bonnie rolled the idea around in her mind a little bit and then an amusing thought hit her. She chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Ron asked, "And where is that nurse?"
"It's just that… you're saying that Kim doesn't really save the world." Bonnie snickered.
"Huh? What do you mean by that? Of course she does, she's Kim Possible, of Team Possible, get the name?" Ron said, somewhat irked.
Bonnie rolled her eyes at Ron.
"No, that's not what you said. You said Kim fights the bad guys right?"
Ron nodded.
"And then you said that _you_ go and take out the device."
Ron nodded again, not seeing where Bonnie was going with this.
"Take notes here Stoppable, because this is one of your big problems – you never look at things in perspective." Bonnie snarked, "Kim fights the bad guys – she's being the distraction. You then go around the chaos and destroy whatever stupid plot these idiots have come up with. If it was Kim or a Platoon of Marines, it wouldn't matter – you'd still be the one taking out the threat. The _real_ threat. Get it?"
Ron raised an eyebrow at Bonnie. He had never thought of things that way. There were some obvious gaps in Bonnie's reasoning, for starters, Ron wouldn't be going on any missions if it wasn't for the fact that he always tagged along with Kim, but generally speaking depending on how you looked at it, Bonnie _could_ be right.
Ron shrugged at Bonnie, "Well I guess that's one way of looking at it. I try not to think about things like that, if I did it would probably eat me up the way that everyone forgets who I am. Hell, you can do me a huge favor and keep that reasoning to yourself – if any of these wack jobs ever realized who I was and what I was doing, I'd probably get a lot more than a few scrapes and cuts on these missions."
Bonnie, who had been smiling up until then, suddenly made a frown. She hadn't thought of things like that. If Ron really was the one that was saving the world, then it stood to reason that the only way he could get away with that time after time would be if the bad guys were focusing on someone else – Kim in this case. It was kind of ironic that the sidekick was the one that foiled the plots time after time, but so long as no one caught on…
"Crap." Bonnie said with a tone of defeat. Ron just arched his eye at Bonnie.
"I was going to tease Kim about the whole thing, but I can see your point – I wouldn't want you to get smacked down harder than usual just because the word got out."
"Thanks Bonnie," Ron said with a chuckle, "I get stomped hard enough these days without actually drawing attention to myself."
Bonnie waved Ron away, she didn't want to acknowledge the fact that she was thinking of anyone other than herself – it wasn't very Rockwaller-like.
"One thing I do have to know," she continued, "Why do you do it? I mean, seriously, you guys don't even get paid for it. Don't you think that's kind of stupid?"
Ron made a sheepish face and looked down at the ground.
"Trust me, there are days…" he muttered.
"Well then, why do it?" Bonnie pressed.
Ron looked up from the floor and thought for a moment, then he began to speak.
"Basically I do it because of Kim. She wants to do this, really wants to do this… and she wants to do it her way. She needs someone to watch her back and I'd freak out if anything happened to her – she's my best friend."
Bonnie's face got stern and there was an almost palatable aura of icy cold radiating from her at the mention of Kim's name and Ron's heartfelt acknowledgment that they were "best friends". Bonnie didn't want to admit it, but she was jealous of Kim. She had the one thing that Bonnie could never have – Ron, and she had proved it long ago during that party in middle school.
"Oh man, what am I going to do?" Ron said desperately.
He was thinking of Kim and about his situation with Yori. Despite the fact that he was hopeful that there was some way out of his marriage to the striking young ninja girl, things between him and Kim had deteriorated over the last week to new lows – Ron night was history and Kim seemed to be spending even more time with Eric than usual.
"About what?" Bonnie asked.
Ron crept out of his self pity and looked at Bonnie. He had a sudden thought that maybe the brunette could help him.
"_Ok, this is how desperate I am – I'm going to ask Bonnie for relationship advice._"
Ron took in a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.
"Well, I have a problem with a girl…"
Bonnie snorted.
"I'd say, she broke into my house and thanks to her I have this nice gaping cut on my leg."
Ron shook his head.
"No, not that girl – someone else, but Yori is definitely a problem too, but a different one. Actually they're kind of related. I mean with Yori pretending to be my 'wife', it's making things harder than it needs to be with _the girl_. You know what I mean?"
Bonnie was kind of following what Ron was saying, as convoluted as it was it did make a sort of sense.
"_I wonder who the girl is…_"
Memories of a tender confession in a cramped closet just weeks ago came flooding back to her and Bonnie was overcome with a giddy feeling of butterflies in her stomach. It was a much stronger struggle than Bonnie would have anticipated, but she put on a straight face and pushed the feeling away as quickly as she could manage.
"I guess so…" she said noncommittally.
"Bonnie can I ask you a question? Serious?" Ron looked hopefully at Bonnie, waiting for her reply.
"Go ahead Ron, I guess I do kind of owe you for driving me to the hospital."
Ron smiled at Bonnie and for some reason it made her chest get tight.
"_Stop it Bonnie. Stop it right now. It's been a rough night, don't let it get to you. Remember what he did to you._"
"Well you see… there is this girl I like Bonnie. She's really great – beautiful, smart, popular – the whole works. But it's like this, she doesn't even notice that I like her, not even one bit. She's always going out with guys that are more popular than me – and notice I said popular and not better."
Ron leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.
"I know there's a difference and I know you know there is one too. You're not as shallow as you pretend, you're too smart for that."
Bonnie shrugged. Ron was right, she was no dope and she knew exactly what he was taking about, but the food chain was law and there really was no way of circumventing it – no matter how good the guy was, if he wasn't at least as popular as you, or close, then you were taking your high school life in your hands.
"So what do you want from me?" Bonnie asked, gently prodding Ron. Part of her was wondering if she was about to experience another confession and was desperately wondering how she would deal with it. She'd turn him down, of course she would – she had to.
"Just some advice – what do you think I should do?"
"Give up and date someone closer to your level."
Ron winced, it was painful to hear someone tell him the same thing that he had told himself a million times over the last few months. For some reason when you heard words like that coming from someone else, it always stung about ten times worse than when you were lamenting your own stupidity in the privacy of your own thoughts.
"I don't want to give up – at least not yet. I've loved her for a long time, but things aren't that great between us right now. I think if I let things keep going the way they are then… well I just want to try before it's too late."
Bonnie stared at Ron, trying to understand exactly what he was saying. He seemed so… sincere that it really bothered her. It was a sad truth that in the circle of friends that Bonnie traveled in such honest sincerity was in short supply.
"_I wonder if he's hitting on me?_"
Try as she might, Bonnie couldn't get the closet confession at Tara's birthday party out of her mind and it was even harder to dismiss when she realized that the tone and inflection of Ron's voice now was nearly identical as to when he had told her that he loved her.
"Okay…" she began slowly, "Then don't give up. Have you ever thought of, maybe… you know, changing a little bit?"
Ron glared at Bonnie.
"Of course I have! But what can I do? I love her but I want her t like me for who I am and honestly… I like myself."
"_I wish I could say the same thing… where did that come from?_" Bonnie frowned.
"Well what about just showing off a little bit? Guys show off for girls all the time, don't they?"
In the back of Bonnie's mind a plan was forming.
"_Maybe with a little help he could move up a bit… then Tara could go out with him and I wouldn't have to stop hanging out with her._"
Bonnie, as usual when it came to Ron and her intentions towards him, fell back on the "Tara Defense" – it was just too convenient of a self deception.
"What do you mean? Like a new haircut? New clothes? I tried that once, it didn't work out so good."
Bonnie looked Ron over, up and down. He wasn't too bad looking, in fact he was kind of cute, at least he would be if he just updated his wardrobe a little bit… and that haircut was definitely bad. Still, he'd need to do more than that to get even closer to her own stratosphere in the food chain.
"_I mean TARA. Tara! Not mine. Tara!_"
"Updating your look wouldn't hurt, but I was thinking of something a little more serious."
Ron cocked his head at Bonnie. He wondered what exactly it was that she was suggesting.
"Nothing illegal I hope", Ron said with a smirk.
"Are you willing to work for…" Bonnie almost said 'me', but instead changed it at the last moment, "this girl. I mean it, are you willing to put in 110 percent effort?"
Ron locked Bonnie's gaze with his own eyes and gave her a look that smoldered with intensity.
"Bonnie, I've _never_ been more serious in my life. I'm tired of the way things are… really tired."
Bonnie quickly squashed down another bout of the butterflies – Ron's look, his voice, his words…
"_Is he doing this for me? Do I want him to do this for me? Do I want… what do I want?_"
Bonnie's head and heart were at odds, leaving her confused and unable to cope with the way she was feeling right now. She resolved to think about it later, when she could get some distance between her and Ron to sort out her feelings and if necessary, to talk herself out of them.
"Ok Ron," she said, "Here's what I'm thinking…"
-
A/N:
Sorry for the cliffhanger, but them's the breaks people – how else am I suppose to keep people reading if I don't drag out the suspense? Once again thanks to everyone for reading this story and I hope that you're enjoying it just as much as I've been enjoying reading it. Also if you like my relationship writing style and you haven't already done so, click on my profile and check out my Ron Stoppable, Ultimate Monkey Master fiction – I've got a lot of positive reviews and comments on that one. It's not a comedy as this fiction, but it has an intense emotional ride.
Also, for more Ron-centric fare, check out my story Blind Monkey – chapter 2 is up as of a couple days ago and I'm just about to plunge into chapter 3 and some shocking events.
As always, thanks for reading and please leave a review to let me know how you think I'm doing.
Next chapter: Expect High School hijinx to ensue!
QC!
10. Chapter 10
Chapter 10 – Project Ron Unstoppable.
-
"Bonnie, that has got to be the stupidest idea that I've ever heard," stated Ron as he stared down from his perch high upon the bleachers at the assembled athletes scrambling around the field below. They looked like some form of alien insects, scurrying around with an almost hive-like co-ordination and try as he might, he couldn't imagine himself belonging with them.
Bonnie Rockwaller graciously decided to let the not-so-thinly veiled insult slide… this time anyway, but she was still tweaked. Three days ago she had made a promise of sorts to Ron Stoppable that she would help him raise his social standing and while Ron had been fairly receptive to most of her ideas, they were still struggling in the realm of extra-curricular activities.
Or more accurately, they were struggling with Ron's utter fear of physical activity.
"Look dorkus – I thought we already agreed that you were going to do _exactly_ what I said. You said, and I quote, _I've never been more serious in my life_, end quote" Bonnie replied while making the appropriate gestures with her hands.
Ron sighed. Bonnie had him on that score. Just like always, it seemed that Ron had gotten so caught up in the moment that he had opened his big mouth before he had a chance to think about what he was saying. He was momentarily troubled that this might be a character trait of his that he'd never overcome.
"_At least this time I'm not getting married off without realizing it… I hope."_
"Ok Bonnie, you got me - but still, while I'm sure a candlelight vigil _may_ make most of the student body remember me fondly, I'm not so sure it'd be the best for my dating life."
At that moment the wind picked up and Bonnie scrunched her face as her normally well coifed hair blew across her eyes. She hated to admit it, but Ron may actually be right about this, however she wasn't quite ready to concede the point… yet.
"It's not that bad! There are plenty of average-ish built guys on the team. You could go out for special teams, like how about… field goal kicker? It's not like I'm saying you need to go out for running back!"
Ron let out a snort.
"Me? A football player? So, not going to happen!"
"All you have to do is kick the ball!" Bonnie replied, her annoyance at Ron's non-stop resistance to all of her suggestions was starting to dissolve her already thin patience.
"Ok, look – technically a kicker is still a football player and technically they could still get tackled, no matter how statistically remote the possibility, and knowing me the first time I was forced to eat dirt I'd probably break my neck. Let's just face it Bonnie, my natural lack of athletic prowess combined with my innate sense of self preservation is just not a good combination for contact sports."
Bonnie turned to face Ron. She paused for a moment, thinking about what the blonde haired boy had just said.
"_He may not be an American all-star, but he's selling himself short. It's more confidence than ability that's keeping him on the sidelines. If only there was a way to make him…_"
"I've got it!" Bonnie crowed triumphantly.
Ron cocked his head – he hadn't seen the brunette cheerleader this enthusiastic since… well since forever basically. It was disturbing and a small wave of dread crept over him.
Bonnie thrust her hand out pointing across the field, away from the scrimmaging football players. Ron let his gaze drift, following her direction, until he saw what she was gesturing to. For the first time since they had started this little project together, Ron considered an idea that_didn't_ make him want to run away in terror. Eventually, he spoke up.
"You know Bonnie… as far as ideas go, that one definitely doesn't suck."
Bonnie smirked, "Of course! It's perfect and it plays to your one major strength…"
In the next breath, both Ron and Bonnie said the same phrase.
"Running away."
Bonnie turned her head to Ron, "So… going to try out?"
Ron nodded.
"Yeah, but first I'm just going to enjoy the peace and quiet… it's been a while, y'know?"
"I've been meaning to ask you about that… How did you manage to get psycho-ninja to leave you alone? Shouldn't she be here mooning over you and threatening me with bodily harm?"
Bonnie silently cursed herself. She hadn't meant for the words to come out of her mouth with such disdain. She had been spending a lot of time recently trying to make sure that she came across as mostly neutral, or disinterested in Ron's girl problems, but it seemed to be getting harder and harder with every passing day. She worriedly watched for Ron's reaction, but it seemed that he hadn't taken any notice. Bonnie thought sadly to herself that Ron had probably written it off as Bonnie's usual bitchiness.
"_That's me – Queen B, the mega-bitch."_
Bonnie tried not to invest any energy in contemplating why, exactly, it bothered her that Ron Stoppable might actually believe she was a bitch. That was a question that she didn't want to answer.
"Ah… that. I took some of your advice." Ron replied with a grin.
"Really?" Bonnie was intrigued now.
"Yeah, I sort of… volunteered her for a few extra curricular activities."
"Stoppable!" Bonnie gasped with fake surprise, "I had no idea you could be so sneaky!"
Ron just looked down and shook his head.
"Well, I did learn from the best."
-
"No, I think _this picture_ would be much better for the yearbook," said an increasingly irate Kim Possible.
"But Possible-san, as you can see _this picture_ is much more aesthetically pleasing," replied an eerily calm Yori Stoppable.
Kim gritted her teeth, she knew that the dark haired girl was just trying to upset her – after all, this was the fifth picture of Yori and Ron that she had tried to get inserted into the yearbook since she had joined the committee the day before. No one, she thought, could possibly be _that_ narcissistic.
"_Well, maybe Bonnie…_"
Thinking of Bonnie made Kim's head hurt. Ron was trying to be subtle about it, but ever since he and the brunette cheerleader had been assigned as study partners, the two of them had been spending an awfully suspicious amount of time together. It wasn't that Kim was jealous per say, it was just that she _knew_ that Bonnie was up to something no good.
"Yori we already talked about this – we can't have too many pictures of the same students. The yearbook is for everyone! Not just you and Ron!" Kim glared daggers as she said the last part – she still wasn't completely fine with the "marital" situation between her best friend and this inscrutable girl from Japan.
For a long moment the two girls stared each other down in a contest of wills. Surprisingly, it was Yori who broke the standoff by giving Kim a devilish smirk and reaching for a stack of photos at her right.
"Then, how about _this one_ Possible-san?" she taunted as she placed a new photo on the desk.
Kim quickly glanced down at the picture. It was a candid shot that one of the student photographers had taken at cheerleading practice. Most of the team was there, including Ron, and normally it might be a decent photo to put in the yearbook, but Kim's eyes quickly focused on something in the background. There, off to the side, was herself, leaning over with one hand up her skirt, quite obviously attempting to free a particularly nasty wedgie.
"N-n-no!" stammered Kim as her face turned a bright red to match her hair.
"But Possible-san, this picture has many students in it!" Yori said with an evil grin.
Kim's hands lurched out attempting to snag the incriminating photograph, but Yori was too quick for her and pulled it away at the last second.
"Give me that picture!" Kim hissed.
"Why? What's wrong Possible-san?" Yori taunted, "Afraid that everyone will see your_enormous _panty devouring butt?"
Yori had said the last part loud enough for the entire room to hear and predictably the other students had focused their attention on the pair.
"Just… give it to me!" Kim hissed as she began to circle the desk that was separating her from the other girl.
Yori shifted her weight on her feet and began to move in the opposite direction of Kim. She knew that the other girl was just as athletic and agile as she was, and it was quite likely that she _could_ get the photo away from her… but Yori wasn't quite ready to end her game yet.
"Maybe we should ask for the opinions of the rest of the committee?" Yori said as she made a mock gesture to show the photo to the other students in the room.
At this point Kim was seeing red, however as much as she would have liked to tear into Yori, her first priority was to get the picture. With one hand, Kim made a feint for photo while she swiveled her feat to the right. Predictably, Yori backed away to her left, allowing Kim to make an extraordinary half-leap across the table, her other hand snagging on to the edge of the offending picture and pulling it away from the lithe ninja-girl.
With a huge grin of triumph, Kim busily began ripping the 'evidence' to shreds. When she was done she looked up at the other girl and gave her the biggest smirk she could muster.
"_That's right! I can do anything!_"
Yori however didn't look in the least bit perturbed. In fact, she just coolly smiled back at Kim and then walked away from the desk towards her school bag. Kim leaned back, thinking that she had claimed victory this day, and crossed her arms in a confident gesture.
"It seems you have won this round Possible-san," stated Yori as she reached down to pick up her bag.
To her credit, Kim didn't respond with a taunt of her own. It wasn't that she didn't_want to_, it was just that a room full of fellow students probably wasn't the place for her to start engaging in insults with a new transfer student – she had a reputation to keep up after all.
Yori fidgeted with her bag, then opened it up and started to smile.
"Oh, that's right!" exclaimed Yori with mock surprise, "I almost forgot!"
"_Ohmygod! That tone…please no…_"
Kim felt the icy touch of fear and she sat ramrod straight in her chair, hoping against hope at about what was to come.
"Being a novice at photography, it seems that I accidentally made too many copies of that picture", she said coyly.
"_Too many copies? Oh no…_"
Kim felt her heart climb up into her throat. She wanted desperately to know exactly what she was dealing with here, but unfortunately for her all she could manage to hurl at Yori was a quite audible "gulp".
"About…" Yori made a fake gesture of counting the contents of her bag, "two hundred or so."
Kim's eyes went round as saucers as the enormity of the humiliation she was about to suffer began to sink in. It was only her years of crime fighting experience that kept her from completely freezing up and while she hadn't completely recovered from the shock, she had managed to already begin to move in the direction of the short haired ninja. Yori however, had been expecting this, so as a pre-emptive move she flung her hand up into the air and released a rain of glossy copies into the air.
Kim flailed about with her arms attempting to snatch every photo she could see, even the ones that had already found their way into the hands of other students. It didn't take as long as one might expect, but by the time she had finished Yori was already long gone. Kim peeked her head out of the classroom that the yearbook committee had been using and nearly fainted at what she saw.
Tracking Yori, she decided, would be rather easy. After all, she had left a trail of embarrassing photos in her wake.
-
Ron leaned down at the starting line, trying to get his feet into the proper position. The track team captain had tried to explain it to him, but being a novice he still felt awkward about his foot placement. He looked up nervously to the side at the senior boy, who just returned Ron's inquisitive expression with a terse nod.
"_Okay… seems like I'm doing good. This should be simple, all I need to do is run in a straight line._"
Ron waited for the other two boys on the track to take their positions. The sun was pretty high in the sky and the combination of it's radiant light and his own ever-growing panic at failure caused a single drop of perspiration to drop off his nose, hitting the red track below him and spreading out into a tiny darkened splotch. He ruefully wondered if that was a bad omen.
"_Just do what Bonnie said… clear your head, focus on the end of the track, let everything else come naturally._"
Ron looked over to Bonnie; she was loitering around the base of the stands attempting to look nonchalant and disinterested in what was going on. Ron had been surprised at how helpful Bonnie had been to him recently, especially considering the colossal misunderstanding that had taken place at Tara's birthday party weeks before, but he was happy nonetheless for the brunette cheerleaders support.
"_Must have been the study session the other day… Bonnie was acting real strange, maybe she doesn't hate me after all?_"
Ron banished that thought from his head. He knew, without a doubt, that he had seriously screwed up with the entire Yori marriage fiasco – especially after Bonnie's attempt to make a date with him at Bueno Nacho. If Bonnie Rockwaller had at one time actually harbored any sort of feelings for Ron, then they seemed to have been either destroyed or greatly diminished; Ever since that single encounter in the fast food restaurant, Bonnie had been treating him coolly, even if she _was_ currently helping him out with his Kim problem.
"_She's probably afraid that I'll start blabbing about her sisters. Hmm… Connie…_"
Ron started to lose focus as his memory drifted back to the events of that night and how close he had come to both heaven and hell within the blink of an eye. He didn't even notice that the other runners trying out for the team had taken their positions and the race was getting ready to start or that Glenn Greenwald, the track captain, had readied the starter pistol.
"_If I concentrate I swear I can almost remember what it felt like in my mouth…_"
Ron absently flicked his tongue a couple times over the phantom nipple of Connie Rockwaller that sadly, only existed in his memory. He was probably just at the point of completely losing it and botching his attempt at the track try-out when from behind him came a shrill shout that brought him back to the present.
"Ron! Stop her!" screamed Kim Possible at the top of her lungs as she lunged at Yori from across a practice field.
Ron swiveled his head to see his best friend chasing his supposed wife and noticed sadly that both of them were heading in his direction.
"_Danna-sama!_" shrieked Yori in a girly voice, "Save me!"
Ron's jaw dropped and panic took over every cell in his body. The last thing he needed was to get caught in the middle of a Kim and Yori catfight, especially when he was supposed to be trying out for the track team.
"_Track team..."_
Ron was in such a distracted state that he hadn't even heard it when Glenn had fired the starter pistol into the air to announce the beginning of the race. He just held there, crouched down, his muscles frozen in fear. Bonnie, who had been surreptitiously watching the entire debacle, broke her cover and threw her arms down to her side.
"Run you loser!" she bellowed out across the field.
Amazingly enough the insult from Bonnie caused the gears in Ron's mind to start churning again as his previous state of indecision was banished by a single thought that, to him at least, seemed like a _really_ good idea.
"_Run!"_
Ron pushed off from the blocks in a flash that seemed to defy physics. The other two runners were already nearly half way up the track, but that didn't seem to bother him at all. He was terrified and true to Ron-form, when terrified he did what he did best.
"_Run!_"
The track below Ron flew by in a blur, his feet chewing up the ground at an amazing pace. Already he had closed on the back of one of the other juniors that was trying out for the team. Ron didn't think anything about it other than the fact that getting past the boy would mean just one more body between him and his imminent destruction. With a gulp of pure terror lodged in his throat he lowered his head to the side and pushed his legs past any sort of limit he had previously known.
"Shit!" came a voice from the sidelines that Ron didn't recognize.
"Did you see that?" came another.
Ron couldn't pay any attention to the voices now. He had passed one runner and was steadily gaining on the other. He knew it would only be a few seconds till he caught up and blew past him, but just about to set himself up for another burst of speed when all of a sudden the boy broke his pace and started to slow down. Ron flew by his head turning back to see what was going on.
"_What? Did they stop chasing us?_"
Ron slowed his pace and swiveled his head around to see what had happened. Kim and Yori were no where to be seen, evidently their battle had passed on to another part of the school. Ron's legs were starting to hurt now and he slowed down from a jog to a walk as he swung back along the track. Realizing that he had probably escaped for the time being, he slowly let his mind relax.
"_Ok! Not going to die! Now for the race…_"
In an instant, Ron realized what had just happened and he brought his hands up to his head.
"Damn it!" he said outloud.
"_Why can't I ever concentrate? I mean, sure, it wasn't entirely my fault, but this was important! If I can't even handle something like this…_"
From across the field, Bonnie Rockwaller bounced with uncharacteristic glee. She had been expecting Ron to do well, but his display of speed on the track was nothing short of God-like. She rolled on her heels and put her arms behind her back as she began to stroll across the track to congratulate Ron, only pulling up short when a blur of blonde hair streaked past her.
"Ronnie! That was so awesome!" tittered Tara Strong with unrestrained glee.
Bonnie glared as she watched her best friend run up to Ron and throw her arms around him.
"_Hey! It was my idea!_" she thought to herself.
Bonnie was peeved and was just about to stride over to Tara to let her have a piece of her mind when she caught herself.
"_What am I doing?_"
The question echoed in her mind as her entire body froze in mid walk.
"_Why did I want to go over there? Why am I jealous of Tara? I'm the one that told him to go out for sports. I'm the one that gave him the pep talk. I'm the one that told that stupid loser to run when he froze up!_"
Bonnie was slowly starting to fume. She clenched her hands to her side, her arms slightly shaking. Her mind and emotions were warring within her and she fought with the self control forged by years of ruling the "Food Chain" against the tiny, almost insignificant feelings that she had thought long ago discarded and squashed. It was touch and go for a few moments, but predictably Bonnie managed to regain control.
Queen B had won again.
Without so much as a thought or a glance, Bonnie swiveled on her heel and angrily walked back towards the school, leaving Ron and Tara alone on the field.
Ron watched Bonnie stomp away and his first thought was that she must have been pissed at him for how he acted during the tryout. It wasn't as if he could blame her; she had spent a lot of time trying to help him out and when they finally hit upon an idea that had a fair chance of working, he blew it.
Ron sighed and turned back to Tara. The blonde girl was now bouncing up and down excitedly, although Ron couldn't quite seem to understand why.
"Tara what's up? Didn't you see – I lost!" Ron said, his voice filled with disappointment.
Tara just stared at the boy dumbfounded, not believing that someone could possibly be so dense. She was just about to explain to Ron exactly what had happened when Glenn, the track captain, interrupted.
"Stoppable! It's Stoppable, right?" said the lanky senior.
Ron nodded.
"Yeah… hey, sorry about wasting your time there…" Ron began to apologize, but the other boy didn't seem to hear him.
"You've never run track before, right?" Glenn asked with an air of enthusiasm in his voice.
Ron's apology was brought up short and he shook his head 'no', not quite understanding what was about to happen.
"That's amazing!" the older boy gushed.
"Huh?" said Ron, completely lost now.
"Man that was some of the _fastest_ running I have ever seen!"
"Wait, what? Uh… I didn't win the race, what are you talking about?" asked Ron.
Glenn chuckled.
"Well yeah, your start was absolutely rotten. Hell I thought you were going to completely freeze up there, but once you got going you were like a bullet!"
Ron tried to digest what the senior was trying to say to him.
"So like… I did good?" he asked quizzically.
"Better than good man! That was awesome! If you had left the blocks when you were supposed to, I think you would have set a school record!"
At this pronouncement Ron's face fell and Tara let out a little squeal.
"See! I told you Ronnie! You were incredible!" she giggled as she bounced up and down.
"_Wow, wait until I tell Bonnie! This is totally going to blow her mind… Err, actually maybe that can wait, she seemed kind of pissed. I can tell Kim though! She'll be really proud of me – I just know it! Me! An athlete! Wow… Tara sure is jiggly when she bounces up and down like that…_"
Tara caught Ron's wandering eye and blushed a healthy shade of pink.
"_Finally! He's looking at me!"_
It took all the self control that Tara could muster to not start shimmying right there in front of Ron and half of the track team. Instead she ducked her head down, leaning forward with her arms pushing forward certain "assets" so that he could get a better view.
"Ronnie…" she began coyly, "What are you thinking about?"
Ron was just about to respond when Glenn slapped him on the back.
"Joining the track team of course!" the older boy interjected.
The loud slap on his back snapped Ron out of his daze, much to the disappointment of Tara. The words that Glenn had said slowly began to sink into his head and he reluctantly tore his view away from Tara's chest and faced the track captain.
"Are you serious?" he asked.
Glenn nodded.
"You'll still have to make the first and second round of cuts, but we want you to start practicing with us. You've got a lot of raw talent Ron, but you still need to learn the technical side of the sport. I mean, really, that start was total crap…"
Ron pumped his head vigorously up and down in agreement.
"But we can work on that. So what do you say Stoppable?"
Ron, without a hint of hesitation in his voice, blurted out his agreement.
"Yes! Absolutely!"
Glenn broke out in a broad smile and slapped Ron on the back again.
"Awesome! See you at practice Stoppable!"
Ron smiled to himself as the older boy walked away back to where the track team had gathered. He had been very unsure about following Bonnie's advice, but now that he had his first real taste of success he felt himself sort of enjoying it. Ron had never thought of himself as an athlete, but now that it had become a real possibility he was starting to enjoy the idea.
"Tara?" Ron asked.
"Yes?" she replied.
"Do cheerleaders go to track meets?" he said in a dreamy voice.
Tara giggled. "Not usually Ron…"
Ron's face clouded up a little bit. He knew the answer to that question, but in the excitement he had forgotten. Still, Kim would probably come anyway…
At that moment the loud electronic bell sounded out from the school announcing the end of the free period and demanding that the students get back to their last hour of the day.
"Crap! Gotta get changed and back to class!" blurted out Ron as he ran towards the building.
"See ya Tara!"
Tara Strong just sighed as she started her own lonely walk back to the main school building. For some reason she felt that she had just missed a big opportunity, she didn't even get a chance to tell Ron what she had been thinking.
"_Maybe not all the cheerleaders Ron, but this one would show up…_"
-
Bonnie Rockwaller stalked the halls of Middleton High like a thundercloud preceding a storm. Her mind was a collection of jumbled thoughts as she passed through the faceless crowds emptying out of their classrooms and heading home for the day. A few of the girls in her "inner circle" waved to her, but she ignored them. No doubt they would now spend the entire evening wondering if Bonnie was about to cut the legs of their social standing out from underneath them. She even bumped into a flustered Ron Rieger, who dropped his books nearly right on top of her. Bonnie just ignored it and moved on, not even bothering with an insult or a withering look.
She was just too damn occupied to care.
She was just too damn upset to care.
She was just too damn confused to care.
"_That asshole! He says all these things to me… and then he flirts with other girls. He's just a lying jerk – I knew that already! I knew it! Why did I think it would be different this time?_"
Bonnie gritted her teeth – she hated this line of thinking. In fact, she had spent quite a bit of time, especially recently, trying to suppress it. It brought up memories that she was uncomfortable with and feelings that she had spent a long time trying to forget.
"_Forget it. Forget the entire thing. He's a loser, a jerk, an idiot, a bumbling fool. Don't let him get under your skin Bonnie! Just… go back to the plan._"
Bonnie slowed her stomping and came to a halt in front of her locker. She flipped it open and began to pack her bag for the trip home. She didn't really know when it had happened, but some time within the last three days she had pretty much abandoned the contrived notion that she was "helping Ron for Tara's sake" and in doing so had put some serious dents in a wall that she had spent years building. She had tried to ignore it as much as she possibly could, but today when Tara ran over to Ron she couldn't ignore the overwhelming jealousy that boiled under her skin. It was the final slap in the face that she needed in order to face the truth.
She didn't know how to deal with it.
"_I'll just set him up with Tara. Tara is super sweet, once she manages to get a hold of Ron he'll never look away…_"
Bonnie knew that this was true. Tara Strong, despite her seemingly ditzy nature, was a real keeper and while Ron might be somewhat oblivious about a lot of things, he also was quite possibly the most loyal person Bonnie had ever met. The way that he constantly hung around Kim Possible, like a puppy chasing after a bone, only served to underline the point. Bonnie felt that if she could transfer that dogged determination from Kim to someone else, then she would at last be able to strike a blow against Kim that she could never recover from. It would be a victory for Bonnie over her arch-rival, but try as she might she couldn't seem to muster up her normal level of enthusiasm for making Kim's life hell.
"_Right… Ron going out with Tara would really suck… for Kim. Once he's good and hooked I can tell Tara to cut him off if he doesn't drop Kimmie like a bad habit. Then he'll be all mine, not Kim's."_
Bonnie was in the process of dropping a book into her bag when that last thought hit, and it made her freeze up - the heavy text book slipping from her fingers and hitting the floor with a resounding thud.
"_No… all Tara's. Not mine. Tara's._"
Bonnie sighed and leaned down to fetch her book. Just as she was standing up a voice from behind her startled her.
"Hey Bonnie!"
It was Ron, and Bonnie did her best to growl out something insulting. However, all she could manage was a half hearted "harrumph."
"Did you hear? I got on the track team!" Ron said proudly.
Bonnie turned around to face Ron, pushing her locker closed with her shoulder.
"Ron… I was there", she said flatly.
Ron shrugged.
"Yeah, but you left before Glenn invited me to the team. I thought maybe, well, you'd like to know. After all, it was kind of your idea…" Ron let the sentence trail off. Bonnie was being difficult, as Bonnie was wont to do, but for some reason that Ron couldn't put his finger on, her normal front of resistance seemed… off.
"It was pretty obvious they were going to invite you. Your start was total crap, what was that about by the way, but once you got moving you were the fastest guy on the track – everyone could see that."
Ron just snorted. It seemed like everyone _but him_, had realized what he had did until it had been spelled out for him. He supposed that he was just so used to trying to measure up, but always coming up short, that unless he had some sort of obvious, tangible, proof of victory, he just assumed that he lost. He was just barely starting to realize that this maybe wasn't always the case.
"I was distracted…" Ron began, but then decided to switch gears, "Anyway, are we still on for the project tonight?"
Bonnie waited long seconds before she responded. Internally her brain was telling her to make some sort of excuse, but when it came time to open her mouth the words that came out seemed to contradict that sentiment.
"I guess", she said noncommittally.
Ron nodded.
"Same plan as before?" he asked, "Wait 10 minutes until after you've left and then meet up at your house?"
It was a rule that Bonnie had instituted at the beginning of their formal "partnership" in this limited endeavor. She felt bad when she had said it, she knew it must have been humiliating to Ron, but she also had to take steps to protect her place at the top of the school's food chain. Ron, for his part, if he was upset – didn't show it. He had just merely nodded at Bonnie, accepting that it was the price he would have to pay for her help. Still, deep down inside, Bonnie felt guilty about the entire deal.
It was probably why she just shrugged and said, "Whatever – let's just go", and then began to walk out of the school, leaving a slightly stunned and bemused Ron Stoppable to trail along behind her.
-
Unbeknownst to the two teens, a single figure had inadvertently witnessed their exchange and a pair of fierce emerald eyes tracked the both of them as they left the school. The look of puzzlement on the eavesdropper's face suddenly turned into one of concern and she began to walk towards her locker.
Kim didn't know exactly what Bonnie was up to, but she knew it had to be dirty and probably directed at her. With the relationship between her and Ron at an all time low, it seemed unlikely that she was going to be able to get any information out of him, so she decided instead to rely on the other member of Team Possible. Wade, after all, would be able to put the pair under electronic surveillance. Sure, he might complain a little bit, but she'd just have to explain to the young genius that what they were doing was for Ron's own good.
Kim was pretty sure she could handle anything that Bonnie threw at her, but she didn't want to see Ron get hurt in the process.
At least, that was what she was telling herself.
-
A/N:
Sorry for the huge delay in chapters. I moved from the USA to Australia (after moving from California to Michigan to Arizona in the year previously!) and I've been having problems getting back into the swing of things. I'm going to try to update more frequently from now on, but I also have a lot of ideas for other stories so we'll see which one hits me with that creative lightning bolt first.
As always, thank you for reading my story and please drop me a review to let me know what you think!
Cheers,
QC
11. Chapter 11
Chapter 11 – Close Encounters of the Awk-weird Kind. Part I.
-
Ron Stoppable bent over the long wooden bench and scooped up one of the last remaining clean towels from a pile that had been left there. He unfolded it roughly and brushed it across his face, his nose wrinkling from the caustic scent of the school district issued laundry detergent.
"_I suppose it smells clean… or at least something close to clean. Cleaning product, maybe?_"
He sighed outwardly, letting loose the pent up weariness from the track practice and slumped down against a locker. The last few days had taken a heavy toll on the young man and it was starting to show in all the usual ways. His body ached from a combination of steady physical exertion due to his new after school commitment to the track team and his eyelids felt heavy from a lack of sleep that could be directly attributed to both late night study sessions with Bonnie Rockwaller and his own increasingly futile attempts to dodge Yori's steadily escalating love-attacks. He knew that he was coming close to the limits of both his willpower and endurance.
Something was going to have to change before he folded like a house of cards.
"_I can't take much more of this. I need some sleep, I need a day off, I need Kim to stop being angry at me… Hell I need some nacos and twelve hours of Zombie Mayhem, maybe then I'll feel human again."_
Ron wasn't much for planning, but he also had never really been in a situation before that really required much in the way of a plan, or to be honest, thinking more than a couple hours ahead. Recently however that had begun to change, and while he was still struggling to adjust to the entire concept of having _responsibility_, he felt that for the first time in his life he was starting to get the hang of it.
He rubbed his eyes and turned towards his own personal locker, mentally ticking through the list he had been assembling over the last day.
"_Step 1: Solve the Yori sitch. Step 2: Make the track cut. Step 3: Make up with Kim. Step 4: Feed Eric to some monkeys. Step 5: BOO-YAH!"_
He threw the now used towel into a nearby laundry hamper, the end of the towel sliding precariously over the edge, and reached for his clothes.
His _new_ clothes.
Ron had been shopping. Gone now were his old baggy cargoes and the infamous red hockey jerseys and in their stead was a combination of simple blue jeans, white t-shirt and a black bowling shirt. He looked sideways at himself in the mirror that hung inside his locker and ran his fingers through his hair, momentarily pausing for effect, and then decided that for once what he saw really wasn't all _that_ bad.
Originally when Bonnie had gone after him about his style, or more specifically, his lack thereof, he had started to protest loudly. It wasn't that he didn't agree that _perhaps_ his choice in clothing was a bit dated, in fact, he actually agreed with Bonnie on that score. It was just that he still had bad memories from a certain haircut and the fallout that had ensued. He had reminded Bonnie of this, and then flat out said no to her on the clothes issue. Much to his surprise, Bonnie had just shrugged at him and said, "Whatever you want Ron."
It almost made his head explode.
Bonnie had really started to surprise Ron and he had often begun wondering if he had been perhaps a bit too judgmental about her. He begrudgingly admitted to himself that it wouldn't have been the first time that he had jumped to an unwarranted conclusion, yet despite Bonnie's apparent change of heart, he still had years of evidence to the contrary and it was hard to just dismiss it all. Oh, he had seen inklings of this slightly different Bonnie over the last couple of weeks, especially since the now notorious "Bueno Nacho Incident", but for some reason it seemed that the longer he spent time around Bonnie, the more she seemed to… tolerate him. Maybe even… like him?
"_It's an act Ron,_" he heard Kim's voice echo in his mind.
It had been, and still remained, a possibility, and one that Ron had contemplated on more than one occasion. Still, he often found himself doubting _which_ part of Bonnie Rockwaller's personality was _the act_ and which was her true self. He sadly lamented that he probably wasn't smart enough to figure it out.
In any case, Bonnie's acquiescence to his demand of "No new clothes" had thrown him for a loop. It wasn't exactly what he had been hoping for, such a sudden end to what he had been anticipating would be an epic confrontation of wills and truthfully he had been a little let down. Arguing with Bonnie was… kind of fun, he thought. Oh, not in the mean spirited way that they often fought with each other in public, but more in the challenging way that two friends might verbally spar with each other. The two of them had many disagreements over the last few days, but for some reason Bonnie Rockwaller never accepted Ron's lame excuses or allowed him to divert the conversation in attempts to distract her. She had both a single minded focus and her own opinions about what was good for Ron and she made no bones about letting him know it.
The two of them had been walking through the Upperton mall, one of the few public places that Bonnie would allow herself to be seen with Ron since it was unlikely that any of their classmates would be around, when this exchange had taken place and Ron recalled how her words had brought him up short. He planted his feet and turned to her.
"What do you mean, 'Whatever'?" He had asked, a slight hint of irritation in his voice.
Bonnie in turn had just shrugged.
"Whatever, whatever,"she stated bluntly.
There was an awkward moment of silence and then the two of them resumed walking at a slower pace.
Ron's thoughts were jumbled around in his head and he spoke the first words that came to his mind.
"It's not like you to just give up like that!"
"Oh really?" Bonnie responded, feigning surprise.
Ron fumed for a second. Part of him suspected that Bonnie was up to some sort of trick, some sort of smart person trick, the kind of trick that Ron knew he was ill-equipped to figure out.
"You don't like my clothes," he stated flatly.
"Whatever gave you that idea Ron?" She said sweetly.
Ron, despite his normal goofy demeanor, was beginning to lose his cool. It was odd how he could shrug off insults from villains, bullies, even his best friend, like water rolling off a duck's back, yet when he was talking to Bonnie like this she could get under his skin in less than six seconds. The girl had _skills_, Ron had to give her that.
"No one likes my clothes."
Bonnie shrugged, followed by another lingering moment of silence, before she spoke.
"Do you like them?"
"They're comfy." Ron replied.
"Comfortable clothes are easy to find, you just have to look."
Bonnie had brought their slow amble to halt so that she could look into the window of the Upperton mall's branch of Club Banana. Ron thought he knew what was coming next, so he decided to nip it in the bud.
"I am _not_ shopping at Club Banana. It's the same stuff that they sell at Smarty Mart, only marked up like a billion percent!" he sneered.
"Ok." Bonnie said.
The retort that Ron had planned to Bonnie's inevitable comeback died on his lips.
"_Dammit! What is she up to?_" Ron thought to himself as he thrust his hands deep into the pockets of his cargo pants.
There were rules to these kind of things. She would badger him, he would deflect. She would get insistent, maybe even pedantic, and he would obfuscate. She would get frustrated, he would drop a non sequitur so profound it would act like an amnesia inducing bomb and the entire interaction would be forgotten. These were the rules. Kim always played by the rules, why wouldn't Bonnie?
"I'm serious. It's all over priced," he said, sounding more than a little bit lost.
Bonnie slowly tore her eyes away from the impeccable Club Banana window display and started to walk way. Ron didn't notice it at the time, but she had gently latched herself ontohis arm and started to lead him through the mall.
"You like Smarty-Mart, don't you?" she asked innocently.
Ron nodded, "Yes…"
A subtle smile crept across the picture perfect lips of Bonnie Rockwaller. If Ron had been more observant he would have realized that he was about to be played… big time.
"There are… good deals there. Good value. Right Ron?"
Ron was momentarily distracted by the scent of baking pretzels as they narrowly worked their way through the food court. They hadn't eaten lunch yet and a Ron with an empty stomach was an easily distracted Ron.
"Right Ron?" Bonnie repeated.
"Uh… yeah, good value." Ron echoed in a low blood sugar induced daze.
"And the clothes… They're completely the same as Club Banana, right?" Bonnie cast these last few words about like an angler going for the big catch.
Ron took the bait.
"Absolutely!" he said by way of automatic response. There were very few things that could cause Ron Stoppable to be distracted from imminent hunger, but it just so happened that his love of all things Smarty-Mart was one of them.
"It's such a scam Bonnie! Did you know that both stores are owned by the same company?" Ron began his patented consumerist rant while Bonnie feigned surprise at his words.
"Really?"
"Yep! All they do is slap a Club Banana label on it and then mark it up to high heaven."
Bonnie nodded in agreement with Ron, while subtly maneuvering him towards her intended destination.
"Some people, like a certain cheerleader who shall remain nameless, refuse to face the facts that they are being ripped off. Some people on the internet even call it a conspiracy, but not me! The way I see it, it's just a tax on fashion snobs. Those poor, poor, deluded sheep…"
Ron's voice trailed off as he looked up, finally realizing where they were.
"Hey… we're here…" Ron said with a hint of suspicion as he looked up at the familiar mortar board capped visage of the Smarty-Mart mascot.
Bonnie chuckled internally to herself and cast her line.
"Hey Ron? Aren't those pants the _same ones_ that I just saw at Club Banana?" She said, while pointing to a large rack of clothing near the entrance of the store.
Ron's eyes narrowed as he stared at the articles in question. Something inside him snapped and a powerful feeling of _vindication_ swept over him as he realized that for perhaps the first time in his life, he was about to prove to someone that he was right. True to Ron-form, he immediately became swept up in the moment.
"Yes! See that's exactly what I'm talking about! Look at these…" Ron marched off in the direction of the circular clothing rack, leaving a grinning Bonnie Rockwaller to follow in his wake.
The poor boy had taken the bait all she needed to do now was reel him in.
Even now, as Ron finished doing up the last button on his new shirt, he wondered exactly _how_ he had managed to leave Smarty-Mart approximately two hours later with an empty wallet and a new wardrobe. Simply put, in his mind, Bonnie Rockwaller was quite likely the most dangerous woman alive. Sure, Shego could fry you on the spot, DNAmy would mutate you if she got the chance, and Kim could break you apart with 16 different styles of kung-fu, but to his knowledge Bonnie Rockwaller was the only person in the whole world who could make your own brain work against you.
"_It was like some sort of girl Jedi mind trick. No, Ron, these are not the pants you are looking for._"
Ron shook that disturbing thought from his head as he made his way out of the locker room and towards the now abandoned halls of Middleton High. School had been out for a couple hours now and the only people still lurking around were other athletes or people who had bizarre after school club commitments that Ron could never understand. Why join a club to stay after school? It was absolute madness.
"_It's not like she really tricked me. Sure, I was hungry and probably not thinking quite straight but honestly… I kind of enjoyed it. It was actually fun and it was kind of nice to have a woman's opinion. Bonnie definitely knows her stuff too. I probably would have started dressing nicer ages ago if Kim would have helped me out._"
Ron snorted at the inherent irony of his last thought. Kim Possible was the girl who could do anything, except it seemed, enter a discount retailer. It wasn't that Ron hadn't _tried_ to get her to see the splendors of Smart-Mart's unique brand of value shopping; it was just that Kim, for whatever reason, avoided the place like the plague. He supposed that he understood, after all, Kim did have a reputation to uphold…
But then again, so did Bonnie.
"_Am I slow or what? Bonnie… BONNIE ROCKWALLER went into Smarty-Mart with me. She didn't even ask me to keep it a secret. What the… Why? Why would she do that?_"
Ron stepped out of the wide double doors at the front of the school, the cooling afternoon air caressing his face and banishing away his thoughts for a moment. He stood there for a few seconds, merely just basking in the fading sunlight and looking across the treetops towards the sky.
"_She… she doesn't? Does she?_"
Ron started to walk down the sidewalk towards his house, his feet following a familiar path, but his thoughts wandering down corridors that he had previously left unexplored.
Three words. Three little words. He had said them with abandon and without a thought to whom he was actually saying them to. Oh, how they had come back to haunt him.
"_I love you._"
Three tiny, single syllable words. Insignificant in the course of grammar, profound in the depth of English language, he had said them, in a darkened room to a cornered Bonnie Rockwaller. Three words that expressed exactly how he felt. Three words that laid bare his soul and heart. Three little words.
Three little words that he had said to the wrong woman.
Ron groaned as he rounded the corner towards the street that he and Kim lived on, its familiar shady trees playing shadow puppets on the sidewalk and across his body as he stared face down at the sidewalk, an intense mask of concentration on his face. His eyes focused on the tiny cracks and flaws in the concrete path, on the twigs and errant leaves that he trod upon. Slowly, the stubborn gears in his mind started to turn and he began to recall the events of the last couple of weeks with more clarity than he had known he possessed. For the first time, conversations and events that he had ignored or glossed over with blithe inattentiveness were starting to make sense.
For the first time in weeks, Ron Stoppable had actually begun to get a clue about what was happening in his life.
Sort of.
"_Boy have I really misjudged Bonnie. After what I did to her in that closet, she's still going out of her way to help me get together with Kim. Of course, the worst thing is that I didn't even apologize to her! Heck, neither one of us has mentioned the closet or the next day at Bueno Nacho… She must be really embarrassed. _"
Without realizing it, Ron passed Kim's house, and he stopped for a moment to gaze at the domicile that he had often considered his second home and the residence of the one girl in the world that he was utterly devoted to. His relationship with Kim, or sudden lack thereof, weighed heavily on his mind these days. He knew, deep down inside, that he wasn't good enough for the 'girl who could do anything'. It wasn't that he felt he was totally inadequate to be around Kim, that much was obvious since they had been practically inseparable for over a decade. Ron had this feeling that if Kim was a planet, then he was a satellite, eternally circling around her orbit, but never quite managing to touch.
When he was a kid, he hadn't realized this fact, but he felt this was owed to the constraints upon relationships that children had. Hanging out, playing together, running around and being silly, were just not in the same ballpark as such mysterious teenage past times such as 'dating'. He wasn't trying to denigrate the bond that he and Kim had formed over the years, but he found it increasingly difficult as he got older to ignore the facts of the situation. Regrettably, part of the process of growing into adulthood is dealing with the increasing categorization of your life and the reduced possibilities that this entailed. Kim, or so Ron believed, might actually be the one person able to defy such a fate, but Ron wasn't so sure about himself.
For instance, at the age of seventeen, Ron Stoppable was quite sure that he'd never be President, he'd never be a famous musician, or an actor, or an athlete, or even anything more mundane, but equally prestigious, like a lawyer or a doctor. It wasn't that he was completely incapable; it was just that he had taken a long cold look at not only his abilities but the limitations of his own personality. To be blunt, he just wasn't suited for excellence.
He was fine with that.
Kim on the other hand, really wasn't. She never raged at Ron, even when she had cause to and she had done her best to humor some of his more outlandish detours into weirdness or to encourage him when he was capable, but lacking in desire to succeed, but all those things aside, Ron had learned amongst the shifting emotional sandstorms of his emerging maturity that there was a _big_ difference between dealing with a friend's failings and… a boyfriend's.
There were differences all right and the revelation felt like an arrow stabbing him in the heart.
Still, despite all this, despite knowing that he had a snowball's chance in hell, Ron soldiered on. It was, after all, in his nature; he had never given up on KP, not once in his life, and now that he was certain that he wanted to be with her _forever_ he wasn't going to give up now. Things still looked grim, with Yori's ever present hovering on his mind, with Kim herself not speaking to Ron these days and with this newest revelation that he was quite possibly, unintentionally at least, taking Bonnie's friendship for granted…
He knew that he needed to get help. He needed someone to talk to, to sort out his feelings and to work out a plan. Who could he approach? His father was hopeless; he was still trying to marry Ron off to Yori for some unknown reason. Monique would be no good; she was Kim's friend more than Ron's. Bonnie recently had been a bastion of support for Ron, but now he was afraid that he had accidentally ruined their burgeoning friendship and didn't feel comfortable turning to her. Kim, of course, would normally be his first choice but given the circumstances, was entirely out of the question. Who then? Felix perhaps? Ron shook his head. Felix was Ron's second oldest friend and a great listener, but he ruefully admitted that Felix wasn't a major hit with the ladies; owing more to the fact that he spent most of his time glued to Zombie Mayhem and not other, more obvious, limitations.
Ron sighed and tried to direct his thoughts down another avenue before he started to consider asking Ned for advice. That, he resolved, would be the first and last sign that he had gone totally insane. Ron hesitated for a long minute outside of the Possible residence and then began to turn towards his own home. He wanted to make up with Kim, to at least, be friends again, but he knew that so long as the Yori situation wasn't cleared up, he didn't have much chance of that happening.
"_Ok then, it's obvious. The first step is to figure out some way to get Yori to admit that we are not married. She'll be a tough nut to crack, too tough probably – she is a ninja after all. Dad on the other hand…_"
Ron felt, nay, Ron _knew_ that his father was involved somehow. He couldn't prove it, and the old man had been avoiding talking about it, but it didn't take a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon to figure out that Gene Stoppable, former actuary and current vice president, was at the very best, hiding a terrible secret from his family, and more importantly, from Ron.
"_That's it. I'm going to target the old man and give him both barrels. This has got to end and if he doesn't back down, then I'll take Bonnie's advice. I don't want to, but I'm not going to let anyone, even my own family, decide my life for me anymore._"
Ron puffed his chest out as he walked with determined footsteps towards the Stoppable residence. He knew that if he was going to make good on his threat that he would have to harden his heart and risk not only the wrath, but the alienation of his parents. He needed his life back and he needed it now.
-
Kim Possible flittered about her upper story bedroom like a hyperactive butterfly as she prepared for her evening rendezvous with Eric, her boyfriend. The two teens had been seeing quite a bit of each other recently, even more so now that she and Ron were on the outs, and tonight was no exception.
She felt a small pang of guilt whenever she thought of Ron and how she had treated him the last time they had spoke. Kim had known by the hangdog expression that the normally jovial boy had worn that their estrangement had been taking a heavy toll on him and in truth she felt more than a little responsible. She knew that she had overreacted, but knowing it and doing something about it were two entirely separate things.
"_This is Ron we're talking about… he's clueless, but nice, and this whole sitch can't really be his entire fault… could it?"_
Kim shuffled through an assortment of bottles on her vanity, looking for the perfect shade of either lip gloss, or eye liner, she couldn't decide. Eric had called only a half an hour before and while Kim was _thrilled_ to be going out with her hunky new boyfriend, she hadn't planned on doing anything at all tonight – so she was more than a little unprepared.
Suddenly, she remembered something.
"_That's not true I guess… I was going to call Ron._"
Kim didn't know where that voice had come from and it's soft, yet startling clarity made her pause while she rummaged through her cosmetics. She looked up at the mirror, focused on her own piercing green eyes and tried to discern where that seemingly random thought had originated from.
"_I meant to make up with him today, didn't I? I was going to call him and invite him out to Bueno Nacho and we were going to sit down and talk about…Yori and…"_
Kim could barely force herself to think it.
"… _and Bonnie fucking Rockwaller."_
Kim didn't even hear the sound of her favorite eyeliner snapping in two as she fumed with impotent rage at her school rival and nemesis. Bonnie, it seems, had had it out for her since day one, since the cheer leading tryouts even, and no matter what Kim did, no matter how many times she turned the other cheek, Bonnie was dead set on trying to ruin everything that was good in her life. Kim honestly didn't know how much longer she could put up with the constant plots and insults that Bonnie subjected her to, but she did know two things – Ron would _never_ pick Bonnie over her, and Bonnie was going to _pay_ if she hurt Ron.
"_God! What am I doing? I need to call Ron and talk some sense into him. Whatever it is that Bonnie's been planning, she's just going to use him up and throw him away. I need to…_"
Kim's mental tirade was cut short by the sound of her mother's voice rising up the stairs from the living room.
"Kim! Eric's here!"
Kim's hand that had been reaching for her phone suddenly froze and all thoughts of Ron Stoppable, Bonnie Rockwaller and her insidious plots were banished from her mind. She looked down at her hand and the remains of pencil she had broken and swore silently.
"_That was my favorite! Eric's here and I'm not even close to being ready!_"
Kim began to panic and the upper register of her voice cracked when she hollered back to her mom that she was going to be just "one more minute". Busily, she started to primp and preen in front of the mirror, her eyes occasionally glancing over to her Kimmunicator and wondering if she had the time to place a single call…
"_I'll do it after my date. I hate to say it, but Ron can wait a little bit longer. He's not going anywhere._"
Kim had decided a long time ago that Ron Stoppable was more or less a permanent fixture in her life. The idea that there would ever be some sort of deadline or window of opportunity to make peace with him was a concept so alien to her that it didn't even enter into her mind, despite the fact that she knew that Bonnie Rockwaller was actively trying to get in between them. It was either her absolute faith in Ron's loyalty, or her own emerging arrogance that caused her to quickly pick up her Kimmunicator and place it into her handbag without placing the call that she knew she should have.
Ron, after all, had always waited for her. She felt very sure at that moment that he always would.
With a coy gesture, Kim tilted her head up so that the light hanging from her ceiling illuminated her features. She cast a careful eye over the work she had done with her limited amount of time and then with a satisfied smirk, pronounced it, "Good enough".She and Eric were supposed to go to a movie tonight anyway, so it wasn't like her face had to be absolutely _impeccable_.
"Kim!" her mother's voice came from downstairs.
"Coming!" she rejoined as she quickly spun around to join her boyfriend downstairs. Immediately she heard a crash that was preceded by a tug on her purse. The sound caused her to jump a little bit. Looking backwards, Kim noticed that she had accidentally caught her hand bag on one of the pictures that adorned her bureau. Sighing to herself and placing her bag on her bed, Kim squatted down carefully to retrieve the framed photo. It was a picture of her and Ron, one of her favorites, from when they were children.
Without warning Kim was caught up in a wave of nostalgia and for a moment it seemed like she was about to avoid making one of the worst mistakes of her life. Unfortunately however, her boyfriend's voice carried into the air…
"Kim, we're going to be late for the movie!"
Kim looked at the photo for a second, and then made a snap decision.
"_Sigh. I'm going to have to get a new frame. Not tonight though, I have a date to go on first!"_
Kim set the picture down where it had fallen from, not even noticing that she had appropriately set it face down.
-
Yori put the interminable bane of her existence, better known as her U.S. History textbook, back into her school bag and breathed a sigh of relief. Yamanouchi, besides training ninjas, had quite the rigorous academic curriculum, but unfortunately for Yori, the history they taught there tended to be more of the local variety. She was thankful that Steve Barkin generally taught from the book instead of relying upon students to actually _remember_ material that they had previously learned because as it was, she was just barely getting by.
Heck, she had at one point even asked _Ron's_ help with her homework. She giggled at that thought – it wasn't that Ron was dumb, far from it actually; it was just that he only showed his true genius when it came to things that interested him and it seemed that most of his school classes _didn't _fall into this category. Yori wasn't surprised by this actually, she had often mused that the most brilliant of men were often bored and not interested in the mundane topics that filled the days and lives of common people. When it came to Ron Stoppable, Yori was utterly certain that his genius would be tied to his destiny and she wanted more than anything to be a part of it.
With a long sigh, Yori flopped backwards onto the enormous bed that she had placed in the room that she now shared with Ron. It was easily big enough for four people, but she lamented that it had never seen more than one resident at a time. Sadly she noted that Ron's sleeping bag and pillows were still located in the corner of the bedroom where they had been placed the first night she had shown up.
"_I knew this was going to be hard, but I didn't know it would be impossible!"_
She didn't understand why Ron kept avoiding her advances. Certainly it wasn't because he didn't find her attractive – she had done more than enough testing of that theory with her impromptu displays of semi-nudity and total disregard for knocking before entering bathrooms. No, there was something else here, some other _thing_ that was keeping the two teenagers apart, and try as she might, Yori was no closer now than she had been when she arrived at solving this thorny problem.
"_I'm running out of time, if I don't get Ron-san to agree to come back with me to Japan then I will have to…_"
A sob started to well in her throat and she found herself unable to complete the thought. Instead she closed her eyes tightly and attempted to fight back the tears that she felt building whenever her mind turned to the circumstances under which she had left her homeland. She knew that it was unfair of her to put this burden on Ron, but she also felt that it was for the best, for both him and her. Certainly it was part of Ron's destiny as the Chosen One to someday run the Yamanouchi clan, if it came now or later it would not make much difference in the long run, but for _now_, in the short term, it could make a world of difference. There were forces at play in the corners of the shadowy politics of the ninja clan that even Yori as an insider was barely able to comprehend, but she knew bad road when she saw it. Ron, she had surmised, could save them all.
"_He will come around. I have to believe that he will. I will do whatever I have to, I will be the best, most perfect, obedient wife on the planet if he would only come with me. It would be better if he would make this choice on his own, but I will do whatever I must, sacrifice whatever I must and eventually I will win Ron-san's heart. He will come to love me, I know he will, he's too kind not to."_
Yori clung to these thoughts like a sailor to the rails in the midst of a tempest. They were the only things that made the pain and indecision about her current mission tolerable and without them she knew that her spirit would be crushed in defeat. The rejection that she had been suffering so far at the hands of Ron had taken it's toll on her, but she at least held out hope that things would improve eventually if only she could just get him to see how dedicated she was to him.
How dedicated she was to the Chosen One.
These thoughts occupied her mind when her acute hearing picked up the sound of the front door to the Stoppable house opening. She knew that Ron's parents, Gene and Meryl, were already accounted for, so the only other person who could possibly be arriving unannounced would be Ron. A quirky little smile graced her otherwise elegant lips and she bounced up from the bed, intent on running down to welcome Ron home. Perhaps, she hoped, tonight would be the night they finally made some progress.
"_There's always a chance. Fight Yori! Gambate!_" she thought to herself as she nimbly traversed down the second storey stairs.
Yori poked her head around the corner of the stairway entrance and glanced into the foyer and was surprised to see it empty. Usually when Ron came home, the first thing he did was throw his book bag on the floor and walk over to the couch to watch T.V. In fact, this was the only time that she could remember in the last couple of weeks where he had broken that routine. She wondered if perhaps he had been hungry and gone to the kitchen for a snack and was just about to walk off in that direction when she heard muffled talking from the far end of the living room.
Yori slowly walked closer and she realized that the sound was coming from the door that separated the main house from the Stoppable's garage. As she approached, the voices started to become clearer.
"_How come you keep trying to change the subject?_" came the first voice. Yori instantly knew it was Ron.
"_I'm not doing anything of the sort son. I'm just saying that there are things going on here that you don't understand and they'll take time to fix…_" The second voice was obviously Ron's father.
"_Well, why don't you make me understand? I'm sick of getting the push off on this every time I try to talk to you and mom about this!"_ Ron was shouting now, and Yori didn't have to struggle as much to hear him.
"_Ronald! Just put up with it for a little while longer and I promise you we'll clear the situation up._"
There was a sound from the garage, like a trashcan being kicked and some low muttering that Yori was unable to make out.
"_That's it! I've had it! I can't wait any longer on this; it's ruining my life__**now**_!"
"_There's no need to be melodramatic. Is it really that bad? She's a very sweet and pretty girl. You know Ronald if I was your age…_"
Gene's voice was immediately cut off by Ron who practically bellowed at his father.
"_Why don't you, or mom, or Kim get it? I don't care! I'm not in love with Yori! I've never been in love with Yori and I never WILL be in love with Yori!"_
Yori had been pressing her ear to the door so as to eavesdrop on the two men and when she had heard Ron's pronouncement that he would never love her, she found herself feeling as if she had just been kicked in the chest, directly over the heart to be exact. She had known that Ron was resistant to the idea of being with her, but she had never dreamed that she would hear words like that coming out of his mouth. She had tried so hard, sacrificed so much for his sake and for the sake of Yamanouchi, only to hear him say that he would never love her…
She crumpled to the floor in a heap, her legs folding under her as she leaned against the door. Ron and his father were still talking, but for some reason Yori couldn't make out what they were saying. To her, their voices sounded like they were talking under water. She didn't even notice it when her breath started to become shallow and the sound of the conversation in the next room was replaced by a ringing in her ears. She wrapped her arms around her chest and huddled there on the floor for long minutes as she tried to put the pieces of her world back together.
Unfortunately, she had no idea where to start.
-
Gene Stoppable clutched his right arm in a vice like grip. He was a man that didn't yell often and in fact he prided himself on his level headed demeanor, but the truth was this wasn't so much a natural personality trait of his as much as it was dictated by the nature of his diagnosed heart disease. Already he could feel the numbness and the pain building up inside him and he fumbled around in his pocket for a small metal canister that contained his heart medication.
Gene swallowed the tiny blue pill and then leaned against his car, trying to both catch his breath and calm his nerves. He knew that his son was right, that what he was currently doing to the boy was nearly unforgivable, but he hadn't expected Ron to be so… forceful about it. Until this moment Gene had always considered Ron to be _his_ son, in both temperament and demeanor and now he was more than a little shocked to discover that the boy had evidently picked up some of his wife Meryl's fiery temper.
"_I need to sort this out as soon as I can. Even if it means losing my job, that's still far better than alienating my son, my wife and even hurting that poor girl's feelings. Lord, I never expected Ronald to threaten going to the police. Child protective services? I guess he's right – he's a minor and the whole thing is so shady that it'll be picked apart in seconds._"
Gene started to feel his pulse slowing back down to normal and he reached into his shirt to pull out a triangle folded handkerchief that he often used to wipe the perspiration from his forehead. He had never seen his boy so angry before and while he was still surprised, he had to admit that in some ways he was a little glad. One of his major concerns in his life had been that his boy was a little bit too docile for his own good, almost to the point of being a house pet instead of a young man. He supposed it was to be expected, what with the way that he always followed around that Possible girl. It wasn't that Gene thought that Kim was a bad influence on Ron, quite the opposite actually; it was just that her personality was so overpowering that Ron's own development would be stunted.
"_Well, I suppose that's a concern that I can forget about!_"
Gene rubbed his eyes a couple of times, languidly allowing his hand to brush across his face and then replaced his handkerchief in his pocket. He felt sufficiently calm now and he knew that he needed to keep his blood pressure under control for the imminent confrontation with his wife. He was sure that Meryl would be supportive of Ron's position, but he also knew that she was going to be less than thrilled when he informed her that it could quite likely cost him his job.
He steeled his nerves and approached the door leading back into the house. Just as his hand reached for the doorknob he thought that he heard a sound on the other side, but when he opened it, he found no one there.
"Odd." He spoke aloud to no one in particular as he went to find his wife and face the music.
-
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It took me quite a bit longer to write than I had anticipated, but I was feeling that my story was losing its way so I made a resolution to tighten up the plot a bit so that we could see some forward momentum here. From now on the installments should feature a lot more progression and definite resolutions with a couple of new story elements being introduced in the next couple of chapters.
Also, I would like to thank everyone who nominated my story, Ron Stoppable: Ultimate Monkey Master for a Fannie award. For those of you who do not know what a Fannie is, I suppose you can think of it as the Oscars for Kim Possible fan fiction writers. My story is up for three awards, **Best Story Overall**, **Best Novel-Sized** and **Best Action/Adventure**. If you haven't read this story please check out my profile where you will find not only a link to the story, but also links to the Fannie polls where you can vote for me if you so choose!
Once again, thanks to each and every one of you for reading and for your comments on my work (I love getting reviews!) and especially for the Fannie nomination.
Cheers,
QC
PS: Special thanks to**Noobfish** for pre-reading this chapter and helping me make it semi-presentable to you guys. If my writing is improving, then you have him to thank.
End file.
| fanfiction |
Molar Heat capacities
Molar Heat capacity is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one mole of a substance by unit amount. As my textbook mentions the molar heat capacity of an ideal gas depends only upon temperature.(that too can also be neglected being almost negligible). So, it is a property of the material to a large extent. That means it must be independent of pressure and volume. Next, it defines Cv and Cp i. e molar heat capacity at constant volume and pressure. According to me Cv at all volumes=Cp at all pressures=molar heat capacity of the substance since Cv and Cp both are essentially heat capacities and they depend on what the substance is. But this is not the case. Do that implies heat capacity has some sort of dependency on pressure and volume?
If that is the case then why do Cv values of same substance at different volume are equal since the formula of Cv has nothing to do with volume.(Depends upon degree of freedom which must be same at all volumes)
Assume the gas to be ideal and monotomic.
In theory the specific heat capacity of a mole of gas can have any value between $-\infty$ and $+\infty$ depending on the heat transfer in/out of the gas and the work done by/on the gas.
The defining equation for specific heat capacity is $Q=n\,C\,\Delta T$ where $Q$ is the heat transferred, $n$ is the number of moles of gas, $C$ is specific heat capacity of the gas and $\Delta T$ is the change in temperature of the gas.
The first law of thermodynamics $\Delta U = Q -W$ where $\Delta U$ is the change in internal energy of the gas, $Q$ is the heat transferred into the gas and $W$ is the work done by the gas shows that you can change the internal energy of the gas, which is dependent on the temperature of the gas, by an infinite number of permutations of $Q$ and $W$ thus allowing there to be an infinite number of specific heat capacities of a gas.
In practice for convenience the specific heat capacity is defined; at constant volume ie $W=0$ and then $\Delta U = Q$ and at constant pressure ie $W=P\Delta V$ where $\Delta V$ is the change in volume of the gas and then $\Delta U = Q-P\Delta V$.
As an example one could compress a gas in a chamber which allows no heat in or out of the chamber.
Work is done on the gas and so its temperature rises with no transfer of heat and the specific heat capacity of the gas is zero, $0=n\,C\, \Delta T$.
Another example might be of a gas which is being heated at a certain rate and the gas is doing work at the same rate ie $Q=W$.
There is no change in the internal energy of the gas $\Delta U = Q-W =0$ and so the gas does not change its temperature so the gas has an infinite specific heat capacity, $Q = n\,C\, 0$.
>
> why do Cv values of same substance at different volume are equal since the formula of Cv has nothing to do with volume
>
>
>
Because if all else is equal (temperature and pressure) the number of moles of gas depends on the volume of the gas so if you have twice the volume of gas you have twice the number of moles but the value of the specific heat capacity of the gas has not changed even though twice the amount of heat is required to change the temperature of the gas by the same amount.
You were correct in saying that the heat capacities at constant volume and constant pressure are supposed to be physical properties of the material. However, in thermodynamics, the heat added to the system Q depends on the path of the process, so how can heat capacity depend on path if it is also supposed to be independent of path? In thermodynamics, we overcome this dilemma by modifying the definition of the heat capacity slightly. Instead of relating it to the heat Q, we relate it to the internal energy U and the enthalpy H, both of which are properties of the material (state properties), and not of the process path. So now $$C\_v=\frac{1}{n}\left(\frac{\partial U}{\partial T}\right)\_V$$and$$C\_p=\frac{1}{n}\left(\frac{\partial H}{\partial T}\right)\_P$$ These new definitions reduce to the definition we learned earlier (in terms of Q) if the process path is at constant volume ($C\_v$) or constant pressure ($C\_p$). However, they are also much more general and apply to any arbitrary process paths.
To state this all more categorically, these definitions of both heat capacities apply at all pressures and volumes.
For the special case of an ideal gas, $$dH=nC\_pdT=dU+d(PV)=nC\_vdT+nRdT=n(C\_v+R)dT$$Therefore, $$C\_p=C\_v+R$$So, $C\_v$ and $C\_p$ are not even the same for this simplest of cases. Only for the case of an incompressible fluid are $C\_v$ and $C\_p$ equal.
| stackexchange/physics |
Yun Chi-Young Korea:윤치영, hanja:尹致暎, February 10, 1898 February 9, 1996 was an independence activist and politician, diplomat of South Korea. He was first Interior Minister 1948, 2nd Republic of Korea Ambassador to French 1950 to 1951, 1st, 2nd and 3rd the National Assembly of South Korea. 13th Mayor of Seoul 1963 to 1966. He was Yun Bo-seon's younger half-uncle, and politician and independence activist Yun Chi-ho's younger cousin. Yun Bo-seon is his second brother Yun Chi-So's son. His pen name is Dongsan 동산.
Life
uncle of Yun Bo-seon, fourth President of South Korea. Chi-young was long time to Entourage and secretary of Syngman Rhee, first president of South Korea. He was their young man's was to help collect Syngman Rhee's independent Activities. he was extreme anti-Japanese activist, political messiah worship.
After returning home, he was secretary of Syngman Rhee, August 1948 and December 1948 Interior Minister of South Korea, Ambassador to UN Dispatch. When 1951 he was 2nd Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in France 주프랑스 한국 공사 to 1952.
19481956 he was lost Lee Ki-poong and the fight, following. After year he was 3 years old professor teaching. After May 16, 1961, Park Chung-Hee was the military coup. He after approved of Park Chung-Hee.
December 17, 1963, to March 30, 1966, Mayor of Seoul. In 1968, he advised Park Chung-Hee, social security authorities for long time. He fought his nephew Yun Bo-seon, and he was followed to Park Chung-Hee.
See also
American University
Syngman Rhee
Park Chung-hee
Yun Bo-seon
Seo Jae-pil
Yun Chi-ho
Chinilpa
Yun Chi-Oh
Heo Jeong
Chang Myon
Kim Seong Su
External links
Yun Chi-Young Republic of Korea National Assembly - Profile
윤치영 Korea
Hepyung Yun's Family Site
Category:1898 births
Category:1996 deaths
Category:People from Seoul
Category:People from South Chungcheong Province
Category:Mayors of Seoul
Category:Government ministers of South Korea
Category:Waseda University alumni
Category:American University alumni
Category:South Korean anti-communists
Category:Korean educators
Category:Yun Chi-ho
Category:Kim Kyu-sik
Category:Park Chung-hee
Category:Korean religious leaders
Category:South Korean Methodists
Category:Democratic Party South Korea politicians
Category:Liberal Party South Korea politicians
Category:Democratic Justice Party politicians
Category:South Korean Presbyterians
Category:Members of the National Assembly South Korea | wikipedia |
polymethyl methacrylate ( pmma ) is considered to be the most commonly used material in the field of prosthodontics .
it has achieved great success when used for denture base because it is simple in manufacturing , economical , and light in weight .
however , one of the drawbacks of pmma acrylic resin denture base is the low strength , including low impact strength and low fatigue strength.12 many trials have been done to improve the strength of acrylic denture bases with the use of metal wires and cast metal plates.34 the main drawback with adding metal wire is weak bond between the wire and resin , which leads to insignificant change of mechanical properties .
although metal plates are expected to increase the strength , they are expensive and liable to corrosion.34 other trials have been also done to strengthen acrylic resin materials with either chemical modification with grafted co - polymers and stronger cross linkage or by introducing various organic and inorganic reinforcing fibers into them .
metal , kevlar , glass , sapphire , polyester , carbon graphite , and rigid polyethylene are substances used for fiber strengthening.1456 although the inclusion of the fibers produced encouraging results , this method has various problems including tissue irritation , increased production time , difficulties in handling , the need for precise orientation and placement , and bonding of the fibers within the resin.7 in the case of metal inserts , failure due to stress concentration around the embedded inserts has been reported.8 the incorporation of ceramic particles in various dental materials has been studied and found to be biocompatible and improving mechanical properties.910111213 in addition , due to itswhite color , ceramic powder is not expected to compromise aesthetic appearances .
1415 however , reinforcement methods should not have undesirable effects on the mechanical properties of denture materials .
the roughness of acrylic resin surfaces is a critical property because surface irregularities increase the possibility of the retention of microbes on the denture surface after its cleaning.1617 another property that can have an effect on the surface properties of acrylic resins is the hardness , which is an indication of the simplicity in finishing the material and its resistance to in - service scratching.18 the halloysite ( al2si2o5(oh)42h2o ) differs from micron - sized fibers / whiskers as it is formed of nano - sized crystals ( tubes ) . the halloysite nanotube ( hnt )
1920 halloysite has many advantages over many other nano - sized fillers ( such as carbon nanotubes / nanofibers ) since it is a naturally occurring mineral and is easy to purify .
accordingly , hnts are present in plenty amounts and are economical.21 additionally , halloysite is harmless , biocompatible , and can be simply processed.1921 the diameters of hnts are approximately in tens of nanometers , and the lengths are in the range from ~200 nm to 1 - 2 m.20 the chemical properties of the outer surface of hnts are close to sio2 , while those of the inner surface are close to al2o3 .
nano - sized crystals of hnts have a high degree of structural perfection and the related superior mechanical properties ; for example , the young 's modulus of hnts is expected to be in the range of 230 - 340 gpa , which is very close to that of imogolite nanotubes.2223 furthermore , halloysite has a unique characteristic as it is quite easy to be split into separate hnts and to be evenly distributed in dental matrices .
this is different from layered silicates ( such as montmorillonite ) , which are difficult to completely peel into nano - sized silicate layers and to uniformly spread in dental matrices .
the splitting is due to much larger distance between clustered hnts in halloysite than that between silicate layers in montmorillonite .
accordingly , the interactions between hnts is significantly lower than those between silicate layers in montmorillonite.24 therefore , this study aims to investigate the effect of incorporating hnts into pmma resin on the resin 's mechanical properties regarding flexural strength , hardness , and young 's modulus .
the null hypothesis was that hnts addition to pmma resin would not interfere with its mechanical properties .
a conventional heat - cured resin ( acrostone ; acrostone dental factory , under exclusive license of england , egypt ) was used as a matrix component and the as - received halloysite powder ( sigma - aldrich co. , st .
the specimens were categorized into four groups ( n = 10 ) coded a to d. group a was the control group ( unmodified acrylic resin specimens ) .
the specimens of the remaining three groups ( b - d ) were modified with addition of halloysite powder to attain ratios of 0.3 , 0.6 and 0.9 wt% . in accordance with the studies by ellakwa et al.,8 and sehajpal and sood,25 halloysite powder
was mixed with resin powder and liquid monomer in order to obtain an equal distribution of filler within the polymer matrix .
the halloysite powder and acrylic powder were thoroughly mixed using a mortar and pestle for initial mixing and blending , followed by hand tumbling in a plastic jar until an even color was obtained .
the resin powder was then mixed with monomer in a ratio of 2:1 by volume in a mixing jar with a tightly fitting lid .
specimens were prepared using stone molds made by investing stainless steel rectangles sized 65 mm 10 mm 3 mm and releasing the rectangles after stone setting.8915 the acrylic specimens were prepared by packing the acrylic resin into the stone molds present in denture flasks and curing them for 9 hours at 73.89. the cycle was completed by boiling for an extra 30 minutes .
the rectangular resin specimens were then removed from the flask . after removing flask and trimming the edges , the specimens were ground with 320-grit silicon carbide paper to obtain polished surfaces .
the specimens were stored in water at 37 for 7 days before performing the flexural strength test .
the flexural strength was measured using a three - point bending test in a universal testing machine ( lloyds , lrx , lloyds instruments , hampshire , uk ) at a crosshead speed of 5 mm / min .
the flexural strength ( fs ) and young 's modulus ( e ) could be calculated .
the value of e was the slope of the linear portion of the stress - strain curve , expressed as the ratio of stress / strain .
the calculation of fs ( in mpa ) and e ( in gpa ) was guided by the formulae : 262728 where ; f is the maximum load at the point of fracture ( in n ) , l is the span ( in mm ) , w is the width of the specimen ( in mm ) , and h its height ( in mm ) , while p / y is the slope of the linear part of the stress - strain curve within the elastic portion . for vickers testing ,
a separate group of specimens was prepared in molds obtained by investing stainless steel rectangles ( 12 mm 12 mm 3 mm ) within flasks.29 the liquid and powder were mixed in a predetermined ratio and modified with halloysite powder as mentioned earlier in the specimen preparation .
after polymerization , the specimens were visually examined for having smooth surfaces without voids or porosities.the specimens were manually wet - polished in a circular motion with a sequence of 600-grit , 800-grit , 1000-grit , and 1200-grit silicon carbide papers . to determine vickers values , a load of 30
g was applied for 30 seconds on the specimens using a digital hardness tester ( otto wolpert , werke , ludwigshafen , germany ) .
each specimen was subjected to three indentations ( one at the center and two at the borders ) , and the average value was calculated for each group from a to d.
the mean and standard deviation values for flexural strength , surface microhardness , and young 's modulus are presented in table 1 .
one - way analysis of variance identified significant differences between the mean values of both flexural strength ( p = .018 ) and surface microhardness ( p = .000 ) of the tested groups , while the young 's modulus mean values showed no significant difference ( p = .647 ) .
tukey test showed that there was no statistically significant difference in flexural strength values ( p > .05 ) between the tested groups and the control group ( no addition ) .
there was also no significant difference in flexural strength values ( p > .05 ) between the 0.6%(w / w ) halloysite nanotubes added acrylic resin group and 0.9% group .
the 0.3%(w / w ) halloysite nanotubes addition to acrylic resin increased the flexural strength values significantly in comparison to either 0.6% or 0.9% groups .
both 0.6% and 0.9% groups showed significant decrease in microhardness values when compared to either the control group or 0.3% group .
the addition of 0.3%(w / w ) halloysite nanotubes to acrylic resin significantly increased the resin 's microhardness values in comparison to the control group .
the young 's modulus values of 0.3% group showed a slight increase in comparison to those of all the other groups .
the young 's modulus values of 0.6% and 0.9% groups did not show a significant decrease when compared to those of the control group .
this study primarily aimed to investigate the probable method for the enhancement in the mechanical properties of pmma , especially in the flexural strength , surface microhardness , and young 's modulus , through incorporating halloysite nanotubes .
it was shown that incorporating 0.3 wt% of untreated halloysite nanotubes to a conventional heat - cured resin could improve the mechanical properties of pmma without additional processing steps .
therefore , dentures manufactured this way would not require a lengthy procedure , and the material 's regular use in dental laboratories would be encouraged due to its low cost and ease of handling and processing.1 the results illustrated that the addition of small mass fraction ( 0.3 wt% ) of hnts into pmma resin could result in a significant improvement of hardness values but neither in flexural strength nor young 's modulus values .
the followings were the possible causative factors : ( 1 ) the hnts that were strongly adhered to the resin reinforced the resin and accordingly enhanced the flexural strength , ( 2 ) the young 's modulus of hnts was higher than that of the resin , resulting in an overall increase , and ( 3 ) the hnts that were not strongly adhered to the resin could be scattered or dissociated during the load application ; this produced frictional force that permitted stress distribution across the matrix cracks , increasing the material resistance to indentation ( i.e. , hardness).30 in contrast , pmma resin modified with either 0.6 or 0.9 wt% of the hnts had flexural strength , hardness , and young 's modulus values , which were lower than those of the control specimens .
these results illustrated that the efficient strengthening would not be obtained at high percentage of hnt incorporation .
this may be possibly due to the development of hnt clusters , which could result in mechanical weak points ( structural defects ) .
the presence of such clusters would adversely affect the mechanical properties of the dental resin strengthened with hnts .
other possible explanations for the lower values could be : a reduction in the cross section of the load - bearing polymer matrix ; an increase in the amount of filler particles which increases the stress concentration ; changes in the modulus of elasticity of the resin and mode of crack propagation through the specimen due to an increased amount of fillers ; formation of voids by moisture or entrapment of air ; incomplete wetting of the fillers by the resin ; and the hnts ; behavior as an intervening factor in the integrity of the polymer matrix.313233 these results are similar to those of vojdani et al.,34 who investigated the effects of adding 0.5 - 5 wt% aluminum oxide ( al2o3 ) powder on the flexural strength and surface hardness of a conventional heat - cured acrylic resin and found that 2.5 wt% al2o3 powder addition significantly increased its flexural strength and hardness .
the results are also similar to those of chen et al.,30 who found that incorporation of small percentage ( 1% and 2.5% ) of the silanized hnts in bis - gma / tegdma dental resins / composites increased the mechanical properties effectively .
nevertheless , large percentage ( 5% ) of incorporation did not further enhance the mechanical properties .
accordingly , the results of this study rejected the null hypothesis since the introduction of small percentage of hnts into pmma resin affected its mechanical properties .
within the limitations of this study , the following results were obtained : incorporation of small percentage ( 0.3 wt% ) of hnts into pmma resin produced a significant increase in hardness values while the flexural strength and young 's modulus values did not show a significant increase compared to the control group .
high - percentage incorporation of hnts ( 0.6 or 0.9 wt% ) into pmma did not show a significant decrease in both flexural strength and young 's modulus values compared to the control group or small - percentage incorporation | pubmed |
Star Fox 1. Chapter 1: A Second Chance
_AUTHOR'S NOTE(S):_
_The timeframe for The Oasis is eight years after the end of the Lylat Wars- the same timeframe as Star Fox: Adventures. I will explain this more in depth at the end of the chapter._
_Rated M for Violence, Blood, Infrequent Language, Nudity, and Suggestive/Sexual Content._
* * *
**ARC I: THE OASIS**
**Chapter 1: A Second Chance**
Cold. The air inside the Great Fox was an uncomfortably cool 55 degrees Fahrenheit. In response to the Star Fox team's current monetary situation, all unnecessary expenditures had to be curtailed as much as possible; including the large battleship's onboard water supply and its heater. In the eight years following the end of the Lylat Wars and the defeat of Andross, the amount of criminal activity in the Lylat System had dropped to an abnormally low level. There was very little for the pilots of Star Fox to do other than to sit back and hope for a call from General Pepper or someone else who would be able to offer them a worthwhile paycheck.
Falco Lombardi had already abandoned the team for his past lifestyle as a member of a galactic gang, leaving only Fox, Slippy, and Peppy to maintain Star Fox's image. Great Fox, the team's mothership, was in noticeable disrepair, as were their Arwings. To salvage some much-needed additional funding, the team had even been forced to remove and pawn some of their fighters' features in exchange for quick cash. The monetary crisis was so serious that once the Great Fox's large plasma fuel reservoirs burned out, Star Fox would not have the means to refill them. The situation for the team had never been more dire.
In his personal quarters, Fox McCloud pulled his bedsheets above his head, trying to trap the heat beneath the covers to stay warm. The plunging temperatures inside the Great Fox had prevented him from achieving a good night's rest for the fifth time that week. The mood inside the ship had gradually become more and more dour as the time passed, and Fox was beginning to feel lonely. He was not sure why this was, but he had started to wonder if finding a girlfriend or a mate would fix this problem. He was 26 now, but he had never found the time for courtship or romance. His team was far more important to him than a petty relationship with a vulpine female; and besides, one more set of paws onboard the Great Fox would only quicken the team's already rapid descent into bankruptcy.
Realizing that sleep was impossible, Fox sat up in bed and turned on the small lamp before snatching up a men's magazine from his nightstand and opening it. The particular volume he kept with him in his room was the yearly swimsuit edition that had been printed more than two months ago. The vulpine eagerly sifted through its pages, 'admiring' the scores of scantily-clad females. He felt partially satisfied by reading the magazine; but at the same time, he was overcome with misery stemming from his lack of female companionship.
He knew that it would be a cinch to pick up a girl that had an interest in him—after all, he was responsible for defending the Lylat System from Andross and the Venom Army. However, he was aware that they would most likely only strike up a relationship with him because of his fame or assumed fortune, not because of who he really was. In some ways, Fox disliked being well-known. It certainly wasn't going to make bankruptcy any easier.
He placed the magazine back on the nightstand and slowly lowered himself out of bed, with the alarm clock beneath the lamp indicating that it was 6:10 A.M. Fox loudly groaned after seeing the time, knowing that he would not be able to go back to bed and fall asleep due to the uncomfortably cold temperatures onboard the ship. He slowly walked into his personal bathroom, wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of navy blue cotton sweat pants that he had recently started wearing to bed to combat the plunging temperatures. He lazily looked at himself in the mirror and began to comb through the fur on his head, trying to make himself look as presentable as possible. Not that it really mattered, though. No one cared what he looked like onboard the Great Fox.
Fox opened the cap on a bottle of spray deodorant and misted his chest with the somewhat synthetic scent to mask his unpleasant odor, which came from not showering in more than two days thanks to Peppy's water rationing. The vulpine then walked from the bathroom into his closet, where he exchanged his sleepwear for the clothes he had begun wearing not too long ago. His current outfit consisted of a pair of green pants, a matching green shirt, a white sleeveless vest, and of course, his signature red scarf. He wore it in memory of his father, who also had a soft spot for the wooly clothing accessory.
While he was adjusting the scarf, he heard a series of loud, frantic knocks at his bedroom door.
"What is it?" he unhappily shouted.
The voice that came in reply was none other than that of Peppy Hare. "Fox! Come to the bridge immediately! We might have a job!"
Fox quickly abandoned his meaningless fiddling and raced towards the Great Fox's bridge, where a holographic image of General Pepper was displayed. Both Slippy and Peppy were already present in the piloting area. The vulpine leader expectantly ran up to the projector and expectantly asked, "What is it, General?"
The old hound dog replied, "Star Fox, it appears that you have an opportunity to make yourselves a bit of money. I don't think you're the best choice for this mission, but I know you deserve a second chance. After what you did for us against Andross, I figured that I'd give you the option to take the job before I passed it along to someone else."
"What do you want us to do, sir?" Fox asked.
"We've located a weapons dealer with past ties to Andross on a desert planet far outside the Lylat System. The planet is called Tehraia. Our intelligence claims that this weapons dealer may be in possession of nuclear weaponry. We cannot allow him or one of his associates to use those weapons against us. Your job is to find out if they exist; and if they do, let us know before you do anything else."
"You got it, sir," Fox firmly replied. "We'll head to Tehraia now."
"I'm making arrangements for you to stay at a desert hotel called the Oasis as we speak," said Pepper. "Unfortunately, you'll have to use an alias while you're on the job. We can't have our target knowing that you're there. What name would you like to use?"
Fox thought for a few moments before he had the idea to switch his first and middle names and use the resulting title as his assumed identity. "James Fox," he confidently replied.
"Fair enough, Fox," the General heartily spoke, "Your fee has been approved. By the time you arrive on the planet, your hotel reservation will be ready for you. Good luck, Fox. Pepper out!"
The hologram of General Pepper quickly disappeared; and immediately afterwards, Slippy, Peppy, and Fox all celebrated the opportunity to redeem themselves from the clutches of economic ruin.
"It's about time we got something to do!" Slippy enthusiastically remarked.
"Hopefully, we can get this ship back to its normal operating condition with the money from this job. I'm really jealous of you, Fox," Peppy commented before lightly chuckling, "I wish General Pepper would have booked me a room at that hotel. If would sure beat this icebox."
The vulpine smiled and warmly replied, "Maybe next time, Peppy. Hey, at least you're not the one who has to do the dangerous work."
"Dangerous work? Come on, Fox! All you've got to do is find out if this so-called 'weapons dealer' has the weapon General Pepper's interested in. After that, you probably won't have to do anything. The Cornerian Army will handle the rest."
"Come on, Peppy—I was trying to make it sound difficult," Fox replied in defeat. "Of course it's going to be an easy mission. Did you really think I was that ignorant?"
"No, Fox," Peppy said with a smile. "I kind of figured that you were toying with me."
Star Fox's leader smiled back, then turned his head in the direction of ROB and ordered, "ROB, set a course for Tehraia."
The robot stiffly moved his metallic arms and methodically replied, "Coordinates confirmed. Setting course now."
* * *
The journey to Tehraia took longer than Fox and his crew had expected, but they arrived at the desert planet nonetheless. Star Fox peered curiously out the Great Fox's front windows and observed the dusty, yellow planet below. Large cities dotted the planet's surface, but there was very little contact between them because they were so far apart from each other. The Oasis hotel that Fox was going to be residing in was located twenty miles outside the largest of the cities, named Yaruit. True to its name, the hotel was positioned in the middle of an unspoiled desert wilderness with large sand dunes covering the nearby landscape.
Fox made his way to the Great Fox's hangar, where his Arwing was attached to a ceiling-mounted rail which assisted in launching the fighter. He slowly climbed into the silver craft and closed the canopy as he readied the ship for launch. The vulpine attached his headset and adjusted it to fit properly as Peppy's voice entered his ears.
"Be careful out there, Fox. I know it's supposed to be an easy mission, but you never know what might happen. Try not to draw a lot of attention to yourself, okay?"
Fox smiled and answered, "Sure thing, Peppy. I'll be done before you know it."
With that, Fox launched his Arwing out of the hangar and into space before performing a barrel roll and checking his ship's wings. All of the Arwing's systems were functioning correctly. Soon, Slippy's voice came through his headset, telling him, "Hey, Fox—I set the waypoint for the hotel on your navigation system."
"Thanks, Slippy," Fox gratefully replied as he descended into the planet's atmosphere. The sky above the planet was almost completely clear of clouds, and the sun shone down on the desert sands below with a ferocious intensity. Completely unfazed by the sunlight, Fox removed a pair of aviator sunglasses from his white jacket's pocket and placed them in front of his eyes.
He realized that if it was anywhere near as hot as he thought it would be, he would need to acquire some new clothes for himself. Clothes that matched those of the Tehraian inhabitants would also make it easier for him to blend in and avoid being picked out as a spy by anyone who might have been associated with the weapons dealer he had been sent to investigate. He had packed two changes of clothing, but they were equally as heavy as the gear he was wearing at the moment; and with the planet's average daytime temperature hovering at an uncomfortably hot 95 degrees, his adventuring clothes would definitely be unsuitable for the harsh climes of Tehraia.
Fox followed the navigation beacon on his Arwing's dash readout until he laid eyes on the magnificent obsidian-colored towers of the Oasis resort. The twin buildings were each more than 1,500 feet tall, and each of them was capped with a pyramid roof. Enclosed walkways bridged the gap between the two structures, and the entire resort was surrounded by a shallow, clear pool of water with a large number of squared platforms that were present merely for the sake of decoration. A large, silver panel was present in the middle of the desert sand directly outside the resort area, and Fox quickly determined that this was where the hangar was located.
A female voice with an (_Arabic_) accent came over his communicator and said, "Pilot, please identify yourself."
"James Fox," he confidently replied.
A five-second silence occurred before the air traffic controller said, "Your identity has been verified, Mr. Fox. Proceed to the landing area."
The silver panel below him opened up, revealing many other spacecrafts in the area below. Most of them were transports and civilian crafts, but a few military fighters like his Arwing were present in the hangar. Very carefully, Fox dropped altitude and lowered his Arwing into an empty docking space next to a sleek, wedge-shaped fighter that had been painted a fiery shade of blood red.
The lone mercenary climbed out of his Arwing's cockpit and walked through a heavy pair of metallic sliding doors into an underground passageway that led to the Oasis Resort's check-in desk. After clearing another set of doors, Fox found himself in a hallway that was very reminiscent of an aquarium tunnel. Water surrounded him from all sides, although no fish were present in the artificial enclosure that had been built under the waters of the decorative pool that surrounded the resort's two towers. The only other person in the immediate vicinity was a female avian who gave him a quick glance before returning her gaze to the door that stood before her and Fox.
"_I've got a good feeling about this_," Fox thought while admiring the lavish, overwrought designs and structures belonging to the resort General Pepper had sent him to.
After pushing open the door to exit the underwater tunnel, Fox stepped across the main lobby area's polished marble floors and followed the elegantly-printed signs which directed him to the resort's front desk. The check-in area was even more extravagant than anything he had seen in the resort thus far. Exotic indoor plants had been placed in highly decorative locations to add an element of natural beauty to the otherwise synthetic structure; and a large fountain that filled a pool of blue water stood near the main desk, which Fox confidently approached.
"Good evening, sir," the tigress at the desk warmly spoke. "Do you have a reservation with us?"
"James Fox," Fox calmly replied.
The receptionist mumbled 'James Fox' to herself as she typed in the name to confirm her vulpine guest's identity; and her computer quickly indicated a reservation for the name Fox had mentioned. "Oh… It's already been paid for. Very well, then, Mr. Fox—here's your room key. Your room number is 2830. It's on the 28th floor of the west tower. If there's anything we can do to make your stay more enjoyable, please let us know. We'd be happy to help."
"Thanks, but I think I'll be alright," Fox replied.
Leaving the check-in desk with his room key in one paw and his small bag of hygienic products and two changes of clothes in the other; Fox made his way to the ornately-decorated elevators, which were framed with gold-plated steel. A white-furred tiger couple stepped into the elevator with him, took a quick glance at the interestingly-dressed vulpine, and then directed their attention elsewhere. Fox selected the button marked '28,' and the elevator soon began its ascent. It stopped at the 15th floor to let the other occupants of the elevator out, leaving Fox alone in the small enclosure.
He felt slightly out of place in the hotel, considering that most of the denizens of the upper-crust establishment were finely attired; unlike him, who was dressed in his rough-and-ready mercenary gear. No matter, though. He had brought a small amount of money with him; and if the need for new clothes arose, he would be able to acquire some without great difficulty.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the elevator's bell as it stopped on the 19th floor to allow another hotel patron to step on. Fox's attention was immediately diverted towards the person who was about to enter the elevator with him when he noticed that it was a ravishingly beautiful red vixen with long, flowing, black hair. She wore a pair of snug-fitting black pants and a matching cut-off tank top that left her midriff partially uncovered. Her eyes were of a dazzling blue coloration, and her face and muzzle were exceptionally well-formed.
Fox tried as best he could not to stare at the attractive vixen who had just joined him, but when she reached forward to press an elevator button and then realized that Fox had already selected the floor she was going to, his heart almost skipped a beat.
"28, huh?" the vixen coldly said.
Completely nervous and unsure of what to say back to her, Fox anxiously mumbled, "Yeah..."
The vixen continued to run her eyes over Fox's figure. It was clear that she liked what she was seeing, even though her expression gave away very little information about her inner being. "Mercenary, aren't you? Who're you working for?" she firmly asked.
Fox almost jumped out of his fur after hearing the vixen's question. "W…what?! How did you know?"
"An educated guess," she smoothly replied. "You stick out like a sore thumb around here."
"Same to you."
The vixen shrugged and said, "I suppose. I never really gave it that much thought." She quickly paused before asking Fox, "So, you got a name?"
Fox wasn't sure which name to give her for fear of giving away his identity. Either way, he felt that it was a lose/lose situation for himself. "Which one?" he nervously asked.
The vixen answered, "Come on—no mercenary should ever be expected to give out his real name. The alias is fine."
"If that's the case, call me James Fox."
"Charming name," she replied, "I'm Scarlet, by the way. Pleased to meet you." She extended her paw for Fox to shake, and he somewhat reluctantly accepted her gesture of kindness. A lot could be determined by a handshake, and Fox noticed this immediately as he shook Scarlet's fiery red paw. The vixen's grip on his hand was as firm as General Pepper's, and she immediately forced his masculine hand into a submissive grip with hers over top of his. Quickly, Fox began to realize that this 'Scarlet' person was not someone to be trifled with.
After the elevator had reached the 28th floor, both foxes stepped out of the elevator and into the nearby hall before locating their rooms. To Fox's shock, the vixen took her key card and opened the door marked 2829—the one right next to his.
"Interesting," Scarlet muttered as she opened her door. "Catch you later, Mr. Fox."
With that, the attractive vixen disappeared into her room and closed the door behind her. Fox simply stood in the hallway outside her room, not sure what to think about her. While he contemplated his meeting with the vixen, he thought he heard a faint splashing sound coming from inside her room.
Finding himself alone in the 28th floor's hallway, Fox slid his plastic key card into room 2830's door slot and turned the gold-plated door lever in anticipation of viewing his room for the first time. The sight before him immediately caused him to drop his bag on the floor and stare in shock at his dwelling place's opulent trappings.
The abnormally high ceiling was painted in a rough-textured sandstone color that gave the illusion that it was made of stone. The floors were covered with highly reflective black tiles that contrasted perfectly with the light-colored ceiling, while several warm yellow lights added a relaxing, indulgent air to the room. However, the most striking feature the room had to offer was a large swimming pool that occupied most of the floor space. The pool even extended out to the balcony area, allowing the room's residents to swim outside and look over the railing down to the desert below without leaving the comfort of the cool waters.
To the left of the pool was Fox's luxurious king-sized bed, and to the right was his bathroom and closet. The overall feel of the room was that of the most sumptuous regality, and Fox found it difficult to believe that General Pepper had offered to pay for his stay at what was clearly the most expensive and luxurious hotel available to the residents of Tehraia. Without hesitation, he walked across the black tile to his bed and climbed onto it after first removing his boots for fear of staining the downy, sand-colored bedsheets.
He breathed deeply, allowing the calming air of the room to fill his lungs. The hot desert wind blew in from the open balcony, but its heat never reached his bed chamber thanks to a high-powered cooling unit that had been installed in the room. The energy bills for the hotel must have been sky high, but with the hefty price of admission, it was a price the hotel's management could easily pay.
Now feeling completely comfortable, Fox began to think about the mission he had been sent to accomplish. Pepper had given him no time frame for it—all he had to do was find out if a rogue weapons dealer on the planet had access to nuclear armaments. After that, the Cornerian Army would take over control of the operation.
However, Fox wasn't ready to start hunting his prey just yet. The sun was starting to set, and he wanted to find out more about what this planet had to offer. He eyed the swimming pool, but decided that he would indulge himself in it after he had visited the nearby city of Yaruit. Pulling his boots back on, Fox made his way out of his room and back into the elevator area before descending to the ground floor and entering an area designated for the hotel's on-demand chauffeur service.
A large, black car rolled up to the curb inside a large parking garage, which was filled with dozens of high-priced, exotic vehicles that would normally be impossible to find in such close proximity to each other. A tall chameleon wearing a suit and tie courteously opened the car's back door, which had "Oasis Resort Transport Service" written on it; and Fox gratefully dropped into the back seat and moved over to the left side of the car.
Before the chameleon could close the car door and allow Fox and his driver to depart and head for the large, bustling city, a red-furred figure quickly entered the parking garage and quickly requested that the lizard hold the door for her. The beautiful figure of Scarlet effortlessly slipped into the back seat and slid into the unoccupied space next to Fox. Instead of the light garb she had been wearing earlier, she was now clad in a heavy white overcoat that appeared to be covering a skin-tight black catsuit that suited her feminine form very well.
The vixen turned her head towards Fox and dryly said, "Fancy seeing _you_ here."
Fox simply mumbled an incoherent sound, making no attempt at any conversation with her as he uneasily he ran his eyes over the red vixen that was seated next to him. It seemed very suspicious for her to be wearing an overcoat when the external temperature was still in the upper 80s; and he immediately suspected that she was hiding something under her clothes—most likely a weapon or two. "Why the coat?" he uneasily asked.
"I like it," she harshly answered. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"Um, no," said Fox, "It just seems a bit strange for you to be wearing that here when it's so hot outside. Are you going to Yaruit, too?"
"I am," she replied.
"What are you going to do there?"
"Why should I tell you that?" she snapped. "Explain yourself first before you start getting into other peoples' business. Go on—I'm listening."
Fox tensed up and frowned. He was insatiably curious about the highly suspicious vixen that was sitting next to him, but the last thing he wanted to do was to compromise his mission. He thought it best to keep quiet and not say anything, but the stern gaze from the vixen next to him was indicating for him to do otherwise. He crossed his arms and leaned away from her into the depths of the leather bench seat he was sitting on, but Scarlet was giving him no quarter with her death stare that Fox felt would be capable of melting steel.
He hadn't felt this uncomfortable in quite some time. He knew that he should have thought better and simply ignored her when she climbed into the car with him. Then again, how could he possibly ignore someone as ravishingly beautiful as her? Silently, he cursed himself for being too over eager to ask her questions that he had no right to ask.
Hoping to pacify the unhappy vixen, he reluctantly admitted, "I've been hired by the Cornerian military to check out the possibly of nuclear weapon somewhere nearby. There you go. Now tell me what you're doing."
Scarlet cruelly smiled and bitingly remarked, "Wow. Your friends just picked up on that?"
"What do you mean?" Fox quizzically asked.
"They've had the nukes for months already. That's old news," she said, almost laughing at Fox's naivety.
Stunned, Fox pulled up his wrist interface and prepared to contact General Pepper immediately. However, Scarlet swiftly and violently swatted his arm, causing Fox to cry out in pain and preventing him from initiating the call. "Ouch! What was that for?"
The vixen snarled, "Don't call your general. If your people show up here, all hell's going to break loose. We're not dealing with just a rogue weapons dealer here, Mr. Fox."
"...Just call me Fox, please," he said.
Scarlet harshly replied, "Fine. Fox it is, then."
Trying to avoid stirring up any further animosity with the vixen, he asked, "Who are we up against, then? And why did you say _we_?"
"I thought you might want to make yourself useful," she replied in a borderline deprecating fashion. "If you help me complete my objective, I'll give you half of my cut. Are you handy with a blaster?"
"I guess so. What are you trying to do?" Fox asked.
Scarlet explained, "I'm trying to collect evidence related to my boss's person of interest. We've been after him for three months, and now it's time to put him out for good. I found a good vantage point last night when I was scouting the area around downtown. We can camp out there and see if he decides to show up tonight."
Somewhat irritably, Fox enquired, "Who's _he_?"
The vixen replied, "My target is an iguana named Antoine Carache. He owns and operates one of the two mega-corporations on my home planet of Skallis. He's got a bounty of 5 million on his head; and I've got a good feeling that it's not going to be there much longer. If you help me take him down, I'll give you 2.5 of that."
Fox uncomfortably fidgeted in his seat at the mention of possibly earning 2.5 million credits for assisting Scarlet in her mission to take down the foreign businessman. General Pepper's initial proposal had only offered 300,000 credits as a reward; and if Scarlet was true to her word and paid Fox the 2.5 million she said that she would give to him, he would have more than enough money to repair the _Great Fox_ and lift Star Fox out of the clutches of near-bankruptcy. It was a tempting offer, and the fact that Scarlet was an almost perfect 10 in his eyes was beginning to tip his internal balance in favor of working with her.
Her harsh temperament was slightly off-putting to him, but he had a feeling that she _was _capable of some level of emotion. The mere fact that she had offered him a cut of her pay and a chance to assist her was enough to tell him that she saw something in him that he himself may have missed. However, he also knew that he would have to be very cautious not to cross her or fall into the crosshairs of her angst while on the job. Fox was well aware that she was some kind of mercenary—probably a bounty hunter—and bounty hunters were an ilk of people that Fox preferred to avoid. Some mercenaries had morals and emotions, but bounty hunters in general were not known for either of them.
As he turned away and looked out the taxi's window at the expanse of sand that was gradually growing darker as the sun continued to sink into the horizon, he wondered if Scarlet was someone he could trust. He was well aware that she might have been playing him and baiting him into a trap; but the price was right for the mission. Honor and justice took precedence over money in his mind, but he hadn't been given the chance at this kind of payout in more than five years.
In addition to the prospect of pocketing such a sizeable paycheck, Fox was immensely intrigued by Scarlet's character. Even though she seemed very harsh on the surface, Fox perceived that he felt a warm, comforting feeling coming from her. It was barely noticeable, but it was there nonetheless. The vixen was a bit on the rough side, yes, but she seemed to have a warm personality hidden somewhere inside of her—or perhaps he was just imagining things. Maybe she was a soulless, violent bounty hunter, after all. Fox quickly glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and admired her curves as she stared out the window on her side of the car.
He felt that he needed to contact General Pepper and update him on the situation in spite of Scarlet's warning, but something about what she had said prevented him from doing so. His finger hovered over the call button while Scarlet stared daggers at him without saying a word. He knew that it was unwise to place his full trust in her, but he was also aware that she was not against him, either. At least, he was _mostly_ sure about it.
He was about to ask her more about the task at hand when the taxi suddenly came to a stop in a specially-marked parking space in the heart of downtown Yaruit. The driver formally exited the vehicle and opened the right rear door to allow Scarlet to exit first. The vixen slid out of the car, followed by Fox, who thanked the driver for his services before he and Scarlet began to walk down the heavily trafficked sidewalk on the way to Scarlet's objective.
Fox had a choice to make. He could either choose to abandon his new acquaintance, or he could help her accomplish a task that he may or may not have been properly equipped to perform. It was almost as if Scarlet knew this as well, because she turned around to face him and asked, "Are you with me on this, Fox?"
Fox gritted his teeth and scowled in indecision. He clenched his fists and tried to listen for his inner voice of reason to speak words of wisdom to him, but nothing came to his mind.
"_The only lead I have on this job is her,"_ he frantically thought,_ "If she really knows what she's doing, I might be able to do something about this nuclear weapon."_
Reluctantly, Fox opened his mouth to speak.
"Yes."
* * *
_AUTHOR'S NOTE(S):_
_The basic idea for The Oasis was born when I contemplated the multitudes of things that were completely wrong with Star Fox Adventures. While a good game, it was not a good STAR FOX game. More like furry Zelda, if you ask me (and many others). The idea with this story was to create a more 'canon-believable' account of what could have happened after SF64. Thus, this story takes the place of Adventures and the Saurian crisis in the Star Fox timeline._
2. Chapter 2: First Contact
_AUTHOR'S NOTE(S):_
_**ATTENTION:**_
After reviewing constructive feedback from xXSanitariumXx and a certain anonymous guest reviewer regarding the character of Scarlet in Chapter 1, I have gone back and edited some of the dialogue from the second half of the chapter. If you have read Chapter 1 before June 22, 2013, I strongly suggest that you re-read the second part of that chapter before you move on to this one. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you. It was better for me to fix it quickly than to wait until the story was halfway done, when it would be too late to repair.
* * *
**Chapter 2: First Contact**
The moments following Fox's decision to assist Scarlet with her task were filled with silence and great uneasiness on Fox's part. The vixen seemed very pleased to have him help her, but Fox still was unsure whether or not he had made a prudent choice. He was already beginning to stray from his mission directives; but if what Scarlet had told him about the situation was true, it was for the better.
The lighted streets around them were filled with cars and motorized vehicles of all varieties, and the clean sidewalk which they were standing on was flooded with an abundance of the city's many residents and visitors. Yaruit was a bustling trade and business center on Tehraia, and a large number of the planet's occupants were not actually citizens. Rather, they were businessmen who held temporary residences in the large city, which was known for its beautiful mixture of esoteric desert architecture and modern design. One enormous tower stood above all the rest. Its black frame was heavily contrasted by the glowing yellow trim that followed the building's every edge and was impossible to ignore, especially at night.
Scarlet tactfully navigated her way through the crowds that walked along the sidewalk, with Fox trying very hard to keep up with her. At the nearest crosswalk, she paused at the edge of the street and waited for Fox before turning to him and asking, "Do you feel like eating something?"
"Sure. Why not?" Fox indifferently replied. A well-appointed restaurant that served popular varieties of the local cuisine was positioned on the corner of the block across the street from the two vulpines; and the instant the light that allowed them to cross the street turned green, Fox and Scarlet quickly walked over to the opposite side of the busy avenue and began to detect the aroma of the restaurant's food.
A good portion of the restaurant was outdoors under a veranda that looked out over Yaruit's main city road. "Let's sit out there," Scarlet suggested.
Fox agreed; and upon reaching the restaurant's articulately designed doors, Fox courteously opened one of them for his associate, who civilly nodded to thank him and proceeded into the restaurant with Fox close behind her. A white tigress who worked as a hostess at the restaurant welcomed Fox and Scarlet and quickly snatched up two menus before she asked Scarlet, "Do you have a seating preference?"
"We'd like to sit outside," the vixen coldly replied, not returning the waitress's kind welcome.
"As you wish." The tigress led the two foxes up a short set of stairs and through the main dining area until they passed through the two heavy, open doors that led to the veranda. The waitress pointed to a small, frosted glass-covered table and placed their silverware and menus on the table as the two vulpines prepared to seat themselves. As she pulled her chair out from under the table, Scarlet quickly looked around the veranda and saw a nearby table occupied by three blue foxes who looked very out of place in the city, which was mainly occupied by felines and reptilians.
Almost with a sense of urgency, Scarlet quickly told the waitress, "Ma'am! We'd like to sit inside instead."
The tigress seemed a bit surprised, but she consented and walked towards the main dining room, where she seated Fox and Scarlet in a booth for two. The tan leather seats in the restaurant were sublimely comfortable. The interior of the building was elegantly decorated with a large number of paper lanterns that hung from the ceilings, along with a large quantity of embossed brass trim that adorned many of the restaurant's surfaces. The wooden table they were seated at was so clean that it could have been eaten off of, and one small candle sat in the middle of it.
The tigress that had seated Fox and Scarlet announced, "Mikhaila will be your waitress tonight. Enjoy your meal," Soon afterwards, she left the two foxes to themselves; and Fox's first order of business was to ask Scarlet why she had suddenly changed her mind about eating outside.
"Scarlet, what was that all about? You looked like you saw a ghost."
"Close enough," she sternly replied. "Did you see those Cerinians at the table near ours?"
Puzzled, Fox said, "I don't know. What's a Cerinian?"
"Oh, that's right—you're not from around here," said Scarlet, correcting herself for assuming that Fox knew about the Cerinian race. "Let me explain—the Cerinians are from a planet in this system called Cerinia. Very few people ever go there. From what I hear, you can leave the planet, but that's only if you can get in. They're very selective in allowing visitors into their planet. Rumor has it that it's the most beautiful place this side of heaven."
"Interesting. So, what does that have to do with your reaction to seeing some of them?" Fox asked, placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his paws.
"The blue ones—like that ones at that table—have telepathic abilities. Cerinia is home to a few races, but the blue foxes are definitely the dominant species there. I couldn't risk having them reading my thoughts, so that's why I asked the waitress to seat us in here instead."
A bit taken aback by Scarlet's revelation, Fox asked his comrade, "Don't their abilities make it awkward for them in public?"
Scarlet scratched her muzzle, then answered, "I don't think very many of them ever leave their home planet, and I think they can block each other's thoughts if they want to."
"That's… interesting."
In the next few seconds, a white she-wolf wearing a sleek black dress approached Fox and Scarlet's table and placed a bowl of potato-based crisps onto the wooden surface along with another bowl, which was filled with a steaming hot orange substance that was supposed to be used as dip for the crisps.
"Good evening. I'm Mikhaila," the waitress politely spoke. "What would you like to drink?"
"Water, please," Fox replied.
"And you, ma'am?"
Feeling unsure of what to get, Scarlet asked the lupine, "What are your drink specials right now?"
The waitress happily answered, "We have a special on Scorpion's Tail spiced rum—it's normally five credits per glass, but tonight, it's only three. I have to warn you, though—most people can't handle it."
"Sounds good to me," Scarlet replied with a faint grin.
"All right, then. I'll get you your drinks, and I'll be back to get your meal orders in a few minutes." The waitress sauntered off in the direction of the kitchen as Fox leaned back in his seat and asked, "You like rum? That stuff's nasty."
"You just don't have the stomach for it," Scarlet scornfully remarked. "The stronger, the better—I say."
Fox rolled his eyes and shook his head. Scarlet was an interesting character—that much was for sure. While enjoying the temporary security of the restaurant, the vixen leaned back into the corner of the booth across from Fox and took a deep breath, causing her white coat to fall back slightly. In the process, several firearm components that had been neatly attached to various straps and internal pockets inside the coat became visible to Fox.
Scarlet simply winked at him without showing any signs of emotion as Fox muttered under his breath, "_What did I get myself into?_"
The vulpine glanced around the restaurant, observing its mainly feline denizens and its unique, oriental trappings that added a tasteful, foreign texture to the building. The lupine waitress soon returned, bringing Fox's glass of water and Scarlet's mug of spiced rum with her. The she-wolf placed both drinks down on the table and asked, "Are you ready to order?"
Scarlet coolly answered, "I'll have the filet. Medium well, please."
"All right," said the waitress as she quickly scribbled down Scarlet's order onto the small pad of paper she carried with her. "…And what would you like, sir?"
"I'll have the same thing," Fox replied before the lupine simply wrote a '2' next to Scarlet's request and headed back towards the kitchen. Shortly thereafter, Scarlet leaned back, took a swig of rum, and said, "Why don't you tell me a bit more about yourself, Fox? You look like you've had a few good jobs."
Fox was none too keen on giving away all of his personal information to a vixen he still didn't trust. She hadn't tried anything yet; but for all he knew, she might have been trying to soften him up for the kill, so to speak. He uneasily scratched the back of his head while Scarlet took another sip of her rum and smacked her lips in appreciation of the beverage's harsh taste that she appreciated more than most.
Deciding that he would risk revealing a bit about himself for the sake of possibly gaining slightly more of Scarlet's trust, he explained, "I'm from a planet called Corneria in the Lylat System, and I'm the leader of a mercenary team called Star Fox."
"I thought I recognized you from somewhere," she said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice that led Fox to believe that she wasn't particularly impressed with his achievements. "So, you're the one who took down Andross on Venom?"
"That's me."
"Not too bad—for a Cornerian," she snidely remarked. "How'd you end up all the way out here on Tehraia, anyway?"
Fox replied, "Well, let's just say that things haven't been so good since then. Me and my team are almost broke. My general gave me this job out of sympathy for us so we could earn enough money to keep the _Great Fox_ operational."
"Not a lot of action in Lylat, is there?"
Fox replied, "Not really. It's been pretty dull since the end of the Lylat Wars,"
Scarlet carefully placed her glass of rum on a small cardboard coaster and said, "Where I come from, you'd never have a problem finding a job. Skallis is where all the best mercenaries and bounty hunters eventually end up. I think you'd fit in just fine—eventually."
"That sounds like something Falco would love," Fox opined. "Too bad he's gone now."
"Did something happen to him?" Scarlet asked in a way that showed that she couldn't have cared less about what had happened to the avian pilot.
"Oh, he's probably fine," Fox assured her, "He left the team out of boredom."
"I can't blame him," said Scarlet. "The life of a mercenary without a job is a living hell."
"You can say that again."
Fox decided that he had listened to enough of Scarlet's small talk and decided to change the tone of the conversation. They may have been eating dinner in a restaurant, but that did not change the fact that there was still work to be done elsewhere in the city. In a serious tone of voice, he said, "Alright, Scarlet; let's get to business here. What are we trying to do about this guy you told me about?"
"Business, huh? I'll explain," she replied, taking another sip of rum. "Antoine Carache is the owner of Asgard Industries—one of the two largest corporations on my home planet. According to my boss's intel, he's been coming around here to pay a few visits to the weapons dealer you were sent to investigate. My goal is to kill him. Taking him alive is simply too much of a risk. He's got way too many men behind him."
"How do you plan on doing this?" Fox solemnly asked.
"I was never one for plans," she replied. "I always find a way to get the job done, and this will be no different."
"I wish I had your confidence," said Fox.
"It comes with experience. I've been a bounty hunter since I was 14."
"Fourteen?! Are you kidding me?"
"It was hell at first," she gravely replied. "My first job almost got me killed. Then I found out that twenty people had already failed the mission and that my employer had tricked me into doing a job that was supposed to be more of a death wish than an actual gig. I'll never forget his expression when I came back from that job and told him that I had completed his objective. That bastard thought I would never make it."
Fox shook his head in disbelief and dipped one of his potato crisps into the orange sauce in the bowl in front of him. He unassumingly bit into the light appetizer as Scarlet cracked a sly smile. The vulpine was just about to ask her what she was smiling at, when his mouth suddenly seemed to catch fire. Scarlet pitilessly laughed as he gulped down large quantities of his water, sending a cascade of the clear liquid onto his clothes while he tried to extinguish the raging inferno in his mouth.
"Hot, isn't it?" she remarked, unable to contain her delight after seeing what Fox had just done.
"What is that?!" Fox angrily asked in response.
"I have no idea, Fox," Scarlet replied, still quietly chuckling, "I've learned from experience that anything colored orange is usually bad news. Now, this is how it's done." While Fox watched, she dipped one of the crisps into the orange substance and devoured it in one bite without even flinching. "Not bad," she commented, seemingly completely unaffected by the overly spicy appetizer.
In the next ten minutes, both vulpines' steaks were brought out to them. After thanking Mikhaila—their waitress—both of them indulged in the finely-seasoned cuisine that possessed a unique taste which Fox had never come across in the Lylat System. He watched Scarlet daintily eat her meal, while trying to avoid seeming awkward to his new acquaintance. No one would have been expected to sift through Scarlet's inner persona in less than a day, but Fox was quickly realizing that there were several levels to the bounty hunter seated across from him.
Scarlet certainly didn't look like a bounty hunter. Most of their kind were scarred and battered almost beyond recognition, and they were known to be a harsh group that generally shunned emotions and feelings altogether. The vixen had a glare in her eyes that gave away the fact that she was unafraid and fully confident in her own abilities. She had no wingmen or teammates to help her—she only had herself and her will to survive.
She looked up at Fox as he took another sip of his water and finished his steak. The look in her strong, sapphire-colored eyes was one of supreme confidence; and Fox nervously averted his gaze before she devoured the last morsels of her meal and placed her fork and knife on the plate in front of her.
Fox attempted to guess her age without asking her, because it was never proper to ask a lady for that information. She appeared to be somewhere near his age, although Fox wouldn't have been surprised if she was actually significantly older than him. The vixen quietly sighed as she drank the last drops of alcohol out of her glass of rum before setting it down near the edge of the table. It was all she cared to have for now. Alcohol has a way of revealing what a person is truly like without any mental barriers to place restrictions on what they should and shouldn't do; and because Scarlet wished to keep her true nature well hidden, she knew better than to drink too much.
A minute later, Fox and Scarlet's lupine waitress came back to their table and prepared to hand them their respective meal tickets. She asked Fox, "Is this together, or separate?"
Fox replied, "Separate," but Scarlet quickly spoke up and said, "I'll pick up his tab."
"Alright, ma'am," the waitress politely spoke. "I'll be right back." As the lupine walked away, Fox, wearing a dumbfounded expression, asked his comrade, "Why did you do that? You didn't have to."
"You said you were almost broke, Fox. I decided that I'd help you out a bit," she replied.
"Looks like I owe you one, then."
Scarlet simply shook her head and insisted, "You don't owe me anything. It's called a favor."
* * *
After Scarlet had paid the slightly inflated ticket for their meals, the two vulpines exited the restaurant back into the warm night air of Yaruit. The temperature was still in the upper 70s, but judging from what he knew about desert climes, Fox guessed that the number would only drop until the sun came up again.
The shapely vixen brought Fox across the same crosswalk they had used to walk to the restaurant in the first place; then, she led him down the main city sidewalk for several miles until the teeming crowds on the avenue began to thin out. The portion of the city which they were now in had a slightly darker, more oppressive feel; and Fox presumed that they were moving closer to their target.
Scarlet quickly scanned the area for anyone who might have been watching her before darting into an alleyway with Fox close behind. The vixen crouched behind a dumpster and began to remove the firearm components from the inside of her large, white coat. She quickly and skillfully slid and screwed the various pieces together; and in less than two minutes, she was holding a fully operational plasma rifle, complete with a switchable night vision scope.
"Forgot your weapon?" she condescendingly asked Fox.
"Yeah…"
"No problem," she replied, tossing Fox her sidearm, which he effortlessly caught. The intriguing weapon appeared to be something resembling either a shrunken blaster or an oversized handgun, and an engraving marked "Gaia Corporation, Skallis" was etched into the left side of the weapon.
Next, Scarlet shed her coat and placed it on top of a nearby concrete post that stood up against the backside of the building they were next to. Fox felt his heart jump slightly after seeing his comrade's black outfit that left very little to the imagination. "_Dang… She's perfect," _he thought to himself, almost salivating over Scarlet's highly attractive physical form.
"My face is up here, Fox," she unhappily remarked.
"Oh… um… S…Sorry about that, Scarlet!"
The vixen sarcastically mumbled, "Sure, you are," before changing the tone of her voice and sternly ordering, "Follow my lead. The guys around here are anything but friendly. We'll head to the rooftop overlooking the building where your weapons dealer keeps his business.
"Got it," Fox replied, falling in behind Scarlet and beginning the long walk to the vantage point Scarlet had found the day before.
The shapely female fox slipped out of the alleyway with Fox closely following her movements. Both of them stuck close to the walls of the nearby buildings and attempted to make as little noise as possible. After all this time, Fox finally noticed that Scarlet was not wearing traditional shoes—rather, her catsuit had a pair of latex boots built in to it that enabled her to move around without creating any kind of noticeable noise.
A growing rumbling sound began to grow louder in their ears, and Scarlet began to become wary of what might have been creating it. "Fox! Into that alley!"
Fox silently obeyed and sprinted into the darkened alleyway that flanked the mostly unused industrial street they were following. Both he and Scarlet crouched down and leaned against the nearest wall as the noise began to increase in volume.
Scarlet, who was positioned to Fox's right, cautiously peeked her head up and watched as a large hovercraft carrying a heavy gray container with a winged 'A' emblem on its side thundered past them, sending the myriad pieces of street trash in its path flying all over the narrow downtown road. With a stern expression, she turned to Fox and said, "Carache's definitely here. That container had his company's emblem on it."
The hovercraft turned right at the next intersection without slowing in the least before it disappeared down the street that ran adjacent to the road they had been following. Sticking to the shadows, Scarlet and Fox slipped out of the alleyway and began to follow the route the oversized hovercraft had taken.
The cleanliness of the city's streets and buildings seemed to deteriorate the farther they went from the city's center. Trash of all kinds littered the streets, which were almost completely unused in the darkening hours of the night. Several dim yellow lights partially illuminated the streets, and a few worn-out halogen bulbs attempted to provide light to the derelict, backwater region of the city.
As the two vulpines carefully stepped across another poorly-kept alleyway, Fox thought that he heard something rustling nearby. "_Probably just some more trash. Man, this place is a dump." _He trailed Scarlet by around ten feet at this point. The white fluorescent lamp that partially lit up the surrounding area suddenly burned out as they walked past it; and at that moment, Fox thought he heard the noise again.
"Scarlet, are you hearing anything?"
"No, Fox. What does it sound like?"
Fox gave no response, and as Scarlet turned around to see what was wrong, she was floored by a mangy-looking feline holding a rusty combat knife. The breath was almost completely knocked out of her by her impact with the ground; and as her assailant pressed firmly on her diaphragm, she felt her consciousness slowly beginning to fade out.
In a disturbingly raspy voice, the feline taunted, "My, my—we're going to have some fun with you!"
The mere thought of being abused against her will awakened Scarlet's darkest survival instincts. This was not the first time she had found herself in a situation such as this one; and she was not about to let herself be violated by a group of lowlife criminals. Just as she was about to pass out from being slowly asphyxiated, she forced her mouth upwards and violently bit her attacker's muzzle. The feline released his pressure on her chest and screamed in pain as his mouth began to bleed profusely.
He yelled every form of profanity he knew while he clutched at his wound and tried to stop the bleeding inflicted by the vixen's keen canines. While the criminal was left temporarily disoriented, Scarlet rolled over and pushed herself off the ground, gulping down air as if it was the last time she would ever breathe. The wounded feline reached for his handgun, but before he could brandish it, Scarlet lashed out with a roundhouse kick to his face that caused him to scream even more loudly.
While the feline reeled in pain, Scarlet reversed her combat stance and savagely kicked her assailant in the chest, knocking him backwards to the ground. Without the slightest hesitation, the vixen wrenched the knife out of his paw, pressed her knee into his chest, and rammed the rusty blade into his skull.
"Good riddance," she muttered as she stood up and admired her work. Her macabre finish had left an expression of sheer terror on her former attacker's face; and the fear which he must have felt brought a twisted smile to Scarlet's lips.
"_Now to rescue Fox…"_
She picked her assault rifle up off the pavement, where it had fallen out of her grasp when she was tackled. After checking the weapon for any kind of noticeable damage and finding none, the vixen sprinted into the nearest alleyway in an attempt to find Fox. If the scumbag that attacked her had something akin to rape in mind, she didn't even want to imagine what his companions might do to Fox. As quietly as she possibly could, Scarlet sprinted through the slimy side streets and back alleys until she heard the unmistakable sounds of a scuffle.
The red vixen backed up to the corner of the wall nearest her and peeked her head around the corner to her left, where she saw Fox surrounded by four more feline criminals; all of which were smiling deviously. A slender female cat walked out from among them towards Fox, who was being restrained by a large panther against the alleyway's wall. Without hesitation, the female feline avariciously grasped Fox and aggressively kissed him while slowly rending his shirt with her keen claws. Fox frantically tried to break free from his captors, but the large cat behind him securely held him in place.
Scarlet had seen enough. She felt sick to her stomach at what was happening to Fox; and she felt a wave of guilt wash over her as she crouched behind the wall. This would never have happened if she hadn't asked Fox to assist her in her mission. He would be out enjoying himself on the town—not being molested by a disgusting convict in a dark alley. While she crouched around the corner from him, listening to the revolting sounds emanating from the street behind her, conflicting thoughts ran through her mind; with one side telling her to save her new companion and the other side telling her to abandon him and take the path of least resistance.
"_Shit. Looks like I don't have a choice."_
The vixen clutched her weapon and leapt out from her cover into the middle of the alleyway with her ears pinned back and her teeth bared. Plasma rounds leapt from the muzzle of her assault rifle as two of the feline criminals dropped to the ground almost immediately. The panther holding Fox gave him a powerful shove that pushed him to the pavement, while the female cat that had been physically assaulting him attempted to leap out of the way of Scarlet's fire. However, she was struck in the abdomen by the rapid-fire plasma rounds and dropped dead on the pavement close to where Fox had fallen.
The large panther that had been holding Fox against the wall began to return fire on Scarlet, and several laser bursts flashed past her muzzle as she tried to find some kind of cover. Quickly, she dove behind a set of concrete access stairs and reloaded her weapon to avoid running out of plasma fluid in the heat of battle. The powerful blasts from her aggressor's firearm began to chip away at the stairs that only provided a marginal amount of cover, but she resisted the urge to panic. Slowly, the concrete staircase beside her began to crumble as the panther unloaded round after round of powerful laser fire into it.
Scarlet had two small sticky grenades on her person, but she knew that using one was not an option with Fox in such close proximity to her target. The vixen prepared to temporarily abandon her cover and fire upon the black cat; but before she could move, he heard the feline say, "Come out and drop your weapon, or I'll kill your fox friend!"
"_Damn it! Not another one of these!"_
While frantically searching her mind for a quick solution to the bind she found herself in, she remembered what her boss, mentor, and former lover had told her in the past.
"_There's always a way out of any situation, no matter how impossible it might seem. You might have to dig deep to find it, but it's there. If you can't see it, it means that you're not being creative enough. You have one advantage that I never had—and that advantage is that you're a woman. Your odds of getting out of pinch are way better than mine thanks to that alone."_
From behind the cover of the concrete stairs, the black cat barked, "Hey! I haven't got all day! If I don't see you come out and put your weapon down in the next five seconds, Foxy gets it!"
Scarlet checked her belt for any additional supplies that she might have been carrying and cracked a dry smile after noticing one particular implement that sat above her right hip. The vixen slowly stepped out from behind the set of stairs and gingerly placed her rifle on the ground at her feet. The panther was holding Fox in front of him with his arm wrapped around his neck; and in his other hand, he held the sidearm Scarlet had given to Fox earlier.
Pointing the gun at the vixen, he cruelly laughed, "Ha! Now that you're unarmed, I'll take the pleasure of killing both you _and_ your pathetic friend! That'll teach you not to cross us on our turf!" Several more ominous laughs emanated from his mouth as he tightened his grip on Fox's neck.
Scarlet's expression tightened into an angry scowl as she listened to the feline's threats. Without displaying one iota of fear, she slightly raised her right leg and very sensually stroked her thigh, while her other hand began to pull down on her suit's zipper that started at her neckline. The feline's laughter quickly ceased as his attention was diverted to Scarlet's provocative motions. He watched as the small zipper slowly descended, completely ignoring what the vixen was doing with her other hand. Just before Scarlet's zipper dropped to her breasts, the panther noticed what she was attempting to do; but by then, it was too late.
"Why you!" he roared as a small, black knife blade flashed through the air and caught him in the eye, just barely missing the side of Fox's face in the process. The throwing knife had come so close to Fox that he could actually feel the wind coming off of it as it passed him and struck its target with alarming precision. The black feline dropped to the ground without a sound, leaving Fox standing in the middle of the alleyway, surrounded by the corpses of his fallen assailants.
Picking up her assault rifle and zipping up her bodysuit, Scarlet coolly walked up to Fox and asked, "They didn't hurt you too badly, did they?"
Fox was clearly very shaken up by what he had been subjected to. The disgusting romantic session he had just been part of caused him to feel injured on a deep, personal level; almost like his internal being had been violated. Obviously scarred from the rapid succession of events, he replied, "I…I'm fine."
As emotionless as she wanted to seem, Scarlet was evidently perturbed by what had happened to Fox. She held herself accountable for what he had been subjected to, because none of it would have happened if she had not persuaded him to tag along with her.
"I'm sorry, Fox," she angrily replied, furious with herself for allowing Fox to fall into harm's way. "It's my fault for dragging you into this in the first place. I shouldn't have asked you to come with me. Please, go back to the hotel. I'll finish the job without you. Don't worry—I'll be fine."
Firmly, Fox replied, "I'm not going anywhere, Scarlet. This is too important for me to sit out on."
Scarlet glanced back at him with a conflicted frown before she quietly growled and said, "Fine. So be it."
With the band of criminals dead and no longer of any concern, Scarlet and Fox left the filthy back alley and resumed their investigation of the area outside the center of Yaruit.
* * *
Following the harrowing episode of being attacked by a criminal gang in one of the darkest boroughs of Yaruit, the two vulpines were much more careful to scan their surroundings. Neither of them had been significantly hurt in the scuffle, although Fox was emotionally scarred from being kissed against his will. He repeatedly spit onto the pavement near his feet, trying to rid his mouth of the feline's foul taste.
The area of the city which they were now in was almost completely silent—almost worryingly so. The streets seemed to be noticeably cleaner than the ones they had followed up to this point, and very little trash could be found on them. Not only were they mostly free of debris, but they also sported newer pavement that sharply contrasted with the faded, dark gray asphalt of the slums they had just exited.
Scarlet whispered, "Follow my lead," and quickly sprinted across the empty street to the back side of a tall warehouse building. Fox followed his vixenly comrade, who stopped at the base of a thin, metallic service ladder that led to the roof of the building. Scarlet confidently gripped the flimsy ladder and began the three-story climb to the warehouse's roof. Fox would have waited for her to reach the top before he attempted to do the same, but Scarlet motioned for him to stay close behind her.
The small, aluminum ladder seemed to shake in his paws as he grabbed onto its rails and slowly pulled himself up towards the roof. He looked up and saw that Scarlet was already far ahead of him and currently in the process of pulling herself onto the roof while he had only scaled the ladder to the second floor. Slowly and with a great amount of trepidation, Fox continued to climb until he reached the roof, where Scarlet offered him her paw and helped him onto the gravely surface on top of the warehouse.
The vixen very quietly explained, "Stay down. If they see us, we're done for." Both vulpines crouched down and slowly moved across the roof of the warehouse until they were able to clearly view another warehouse building, which was protected by two armed guards. There were certainly many more inside the structure, but Scarlet knew that this was to be expected. Quietly, the vixen lowered herself into a prone position overlooking the edge of the roof, and Fox followed her movements.
"Is that where the weapons dealer keeps his shop?" Fox asked.
"Yes," Scarlet whispered in reply. "I'm trying to see if I can see anything related to Carache from up here. That hovercraft transport we saw earlier was definitely his." In the streets below them, both foxes noticed a long, black car driving towards the dimly-lit warehouse where the two guards were standing with their weapons at attention. Fox's weapon had no scope, which denied him the ability to clearly see the vehicle's occupants as they exited the vehicle. However, the night vision scope on Scarlet's assault rifle was more than capable of providing her with an accurate view of the scene below.
A tall, iguana-like creature dressed in a suit and tie stepped out of the black car and calmly strode up to the warehouse's front door without so much as acknowledging the security guards on duty. Only able to partially observe what was going on due to his distance from the building, Fox asked Scarlet, "Is that him?"
Scarlet angrily shook her head and replied, "No. It's a decoy. Carache knows that he's a wanted man, and he would _never_ go in by the front door like that. Chances are that he was in the hovercraft that passed us earlier."
Somewhat impatiently, Fox asked, "What are we supposed to do now?"
"Be patient, Fox," Scarlet snapped, still keeping the volume of her voice to a minimum. "I'm trying to figure it out."
Using her rifle's scope, the vixen surveyed the area around the warehouse and quickly took notice of an open patch of concrete to the left side of the building. Two heavy hovercrafts were docked on the side of the warehouse and seemed to be in the process of unloading the contents of the large, metal containers which they were hauling.
To the left of the concrete pad was a group of overgrown palm trees and shrubs; and on the right side, the plant growth was even more untamed. "_Perhaps if there was some kind of back entrance…_" The presence of another palm grove quickly terminated the possibility of a rear door, and Scarlet was beginning to become peeved.
With a frown, she looked over at Fox and whispered, "We're going to have to get creative if we want to get in there; but there's nothing we can do about it tonight. I'll tell my boss about the situation and try to come up with something." She slowly rolled over from her prone position and sat up on the roof before telling Fox, "I don't know about you, but I'm going back to the hotel to get some sleep."
"I think I'm going to do the same thing," he quietly replied.
Fox and Scarlet slowly climbed down from the roof and began to retrace their steps back to where their trail had begun. With both of their weapons armed and held at the ready, they cautiously slunk through the dimly-lit streets, keeping their eyes and ears open for any unfriendly surprises. Eventually, both of them safely returned to the area where Scarlet had left her white coat, which was still positioned on top of the concrete post she had placed it on more than an hour ago.
The temperature had declined significantly and was now in the upper 60s; and the wind coming off the rapidly cooling desert sands sent a light chill through the air. Fox watched with jealousy as Scarlet wrapped the soft coat around herself before disassembling her rifle and placing its various components back into their respective slots inside her long jacket. With a faint, terse smile, she said, "Play time's over, Fox. Give me my gun back." She motioned for Fox to hand over his borrowed sidearm, and he willingly complied with her demand.
After buttoning her coat and completely concealing every trace of the weapons she was carrying, the vixen placed a call to the Oasis using her wrist-mounted communications interface that was remarkably similar to Fox's. The line rang several times before the voice of the hotel's female receptionist was broadcasted into the night air around Fox and Scarlet. "Good evening. How may I direct your call?"
Trying to sound dignified, Scarlet answered, "I need a ride back from 3rd Avenue in downtown Yaruit."
"I can arrange that. What is the name on your reservation?"
"Amanda Morrison," she said in response to the operator.
"Nice name," Fox quietly remarked as Scarlet quickly raised a finger to her lips and angrily stared at him for making such a comment in the middle of her call.
The receptionist searched for the name Scarlet had used to identify herself at the hotel before speaking, "Very well, Miss Morrison. A shuttle will arrive at the corner of 3rd and 6th in exactly 32 minutes. Thank you for your patronage. Good evening."
"Good evening to you, too."
Immediately after the communications line closed, Fox keenly asked Scarlet, "Is that your name? Amanda Morrison?"
For reasons unbeknown to Fox, Scarlet seemed to react very negatively to his innocent question. "No, Fox. It's just an alias. My name's Scarlet—just Scarlet."
Fox knew that she was being insincere. Her lack of a last name or family title indicated to him that she was closely guarding her true identity. He wasn't sure why this was, but he knew that she wished to keep her true name to herself and only herself. In the meantime, he made a mental note to never ask her about her name again.
"Come on, Fox," he heard her say to him as she began to walk back towards downtown Yaruit.
* * *
A brisk stroll back into the heart of the large metropolis brought the two vulpines to a bus stop at the intersection where the car from the hotel was scheduled to pick them up. Scarlet quickly glanced at her watch and sighed. It would be ten more minutes until the black chauffer car would arrive. The vixen slowly leaned back on the harsh bench and lightly yawned. It had been a long day for her, but not near as long of a day as it had been for Fox. He had started the day by receiving a job offer from General Pepper; and in the ensuing hours, he had met a bounty hunter who could have easily passed as a model, eaten at a five-star restaurant, been told that his mission was null and void, and then been attacked and molested by a group of inner-city criminals. He would definitely not forget about this day for quite some time.
Still, it could have been worse. According to Scarlet, if he had found out that the Yaruitian weapons dealer was concocting nuclear devices before contacting General Pepper to alert him to their existence, something terrible would happen. He quickly glanced over at the sultry vixen seated next to him and wondered if she was someone he could trust. Generally speaking, he never trusted other mercenaries—let alone bounty hunters. However, something was different about her. She had a heart somewhere inside of her, unlike most of her kind. He had seen it when she had rescued him from the criminal gang that was accosting him. For just one moment, she had become vulnerable; and Fox was able to see that she was capable of caring. The fact that her mere appearance was enough to immediately arouse his masculine instincts wasn't helping much, either.
Fox watched the traffic drive by from both directions while he sat next to Scarlet and thought about what he was going to tell Peppy and Slippy about his mission progress. They would both want to know how he was doing; not only because they cared about his well-being, but also because any progress in the mission meant they were that much closer to earning their first paycheck in months.
Out of the corner of his eye, Fox noticed the three blue foxes Scarlet had pointed out to him earlier and was immediately intrigued by them. The two males were dressed in elegant formal suits, and the one vixen was wearing a short, white dress.
"_Telepaths, huh? I wonder what it would be like to be one of them," _he thought. Much to his shock, as they passed, the vixen of the group looked his way and happily said, "It's wonderful, friend."
Fox couldn't help but smile back as the trio of Cerinians slowly walked away from them down the sidewalk. He observed the lovely blue vixen kindly patting the back of the vulpine that appeared to be her husband; and deep inside, Fox began to feel a longing for a mate of his own.
He was drawn to Scarlet, if only because her appearance managed to arouse his masculine instincts after just one glance. However, he knew that she would dominate him in a relationship if he ever entered into any form of romance with her. The vixen seemed to like him for some reason, although he still wondered if he was being played by her. She was certainly not past doing such a thing.
After several more minutes, the black car from the Oasis pulled up to the curb. The tiger who was driving the vehicle precisely exited the driver's seat, walked around the car, and courteously opened the back door for Fox and Scarlet, who gratefully thanked him and scooted into the vehicle's comfortable back seat. The long drive back to the resort was very quiet; and when Fox glanced over at Scarlet after looking out at the darkened desert outside the car, he found that she was sound asleep.
He smiled while looking at the beautiful red vixen's sleeping form and returned his attention to himself and the decision he would have to make very soon. He mentally wrestled with himself about what he would say to Peppy when he called him. He would only be able to stall for so long before General Pepper would become frustrated with his lack of progress on the mission and send in someone else to investigate the possibility of nuclear weapons being kept on Tehraia. When that happened… well, Fox didn't want to think about what would happen as a result of a Cornerian special ops team blasting their way into a storehouse containing potentially catastrophic ordnances.
Scarlet's quiet breathing and the almost silent road noise from the chauffer car were the only sounds that Fox could hear as the vehicle began to approach the distant towers of the Oasis resort. Fox's mind wandered to the thoughts of his luxurious room and its large swimming pool that he had planned to dive into when he returned from Yaruit. After the long day he had endured, nothing would feel better than a relaxing swim before climbing into a bed that would have been fit for a king and falling asleep without a worry in the world.
The chauffer car eventually reached the large hotel and pulled into the parking garage, where the chameleon on duty opened the back door as Scarlet woke up and groggily stepped out of the car, followed by Fox. Both vulpines walked through the hotel's main lobby to the elevators and quickly traveled to the 28th floor where both of their rooms waited for them. Completely exhausted from their day, Fox and Scarlet slid their respective key cards into their doors' card readers and opened them. Just before she closed her door, Scarlet sleepily said, "Goodnight, Fox."
Fox simply smiled before replying, "Good night, Scarlet. Sleep well."
Now enshrined in his own suite that managed to top every other place he had ever resided in, Fox closed his door behind him and pulled off his clothes before sliding into the warm pool in the middle of the tiled floor. Being able to stay in a place like this while on the job was almost unheard of, and he was determined to drink in every minute of it before it ended. He floated in the pool for a few minutes before swimming out to the balcony area overlooking the desert below and lazily resting his arms on the balcony's metallic railings. The light pollution in the middle of the desert was virtually nonexistent; and millions of stars could clearly be seen in the night skies above the cool desert.
A single shooting star raced across the skies, its bright yellow light reminding Fox of the time he had spent with his father and mother when he was no more than a young fox kit. He remembered the nights when he would sit on his father's shoulders and make wishes as the flashes of light streaked across the heavens. Almost every time a shooting star came, he would make a wish that he could be just like his father.
Now that he truly had taken his father's place in his exact line of work, he realized how naïve he had been at the time. When he was only ten, he could never have known that his father's work was often life-threatening and very difficult; but even in hindsight, he never regretted the choices that had brought him to where he was now—standing in a warm pool of water in a sumptuous hotel room, looking out over the vast, unspoiled expanse of desert while watching a shooting star fly across the skies. Things couldn't get much better than this.
…Except that it wasn't a shooting star at all.
Fox quickly realized that something was horribly wrong. Instead of eventually burning out in Tehraia's atmosphere, the flash of yellow light continued to glow until it vanished at ground level. It was not long before Fox realized what he had just witnessed. Something had crashed in the desert several miles from the hotel. He stayed in place for five more minutes, waiting for someone to do something about it; but it appeared that he had been the only one to see it.
_"Am I losing my mind?"_
Fox quickly climbed out of the pool and shook out his fur before dressing himself and leaving his room. He half expected to find Scarlet out in the hallway, but she was comfortably locked away in her room, enjoying the solace and comfort of the magnificent dwelling. The vulpine quickly walked to the hotel's elevator and rode it down to the lobby level. The atrium area was eerily quiet, and the only occupant was the tigress receptionist behind the check-in counter.
To make sure he hadn't been seeing things, he asked her, "Did anyone tell you anything about a shooting star?"
The tigress gave him a strange glance that immediately told him that she thought he was out of his mind for asking such a trivial and childish question. "Oh… well, thanks…" he muttered, now completely embarrassed at himself for even bothering to ask. However, he _knew_ what he saw. He saw a ship crash in the desert, and he was determined to find out more about it. Perhaps if the crew had survived and he was able to help them, he would be able to pocket a few credits for his services.
He would have liked to take his Arwing out to the crash site, but the hotel had several restrictions on air and spacecraft use after 9:00 P.M.; and because it was 11:45, he would have to go out on foot. As he exited the large, ornate front doors of the resort and walked along the side of the road that led from the hotel towards Yaruit, he once again wondered if he was being delusional. He should have been resting up in preparation for tomorrow; but here he was, walking into the desert to investigate a downed spacecraft that no one else had even seen.
His blaster was still in his Arwing to prevent any 'issues' with hotel weapons regulations; and as it was, he was unarmed except for a decently-sized combat knife which he always carried with him. He didn't see being mostly unarmed as much of a concern, but deserts were often unpredictable. His thoughts temporarily leapt back to Titania during the Lylat Wars. That mission was a debacle in every sense of the word. The only reason he had even traveled to the dusty desert planet was because Slippy had been shot down and needed to be rescued. In the process of saving his team's clumsiest member, he had risked his life against Andross's desert forces and braved the giant creature that had captured Slippy. Even now, the thought of that mission brought a scowl to his face as he trekked through the soft, thick sands of the Tehraian Greater Desert.
He could not see where the alien ship had crash-landed, but he knew that he was moving in the right direction—or at least he _believed_ that he knew where he was going. There was nothing to give him a sense of direction other than his wrist-based compass, which wasn't of much use because he hadn't bothered to compare his visual bearings with the magnetic pull of Tehraia's poles. Seeing a particularly large sand dune, he slowly forced his way up the sizeable hill of sand until he was able to stand at its peak.
About a half mile from his position was the wreckage of a medium-sized transport ship of a kind he had never seen before. The ship was painted in a shade of matte black, and several small flames were still burning near its engines long after the craft had violently collided with the ground. Fox saw two figures sprawled out on the ground and quickly sprinted down the other side of the sand dune to help them in any way he could. That is—if they were still alive. The odds of surviving a fiery crash such as this one were very slim.
His heavy boots kicked up healthy doses of the soft desert sand as he ran, and as he neared the downed transport ship, he noticed that both of the incapacitated passengers were blue vulpine females. Quickly, he sprinted toward the first of the two and dropped to his knees in front of her. The vixen helplessly looked up at him with a pair of yellow eyes that seemed to grow dimmer with each second. Fox noticed that her breathing was slowly becoming fainter, and he realized that she was not going to live much longer.
"P…Please… take care of her…" the vixen weakly murmured. "Her…mother…needs her."
Fox carefully attempted to mop up the blood seeping out of the noticeable puncture wound to the right of her eye, but the vixen feebly pushed his arm away and cried, "Don't try to save me! She needs you!"
Fox gave up trying to argue with her and stood up. As he caught a glimpse of the vixen which the dying blue fox had told him to protect, he felt a wave of grief sweep through him. She was lying face down in the sand, with her blue flight suit badly seared from the heat generated in the crash landing. Several holes had been burned in her clothing, the most noticeable of which was a gaping tear on her lower back area. Sand from the desert was caked onto her both her clothing and fur.
A portion of her suit had been fused with her fur just below her tail, which was accented with three cloth-like wraps that kept her thick brush from becoming unruly. Fox knelt next to her, checked her pulse, and found the she was alive; although just barely so. She was not bleeding, but she was completely unconscious. Her breathing was very faint, and every time she drew a breath and then exhaled, a quiet whimper would escape from her delicate mouth.
Pitying the blue vixen, who appeared to be only two inches shorter than him, he carefully rolled her over and lifted her off the sand. She was not too heavy for him to carry, although he would have to walk a good five miles to make it back to the Oasis, all while holding her. The vulpine placed his left paw under her neck, while his other hand rested under the blue vixen's soft legs.
Before setting off for the hotel, he scanned the surroundings for anyone or anything else he may have missed. However, it seemed that the vixen he was carrying had been the only survivor. The yellow-eyed vulpine female that he had just talked with had already given up her ghost and now lay silently on the desert sands.
A black suitcase was lying in the sand close to where Fox had found the vixen he was holding, and he decided that it wouldn't hurt to take a look inside and see what it contained. He gently lowered the cerulean vixen to the desert ground and unzipped the wheeled suitcase, which sported a tag with a form of alien glyphic print on it. Just below it, the name 'Krystal' was printed in the Lylatian language. Flipping open the top compartment of the travel bag, Fox found what appeared to be the vixen's elaborate jewelry. He also noticed that her spare clothes had also been packed away inside, and he knew that she would want them if she returned to a state of consciousness.
It would be difficult to carry both the vixen and her bag, but Fox knew that he needed to do it. Trying to be gentle, he picked up the beautiful fox and threw her onto his right shoulder. She groaned slightly, but remained unconscious while Fox carefully picked up her suitcase and carried it with his left paw. Fortunately, she had not packed too heavily.
Fox slowly struggled through the cool sand dunes as the temperature plunged into the lower 50s. The wind seemed to have a cruel agenda as it whistled around the vulpine and chilled him to the bone through the gaps in his torn shirt, which had been ruined by the over-eager feline criminal who had provided him with a series of unwelcome kisses. The weight of his baggage seemed to increase exponentially the farther he went, and by the time he reached the front doors of the hotel, he felt like he was about to collapse onto the ground.
Setting down the vixen's suitcase, Fox pried open one of the main doors of the hotel and wearily stepped inside. The lobby inside the doors was completely deserted. The front desk was open at all times regardless of any foreseeable situation, but the receptionist was away from her post as Fox walked past the counter, carrying the blue vixen on his shoulder. With his strength almost gone, Fox lugged the vulpine female onto the elevator and pressed the '28' button. The delicate vixen seemed to whimper once again as the elevator quickly shot up before arriving at its destination on Fox's floor. Thankfully, no one else had needed to use the elevator at the same time as him.
Slowly, Fox left the elevator area and shuffled towards his room, which he opened with his key card before stepping inside and closing the door behind him. He had made it back to his room with the sole survivor of the wreck in the desert that only he had witnessed, but that was only half of the battle. He placed the vixen's suitcase against the room's left wall before kicking off his boots, which were now filled with sand from the desert. Not wasting any time, he pulled off the vixen's tall, blue shoes, carried her over to his bed, and lovingly tucked her in for the night.
She looked so beautiful and innocent with her head buried in the downy pillows of Fox's hotel bed, with her injured and burned body tenderly enshrouded in the soft, comfortable sea of silk bedsheets. In a way, she seemed to fit in perfectly with the splendorous trappings of Fox's suite almost like she was another decoration. Her face, her perfectly formed muzzle, her beautifully-trimmed hair, and the elegant jewels she wore on her forehead all gave her an appearance befitting a member of a royal line.
Fox simply stood at the foot of the luxurious king bed, staring at the enigmatic stranger who had literally fallen from the skies. Her near-regal beauty was completely unlike that of Scarlet's. The bounty hunter's attractive qualities caused a fiery desire for erotic passion to well up inside of Fox; but he felt no such feelings as he looked at the sleeping Cerinian. Her beauty was of a deep, soulful variety that Fox found himself unable to accurately describe. It was much more than skin deep, to be sure.
He was beyond tired, and he was ready to turn in for the night; but he knew that he had to contact Peppy and give him an update on the mission. A sick feeling came to his stomach as he contemplated the reality that he would have to bluff to his closest friend and mentor—the man he considered his adopted father.
With his head held low, Fox slowly walked along the edge of his room's swimming pool and stepped out onto the wide, open balcony. As the wind whistled through his fur, he dialed Peppy's extension and was quickly put in contact with the elderly hare.
"Hey there, Fox. How's it going down there? Do you like the hotel?"
"It's great, Peppy," he warmly replied. "Listen, about the mission…"
"Yes, Fox—what about it?"
He deeply sighed and quickly pondered the two replies he had available. Either way, things would turn ugly somewhere down the road. If he lied to Peppy, he would put a rift in the middle of his friendship with the hare; and if he told the truth, the Cornerian Army would arrive and possibly decimate the entire city of Yaruit. He recalled what Scarlet had told him just five hours ago, and her words only added more fuel to his raging mental fire.
_"Don't call your general. If your people show up here, all hell's going to break loose."_
He had to make his decision at that very moment.
Uneasily, he replied, "…The mission is going well. I think I've got a lead on the weapons dealer."
"Great job, Fox!" said Peppy, congratulating him on his rapid progress with the mission. "Keep it up, and we'll have enough money to repair the _Great Fox _in no time!" He briefly paused before finishing, "Good luck, Fox. Have a good night."
"You too, Peppy."
The instant Peppy's voice faded away into the cold night air of Tehraia, Fox's temporary smile was replaced with a frown. He felt sick inside with the feeling that can only come from the betrayal of a friend. What was supposed to be a simple, straightforward investigation had turned into something far greater; and Fox didn't know where to turn to for guidance. Neither Scarlet nor Peppy could be fully trusted; and while he didn't want to place his security in a roguish bounty hunter that he barely knew, he was completely aware of what would happen if he were to tell Peppy the truth about his situation.
With his mind and stomach both in knots, Fox wandered back to his bed and turned off the room's lights before climbing into bed, fully clothed for the sake of the vixen slumbering to his left. He was loathe to admit it, but he wanted to make a good first impression on her when she awoke. Rescuing her from the crash in the desert was a good first step. After taking one last, long look at the delicate blue Cerinian, he allowed his head to fall back into his soft, plushy pillow before he quickly drifted off to sleep.
3. Chapter 3: A Bittersweet Awakening
**Chapter 3: A Bittersweet Awakening**
As Fox slowly awoke after a night of deep, relaxing sleep, he opened his eyes to the sight of the rich Tehraian sunlight pouring into the room and casting its brilliant radiance onto the swimming pool in the center of the tiled floor. The sound of the desert wind could be clearly heard as it whistled through the permanently opened balcony. Yawning slightly, Fox sat up in bed and glanced at the sleeping Cerinian next to him. He had only intended to look at her for a moment, but he felt his gaze drawn to her the way a magnet is drawn to iron.
He was unable to pull his eyes off of the vixen's slumbering form as she slept. The sand-colored bedsheets came up to her neck and closely traced the outlines of her body while she repetitively inhaled and exhaled the fresh desert air, creating a quiet, almost indiscernible sigh with every breath. Her head was tilted sideways on her pillow; and if her eyes had been open, she would have been looking directly at Fox. For the moment, the vulpine simply watched her breathe. Everything about the vixen seemed to radiate an esoteric beauty that enveloped the space around him and completely enthralled his emotions— so much, in fact, that he realized that he was experiencing a mild euphoric high from merely being around her.
Her right paw was held out towards him with her palm facing up, almost begging for someone to reach out and hold it; and it was all Fox could do not to fondle her soft, blue digits and slowly trace his way up her arm all the way to her delicate muzzle. "What am I thinking?" he whispered to himself, mentally kicking himself for his thoughts while trying to avoid waking the Cerinian. Gently and quietly, he slid out of bed and turned around to look at the vixen once again._ "Just one more look won't hurt…"_
Two minutes later, Fox left his bedchamber and picked up his duffel bag, which contained his spare clothes. Taking it into his closet and closing the door behind him, he changed out of his dusty, damaged attire and slipped into a light pair of red pants and a taut-fitting, black t-shirt that would hopefully be more suited for the heat of Tehraia than his outfit from the day before.
Wrapping his soft, red scarf around his neck, he left his closet and walked back towards his bedside, watching the sun's rays cascading off the water of the swimming pool. He would have liked to dive in, but he hadn't brought any kind of appropriate swimwear for himself; and as such, he didn't want to be humiliated if the vixen woke up and found him swimming naked. That would not be a good way to make a good first impression on her.
Before entering his bedchamber to check on the Cerinian, he walked over to her suitcase and opened it, checking the bag for any clothes he could place on the bed for her to change into. He dug through her clothes, awkwardly pulling out a pair of light pink undergarments for her before finding a white loincloth, of all things, neatly folded underneath a pair of blue pants alongside a copper-colored metallic bra. His mouth began to salivate as he pictured the blue Cerinian wearing the scant outfit, and he strongly considered placing it on the bed for her to change into when she awoke.
Fox realized that if the vixen woke up to find him looking through the contents of her suitcase, it would be almost as embarrassing as if she found him swimming in the nude; but regardless of this, he continued to check her bag for anything of interest. Trying to keep her clothes neatly folded, he pulled them out of the suitcase and placed them on the ground next to the tribal outfit he had found earlier. At the bottom of the black suitcase was a small, zipped bag containing the vixen's hygienic products; and to the left of it was… a stick?
The vulpine curiously snatched up the intriguing item, which seemed to be in a collapsed form. He noticed a button on the main shaft, which was decorated with a series of glyphic prints that matched those on the tag attached to the suitcase. Not wanting to make any noise, he pressed the button, causing the item to extend to its full length. It was then that he realized that he was holding a combat staff of some kind. It was made of a sturdy, lightweight metal that enabled the weapon to be effortlessly hefted and twirled; and there seemed to be a form of power cell on the blunt end of the weapon. At the moment, it was fully charged and ready for use, although Fox knew better than to try it out indoors when its owner was sleeping less than thirty feet from him.
Intrigued by the mysterious weapon, he collapsed it and placed it back in the bag the way he had found it. He selected a set of pink underwear, a white shirt, and a pair of light aquamarine-colored pants for the vixen to wear; and after returning to his bedchamber, he neatly placed the clothing items next to the sleeping vixen on the bed, where she would be sure to see them when she awoke. After Fox had put down her clothes, his eyes once again drifted over to the blue vixen's beautifully formed face as she let out a heavy breath and quietly groaned. In seconds, her soft, aquamarine eyes slowly fluttered open; and she awoke from her sleep with a small, adorable yawn.
She quietly whimpered a faint "hmm?" sound and sat upright in the bed after noticing that Fox was looking at her. The orange vulpine had thought of nearly everything he could have said to her when she awoke; but in the heat of the moment, his mind went blank, leaving him completely unable to form words.
Weakly, the vixen asked him, "Where am I?" Her voice was tinged with pain, and it occurred to Fox that she was still probably very sore from the crash the night before.
"You're in my room in the Oasis resort on Tehraia," he softly replied.
The vixen frowned in pain and confusion, without the slightest idea of how she had arrived here. The last thing she remembered was a sudden impact that struck her ship; and after that, she only remembered the color black. Her friend who had been accompanying her on her journey was nowhere to be found, and her ship was gone. Frantically trying to find something that would bring her memories back to her, she looked around Fox's room and noticed her opened suitcase along with the clothes that Fox had laid out for her.
"Did you do all of this for me?" she feebly asked Fox while sliding back into a sleeping position under the covers.
In hopes that the vixen would appreciate him for his kindness, Fox awkwardly replied, "Um… yeah… I did."
Still lost and confused, the Cerinian examined the clothes Fox had placed beside her on the bed and softly said, "Thank you, my friend." She then paused and asked Fox, "Do you mind leaving for a few minutes? I want to take off this dreadful flightsuit." Noticing the swimming pool forty feet in front of her, she stopped Fox as he was preparing to close the bedchamber's privacy curtain and asked him, "Are my swimming clothes in my suitcase? Can you bring them to me, please?"
Fox's heart rate climbed noticeably after hearing her request as he anxiously bent over next to her suitcase and looked for something resembling a bikini. However, it was not until he came up empty-handed that he realized what she meant by 'swimming clothes.'
_"Oh man…"_
He quickly held up the loincloth he had found earlier and asked her, "Is this what you wanted?"
"Yes! Thank you!"
The orange vulpine presented the skimpy attire to the bedridden vixen, who thanked him and slowly climbed out of bed before realizing how badly her clothing had been damaged. "I'll be outside if you need me," Fox anxiously said, pulling the privacy curtain shut so that she could change into her swimming clothes without any unwanted intrusions.
The Cerinian slowly slid out of her flight suit and tossed the ruined garment onto Fox's bed without a care as she noticed her reflection on a large mirror that hung on the bedchamber's left wall. She carefully looked herself over and scoured her fur for any burns or noticeable injuries and found surprisingly few. It was nothing short of a miracle that she had escaped with only minor injuries, and she felt indebted to someone or something that she had not been injured more seriously. The crash had only left her with a few painful bruises, a generous headache, and a solitary burn on her left thigh where her flame-retardant flightsuit had failed to protect her from the fires created during her ship's uncontrolled descent into Tehraia's atmosphere.
Feeling that a quick morning swim would help her overcome her aches and pains, she pulled on her white loincloth and attached the copper-colored top that accompanied it. The outfit was somewhat different from what she and the other residents of Cerinia normally wore, and it was most often worn while sleeping or while bathing publicly in Cerinia's many natural springs.
Before she opened the privacy curtain and stepped out into the open, tiled chamber outside, she thought about the fox who had brought her to his room. She had initially been wary of his intentions, but a quick glimpse into his mind alleviated her worries and proved to her that he had only the best in mind for her well-being. The blue vixen was perplexed by this because the elders of her Cerinian order had always warned her that offworlders were corrupt, lustful, selfish people who would only abuse her and take interest in her only because of her uncommon beauty. However, her host was not like this. The vixen could tell that he was attracted to her, but she knew that he could be trusted. He had already slept by her side and kept watch over her in the early hours of the morning—even going as far as to bring fresh clothes to her before she woke up.
It had been a small miracle that she had even been granted permission to leave her home planet in the first place. As a girl of only 19, she was still naïve and not completely sure of herself. She had only been allowed to embark on a week-long vacation because her friend Jasmine had offered to travel with her and provide her with advice and protection from any harm.
As she tugged at the beige curtain granting her privacy, she wondered what had become of Jasmine. From a young age, the yellow-eyed vixen had been her closest friend and associate. Even though she was only two years older than her, Jasmine had been her mentor and had taught her as much about life, love, and reason as she possibly could in the 19 years she had known her. The blue vixen shed a solitary tear for her friend, knowing that she most likely had not survived the night.
"She was the one who deserved to live, not me," she sadly mused, wondering why she had survived while her friend had died. "She had a future, unlike me… I never amounted to anything."
On the other side of the curtain, Fox had seated himself on the edge of the stone spa tub that was positioned in the middle of the entrance to the swimming pool. While the vixen—Krystal, if he remembered correctly—dressed herself, he thought about the miraculous circumstances behind her survival. Just like her, he knew that escaping from a crash such as hers was very unlikely; and he wondered if there was a reason that she had survived.
He quickly realized that Krystal's entrance into his life would certainly complicate things with Scarlet. The red vixen despised Cerinians due to their telepathic abilities, and he worried that the presence of the blue vixen would tear his developing friendship with Scarlet apart. More than that, though—it could possibly endanger his mission and spark a chain reaction that would have the potential to spiral out of control very quickly. However, Krystal's friend's dying wish had been for him to take care of her; and there was no way he was going to abandon the most innocently beautiful fox he had ever laid eyes on.
Soon, Krystal emerged from behind the curtain and stepped out onto the black-tiled central chamber, wearing the scant clothing she had requested. Fox attempted to remain respectful by resisting the urge to stare at her curvaceous body; and it took every ounce of restraint in him not to gawk at her as she walked up to him and seated herself beside him on the stone rim of the spa tub.
The vixen didn't seem to mind his occasionally-lustful thoughts about her—in fact, the vulpine's nervous and impulsive thought patterns brought a faint smile to her somber face. She turned her head to look at Fox as their eyes met for the first time in such close proximity to each other; and she masterfully concealed a giggle as she sensed Fox's increasing thought activity and his elevated heart rate. Attempting to play off of his thoughts, she suggestively turned her body towards him and sweetly asked, "What's your name, friend?"
"Fox," he nervously replied. "Your name's K…Krystal, right?"
A bit taken aback by his knowledge of her name, she asked him, "How did you know?"
"I read the tag on your suitcase."
_"Oh, of course…"_
The blue vixen turned around and slowly lowered herself into the warm water of the tub behind her, taking a deep breath and allowing herself to fully relax for the first time since she had awakened to find Fox staring at her while she lay in bed. It was still apparent that she was distressed about the loss of her closest friend, but Fox's presence seemed to partially alleviate her grief. The vast majority of the time, Krystal attempted to block foreign thought patterns to prevent any unwanted emotions from entering her mind. However, she enjoyed listening in on Fox's internal conversations with himself.
_"Man, she's gorgeous. I'd love to… NO! STOP IT! She's probably listening to me right now!"_
Krystal's back was turned to Fox, but the vulpine was easily able to hear her giggle behind him as she listened to his impulsive thoughts regarding her. With a sweet, gentle smile, the vixen turned around and partially pulled herself out of the water, resting her elbows on the stone rim next to Fox.
"Don't be so tense, Fox. I don't mind it," she kindly said to him. Fox breathed a quiet sigh of relief, but he was still determined to keep his thoughts on a tight rein. Trying to provide himself with a distraction to keep from staring at her, Fox asked the vixen, "How do you know my language? It's not native on your planet, is it?"
Krystal dropped down into the water and then floated on her back as she answered, "I had to learn it before I was allowed to leave Cerinia." She paused and comfortably closed her eyes while still floating in the water in an attempt to flee from the oppressive thoughts and emotions that threatened to stifle her enthusiasm for life. "What do you do, Fox?" she calmly asked, "Are you a soldier?"
"I suppose," he answered, trying to avoid using the 'M' word that had a way of turning most people away and lowering their opinions of him. Uneasily, he continued, "Most people would call me a mercenary." He hated the way the last word awkwardly stumbled off of his tongue as he said it. He knew that Krystal would despise him now that she knew that he was a soldier of fortune—a hired gun—a bloodthirsty killer with only a heart for money.
However, the vixen simply smiled and rested her arms on the tub rim next to Fox with an innocent expression on her lovely face. "You don't look like a mercenary to me," she murmured. "You're better than that."
Fox felt slightly offended by Krystal's offhanded comment, but he decided to take it as a compliment. At the very least, she didn't despise him for his career choice. As the vixen slowly stepped out of the tub, the warm water cascaded off of her drenched fur and onto the tiled floor under her bare feet in a way that was reminiscent of a small monsoon. Fox had a very difficult time maintaining his composure around her, because all he wanted to do was to stare at her and drink in her near-perfect beauty as the small water droplets slid off of her fur and clothing.
Krystal broke the silence and happily asked, "Towel, please?"
"Oh! Sure!" Fox quickly replied, standing up and sprinting into the bathroom, where he snatched up a white, cotton towel for the vixen to dry herself with. "Here you go," he said, handing her the white cloth.
"Thank you, Fox," she gratefully replied, taking the towel and firmly matting her fur with it until it was mostly dry. Then, with a sly grin, she returned it to Fox and vigorously shook out her fur, sending hundreds of water droplets into the air and onto Fox, who unhappily grimaced as the vixen began to giggle at him. He was not pleased after having been doused by the Cerinian, but her laughter was infectious; and before long, he found himself laughing along with her.
After walking back into Fox's bedchamber and pulling back its privacy curtain, she changed into the clothes Fox had brought to her before she stepped back into the room's central area and suggested that she and Fox find something to eat. Having eaten nothing for more than 18 hours, the vixen was famished and ready for breakfast. Fox readily obliged and led her out of his hotel room and into the elevator, which took the two vulpines down to the base level where a complimentary breakfast had been provided for each of the hotel's guests.
It was five minutes 'til eight in the morning as Fox and Krystal leisurely walked into the large lobby where breakfast had been laid out. The dining area was busy, although it was not swamped by any means. Fox could tell that Krystal was feeling nervous, although he was clueless as to why she was acting this way. The blue vixen clung to his arm as he neared the food-warming units where sausage, eggs, and pancakes could be found. "What's wrong, Krystal?" Fox compassionately asked, taking a paper plate from a large stack next to the sets of plastic eating utensils.
The Cerinian nervously replied, "I don't feel comfortable in here, Fox. I feel like they're all staring at me."
"Why shouldn't they?" he asked in response. "You're foreign to them. Don't worry about it, Krystal—it's nothing to be concerned about."
He could feel the vixen's tender hand nervously shaking as she gripped his arm as if to provide herself with some kind of security against the curious individuals around her. The young Cerinian felt completely and utterly lost in the unfamiliar world she found herself in. She failed to recognize anything similar to Cerinian cuisine in the dining area's buffet line, and some of the eating utensils didn't make sense to her, either.
"Fox, I don't know what to do here," she softly whimpered, halfheartedly taking a plate from the stack in imitation of Fox.
"Just follow my lead," he warmly spoke, hoping to instill a sense of confidence in the fearful Cerinian vixen who would have much rather not been here at all. After timidly mirroring Fox's meal selections, she followed him into the dining area, where he selected a secluded table in the corner of the room to give his uncomfortable new friend as much privacy as he could.
Taking a quick bite of the eggs he had placed on his plate, Fox looked across the table at Krystal and barely managed to stifle a laugh when he saw her trying to cut a bite out of her pancakes. She held her fork with a clenched fist while furiously cutting away with the knife she held in her other paw. To the casual observer, it would have seemed like she was trying to injure her food before she ate it.
With a quiet laugh, Fox said, "Krystal, you're doing it all wrong. Watch me."
The vulpine properly secured his food with his fork while efficiently slicing through the syrup-covered hotcakes before lifting the bite to his mouth and devouring it. "See?" he mumbled through his food as he chewed it.
"I suppose," she weakly replied before examining her fork and asking, "What do you call this thing with the spikes on it?"
Trying not to laugh, Fox answered, "That's a fork. Don't you have anything like that on Cerinia?"
"No," she replied, "Most of our food is liquid. We usually drink it from a bowl."
"So you're a vegetarian?"
"Not exactly," Krystal explained, "My mother and I eat fish from time to time."
Curious about the vixen's family, Fox asked her, "What's your family like? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
The vixen looked down at the table and twirled her plastic fork as she murmured, "No, it's just me and my mother. Father died when I was young."
"I'm sorry," he disconsolately replied. "I shouldn't have asked."
Now, more than ever, he wished that he had never asked about her family, because he knew that she would present the same question to him very soon. However, the vixen remained silent and brooded over the loss of her father while Fox glanced away from her and resumed his breakfast in an attempt to avoid further conversation with her. Krystal had intended to ask Fox about his own family, but she immediately sensed his reticence regarding the topic and decided to uncover the truth behind his family without asking him.
The vixen placed her eating utensils on the table in front of her and closed her eyes, allowing her mind to drift freely while her consciousness slowly faded out. The noise of the dining area almost completely washed out of her ears as she attentively began to search for the source of Fox's thought patterns until she located it. She vaguely heard his concerned voice repeating her name with a resounding echo that resonated inside her mind for seconds at a time until it slowly dissipated, leaving near-silence in its wake. Mentally following the sound of his voice, Krystal tightened her focus and subconsciously entered Fox's mind.
* * *
_"Fox McCloud, please report to the principal's office."_
The young vulpine shuddered in his standard-issue school desk at the mention of his name. He despised his visits to the principal's office and preferred to avoid them at all costs. However, an order was an order; and he had no say in the matter. With great resignation, he slowly and unwillingly slid out of his desk and nodded to his friend Slippy, who was seated across the room from him. The amphibian's face reflected the same feelings of uneasiness and worry that his vulpine friend's possessed. He watched as Fox exited the schoolroom, the metal door clicking behind him as he entered the Academy's main hallway and began the agonizing walk to the principal's office.
_"What did I do this time?"_ Fox wondered to himself as he listened to his shoes quietly clapping against the tile floor. Apart from himself, the hallway was completely devoid of activity and was silent apart from the sound of his own two feet. He attempted to deduce the cause of his summons to the school office and assumed that it couldn't have been due to anything he had done to break the Academy's notoriously strict rules._ "Maybe the principal wants to congratulate me?"_ he hopefully mused.
As he neared the heavy, oaken door of the office, he caught a glimpse of Peppy Hare through the sliding glass windows bordering the enclosed space which he had been summoned to. In years past, the middle-aged hare would occasionally drop by the school to take his godson out for ice cream or another unexpected treat; but as Fox matured, visits from him or his father became less and less frequent. This was the first time in more than a year that Peppy had set foot in the Academy.
Somewhat reservedly, Fox opened the door to the office and stepped into the room, where he was met with a somber glance from Peppy and a worried expression from the large badger who worked as the Academy's administrator and principal. Curiously, Peppy was wearing his pilot's outfit, as opposed to his day-to-day attire which Fox normally saw him in.
_"What are you doing here, Peppy?"_ Fox anxiously asked, afraid that his visit to the principal's office may have been of a grim nature.
With a bitter expression that scarcely concealed the fact that he was on the verge of bursting into tears, Peppy replied, _"Fox… your father is dead. Pigma turned on us over Venom—and your father didn't make it."_
**_"NO!"_**
* * *
The frantic, heartbroken screams of Fox McCloud echoed through Krystal's mind as she pulled out of her trance and returned to a state of consciousness. In the Oasis Resort's dining area, Fox was worriedly staring at her, concerned that she had inexplicably fallen into a coma or something of the like. He began to ask her, "Are you alright…?" but her sad, contrite expression told Fox everything he could have wanted to know about what she had been doing.
Remorsefully, he looked into her sad, aquamarine eyes and softly told her, "I'm sorry you had to feel my pain for yourself."
"It's okay, Fox," she whimpered in response, "I shouldn't have tried to find out about your family. I'm sorry that I intruded on your memories—that was very rude of me."
Fox reached forward and gently gripped Krystal's extended arm, feeling the softness of her plush, azure fur as he slowly rubbed his fingers into it. The Cerinian still remained disheartened by what she had found in Fox's mind, although the vulpine's soft touch seemed to be providing a sense of healing therapy to her injured soul. "I don't mind you being in my mind," he kindly spoke. "It doesn't bother me."
Krystal made no audible reply, but Fox could faintly feel her presence in his mind, thanking him for his kindness with the purest of emotions. As a faint smile appeared on her small, white lips, Fox stared deeply into the soft, sea-green pools that passed as Krystal's eyes, feeling himself being drawn into them in a way that he was unable to express. He found himself unable to pull himself away from the Cerinian as she returned her gaze and delicately sighed, nearly causing Fox's heart to flutter. He began to feel the same quasi-euphoric sensation he had first experienced in his room that very morning, and he wondered if she felt the same air coming from him.
Suddenly and without warning, the trance imploded. Fox worriedly readjusted his eyes to his surroundings before looking up and to his right, where the source of the disturbance could be found. Next to the table was Scarlet, maliciously scowling at both him and Krystal with her fangs bared in sheer anger and frustration. Her ears were pinned back against her skull, and her furious expression was more than enough to communicate to Fox that he was about to be violently chewed out.
* * *
_AUTHOR'S NOTE(S):_
_Unfortunately, I haven't been able to write as much as would like to recently; and as a result, I'm falling behind on my self-imposed schedule for writing this story. My other SF fanfiction, _The Iridium Chronicle, _will continue to be posted in its regular 10-day interval. However, __future chapters of _The Oasis _will be posted as they are completed._ _Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you._
_...And as always, reviews and comments are welcome._
4. Chapter 4: Some Light Reading
**Chapter 4: Some Light Reading**
"Excuse me—just what do you think you're doing?"
The furious, assertive voice of Scarlet filled both Fox and Krystal's vulpine ears, overwhelming them with her sheer frustration and angst as Fox mumbled incoherently in reply, trying to explain to the scathing vixen why he was seated across from a Cerinian in the Oasis Resort's dining area.
"Scarlet, calm down. You don't have to worry about her," Fox hesitantly spoke, trying to reassure Scarlet that Krystal was nothing to be concerned about. With her ears pinned back, the red vixen angrily bared her teeth at the Cerinian, who whimpered and defensively crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Not relenting even slightly, Scarlet put her muzzle up to Krystal's ear and growled, "Don't even think about trying to get inside my head; and while you're at it, you'd better stay the hell out of my business, too!"
Angrily, Fox snapped, "Scarlet! Be nice to her! She's been through a lot!"
"I'm sure," the red vixen replied, derisively rolling her eyes in disgust. "Come with me, Fox. We've got work to do." The bounty huntress gave him no opportunity to fabricate an excuse as she gripped his paw and pulled him up from his seat. Drawing him closer to her, she savagely whispered into his ear, "I don't know what you're doing with her, but I don't like it. If she interferes with our mission, I'm pinning the blame on you. And believe me—my boss doesn't take kindly to failure."
"She won't interfere with the mission—I promise," Fox weakly replied, turning his attention to Krystal, whose delicate face bore an expression of fear and sadness. Feeling miserable for his blue friend, Fox knelt in front of her chair and softly placed a paw on her shoulder. In the same way that a father would speak to his frightened daughter to assure her that she was safe from harm, Fox quietly told Krystal, "It's going to be okay. Please, just trust me."
The Cerinian feebly nodded and whimpered, "I trust you, Fox."
"Thank you, Krystal," he appreciatively murmured. Before leaving her side, Fox slid the plastic key card for his room out of his pocket, handed it to Krystal, and explained to her, "Just stay in my room. I'll be back later."
Scarlet scowled and quietly snarled at Fox, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from Krystal as both of them began to make their way toward the parking garage where the hotel's chauffer service was located. Shortly after walking through the revolving door that lead out to the garage area, Scarlet menacingly growled, "There'd better be a good reason for her being there, Fox."
"There is," he confidently replied, although his voice revealed to his female counterpart that that he was peeved by her angry intrusion into his brief moment of bliss with Krystal. "Her ship crashed in the desert last night, and her friend told me to take care of her before she died."
Scarlet's ears immediately perked up. "What did you say? Her ship crashed in the desert?"
"Uh, yeah? Why should you care?"
"No reason," she sternly answered, turning her head away from Fox and gazing off into the distance as one of the hotel's luxury sedans pulled up to the curb to take them to their destination in Yaruit. Fox politely allowed Scarlet to enter the vehicle first before he climbed into the car himself.
The chauffer driver—a red macaw—asked, "Where may I take you this morning?"
Scarlet was quick to put in her request. "Wherever there's a good bookstore."
"I'll take care of it," the avian assured her as he shifted the car into drive and pulled out of the parking garage. Fox was immediately mystified by the vixen's request, because in all honesty, it seemed irrelevant to the mission that she was intent on accomplishing. To make matters worse, the vulpine pilot wasn't particularly fond of reading. On the rare occasions when he could be found browsing through a volume of print, it was normally a fitness magazine or a gun-related publishing.
Finally, after nearly two minutes of relative silence, Fox asked Scarlet, "Why the heck are we going to a bookstore? That doesn't have anything to do with our mission."
Scarlet faintly smiled, partially shedding her angst from finding Fox with a Cerinian. "I need to pick up a tourist's guide to the city," she explained, "It's bound to have a street map in it somewhere. Once we know the layout of the roads, we can make a plan for tonight."
"Sounds good," he replied, briefly turning his head to look out the car's side window at the desert as it flew by. The sand dunes were almost completely silent, except for the wind. Yet, somewhere in the distance was the wreckage of the Cerinian transport ship that had mysteriously crashed to the earth the night before. There was nothing about the incident on the news in the breakfast area that morning, and no one had mentioned anything about seeing a strange shooting star in the waning hours of the night.
The incident was unusual, to say the least. Fox determined that he would return to the scene of the crash to investigate what might have caused the ship to plummet to the ground; but that was for later. Now, he found himself on the way to a bookstore in downtown Yaruit, seated next to Scarlet, who looked every bit as ravishing as she did the night before, even in her normal daytime clothes that made no attempt to draw any special attention to her. Not that they would have needed to. She would have been beautiful no matter what she chose to slip into.
At the moment, the vixen seemed to be deep in thought. She capriciously scratched at an itch behind her ear and ran her fingers through her fluffy tail, making sure that none of her fur had become tangled after her everyday brushing routine, which came immediately after a warm bath taken with a special variety of fur-softening soap that she made sure to bring with her on her travels wherever she went. She glanced over at Fox as he wistfully stared out into space before he turned his attention to her after noticing that she was looking at him. The vulpine nervously smiled, then averted his gaze elsewhere.
"_I suppose he has a reason to be bashful,"_ Scarlet thought to herself, placing a paw under her chin and stroking her muzzle. "_He's a good sport—that's for sure. Most guys would have bailed on me by now. He's a good guy, too—almost too perfect, actually. Now if only he would ditch that Cerinian. I don't care what he says—she's a threat; and if he doesn't get rid of her, I will."_
In due time, the chauffer car entered the city limits and navigated towards the largest bookstore the city had to offer, stopping next to the curb in front of the business's bronze-trimmed, wooden doors. The bookstore was constructed out of a rough sandstone-like material that called to mind old-fashioned desert architecture. However, modern appointments such as high-tech plasma-based lights and security cameras were present in several prominent positions around the building
The black car's avian driver climbed out of his driver's seat, walked around the car, and opened the right rear door to assist Fox and Scarlet with their egress from the vehicle. Both vulpines gratefully thanked him for his services before he climbed back into the sedan and left the shopping center where the large bookstore was located. As soon as the black car vanished from sight, Scarlet turned to Fox and said, "Make yourself at home in there. I'll let you know when I've got what we need."
Fox consented and pulled open the bookstore's heavy, wooden entry doors; allowing Scarlet to enter before he stepped into the spacious building, where thousands of books could be found. E-books were far more popular than the dilapidated paper-based volumes contained within the store, but there was still a moderately-sized market for the old-fashioned paper tomes, particularly among connoisseurs of fine literature. While Scarlet efficiently made her way to the 'tourism and history' section of the store, Fox walked the other way, meaninglessly scanning the myriad book covers that leapt out at his eyes.
He caught a glimpse of the bookstore's comprehensive magazine section and decided to see if he could find anything of interest to him. The natives of Tehraia were culturally different from those of Lylat, and Fox wondered if their interests and pastimes would be a significant departure from those he was familiar with. However, it was for selfish, personal reasons that he was curious about the Tehraians' way of life. In reality, he couldn't have cared less about them.
Noticing the covers of several firearm magazines from a distance, he began to walk towards the left wall, oblivious to the small ocelot female that was about to cross his path. The feline, who worked for the store, was carrying a large number of books in her arms—so many, in fact, that she was having great difficulty in holding onto all of them. With Fox's vision latched onto the wall far ahead of him, he failed to see the ocelot; and he slammed into her, causing her to drop her books all over the floor and yelp in surprise and shock.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" he repentantly exclaimed, making sure that he hadn't injured the worker with his clumsy blunder. "Let me help you with those."
He began to pick up the numerous pieces of literature off of the floor before handing them to the ocelot, who also started collecting the books, neatly stacking them in a way that would allow her to pick them up again. Three volumes still lay on the floor, and as Fox reached down to pick one of them up, his eyes wandered towards the title of the small, blue book, which was entitled _Blue Passion—How to Satisfy the Cerinian in Your Life_.
He flipped the book over and read its description on the back cover. It appeared that the small, relatively thick, paperback book was an instructions manual of sorts that had been written for the purpose of improving relationships between native Cerinians and offworlders. It contained suggestions and pointers for both male and female Cerinians, and it had been authored by a brother and sister, both of whom had married Cerinians and learned the intricate facets of their native culture.
Part of him was mentally screaming at him for taking interest in the book, but his curiosity had been piqued by the paperback work. As the ocelot worker picked up her books and thanked Fox for helping her collect them, he turned around and made sure that Scarlet wasn't watching him. For her to find him holding—or worse yet—_reading_ a book on Cerinian relationships would be the death of him. Feeling guilty for what he was about to do, he clutched the book and held it at his side as he skittishly walked towards the back of the store, where a small coffee bar had been set up, along with a decently-sized reading area where the patrons of the bookstore could 'demo' their books before buying them.
He quietly sat down at a small, rounded table in the back corner of the reading area and opened the book to its first page, quietly letting out a deep breath as he read the foreword.
"_This book is the result of more than a decade of living with a Cerinian as a mate and a life partner. Although their traditions and quirks may seem offsetting at first, you can rest assured knowing that a relationship with one of them can be deep, rewarding, and long-lasting. In this book, we will explain how to get the most out of your relationship with the Cerinian in your life. Good luck."_
He quickly raised his eyes and scanned the immediate area, hoping that Scarlet was out of view. Fortunately, the only individuals that could be seen from his table were a smattering of reptilians, felines, and a white-furred vulpine that was sitting on the opposite side of the area from him. Knowing that he was safe from Scarlet's fury at least for the moment, Fox flipped to Chapter 1 and began reading it. The book was divided into two halves, one for male suitors and one for females; and both contained tried and tested advice for living with a Cerinian.
"_Chapter 1: Building a Friendship"_
"_First of all, it should be mentioned that there are four castes of blue Cerinian foxes. The lower the caste, the more likely they are to befriend you. High Order Cerinians are notoriously stingy with their affections and do not normally associate with foreigners, whom they consider 'inferior beings.' If you find that a member of the High Order is showing interest in you, consider yourself very lucky. Very few non-Cerinians will ever have the same privilege that you do. If you can maintain a relationship with one of them—as I did—you will find them to be a supportive, loving spouse that will care for you and offer you her love as often as you would like."_
"_But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, if you find that a Cerinian vixen is showing interest in you, it is prudent to determine which order they are part of. This can be determined by observing their white markings, which are inked and branded on them when they reach the age of Cerinian adulthood (Age 15, by our standards). Worker Order Cerinians do not have any markings, while Soldier Order Cerinians have unique tribal prints above their collar bone. The Order of Cerinian Nobility is indicated by the presence of two narrow, vertical stripes below each eye._
_The High Order is the most powerful class of Cerinians, and it is also the most detached from everyday Cerinian life. The elders of this Order are responsible for maintaining the peace on the planet, and each and every member of the High Order is trained in a series of esoteric combat arts that my Cerinian wife tells me has been in existence for millennia. Their sole duty is to maintain balance on the planet, regardless of what that entails. They are also known to be more telepathically capable than the other three orders combined. This 'elite' order—if you will—is revealed by the squared glyphic prints that circle both of their arms. Each High Order Cerinian also receives a unique branding on their left thigh—although honestly, you normally have to progress pretty far into your relationship to ever see it."_
Fox looked up from the book in shock. He vaguely remembered Krystal's tattoos from earlier when she had gone for a quick dip in the spa back in his hotel room at the Oasis; and after reading the description of the four Cerinian orders, he realized that Krystal was a member of the highest order. He felt relieved that he had not been aware of that fact when he first met her; because if he had known, he would have acted very differently towards the blue vixen.
Once again making sure that Scarlet was out of sight, Fox lowered his gaze to the small book once more.
"_It's not terribly difficult to know when a Cerinian vixen has taken an interest in you. First of all, I should explain that female Cerinians are taught to seek out mates with qualities which they would like to see in their offspring. This is why it helps to be physically fit. If you are, you have an advantage. My wife says that she's seen other Cerinians fall for offworlders; and all of them were in excellent physical shape. However, the physical aspect is only one part of it. Cerinian vixens will also look for attractive character traits, especially bravery and honor. Cerinians consider these two virtues as being more important than the others._
_If a Cerinian vixen takes an interest in you, they will normally first show it by performing acts of service for you to see how you react. Gratitude and thankfulness on your part will let the vixen know that you appreciate them. This will draw them closer to you as well. However, she will also want you to care for her needs. She won't give you any hints or suggestions, but don't worry—the opportunities to prove yourself worthy will come. If you return her affection for you and take care of her, she will recognize it and reward you with a deeper friendship. However, please note that intimacy does not appear at this stage. I will cover that in greater detail in the future chapters."_
Fox decided that he had read enough and closed the book.
"_If you return her affection for you and __**take care of her…**__" _he mused, pondering the possibility that his new acquaintance may have been developing feelings for him. He enjoyed merely having the Cerinian around and feeling her presence; and he wondered if she felt the same way towards him. He felt even more fortunate to know her now that he was aware of her status on Cerinia. According to the book, friendships with Cerinians of the High Order were rare.
After once again scanning the area for any sight of Scarlet, Fox quickly stood up and walked to the nearby counter, where coffee was normally sold. A blue avian was standing behind the counter, checking the operation of the various coffee-making machines in the area. Quietly, Fox asked the worker, "Hey—can I pay for a book back here?"
"Sure," the avian replied. "Is that all you want?"
"That's it," Fox confirmed, handing him the book. The worker scanned the blue volume's barcode and indicated for Fox to pay for his purchase, which he did by handing the cashier the required total of 12 credits for the book.
"Thank you very much, and have a nice day," the cashier courteously said, dropping the book into a white plastic bag and handing it to Fox along with his receipt. Not a moment too soon, Scarlet appeared out of a nearby aisle, carrying a large atlas of Yaruit's complicated city street system. Completely ignoring the white bag which Fox held in his right hand, the vixen slammed the atlas down on the nearest table and opened it to a representation of the city's many roads.
"Sit down, Fox," she said, pulling out a chair and dropping down into it as Fox slowly complied with her demand. The vixen pointed out the location of the weapons dealer's hideout and explained, "Our guy is in the Old Warehouse District. It looks like it's the perfect place for scum like him to hide out. The police are basically nonexistent there. Criminals run the area—as we both know." She derisively rolled her eyes, remembering what had taken place the night before. "I talked to my boss last night after I got back to my room, and he suggested the possibility that the hovercraft transports like the one we saw are being used to haul dangerous goods in small enough quantities so that the customs officers at the spaceport don't recognize them as a threat. If that's the case, we can expect them to keep making deliveries for a few more nights, at least. That's where we come in. One of us needs to find a way into that building. I've got an idea, but I'm going to need a lot of help from you."
"What did you have in mind?" Fox asked.
"I'm going to hijack one of the transports."
Fox's face immediately assumed a surprised expression, although Scarlet's idea shouldn't have been shocking to him at all based on what Fox already knew about her and her methods. "How are you going to do that?" he skeptically enquired.
"I'm going to block the road they're using to get to the hideout. For me to get it right, though; I need you to get in your fighter and follow the next transport that leaves the spaceport. It's called the Star Wing, right?"
"_Ar_wing," Fox corrected.
"Close enough," she replied, "For this to work, we'll need to be in close contact with each other. Once I block their route, I'll kill the driver, change into his clothes, and finish the trip to the warehouse. After I get inside, I'll get to business taking care of Carache and finding out what he's trying to do. The only catch is that you can't land your fighter back at the hotel after we're done, because they won't let you fly it near the hotel after 9:00."
"Got it. What time should we start, then?"
The vixen replied, "Last night, that transport went past us at around 9:15, so we'd better be safe and make sure that we're in position by 9:00 at the very latest."
"One more question," Fox interjected, "What are you going to block the road with?"
The shapely female fox grinned and answered, "I'll figure that out when the time comes. Come on—let's go. Is there anything else you need while we're out on the town?"
Digging through his mind in an attempt to remember anything that would be useful for him to acquire, he said, "I could use some swimwear for the pool back in my room. I didn't bring any with me."
"Come on, Fox!" Scarlet taunted, "Are you that self-conscious? Just jump in! It's just you… or…"
She quickly realized why Fox had wanted to acquire a suitable set of swim shorts for himself; and gradually, her joking expression disappeared, replaced by a furious scowl. "…NO! You did _not _let that blue furball into your room! Did you?"
"She needed a place to stay! I was just trying to help her!" Fox desperately exclaimed, trying to defend his case as Scarlet angrily snarled at him. "Why do you hate her so much?" he demanded.
"That's none of your business, Fox!" Scarlet snapped, grabbing him by the collar and pulling his muzzle within inches of her own. Fox could feel the vixen's heated breaths whisking across his nose as the smell of her sensuous perfume overwhelmed his olfactory senses. "Come on, let's beat it, Fox. You can buy your stupid swimwear if you want."
"Thanks," he mumbled as he followed Scarlet up to the front checkout registers, where she paid for her Yahruitian road atlas before she and Fox exited the store. The morning was quickly fading as the scorching midday sun beat down on their thick fur coats with a near-insulting intensity that caused both of them a great deal of discomfort. Both of them were dressed lightly, but it was clearly not enough for them to avoid being burned by the intense heat of the Tehraian sunlight. The shopping center which they were in was home to several clothing stores, including an upscale boutique shop, a sportswear store, and a general-purpose clothing shop where almost any kind of relevant clothing item could be found.
Fox began walking towards the largest of the nearby stores with Scarlet in tow. Essentially, she was merely giving Fox a concession by allowing him to shop for a swimsuit, because she would have much rather been drinking a margarita at a nearby restaurant or bar, watching the other Tehraians being tortured by the heat outside while she relaxed and sipped on her drink in a cool, climate-controlled building.
Soon, both vulpines walked through the automatic doors of the large store, which was cooled to a much more comfortable temperature than the searing air outside. Fox quickly located the men's area of the store and walked towards it, while Scarlet parted ways with him and meaninglessly browsed the store's wide selection of perfumes and scents. While the vixen sampled several kinds of perfume, Fox selected a white pair of swim trunks and tried them on to ensure that the fit was correct before deciding on his purchase and re-dressing himself in his street clothes.
He looked around for Scarlet on his way to the checkout counter, but she was nowhere to be found. To pass the time, he looked through the store's selection of men's fragrances, most of which were intended for feline use. However, it didn't bother him that fragrances for his species were in short supply, since he rarely ever wore cologne to begin with.
"May I help you, sir?"
Fox quickly looked up to find an orange female tabby looking at him, asking if she could be of any assistance to him. "Do you have anything for my species?" he asked in reply, assuming that she would be unable to help him.
"As a matter of fact, we got a shipment in yesterday. I have to warn you, though—it's not for the faint of heart."
"What do you mean?" Fox quizzically asked.
The feline grinned slightly and placed her elbows on the glass countertop in front of her. "I've heard several customers complaining that the scent was too alluring to vulpine females." She quietly laughed and added, "I thought that was supposed to be a good thing."
Fox pensively scratched his muzzle and replied, "I'll take it."
"Excellent choice, sir," the tabby replied, handing him an unopened silver box which contained the alluring fragrance. As he walked up to the checkout register and paid for his purchases, Scarlet exited the women's changing room, holding several thin, silky garments in her paws. "Couldn't stand the heat?" Fox tauntingly asked his vixenly acquaintance.
"Shut up," she snapped, handing her new clothes to the cashier, who scanned them and returned them to her. After Scarlet had paid for her new attire, she and Fox exited the store and once again felt the searing heat overpowering them and causing both of them to sweat profusely. Neither of them said it, but both of them wanted nothing more than to cool off in their respective hotel rooms' swimming pools back at the Oasis. With their morning duties accomplished, Scarlet contacted the hotel and requested that they be picked up and taken back to the Oasis.
While waiting for the chauffer car to arrive at their location, the two vulpines made the short walk to a nearby café, where Scarlet used the opportunity to slip into her new attire in the restaurant's bathroom. While Scarlet changed out of her old clothes, Fox took a seat in a booth for two and calmly gazed out the window, watching the busy shoppers stroll by. His attention was diverted by a reptilian waiter who approached his table and asked him what he wanted to drink.
"Water, please," he replied. The waiter quickly left his table and returned to the kitchen as Fox reached into his bag from the clothing store and pulled out the box containing the vulpine fragrance he had purchased for himself. "_Not for the faint of heart, huh? We'll see…" _He opened the paper tabs on the box and lightly sprayed his wrist with the perfume before dabbing some of the enticing scent onto the area below his neck. The smell was pleasing to his nose, but he wondered how Scarlet would react to it. He remembered that the lady from the clothing shop had warned him that several former customers had complained about it being 'too alluring.'
He didn't have to wait long to find out. In moments, Scarlet exited the restroom, wearing the new clothes she had just purchased. Fox found his mouth unconsciously hanging open as his eyes drank in Scarlet's breathtaking appearance. She had wrapped a pink, silky, scarf-like garment around her upper chest, leaving her stomach bare; while a pair of white silk trousers loosely adorned her legs. Fox felt a stray drop of saliva leak out of his mouth, but he quickly wiped it away and hoped that Scarlet hadn't seen it. The lovely vixen took the seat across from him and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table's surface. "So, what do you think?" she asked with a smile.
"I, um… I…"
Scarlet quietly laughed at his nervousness and leaned back in her seat, softly rubbing her stomach with her paw and feeling the softness of her downy, red fur. "Nice, isn't it?"
"Uh… yes it is," Fox replied, forcing himself to answer the vixen's question.
Scarlet picked up a nearby menu as the reptilian waiter returned to the table, bringing Fox's glass of water with him. After depositing the clear glass on the table in front of Fox, the waiter asked Scarlet, "What can I get you, ma'am?"
"I'll take a margarita if you've got one," she replied.
"We have them. What kind would you like?"
A bit surprised that the small restaurant would carry such a beverage, she said, "Just bring me the best one you've got."
"Yes, ma'am," the reptile politely replied. "Would either of you like anything to eat?"
Scarlet shook her head and said, "No thanks. I'm not hungry." However, Fox happily answered, "I'll have the club sandwich."
"One club sandwich, coming right up. I'll have that margarita out to you soon, too, ma'am." With that, the waiter left the two vulpines to themselves next to a large window in the mostly-unoccupied café. After their reptilian server had disappeared through the door leading into the kitchen, Fox sat up and asked Scarlet, "Don't you have to wear a shirt in places like this?"
Scarlet grinned and explained, "The rules are a bit different here. As long as you're decent, no one cares what you wear. Personally, I'm loving this—it's like wearing nothing at all."
"_I wish you were wearing nothing at all…"_
"What was that? I didn't hear you."
Fox's face flushed immediately, and he repeatedly stumbled over his own words, trying to sneak out of repeating the ill-advised statement that he had lustfully uttered under his breath. "I didn't say anything," he insincerely replied.
"Sure, you didn't… wait, what's that smell?" the vixen demanded, avidly sniffing the air around her in an attempt to identify the source of the scent that was causing her senses to tingle.
"_Oh crap…"_
* * *
_AUTHOR'S NOTE(S):
_
_Wow... has it really been almost three weeks since I updated this thing?
_
_Anyway, I recently started writing a Kursed fic called 6 Days and 23 Hours; and to determine if I was going to put priority on that one or keep it on The Oasis, I decided to let the review count on 6 Days make the decision for me. Well, I got 12 reviews on the first chapter, so that answered my question pretty quickly. Therefore, 6 Days has taken priority over the Oasis until it is completed (not long, because it's not going to be a very long story). Worry not, though! I will not abandon this story._
5. Chapter 5: What You Can't Have
**Chapter 5: You Only Want What You Can't Have**
Following yet another long chauffeur car ride back to the Oasis, Fox and Scarlet rode the hotel's opulently-decorated elevator to the 28th floor and stepped out into the hallway where their rooms were located. To Fox's relief, Scarlet had not enquired about the contents of the white, plastic bag that contained his book on Cerinian romance advice. If she had asked, Fox would have most likely found himself in a world of pain with hundreds of shredded scraps of paper littering the ground around him.
As the two foxes reached the doors to their respective rooms, Scarlet turned to Fox and said, "Be ready to go at 8:15. By the way, does your fighter have two seats?"
"Um, not really," Fox replied, scratching the back of his head. "There's a small shelf behind the pilot's seat, but it's not designed for someone to sit on."
Not entirely pleased with the fact that Fox's Arwing was strictly a one-passenger vehicle, Scarlet curled her lip and lightly stamped her foot on the carpeted floor outside her hotel room. "I guess we'll have to use mine, then. I was hoping we wouldn't have to."
"Don't like the idea of me using your fighter?" Fox thoughtfully asked.
"No—it's not that," she replied, opening her hands with her palms facing the ceiling. "Carache's men might recognize it. It's a very distinctive design, you see.
Sliding his key card into his room's card reader and turning the door handle, Fox encouragingly said, "We'll make it work. I'll be outside my door at 8:15."
With that, Fox opened his door and stepped inside. As the door clicked shut behind him, Scarlet lightly bit at her sharp nails while thinking about Fox and her upcoming task with him. It shamed her to think about it, but she realized that Fox's company seemed to provide her with a sense of warmth that she normally never felt. Due to her insistence on being completely self-sufficient, she had tried her best to ignore the fact that it simply felt good to be around the mercenary. Since the time she had met Fox, she had acted playfully standoffish towards him, knowing that a spark would never be set off between the two of them. Now, though, she couldn't be sure—and it worried her immensely.
As she stood out in the hallway, her mind leapt to two separate thoughts—one of her employer and former romantic partner, and one of the blue Cerinian that Fox was sheltering. Slowly, a bitter, scornful scowl crept across the vixen's face. That blue furball had to go. Not only was she a possible threat to her mission, but she would also be the first thing to block any advances that she would dare to make on Fox. Scarlet wasn't sure how deep Fox's feelings for the Cerinian went, but she was deeply concerned that he was already making a romantic connection with her.
"_What am I thinking?" _she aggressively mused to herself. "_I don't love him, so why am I so angry that he might have feelings for that stupid Cerinian? He can choose whoever he wants, right?_"
Because her question was directed towards no one other than herself, she received no answer, causing her to gnash her teeth and let out a decidedly dog-like cry before angrily taking out her room key and thrusting it into her door's card reader. With a pained, unhappy frown, Scarlet threw open her door and let it slide shut on its own. The noise in her room was very low, and the only audible source of sound was the relaxing splashing of the small, artificial waterfall cascading into the large, lower area of her room's swimming pool from the smaller spa tub above it. After slipping out of her shoes, she rolled up her pant legs and dipped her feet in the comfortable water while seated on the edge of the pool.
She had not felt this much unrest in a very long time. Normally, she was brimming with confidence and self-assurance; but something about Fox and the blue Cerinian being together was causing her to feel abnormally stressed. With her feet thoroughly soaked in the pool, the vixen dug deeply into her conscious mind in an attempt to figure out what was causing her to feel so miserable.
She thought about the night before, when Fox had been temporarily held hostage by the criminal gang in the rancid downtown area of Yaruit. Normally, she wouldn't have thought twice about leaving a counterpart behind for the sake of her own safety. It had been nothing short of daft for her to make an attempt at rescuing Fox, especially considering that she was outnumbered five to one. As she pondered her actions, she began to realize that she may have had slightly deeper feelings for Fox than she would have wanted to admit. She genuinely cared about him, unlike most other individuals she had worked with in the past. The vixen wanted to deny it, but when her thoughts rearranged themselves to create a mental picture of Fox passionately kissing the Cerinian; she realized that she felt the need to protect him because she herself wanted him.
"_No, I don't,"_ she told herself. "_It's a weakness I can't allow myself to have. It can only end badly anyway, right?_"
Scarlet knew that the question wouldn't answer itself. She was the only one who could provide a solution to it; and at the moment, she found herself at a complete loss as far as what to do. Still feeling dissatisfied and unresolved, the vixen stood up, dried her feet, and climbed into her bed for a bitter afternoon nap.
* * *
After Fox had closed the door to his suite, he carefully placed the plastic bag containing his newly-purchased book on the ground next to his spare set of boots, being very cautious to avoid thinking about its contents as not to arouse Krystal's suspicions. He wasn't sure how the cobalt vixen would react if she found out about his book; but for the moment, all he wanted was to make sure that it remained a secret until the time was right.
After carefully placing the bag on the ground, Fox looked around the room and called out, "Krystal?"
His vision was quickly diverted towards the balcony, where the blue vixen was standing, looking out over the vast expanse of desert below. Upon hearing Fox's voice, she slowly turned her head and acknowledged his presence before returning her gaze to the wilderness outside Fox's suite. She seemed to be deep in thought. Her ears were lowered, as was her bushy, cloth-wrapped tail. The vixen was leaning up against the metallic railing overlooking the hotel's outside courtyard and garden area, which abruptly ended in the sands of the Tehraian Greater Desert. Fox was no telepath, but he could tell that she was deeply troubled.
After removing his shoes, Fox quietly walked out to the balcony and stood next to the vixen, assuming her same position and leaning on the railing. Trying to avoid coming across as too intrusive, he turned his head slightly and looked at Krystal with his peripheral vision. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
The vixen looked down at the courtyard below and quietly murmured, "Well…no—I just have a lot on my mind."
"I understand. This place must be strange to you," Fox softly replied, directing his eyes away from Krystal and out towards the desert, where a mild, hot wind was whipping the soft, dry sand up into several small dust tornadoes. "I would feel the same way if I was in your position."
The vixen sighed and clutched at her silver necklace which had been a gift from her mother back on Cerinia. It had only been two days since she had left the planet, but it already felt like an eternity. Her home seemed so far away now that she was stranded on a desert planet with a fox she knew very little about. She felt that she could trust him, but he was still somewhat of a stranger. However, because he was the only friendly company she had, she was left with little choice other than to remain in his care.
Sadly looking at Fox, Krystal asked, "Why does your friend hate me so much?"
"She's not my friend," Fox quickly corrected. "She's just someone I'm working with. I don't know why she hates you, Krystal. Personally, I don't see what's not to like." After speaking the last phrase, which had not come out the way that he had intended, Fox's skin turned a shade of bright red.
"You mean that?" the vixen dolefully asked.
"Well… sure," Fox uneasily replied, turning to look at her. "You're a very nice person. I…um… really like being around you."
The vixen's sad face broke out into a melancholic smile as she kindly patted his shoulder and sweetly said, "Thank you, Fox. No one's ever been this nice to me before."
"Really? Why not?"
Krystal's smile quickly vanished as she recounted her past on Cerinia. Ever since she could remember, she was always treated as if she would never amount to anything. Her telepathy could never seem to measure up to that of the other High Order Cerinians, her combat skills were only average for her age, and she had never been able to fulfill the wishes of the Cerinian Elders. Instead of wanting to consign herself to a life of duty protecting the planet of Cerinia from harm, she wanted to live a life of adventure. Even her own mother refused to sympathize with her on this point. With her husband dead and gone, Krystal's mother couldn't stand the thought of her only daughter becoming a disgrace to the High Order and leaving the planet for something as trivial as adventure. Despite her uncommon beauty, Krystal was often ignored by the Cerinian men, who wanted mates who would be willing to remain at home and care for their children—not wander off on their own.
Throughout most of her childhood and even into her teen years, her only constant friend had been the older vixen named Jasmine. She was the only one who seemed to understand Krystal's deep longing for adventure; and because even Krystal's own mother couldn't relate to her in many ways, Jasmine often found herself as the only person who could truly listen to Krystal's longings and disappointments and understand her pain. It was only because of Jasmine's high standing with the Elders of the High Order that Krystal had even been allowed to leave Cerinia in the first place.
With Jasmine dead, Krystal had lost her only friend, who could never be replaced. However, she realized that if what Fox was saying was true—and it most certainly was—she had finally found a man who actually appreciated her. Red vulpines existed on Cerinia, but she had been taught from a very young age to view them as inferiors who were far below her level as a High Order Cerinian. Regardless of the Elders' ceaseless chiding, she found them to be intriguing to look at, if only because she was not allowed to interact with them on anything more than a very impersonal level.
With a faint sense of longing in her eyes, Krystal looked at Fox and admired his excellent, balanced build. Even though he was the farthest thing from a Cerinian, she found him to be very handsome—beautiful, even. However, the one aspect that distinguished him from all the other men she had met in her lifetime was that he had rescued her from an almost-certain death. She felt completely indebted to him. In fact, she would have been willing to work as his servant if he had requested such a thing from her.
Taking Krystal's deep, pensive regression into the realm of thought and her subsequent refusal to answer his previous question as a signal for him not to press the matter, Fox quietly told her, "I don't understand how anyone could hate you." As the vixen turned to face him with grateful eyes, Fox nervously said, "You're wonderful."
In the next few seconds, Krystal began to cry. No one had ever shown such kindness to her as Fox had just now. She felt guilty for what she did next, which was to throw her arms around Fox's body and tightly hold him against her own. Such an act would have been inexcusable back on Cerinia, but this was not Cerinia. Much more than that, though—he deserved it. In time, Krystal released her grip on Fox and stepped back, feebly apologizing for her impulsive actions. "I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."
"Why not?" Fox asked. "There wasn't anything wrong with what you did."
"My mother…she would have been ashamed of me," Krystal whimpered, unhappily looking down at her feet. "I'm not supposed to interact with you. It's part of my Order's code."
Fox curled his lip and tilted his head slightly to the side. "Why is that?"
"The Code says that I'm not allowed to show affection to inferiors," she explained. The vixen paused and twitched her ears before continuing, "…But you've already done so much for me. I'm at a loss right now, Fox. I don't know what to do."
Fox felt deeply sympathetic for the poor, confused vixen standing in front of him. She wanted to give him everything that he deserved for rescuing her and giving her a place to stay, but her people's restrictive laws strictly prohibited her from showing Fox the depths of her gratitude to him. Slowly, he stepped closer to Krystal and softly placed his paws on her shoulders. "You don't have to do anything, Krystal," he warmly said while gently rubbing his fingers into her shoulder muscles. "I'll take care of you until you make it back to your home."
Krystal initially said nothing, but her deep, heavy breathing was more than enough to show that she was thoroughly enjoying Fox's affectionate actions towards her. After several seconds, the vixen faintly replied, "Thank you, Fox."
Still deeply conflicted, Krystal turned back towards the desert and once again leaned up against the railing, quietly breathing in the hot desert air. She closed her eyes and attempted to mentally search for a way to resolve her current situation, but only seconds into her relapse, the relative silence of the windswept balcony was broken by Fox's voice. "I'm going to sit out in the courtyard. If you don't want to come with me, I understand."
The vixen opened her eyes and looked towards Fox, who seemed to sense her uneasiness stemming from his suggestion. Quietly, she said, "I'll go with you, Fox. At least it'll give me something to do."
Fox had planned to take his newly-purchased book and delve into the more intricate details of Cerinian relationships, but because Krystal had decided to come with him, he knew that he no longer had that option. No matter, though—he enjoyed talking to Krystal, and anything that he could do to pass the time was welcome. Still nervous outside the confines of Fox's room, Krystal closely followed Fox as he exited his room and walked to the elevator, which took them to the base floor where the hotel's courtyard could be found. Fox pushed open the heavy glass door that led to the outdoor area and held it for Krystal, who failed to understand what the purpose of his kind gesture had been. Having never left Cerinia before, Krystal was wholly confused by many of the foreigners' actions and traditions.
The elegant courtyard of the Oasis resort was constructed mostly of light-colored marble tile. A large, elegant fountain was positioned in the middle of the stone pad, which also contained several stone benches for the hotel's patrons to sit on. Three high-powered fans were employed to cool the area to a comfortable temperature, and four curved sand pits had been dug out to add a natural touch to the opulent outdoor area. Neither Fox nor Krystal had seen the courtyard at night, but if they had, they would have been amazed at its significantly altered appearance that many had previously described as 'breathtaking.'
The area was open to the hotel's guests at all times during the day and was the preferred place for them to relax, read, and escape from the stresses and struggles of life that even the wealthiest of all patrons seemed to experience.
As before, Krystal fell in line behind Fox before sitting down in a comfortable, gray cloth armchair overlooking one of the Oasis's two decorative pools. Swimming in them was strictly prohibited, mainly because the hotel's operators wished to keep the area as tranquil and peaceful as possible. For the most part, Fox and Krystal were alone in the moderately-sized courtyard. The only other hotel guests on the marble pad were a green parrot and a large male lion.
As he looked out over the water into the depths of the sandy ocean in the distance, Fox contemplated the marvelous splendor of his surroundings. According to Scarlet, however, it couldn't hold a candle to Krystal's homeworld of Cerinia. Curious to find out if what the red vixen had said was true, he turned to Krystal and asked, "How does this compare with Cerinia?"
Because she had been deep in thought, Fox's question caught her off guard. The blue Cerinian sat up in her seat and quickly observed her surroundings before replying, "It can't even come close. It's lovely, yes; but it's not anywhere near as beautiful as Cerinia. If you knew what my home was like, you'd never want to leave."
Krystal's answer caused Fox to scratch his head and wonder why she had left her homeworld in the first place if she truly believed it to be the paradise that she said it was. Replying to her statement, Fox asked, "Why did you leave, then?"
The vixen sighed and rested her head on one of her blue paws. "Because I wanted to see what was out there. I wanted to believe that there was more for me somewhere else. I didn't feel loved on Cerinia."
Fox compassionately placed his paw on the arm of Krystal's chair and replied, "I understand."
As the two vulpines looked out into the desert, Krystal faintly smiled. For the first time since she could remember, someone other than her late friend Jasmine claimed to understand her desire to belong and be loved for what she was, even though it was not what the Elders of her order would have wanted from her. Briefly, she looked at Fox and caught his eye, causing him to glance over at her with a mildly nervous expression on his face.
The vixen quietly sighed and once again began to mull over her predicament. It seemed that she would not be leaving Tehraia until her gracious host decided that the time was right; but for some reason, she felt content with that possibility. Her trip had originally been designated as a week-long event, which meant that nothing would seem out of place if she managed to return home within the next six days. The trouble was that the foreigner sitting next to her seemed to value her much more highly than anyone on her home planet did.
Suddenly, a brash, rebellious thought entered her mind. "_I don't have to go back if I don't want to. What's the worst they could do? Send someone to find me and then tell me to come home? They don't care enough about me for that. They'd probably be happy that I'm gone." _With a cold scowl on her face, Krystal mused, "_Fox probably wouldn't mind if I decided to stick around with him for a bit longer. I think I would enjoy that. Living with a mercenary would be fun."_
As she pondered the brazen course of action, she felt the legalistic bonds of her people's regulations beginning to lose their grasp on her. It was a truly liberating feeling that she hadn't felt since she had been allowed to leave Cerinia for a temporary vacation with Jasmine. If she followed through with the denial of her position on Cerinia, she would be branded as a heretic and would subsequently be looked at as an object of disgust by the other members of her order. However, if she cast off her duties as a High Order Cerinian, she would be free to do whatever she pleased anywhere else.
Looking over at Fox, she silently posed a question intended for the Elders of the High Order. "_Would you really keep me from expressing how thankful I am to him for saving my life? The best I can do is to just say 'thanks' and move on? He deserves so much more than that. I'm sure you'd say that he's a worthless 'inferior,' but I know that he's so much better than ALL of you."_
Noticing the tense expression on Krystal's face, Fox asked her, "What's wrong, Krystal?"
"Oh… um, I'd rather not say," she weakly replied. Even though the prospect of spurning her elders and leaders caused her to feel empowered, she knew better than to act on an idea that she had come up with literally thirty seconds ago. _"I'll sleep on it tonight," _she thought, although she quickly realized that unless Fox offered to sleep on the harsh tile floor of his suite, she would be sharing a bed with him that night. Not that she felt awkward in the least about doing such a thing. Nothing would happen unless either of them started removing their clothes.
Still, if Fox slept beside her and kept her company throughout the night, a bias would most certainly be added to her pending decision. At the moment, however, the vixen was unaware that Fox would not be sleeping at the Oasis that night. Due to the scheduled time for his mission with Scarlet, he would not be able to land his fighter in the resort's dedicated parking area for fear of violating the Oasis's regulations on the nighttime use of air and space vehicles. Regardless, Krystal decided that she would use the night to think things through in her dreams, which were much more vivid and 'real' than those of any normal being. Without the noises and distractions of the world to hold them back, Cerinians were able to answer difficult questions, solve seemingly-insurmountable problems, and fulfill lucid fantasies that would never have been possible in the real world—all while sleeping in the comfort of their own beds. For this very reason, many Cerinians found restful sleep to be more enjoyable than actual life.
For the next thirty minutes, Fox and Krystal calmly relaxed in their chairs on the concrete courtyard, aimlessly looking out into the desert and allowing their minds to drift freely. As a telepath, Krystal could feel the relaxed, calming emotions flowing from Fox as he breathed deeply and temporarily pushed the thoughts about the upcoming mission into the back of his mind. The vixen fed off of his soothing aura and used to it calm herself down, bringing her mind back into the present, where all was peaceful.
Krystal could have sat outside until the sun disappeared behind the dunes of the Tehraian Greater Desert, but when Fox decided that he was ready to return to his room, the vixen unquestioningly followed him. Hours later, after a long, relaxing bath for Krystal, a well-deserved afternoon nap for Fox, and a room service-provided dinner, the time finally came for Fox to gear up for his mission with Scarlet.
Knowing that he would be behind the controls of Scarlet's fighter for almost the entirety of the mission, Fox donned a black jacket, which contrasted nicely with the red pants he was wearing at the time. A matching red scarf completed his outfit and provided his neck with protection from the cool nighttime temperatures on Tehraia. As the timer on his wrist interface blinked to indicate a time of 8:14 P.M., Fox reached for his room's door handle. To his surprise, Krystal grabbed his paw and prevented him from opening it.
"Where are you going, Fox?" the Cerinian nervously asked, clutching at his wrist.
Fox could see the worry in her eyes that gave away the reality that she was pleading with him not to leave her side. "I have a job to do, Krystal. Don't worry—you'll be fine. I promise."
The look in his strong, emerald eyes seemed to send a signal of hope to her, causing her to feel safe, even though he would not be able to be there for her tonight. Desperately hoping that his absence would only be very brief, Krystal asked him, "When will you be back?"
Fox lowered his head and uncomfortably looked at the beige plaster in between the black floor tiles before sullenly answering, "Tomorrow morning. I'll have to stay somewhere else tonight."
Krystal frowned and disconsolately watched as Fox opened his door and prepared to leave her for the night. "Fox?"
"What is it, Krystal?"
"Please—be safe."
"I will," Fox replied, smiling and giving the timid Cerinian a caring pat on the shoulder before he stepped out of the room and into the hallway, where Scarlet was waiting for him. Krystal only managed to catch a glimpse of the red vixen for three seconds, but it was more than enough time for Scarlet to flatten her ears and bare her teeth at the Cerinian before the door clicked shut, leaving Krystal alone in Fox's room for the night.
* * *
_AUTHOR'S NOTE(S):_
_I can't believe it's been more than a month since I last updated this story; but if I'm honest, I can't really say that I'm sorry. I definitely needed the time off to regroup, get my ideas together, and get back into the right state of mind after writing _6 Days and 23 Hours_, which I can truthfully say is one of the saddest Star Fox stories ever written, especially if you're a Fox x Krystal fan like myself (Read it through to the end- you'll see what I mean. But if you do, make sure you have a box of tissues at the ready; because you seriously might need them).
_
6. Chapter 6: Subterfuge, Part 1
**Chapter 6: Subterfuge, Part 1**
With Krystal locked away in Fox's room, Scarlet nonverbally scowled at the vulpine, voicing her emotions without saying a word. Fox knew that her angst was fueled by his kindness to Krystal, but the last thing he planned to do was apologize for it. He had no regrets about sheltering the unfortunate vixen, regardless of what his bounty hunting comrade thought about it.
Scarlet's dry, assertive voice quietly broke the silence in the empty hallway. "Let's go, Fox."
Fox nodded in assent and began to follow the vixen, who had dressed herself in a black and red bodysuit of the same variety as the uniform that she had worn the previous night. In her left hand was the large Yaruitian road atlas that she had purchased earlier that day. Fox found it unbelievably difficult to pull his eyes away from Scarlet's posterior; and eventually, he gave up trying to focus on his footsteps altogether as he watched her hips sway to and fro with a cadence that was profoundly seductive. He was so entranced by her movements that when she stopped in front of the hotel's elevator to press the down arrow, he continued walking and slammed into her.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Scarlet angrily exclaimed, giving Fox a quick, sharp shove in the chest.
"Oh… I…uh… Sorry, Scarlet!" Fox frantically stammered as he attempted to extricate himself from the highly embarrassing situation that he had fallen into. "I got distracted."
"Uh huh… sure you did," the vixen crossly replied, folding her arms in front of her chest and frowning at him as the elevator door opened. Both foxes entered the ornate elevator with Fox still profusely apologizing for his lack of concentration. "I'm sorry about that! I didn't mean it!"
Scarlet rolled her eyes and immediately silenced him with a quick smack to his hind end, causing him to blush furiously. "Shut up," she gruffly demanded. "Get over it. It's not my problem that you can't focus on where you're going."
Still feeling completely and utterly ashamed of himself, Fox remained silent as the elevator descended all the way down to the ground floor, where the underwater tunnel that led to the resort's hangar area could be found. Scarlet led the way, with Fox closely following her and frantically looking for something interesting to look at other than her backside. However, it was a losing fight. After the two foxes had stepped onto the escalator that would take them to the spacecraft hangar, his gaze immediately fell to the area around the base of her long, red tail.
At that moment, Scarlet turned to look at him and immediately realized why he had plowed into her in the hallway. However, instead of becoming angry with him, a slight smile crossed her lips. "I told you that my face is up here, Fox," she jokingly taunted, pointing at her muzzle with a mildly suggestive grin on her face. Fox was so humiliated that he felt as if his entire face was on fire due to the rush of blood to his cheeks. All that he could do was mumble "Sorry about that" while looking at the escalator tracks at his feet.
Changing the tone of her voice to reflect a more serious attitude, Scarlet said, "Fox—listen. I don't mind if you stare at me. I really don't. I'm aware of what this kind of clothing does to men like you." She paused for a moment and continued, "…But, really, you need to learn to focus on the task at hand. I am _not_ going to watch you be killed because you couldn't stop staring at my butt. If you're in a combat situation and you're distracted, you're as good as dead."
"I know," Fox sullenly replied, lifting his eyes up to meet Scarlet's deep blue ones. "I can't help it. I've been onboard a ship with two other guys for more than two months straight, and then I come here and run into _you_. It's a bit more than I can handle right now."
"I can imagine," said the vixen, leaning up against the escalator's hand rail as it slowly moved towards its destination on the other end of the underwater tunnel. "Well, at some point, you're going to have to get used to seeing me wearing this. I'm not going back to my old clothes again, that's for sure."
"Why is that?" Fox asked.
Cracking a smile, Scarlet answered, "If you have to know, I used to wear really baggy cargo pants and tank tops. I thought it was a good outfit, but it didn't turn out too well the time when my belt got caught on a railing while I was running for my life. Come to think of it, that's also when I made it a point to always wear underwear. Man, that was embarrassing."
Fox smiled and shook his head at the thought of what must have happened to Scarlet after her incident. Moments later, the escalator brought the two vulpines to the hangar area's door, which Fox courteously opened for Scarlet. The air and spacecraft parking area looked essentially the same as it did the day before, when Fox had parked his Arwing and secured it to prevent anyone from accessing it without his authorization. Not that it would have been necessary, however. An armed guard was always on duty, patrolling the hangar and manning the controls to the sliding roof whenever one of the hotel's guests needed to leave.
Scarlet guided Fox past a motley assortment of spacecrafts to the spot where she had docked her fighter after arriving at the Oasis resort. To Fox's surprise, the blood red fighter than he had landed next to was none other than Scarlet's interceptor.
"That's yours?" Fox skeptically asked.
"Yep," Scarlet enthusiastically replied. "The Gaia Artemis Mk. III Interceptor—it's the best thing the company's ever made; and that's saying something. How do you feel about flying it tonight?"
Fox ran his eyes across the red fighter's sleek fuselage and noticed the oversized g-diffusion fins that would certainly make his piloting experience much smoother. Airborne movements would be more easily controlled, and the fighter would also be less prone to flight-related anomalies. At the moment, the Artemis' foils were locked in a rear-swept configuration; but when the ship would lift off, their geometry would be altered, with the outer halves of the wings facing forward to provide exceptional aerial maneuvering in addition to greater responsiveness at high speeds. Pleased with what he saw, Fox confidently replied, "I think it'll work just fine."
"Great!" said Scarlet, "Climb up the wing and open the cockpit. I'll get in after you."
Fox obediently followed her order and scaled the Artemis Interceptor's heavily swept left wing before balancing himself on the ship's frame and pressing the canopy release button. The two halves of the glass enclosure slowly opened from the middle with a very quiet hiss along with the almost imperceptible sound of a small electronic motor. Being cautious not to catch any of his clothing on the edge of the glass canopy, Fox lowered himself into the red and black pilot's seat while Scarlet began to scale the ship's wing. As before, Fox's attention was immediately directed towards the vixen as she lithely and gracefully pulled herself up to where she would be able to access the aft portion of the interceptor's cockpit.
Fox was glad that Scarlet lacked Krystal's telepathic abilities, because if she could have read his mind, she most likely would have slapped him upside the head. Or would she? Fox wondered if Scarlet actually appreciated his lustful thoughts regarding her. He pondered the possibility that male attention—no matter how impure—reaffirmed her belief that she was worth desiring. At least to Fox, it made very little sense why she would need to be reminded of her own intoxicating beauty.
He turned his head to look at Scarlet as she nimbly slid into the navigator's seat behind Fox and pressed a nearby button, which closed the canopy and sealed the two vulpines inside. One of the first aspects of the fighter's interior that stood out to Fox was the enthralling smell that permeated it. The alluring scent was none other than Scarlet's own perfume, which he profoundly liked, as opposed to most other feminine fragrances. Apart from the most obvious element inside the Artemis' cabin, the other objects that attracted his attention were the one-piece holographic interface and the surprising lack of any auxiliary buttons.
"Is it all controlled from the screen?" Fox asked.
"It is," Scarlet replied, "Once you turn the ignition on, it should light up and give you the full list of commands. Some people think it's confusing, but I like it. Buttons and I have a hate/hate relationship. The controls in my old fighter kept getting stuck. Eventually, I got fed up with it and demanded a one-piece touchscreen instead."
"Interesting," Fox murmured as he hunted for the ignition, which he eventually located at the very top of the fighter's interface. The red fighter's engines roared to life with an organic, pulsating rumble that was in sharp contrast with his Arwing's mechanical whine. From the back seat, Scarlet noticed Fox's ears perk up at the noise, which he appeared to be very fond of. "I thought you might like that," she said with a smile. "I had the drive yard fit my fighter with Class D fusion engines. Very expensive, but the sound alone is worth it."
Moments later, the hangar guard's voice came through the ship's communications system, asking Fox, "Artemis Mark 3, do you wish to leave the hangar? Remember, all air and space vehicles are strictly prohibited from re-entering the hotel grounds after 9:00 P.M. Please either confirm or deny."
"Yes, I want to leave the hangar," Fox assured the guard while gripping the fighter's small, metallic flight stick and subtly increasing the engines' output to warm them up.
After a two second delay, the guard replied, "Affirmative, sir. Opening the hangar roof." The metallic panels slowly began to separate, revealing the darkening evening skies that were filled with more stars than Fox had ever seen while on a planet's surface. From the location of the Oasis, the light pollution was almost nonexistent, allowing stars of all sizes and colors to be clearly viewed. Looking up into the dark purple expanse above him, Fox briefly attempted to locate the Lylat System before he returned his attention to the ship's controls and slowly raised the red fighter out of the hangar and into the skies of Tehraia.
While Fox directed Scarlet's Artemis fighter towards the city of Yaruit, the vixen behind him opened her recently-purchased road atlas and began to intently study the city's most noteworthy landmarks and establishments; specifically, the spaceport where the large transport hovercrafts had most likely taken delivery of their cargoes. Although a ride to Yaruit in one of the Oasis resort's chauffeur vehicles was a twenty minute trip at the very least, the speeds generated by the red interceptor allowed them to travel much more quickly. In less than seven minutes, the bright lights of the city were clearly visible from Fox's pilot seat.
Turning his head and looking back over his seat at the vixen seated behind him, Fox asked, "Where to, Scarlet?"
The bounty huntress temporarily lifted her eyes up from her road atlas and replied, "Land somewhere near the spaceport, but keep it quiet. We don't want to alert anyone to our agenda. It's likely that the people working for Carache will recognize my fighter if you get too close. After I get out, wait until I give you a call. I'll explain the plan then."
"Got it," he calmly said. "Where's the spaceport?"
"It's near the middle of the city. It shouldn't be too hard to find, seeing as it's the only open area for miles around. I want you to drop me off on the outskirts, so you don't have to get clearance to land."
"Alright, Scarlet," he replied, "I think I'm seeing it now."
Lowering the thrust output from Scarlet's fighter's powerful engines, Fox carefully maneuvered around a particularly tall silver skyscraper and began to scan the ground below for a suitable place to land the Artemis and allow Scarlet to initiate her part of the plan. He was roughly a mile away from the airspace around the spaceport, which meant that the vixen would have to walk a reasonable distance if she wanted to move any closer to the loading docks.
"Fox—that parking lot down there looks good," Scarlet eagerly suggested, pointing downwards with her finger at the mostly-unoccupied asphalt expanse where a small assortment of motorized vehicles were parked. Heeding her advice, the vulpine cut the fighter's power almost completely and slowly descended to the pavement before Scarlet pressed the button that opened the fighter's canopy and leapt out with the grace and precision of a professional gymnast. "Just hold tight, Fox. I won't be long."
While Fox powered off Scarlet's Artemis Interceptor, the vixen began to carefully make her way towards the busy spaceport, throwing her silenced sidearm over her back and remaining out of sight as much as possible. The portion of the city where she had instructed Fox to land was a minimally-populated industrial area of the city, which allowed her to move without causing any commotion among the local residents. Not wanting to keep Fox waiting but also not wanting to waste her energy, she briskly walked towards the loading docks, where the large hovercrafts belonging to Asgard Industries would be waiting for their cargoes.
The large cranes and braces belonging to the cargo-handling area of the spaceport came into Scarlet's view after slightly over five minutes. The spaceport itself was surrounded with a barbed-wire fence, blocking any attempt at an unauthorized entrance. However, this was of no consequence to Scarlet, who had intended to remain legally outside the premises for the sole purpose of ascertaining the existence of Asgard's supply containers. For two minutes, the vixen attentively watched the spaceport traffic fly overhead and motor past on the inside of the premises until she saw a large hovercraft cross the concrete pad in front of her.
That was her cue to initiate the next phase of her plan. After watching as a large container with a winged 'A' emblem was loaded onto the solitary hovercraft, the vixen lifted her communicator to her lips and contacted Fox. "Fox—they're about to get moving. Get airborne and start watching for them."
"Understood," Fox replied, "But what are you going to do, Scarlet? Didn't you say that you were going to try to block their transport route?"
"That's right, Fox. I'll figure out a way to do it. Your job is to keep an eye on them so you can tell me where to go when I find something that I can block the road with."
Slightly concerned about Scarlet's spur of the moment planning, the vulpine worriedly asked, "You're not going to steal something, are you?"
From the other end of the line, Fox could hear a faint laugh coming from Scarlet before she cunningly answered, "Maybe…"
Fox shook his head in exasperation, but regardless of his dislike for his counterpart's methods, he knew that he still needed to follow through with his part of the bargain. With the skill of an experienced fighter pilot, he quickly powered up Scarlet's Interceptor and slowly raised the fighter into a hover two hundred feet above the ground. Looking towards the gated exit of the spaceport's cargo handling area, he watched as the heavy hovercraft passed through the opened gates and started along the avenue bordering the spaceport.
Speaking into his wrist gauntlet, he relayed the position of the transport to Scarlet, who was hunting for a large vehicle which would be robust enough to take a moderate amount of damage and still remain operational. "Scarlet, I see the transport. It just left the loading dock."
"Thanks, Fox; but I'm still looking for something that'll work. Just give me a second," the vixen replied before silencing Fox's call and anxiously scanning the area for a vehicle that would suit her needs. There were a few motorized vehicles in the industrial area outside the spaceport, but most of them were cars and light trucks. She would need something more substantial if she wanted to have a chance of bringing Asgard's hovercraft transport to a halt.
Her location at the moment was a quiet lot used by a concrete company. Several cement trucks were parked in various places around the premises, but Scarlet immediately discarded any thoughts of using one of them to pursue her quarry. They simply were not quick enough to give chase to the hovercraft, which was surprisingly quick and nimble in spite of its prodigious size. Across the street from her was a dark gray warehouse next to a closed-down metal working plant. The vixen did not know if it was an operational business, but due to her limited options at the moment, she decided to investigate it further.
Upon closer examination, she noticed a faint hint of smoke rising from the worn-down structure, which stood three stories high and sported numerous windows, all of which were badly stained or shattered. Unfortunately, no vehicles were parked anywhere around it. However, within seconds, she noticed a pair of headlights emanating from the wide open, dimly-lit industrial street ahead of her. Not wanting to be spotted, the vixen ducked behind the corner of the derelict building and waited until the car passed. Strangely, it never did. Instead of continuing down the road, it stopped in front of the ancient warehouse building with the telltale grinding noise of gravel being displaced.
With the utmost care, Scarlet peeked her head out from behind the corner of the building and watched as three armed soldiers leapt out of the vehicle that had come to a stop in front of the warehouse. The soldiers, however, were the least of her concern. The vehicle they were using was a heavily armored transport truck that would be absolutely perfect for what she was attempting to accomplish. The last thing she wanted to do at that moment was something foolish, but she knew that her ticket to another completed mission lay with carjacking the armored security truck. "_This isn't going to be easy_," she muttered under her breath as she observed the three fully armed soldiers, all carrying fully automatic assault rifles that packed far more of a punch than her heavy semi-automatic blaster could have ever hoped to. _"…But then again, nothing worth doing ever is."_
To avoid being spotted, the vixen pulled her head back from around the corner and breathed deeply in an attempt to slow her racing heartbeat to a level that would not impede her clear thinking. For several seconds, she waited, crouched down on one knee with her ears attentively twitching and listening for any new noises. Her momentary patience was rewarded with the sound of one of the armed guards knocking at the front door of the warehouse. Soon, the knocking sound was followed by the creaking of rusty door hinges as the door slowly swung open. Quickly and with extreme caution, Scarlet looked around the corner again and observed that the other two guards were stationed outside with the vehicle, which was still running. She attempted to listen in on what they were saying, but the clattering noise of the armored truck's heavy diesel engine prevented her from hearing any of their words.
The situation was not going to become any easier for her. The longer she waited, the more of a head start Asgard's hovercraft would have. Time was truly her worst enemy in her current situation. She saw no alternative to hijacking the armored truck, but she was outgunned two to one—or three to one if the one guard who had stepped inside the building reemerged back into the brisk night air. The more she thought about her predicament, the more she realized what had to be done. It would be far from pretty, and it would also be potentially life-ending for her.
"_I can do this. I've been in tighter situations than this before."_
Taking a deep breath and slowly curling her fingers in and out, Scarlet cocked her blaster and held it at the ready. This was it. If her plan failed, she would be killed; and no one she worked for would care, with the exception of her boss and possibly Fox. The vixen knew that he was quickly becoming antsy in the cockpit of her fighter. The hovercraft was drawing closer to the weapons dealer's warehouse with every second that she refused to make a move; and the more time she spent deliberating, the less time she would have to catch up.
Feeling the reflexive properties of epinephrine overwhelming her system, Scarlet stepped out from behind the corner of the warehouse and opened fire on the guards, who were standing at attention next to the armored truck's flank closest to the door belonging to the dark gray building. She pulled her blaster's trigger as rapidly as possible, putting fire rate over accuracy in a desperate attempt to overcome her numerical disadvantage. Because her blaster was silenced, she was able to take down one of the guards before he could react. However, the second of the two guards stationed outside the warehouse took almost no time at all to respond to the suddenly critical situation.
The large canine soldier dove behind a nearby dumpster outside the building to avoid being struck by Scarlet's gunfire, while the vixen quickly and frantically looked around for evidence of any other troopers in the area. She could hear the soldier desperately attempting to contact his other comrade, who was inside the building. It would only be a matter of seconds before he would emerge with a hail of laser fire that would burn her fur and reduce her to the corpse of a once-beautiful vixen. The area in front of the warehouse's front door was covered by a small awning with two concrete steps leading up to a landing that acted as a sort of doormat for the entry area. Apart from that, there was nothing in the immediate vicinity—other than the armored truck itself—that could provide her with an adequate amount of cover from the enemy's laser fire.
Regaining his composure, the second guard leaned out from behind the dumpster and fired a volley of laser fire at Scarlet, barely missing her as she dropped onto her hands and feet and crawled up to the steps leading to the flat concrete landing in front of the warehouse door. For a moment, the canine soldier ceased firing before a very faint vibration came to the vixen's sharp, attentive ears. The guard who had gone into the building was on his way out. Feeling as if her blood had turned to ice, Scarlet frenetically snapped one of her small sticky grenades off of her utility belt and hurled it in the direction of the front door. Less than a second later, a solid object flew through the air and bounced across the concrete landing to a stop less than ten feet in front of her. It was a single, brown, frag grenade.
"Whoa!" the vixen screamed, clawing her way to her feet and kicking up a flurry of gravel while trying to escape from the immediate blast radius of the expertly-lobbed grenade. In that moment, every last trace of calculated thought disappeared from her mind. In its place were sheer terror and the adrenaline-fueled will to stay alive. Completely ignoring the guard who had just stepped out from behind the dumpster less than thirty feet ahead of her, Scarlet broke into a run, attempting to escape the imminent grenade blast by crouching down behind the side of the armored truck that faced away from the building. Mercilessly, the guard held down the trigger on his assault rifle, striking Scarlet in the right shoulder and causing her to scream in agony as the laser blasts scorched her red fur and caused her muscles to feel like they had been sliced apart by a butcher's knife.
The only reason that Scarlet did not collapse on the ground in pain was because of the amount of adrenaline that was flowing through her veins. The vixen gritted her teeth and cleared the front right corner panel of the truck the instant that both her grenade and her enemy's grenade exploded simultaneously. Immediately after a temporary wave of relief washed over her after she realized that she had survived the blast, the vixen began to experience the extreme pain that permeated her right shoulder and the arm muscles below it. She had been shot before and had experienced every ounce of pain that came along with being at the receiving end of a laser blast; but despite her experience in the field, it was no less painful than before.
Hoping that her grenade had done its job and taken the life of the guard inside the building as he neared the door, Scarlet awkwardly reached for the truck's door handle with her uninjured left hand and pulled it open with a great deal of frantic effort. With the door still open, the vixen lithely clambered into the cabin and dove into the driver's seat.
"HEY!" the only remaining soldier shouted at the top of his lungs as he sprinted towards the commandeered truck with the single, unorganized goal of reclaiming it from the brazen thief that had dared to attack him, kill his two comrades, and steal his company's vehicle with complete disregard for the valuable cargo that it contained. He dove for the opened passenger side door just as Scarlet shifted the truck into drive and floored the throttle, flinging gravel into the air behind the vehicle's wide drive wheels. The desperate guard fell on his face in the gravel as he watched as his vehicle motored away from him before it quickly turned around and began heading back his way with a disconcerting amount of velocity.
"OH NO! NO NO NO!"
Inside the armored truck, Scarlet braced herself for the solid "whump" and cracked a dark smile after bringing the final guard's miserable existence to a gruesome end. Perhaps running him over was too harsh a way to end it for him; but nevertheless, Scarlet felt the need to punish him for wounding her and further complicating her mission—not to mention that with him out of the picture, no one would be alive to report the theft of the armored truck to their supervisors.
With step one of her plan completed, Scarlet raised her communicator up to her muzzle and told Fox, "I've got a ride. Tell me where to go."
7. Chapter 7: Subterfuge, Part 2
**Chapter 7: Subterfuge, Part 2**
In the driver's seat of her commandeered security truck, Scarlet winced in pain as she dared to glance at her wound for the first time. "Dammit," she snarled. The impact from the laser blast that she had suffered earlier had opened up a large gash in her upper right bicep. Blood freely flowed out of the incision, dripped down her fur, and began to pool on the truck's treadplated steel floor. As if that alone wasn't enough, the area around the cut had been hideously burned and seared by the laser fire.
If the situation had been less dire, Scarlet would have bemoaned the impact that her injury would have on her appearance. However, more important elements were at play at the moment. First on her agenda was her consistent, rapid blood loss. If she did nothing about the red liquid dripping onto the floor, she would bleed out within minutes. Common sense would have told her to call off the mission and beg for Fox to come and help her; but the vixen was determined not to lose what may have been her only opportunity to take down her target.
Seeing no other option, the red vixen ripped her sharp, cruel knife out of its holster and set to work cutting off part of her bodysuit's left sleeve while steering with her knees and attempting to guide the ungainly vehicle back towards the city's main interstate. After slicing the stretchy fabric, Scarlet placed her knife on her lap and set to work tying the severed piece of clothing into a passable tourniquet.
"_Crap… this means I'm going to have to shoot left-handed tonight," _she thought to herself, frowning at the mere suggestion of being forced to fire her weapon with her 'bad' hand. The truth was that she had trained herself to be ambidextrous in a variety of activities, although her dominant right-handed traits still remained the same regardless of anything she did to improve her left-handedness.
Her bleeding diminished noticeably after the application of the tourniquet, but it was quickly replaced by a growing numbness caused by the blockage of the arteries that normally would have fed a steady stream of blood into her arm. "_I'll have to get used to it,"_ she muttered to herself, "_It sure as hell beats bleeding out on the floor and dying._"
Catching a glimpse of the road that would (hopefully) lead her in the direction of Yaruit's largest interstate, the vixen awkwardly gripped at the armored truck's sizeable steering wheel and forced the lumbering behemoth onto the small side road. The turn seemed far more difficult than it should have been, but with her right arm feeling almost completely numb, that was to be expected. Giving her clumsy right hand a rest, Scarlet lightly draped the weakened appendage over the steering wheel and switched her wrist communicator to a speakerphone setting with her other hand.
"Fox, do you still have a visual on the hovercraft?" she asked, using the brief stretch of straight tarmac to calm down after the harrowing series of events that had befallen her.
"Yes, Scarlet, I've got an eye on it. It's on the interstate right now. You might be able to catch up to it. It's in the slow lane, and it's not moving as quickly as the rest of the traffic."
"_Of course I can catch up to it," _Scarlet internally snapped, "_You have __**no **__idea who you're working with, Foxy boy." _With her physical voice, the vixen replied, "Thanks, Fox. Oh—by the way, did you link the tracker in my interface with my Artemis' HUD?"
"Yes, I did," Fox answered. "I can see you right now. You're going to want to take the next right."
"I know, Fox—but thanks anyway," she replied in a tone of voice that almost seemed comforting—even loving, perhaps.
Fox allowed a quick smile to cross his lips while he fastidiously kept his eyes locked onto the hovercraft that was nearing the target's warehouse at a steady, deliberate, unchanging rate of speed. For reasons unknown to him, he found himself enjoying assisting Scarlet on her mission. Normally, he would be the one with the difficult, pressuring task that would often end up taking a potentially deadly turn; but for tonight, the weight of the mission was loaded squarely on Scarlet's shoulders—one of which was badly injured and wrapped in a makeshift tourniquet.
Scarlet had yet to explain her injury—or the extent thereof—to Fox, leaving him to assume that all was proceeding according to plan. There could have been one or more suitable reasons for her to remain silent about her rather serious wound. The first hypothesis was that she simply didn't consider it important enough to mention to Fox. The mission would still be completed, and when all was said and done, the injury would be a distant afterthought.
However, the second possibility was that she did not want to reveal any kind of weakness to Fox. The vixen's mind was wired to survive and to appear strong even when her body was clearly sending signals that indicated otherwise. Would it have been too much of a stretch to say that it was an issue of personal pride? More likely than not, the answer would have been 'no.'
Now though, her painful injury was the least of Scarlet's concerns. In a matter of seconds, the sign for the on-ramp to the Yaruit Metropolitan Interstate flashed into view, courtesy of the armored truck's high-intensity headlights. Determined not to waste a second in her pursuit of Asgard Industries' hovercraft transport, Scarlet pressed the vehicle's throttle pedal down, but not all the way to the floor. Fortunately for the wounded vixen, the truck was equipped with an automatic transmission, allowing her to avoid using her damaged arm for the most part.
Scarlet carefully planned her line through the inclined corner leading to the highway, allowing her to exit onto the interstate at the same speed as the rest of the rapidly-moving traffic. Seeing an open area in the lane to her left, she pushed the throttle to the floor and pulled into the lane before the onramp entry merged into the highway. For the moment, she found herself stuck behind a large semi truck that seemed to be moving relatively quickly; although it wasn't as if she had another option. The traffic on the interstate was very thick, and she was boxed in from every angle without a chance to change lanes.
Feeling the familiar feeling of frustration creeping in, Scarlet radioed Fox and asked him, "How far back am I?"
Fox's voice was tinged with concern as he responded, "About three miles, Scarlet. You're going to have to pick it up."
Scarlet growled from her side of the line and aggressively shoved her truck's turn signal indicator down, prompting a left-facing arrow to appear on the truck's dash interface. A blue family sedan was traveling in the lane next to her, but she paid it no mind and slowly began to creep towards the lane adjacent to her. The driver of the blue car panicked and honked his horn in protest when he saw the armored security truck moving closer to him; but when he realized that Scarlet had no intentions of stopping, he slammed on his brakes, causing the driver behind him to crash into his vehicle. With the lane to her left now clear, Scarlet guided the armored truck into the third lane from the right with the intention of entering the highway's far left lane, which was reserved for individuals with a special VIP pass. She glanced in her mirror and noticed the collision behind her, which had in turn triggered a multi-car pileup consisting of more than twelve vehicles.
"_Lucky me,_" Scarlet thought, "_That wreck will keep the cops off me for at least a few more minutes._"
From above, Fox had been watching as Scarlet forced her way into the lane and triggered the large-scale accident. An exasperated scowl appeared on his face as he shook his head in disbelief. "_What a loose cannon,_" he thought to himself, feeling a smile attempting to force its way onto his muzzle. In spite of what he wanted to believe, he had to admit that he found Scarlet's methods entertaining in the sense that no one he had ever known would have dared to do what she did on a day-to-day basis. Keeping his eyes fixed on the hovercraft several miles ahead of Scarlet's position, he thought about a possibility that he had never considered before.
"_If she's any good with a fighter, she'd be perfect for Star Fox. She doesn't take 'no' for an answer, she's fun to be around, and to top it off, she's drop dead gorgeous. I couldn't think of anyone better for the job._"
Somehow, though, he had the feeling that if he presented Scarlet with the offer, she would refuse in favor of flying solo as a bounty huntress. Still, Fox decided that if the chance presented itself, he would ask her to join. Now though, he had a job to do, even though it was admittedly very simple. The hovercraft transport seemed incapable of exceeding 60 miles per hour, and as a result, it was forced to remain in the far right lane with the other slow-moving traffic.
Scarlet, on the other hand, was on a completely different path—literally. Not long after she had cleared yet another lane, Fox's eyes widened as the vixen slowly moved her stolen vehicle towards the VIP lane. "_She won't do it—that would be stupid," _Fox thought to himself.
"_No way."_
Scarlet brazenly crossed the double-dotted white line separating the VIP lane from the rest of the highway before flooring the armored truck's throttle and accelerating the heavy vehicle to a speed in excess of 85 miles per hour. Fox looked down and to his left and saw that two police cars were already at the scene of the multi-car wreck that Scarlet herself had instigated without the slightest care. The highway behind her had already regressed into gridlock; and with the police tied up while attending to the accident, Scarlet found herself with a temporary window of opportunity that would allow her to avoid trouble with the local authorities.
From above, Fox watched as the gap between Scarlet and the hovercraft began to shrink. Several drivers blew their horns and flashed their headlights at Scarlet, who was clearly in violation of the law. Even if she actually had been in possession of a Yaruit VIP pass, the vehicle that she was driving was in a class that was not allowed to access the VIP lane under any circumstances. Almost oblivious to the traffic around her, the vixen shrugged off the lights, horns, and the occasional middle finger as if she didn't care about any of it. Catching up to the hovercraft was her only goal. Even the constant, nagging numbness in her right arm failed to slow her down in the least.
While Scarlet continued to make up the ground that she had lost while commandeering the armored truck, Fox turned his attention to the skies around him and noticed three fighter-class spacecrafts entering his airspace. Concerned about a possible altercation, he spoke into his communicator and nervously explained to Scarlet, "Hey, three fighters just showed up. What should I do?"
"What do they look like?" the vixen asked in response.
"Desert camouflage with orange outlines," Fox answered. "Do you know anything about them?"
Scarlet's expression took on a mildly concerned quality as she bared a tooth and bit her lip. "Malkovich fighters," she explained, "Only Salvatore Pietro's gang uses those. They're not hostile, per se; but it worries me that they'd show up here."
"Who's Salvatore Pietro?" Fox asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable with his situation above the city of Yaruit.
Scarlet's dry voice returned through the Artemis Interceptor's onboard speakers with an evident hint of distaste for the name of the man Fox had inquired about. "Pietro is the leader of the largest mob family on Skallis. He holds so much power that he can legitimately be considered a force to be reckoned with. My boss has had dealings with him in the past, but he's definitely not someone you want to trust. Don't worry though—they'll identify the Artemis and then they'll probably ignore you after that."
"Thanks, Scarlet," Fox replied, closing the communications channel and returning his gaze to the hovercraft, which seemed to be ready to exit the interstate in favor of the darker inner-city streets. Quickly re-opening his channel, he contacted Scarlet and alerted her to the new development. "Scarlet, the hovercraft is taking the next exit. You're going to have to find a way to get into the right lane—fast."
"Got it, Fox," she answered, albeit in a tone of voice that seemed to be filled with concern and worry.
Inside the spacious cabin of the armored truck—which had begun to reek of blood—Scarlet glanced up at the large blue traffic sign that read "Milato Avenue Exit—1/2 mile." There was no time for subtlety. The traffic was far too thick for her to navigate the hefty truck into the far right lane by using any normal methods. Clenching her teeth, the vixen flipped her right blinker on and sounded the truck's powerful horn, warning any drivers around her to move out of the way. When the driver of a white SUV to her right slowed down to allow her to move into the line of traffic, she jumped at the opportunity. To her great delight, the lane to the right of that quickly opened up as well. She only had one more lane to clear, but by now, the exit was less than a quarter mile away.
Feeling herself beginning to sweat, Scarlet panicked when she saw the exit ramp—along with the bumper-to-bumper traffic that was attempting to leave the interstate. The hovercraft had abandoned the metropolitan highway and taken to the dark downtown streets one full minute ago; and if Scarlet missed her exit, any chance of catching up to it would be completely and utterly lost.
In that moment, she only had one option. "_Of all the times for this to happen, why did it have to be now?"_ she muttered to herself, knowing full well what her next movement entailed. Taking a quick, deep breath, Scarlet swerved to the right and slammed into the side of the car next to her, displacing it with a great deal of commotion and claiming its place on the exit ramp behind a large white van. A cacophony of horns immediately sounded, with the drivers behind her angrily voicing their protests. Along with the horns came a sound that she never wanted to hear—a police siren. Looking in her mirror, the vixen saw a pair of flashing green lights behind her, near the back of the line of cars that had exited the interstate.
Cursing under her breath, she mouthed the words, "_You've got to be freaking kidding me." _She was well aware that the odds of escaping from the police in an armored security truck were extraordinarily slim, but pulling over was definitely not an option, for obvious reasons. The traffic light at the bottom of the off-ramp was green, although within seconds, it switched to yellow. Because three cars were still ahead of her in line, there was no way that she would make it through the light before it changed to red.
Feeling the combined effects of panic and adrenaline shooting through her, Scarlet swerved out of the lane and raced down the road's shoulder, skirting the grass off to the side and clearing the few remaining vehicles in front of her just as the light turned red. Refusing to stop, Scarlet frantically rounded the corner with the police car in pursuit, uprooting a "no right turn on red" sign on the side of the road. The "clang" of the metal sign against the front of the armored truck caused her to jump internally, but she kept her focus on the road ahead.
From the pilot's seat of Scarlet's interceptor, Fox looked down at the developing chase with disbelief in his eyes—not because he thought that Scarlet would actually be able to get away with road rage whilst driving with a figurative brick in her shoe, but because of the sheer amount of bad luck that she had to overcome. And he was still unaware that she was badly injured.
Half a mile away, the flashing green lights of another police cruiser awakened as the officer in command of the vehicle received word of a fleeing armored truck that had already caused significant damages to both public and private property. The vehicle's 'stolen' status was a given, as both officers in pursuit of the vixen knew that no security truck driver would ever operate a commercial vehicle in such a reckless fashion.
Trying her best to ignore the pursing police car that was soon to be receiving backup, Scarlet turned her attention to her ongoing pursuit of the hovercraft and barked into her communicator, "Fox! Where do I go now?"
Fox's voice was shaken by the turn of events as he replied, "Take the next left and then the right turn after that. You're not too far behind. You're going to have more company, though…"
"…And that's why I need your help, Fox," Scarlet interjected.
"_Uh oh…" _Fox thought, "_Please don't tell me to shoot the cops, Scarlet…_"
Guiding the lumbering truck into the left turn lane, Scarlet flung the vehicle through the sharp corner onto a lightly-used downtown avenue that only allowed traffic to travel in one direction. While watching for the side street that she needed to take, she heard the threatening sound of the pursuing officer's voice emanating from a bullhorn mounted next to the squad car's right mirror. "Pull over now! I repeat—pull…over…now!"
"Not going to happen," she snarled, gritting her teeth and turning the armored truck down the narrow side street. The darkened alleyway was fraught with potholes that shook the heavy vehicle's frame, causing it to feel as if the truck's suspension was fused in place. "Fox, I can't get away!" the vixen yelled into her communicator, "You're going to have to take them down!"
"Dammit, Scarlet! You know I can't do that!" he shouted in reply.
Clearly unhappy with her counterpart's inability to follow orders, the vixen snapped, "What's more important to you? Keeping your precious record clean or getting the job done? You say that you're a mercenary, huh? Well, you'd better start acting like one, deadweight! Get these guys off me!"
"I…I can't! It's not right!"
"Gah!" Scarlet moaned in frustration as she began to hear the telltale sound of a police helicopter entering the chase to assist the two squad cars that were already in hot pursuit of the stolen armored truck. "Fox, where do I go next?"
"Left turn up ahead. You're getting closer," he replied, his voice full of concern for Scarlet even though he refused to take action and assist her in her plight.
Scarlet was far too preoccupied to notice, but the city around her began to morph from the upscale, modern architecture of Yaruit's upper district into the dingy streets and alleys of the city's Projects. The weapons dealer's warehouse couldn't be far. Only making the situation worse was the fact that if she couldn't bring the chase to an end, she would completely jeopardize her mission, even if she was still able to catch up to the hovercraft. She needed help, but her comrade refused to give it to her due to his moral convictions.
No options remained except for one, and it was a long shot. Eyeing the apex of the upcoming corner, Scarlet clipped the edge of the concrete sidewalk and shot the armored truck out onto a neglected industrial road that was reminiscent of the area where she and Fox had been attacked the previous night. Then, with the police sirens blaring in her ears, the vixen tapped the "open frequency" button on her wrist interface and frantically yelled into it, "Can anybody read me?"
"Um, yeah…" came a voice that was somewhat muffled by the sound of a noisy fighter powerplant. "Who's this?"
The vixen refused to answer the question and instead presented one of her own. "Are you with Pietro's gang?"
"Yeah?"
Scarlet's ears immediately erected themselves. "Listen up," she commanded, "This is Scarlet, working for Felix Sparta, CEO of the Gaia Corporation. I know you've had dealings with him before, so I need to ask a favor from you."
"Ah, Miss Scarlet," the pilot replied, chuckling lightly. "This is Damien Pietro. I was wondering where you ran off to after…"
"…Damien, listen—I need you to get these cops off me. My mission will fail if I can't ditch these guys, and my guy in the air isn't cooperating."
The pilot's voice quickly took on a serious tone. "I'll see what I can do," he replied, gripping the control stick of his desert-colored fighter and diving towards the city below him. Within seconds, he had sized up the situation above the dingy urban streets of the city. Two police cruisers were vehemently pursuing a large armored truck, and a white helicopter was in the air above the chase, shining a spotlight on the truck as it attempted to escape from the local authorities. "Hang on, Scarlet," he muttered, manipulating his fighter's throttle and placing his index finger on his flight stick's FIRE button.
Seconds later, he squeezed the trigger, sending out a flash of laser fire that ripped through the police chopper, sending it plummeting towards the ground in a fiery blaze. The desert-painted fighter soared through the falling debris and rapidly dropped altitude until it was less than a hundred feet off the ground. The officers pursuing Scarlet had been alerted to the sights and sounds of the chopper being annihilated, causing them to look behind them in time to see their aggressor closing in for the kill. The fighter rapidly increased its speed, coming in for a pass with all guns blazing.
"NO! We're done for!"
In mere seconds, the formerly white and green police cars were reduced to charred, smoldering ruins by the attacking fighter, which soared over Scarlet's commandeered vehicle and climbed altitude until it was merely a dot in the sky above the city. "Thanks, Damien," said Scarlet, exhaling heavily.
"Not a problem."
If only for a moment, all was quiet. The armored truck's diesel engine persisted in its consistent roar, but apart from that, silence reigned inside the cab with Scarlet. With her pursuers out of commission, Scarlet allowed her tense muscles to relax while she realized how close she had been to failing the mission that she had been wanting for more than three months. She was grateful beyond belief that a former comrade had been around to lend her a hand, because if he hadn't, she would be in a very different situation. However, the thought that occupied her mind the most was one of absolute hatred for Fox and his refusal to come to her aid when she needed it most.
Speaking into her wrist unit, Scarlet growled, "Fox, buddy—you owe me an apology."
"But…Scarlet…"
"But nothing, Fox!" the vixen snapped. "I'm going to let this slide, but if it happens again, I'll make sure that you pay for it! Now, how far back am I?"
Feeling flustered and conflicted, Fox replied, "Less than a half mile. He took the next right."
"Thanks, Fox. At least you're good for _something_," she scornfully muttered, turning onto the industrial front road that ran passed a series of abandoned loading docks. For the first time since she had seen it at the spaceport, the hovercraft came into view. After minutes of frantically searching for a vehicle to use, illegally racing down the interstate, and being forced to deal with the city's police forces, she had finally caught up with it. Now, her predicament changed from wondering how she would catch up to wondering how she would be able to stop it. The vehicle that she was driving was significantly smaller than the oversized hovercraft transport, meaning that a 'direct' course of action would be inadvisable. Even though the armored truck was very heavy and large, the hovercraft would overpower it in a collision.
Scarlet was no novice in situations such as this, and her capable mind had already formulated an idea. Unfortunately, it involved a great deal of physical exertion, which was not something that she felt she was capable of with her arm numb and in a tourniquet. "_This is all I've got,_" she groused. "_I don't have another option._" Stepping on the throttle, Scarlet pulled alongside the hovercraft. The howling fans on its rear half created an immense ruckus while the dust from the unkempt street flew into the air around the large vehicle. A sharp left turn appeared in the distance—roughly a half-mile away. There was no more time for pondering a course of action. There was only time for action itself.
Gritting her teeth together, Scarlet floored the armored truck's accelerator pedal and pulled ahead of the hovercraft. She could almost sense the confusion coming from the large vehicle's driver, but she ignored her conscious thoughts, relegating as many of her movements to the subconscious region of her brain. The next few seconds were a blur to Scarlet. She reached down onto the metal floor pan of the armored truck and picked up her knife. Then, she sliced her seat belt in half, standing up inside the speeding vehicle and making her way to the truck's right door. She wanted to remove her tourniquet to give her arm an opportunity to be slightly more functional than it was at the moment, but she thought about the potentially-fatal blood loss that would result. "_No, I can't cut it yet._"
While the armored truck began to lose speed with no one behind the wheel, the hovercraft once again pulled alongside. "_It's now or never,_" Scarlet muttered. Taking a deep breath, the vixen unlatched the passenger side door and forced it open with her uninjured left arm, causing the noise of the wind to become almost deafening. For just one solitary second, she held the door open and glanced down at the asphalt between the truck and the hovercraft. Then, she forced whatever was left of her strength into her legs and jumped, knife in hand.
As the vixen flew through the turbulent air, she feared that the gap between the two vehicles had been too great. She refused to look down, instead eyeing the hovercraft's green metallic deck, which Asgard Industries' container rested upon. With fear in her eyes, Scarlet prepared herself for the possibility of coming up short and falling unto the asphalt at more than 40 miles per hour. Such an impact would either grievously wound her or kill her almost instantly, depending on how she hit the pavement. "_Oh, please—not tonight…_"
_*Clang!*_
Scarlet crashed down on the metal deck, landing on her left shoulder. Immediately, a wave of pain shot through her entire left arm, only adding to the numbness which she felt in her other arm. The pain, however, would have to wait. The driver of the hovercraft immediately noticed that something was amiss. The instant that Scarlet saw the reflection of the driver's reptilian face in the hovercraft's large mirror, she knew what was coming next. Still lying on her chest, Scarlet frantically crawled forwards, digging her combat knife into the metal plating and using it to help her move towards the gray container. The vixen's eyes were immediately drawn to the numerous thin, unpainted, vertical poles that protruded out from the corrugated surface of the container. The poles had been built into the dilapidated cargo unit to increase its structural rigidity, but Scarlet saw a different use for them.
She lunged forwards and gripped the post near the middle of the gray container just as the hovercraft rapidly slowed and rotated to the right, attempting to fling her off the deck. The stinging from the impact of her landing was only exacerbated by the stress of having to hold on with only one hand. Scarlet let out a quick yelp in pain, but she kept her mind clear enough to plan her next step. After trying and failing to throw Scarlet off the large transport, the hovercraft's driver and his cohort flung open their respective doors and leaped out, handguns at the ready; but by that time, Scarlet had jumped to her feet and positioned herself with her back against the hovercraft's blocky cabin.
The driver's hoarse, harsh voice resounded through the city's night air. "Come out! We know what you're doing here!"
Scarlet felt her breath rate increase as she pulled her blaster over her head from behind her back and armed it. The only sound the weapon made was a metallic 'click' that was impossible to discern over the ceaseless background noise of the metropolis around her. Her ears began to pick up the harsh tapping sounds created by two pairs of boots slowly approaching her position—one from each side of the hovercraft's cabin. She pressed her blaster into her left shoulder, preparing herself to spring from her position. "I said come out!" the guard screamed once again. It had been far from his intent, but the sound of his furious voice immediately communicated to Scarlet that he was less than three feet from her position.
It was then that Scarlet decided to make a move. Taking several quick, stressed breaths of air, the vixen raised her blaster and stepped out from behind the corner in one synchronized movement, swinging her weapon downwards just as the driver reached the back left edge of the cabin. Scarlet's blaster crashed down on her enemy's handgun, causing its user to open fire out of reflex. The shot harmlessly bounced off the hovercraft's heavy cargo deck with an orange flash and a shower of sparks. With the reptilian out of his rhythm, Scarlet took the opportunity to bring her knee up into his crotch, eliciting a sharp scream from her enemy. The physical maneuver was followed by a low kick that swept the driver's legs out from under him and sent him crashing to the cargo deck near the back corner of the cabin.
Wasting no time, the vixen aimed her blaster at his face and finished him off without taking any time to observe the results of her work. The hovercraft's co-pilot heard the hollow blast from the other side of the bulky craft and immediately dropped his guard, sprinting around the back right corner of the cabin, fearing that the worst had happened. He was operating entirely on his emotions—exactly the way that Scarlet wanted him to. The bounty huntress pressed her back against the left side of the cabin and mentally counted "_One…Two…_" before the guard rounded the corner. His lack of planning resulted in him being slammed across the face by Scarlet's blaster. His entire world relapsed into a chaotic blur dominated by a red vulpine figure, who spun her body around and delivered a punishing back roundhouse kick to his sternum. He immediately knew that she had fractured it, because a searing pain shot through his chest the instant that the vixen landed her kick. He fell to the deck and screamed in agony as the color black slowly began to creep in on his vision. The last thing that he saw was the red vixen standing over him with her blaster aimed at his face. And then it was over.
*_Bang!*_
With no one left in her way, Scarlet clicked her blaster's safety on and climbed into the hovercraft's cabin before shutting both doors, which had been left opened by the driver and his co-pilot. For over a minute, she simply sat in the driver's seat, allowing her heart rate to drop to its normal tempo. Her rushed breathing slowly normalized as the epinephrine began to filter out of her bloodstream in the wake of one of the most ambitious hijackings that she had ever taken part in. Still feeling out of breath, she spoke into her communicator, "Fox, I have the hovercraft. I'll take things from here. Land the Artemis somewhere close by and wait for my cue."
"Got it, Scarlet," Fox replied. After a brief pause, he stammered, "Um… A…are you okay?" He immediately regretted asking her the question, but for some reason, he felt that it needed to be asked.
With a tinge of frustration in her voice, Scarlet answered, "Not really, Fox. To be honest, I'm still bothered that if I hadn't known one of those pilots, this mission would have been a bust. I was counting on you, Fox—and you let me down. That's why I stopped trusting people years ago. They'll all abandon you eventually. They don't really care about you; they just see something in you that they want for themselves. When that 'something' is gone, they'll ditch you right when you need them the most."
"Scarlet, don't say things like that. I'm sure someone cares about you."
"I don't think so, Fox," Scarlet disappointedly replied. "I suppose your excuse for not helping me is valid, but I'm still not happy about it. When the job calls for it, you have to be ready to do whatever it takes, no matter how wrong it seems."
A deep sigh was audible from Fox's side of the communications line. "Sorry, Scarlet; but I have to disagree with you. I'm not that kind of person."
A long silence dominated Fox and Scarlet's comm. link until Scarlet quietly said, "Just land the Artemis and wait for me. I won't be long."
* * *
**_Meanwhile, elsewhere in the skies just outside Yaruit…_**
"Leo, Eduardo, you remember Father's instructions. Scan the desert around the city in a fifty mile radius. We're looking for a downed transport ship, colored black. It was supposed to be destroyed a day ago, but we never got a confirmation on the blast. Heinrich probably got too pretty with the explosives again."
"That's the third time he's failed a demolition job like that," Leo whined. "He's too efficient for his own good. Sometimes, more really is more."
With a thick accent, Eduardo added, "I'll back you up on that," before looking over at his brother Damien, who was flying next to him. "So, Damien, did Father tell you why we're doing this?"
Damien shook his head and replied, "All he said was that there's a certain Cerinian that he wants dead. She goes by the name 'Krystal'. Father wants photo evidence of the body, as well. He'll explain it after the job is done."
"Fair enough," Eduardo conceded, wrapping his silver vulpine paw around his desert-colored fighter's flight stick. "Let's go hunting, then."
* * *
_AUTHOR'S NOTE(S):
_
_That was quite a twist, wasn't it? So, will Scarlet be able to take down her target? What will happen to Krystal? And where does Fox end up in all of this? Find out next chapter, coming sometime in the (relatively near) future!
_
_And as always, reviews and comments are welcome._
8. Chapter 8: Subterfuge, Part 3
**Chapter 8: Subterfuge, Part 3**
Fox lowered Scarlet's Artemis Interceptor to the tarmac of a nearby abandoned parking lot. The space fighter touched down with a faint 'whoosh' of air, followed by a quick mechanical whine as Fox disengaged the ship's powerful engines. With his part of the operation complete, all that he had to do was wait for Scarlet to complete her infiltration of the weapons dealer's warehouse.
Yet, somehow, he felt unsatisfied with his actions. He had refused to subdue the police that had been pursuing Scarlet, thereby leaving her to contact an old friend who happened to be in the vicinity. He knew that the odds of such an eventuality were almost nonexistent; and if he hadn't been around to help, the mission would have been a complete failure.
In the silent cockpit, Fox frowned and pondered the recent chain of events. He clearly remembered Scarlet's harsh criticism of his moral choice to refrain from taking action in the midst of her crisis.
"_You say that you're a mercenary, huh? Well, you'd better start acting like one, deadweight!"_
He knew that she was right. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that while he may have claimed to be a mercenary, he was not acting the part. His job was to protect Scarlet and give her driving directions, and he had failed to do the former of the two. In frustration, Fox brought his palm to his face and shook his head, regretting his decision to leave her to her own fate. "_What good is a mercenary who doesn't follow orders?"_ he wondered to himself. "_Useless—that's what._"
While he continued to mope, his wrist communicator rang. Directing his eyes to the screen, he noticed that it was Scarlet who was attempting to contact him. He braced himself for the scolding that he was about to receive from her and pressed the 'answer' button with great reluctance. Raising the comm. screen to his lips, he spoke. "Fox here. What is it?"
Instead of delivering a biting series of deprecating words to him, Scarlet spoke to him in a pleading voice that he hadn't heard from her yet. "Fox, can I trust you? I really think I need your help here. But if you're going to screw me over again, you can forget it—along with your cut of the bounty."
"I'm really sorry about that, Scarlet," Fox apologized. "What's going on? I thought you said that you could handle it on your own."
"I didn't tell you this, but I'm injured pretty badly," she explained. "My right arm's wrapped up, and I'm going to have to shoot left-handed. I don't know if I can do this alone, so that's why I'm asking you for help."
Fox sighed and looked out of the canopy towards the empty loading docks near the parking area where he had landed Scarlet's fighter. "_This might be my only chance for redemption,_" he thought. However, when he started to reply to Scarlet's request, he realized that his blaster was still in his Arwing back at the Oasis. He hadn't counted on needing it, but now it was a necessity. "Scarlet, I'd love to help; but I left my blaster in my fighter," he explained.
"No problem—I've got two Asgard Industries assault carbines right here," the vixen replied. "Use your tracker to find me. And please—don't make me wait, Fox."
"Copy that, Scarlet. I'll be there ASAP." Fox pressed the canopy release button on the edge of the center console, causing the sheet of glass to rise. The chilly night air blew through his jacket and penetrated to his fur as he climbed from the cockpit and secured the craft to prevent it from being used without authorization. Being watchful for any unfriendly locals, Fox hurried through the streets, following the yellow navigation beacon on his wrist interface. The dot that marked Scarlet's position was less than two miles away. Given his current rate of speed, he estimated that it would take ten minutes for him to reach her location.
While Fox sprinted towards the commandeered hovercraft, Scarlet set to work stripping the uniforms off the two Asgard employees who had been responsible for overseeing the transportation of the valuable cargo container that rested on the hovercraft's loading deck. Making sure to hold on to any I.D. cards or chips that she could find on them, she stowed the uniforms inside the vehicle's cabin and then dragged both bodies into a nearby alley where nobody would see them. Even though the process took Scarlet seven minutes to complete, Fox had still not yet arrived. To pass the time, the vixen pulled one of the black security uniforms over her skin-tight catsuit and examined the weapons that the two employees had been carrying. The print on the left side of the stock read "Asgard Industries HC-31, .308 x 1.5 ballistic. Serial number 13025552"
"Oh great," Scarlet muttered, "You couldn't afford to give your guards _real_ weapons now, could you? It figures that those bureaucrats at Asgard would give them this mass-produced crap."
The vixen looked over the various components of the weapon and found very little of it to her liking. "_Badly-fitted_ _plastic stock, cheap polycarbonate grip,_ _clumsy trigger, nonsensical iron sights—_just perfect." She sighed and shook her head, almost laughing about Asgard expecting their employees to be able to protect anything with weapons that weren't equipped for much more than 'spray and pray' gunfire. The HC-31 was a simplistic design that was intended for ease of production over performance; and as such, the rifle was not known for accuracy. However, it was reliable, in spite of Asgard Industries' well-known and infamous cost-cutting measures.
She decided that her accurate blaster would be more effective than the ballistic assault rifle for what she was attempting to do—not to mention that her blaster was silenced, unlike the HC-31, which was earsplittingly loud under fire. The vixen placed the gun back down on the loading deck and waited for Fox to arrive. In less than a minute, she heard the sound of rushed footsteps moving towards her. The noise was followed by the figure of Fox sprinting out from a nearby alleyway. He stopped by the side of the hovercraft and briefly looked it over, surprised at its size.
"Come on, Fox," said Scarlet, offering her good hand and helping to pull him up to the loading deck. She pointed to the rifles on the metallic surface and joked, "Take your pick. They're identical, and they both suck equally. They _are_ better than nothing, however."
"Wonderful," Fox scoffed, picking up one of the HC-31's and pressing it into his shoulder. "What a piece of shit." He lowered the rifle and pointed it at the deck, following the safety protocols that he had been taught at the Academy before asking Scarlet, "Have you figured out how we're going to get into the warehouse yet?"
Scarlet smiled and answered, "Kind of. I killed the driver and his navigator and then took their uniforms, as you can see." She pointed to herself. "How does it look?"
"The bodysuit was a better look for you," he mumbled in response.
"Of course you would say that," Scarlet laughed, "I can't blame you, though. Anyway, yours is in the cab. I held onto their I.D. tags, so we might be able to use them to access some of the rooms inside the warehouse. What I'm going to do is drive the hovercraft over to the loading dock on the side of the building. I expect a few guys to come out and help unload the container. When they do, just go along with them and help unload whatever's in there. That's how we'll get in. If they ask any questions, just try to buy time. We'll need as much of it as we can."
"Got it. Let's go then."
Fox and Scarlet walked across the hovercraft's loading deck and climbed into the spacious cab, closing their respective doors as Scarlet fired up the vehicle's engines. The noise of the fans quickly overpowered any and all other sounds in the nearby vicinity. "Your uniform's on the floor in front of you, Fox. You'd better get changed—the warehouse isn't far," Scarlet explained, pointing at the black clothes that formerly belonged to the hovercraft's navigator.
Fox's face shifted into a frustrated scowl. "You planned this, didn't you?"
The vixen gave Fox a cruel smile and began to taunt him. "What's the problem? Afraid to show me some fur? Consider it your punishment for ditching me when the cops were after me."
"I told you I was sorry!"
"Not sorry enough," she smirked. "Now take it off!"
Completely humiliated, Fox removed his jacket while leaving his black t-shirt on. He attempted to bare as little fur as possible in front of the vixen, who was enjoying every second of his misery. "Nope! That black shirt won't work! Get rid of it!" she remarked, trying to avoid laughing in glee. Noticing that the outfit on the floor also contained a white shirt, he growled and pulled his shirt over his head, eliciting a whistle from Scarlet as she rounded the street corner where the armored truck had crashed after she jumped from it.
Visibly angry at the vixen, Fox hurled his discarded shirt at her face, where it caught and hung from her muzzle. The vixen laughed and pulled it off of her face before throwing it back at Fox, who blushed furiously. Bracing himself for the inevitable catcalls from Scarlet, Fox unlatched his trousers and pushed them down so forcefully that he almost pulled off his underwear as well. It was fortunate for him that his boxers caught on the base of his tail; because otherwise, he would have found himself naked.
Fox panicked when the hovercraft came to an unexpected stop in the middle of the road for seemingly no reason. "What's going on? Are we there?" he demanded, trying to fit into the black uniform trousers that were designed with a slender reptilian figure in mind.
"No, I'm just enjoying this way too much," Scarlet replied, giggling like a kit. "Go ahead—take your time."
For the next several seconds, Fox forgot to think. All that he remembered afterwards was that he had managed to dress himself faster than he ever had before. The clothes were far too tight for him, but they were on, nonetheless. He wondered how Scarlet could possibly appreciate the attention her body brought to her, because he felt completely ashamed of himself after the short incident.
Even though Fox was dressed, Scarlet's smile refused to leave her face. That is, until the weapons dealer's warehouse came into view. Two can lights mounted on poles provided the illumination for the dilapidated building, even though only the one on the left was functioning. Two machinegun-wielding guards stood at the building's front door. Scarlet ignored the soldiers and slowed the hovercraft, steering it towards the large concrete pad in front of the loading docks. As the vehicle smoothly crested the cracked concrete bump that separated the pavement from the concrete, another pair of yellow lights above the first loading bay door came on. The corrugated door rolled open, and three black-garbed workers emerged from inside the building. The first of the three, a male leopard, motioned for Scarlet to reverse the hovercraft towards the loading dock.
The vixen carefully moved the large vehicle backwards, making use of its large mirrors to check her bearings and to avoid coming into contact with any obstacles. She backed the hovercraft up until the leopard on the top of the loading dock motioned for her to stop. "Go time, Fox," she whispered in a dark voice that communicated the seriousness of the situation to Fox. On cue, Fox and Scarlet opened their doors and walked across the cargo deck before setting foot on the concrete surface of the loading dock, where the workers had already opened the container. Trying to look useful, the two vulpines marched into the container and attempted to assist the workers in removing its contents. However, the three Asgard employees had already picked it up. From what Fox and Scarlet could tell, the cargo was a silver metallic box with a curious-looking logo printed on the side. The emblem was a globe with steel bars crossing it from both axes. Twelve spikes jutted out from the sphere, and a circle was positioned in its center.
"Have you seen that before?" Fox whispered into Scarlet's ear.
"Never," Scarlet answered. "This makes things a bit more interesting. Come on—let's move."
Trying to look like they belonged to the work crew, Fox and Scarlet feigned confidence and stepped into the warehouse. The interior of the building was poorly lit, forcing both vulpines to use their keen eyes to discern their surroundings. The employees carried the silver box down a nearby staircase to the lower level. Fox and Scarlet followed them, although the vixen began to worry that their cover was about to be blown. Sensing the possible urgency of the situation, Scarlet grabbed Fox by the collar and pulled him aside as they reached the bottom of the stairs. The vixen moved back underneath the staircase, behind a hot water heater. She crouched with her back to the wall against the left side of the stairs and whispered to Fox, "We've got to find another way around. I've got a bad feeling that they might be onto us already. The way that leopard looked at us when we walked in is starting to worry me."
"What do you suggest we do? Fox asked.
Scarlet pointed to a metal door to the right and said, "See that door? Let's go through there. The sign says that it goes to the storage area, so it might give us a good lead on what's going on here."
"Got it," Fox agreed.
"Stick close to me," Scarlet whispered, creeping out from under the stairs and opening the door as quietly as she possibly could. Fortunately, the old door made very little noise as it swung open. After Fox closed it, he and Scarlet found themselves in a hallway that was illuminated by a series of worn-out fluorescent lights that flickered on and off repeatedly. The hallway ended in a 90 degree left turn.
Scarlet armed her silenced blaster and took the lead, crouching against the left wall and holding her gun in her left hand. Fox cocked his assault rifle, but Scarlet quickly reprimanded him. "No—not yet. It'll be too loud. Let me handle it for now."
Fox obeyed and slung his rifle over his back, following Scarlet as they neared the left turn. For a second, the vixen peeked around the corner and confirmed that the hallway was still empty. "Come on, Fox. Let's go. That door at the end of the hall looks like our best bet."
The two foxes crept down the dimly-lit hall. Another metallic door was at the end of it. To the right was a large laundry room, and to the left was a tiled locker room. The room was presumably unisex, as the sign next to it simply read "Locker Room/Shower Area." The hallway itself was completely silent—until the sound of yelling came through the ceiling above them.
"_Intruders, you say?! Who are they?! How did they get in?!"_
"_It's two foxes, sir. One male and one female. I think they hijacked the hovercraft and got in by posing as Asgard workers."_
"_Damn it, Roberson! Find them and kill them! I can't have anything being compromised—not now."_
"_Yes sir."_
Scarlet turned to Fox with a harsh scowl. "That was definitely Carache's voice. There's no way I'll let that sick bastard take me alive."
"What do we do now, Scarlet?" Fox asked, looking around the hallway and listening for any new noises.
The vixen narrowed her eyes and tightly gripped her blaster. "There's only one way out, Fox. We're going to have to fight for it." She continued, "But we have to deal with Carache and the weapons dealer. There's no sense in coming here just to fail the mission."
Fox felt his pulse rising as the reality of his situation set in—and he loved it. It was the first time in years that he had felt this way. The thrill of combat had been absent from his life for far too long, and tonight, it ended. He couldn't have had a better counterpart for it, either. Even though she was injured, Scarlet was a fierce fighter with more than 12 years of experience under her uncomfortably tight belt.
Fox once again pulled out his HC-31 and readied it; but to his surprise, Scarlet put her hand on the weapon and told him, "Not yet. Wait until the time is right. I've got a hunch about this."
"Alright, Scarlet," Fox conceded, putting his rifle away.
"Wait—hold up."
Scarlet's ears picked up the sounds of several pairs of boots in a nearby room. The volume level subtly increased until the noise was unmistakable. Her eyes widened when she realized that the door at the end of the hallway was about to be forced open. "Fox! Get into the locker room, now!"
Without hesitation, Fox and Scarlet bolted into the nearby room, which had no door. Both of them frantically scanned the space for a place to hide, but the central floor area was almost completely exposed. Several wooden benches were arranged in front of a series of lockers that occupied most of the room's perimeter. On the wall in the back right corner of the main floor was a sign that read "Shower Area." The entire room smelled strongly of body spray and male body odor, although this was to be expected in a base occupied only by men.
Resisting the urge to panic, Scarlet grabbed Fox and pulled him around the corner into the shower area, where twelve medium-sized shower enclosures were located. In the middle of the rectangular 'sub-room' was a double sink; and between the two sinks was a first aid kit, located below the paper towel dispenser.
Snatching the plastic box off the counter, Scarlet turned to Fox and ordered, "Turn on the water in the shower behind you and get in. I don't care how crazy it sounds. It's the only way we can get out of this.
"Okay…" Fox uneasily replied. Feeling uncertain about Scarlet's plan and worrying about the guards that were about to enter the hallway outside the locker room, he pulled open the black shower curtain and stepped into the nearest shower stall. The white enclosure behind the shroud was surprisingly clean compared to the rest of the building. The water controls appeared to have been updated within the last year, and instead of coming from a showerhead, the water came from the ceiling itself. Following Scarlet's orders, Fox accessed the advanced water controls and selected a temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Seconds later, water began spraying from the ceiling. As he walked towards the back corner of the relatively spacious stall to avoid being drenched, Fox heard the sound of a belt being undone and a zipper being pulled down.
Seconds later, the door in the hallway outside the locker room opened, and the guards burst into the narrow space. Almost immediately after that, Scarlet pulled open the black curtain and stepped into the shower, wearing nothing but her plush red fur. She put her blaster down in the corner of the stall and set the first aid kit on a nearby shelf, completely ignoring Fox's shocked expression.
Before Fox could comment about Scarlet's lack of clothing, one of the guards sprinted into the locker room and roared, "Hey! Did you see anyone suspicious around here? We're looking for two foxes!"
Attempting to sound as crass and undignified as possible, Fox yelled over the noise of the running water, "Nah—I ain't seen anything 'round here! Now get out! Give a guy some privacy!"
"Sorry," the guard grunted, turning around and leaving the locker room before rejoining his comrades in the sweep of the area.
With the guards out of the picture, Fox focused his attention solely on Scarlet. He noticed that her upper arm was covered in blood—some dry, and some wet. However, his eyes quickly wandered…elsewhere. Noticing a certain 'stiffness' creeping up on him, he seated himself in the back corner of the shower and crossed his legs. Scarlet turned towards him and laughed, knowing exactly why he was huddled up in the back of the enclosure. Her smile seemed to fade when she stepped into the water flowing from the ceiling. She held up her arm, soaking it in hopes that it would help to clear the blood and allow her to properly sanitize the wound she had received from the guard responsible for protecting the armored truck.
As the water trickled into the gash, Scarlet yelped in pain and sank to the floor, although she resisted the urge to cry. "Are you okay, Scarlet?" Fox asked with a shaky voice.
The vixen turned her head and answered, "I think so, Fox."
Wincing in agony, Scarlet lowered her hand and peeled away some of the dried blood. To her dismay, some of her fur was lost in the process, although things could have been much worse. Her bleeding had been reduced to a mere trickle; and soon, it would stop entirely as long as she avoided sending too much blood to it before it had the chance to heal. Knowing that their location was unknown for the moment, Scarlet turned towards Fox, flicking her tail on the wet shower floor.
The only noise in the area was the consistent pattering of the water falling to the floor. Scarlet seemed relaxed, even though most others of her kind would have been horrified had they found themselves in her position. She closed her eyes and pictured a beachscape, using the positive energy to add to her relaxation and to slow her blood flow.
All the while, Fox continued to stare at her. For reasons that he found himself unable to explain, he felt guilty for doing it, even though Scarlet didn't seem to mind. As the water ran down the vixen's fur and dripped onto the tile floor, Fox thought about Krystal and how disappointed she would be if she knew about what he was doing. It wasn't his fault that his adventure with Scarlet had landed him in a shower with her, but it _was_ his fault for lusting after her. In his defense, his hormones were firmly preventing him from taking his eyes off of Scarlet's almost perfect figure.
Scarlet opened her eyes and looked at Fox with a welcoming smile before she stood up and walked over to the corner where Fox was seated. Carefully lowering herself to the floor, the vixen sat down next to him against the wall. She kept her feet extended just far enough for the shower to sprinkle them while she leaned on Fox's shoulder and breathed a deep sigh. Fox was speechless. This sort of thing only happened in his dreams, except that this was reality. He looked over at Scarlet, who met his eyes and smiled back at him. "Don't get any ideas, Fox," she said, "We've still got a job to do."
After another minute, the vixen stood up and turned off the water. Then, she snatched up a white towel that was hanging in a compartment near the front of the shower enclosure and began to dry her fur with it. After her pelt was sufficiently dry, she opened the first aid box that she had placed on the nearby shelf and pulled out a roll of medical tape and a can of salve. After applying a splotch of salve to her wound and wrapping it up with the tape, the vixen replaced the two items, picked up her blaster, and held it with her right hand to make sure that it was fit for use. The deep smile on her face confirmed that her interesting method of recovery had worked.
"Ready, Fox?" she asked, opening the shower curtain and stepping out.
"Oh, um…sure," he replied, snapping his focus back to the task at hand. While Scarlet pulled on her clothes, Fox looked through the door space leading out to the hallway to make sure that no one was around. Then, after ascertaining that the derelict hall was unoccupied, he turned his attention back to Scarlet as she finished zipping up her catsuit and buckling the belt on the black Asgard uniform that seemed to fit her better than it should have. After putting the matching jacket back on, Scarlet raised her weapon again to see if her arm was still holding up. "Good news, Fox—it looks like it's worked," she said with a grim smile.
Fox said nothing in return. His mind was still locked in the past—two minutes in the past, to be precise. The image of Scarlet showering was burned into his mind; and he had the feeling that she would be making an appearance in his dreams if he didn't start thinking about something else. Of course, that was impossible. His mouth felt irritatingly dry he followed the dangerously attractive vixen out of the locker room and into the hallway outside. The guards had left the area and were searching the rest of the base for the two vulpines, leaving the door at the end of the hall unguarded.
"Be ready for anything, Fox," Scarlet warned, "You can arm your gun now."
As quietly as possible, Scarlet turned the rusted silver doorknob and opened the door. Her latex boots made almost no noise as she crouched and stepped into the hall behind the door. With his back to the left wall, Fox followed her movements. The hall was shaped like a 'T' that had been rotated, and at the end of the hallway extension that branched off to the right was a door with a telltale 'biohazard' emblem on its worn gray surface. An access pad took the place of a doorknob, preventing any unauthorized access to the room behind the door. "Fox, use the I.D. card I gave you," Scarlet whispered.
Fox nodded his head and silently approached the touchpad, which contained a card reader on its right side. "Here goes nothing," the vulpine whispered, sliding the stolen I.D. card through the card reader. To his surprise, the red light above the pad turned green, and the door unlocked. Pushing it open, Fox and Scarlet entered the room, which was completely dark. Noticing a light switch to the right of the opened door, Fox flipped it on, revealing rows and rows of what appeared to be vulpine soldiers. Half of them were white, and the other half was blue. Both males and females were represented equally in the stationary display. None of them made the slightest sound or movement. Their eyes were all closed, and they were dressed in matching black suits of advanced combat armor. The enigmatic globe emblem with twelve spikes was printed on each one of the soldiers' chest plates with metallic silver ink.
Slowly closing the door behind him, Fox examined one of the blue-furred males. A feeling of concern began to rise up inside him; and to make sure that he wasn't alone in his worry, he looked toward Scarlet and whispered, "I think we're onto something big here."
Scarlet was poring over a white-furred vixen whose facial features bore an uncanny resemblance to Krystal's. Resisting the urge to snarl, she turned and faced Fox. "I'm with you, Fox. This isn't making sense, though. Why would Carache be here if there's a third party at play? He only cares about his own business."
Fox scratched his muzzle and thought about a possible motive for Scarlet's target to employ the services of a third party. He knew nothing about Carache's nature or his history, but that wasn't about to stop him from thinking up an answer. "The weapons dealer who owns this place used to help Andross back when he was alive. If Andross would come to him for help, this guy really knows what he's doing. My guess is that Carache is using the weapons dealer's services to help him build something that he and his men don't have the ability to understand."
"Yeah, but what about _this_?" Scarlet retorted, pointing at the inanimate vixen beside her.
"Let me think," Fox muttered, pacing back and forth while running several different scenarios through his mind. "Hold on—I think I've got something."
"I'm listening."
"I think Carache might be acting as a middleman. This third guy might have hired him to build these…_things_ for him; but if he didn't have the technology or the brains to do it, he'd have no choice but to come to the genius here," Fox suggested.
Scarlet lowered her head and grumbled to herself. "Hmm…" she replied, "It's not like him to do that. If he went this far out of his way to satisfy his client, that guy must be either loaded with cash or in charge of a planetwide army. I have a feeling that we're going to find out who's behind this before too long."
"That's not good," Fox grimaced, putting his hand on the back of his head like he tended to do when he was nervous. "What do you think we should do about it?"
"I don't think there's much we can do right now," Scarlet replied. "However, if we take down Carache, this third person might lose his supplier. Asgard Industries would be in turmoil without him."
"I guess that means we stick to the plan, then," Fox muttered, moving towards the storage room door. "Let's get done and get out of here."
Unlike before, Fox took the lead and opened the heavy steel door after flicking off the room's lights. The hallway outside was still unoccupied, at least from Fox and Scarlet's point of view. Considering the possibility that Scarlet's hearing was better than his own, Fox turned to the vixen and whispered, "Can you hear anything?"
Scarlet shook her head.
"I don't know if that's good or not," Fox said under his breath, staying close to the right wall and turning the corner back into the main part of the hallway. At the end of the corridor was a door, and to its left, a staircase. "Which one?" Fox asked.
"I heard Carache's voice from the floor above us earlier, so I'd assume that's where we'll find him. Trouble is, he's probably got a few of his grunts around him." The vixen looked down at her belt and took stock of her supplies. "I've got one more sticky grenade, but I don't have any other explosives."
"That's okay. We'll make do with what we have. All it takes is one good shot," Fox assured her. Listening for any cues that would indicate a guard's presence in the area, Fox and Scarlet ascended the staircase to the building's main level. There was no door at the top of the stairs—only another hallway. However, unlike the ones on the base level; the hallways on the main level were noticeably wider, and they appeared to have been remodeled with newer composite materials.
"Look for any signs that point towards a central area. From what I could tell about the building's design, there should be a large room on this floor somewhere," Scarlet whispered, keeping the noise to a minimum.
Fox nodded in acquiescence and scanned the nearby walls for anything that might have helped him with his bearings, but he found nothing. Also worrisome was that his heavy boots made a quiet thumping sound every time he took a step, unlike Scarlet's suit-integrated shoes, which were completely silent.
Both foxes froze in their tracks when they heard the sound of angry voices behind them in the corridor. The noises seemed to be coming from around the nearest corner, and they increased in volume with every second that passed. Fox and Scarlet's eyes darted around the hallway, looking for some kind of cover. The closest room was an office twenty feet to their right—and it was occupied. The light was on, and the squeaking of a wheeled chair was audible from the room. There was nowhere to go.
In seconds, a silver fox and a black hawk stepped around the corner and spotted the two vulpines. "Get 'em!" the avian roared, whipping out his assault rifle while his counterpart yelled into his wrist communicator, "Intruders confirmed in hallway 2B! All units converge!"
Fox's adrenaline spiked as he reached for the rifle slung over his back. Flicking the safety off, he shouldered the HC-31 and opened fire on the two guards who had stepped out from around the corner. The bullets raced past both of them, nearly claiming their lives before they ducked behind the corner to escape the hail of lead.
Upon hearing the earsplitting noise, the reptilian in the office near Fox and Scarlet's position spun his chair around, leapt to his feet, and drew his handgun; but Scarlet was ready for him. With the whisper of a suppressed laser burst, the vixen dropped him to the floor the instant he stepped out of his office.
"Fox! They're going to try to pin us in! We've got to move!" Scarlet yelled, her voice barely registering in Fox's shell-shocked ears. The vixen didn't give Fox time to respond. She took off running away from the two guards who had first spotted her and Fox, ready to open fire on anyone or anything that posed a threat to her.
"Scarlet! That room to the right!" Fox hollered, pointing at a set of double doors flanked by an orange sign that read, "Main Lab Area."
"Yes! That's it! Open the door!"
Fox clutched the door handle and threw open the heavy metal plating, allowing Scarlet to enter the area just as more than a dozen more guards appeared in the adjacent hallway. Several laser blasts screamed past Fox's ear, hitting the door and the wall next to it while he turned on his heels and fired from the hip into their midst. None of his shots caused any harm, but it was enough to buy him the time he needed to enter the door and slam it behind him. Dropping into a crouch, he put down his rifle and locked the doors from the inside, preventing anyone from accessing the central lab area.
The lab area itself was defined by a central rectangle, roughly 40x40 feet in size. The space around it resembled a parking deck, with numerous concrete columns reaching from the floor to the ceiling, providing critical structural support to the building. A large number of desks and computers were scattered around the perimeter of the room, along with a veritable sea of discarded papers that littered the ground and gave the area an air of neglect. In the center of the rectangle was a small, squared area with a large, vacant table occupying it. On the back side of the room sat a dark gray transport ship with the all-too-familiar winged 'A' emblem painted on its side. Grunts and yells could be heard as two figures—an iguana and a scrawny coyote—attempted to push a heavy cart up the transport's extended rear ramp.
Hysterically, Scarlet screamed, "That's him, Fox! Shoot him!" At that moment, a hail of laser fire erupted against the front wall where Fox and Krystal were standing. "Damn it! More guards! Fox! Cover me! I'm going after Carache!" Gripping her blaster with both hands, Scarlet broke into a run along the right perimeter of the room, using the various desks and cabinets for cover against the guards attempting to shoot her. Before she reached the room's right corner, the vixen noticed the leopard that had recognized them when they had entered the base. The soldier was approaching from her left, attempting to block her from reaching Carache and the weapons dealer, who were still frantically trying to force the wheeled cart into the Asgard Industries transport ship's cargo bay. Still running, the vixen kicked her legs out in front of her and slid across the floor, firing her blaster repeatedly. Two of the silenced laser bursts struck her target in the chest. The feline slumped to the floor with a hoarse shout and then grew silent.
Three more guards still remained in the room. Trusting Fox to protect her even though she knew better, Scarlet leapt to her feet and sprinted down the right side of the chamber towards the transport ship. The concussive blasts from Fox's ballistic rifle shattered the air inside the hollowed-out area, immediately causing Scarlet's ears to ring. She glanced over her shoulder towards the square in the center of the room and saw that Fox had dropped one of the three soldiers. Not more than a second later, she saw a raccoon soldier taking aim at her.
Full of adrenaline, Scarlet dove into a roll, avoiding the shots that would have killed her. In seconds, she jumped back to her feet, backhanding her blaster and firing across to the left side of the room, where a black-furred terrier was lining up a shot from opposite side of the chamber. The fire from Scarlet's blaster flashed past him and struck the room's left wall, causing him to jump behind one of the nine columns that supported the ceiling. Without hesitation, the vixen ripped her final sticky grenade off her belt and hurled it in the direction of the canine soldier. The blue sphere stuck to the bottom of the concrete column while Scarlet unleashed a round of shots on the other soldier, catching him in the arm and causing him to scream in pain. "Finish him off, Fox!" Scarlet yelled across the room. Her command was followed by the sound of more rifle bullets being ejected from Fox's HC-31. She didn't take the time to see if Fox had hit his target. Carache was her only priority.
A fraction of a moment after Fox opened fire on the raccoon, Scarlet's grenade detonated. The explosion ripped through the concrete column, collapsing it and bringing down part of the ceiling onto the final guard. An alarm began to blare throughout the entire building, warning everyone inside that the structure's structural rigidity had been compromised. Scarlet had no time for it. While Fox sprinted through the cluttered center of the room, leaping over desks and tables and smashing through outdated computer equipment, Scarlet had her target in sight. The silver transport ship was only fifty feet away. Even with her ears still ringing from the gunshots and explosions that rocked the entire room, she heard the voice of Antoine Carache screaming, "It's no good! Get onboard! We've got to get out of here!"
The iguana and the coyote abandoned the cumbersome cart at the end of the transport ship's ramp and ran towards the ship's cargo bay with both arms and legs flailing wildly. Carache raced into his ship and reached out his hand to help the weapons dealer, who had slipped on the floor and fallen behind his counterpart. Before the weapons dealer could grip Carache's hand, Scarlet sprinted out from behind the column closest to the ship and opened fire on him. The laser burst caught him squarely in the head, killing him instantly. He fell onto his face and slid off the ramp as Carache maniacally pounded the controls to close the ramp while queuing up the ship's engines. The building's roof had been severely compromised already thanks to Scarlet's grenade; and the roof panels that were supposed to open for him refused to move, regardless of how many times Carache mashed his opener.
With only one option left, the iguana gunned the throttle and lifted the ship straight through the roof. In fury, Scarlet pulled her throwing knife off of her hip and hurled it towards the closing cargo bay. The blade bounced inside, but failed to harm its target in the least as the ship rose through the ceiling. Blocks of stone and mortar crashed down on the floor where the ship had once stood, converting half of the room into an open-air chamber. Scarlet screamed and leaped out of the way of the collapsing ceiling, avoiding a 70-pound block by mere inches before diving to the floor and rolling over in time to see Carache's ship disappearing into the night sky above the heavily-damaged building whose owner was now deceased.
A moment later, Fox sprinted through the rubble and knelt beside her. "Are you alright, Scarlet?"
"He got away," she snarled, shedding an angry tear. "That was my best chance at taking him down, and I _failed_!" She slammed her hand down on the ground and cursed a series of obscenities into the open air above her. "_Damn it!_"
"We'll get him, Scarlet," Fox reassured her. However, his words only seemed to infuriate the vixen further. It bothered her that he didn't take the mission as seriously as she did. But how could he, then? He knew nothing about Antoine Carache or Asgard Industries before he met her and couldn't be expected to approach the operation the same way that she did.
"You just don't get it, do you Fox?" she snapped, sitting up and baring her teeth at the compassionate vulpine who was attempting to console her. "That was it—we won't get a better chance than that. All that work—all that effort—for nothing!"
"I know, Scarlet," Fox growled in return. "I'm not an idiot. But I guarantee that we'll find a way to take him down, no matter how difficult it is."
Scarlet pushed herself off the ground and ran her fingers through her hair, which had become badly disheveled during her frantic attack on her target. Surprised at what Fox had said, she asked him, "You mean that you're going to stay with me and help me out, even if we have to leave this planet?"
"Only if you're going to follow through with the paycheck if we get him."
Scarlet gave Fox a sly smile and began climbing the pile of rubble that had once been the warehouse's ceiling. "I see how it is, Fox," she grinned, checking her steps and crawling on her hands and knees at times in an attempt to get a better grip on the mountain of debris. "I promise you that if we get him, you'll get your money. Good enough for you?"
"You've got yourself a deal," Fox replied.
Without warning, a blast from the entrance to the demolished room rocked the entire building, dislodging several more blocks from the ceiling. "They're through the doors!" Fox shouted, alerting Scarlet to the imminent threat. "Climb faster!"
Ignoring the cuts and scrapes from the myriad pieces of rubble, Fox and Scarlet clawed their way to the edge of the building's former roof. Twenty feet below were the building's air conditioning units and its propane tank, mounted on a small concrete slab. The lush jungle behind the warehouse hadn't been cut in what seemed like decades, causing it to encroach on the building itself. The largest of the tree limbs were less than five feet from where Fox and Scarlet were standing. Both foxes could hear the soldiers entering the room; and if they failed to take action, they would be shot and killed.
"Fox, we're going to have to jump for it," Scarlet murmured in a grave voice.
"I don't think that's such a good idea," Fox uneasily replied. While Scarlet prepared to take the leap, he thought about all the possible scenarios that could result from a jump from the top of the building into the woods. He could fall unimpeded to the ground and shatter his leg, he could hit his head and die, or worse yet—he could fall onto a broken tree and be skewered like a shish-kabob. The possibility of the jump ending painlessly was virtually nil.
Scarlet gave him no room to resist what she knew was inevitable. "Jump, Fox!" she demanded, grabbing his hand and leaping off the roof into the woods below. Completely unprepared for Scarlet's impulsive action, Fox screamed as a tree limb struck him in the face, disorienting him and sending a searing pain into his muzzle. Before he had a chance to determine his course of action, he fell onto a heavy mahogany branch. His abdomen took the bulk of the impact and immediately caused him to feel nauseous. He fell uncontrollably to the forest floor, landing in a clump of ferns next to Scarlet, who awkwardly dropped from a similar branch and fell on her backside, letting out a sharp yelp in the process.
Fox groaned in pain and rolled over, vomiting up his dinner onto the mossy ground.
"Are you alright, Fox?" Scarlet asked him, standing up and brushing off her uniform. Except for the numerous scratches from the tree limbs and the soreness that was already present in her tailbone, she didn't feel any signs of a serious injury.
Fox mumbled incoherently and emptied his stomach on the ground. Feeling like his insides had been smashed with a sledgehammer, he rolled over onto his back and tried to sit up. Scarlet knelt down and took his hand, helping him to his feet and holding him up when he began to lose his balance. Deciding that he had the ability to stand on his own, Fox waved her off and leaned up against a nearby birch tree.
"We lost them, right?" he gasped, still tasting vomit in his mouth.
Scarlet nodded. "They won't look in here. The woods are too thick."
Uncertain about what he and Scarlet were to do next, he asked her, "Where do we go now? Your fighter is five miles away, back in that parking lot where I left it."
Scarlet sighed and looked around the wooded area for any signs of hostile activity before flexing her injured arm to make sure that it was still healthy. She found it to be very sore, but the earlier bleeding had stopped completely. "First things first—we have to get out of these woods without being spotted. It shouldn't be too hard. You have your knife, right?"
"Yeah, I've got it."
"Good. That should work to cut any vines that might get in our way. I say that once we move about 300 yards, we'll be in the clear. After that, I'm afraid that we'll have to walk."
"Great," Fox grumbled. "My stomach is killing me."
While Fox hacked away at a cluster of shrubs that blocked his and Scarlet's path, Scarlet suggested, "I think some wine might do you well. When we make it to a hotel, I'll see if I can get you a bottle."
Fox stopped and faced Scarlet. "Why are you acting so generous to me, anyway? I hardly even know you—heck, I've already screwed you over and almost got you killed. So, what gives?"
"Can I be honest with you, Fox?" she asked in a bashful voice that Fox wasn't familiar with. Her ears were lowered—not out of anger, but out of fear.
"Go ahead, Scarlet."
Uneasily, the vixen explained, "I can't put my finger on it, but there's something about you that makes me want to be around you."
Fox blushed and his eyes widened. "Really?"
"I feel ashamed for telling you, Fox; but yes," she replied. "I…"
"What is it, Scarlet?"
The vixen remained silent and gazed into his eyes. She glanced over his scratched face, his ruffled fur, and his poorly-fitting clothes. As awkward as he looked, Scarlet saw one of the most handsome vulpines she had ever met. As much as she wanted to remain self-reliant, she couldn't shake the feelings that welled up inside of her whenever she looked at him.
"Scarlet?" Fox repeated.
To Fox's shock, Scarlet threw her arms around his chest and put her lips against his. She kissed him with almost all of the strength left in her body, shattering the mental barriers that she had erected to prevent herself from succumbing to her own romantic passions. She expected Fox to pull away and reject her advances; but to her delight, he didn't. At first, he was stunned; but as the seconds ticked by, he gave into her and returned the favor. Scarlet didn't care that his breath tasted like vomit. She was in a state of euphoric bliss brought on by the knowledge that he was receptive to her affections for him. For almost a minute, the two vulpines held each other and shared the romantic embrace.
When Fox pulled away from Scarlet, he noticed a gleam in the vixen's eye that he hadn't seen yet. He was still shocked that she had been harboring feelings for him, but he was anything but disappointed. He licked his lips and tasted Scarlet's lipstick that had been deposited by her kiss. It was better than the taste that had been on his lips before—that was for sure. He himself felt drawn to Scarlet, but he hadn't said anything about it for fear of her scolding him and threatening not to pay him for his services.
The only things that bothered him were his feelings for the Cerinian back in his room at the Oasis. She needed him far more than Scarlet did. The girl looked up to him almost like a father; and if he were to announce his affections for Scarlet, there was a strong possibility that she would take it personally. He felt trapped in a way that he never had before. He couldn't remember a single time in the past when he had been attracted equally to two different women at one point in time. The reasons for his attraction to Krystal and Scarlet were vastly different. For Scarlet, it was because she stirred up the emotions that he hadn't felt for quite some time—the emotions that made him want to make love like there was no tomorrow.
For Krystal, it was because she was different from any other girl he had ever met. The blue vixen was every bit as beautiful as Scarlet, but for a different reason; although there was no denying that Fox was physically attracted to her as well. She was the only vixen that he genuinely loved talking with, which was something that Fox couldn't say about most women.
As a figure of speech, Krystal was a calm, placid waterfall; while Scarlet was a raging volcano. Both aspects appealed equally to Fox, and he found himself in a conundrum that he never imagined himself falling into.
With both Scarlet and Krystal on his mind, Fox pushed through the thick jungle with Scarlet close behind him. He said very little to the red vixen, even when the woods thinned out and merged back into the dingy urban district of Yaruit. Realizing that Fox needed space to think, Scarlet allowed him to walk ahead of her while he lead the way back to Scarlet's fighter. She understood how he felt, even though she knew that his thoughts were alternating back and forth between her and Krystal.
"_Soon enough, she'll be gone; and Fox will be all mine." _The thought brought a smile to her face as she fantasized about everything she would do with Fox when his mind was no longer conflicted.
After five miles of walking, Fox and Scarlet reached the location where the former of the two had parked the Artemis Interceptor. When both foxes were comfortably seated inside the fighter, Fox guided the craft in the direction of an urban hotel that Scarlet pointed out for him. With the Oasis out of the question for the night thanks to its policies on vehicle usage after 9:00 P.M., Fox and Scarlet were forced to content themselves to another temporary residence, at least for the night.
* * *
_AUTHOR'S NOTE(S):
_
_I do apologize for the rather lengthy wait for the latest chapter and for the lengthiness of the chapter itself. Hopefully it was worth it in the end.
_
_Although it looks like Fox and Scarlet are starting to warm up to each other, don't worry - Krystal is **NOT** going to be discarded. Why would I do that to her anyway?_
**_Also:_**
_I'm opening a poll with a question that will determine one minor detail about the future of this story (It will not affect the plot at all. It's just something that I can't decide on myself). Visit my profile to vote. If you're a guest, leave your vote in your review and I'll count it as a 'registered' vote. You can make two selections.
_
The question is:
Apart from blue, which color would look the best on Krystal?
9. Chapter 9: Love and Murder
_READER WARNING:
_
_I previously mentioned the possibility of this story's rating going up, but now the rating has officially been changed to 'M.' Perhaps some would say that it wasn't necessary, but I think it's the right thing to do. If this development bothers you, feel free to skip over the part between the first pair of break lines.
_
* * *
**Chapter 9: Love and Murder**
"Artemis Mk. III, permission has been granted for you to land in the hangar bay. Please proceed to the nearest available space."
"Copy that," Fox replied, looking down at the opening roof of an air and spacecraft parking area. The hangar-of-sorts belonged to the Avalon Downtown Hotel, which Scarlet had directed Fox towards thanks to a suggestion in her road atlas. The vulpine pushed the flight stick downward, dropping altitude and bringing Scarlet's interceptor to the cold, gray floor of the parking deck. As with the Oasis's hangar, the space around them was filled with spacecrafts of various designs, purposes, and marques. The spot where Fox had landed was relatively close to the door leading to an enclosed bridge that in turn led into the Avalon itself. After opening the canopy and dropping to the ground, Fox took Scarlet's velvety paw and helped her down from the fighter's wing.
"Thanks, Fox. Hopefully you don't mind staying here tonight."
"It doesn't bother me," Fox replied, "Except that I'm worried about Krystal. I know you hate her, but what can I do? She needs help, and her dying friend's last wish was that I would take care of her."
Scarlet frowned and tightened her grip on his paw.
"Are you jealous of her, Scarlet?" the vulpine asked.
The red vixen let out a sharp growl and clenched her teeth. However, she quickly recanted and fixed her mouth back into its 'normal' position after seeing the uncomfortable look that her outburst brought to Fox's face. "Sorry about that," she mumbled with her ears lowered. "I can't help it. I hate Cerinians so much."
"Why, Scarlet? There's nothing about them that you should be worried about."
"That's what you think," Scarlet snapped, pointing her finger at his face. "I know what they're really like. They might seem innocent, but they're really backstabbing cowards who'll dig into your thoughts and then sell you out for them. I've known _several _Cerinians—High Order ones, too—that did that to me. They are _not_ to be trusted."
Trying to explain to her that the vixen who occupied his Oasis hotel room was innocent, Fox replied, "Krystal isn't like that. I'm sure you'd like her if you weren't so closed-minded."
"Closed-minded? Hah! Not a chance, Fox. I know better. I've learned all of this from years of being around them."
Fox sighed and muttered, "At least give Krystal a chance. I promise that she wouldn't do anything to you like these other Cerinians did. Come on—ever since you set eyes on her, you've wanted to kill her; I mean, not literally…but…"
Scarlet looked down at the ground and mumbled an incomprehensible stream of syllables. She realized how foolish she was for refusing to even give Fox's poor guest the light of day, especially considering what the young vixen had been through. However, Scarlet's hatred for the Cerinian people still continued to burn in her chest. Looking up at Fox, she sighed and said, "I guess I should apologize to that furball."
Fox sighed and shook his head while Scarlet began walking towards the parking deck's exit door, which led to the enclosed bridge connecting the parking area with the sumptuous hotel. Scarlet had determined that she would pay for one room (and one room only) at the upscale establishment. Fox was hesitant about sharing a room with the sultry vixen; but because the hotel's room prices were almost as exorbitant as those at the Oasis, he had little choice but to go along with her.
While Fox looked out through the glass plating that blocked the passageway from the elements, Scarlet glanced at him and smiled. "_I knew he would be useful for something,_" she thought, "_I would have never been able to get into that base without his help._ _That body of his, too… he's so bashful, but I bet he's ripped. I love how he acts so shy when I toy with him. I can't blame him—Felix was the same way at first. He'll grow into it eventually. I'll just have to give him some more time; that's all."_
Fox returned his glanced to the hallway above the city. Noticing that Scarlet was looking at him, he blushed and flicked his tail, bringing a smile to the vixen's face. "_I love that fox. I guess I can't blame him for wanting to help the Cerinian_. _He's a good guy, after all."_
After walking through the enclosed bridge to the Avalon hotel, Fox and Scarlet entered the building and found themselves on the 15th floor. The lobby was more than a hundred feet below them. Feeling worn out and sore after their adventure in the weapons dealer's storehouse, the vixen led Fox to a nearby elevator and pressed the down arrow. The elevator arrived quickly, and the two vulpines stepped into it. The front of the enclosure was made of clear, curved glass, allowing both of them to view the extravagant lobby area below.
"Did you really have to do this, Scarlet?" Fox asked, "I mean, you didn't have to pick such an expensive place to stay the night. A generic chain hotel would have been fine by me."
Scarlet winked at Fox and replied, "I can afford it. Think of it as my way of saying 'thank you' for helping me out in the base. You really impressed me back there, Foxie. You're no slouch." She paused, "I was getting worried that you were just another pushover who was just along for the ride."
"Sorry if I seemed that way," Fox apologized, opening his hands. "I didn't know what to do when the police were on your tail. I could have shot at them, but it would have brought too much attention to me. The authorities would have identified the fighter as yours, and then they would have stormed the Oasis while looking for you."
"I guess I didn't think about that," Scarlet murmured. "That wouldn't have ended well."
The elevator came to a stop and made a soft bell sound before the doors opened. Fox and Scarlet wearily trudged to the front desk, where a leopardess dressed in a business suit stood behind a computer screen. "Good evening. How can I help you?" she asked with a trained smile that exuded an air of professionalism and hospitality.
Resting her arms on the counter in front of the receptionist, Scarlet said, "We need a room for the night? Do you have anything available?"
The leopardess behind the counter curled the corner of her mouth and muttered, "I don't know. This is peak tourist season. Most of the time, our patrons book their rooms more than a week in advance; but I'll see what I can do." While Fox and Scarlet held their collective breath, the feline pounded away at her computer's keyboard, her claws creating an obnoxious clicking sound on the plastic keys. After nearly a minute, the receptionist looked up from the computer screen and said, "You really lucked out, you two. We had a couple cancel their reservation an hour ago. Their room is available It's on the 20th floor. The number is 2010."
"How many beds does it have?" Fox worriedly asked.
"The room has one queen bed," the leopardess replied.
Fox swallowed hard and looked over at Scarlet as a devious smile crept across her lips. There was no way out of this, and he knew it. The feeling in his chest wasn't so much a feeling of fear, but a sensation of uncertainty mixed with a form of euphoria. The last time he had shared a bed with a woman was when he had been dating Fara Phoenix—and that had been nine years ago.
While Fox remained speechless, Scarlet spoke up. "That'll be fine, ma'am."
"Excellent," said the receptionist. "What name should I book your room under?"
Normally, Scarlet would have been quick with a fabricated alias or an assumed identity. She also could have used Fox's name or his false title of James Fox. However, she decided against using any of them. With an expression of uncertainty, she leaned closer to the receptionist and whispered, "Shaiyau Altruis."
Despite her best efforts, Fox overheard her and raised his eyebrows at the unique title, which he assumed to be her actual name. As if she knew what Fox was thinking, the vixen looked over her shoulder with a concerned look on her face that seemed to tell him, "Don't tell anyone about this."
After entering the name into the hotel's computer, the receptionist smiled and handed Scarlet the card to their room for the night. "Thank you, and have a good night. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to call about it. Our staff will be happy to help you."
"Thank you," Scarlet replied, glancing at Fox and then walking back to the elevator, which had not been used since their arrival. Stepping into the glass-fronted enclosure, she pressed the button marked '20', causing the elevator to ascend. While Scarlet gazed out the front of the small chamber, Fox asked her, "Why did you use your real name?"
The vixen exhaled and ran her fingers through her hair. "I didn't want to use a name associated with the Oasis in case someone is tracking us. Hey—you never know. I'm a wanted criminal on some planets. People have tried to kill me before."
"But you could have just used my name."
"I didn't want to do that. If I booked the room under 'Fox McCloud', it would raise a few eyebrows. Believe it or not, people know your name around here; and they'll suspect that you're up to something."
"I see," said Fox. "That's a nice name, by the way. I don't think I've ever heard it before. Where did it come from?"
"Actually, my name is Cynthia," the vixen corrected, "But I went by the name Shaiyau before I adopted my alias. My mother liked the way it sounded. I hate to admit it, but it's actually a Cerinian name that means 'exotic flower.'"
"It fits you nicely," Fox commented.
"Thanks, Fox," she replied, turning her head to look at the readout near the elevator door just in time to see the number 19 change to 20. Seconds later, the doors slid open, allowing Fox and Scarlet to leave the elevator and to seek out their room. Room 2010 was on the right side of the white-painted hall not too far from the elevator area. As they approached the door, Fox yawned while Scarlet produced her key card and slid it into the door's card reader. The door emitted a 'click' and unlocked itself.
"You first," said Scarlet, motioning for Fox to step into the sumptuously appointed room, where he pulled off his boots and examined the place where he and Scarlet would be spending the night. The large bed on the right side of the room was covered by a black bedspread with white pillows that added contrast to the setup. The white walls were painted with a form of plaster, giving it the feeling of a rustic dwelling. The lighting in the room was warm and inviting, and the overall feel of the room was welcoming and hospitable.
While Fox looked around the room and admired its luxurious trappings, Scarlet unzipped her Asgard Industries jacket and pushed her trousers down until they were nothing more than a ball of fabric at her feet. She had left her bodysuit on underneath the bulky set of clothes, but she had no intention of sleeping in the taut-fitting garment that appealed to Fox's masculine senses in a way that no other form of clothing could—unless no clothing at all qualified as a form of clothing.
Fox's wandering eyes widened as Scarlet began to unzip her bodysuit in front of him. Once again, he felt his mouth becoming dry. He froze in place while the vixen freed herself from the garment before she dropped it on the floor and walked up to him, wearing a set of lacy undergarments that were temptingly translucent in certain areas.
"_Oh man… she's gorgeous. I've got to be careful here_," he thought to himself, all the while admiring Scarlet's figure.
Giggling, the vixen brought her paw up to Fox's lips and wiped away a strand of saliva that had leaked out of his mouth without his knowledge. "Classy, Fox," she sarcastically remarked, although she made it clear that she was joking with him.
"Um… sorry about that," Fox mumbled, wiping his lips with the back of his paw while Scarlet sauntered into the nearby bathroom and brushed her teeth. While in the bathroom, she made a point to check the variety of soap which the hotel used. To her delight, one of the small bottles on the rim of the spa-equipped bathtub contained a fur-softening mix designed specifically for most forms of the group '_canidae_.' Happy with the knowledge that her early-morning bath would be as satisfying as always, Scarlet left the bathroom and walked over to the bed, where Fox was seated.
Dropping onto the edge of the mattress next to him, she playfully scratched his muzzle and tugged at his coat collar. "You're not going to sleep in _that_, are you?"
"Um, no," Fox replied, nervous about the prospect of undressing in front of Scarlet, even though she had previously bared everything in front of him without even flinching. "It's been a while since this kind of thing has happened."
"I understand," said Scarlet, sympathizing with him. "I've been sleeping alone for more than a year now. Felix and I don't feel the same way towards each other anymore."
"Felix?"
"Oh—Felix is my boss," Scarlet explained. "We're still friends, but the romantic part of our relationship is gone. I can't really explain it…it just went cold. That's about all there is to it." Changing the subject, Scarlet asked Fox, "Is your stomach feeling any better?"
"Not really. It still feels like someone hit me in the gut with a baseball bat."
"Sorry about that, Fox. I know the jump from the warehouse was painful, but there wasn't another option. I'll make it up to you, though—I'll have room service bring us a bottle of wine, just like I suggested."
Instead of being thankful for Scarlet's kind gesture, Fox assumed an attitude of disapproval. "Scarlet, be honest with me—are you trying to get me drunk so I'll have sex with you?"
Fox's question caused the vixen to laugh hysterically. Slapping the bed with her paw, she replied, "Fox! Did you really think I would do that to you?"
Fox nodded.
"I guess you know me too well, then," the vixen grinned. "But really, I think a bit of red wine will help you out. Trust me on this one."
"If you say so, Scarlet."
The vixen reached over to the nearby communications unit that sat on the wooden nightstand to the left of the bed and dialed up the extension for the hotel's room service.
"Avalon Hotel Patron Service—how may I be of assistance?"
"Hi, good evening," replied Scarlet. "I'd like to order a bottle of red wine for me and my friend in room 2010. What would you recommend?"
"Hmm… right now, one of the most popular red wines is the 'Le Château Noir.' It's a merlot known for its robust, unique flavor. At the moment, we have three bottles in stock. Would you like one?"
"Yes please," replied Scarlet.
"We appreciate your patronage. The total for your order will be 40 credits even."
"_My word, that's expensive. __Hopefully it'll be worth it. Still, Fox has earned it, after all."_ Speaking into the phone, Scarlet confirmed her order and said, "Thank you very much."
"You're very welcome, ma'am. Your drink will be up to you in five to ten minutes."
"Thanks," Scarlet replied, placing the phone back in its receiver and turning to Fox with a grin on her lips. "All right, Fox—I ordered it."
Indifferently, Fox mumbled, "Great," while removing his Asgard jacket and hanging it on a nearby coat hook. Even after several minutes, his heart was still beating more rapidly than normal. Every time he glanced at Scarlet, a mild shock overtook him. To say that the vixen was attractive to him was an understatement. The instant that she removed her bodysuit, he knew that he was in trouble. Looking at his comrade, he could tell that she had put a good amount of effort into her physique. Her abdominals were trim and defined, but not unnatural for her sex. The same was true about her finely-toned arms and legs.
Even though her thick, lush fur, the clear-cut lines created by her well-trained muscles were easily noticeable. Excess fat was nonexistent on her body, although Fox wasn't surprised by this. Having casually observed Scarlet's choice of diet, he noticed that she spurned excessive sugars and tended towards small to moderate portions of protein-rich red meat. He was no amateur when it came to fitness, and he knew the same could be said about his vixenly friend. However, the one aspect of her physique that amazed him was that in spite of her slim build, she still had it 'where it counted,' so to speak.
Taking a deep, uncertain breath, Fox unbuckled his pants and removed them. However, unlike Scarlet, who had casually discarded her clothing on the floor, Fox folded the black khakis and placed them on top of the room's large dresser. He lowered his head, sniffed the white T-shirt that covered his upper body, and scowled in disapproval at the foul scent that pervaded it. "_That stupid guard must've never heard of deodorant,_" he griped. Unable to stomach the repulsive scent, he pulled the shirt over his head and flung it towards the balcony exit, making sure that he put as much distance between himself and it as possible.
He looked over at Scarlet to see her smiling at him with a look of longing in her deep blue eyes. Giving the vixen a tense grin in return, Fox walked over to her and sat down on the bed beside her. He blushed when Scarlet reached out her paw and stroked his leg. The softness of her fur was heavenly, even angelic in a sense. The vixen's touch caused him to let out a deep breath and to close his eyes. When he had first set foot into the hotel room, he had been apprehensive about rooming with Scarlet; but now, he wanted nothing more than to spend the night pressed against her body, feeling the softness of her fur and the warmth that came from it. As if it knew what he was thinking, the room's air conditioner kicked into action and lowered the temperature to a point that was too cold for his liking, especially since he and Scarlet had just been outside in 50 degree weather.
Seconds later, a knock came at the door, followed by a loud announcement. "Room service!"
"Stay right there, Fox," said Scarlet, standing up and covering herself with a bath robe from the bathroom before opening the door. A well-dressed great dane stood outside, clutching the bottle of wine that Scarlet had ordered.
"Here's the wine you requested," he said, holding it out for her to take.
Relieving him of the bottle, Scarlet replied, "Thank you, sir" and closed the door before disappearing inside. Normally, she avoided using formal titles such as 'sir' or 'ma'am,' but she deemed the situation as being appropriate for the use of such words. Holding the wine bottle in her right paw, Scarlet walked over to a nearby desk, where several inverted wine glasses were kept. The wrapping around the bottle cap was quickly dealt with thanks to her keen claws; and in seconds, she had removed the cap itself. She poured a moderate amount of the expensive liquid into two of the glasses and then walked over to the bedside where Fox was seated. "Here you go, Fox. You've earned it," she said with a smile, clinking her glass against his and then taking a sip. It would have been a stretch to call Scarlet a 'lady' in the traditional sense, but she knew better than to guzzle her wine.
Wine was not something Fox was particularly fond of, not because he was opposed to alcohol, but because the drink's flavor had never appealed to him. However, the drink Scarlet had ordered was different from the bargain wines that he was familiar with. The flavorful liquid tasted sweeter than what he would have expected, and before long, he had drained his glass.
"You like it?" Scarlet asked him, shaking her glass and causing the small amount of wine at the bottom to swirl around.
Fox stood up and placed his empty glass on the nightstand next to the bed while Scarlet finished hers off. "I love it. Thanks for ordering it."
Scarlet gave Fox an appreciative smile and placed her wine glass beside Fox's before turning off the small lamp on the nightstand. Without it, the room became completely dark except for the pale moonlight that flooded into the room through the window. With Scarlet in place on the left side of the bed, Fox walked around the edge of the mattress and slid under the sheets to the vixen's right. Seconds later, Scarlet did the same. The air conditioning unit continued to pipe cold air into the room, making the warm sanctuary of the soft bedsheets seem even more heavenly to the tired vulpines whose bodies were relaxed by the wine they had imbibed.
* * *
For even more warmth, Scarlet rolled onto her side and put her arms around Fox's torso, pulling him against her chest. The vulpine exhumed a quick, surprised breath in response to the movement and momentarily tensed up his muscles. For just one moment, Scarlet wished that she had been a Cerinian, because she would have liked nothing more than to read into his thoughts and see what he was thinking about. She felt his quickly-increasing heartbeat against her chest and smiled. "There's no need to be nervous, Fox," she whispered, reassuring him with a pat on the back.
Listening to her words and breathing deeply, Fox began to caress the red vixen's back, exploring its contours and ridges with his paw. With every stroke, he felt a passionate sensation growing within him. It had been nearly a decade since the last time he felt it—so long, in fact, that he had almost forgotten about it. Unbeknownst to him, Scarlet felt the same way. While he stroked her back, she brought her muzzle up to his and gave him an affectionate lick that sparked a chain reaction.
In a matter of seconds, what had been a gentle exchange of pats and rubs became a series of zealous, aggressive kisses. Both vulpines yelped and grabbed for each other, abandoning all forms of restraint and rolling around beneath the covers with an intensity that was almost feral. In the process, what was left of their clothing was forcefully removed. Scarlet was shocked by Fox's impulsiveness, but the last thing she was going to do was to tell him to stop. She hadn't imagined that he could act this way at all. To her, he had always come across as being the demure one, while she was the loose cannon.
Fox came to rest on top of Scarlet's chest, panting from exertion. When the vixen looked into his green eyes, she saw an ardent spark of life in them that spoke volumes about Fox's intentions. She didn't know if he was in full control of his instincts, but what she did know was that she was more than willing to follow through with whatever he wanted to do with her. For the moment, the red vulpine rested on top of her bare torso, catching his breath and gazing into Scarlet's deep blue eyes. If either of them went any farther, there would be no turning back until both of them were satisfied.
Fox was well aware of this. While he regained his breath, he considered the possible repercussions of his actions. He thought about Krystal—poor girl—alone in his room back at the Oasis without anyone to care for her. He knew nothing about the danger she was in, only that she was longing for him to come back to her. Conversely, he looked down at Scarlet and felt his sensual desires beginning to overpower his will to resist. There was no way that he could pass this up. The most attractive vixen he had ever laid eyes on was in a bed with him and was ready to receive his love if he chose to give it to her. The decision was his to make.
Taking a deep breath of the air that smelled strongly of Scarlet's aromatic perfume, Fox tentatively squeezed her breast and planted a tender kiss on her lips. The vixen laughed in response and clutched him even more tightly than she had before. Breathing heavily, she issued a warning to Fox before she rolled onto her stomach and brushed his muzzle with her fluffy tail. "This could get rough, Fox—just saying. I don't play nice."
"I wouldn't have expected you to," Fox replied with a raspy voice that sent chills up Scarlet's spine. Shoving all of his inhibiting thoughts into the darkest corner of his mind, he scratched the base of her tail, pulled himself onto her back and plunged into her. Fox had expected Scarlet to be more than he could handle, especially for someone as out of practice as he was. However, in spite of the warning she had given him, she remained surprisingly placid, drinking in Fox's love and letting out a quiet moan every time he gave her a particularly powerful thrust. Likely, she was too weak to put up much of a fight after all that she had been through in the previous hours; but regardless of how tired she felt, she genuinely enjoyed the feeling of Fox inside her body.
Relishing the moment, Scarlet moaned, "You're wonderful, Fox. I just wanted you to know that."
"The same goes for you, Scarlet," he replied with the same voice that had put all of her senses on edge.
Both Fox and Scarlet shared the next several minutes in blissful intimacy until they had each drunken their fill of each other's love for the night. Feeling satiated, Fox pushed the bedsheets off of his body and sat up. The full moon outside the window cast its light into the room, illuminating the bed and making Scarlet's figure fully visible to him. Even after the most invigorating activity that he had partaken of in years, he still couldn't believe that she had been willing to mate with him. The vixen looked at him and breathed the words "thank you" to him. A faint glow seemed to radiate from her face, and she looked truly at peace for the first time since Fox met her.
"Goodnight, Fox," she whispered, sinking beneath the covers and turning to look at him before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Fox leaned over and placed a kiss on Scarlet's forehead, bringing a smile to her face as she disappeared into the realm of unconsciousness. After looking out at the moon and the city around the hotel, Fox followed Scarlet's lead and went to sleep as well.
* * *
The ringing sound of her wrist communicator awakened Scarlet in the dead of the night. With a dissatisfied groan, she leaned over the side of the bed, picked the gauntlet off the floor, and read the number that appeared on the screen.
"_It has a Skallis origin code,_ _but I don't recognize the number."_
Climbing out of bed, Scarlet clipped her communicator onto her wrist and opened the sliding door to the balcony. "Hello? Who is this?" she asked, closing the door behind her and looking out over the balcony at the city below. The cold wind whistled through her fur, which—thankfully—had dried out after her sweat-inducing interaction with Fox.
"Scarlet? Do I have the right extension?" The voice that came through the device's small speakers had a mild accent reminiscent of a romance language.
"Yes. Now, who are you, and why on Skallis are you calling me at three in the morning?"
The man on the other end of the line laughed and replied, "Sorry about that, Scarlet. This is Leonardo Pietro. We've met before—I'm sure. I didn't want to bother you, but I was wondering if you could help me with something. I want to make sure I use up all the options I have available, you know."
Scarlet rolled her eyes and scowled. "What is it, Leo?"
"We're looking for a Cerinian named Krystal. My brothers and I were assigned to scour the Tehraian Greater Desert for the wreckage of her transport ship. It should have been destroyed already, but our demo-man went for a 'precision blast' that failed miserably. The only thing I found at the crash site is the corpse of another Cerinian. It's definitely not the one we're looking for."
Scarlet cut in, "So, you think I know where she is, huh?"
"Not really, but I thought it would be worth a shot."
A sly smile crept across Scarlet's lips, but along with it came a dark feeling of uncertainty. This was her chance to eliminate that furball for good; and better yet, Fox would be none with wiser. Unless she decided to tell him, he would never find out that she had been responsible for Krystal's death. At the same time, she felt guilty for wanting to end her life. "_Fox is right,"_ she mused, "_As much as I hate her, she hasn't done anything to hurt me. I really shouldn't do this, but…_"
"Do you know anything about her, Scarlet?" Leo asked.
"Okay, Leo—here's the deal," she whispered, looking back into the bedroom to make sure Fox wasn't looking at her. The vulpine was still fast asleep, wrapped up in the sheets next to where Scarlet had been sleeping. "I know where she is, and I'll tell you everything under one condition."
"Name your terms."
"I don't want anyone to know that it was me who gave you the tip. After this conversation is over, clear your call history."
"It's a deal," Leonardo replied. "Where's the Cerinian?"
"The Oasis Resort, room 2830. She's alone for the night, too."
"Perfect. You're amazing as always, Scarlet. Have a good night."
"You too, Leo."
Scarlet ended the call and promptly set to work clearing her recent call history to make sure that Fox would never find out about her conversation with Leonardo. With the call data gone forever, Scarlet opened the door to the hotel room and slipped back into bed with Fox. He sighed when she touched him, but he remained asleep. "_I'm sorry, Fox; but it had to be done_," she whispered, stroking his back softly enough as not to wake him from his slumber. "_You'll get over her eventually—I promise._"
* * *
_Two hours earlier…_
Miles outside the city in Fox's suite, Krystal curled up under the blankets of Fox's bed. Sleep refused to come to her, no matter how many times she closed her eyes. Her friend and protector was gone for the night; and for the first time in many moons, she was well and truly alone. She sniffed the silk sheets, hoping to catch at least a trace of Fox's masculine scent. The smell was still present, but instead of providing the forlorn vixen with a feeling of comfort and security, it reminded her that she had no one to watch out for her.
"Please Fox, come back," she whimpered, shedding a tear and letting it run down her face. "I need you."
If she had known what Fox and Scarlet were doing at that moment, her heart would have been broken. Mercifully, she was ignorant of the two red vulpines' act of lustful passion. With tears in her eyes, she hid under the covers and closed her eyes, wishing that Fox would return and comfort her like he had before. She held her eyelids shut for more than thirty minutes, keeping the mental picture of Fox in her mind so she would feel secure. After a torturously long period of time, the young Cerinian finally drifted off to sleep.
* * *
"_Krystal! Hold them off! Here! Take my staff!"_
The world materialized around the vixen, starting with a blank sheet of white and slowly fading in and out of focus as the reds, greens, and blues of her eyesight came into focus. "_W…what's going on?" _ she asked, looking around and recognizing the crimson-painted walls of the main temple belonging of the Cerinian High Order. Numerous torches blazed on the walls, casting their light onto the floor while the bright Cerinian moonlight flashed through the glass panels on the roof.
Turning around, she found herself face to face with a man who felt strangely familiar to her. His entire form was covered by a black robe—even his tail, if he had one. He held out a large, intricately-designed staff that reminded her of her own; albeit with an assortment of mechanical devices that augmented the already-powerful weapon's destructive abilities. "_Take it!" _the stranger ordered. To his left and right were numerous Cerinians that looked different from the normal specimens of the species '_vulpes Cerinus'. _All of them were clad in suits of black combat armor with white globe emblems printed on their chest plates. Some were armed with enhanced combat staffs, while others carried plasma-based assault rifles.
In seconds, a large detachment of gun-toting soldiers rounded the corner ahead of Krystal.
"_Take them down! For justice and equality!" _the black-cloaked leader roared, turning on his heels and sprinting around the corner behind the Cerinian entourage.
Krystal felt the tremendous power of the combat staff as her fingers squeezed the trigger on the blue-tinted metal shaft. Concussive blasts reminiscent of dark blue fire shot out of the tip, slamming into one of the soldiers and detonating with a powerful blast. She couldn't bear to look at the scene in front of her as the remaining offworld soldiers were massacred in a similar fashion. The only evidence that they had ever existed was the sheer amount of blood that coated the red and white carpeting and the similarly-painted walls.
While Krystal shuddered in horror of what she had just witnessed, the tall, white-furred Cerinian vixen standing next to her looked her in the eyes and said, _"We must protect the Demiurge at all costs. Those mercenary dogs are overrunning the defenses. There are too many of them—we'll need to fall back to the High Council chamber—now."_
"Yes, General," Krystal replied, forcing the words to her cold and clammy lips.
The white-furred vixen led Krystal and the fifteen other Cerinian troops around the nearest corner that opened up into a large library. Books were strewn all over the floor, along with the dead bodies of Cerinians and offworld troops alike. The once-elegant chamber had been defiled and desecrated by the violence that Krystal never would have imagined being possible in such a peaceful place.
"Contact!" the leader yelled.
The long library chamber was arranged with two floors and had been designed with four entry points; and it was from both the left and the right that a flood of foreign troops came pouring in. The attack had clearly been premeditated, because more than fifty soldiers arrived simultaneously with guns blazing. The mercenary unit unleashed a firestorm of laser blasts upon the Cerinian detachment that refused to back down. Combat staffs and plasma rifles roared into action, lighting up the library with their noise. Troops from both parties fell to enemy fire, but Krystal spread her legs in a combat stance and held her ground with savage determination.
Then, she heard a voice that brought her world to a standstill. "_Scarlet! Now!_"
Krystal had no time to process the turn of events. For a split second, she saw Fox's face in the crowd of enemy soldiers. She froze in a cold sweat and instinctively looked upwards in time to see ten more troops leaping from the balcony above them. The vixen screamed and dropped her staff, but before she could run, she was floored by one of the soldiers. She landed with her back to the ground, looking up into the eyes of Scarlet the bounty huntress. Something was wrong, though—the left side of her face was horribly disfigured, and her left eye had been replaced with a mechanical unit that shone with a soulless blue light that terrified Krystal more than anything she had experienced before. The red vixen put her hand around Krystal's neck and gave it a firm squeeze. To her horror, she felt a grip of sharpened steel instead of fur. Struggling in Scarlet's tight grasp, Krystal managed to partially free herself; but when she looked down at Scarlet's hand, she went numb. The bounty huntress's hand no longer bore fur. Instead, it gleamed in the light of the room and reflected it off its cold, metallic surface.
The last thing that Krystal saw was the image of the red vixen with her teeth bared and her ears pinned against her scalp. _"What have you done, Krystal?! __He's going to destroy the entire planet!"_
* * *
Gasping for air, Krystal awoke in Fox's suite at the Oasis, surrounded by pillows and bedsheets. She was dressed in the same blue nightgown that she had worn to bed, and her ears were once again greeted with the calming noise of the water flowing from the nearby spa tub into the main part of the pool. Shivering after the nightmare that she had experienced, the vixen climbed out of bed, slipped out of her nightgown, and stepped into the spa. The warm water had a soothing effect on her frayed nerves, but only time could erase the fear she felt after the harrowing dream that was much too real for her liking.
She relaxed in the warm pool for several more minutes before a malicious set of thought patterns entered her mind. Someone was outside the door, and his intentions were anything but pure. Ignoring the water dripping off of her fur, Krystal climbed out of the spa and pulled on her nightgown. A sharp impact resounded through the hollow room as a heavy boot struck the steel entry door. Her adrenaline began flowing as she knelt beside her suitcase and dug through its contents until her hand came in contact with the cold metal surface of her staff.
The vixen closed her eyes, uttered a short, silent prayer, and extended her staff as the door flew open.
* * *
_AUTHOR'S NOTE(S):
_
_And... cliffhanger.
_
_Anyhow, the poll about Krystal's fur color is still open on my profile page. If you haven't voted yet, **get over there and do**** it!** Sorry - only the six options on the poll will be considered for the final tally._
_I was able to crank out this chapter a lot more quickly than unusual, so don't necessarily expect the next chapter to come out that fast (although it could, I suppose). I've been in a better frame of mind for writing recently._
10. Chapter 10: The Morning After
**Chapter 10: The Morning After**
Krystal clutched her Cerinian staff as if it was her lifeline. She held it with both paws, ready to attack the man who had forced his way into her room. The intruder marched through the door; and upon seeing Krystal, he reached for his silenced handgun and brandished it.
The vixen's eyes widened as he pulled the trigger. Following her Cerinian combat trainer's instructions, she pressed the butt of her staff into the ground and activated the weapon's shield function. The yellow laser fire glanced off the blue energy field and dissipated against the wall to her left. Her reflexes had saved her, but she knew that she couldn't keep the shield up for much longer. It took large quantities of willpower and energy to maintain the defensive force field, and she was nowhere near as strong as the elder who had explained the technique to her.
Her assailant paced back and forth on the tile floor in front of her, pointing his pistol at her and waiting for the shield to drop. Behind the blue force field, all sounds were muffled in the same way that noise is distorted underwater. Krystal glanced up at her attacker with fear in her eyes and noticed that he was a silver fox of medium height. He was dressed in a blue dress shirt and black pants—a sophisticated outfit that belied his cruel intents.
Krystal felt her strength giving out as her shield flickered. The gray vulpine readied himself for the shot, knowing that in seconds, his prey would be exposed.
"_Fox! Where are you?"_ Krystal cried, desperately hoping that her rescuer was somewhere nearby.
The shield flickered again. A feeling of lightheadedness began to overtake the vixen. She dropped to her knees in agony, tears forming in her eyes as the thought of death entered her mind. She could already feel it taking hold of her as her strength dissipated. In her despair, she screamed inside the shield, sending out a telepathic distress call to anyone who could hear her. The shield collapsed, leaving her open to the enemy. She snapped open her eyes and saw the gray fox clutching his head in pain.
Krystal's weakened mind reeled as she rose to her feet and leapt into a combat stance. Her opponent pointed his gun at her and pulled the trigger, but the shot missed its mark and struck the wall behind her, leaving a black mark upon it. He attempted to fire again, but he stumbled and yelled when an aftershock of pain sliced through his mind.
Krystal had no time to waste. With her enemy disoriented, she gripped the end of her staff and swung it at the gray fox with all the strength she could muster. The tip of the staff crashed into his skull with a sickening crunch that was followed by a bloodcurdling scream and a torrent of blood. He fell to the ground and collapsed, whimpering in pain as his life ebbed away.
Even though he had tried to murder her, Krystal still felt empathy for her attacker. Dropping to her knees, she looked into his brown eyes and asked him, "Why did you try to kill me?"
The vulpine gasped for breath as his vision became blurry due to the fatal amount of blood that he had already lost. "F…Father's orders…"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Krystal implored him, clutching his shoulders and shaking him in a vain attempt to keep him alive.
The gray fox made no reply. In a matter of seconds, he closed his eyes for the last time. He passed away on the black tile floor, lying prone in a pool of his own blood. Moments later, the reality of what Krystal had done set in, causing a chill to race down her spine. Gasping in shock, she looked at her attacker's dead body and sobbed. She collapsed on the floor and shed a flood of tears before looking over at her staff. The weapon's tip was covered in the blood of her attacker, and its mere appearance sickened her. Cerinian traditions taught her to respect life more highly than most did, but she also had a soft, caring heart that caused her to feel deep sympathy for anything with a heartbeat.
As the seconds became minutes, the loneliness of her situation returned. Even more than before, she wanted to feel Fox's presence. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss him, even though such an act was vehemently prohibited by the elders of her Cerinian order. Standing up and hanging her head in desperation, she looked towards the door, where she saw a white plastic bag next to Fox's spare shoes. Curious as to what it contained, she walked over to it and dug through its contents. She noticed the box of cologne that Fox had purchased, but her eyes jumped to the other item in the bag—_the_ _book_. "_Huh? What's this?"_ she wondered, wiping the tears from her eyes and removing the book from the bag.
The vixen glanced at the cover of the blue volume and cried tears of joy when she realized what it was. "_He loves me," _she thought, feeling a smile crossing her lips, "_He bought this book because he wants to know how to care for me and make me feel welcome."_ Overcome with happiness, Krystal thumbed through the pages, nodding in approval of the general accuracy of its contents. No two Cerinians were alike; but for the most part, the blue book did a reasonable job of explaining the intricacies of Cerinian culture and romance, even though it was impossible for it to be one hundred percent correct.
She felt butterflies fill her stomach when she turned to the chapter that detailed several ways that a man could satisfy a Cerinian female during a mating session. For the most part, she felt strange because she had never been with a man before. She read through the entire chapter, devouring the information like a newfound treasure that she had unearthed. Her mother had explained the most basic aspects of mating to her; but now that she was aware of the more 'intimate' elements of the activity, she couldn't wait to find a man to share her life and body with. She thought about Fox and how much she loved to simply be around him. Would he be interested in something more? With that question burning inside her mind, she determined that she would have to find out sooner or later.
Even though her adrenaline had slowed down, she knew that sleep would be impossible. Remembering the courtyard where she and Fox had spent part of their afternoon, she decided that some time alone in the cool outdoor area would help to calm her tense nerves. After pulling several clothing items out of her suitcase, Krystal changed into a fluffy, fur-lined black jacket, a pair of snug-fitting dark red pants, and a set of black boots that she was particularly fond of. Trying to avoid staring at the dead vulpine by the spa tub, she stepped towards the door. As she reached out her hand to open it, she heard a harsh voice on the other side shouting, "Open up! This is the police!"
* * *
The next morning, Fox awoke to the sensation of Scarlet's body pressed against his own. She was still asleep, but she had every right to be after all that she had been through the previous day. Their passionate romance in the early hours of the morning only served to make her more tired. Fox nuzzled her and kissed her nose, but she remained asleep. "_Man, she's really out of it,_" Fox thought, taking the liberty of tracing the outline of her muzzle with his hand.
Strangely, the vixen's face reflected an aura of disappointment and regret rather than ecstasy and joy. It didn't make sense at all—Fox hadn't seen her express such excitement as she did when they had finished their love making the previous night. For her to be unhappy was strange to him. Turning his attention away from the sleeping vixen, he glanced at the digital alarm clock next to the bed and noticed that it was 8:45 in the morning. "_Crap! I have to make sure Krystal's okay!_" he yelled internally. Rolling out of bed and struggling to stand up as the blood rushed to his head, he briefly scanned the hotel room and realized that he was naked. The feeling was strange to him, considering that he always slept in a tank top and boxer shorts. Last night had been different, though. His underwear was still somewhere under the sheets; and seeing as he didn't want to wake the slumbering vixen, he decided to wait until she regained consciousness to find his boxers. He walked over to the dresser, where he had placed his wrist communicator. A flashing red light on the corner of the screen indicated that he had missed several transmissions.
Frustrated, he powered on the unit and scowled when he saw that he had missed four attempted calls from Peppy. Wondering what his mentor and fellow crew member was so concerned about, he contacted him while strapping the device to his wrist. The unit made a series of beeps and electronic whirs until Peppy's worried voice came through the wrist interface's speakers. "Fox! Are you okay?"
"Calm down, Peppy," he whispered, trying to avoid waking Scarlet. "What's the matter? Sorry I missed your calls, by the way."
"Fox, where in tarnations are you? Someone broke into your room last night! It's all over the local news!" Peppy shook his fist, emphasizing the importance of what he had to say.
"What?! You can't be serious!" Fox shouted, causing Scarlet to mumble in her sleep and then open her eyes to the sight of the completely undressed vulpine yelling into his wrist unit. She managed to stifle a laugh as she gazed at his trim, highly-trained form.
Peppy continued, "Slippy's been watching the news feeds from the city, and we've been really concerned about you. All that matters is that you're okay, though. You _are _okay, right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Peppy. I'm a bit tired, but that's not important."
"Glad to hear it, Fox. By the way, are you anywhere near a TV or a tablet?"
"There's one right in front of me."
"Turn it on and watch the news headlines."
Following Peppy's instructions, Fox snatched the remote off the dresser and powered on the large flatscreen TV. By default, the programming had been set to channel 2—the main news source in Yaruit. In large capital letters at the bottom of the screen was a line that read, "MURDER ATTEMPTED IN OASIS RESORT. ONE CASUALTY."
"No!" Fox yelled, clutching his head.
The reporter for news channel 2 stood in front of the entrance to the room where the disturbance had been caused. Fox quickly recognized it as his own hotel room and began to panic. Keeping his eyes fixed on the screen, he listened to the gray feline reporter as he elaborated on the evidence that the Yaruitian police department had unearthed after Krystal's scuffle with her would-be murderer.
"_It appears that last night, an assassin slipped into the prestigious Oasis resort, armed with a silenced handgun. Security footage shows him walking directly to the door to room 2830, where he attempted to kill the person lodging in the room."_ The screen switched to the grainy footage taken by the hotel's security cameras before returning to the broadcast. "_This definitely poses some serious questions, but the strangest part of it all is that the person in the room had not registered with the hotel. According to hotel records, the room was registered under the name 'James Fox.' We've attempted to locate Mr. Fox, but we haven't found him yet. For the moment, we're assuming that the Cerinian vixen that we found in the room was his guest." _He paused for a moment to catch his breath and then finished, "_From what the police told us, she killed the perpetrator with a staff that she had hidden in her backpack_."
Fox breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing that Krystal was alive. He knew that she was shaken up very badly, but at least she had survived. He cursed himself for not being there for her and for engaging in his 'adventure' with Scarlet when he should have been trying to find a way back to the Oasis. He redirected his attention to the screen when a large husky in a blue police uniform approached the reporter to answer some questions regarding the crime.
"_Standing here is Sergeant Coleman of the Yaruitian Police Department,"_ said the feline reporter. "_Sergeant, what can you tell me about what happened here?"_
The husky cleared his throat and replied with a low, growling voice. "_Well, we've identified the body as a member of a mob group from Skallis, so that gives us a few ideas as to what he was doing here. The part that concerns me the most, however, is that he seemed to know exactly where to go to find his target. The Cerinian told me and my deputy that he was after her specifically. Since she wasn't registered with the hotel, there's only one thing that could explain how he knew where to find her."_
"_What's that, sir?" _asked the reporter_._
The officer furrowed his eyebrows and muttered, "_My best guess is that he had somebody on the inside who knew about her. We're looking for him right now, and we won't stop until he's brought to justice."_
Unbeknownst to Fox, Scarlet's eyes were locked onto the screen. Her jaw hung open, and her entire body felt paralyzed. "_It's only a matter of time before they find out about me. Oh no no no…this can't be happening—she was supposed to die!" _she thought, clenching her fists is despair.
She forced herself to fake a straight face when Fox turned and looked at her. His concern for Krystal was etched upon his face, and his tail and ears were on edge. "Scarlet, we have to get going _now_," he demanded, marching over to the bed and pulling the covers off of it. Locating his missing underwear, he pulled it on and set to work dressing himself while Scarlet stared blankly at the TV screen, horrified that Krystal had survived Leonardo Pietro's attempt at murder.
"_They'll find out," _she repeated to herself. "_No! Fox can't know! He'll ditch me and leave me for that Cerinian whelp if he does!"_
While buckling his pants, Fox realized that Scarlet's feminine scent was still clinging to his body. As much as he enjoyed the smell, he knew that if he returned to the Oasis, Krystal would know that he had been with another woman. Fox wasn't sure what to think about that possibility. He hadn't made any kind of commitment to Krystal; so technically, he hadn't cheated on her by sleeping with Scarlet. However, the young vixen's heart would be broken if she were to find out.
"_She'll find out with her telepathy anyhow," _Fox reasoned, _"I guess I'll have to break the news to her then. I hope she doesn't take it personally. I didn't want to hurt her; but man, I hadn't had a good romp in almost a decade. I mean, Scarlet was practically asking me to give it to her; so how could I pass that up?"_
After he had put on his foul-smelling t-shirt and the black Asgard jacket that went with it, he looked back to Scarlet—who was still naked in bed—and shouted, "What are you doing? Let's go, Scarlet!"
The red vixen cringed and climbed out of bed, locating her underwear and partially covering herself with the two pieces of clothing. Fox was not aroused in the least by Scarlet's lack of attire. He was far too focused on leaving the Avalon hotel and finding Krystal for that. Scarlet pulled on her catsuit but left her stolen uniform on the floor for the hotel's cleaning service to deal with. She had worn it enough and couldn't stand to feel the rough fabric scraping against her body any longer. Because they had left their respective weapons in the cockpit of Scarlet's interceptor, there were no additional supplies that they needed to pack up.
While they walked down the hallway outside their room and then entered the nearby elevator, Fox said nothing to Scarlet. The vixen was visibly tense. She stared out the glass front of the elevator with her arms crossed, thoughtlessly viewing the panoramic hotel lobby in front of her and Fox. After the two vulpines had checked out at the front desk, they crossed over the enclosed bridge leading to the parking area before they climbed into Scarlet's fighter and left the Avalon Downtown Hotel behind.
As before, Fox assumed the role of pilot while Scarlet attempted to relax in the seat behind him. She hadn't given much thought to the possibility that Krystal would survive the night. She knew that Leonardo was an experienced killer with years of training under his belt; so when she pointed him in Krystal's direction, she knew that the Cerinian's death would be assured.
However, the reality of what had taken place caused Scarlet to shudder in fear. She regretted assisting Leonardo. She knew that she shouldn't have told him anything. The blue vixen hadn't done anything to harm her; yet she still decided to end her life. She felt uncomfortable with her decision the very instant she made it, but it was too late to look back now.
As the city below turned into desert, Scarlet sighed and dug her hand into her face. She continued to replay all the possible scenarios in her mind. Every single one of them ended with Fox and that wretched Cerinian finding out about what she had done and then spurning her. She wasn't concerned about them turning her into the authorities because she had escaped capture and imprisonment many times in her past, but she didn't want to see Fox leave her. "_What have I done?"_ she screamed to herself despite not making any sound other than a quick sigh.
In a matter of minutes, the two black towers of the Oasis Resort came into view. After completing the formalities necessary for landing in the resort's hangar, Fox lowered the Artemis Interceptor to the metal floor and debarked with Scarlet. Clearly in a hurry, the vulpine rushed through the underwater tunnel leading to the lobby area before he stepped into the nearby elevator. Scarlet trailed behind him, wanting to avoid having to confront Krystal, who would likely dig into her mind and extract the reality of what she had done the night before.
"Come on, Scarlet," Fox growled, holding open the elevator door for the slow-moving vixen. With a dissatisfied huff, she stomped into the small enclosure and twitched her tail in anger. Noticing Scarlet's unhappy demeanor, Fox firmly grabbed her shoulder and asked her, "What's wrong, Scarlet? You've been dragging ever since you woke up. Don't lie to me—I know something's bothering you."
"It's nothing, Fox. No really—it's nothing," she replied, doing her best to mask her displeasure.
"Is it about Krystal?" Fox asked, refusing to buy her answer.
Scarlet looked down at the floor and lowered her ears. "Yeah, I suppose it is. I feel a bit guilty, to be honest with you."
The vulpine's face broke out into a melancholic smile as he ran his fingers through Scarlet's hair. "Are you feeling guilty about last night, too?"
Fox's question did nothing to ease Scarlet's internal conflict. Already, she felt guilty for dooming Krystal to a death that she was not deserving of; and if that hadn't been enough, Fox had just told her that he already felt guilty about mating with her. Lying through her teeth, she replied, "Yeah, I should have kept my clothes on. It was fun, but I don't think we should have done it."
Although she concealed her true feelings from Fox, she was screaming at herself for apologizing for the most enthralling experience she had partaken of in a very long time. Fox may have felt bashful after his night of love with Scarlet, but she was completely unashamed of it—proud of it, even.
When the elevator reached the 28th floor, the doors slid open, revealing the hallway where several reporters and police officers were milling about, investigating the crime scene and checking for any form of evidence as to who might have tipped off the attacker.
"_Remain calm,_" Scarlet told herself, forcing her tail and ears to portray a posture of confidence and authority, even though she knew that she would most likely be a prime suspect of the police investigation. As they neared the room, Fox broke into a run and attempted to enter his temporary abode; but before he could step through the door, the husky officer he had seen on the news broadcast shoved him in the chest and growled, "Hey, pal—what're you in such a hurry for?"
"Get your hands off me," Fox snapped, wrenching the officer's silver paw from his shoulder and explaining, "This is my room. I heard what happened last night and I'm here to make sure my guest is alright."
"Is your name James Fox?"
"Yes," Fox confirmed. "Now, are you going to let me in or not?"
The officer seemed reluctant to allow him access to the room, but he grudgingly complied and motioned for Fox to enter his suite. Stepping through the door, he looked around the room and saw the dead body of Krystal's would-be killer along with the crime scene investigators who were analyzing the corpse for any additional details that they could unearth. On the bed to his left sat Krystal, holding her head in her hands and sobbing like a helpless kit.
Feeling deep sympathy for the miserable vixen, Fox jogged over to the bedside and climbed up onto the bed next to her. He put his arm around her shoulder and nuzzled into her, his warm breaths immediately bringing a sense of comfort to her troubled spirit. The Cerinian opened her eyes, and upon seeing Fox sitting beside her, she whimpered a joyful cry and buried her muzzle in his chest, even though his 'borrowed' Asgard uniform smelled nothing like him.
"I knew you'd come back for me," she sobbed, gripping his shoulders. "I missed you so much last night. I needed to feel you near me, Fox."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to protect you, Krystal," Fox replied, feeling a veritable tidal wave of guilt overwhelming him as his mind reflected on his fling with Scarlet. "I promise that it won't happen again."
The Cerinian pulled her head off of Fox's firm chest and looked into his eyes while stroking his muzzle with her delicate blue fingers. "I know. I trust you, Fox… I trust you more than anyone else."
Fox felt an arrow of regret shoot through his heart the instant that Krystal spoke those words to him. Almost immediately after the vixen had elaborated on her trust of Fox, she sniffed the air and recognized another scent mixed in with Fox's masculine odor. Although she was a virgin and was less than familiar with the act of mating and everything that went with it, she was not so naïve as to be ignorant of the unmistakable smell of a vixen's musk. In seconds, she pieced together the events from Fox's evening and sighed in disappointment.
With a look of despondency and sadness in her innocent eyes, Krystal shed a tear and whimpered, "Why, Fox? Why?"
Fox shook his head and stuttered, finding himself unable to reply to the young vixen's question. As the tear dripped down Krystal's face, Fox regretted his decision to mate with Scarlet even more than he had already. He knew that he should have resisted, no matter how difficult it would have been to do so. Sadly, what was done was done, and Krystal was hurt as a result. While she had been sleeplessly tossing and turning in bed, Fox had been satisfying himself with the same individual who had tipped off Krystal's attempted murderer—even though he was unaware of that bit of information.
Finally mustering the courage to force the words to his mouth, Fox mumbled, "I lost my head. I knew I shouldn't have done it, and I'm sorry. I didn't think it would hurt you this much. I…I knew you liked me, but I didn't know…"
"…That I loved you?" Krystal whispered, completing his statement for him.
Fox's face tensed up and his eyes shifted into a sad gaze as he replied, "Yeah… Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? I don't want to see you like this again."
The Cerinian tilted her head to the side ever so slightly and perked up her ears. "Kiss me," she whispered.
Fox's face flushed at her suggestion, and he felt far more nervous than he had in a very long time. He couldn't understand why he was so unsure of himself, considering that he had given Scarlet far more than just a simple kiss. Nevertheless, he was determined to make it up to Krystal for hurting her. Breathing rapidly, he put his arms around the Cerinian and planted a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. The interaction lasted for no more than five seconds; but when Fox pulled away, he saw a faint, contented smile on Krystal's face.
"Any better?" Fox asked.
"A little bit," Krystal replied, "Thanks, Fox."
"Um…you're welcome," Fox mumbled, scratching the back of his head as he climbed off the bed and walked over to his duffel bag that lay on the floor just outside the bedchamber's opened privacy curtain.
Perking up her ears in curiosity, Krystal followed him and asked, "What are you doing?"
Fox pulled a fresh shirt out of his bag and held it up before answering, "I think we're about to leave this planet. Scarlet's target escaped last night, and we're going to go track him down. Unless you want to go back to Cerinia, I'll have my wingman Slippy pick you up and take you back to my battleship. You'll be safe there."
The vixen frowned and balled up her fists. "No, Fox—I want to go with _you_."
"Krystal, it's going to be very dangerous. The guy who tried to kill you came from the same planet that I'm going to. Trust me—you don't want to come with me."
"Actually, I do," she retorted in a harsh voice that caused Fox's ears to perk up. "The only time I feel safe is when I'm with you. Please, Fox?"
"Krystal…"
Fox scratched his muzzle and contemplated the possibilities that could occur as a result of him bringing Krystal with him to Scarlet's homeworld, which was not known as a virtuous place by any stretch of the imagination. Bounty hunters and mercenaries ran amok in the planet-city's many streets and avenues that were riddled with crime, corruption, greed, and general lawlessness. Certainly this was not a place for a young Cerinian girl.
Yet, in spite of the danger, Krystal flatly refused to leave Fox's side, even if it meant that she would be in considerably more danger than she would if Fox sent her to the _Great Fox_. With great resignation, Fox looked at the vixen and said, "Fine—you can come with me. But don't tell me I that didn't warn you about what to expect."
Krystal nodded and walked over to her suitcase, where she placed her staff before she zipped up the wheeled bag and waited for Fox while he changed into a clean shirt.
* * *
When Fox started running towards his room, Scarlet took the opportunity to slip out of sight. She walked down an adjacent hallway, trying to appear as nonchalant as she possibly could in spite of the fear that raged inside her mind. A pair of avians ambled past her and waved, but she ignored them and pressed on down the hall. Rounding a corner, she found herself in a small chamber that contained two restrooms, a snack and drink machine combo, and a drinking fountain. She looked around the area to make sure she was alone; and when she determined that she was, she entered the women's restroom and walked into the first stall. Unlike most bathroom stalls, the door and the side panels extended completely to the floor, granting the maximum amount of privacy to the small space's occupant.
"What have I done?" she moaned, falling to her knees and resting her head against the side of the stall. "I knew I shouldn't have… Please Fox—don't leave me because of that…"
The silence in the room was almost insulting, and she swore that she heard a voice laughing at her misery, even though she was alone. "What's so funny?!" She screamed, looking at the ceiling.
The laughing persisted and even seemed to increase in intensity and spite.
Shuddering violently, the vixen put her hands over her ears to block the sound; but it had the effect of magnifying it to an intolerable level. Unable to take any more, she screamed at the top of her lungs and repeatedly slammed her head into the gray divider until her world began to fade out.
* * *
"_You shouldn't have done that, Cynthia."_
"_Your father would be even more ashamed of you than he already is."_
"_Fox is going to leave you now, you know."_
Scarlet's ears rang as she sat up on the tiled bathroom floor. Her vision was blurred, and everything looked like a giant blob to her, regardless of the distance between her and the nearby objects. Completely disoriented and unaware of her location and the time, she lifted her arm and glanced at her wrist communicator.
11:45 A.M.
"I've been in here for two hours?" she asked aloud, listening to the sound of her voice echoing off the bathroom's walls. A massive headache was the first thing she noticed apart from her surroundings.
"_Oh man… w…what happened?"_
She ran her fingers through her hair and reeled in shock when she felt the warm, sticky sensation of wet blood on them. Gasping, she stood up and nearly passed out once again. She balanced herself against the stall divider and caught her breath. All the while, her head throbbed in pain, begging for her to lie down and rest—or better yet, seek medical attention. Holding her hand against the bleeding cut on her forehead, Scarlet opened the stall door and looked at herself in the mirror ahead of her. Her forehead and part of her muzzle were coated with trails of dark red, and her hair was disheveled and unkempt.
Cursing herself for allowing her passions to get the best of her, she turned on the hot water in the sink in front of her and held her hand under the stream until it was almost scalding. Then, she reached over to the nearby paper towel dispenser and pulled out a number of the thin, white paper cloths. After dousing them in the blazing water, she applied them to her bloodied face and began to clean the sticky red fluid from her fur. It would take weeks for the injury to heal; but the cut was the last thing on her mind at the moment. She had to leave this place. Hopefully, she would be able to do so without having to talk to Krystal.
Tossing the paper towels in the trash, Scarlet opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the alcove, which was as empty as it had been before. Hoping that the authorities had left the hotel, she turned the corner and found herself face to face with none other than Fox McCloud himself. Next to him was Krystal, dressed in the hooded jacket and red pants that she had slipped into before the police had temporarily held her hostage in Fox's room.
Scarlet's countenance dropped to the floor as Fox approached her and patted her on the shoulder. "What happened, Scarlet?"
Forcing herself to look up into his eyes, Scarlet replied, "I..I don't really know. Don't worry, though—I'm fine."
At that very second, she felt a presence in her mind that caused her to panic. She knew how to block a Cerinian from gaining access to her thoughts; but in her state of distress, she found it ineffective. The red vixen winced as the Cerinian's mental patterns entered her consciousness, violating her from the inside. She tried to project random thoughts in an attempt to throw Krystal off, but the only one that came to her mind was the memory of her standing out on the Avalon Downtown Hotel's balcony, explaining to Leonardo Pietro where Krystal could be found.
In less than two seconds, it was over. When Scarlet looked up at Krystal—feeling like she had been mentally raped—she saw the vixen's placid expression change into a pleading, almost tearful frown.
She knew.
This was it—Fox was about to find out what she had done. He would leave her, or even physically hurt her out of anger. Scarlet waited for the Cerinian vixen to scowl at her and whisper her darkest secret into Fox's ear, but she didn't. Instead, she looked at her with the saddest eyes that she had seen in her entire existence. To Scarlet, her sadness seemed akin to the misery that a young child feels when he is reprimanded without understanding what he did to deserve such a punishment. In the silence, Scarlet heard a faint whisper. "_I won't tell him about what you did, as long as you promise that you won't take him away from me_."
The red vixen nodded reluctantly and then spoke to Fox, "We need to get moving. The next step involves you meeting my boss. He'll decide what your role in this job is." She motioned towards Krystal. "I assume she's coming too?"
"Yes," Fox replied, "I warned her, but she said that she feels safer with me."
"_Go figure,_" Scarlet thought, rolling her eyes in disgust and shaking her head. "We need to make the best use of time possible. If we leave now, we might be able to get settled in before it gets late."
"Krystal and I can be ready to leave in a few minutes. We don't have much to pack. There's just one thing, though…"
Scarlet had the suspicion that she wasn't going to be particularly fond of what Fox was going to say next. Feeling apprehensive, she asked him, "What, Fox?"
"Krystal will want to travel with me; and since my fighter only has one seat…"
"_Oh, you've got to be kidding me_,"Scarlet mused, stamping her foot on the carpeted floor of the hallway. She turned her attention to Krystal, who gave her a stern look that seemed to say, "_Do it, or I'll spill your little secret."_
Acquiescing to the Cerinian's demand, Scarlet let out an angry huff and snapped, "Fine! Go ahead and use my fighter! Just make sure you vacuum out all the blue hairs when you're done with it."
"No problem," Fox replied, reassuring her with another friendly pat on the shoulder. Turning his head and giving Krystal a friendly glance, he whispered into the red vixen's ear, "Scarlet, don't be so uptight. I'm not going to ditch you. Just understand that she really needs me right now."
"Fine, Fox," she conceded, although elsewhere in her mind, a far darker message was being conveyed.
"_I'll put up with this for now; but sometime soon, I'm going to get rid of that furball for good._"
Fox, Krystal, and Scarlet spent the next thirty minutes packing up their various belongings. After checking out of the hotel, the trio entered the hangar, climbed into their respective fighters, and left the desert world of Tehraia behind them. Fox's next order of business would be to explain to Peppy and General Pepper what had happened the night before; but that could wait a little while longer. For the moment, he stared out at the starry expanse ahead of him, admiring the scores of brilliant stars in the dark reaches of space. With his autopilot set to match Scarlet's coordinates, he turned his pilot's seat around and faced Krystal. The blue vixen was locked in a meditative trance with her eyes tightly closed. Her breathing was slow and relaxed, and a calm smile adorned her face as she basked in the comfort and security of Fox's presence.
For a brief moment, the vulpine looked to his right and locked eyes with Scarlet, who was piloting his Arwing against her wishes. Seeing her frustrated expression through the cockpit canopy, Fox winked at her and nodded his head before relaxing in his seat and watching Krystal silently meditate on the dramatic series of events that had brought her into his life.
Even though his initial task was complete, his adventure was far from over. As much as he wanted to be paid and return to the _Great Fox_, he anticipated the coming challenges and smiled at the thought. Finally, he was back where he belonged. Having a pair of ravishing vixens longing for his affections didn't hurt, either.
**END ARC I
**
* * *
_AUTHOR'S NOTE(S):
_
_Well, that's the end of the first part of this story. Stick around for the next arc, which takes place on Scarlet's technologically-overwhelming homeworld of Skallis, where the trio will encounter Scarlet's ridiculously wealthy boss, the leader of the mob that tried to kill Krystal, and an enigmatic stranger with more up his sleeve than any of his comrades would ever care to admit...
_
_Also, the poll votes have been tallied up; and the winning answer to the question "Apart from blue, what color would look best on Krystal?" has finally been decided._
_**Dark Magenta** was very close to claiming the top spot; but the victory - by only one vote - belongs to **Deep Red**. Stay tuned to see where this plays into the story!_
11. Chapter 11: Arrival on Skallis
**ARC II: Dystopia**
**Chapter 11: Arrival on Skallis**
The hours dragged by as Fox, Krystal, and Scarlet traveled through space in their fighters. With Scarlet's interceptor set to autopilot, Fox used the long journey to explain his objective to Peppy and to verify to General Pepper that instead of merely confirming the existence of the weapons dealer's possession of nuclear weaponry, he had taken him out entirely. The old hound dog was overwhelmed by the news; and instead of paying him the miniscule fee that he had intended to give to him, he raised the payout significantly. With the new funds due to be transferred into the Star Fox team's bank account within the week, Fox and his crew would finally have the monetary resources to make repairs on several of the _Great Fox_'s most important systems.
Now, though, Fox had a new objective on Scarlet's homeworld of Skallis. From the limited amount that the red vixen had explained to him, he knew that it was a harsh metropolis word not too dissimilar to Eledard. Unlike Eledard, however, Skallis lacked a strong central government. The police forces on the planet routinely found themselves overwhelmed by the local thugs, gangs, mercenaries, serial killers, bounty hunters, mafias, corporate militias; and sometimes, their own comrades. Law and order was virtually nonexistent; and it was this world of strife that Fox was about to enter. Understandably, he was concerned about Krystal's safety. As an innocent girl of an exotic species, she would be a potential target for predators of many natures.
The vixen had spent the vast majority of the trip locked away in a meditative trance, but when the dark planet came into view, she opened her eyes and smiled at Fox. He smiled back at her and rotated his chair back into its normal position before taking stock of the planet in front of him. Planets such as Corneria and Fichina cast auras of blue into the space around them, but the planet Skallis radiated a dark air that put Fox on edge immediately. As far as he could tell, the oceans on the planet were either very small or nonexistent. The surface of the planet appeared to be a dark obsidian color, most likely because of the towering urban sprawl that overran the entire sphere and hid any signs of water or plant life.
In seconds, Scarlet's voice came through his dashboard comms. unit. "This is it, Fox—paradise. Follow my lead. We'll land at the District 7 spaceport in the planet's upper hemisphere. My boss has agreed to meet us there."
"What does he look like?" Fox asked, falling in behind the Arwing that Scarlet was piloting.
"You won't miss him," she replied with a chuckle. "He has a certain way about him."
"I see," Fox mumbled, thumbing the controls for Scarlet's interceptor and preparing for the entrance into the planet's atmosphere. The red-hot flames began to dance across the fighter's canopy as the vehicle itself began to shake. In the seat behind him, Krystal gritted her teeth and braced herself against the g-forces that were far stronger than those generated in her transport ship. Moments later, the vibrations stopped, and the two fighters descended into the upper atmosphere.
The night that had fallen over District 7 was visibly cold. Small snowflakes flitted through the air and collided with the Artemis Interceptor's canopy. The temperature readout on Fox's HUD read 33 degrees—a far cry from Yaruit and the Oasis Resort. The sprawling city yawned before them. Bridges and roads built on raised platforms towered over the small buildings of the city, while hulking skyscrapers dominated the skyline, reaching more than 10,000 feet into the air in some cases. Smoke poured out from the smokestacks of large factories and manufacturing plants that flanked the city streets, which appeared to have been built in layers. The tallest of all the buildings in the nearby vicinity sported an elegant spire with a digital clock below it. The time read '11:50 P.M.'. Below the clock was a blue letter 'G' that was flanked by two horizontal arrows with the words "Gaia Corp." written below it.
Following Scarlet's lead, Fox fell in behind her and mimicked her every move as she set a course for a large spaceport that stood roughly ten miles from the Gaia tower. Blue-white lighting illuminated the airspace that was overrun with space traffic of all shapes and forms. On a large lot on the far left perimeter of the spaceport sat a large white battleship that slightly resembled the _Great Fox_, although this ship had two forward-facing wings instead of four rear-facing ones. No voices came through Fox's speakers, leading him to believe that Scarlet was coordinating the landing.
"Fox, we've got clearance to land on Lot 40. Put the ship down next to mine and then we'll head inside," she ordered, slowing her borrowed Arwing and lowering it to the concrete below. After flying over the worn-out control tower that looked like it was far past its prime, Fox cut the Artemis' throttle and descended to the ground next to his Arwing, which Scarlet was climbing out of. Clad only in her tight bodysuit, the vixen shivered as she dropped from the Arwing's aileron to the concrete surface of the landing area.
After touching down on the spaceport deck, Fox opened both the Interceptor's fore and aft canopies and helped Krystal out of her seat. Out of courtesy, he clambered down the ship's wing and held out his paw to help his Cerinian friend to her feet on the ground before he opened the fighter's luggage compartment and removed his cargo along with Krystal's.
"Thanks, Fox," said Krystal, patting him on the shoulder while Scarlet shot her an evil glance and motioned towards a nearby staircase that led into the spaceport's terminal area.
As the red vixen began to climb the stairs, she turned back to face Fox and Krystal. "This way. My boss is waiting for you," she explained with a tinge of expectation in her voice. Fox wasn't sure what to think about the proposition of being employed by Scarlet's boss, who had formerly been her romantic partner as well. However, the possibility of being paid even more was very enticing.
Opening the door after Scarlet and holding it for Krystal, Fox stepped into the terminal, which was much warmer than the area outside. Scarlet stood next to an informational kiosk with her tail whisking back in forth impatiently. "This way," she ordered, walking towards the glass doors that led to the terminal's short-term parking garage. As it had before, Fox's attention wandered to Scarlet's hips, accentuated with her skin-tight apparel. However, the instant that his mind wandered, Krystal pinched him in the arm, causing him to yelp in pain. He looked into her eyes in shock and was met with a jealous stare from her. Scarlet turned around after Fox whimpered; but after shaking her head in disapproval, she redirected her eyes to the exit doors and continued walking.
Being careful to look anywhere other than at Scarlet's hindquarters, Fox followed the red vixen with Krystal at his side. The glass exit doors slid open on their own accord, allowing a stinging blast of icy air to sweep into the building. Scarlet attempted to ignore it, but it was clear that she was freezing. However, her attention was quickly averted away from the plunging winter temperatures. In the drop-off/pick-up zone twenty feet from the door was an imposing white luxury sedan with a winged emblem on its trunk lid. The name 'Briggs-Taylor' was written below it in a script font. A dull-furred red vulpine stood next to the car, clad in a long dress coat that reached to his ankles. A set of modern, squared glasses rested on the bridge of his nose.
"Good evening, Scarlet," he curtsied, holding out his gloved hand for her to shake.
"Hello again, Felix," she replied, shaking his hand and then pointing to Fox, "This is Fox—the man I've been talking about. You'd do well to think about employing him."
"Indeed," he mumbled, stroking his muzzle. "Perhaps—but who's this?" He pointed to Krystal, who stepped back and dropped her ears in fear and embarrassment. "Don't be afraid, my dear. I'm not going to hurt you," he spoke in a warm—if monotonic—voice, beckoning for her to step closer to him. "What's your name, my friend?"
"Krystal," she replied. Trembling slightly, she walked up to the fox and looked into his cold, light blue eyes. She slipped into his mind with her telepathy, attempting to determine if he was someone worthy of her trust. Nothing particularly evil came to her mind as she sifted through his, causing her to abandon some of her fear.
"A Cerinian? Here?" asked Felix, turning his attention to Fox.
"It's a long story, sir," Fox replied.
"I'm sure. Get in the car and we'll talk about it on the way back to the Collective. And by the way, my name is Felix Sparta, CEO of the Gaia Corporation. Scarlet told me a lot about you. I hope you don't disappoint."
"I don't intend to," Fox asserted, although he was anything but confident in his new surroundings.
The dapper vulpine opened the white car's rear door and motioned for Fox and Krystal to load their luggage into the trunk and get in before he pried open the passenger door and helped Scarlet into her seat. With his passengers inside the vehicle, Felix walked around the front of the car and climbed into the driver's seat.
Fox and Krystal found themselves seated next to each other in the back of the car, separated by a thick armrest with two cupholders. Genuine wood trim was interspersed throughout the interior, which was dominated by sublimely supple ivory-colored leather. On the left side of the car, Krystal thumbed through the buttons near the window controls and unintentionally activated her seat's heating function. The warmth began to spread through her seat and through her clothing until it warmed her chilled body. She sighed in bliss and glanced over at Fox while Felix shifted his car into gear and drove out of the terminal parking area.
The downtown area around them was a paradox in the truest sense. Advanced, high-tech architecture dotted the city, although much of it was unkempt to a disgusting degree. "This is the lower portion of the city," the driver explained, avoiding a pothole in the road. "There are three levels to this city, and the place we're going is on the third one. It's much nicer up there."
The lights that bordered the asphalt did a decidedly poor job at illuminating the road, and some of them appeared to have been neglected for quite some time. Glancing out her window, Krystal let out a sharp gasp when she saw three felines step out of a nearby alley. All of them held contraband submachine guns.
Hearing the vixen's astonished gasp, the driver looked at her via his rearview mirror and reassured her, "Don't worry—they can't hurt you. This car could survive a bomb if it needed to." He reached for his hip and produced a diminutive automatic pistol. "And I can personally protect you, as well."
The white car continued down the darkened city street until Felix switched to the far right lane and moved onto the next onramp. The exit had a heavy incline, but the vehicle's powerful engine was more than capable of handling it. The ramp led to an interstate that ran fifty feet above the city and weaved through the high-rise buildings of business and commerce; and the vulpine driver followed it until another inclined onramp came into view.
Now more than a hundred feet above the city, the scenery around them began to reflect a different form of lifestyle than the dingy streets below. Establishments built into the sides of buildings jutted out towards the road, while the high-speed expressway began to morph into a road reminiscent of a boulevard in a modern city. Restaurants, nightclubs, shops and places of residence welcomed all visitors with crisp, bright xenon lighting. However, the most amazing part of the upper district was a floating landmass that seemed to hang in midair, more than a thousand feet above their heads. In the front seat, Scarlet cracked a smile and whispered, "Home again."
While Krystal drank in the scenery that was completely alien to her, Fox asked Felix, "Where are we going? You said something about a 'collective.'"
"Yes, that's right," the vulpine replied, turning his head to face Fox. "The Vulpine Collective is a fraternity that my father established more than twenty years ago. Essentially, it's a safe house and a social club reserved only for foxes like us."
"That's a bit racist," Fox mumbled.
"Maybe, but I'm the one making the rules here. I can do what I want with my property. If you're working with Scarlet, I'll consider giving you your own room, free of charge."
"Well, um… that's nice," Fox awkwardly replied. "What did you have in mind for me to do here?"
"We'll work that out a bit later," Felix answered, flipping on his right blinker and pulling up to a gate that stood in front of a large, unmarked building. The white vulpine in the gate booth recognized his leader and opened the gate for him with a nod and a salute. "That's Hanson, my head of security," Felix explained. "He helps keep the—shall we say—'suspicious' people out." Reverting back to the previous conversation topic, he explained, "I've got an upcoming meeting with someone who claims to know more about Asgard's dealings than I do."
"And who would that be?" Fox asked.
Sternly, Felix retorted, "You ask too many questions for your own good, Fox. In this city, you're going to have to learn to quiet down if you want to survive. I'm on your side, but if you get in too deep, don't expect me to save you."
"Got it…" Fox whispered under his breath.
The mansion that housed the collective held many vehicles within its spacious hangar, but instead of parking his luxury car in the main building, Felix slowed the vehicle and drove around the backside of the building, where an assortment of lush plants was kept. Nestled between several thick shrubs was a rustic garage with two parking bays. The vulpine reached up and pressed his opener, raising the garage door and allowing him to stow his car in its designated storage space.
Turning the engine off, he climbed out of the car and motioned for Scarlet, Fox, and Krystal to do the same. "We'll use the back entrance," he explained, "Follow me."
Scarlet walked beside her boss while Fox and Krystal trailed behind, admiring the beauty of the first plant life they had seen on the planet, all while toting their respective luggage bags. Both of them were amazed that such a place could exist more than a hundred feet above the planet's surface. Even more astonishing were the myriad towers that reached into the clouds high above them. The snow continued to fall on the cobblestone pavement at their feet in small flurries. With the back entrance to Felix's mansion still more than fifty feet away, Krystal stroked Fox's arm and asked him, "Have you ever seen anything like this?"
"Never," he whispered in reply. "This is unbelievable."
Looking into Fox's eyes with a look of longing in her own sea-green lenses, the vixen asked him, "Please—will you try to get me a room with you? I don't want to be alone."
"Don't worry, Krystal," Fox warmly replied, patting her on the back. "I'll make sure you're taken care of. I won't let what happened last night happen to you again."
"Thank you, Fox," she murmured, a ghost of a smile on her face.
When Felix reached the door, he opened it and held it for his guests, who were eager to set foot inside the sumptuous structure and escape the cold weather outside. Scarlet merely nodded her thanks, while Fox and Krystal verbally recognized his generosity.
"Take the next left," said Felix, directing them towards his office that stood at the end of the hall. The interior of the estate appeared to be even more remarkable than the outside. The halls were appointed with dark red walls that sported metallic black trim. Sumptuous oriental carpeting covered the floors, while a series of modern, white lights brightened the hallways with a sharp form of illumination very dissimilar to the warm, off-white lights that were in vogue on Corneria.
After digging through his coat pockets and pulling out his office key, Felix opened the exotic wood door that led to his office. The wood on the door had been taken from a fallen rainforest tree that Krystal quickly recognized as being from Cerinia. While Fox, Scarlet and Felix entered the office, Krystal ran her fingers across the wooden ridges in the door that brought back the feelings of her homeworld. She missed Cerinia, but the same could not be said about its residents. Ever since she had met Fox, she hadn't felt the same way about going back to her birthplace. Fox wouldn't be there if she returned; and without her friend Jasmine, she would be the loneliest that she had been in her entire life. At the moment, she would have rather been with Fox, as opposed to traveling back to Cerinia.
"_They don't miss me,_" she thought to herself, "_They could care less if I was dead—actually, I wouldn't be surprised if they planned my crash. Someone was out to get me back there, and my ship never did that to me before…" _She sighed and shook her head. "_No, Krystal; you're just being delusional._"
She set foot into the office, where Felix had seated himself in his black leather office chair behind his Cerinian-wood desk that was topped with a hard black surface. A silver laptop sat upon the desk next to a small lamp that the vulpine had left on before he went to pick up Scarlet from the spaceport. Pictures of several elderly vulpines dotted the office's wood-grain walls. Due to their remarkable similarity to their host, Fox and Krystal assumed that they were representations of Felix's ancestors.
Tapping his paw on the desk, Felix spoke, "Welcome to the Vulpine Collective. Scarlet, I'm leaving you responsible for making sure our guests are satisfied." Scarlet nodded, albeit in an unenthusiastic manner. Felix cleared his throat and directed his attention to Fox and Krystal. "Are you two romantically involved?" he asked.
"Er…I…um…" Fox stammered, nervously glancing over at Krystal, who began to giggle.
"I'll take that as a 'yes,'" Felix replied with a smile, causing Scarlet's face to light up in shock and horror. She knew exactly what he would do; and if he did, it would put a yawning gap between her and Fox.
"Um, Felix, can I…" she worriedly interjected, reaching out her hand and motioning for Felix to stop talking.
"What's wrong, Scarlet? Do you have a problem with me putting these two in a room together?"
"Well, yes I…" she looked over a Krystal in time to see her contort her face into a frown and raise her eyebrows twice as if to say, "_I'll tell Fox about what you did if you get in the way." _Shirking back in fear, Scarlet mumbled, "Never mind…it's not a problem."
"Good then," said Felix, digging through a drawer in his desk and pulling out a key, which he handed to Fox. "Here's the key to your room, Fox. For now, it's on me. If you can prove that you're as good as Scarlet says you are, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want."
"Thank you, sir," Fox replied, taking the key and shaking Felix's hand. The meeting adjourned shortly thereafter, and the four vulpines went their own separate ways. Fox and Krystal began to explore the halls and corridors of the Collective, while Scarlet wandered off on her own and headed in the direction of her suite. Felix remained in his office, where he prepared for his upcoming meeting.
In time, the hall that Fox and Krystal were in opened up into a large, airy atrium accented with ferns and palm trees that decorated the space around a square fountain. Several red couches were positioned in various places around the stone-colored chamber, where a small number of vulpines lounged, relaxed, or conversed with each other. Upon seeing Krystal, a few of them turned their heads to look at her, causing the Cerinian to blush and lower her ears and tail out of fear. Noticing her trepidation, Fox stoked her back and whispered into her ear, "There's nothing to be afraid of. They won't hurt you—I promise." Looking around the area, Fox asked his companion, "Do you want to sit down here?"
Krystal shook her head and instead suggested, "How about we see what's close to our room?"
"Fair enough," Fox replied, looking at the small tag attached to his room key for clues to his room's location. He and Krystal walked out of the open area, away from the prying eyes of the Collective's residents and into another hallway similar to the one they had first stepped into. From what Fox could tell, his room was on the base level—which he was on at the moment. As they walked along the hallway along the front side of the building, they looked out at the street and watched the cars drive by on the busy street that was still heavily occupied even in the late hours of the night. Fox and Krystal had been awake for less than twelve hours; however, a small digital clock mounted on the nearby wall read '1:05 A.M.' Most of the Collective's residents had turned in for the night, but Fox and Krystal were far from tired. Fortunately for them, the building never truly closed for the night.
On the way to their room, the two vulpines noticed an area defined by heavily tinted glass with a white sign on the door that read 'Pool and Spa.' Fox quickly returned his mind to thinking about his possible future employment with Felix, but the blue vixen's thoughts moved to the warm waters that called out to her from inside the room. "_Maybe later,_" she thought, looking behind her to make sure that something hadn't gone wrong with her suitcase.
Soon, Fox reached his door and inserted his key into it. The black door swung open, revealing a well-decorated space with the same red and black coloration that defined the Collective's interior. The color scheme had been designed as a form of homage to traditional vulpine colors, although Krystal felt badly out of place with her blue fur. The room featured two windows that granted the residents a view of the road and the local scenery, along with a suite of black furniture. The overall size of the room was unimpressive, but it lacked nothing that Fox or Krystal needed. A small kitchen was built into the room, and the bathroom featured a full bath and a separate shower enclosure. The overall feel of the room was edgy and modern, with a mildly dark element that caused it to feel somewhat mysterious.
Krystal set her luggage down on the floor and dropped onto the bed, letting out a sigh in the process. Fox stared out the window before turning his attention to Krystal, who seemed to be content with her circumstances. "Do you like it?" Fox asked, lowering himself onto the bed and resting his head on the red pillows.
Krystal closed her eyes for a moment and then looked over at Fox. "It's alright," she murmured, almost silently. "It's not home, but I can live here. How long do you think we're going to be staying in this place?"
Fox curled his lip and looked up at the ceiling, where a motionless fan with rectangular blades hung. "I don't know. As long as it takes for me to finish my objective, probably. It could be a few days, or it could be a few months. You're okay with that, right?"
Krystal smiled and answered, "As long as you're here, I don't care."
Fox felt his heart flutter. From the very beginning, he had attempted to keep his friendship with Krystal just that—a friendship. However, as the days rolled by, it seemed to him that she wanted something more. Fox found himself drawn to her, not because of her body or any seductive action she had made; but because of the calm, beautiful air that surrounded her wherever she went. At the same time, though, his body burned for Scarlet, despite his remorse for mating with her and causing Krystal to feel degraded as a result. Still, if he was given the opportunity to satisfy himself with her once again, he knew that he would be unable to refuse.
It was the last thing that he wanted to admit to Krystal, but he loved both her and Scarlet; albeit in different ways. However, he did have to concede that it was probably better for him to room with Krystal, as opposed to Scarlet. He could control himself around the Cerinian, but Scarlet—she was a different matter entirely.
For a number of minutes, Fox and Krystal laid on the bed, looking into each other's eyes and relaxing after the long flight from Tehraia to Skallis. The silence continued until Krystal broke it with a question. "Do you want to read your book with me?"
Fox's eyes widened as he gulped in fear. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead, and his breathing quickened. The one thing he didn't want Krystal to know about was the one thing she had just asked him about. Feeling the blood rushing to his cheeks, he stammered, "Um…if you w…want to… I didn't really think you'd…"
Krystal silenced him with a playful pat on his nose and inched closer to him until her muzzle was less than a foot from his. "Don't be ashamed of yourself, Fox," she said with a smile, "Anything that helps, right?"
"Sure…" Fox halfheartedly replied, climbing off the bed and opening his duffel bag that now contained a pair of swim trunks, a bottle of cologne, and—of course—the book that he had tried to keep hidden from Krystal. He pulled it out of the bag, knowing that the vixen was smiling behind him. After a quick glance at the blue cover, he sat down on the bed next to Krystal and asked her, "Where do you want to start?"
"How about we start from the beginning? We've got plenty of time."
"Sure thing," he replied, uneasily turning to page 1 and holding the book out in front of him so that both he and Krystal could read it.
* * *
Meanwhile, just outside the building, Felix Sparta stepped across the cobblestone courtyard separating him from his garage. At the building's side entry door stood Hanson, his head of security. The white fox was dressed the same way that his master was. He stood at attention, barring the door from any unauthorized access until Felix approached him and said, "Stand down, Hanson. Did you tell Vincenzo to rendezvous with us on the way?"
"Yes, sir," Hanson replied, opening the side door and ushering his master into the garage.
Felix opened his sedan's passenger side door and sat down in the seat that still bore Scarlet's scent. "Good. You drive tonight."
"Yes, sir."
Hanson walked around the front of Felix's car and climbed into the driver's seat. After opening the garage door with the vehicle's opener, he backed the car out and turned around, heading towards the Collective's gate that opened for them thanks to a pressure sensor underneath the stone driveway. While Felix played with the purple scarf that dangled from his neck, Hanson turned onto the avenue outside the mansion and began his journey down to the lower city, where Felix was scheduled to meet up with an old acquaintance that he truthfully wasn't very excited about seeing.
"I don't trust him," Felix muttered, adjusting the car's heat settings.
"Pietro?" Hanson asked while checking his mirrors prior to switching lanes and taking the next exit that led to the second level of District 7.
Felix sighed and answered, "Yeah, him. These meetings never turn out well. I bet he just wants to raise the cost of my 'protection,' as he calls it."
"Probably," Hanson concurred. "Still, he might have something else in mind. You _do_ realize that he's actually going easy on you compared to Carache and the brass at Asgard, right?"
"Yeah, I know. It's probably just because my dad knew him. That doesn't mean that I like him, though. He's just like all the other mobsters—he doesn't care about anything other than money. He'd probably knock off one of his kids if it made him 50 credits richer. It's people like him that ruined this planet."
"That's not what the media would say," Hanson remarked.
Felix raised his eyebrows and shot his head of security an evil glare. "Does anyone really care what they say anymore? The Democratic Republic of Skallis went bankrupt and died out twelve years ago. Sure, it still technically exists, but they don't have any real power anymore. Those bureaucrats can play the media card all they want; but when it's all said and done, the people in power are the ones with the money—namely, me, Pietro, and that whack-job over at Asgard.
Hanson smiled. He enjoyed listening to his employer heap insults on the CEO of Asgard industries, mostly because the iguana deserved every bit of hatred that he received. It was no secret that he routinely violated ethical practices and health and safety regulations for the sake of cranking out more of his company's products. The approach had—unfortunately—paid off, allowing Carache's industrial juggernaut to increase its growth by more than 10 percent in the last five years and to pass Felix's Gaia Corporation in total revenue and sales for the first time in its existence.
From a fiscal standpoint, Felix needed to find a way to increase his company's profitability to keep pace with his business rival; but he couldn't stomach the thought of cheating and violating his way to his goal.
"_The only way out is to kill Carache. I won't stoop as low as he did. Business is a two-way transaction; and when it stops being a deal where both the producer and the consumer can get something out of it, it becomes a form of tyranny." _
He thought about Scarlet and how close she had been to completing her objective. If she had been just a few seconds quicker, she might have been able to take down Carache. Now, things were going to be much more difficult. Instead of being holed up in a small weapons warehouse on Tehraia, the shrewd lizard would be hiding out in the sprawling, expansive Asgard Central complex—the center of his business empire that extended across the planet and many of the other worlds in Skallis's solar system.
"_Incredibly difficult, but not impossible,_" he thought, "_But I think Scarlet can do it. She's pretty consistent when it comes to collecting bounties."_
His thoughts were interrupted when Hanson drove the white sedan down an off-ramp leading to the lower part of District 7. Unlike the spaceport area, this part of the lower city reflected a classy, dignified air.
"_Mob territory._"
Without warning, a large, red SUV pulled out behind Hanson and Felix and flashed its high-beam headlights at them. "There he is," said Hanson, announcing the arrival of their third man, Vincenzo. Momentarily, the SUV pulled alongside the luxury car on Felix's side. The vulpine glanced over to his right and nodded at the black wolf behind the wheel. For all intents and purposes, Vincenzo's job description mirrored Scarlet's. A for-hire mercenary willing to work for whoever would pay the most, he had become known as one of the best bodyguards that money could buy. It was fortunate that Felix had plenty of it to spend.
Hanson glanced at his navigation screen, noticing that their destination was less than a half-mile away. The neighborhood they found themselves in was best described as an upscale suburban area. Valuable houses with lush green yards stood on both sides of the street, and several expensive vehicles were parked on the unmarked residential drive.
"Here it is," said Hanson, pointing towards a well-appointed house located on the left side of the street. "Wait a minute, there's something wrong here. Did he send us to his own house?"
Felix furrowed his eyebrows and replied, "It looks like it. I didn't expect that at all."
"Neither did I. I've got to say, it seems really suspicious. Keep your guard up and let Vincenzo do the work if Pietro tries anything. Got it?"
"Sure thing." Felix allowed his head of security to open his door and step out first before he followed suit. Vincenzo parked his vehicle on the curb next to the residence's yard and fell in behind them. The lupine had dressed himself in a heavy jacket that did a very poor job of hiding the bulletproof combat armor that he wore under his outer clothing. Felix glanced at him and whispered, "Keep an eye out for anything suspicious. This could be a trap. I don't trust this guy, even though he's technically my godfather."
"Sure thing," Vincenzo growled in reply.
Allowing Hanson and Vincenzo to walk ahead of him, Felix ambled up the sloped driveway leading to Pietro's house until the three of them reached the building's ornate front door. "I'll knock," Felix whispered.
Uncertain about what lay behind the door, the vulpine balled up his fist and rapped on the wooden slab. Almost immediately, a heavy set of measured footsteps became audible from inside the house, followed by a voice dominated by a heavy accent. "Sparta?"
"Yes, Pietro," the vulpine replied. "I'm here."
"Excellent! Come on in." After a momentary delay, the door swung open, revealing the middle-aged, overweight, well-dressed vulpine figure of Salvatore Pietro. As with Felix, the mobster wore a set of spectacles, although his made no attempt to be fashionable or trendy in any way. He wore a generic black suit with a matching white shirt and a red tie that contrasted well with his gray fur. Noticing Felix's two counterparts, Pietro shook his head and laughed. "Bodyguards? Really? I'm not going to kill you, Sparta! What would make you think that I would do that?"
"You're asking me that question?" Felix retorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Why don't you tell me why I should trust you? You've done some pretty dodgy things before."
"Okay—so maybe I pushed it a _little_ bit in the past; but it's different tonight," he admitted. "I brought you to my house because what I have to tell you is very important."
"How important?"
"Come in and I'll explain it," Pietro replied.
Reluctantly, Felix stepped across the threshold into the lavishly-decorated house that smelled strongly of cigar smoke. His two counterparts followed him in, ready to draw their weapons at any time. The large fox led his guests down the hall and up a flight of stairs until they reached the door that separated Pietro's study from the rest of the house. "I'm afraid that only Felix can come in," he explained. "I promise that I won't hurt him."
Hanson was quick to deliver a biting remark. "Your promise means nothing. You've gone back on your word so many times in your life that it would make your head spin if you really thought about it."
Pietro chuckled and turned the office's doorknob. "Maybe, but if you don't stand down, you'll have come all this way for nothing. Capisce? Come now, Felix—let's get to business, shall we?"
Hanson shook his head as Felix disappeared into the study with his godfather. Turning to Vincenzo, he muttered, "What a waste of time. We can't even protect him!"
Vincenzo shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the wall at the top of the staircase. "Hey, at least I'm getting paid. I don't know about you, but that counts as a win for me."
* * *
Closing the door behind him, Salvatore Pietro snatched up a cigar from a nearby box and pulled a lighter out of his pocket. In seconds, the aroma of burnt tobacco began to fill the room. "Sit down," he said, dropping down into a comfortable armchair across from the couch where Felix seated himself and leaned forward expectantly.
"What's so important here?" Felix asked, glancing out the window to make sure that he wasn't being watched by something or someone.
Pietro took a puff of his cigar and leaned back in his chair. "It's about your rival Carache. He's up to something."
"When is he _not_ up to something?" Felix grumbled, rolling his eyes in contempt for the owner of Asgard Industries.
He expected Pietro to let out at least a chuckle; but the serious, stone-dead expression on the mobster's face told Felix that the situation may have been more serious that he thought. "Felix—tell me what you think about this. As you know, I have eyes and ears everywhere on this planet—in the government, in your business, in Carache's business…everywhere. Anyway, last week, I received word from one of my sources that Asgard Industries is opening a facility on the planet Cerinia."
Felix's eyes widened in shock. "That's insane! That's the corporate equivalent to putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger! No one's ever had a successful business endeavor on Cerinia. There's just not enough demand for offworld products! I know Carache's not _that _stupid. There's got to be an ulterior motive."
"Correct," said Pietro. "Something very suspicious is at play. If you'll excuse me for a second…"
Pietro stood up and walked over to his work desk, where his laptop awaited him. After unplugging it from its charger, he opened the screen and set the computer on the coffee table in front of the couch where Felix sat. The image of a long-haired female raccoon dressed in a black tank top appeared on the small display. "Good evening, Felix Sparta," she said in a refined voice.
"Good evening," he replied.
The raccoon brushed a strand of hair out of her eye and continued, "Listen, Mr. Sparta—I don't have much time. First off, let me explain myself. My name is Victoria Thane. I work—or, I should say—used to work as Antoine Carache's personal secretary. Last night, an attempt was made on my life; and I'm absolutely certain that my boss was behind it."
Felix raised an eyebrow and asked her, "Why would he do that?"
Victoria replied, "I believe he thought that I was getting too close to discovering something that he was trying to hide."
"Any examples?" asked Felix.
"Yes, Mr. Sparta. Three weeks ago, I overheard my boss talking with the head security officer in charge of the Asgard Central complex's surveillance equipment. I very distinctly remembering my boss telling him to turn off the security cameras to the auxiliary building that houses a good deal of Asgard's military inventory. Bear with me, though—it gets stranger."
She paused and brushed her hair again, then resumed her narrative. "He started acting very secretive not too long after that. Normally, he would talk to me about everything; but he clammed up and hardly even acknowledged me after a certain point. Four nights ago, I decided that I had to get to the bottom of it. I had to work late hours to make up for a day that I missed due to illness; and the building was almost empty except for the security staff and Carache himself. This was the fifth night in a row that he stayed past midnight. As Carache's secretary, I had access to all the administrative codes to the building and its systems; so after I made sure that no one was looking, I left my post and sneaked into the security office. The head of security must've been on a coffee break or something, because the control room was empty. Using the codes my boss gave me, I turned on the security cameras in the auxiliary building. What I saw after that gave me goosebumps."
Felix leaned closer to the computer screen and demanded, "What did you see?"
"I saw my boss walking down one of the hallways with someone dressed in a black hooded robe. I couldn't see anything that identified him with any species. His movements were like those of a ghost. He seemed to float across the ground, although it might just have been his robe that gave that illusion. I overheard a bit of their conversation through the camera's audio feed. He said something like 'I'm going to ship out the troops. I'm afraid that someone will find out about them before it's time.' The black-robed man replied, 'Fine. Do what you have to. I am willing to wait for a new tomorrow.'"
Felix scratched at his muzzle and looked up at Pietro, whose face bore an expression of absolute seriousness. "That's disturbing," he muttered.
Pietro put his cigar up to his lips for a moment and then replied, "Felix, you need to act quickly. I don't know what Carache is doing with this man, but his last words alone have me concerned."
"I'll see what I can do," Felix replied. Rising to his feet, he shook Pietro's hand before both of them exited the study and stepped back into the hall, where Hanson and Vincenzo were waiting.
Immediately after Felix stepped through the doorway, Hanson grabbed him by the arm and whispered into his ear. "What was that all about?"
"I'll explain later," Felix answered, "But it looks like Scarlet's friend might be getting a chance to prove himself soon."
End file.
| fanfiction |
Maintaining local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) in radiating gas with a broad atomic transition line
Definitions / Background
------------------------
In LTE, Kirchoff's law for radiation holds:
$$ \frac{j\_{\nu}}{\alpha\_{\nu}} = B\_{\nu} (T) $$
where $j\_{\nu}$ is the specific radiative emissivity, $\alpha\_{\nu}$ is the monochromatic radiative absorption, and $B\_{\nu} (T)$ is the Planck function evaluated at the temperature $T$.
Consider a gas of two-level atoms with energies $E\_u$ and $E\_l$, with $E\_u > E\_l$, statistical weights $g\_u$ and $g\_l$, and number densities $n\_u$ and $n\_l$. The transition between these states has Einstein coefficients $A\_{ul}$, $B\_{ul}$ and $B\_{lu}$ that we can use to write the emissivity and absoprtion of the transition:
$$ j\_{\nu} = \frac{h \nu}{4 \pi} n\_u A\_{ul} \psi({\nu})$$
$$ \alpha\_{\nu} = \frac{h \nu}{4 \pi} [ n\_l B\_{lu} \phi({\nu}) - n\_u B\_{ul} \chi({\nu})]$$
where $\psi$, $\phi$, and $\chi$ are line profile functions accounting for line-broadening mechanisms such as thermal motion.
Then, making use of the standard relations between the Einstein coefficients, we have
$$ \frac{j\_{\nu}}{\alpha\_{\nu}} = \frac{2 h \nu^3}{c^2} \frac{\frac{\psi}{\phi}}{\frac{g\_u n\_l}{g\_l n\_u} - \frac{\chi}{\phi}}$$
Question
--------
I want to understand how the right-hand side of the last equation simplifies to the Planck function under conditions of LTE, over the entire width of the line, without assuming that the line is narrow.
A standard discussion of this topic, as found in e.g. the astrophysics textbook by Rybicki and Lightman, does not seem to achieve this. In my reading, they proceed by making the following observations and/or assumptions:
1) There is complete redistribution of frequency between absorption and all types of emission, so that $\psi = \chi = \phi$.
2) In LTE at temperature T, the fraction $ g\_u n\_l / (g\_l n\_u)$ is equal to $\exp[h \nu\_0/(kT)]$, where $\nu\_0 = (E\_u - E\_l)/h$.
If those are true, then we have
$$ \frac{j\_{\nu}}{\alpha\_{\nu}} = \frac{2 h \nu^3}{c^2} \frac{1}{\exp[h \nu\_0/(kT)] - 1}$$
But this does not have the correct exponential term in the denominator to match the Planck function, because $\nu\_0$ is constant (frequency-independent). Or from another perspective, the problem is that $g\_u n\_l / (g\_l n\_u)$ is frequency-independent.
So, what is going on? Do we have to break either of the assumptions/observations 1 or 2 above? If so, how? If not, then does Kirchoff's law simply not apply on a frequency-by-frequency basis over the width of a broad line, although it still might apply in a line-averaged sense? Is there some other possibility or detail I have overlooked?
Let's suppose the broadening mechanism is van der Waals or Stark broadening - something where the energy levels of individual atoms are perturbed.
In this case you could use the following argument.
Divide the line profile up into groups of atoms which share the same perturbation and treat each of these as a subpopulation with a different energy gap and hence a perturbed $\nu\_0^{\prime}$. You can go through the usual argument involving the relationship between the Einstein coefficients and populate the two levels according to the Boltzmann factor, but with $h\nu\_0^{\prime}$ in the exponential argument. At the end of this you find the source function for each subpopulation follows the Planck function at the same temperature $T$. Hence LTE means that the source function equals the Planck function at each frequency.
I'm not sure if this explanation is right, so please feel free to point out inconsistencies.
A gas with two energy levels absorbs a range of frequencies centered around $\nu\_{0}$ because the atoms of the gas are in motion, making the photons appear appropriately doppler-shifted in their frame of reference.
In the laboratory frame, where the atoms of the gas are whizzing around, one could interpret this as a manifestation of the spread in energy levels of the gas. Therefore, any gas has fundamentally more than two energy levels. The relationship between Einstein's coefficients of any pair of energy levels (that are separated by a frequency $\nu$) is still:
\begin{equation}
\frac{A\_{21}}{B\_{21}} = \frac{8\pi h\nu^{3}}{c^{3}} \\
\frac{B\_{21}}{B\_{12}} = \frac{g\_{1}}{g\_{2}}
\end{equation}
Note that thermal spreading wouldn't disturb the degeneracies. This spread in energy levels has consequences, as you pointed out in the comments, for the Boltzmann factor. For every frequency difference $\nu$, the Boltzmann factor would now be:
\begin{equation}
\frac{n\_{u}}{n\_{l}} = e^{-h\nu/KT}
\end{equation}
Therefore, in principle, you could derive the source function for each frequency independently. It would then collectively hold that Kirchoff's law is applicable to any gas in LTE, regardless of what physical mechanisms contributed how much towards line spreading.
Of course, the following assumption is still utilized for **all transition frequencies**:
\begin{equation}
\phi(\nu) = \chi(\nu) = \psi(\nu)
\end{equation}
These line profile functions represent three very specific processes: Spontaneous Emission, Absorption, Stimulated Emission. These processes are ideally centered around a specific frequency $\nu\_{0}$ so that I would expect thermal broadening to affect them equally.
| stackexchange/physics |
Loop quantum gravity
Is [Loop Quantum Gravity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop_quantum_gravity) trying to bring quantum mechanics from it's principles? Or is it taking ideas from quantum mechanics and merging them with GR to find a theory of quantum gravity?
LQG in principle is trying to discuss gravity as a quantum field theory from a geometric perspective. It is not a "theory of everything" so it does not want to explain qm.
It evolved into a theory which is capable of discussing the evolution/interactions of a small (planck sized) chunk of space and also apply its principles to early universe physics (loop quantum cosmology, LQC).
If we have a working and renormalizable theory of quantum gravity then we can merge it with the standard model.
LQG is currently not trying to be such a theory, as quantizing gravity in itself is already hard enough of a problem!
LQG came from work on spin networks, which posed a simple question: Suppose you were unaware of space-time and looked at networks of interacting particles with spin, would space-time or something similarly arise naturally from their description?
Penrose only applied QM principles, he did not modify QM and did not bring in any GTR; rather he hoped that he could derive GTR-like results from his model. In this sense, LQG is much more natural than string theory which "generalises" QM. On the downside, not all the desired GTR-like results have yet been derived.
| stackexchange/physics |
Does the Doppler effect disprove the constancy of $c$? [closed]
**Closed**. This question needs [details or clarity](/help/closed-questions). It is not currently accepting answers.
---
**Want to improve this question?** Add details and clarify the problem by [editing this post](/posts/141681/edit).
Closed 8 years ago.
[Improve this question](/posts/141681/edit)
Why doesn't the [Doppler effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relativistic_Doppler_effect) disprove the relativity postulate that $c$ is constant relative to all sources or observers?
---
It seems it does because of the following example:
Suppose a ship of length $L$ faces an isotropic emitter (at the left in the diagram) emitting a constant frequency $\omega$ of wave crests a distance $\ell$ from the ship's stern:
Definitions:
$x\_0 = 0, t\_0$: emitter (origin)
$x\_1$, $t\_1$: stern
$x\_2$, $t\_2$: bow
$c$: speed of light (same constant in all frames)
Case 1: ship at rest
====================
stern
-----
$$|x\_1-0|=c(t\_1-t\_0)$$$$x\_1=\ell$$$$\implies\boxed{t\_1=t\_0+\ell/c}$$
bow
---
$$|x\_2-0|=c(t\_2-t\_0)$$$$x\_2=\ell+L$$$$\implies\boxed{t\_2=t\_0+(\ell+L)/c}$$
Propagation time from bow to stern:$$\implies\boxed{t\_2-t\_1=L/c}$$
Case 2: ship moving
===================
(Note: Prime variables here do not mean another frame; all measurements are done in the ship's frame)
Ship moving at speed $v$ toward emitter:
stern
-----
$$|x\_1'-0|=c(t\_1'-t\_0')$$$$x\_1'=\ell'-v(t\_1'-t\_0')$$$$\implies\boxed{t\_1'=t\_0'+\ell'/(c+v)}$$
bow
---
$$|x\_2'-0|=c(t\_2'-t\_0')$$$$x\_2'=\ell'+L-v(t\_2'-t\_0')$$$$\implies\boxed{t\_2'=t\_0'+(\ell'+L)/(c+v)}$$
Propagation time from bow to stern:$$\implies\boxed{t\_2'-t\_1'=L/(c+v)}$$
Thus, **the bow and stern observers together measure different values for $c$** ($c$ in case 1 and $c+v$ in case 2). This contradicts the assumption that $c$ is constant.
The time difference$$\Delta t=(t\_2-t\_1)-(t\_2'-t\_1')=L/c-L/(c+v)\approx vL/c^2$$is still the same regardless if the clocks are biased or run at different rates. Even if time dilation came into play for the primed times, it would be a 2nd order effect in $v/c$. Thus, relativity of simultaneity or time dilation has no effect. Lorentz contraction, even if it made a difference in the observers' frame (the ship frame), is also a second-order effect: $$\Delta L\approx L(v/c)^2/2.$$ But the $\Delta t$ above is 1st order: $$\Delta t\propto (v/c)^1.$$
As stated in the comments: The Doppler shift is a change in observed frequency due to relative speed difference. However, the speed with which the signal propagates is the speed of light.
It appears from your edit that you added the velocity of the ship and the speed of light classically. However, the velocity of the ship and the speed of light need to be added relativistically, using a Lorentz Transformation.
Here's a quick way to know something is amiss with your moving ship: You state that the stern observer sees a wave propagation speed of $c+v$ However, one consequence of Special Relativity is that information can not be transferred faster than the speed of light. Because $c+v>c$, you know something is up. If you apply a Lorentz Transformation you will observe a constant speed of light, $c$.
The speed of a photon, and all massless particles, is essentially always $c = 299792458\space m/s$. The Doppler effect is entirely contingent on the fact that the velocity is the same throughout. We have a source, $S$, emitting light at a certain speed:
$$|\space\space\space\space\space|\space\space\space\space\space|S|\space\space\space\space\space|\space\space\space\space\space|$$
moving at velocity, $v$:
$$v\rightarrow\\|\space\space\space\space\space\space\space|\space\space\space\space|S|\space\space|\space|$$
Where $v=f\lambda$
$$z = \frac{\lambda\_{\mathrm{obsv}} - \lambda\_{\mathrm{emit}}}{\lambda\_{\mathrm{emit}}}$$
Or, with respect to frequency:
$$z = \frac{f\_{\mathrm{emit}} - f\_{\mathrm{obsv}}}{f\_{\mathrm{obsv}}}$$
At no point does the velocity change.
| stackexchange/physics |
Newtons Third law - does it apply regardless of size difference between interacting bodies?
This is a theoretical question.
>
> Assume I have a $1000 \;\text{kg}$ box and just 1 molecule (say Oxygen) in a 100-meter-tall hollow vertical cylinder. The cylinder walls are much wider than the box and the box does not touch the walls of the cylinder. The box falls from the top of the cylinder under gravity.
>
>
>
1. Does the box exert $10000 \;\text{N}$ force on the $\text{O}\_2$ molecule?
2. Does the $\text{O}\_2$ molecule exert $10000 \;\text{N}$ force on the box?
Edit: to clarify, the molecule is stationary, situated midway vertically (ignore any effect of gravity on the molecule itself). The box falls from the top of the tube (under earth's gravity) and hits the molecule when it reaches halfway down. There is vacuum in the chamber - only the falling box and the molecule exist.
Yes. The three laws are fundamental to the analysis of Statics and Dynamics problems, regardless of size.
Let's say the molecule is in contact with the box at rest, before being dropped. When dropped, if the box were to accelerate the molecule and maintain the accumulated speed as the box falls, what force do you think is being applied to the molecule?
>
> Does the box exert 10000 N force on the O$\_2$ molecule?
>
>
>
No. Anything that did exert such a force would be sufficient to hold the acceleration at zero (I'm assuming we're doing this experiment near the earth's surface). The single molecule will not exert such a force and the box will accelerate downward.
>
> Does the O$\_2$ molecule exert 10000 N force on the box?
>
>
>
No. The force each exerts on the other is identical in magnitude.
Just because the box can exert a particular force on the ground doesn't mean it can exert that force on some other object. One way to think about it is to imagine throwing a basketball. You can probably exert 100N on that box with your arm. Now try to exert 100N of force on a feather. You won't be able to do it. The interaction with the low-mass feather causes acceleration rather than large forces to develop.
The same happens with the box and the molecule. If they interact, most of the result will be the molecule accelerating away, not large forces or the box accelerating.
The forces between the two objects will be but small and identical in magnitude
Earth attracts both the box and the molecule. By Newton's Third Law, both the box and the molecule attract the Earth with the same magnitude of force.
Similarly the box attracts the molecule and the molecule attracts the box with the same magnitude of force.
However, the magnitude of acceleration is dependent on the mass of the body concerned. For example, in a two body system, the body with higher mass will have smaller acceleration.
The forces in the question are incorrect. Actual forces can be found using Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation.
We generally prefer to have simpler equations. Due to this reason we make certain approximations in physics. The value of $G$ is too small, so while dealing with bodies with small mass(when I say small I mean masses that are not comparable to the mass of celestial bodies) gravitational force of attraction and other forces (like electric force, etc) are neglected.
The force exerted by box on molecule = force exerted by molecule on box = $\frac{Gm\_{box}m\_{molecule}}{r^2}$. The net acceleration of box turns out to be $g−\frac{Gm\_{molecule}}{r^2}$, since
$$m\_{molecule}<<1$$
hence $a\_{box}≈g$.... The result that we use is a simplified one.
The force between the box and the molecule will be tiny, not 10000N, although it will be reciprocal so Newton's third law will be obeyed.
You have made the example rather self-contradictory, since you have said that the box is falling as a result of gravity, yet we should ignore gravity as far as the molecule is concerned. However, for the sake of illustrating the principles involved, let us assume that gravity does not act on the molecule...
To make the scenario less ambiguous again, let us suppose the box is neutrally charged and composed of an inert substance that does not interact chemically with the O2 molecule, and that the molecule is motionless relative to the cylinder.
Given that, the approaching box will impart an electromagnetic force that will accelerate the molecule. The force will be electromagnetic- some type of Van Der Waals force, the exact form of which will depend on the shape of the surface of the box in the local area that comes closest to contact with the molecule.
The effect will be to accelerate the molecule to keep it at some equilibrium distance away from the box as the box falls. On average, therefore, the force exerted by the box on the molecule will be mg, where m is the mass of the molecule.
The principle would be clearer if the box were falling with a weightless string attached that went over a frictionless pulley and along a frictionless horizontal surface upon which the string lassoed the O2 molecule. As the box fell, it would drag the molecule along the horizontal surface. The molecule would move in pace with the box, accelerating at 1g.
| stackexchange/physics |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.