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Computing the beta-function using the Wilsonian Effective action
In [these lecture notes](https://arxiv.org/pdf/0909.0859.pdf), the beta-function for the $\phi^4$-theory is computed by identifying the change in the action when integrating modes with momenta $\mu'<|p|<\mu$, where $\mu$ and $\mu'$ are cut-offs as being the Wilsonian effective action.
In particular this turn out to be equal to
$$S[\varphi; \mu,g\_{2n}(\mu)]-S[\varphi; \mu + \delta \mu,g\_{2n}(\mu+\delta\mu)]=a \mu^{d-1}\int \mathrm d^d x \, \log (\mu^2+V''(\varphi))\delta \mu \,.$$
The author argues that the beta-functions for the couplings $g\_{2n}$ can be computed by 'expanding the right-hand side in powers of $\varphi$, leading to
$$\mu\frac{\mathrm d g\_{2n}}{\mathrm d \mu}= (n(d-2)-d)g\_{2n} - a \mu^{n(d-2)}\left.\frac{\mathrm d^{2n}}{\mathrm d \varphi^{2n}}\log (\mu^2+V''(\varphi))\right|\_{\varphi=0}\,. $$
Could someone give a lead to how to begin the derivation of this result?
According to the paper the potential is assumed to be of the form
$$V(\varphi)=\sum\_{n\ge 0}\frac{g\_{2n} \varphi^{2n}}{(2n)!}\mu^{d-n(d-2)}.$$
In this setting we assume a constant field value $\varphi $, for which the LHS take the form
$$\sum\_{n\ge 0}\frac{\varphi^{2n}\mu^{d-n(d-2)}}{(2n)!}\left((d-n(d-2))g\_{2n}\mu^{-1}+\frac{\partial g\_{2n}}{\partial \mu}\right) \delta \mu \times V\_d.$$
Expanding the RHS in powers of $\varphi $ gives $$\mu^{d-1}\sum\_{n\ge 0}\frac{\varphi^{2n}}{(2n)!}\frac{d^{2n}}{d \varphi^{2n}}\log\left( \mu^2+V''\right)|\_{\varphi=0} \delta \mu \times V\_d .$$ The result follows after setting LHS=RHS and collecting factors of $\varphi $.
| stackexchange/physics |
multiple sclerosis ( ms ) is considered a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system of autoimmune origin .
onset of disease is most frequently in young adulthood , between 20 to 40 years of age.1 although many aspects of ms pathogenesis have been elucidated , the exact causal mechanisms are still not fully understood .
an interplay between environmental factors in genetically susceptible individuals is assumed.2 this concept is supported by a wealth of research findings.35 unambiguously , once the disease has developed , it continues lifelong , and there is still no cure .
the course of the disease can be relapsing remitting , which means that episodes with exacerbation of neurological symptoms alternate with periods of remission.6 over time , these relapses often do not fully resolve , leading to a stepwise accumulation of disability .
moreover , after 1015 years , one - half of patients with initial relapsing remitting disease course will develop a secondary progressive disease7 that is characterized by a progressive increase of disability , independent of relapses and predominantly caused by deterioration of walking ability . only about 10%15% of patients exhibit a primary progressive disease course , which is defined by at least one year disease progression from onset on.8 a clinically isolated syndrome ( cis ) is diagnosed in patients with a first clinical event suggestive of ms and evidence of disease dissemination in space , but not yet evidence of dissemination in time , thus chronicity of disease .
one of the hallmarks of ms is a high variability of the natural disease course . while some patients , apart from relapses , never experience any handicap
, the majority of patients will ultimately develop disability to a variable degree and after a variable time interval after onset of disease . as first shown by confavreux et al9 and based on a concept of a two - stage disease with focal inflammation in the early stage and diffuse inflammation and neurodegeneration in a second - disease stage , leray et
al recently confirmed highly interesting data on time to disability accumulation in ms:10 while duration of the first stage from onset of disease until reaching a milestone of kurtzke disability status scale ( dss ) 311 ( corresponding to moderate disability ) ranged from less than 3 years to more than 15 years , duration of phase ii ( kurtzke dss 3 to dss 6 , the latter is defined by requiring unilateral assistance to walk 100 meters ) remained nearly identical in all patients with 69 years , irrespective of the duration of phase i. this observation suggests that , once a clinical threshold of irreversible disability is reached , further progression of disability becomes inevitable .
support of this hypothesis can be derived from two typical findings of the chronic progressive phase of ms . even in the absence of new or contrast - enhancing magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ) lesions ,
disability usually increases in the chronic progressive phase of the disease , and once the chronic progressive phase is reached , efficacy of disease - modifying therapies often declines.12,13 although relapse rate and progression of the expanded disability status score ( edss)11 are widespread parameters of disease activity , many patients with ms do not only suffer from physical disability ; they also suffer from neurocognitive decline , fatigue , or depression.14,15 hence , the diagnosis of ms is a life - changing event with a significant impact on family , society , and the social welfare system .
fortunately , during the last decades , several disease - modifying therapies ( dmt ) have been licensed that ameliorate the course of the disease.16 the aim of these dmt is to reduce inflammation , disease activity as measured by mri , and relapse rate .
thereby , a delay of transition into the secondary progressive phase and prevention of permanent disability ought to be achieved . due to the chronic nature of ms , dmts
are usually applied continuously over many years , or even decades . to keep in mind ,
dmts are applied in a preventive manner , since neuronal damage can not be reversed .
ms is the most frequent nontraumatic cause for disability among young adults in north america and europe.17 worldwide , about 2.5 million people are affected by ms ; although traditionally , the incidence is supposed to vary by geographical latitude.18 the highest prevalence with more than 30 ms patients per 100,000 inhabitants can be found in northern europe and north america .
a medium prevalence of 530 per 100,000 is observed in southern europe and the southern united states ; whereas , a low prevalence of fewer than 5 per 100,000 has been reported for asia and south america.19 population genetics , the geographically determined physical environment , and socioeconomic structures have been proposed as possible reasons for continental differences in ms prevalence.20 in the united states alone , about 400,000 individuals suffer from ms ; each week , more than 200 persons are newly diagnosed with the disease.18 according to estimates for 2010 , ms has been diagnosed in 540,000 subjects of the european population.21 however , recent epidemiological studies found an increasing incidence and prevalence of ms , especially in women.20 this seems to be the case also in areas of the world that were formerly classified as low - prevalence regions .
for example , ms prevalence was recently reported as 3155 per 100,000 inhabitants in the arabian gulf region and 0.8321.5 per 100,000 individuals in latin america and the caribbean.22,23 factors contributing to an increasing incidence of ms have not been fully elucidated .
earlier ms diagnosis , due to revised diagnostic criteria ; better ascertainment of diagnosis ; less sunlight exposure ; higher standards in hygiene ; and cigarette smoking , have all been proposed as likely candidates.20,24 the economic impact of ms can be divided into direct costs and indirect costs .
direct costs account for health care costs , such as pharmaceuticals , inpatient care costs , outpatient care costs , additional treatments like physiotherapy , and medical aids .
in contrast , indirect costs are caused by productivity loss of patients and caregivers.25 this might be due to sick leave , reduced daily working time , unemployment , or premature retirement . in europe , mean annual cost per person with ms is estimated to be around 27,000 , ranging from 7,227 in bulgaria to 44,565 in luxembourg . on average ,
about two - thirds of the totals are caused by direct costs , while approximately one - third are derived from indirect costs.21 in 1998 , all - over costs of ms in the united states were us$6.8$11.9 billion annually , which averages about us$34,000 per patient , per year.26 in a survey among patients receiving dmt in the united states in 2004 , total average costs per patient and year were estimated as high as us$47,000.27 of these , 63% accounted for direct costs , including 34% of total costs ( us$16,000 ) for dmt . of note ,
patients having suffered a relapse were found to have higher costs than patients without relapse.27,28 furthermore , several studies have shown that total costs rise with increasing disability.2832 in line with this result , a secondary and primary progressive disease course was found to be more costly than a relapsing remitting one , due to a rise of indirect costs .
besides degree of physical disability , age , depression , and fatigue have been identified as independent factors of an increase of costs.32 quality of life remarkably and constantly declines with advancing stages of disability , and the occurrence of relapses negatively affects quality of life measures.28,31
it was in 1993 that interferon beta-1b was introduced as the first dmt of ms .
still , it represents a very common first - line treatment that is widely used .
remitting ms , and secondary progressive ms with superimposed relapses.33 there are three different recombinant interferon beta preparations on the market . interferon beta-1b
( betaferon , bayer healthcare pharmaceuticals , berlin , germany ; betaseron , bayer healthcare pharmaceuticals , berlin , germany ; extavia , novartis , basel , switzerland ) is recombinantly expressed in escherichia coli and is subcutaneously injected every other day .
interferon beta-1a is recombinantly expressed in chinese hamster ovary cells and is identical to the human interferon beta.34 there are two preparations of interferon beta-1a .
rebif ( merck serono , geneva , switzerland ) is subcutaneously administered three times a week .
avonex ( biogen idec , cambridge , ma , usa ) is applied once weekly as an intramuscular injection .
placebo - controlled trials have demonstrated a significant reduction of disease activity for all three interferon beta preparations.3537 the pivotal trial on efficacy of interferon beta-1b in ms , which led to the initial approval of the drug for treatment of ms , demonstrated an annual relapse rate of 1.27 for placebo and 0.84 for 250 g interferon beta-1b.35 similar results were observed for interferon beta-1a . in the prevention of relapses and
disability by interferon beta-1a subcutaneously in multiple sclerosis ( prisms ) trial on subcutaneous interferon beta-1a , the annual relapse rate was 1.28 for placebo , 0.91 for 22 g , and 0.87 for 44 g.37
intramuscular interferon beta-1a reduced the annual relapse rate to 0.61 , compared with 0.90 in the placebo group.36 these findings are supported by significant reduction of mri disease activity in all three trials , while only in the latter two trials , a beneficial effect on disability progression was recorded during this 2-year study period . while these therapies have been introduced , a better understanding of ms pathophysiology especially the knowledge of unrecoverable axonal loss already in early stages of the disease has prompted a fundamental shift in the ms treatment approach and provided the rational for early ms treatment.33,34 based on this consideration , dmts are initiated early in the course of the disease and before irreversible neuronal damage and disability have occurred . following the concept of early ms treatment , interferon beta treatment has been investigated in patients with cis and has shown a beneficial effect in terms of conversion to definite ms , edss progression , and mri disease activity.3841 in the betaferon/betaseron in newly emerging multiple sclerosis for initial treatment ( benefit ) trial,40 patients with cis were randomized to receive interferon beta1-b or placebo for 2 years , or until clinically definite multiple sclerosis ( cdms ) was diagnosed , according to the poser et al criteria.42 within the 2-year study period , 45% of patients in the placebo group versus 28% of the interferon beta group progressed to cdms , according to poser et al ; and 85% of the placebo versus 69% of the interferon beta group were diagnosed with definite ms , according to the mcdonald criteria of 2001.43 both results reached statistically significant difference .
these data revealed a significant lower number of newly active lesions , cumulative number of new t2-weighted mri lesions and gadolinium - enhancing lesions , as well as cumulative volume of gadolinium - enhancing lesions in the interferon beta - treated patients group .
of note , there was no change of health - related quality of life observed during the 2 years .
after having finished the placebo - controlled core study , patients were offered to enroll in an open - label interferon beta-1b 250 g follow - up trial to investigate effects of early treatment in cis , versus delayed treatment after diagnosis of cdms or after 2 years on study .
three years after initial randomization , 37% of the early treatment group versus 51% of the delayed - treatment group have developed cdms ( risk reduction of 41% ) ; 16% of the early treatment group versus 24% of the delayed - treatment group experienced confirmed edss progression ( risk reduction 40%).44 a subgroup analysis revealed lower treatment effects in patients with less clinical or mri activity at the time of the first event ; patients with initial multifocal presentation and high lesion load would benefit more from early treatment . in the 5-year active treatment extension follow - up study , risk reduction of cdms remained 37% in the early treatment group ; whereas , no statistically significant difference in confirmed disability progression was observed any more between early and delayed interferon beta treatment.45 in both treatment groups , median edss remained 1.5 during the 5-year study period .
finally , in the benefit extension trial , a long - term international observational study of patients having completed the initial placebo - controlled core study , data on follow - up for more than 8 years are available.46 at the discretion of the physician and according to local standards , patients were treated with any of the disease - modifying drugs or received no treatment . during the study periods , 5.1% of patients received no treatment ; 77.6% received no other drug than interferon beta-1b ; 6% , interferon beta-1a ; 5.8% , glatiramer acetate ; and 6.6% of patients received any escalation therapy . in the overall study population ,
disability as quantified by the edss changed only slightly over 8 years , with the median edss remaining 1.5 at year 8 .
however , 55.5% of patients , who had received early interferon beta treatment in the core study , developed clinically definite ms , while clinically definite ms was diagnosed in 65.8% of patients with delayed interferon beta treatment . moreover ,
a difference of the overall annualized relapse rate was still observed over the 8-year period 0.20 early treatment versus 0.26 delayed treatment.47 placebo - controlled clinical trials on interferon beta-1a in cis have yielded very similar results,38,41 suggesting a class effect of interferon beta treatment in early ms and cis . by numerous investigational trials and the clinical experience in interferon beta for two decades , safety and tolerability profile of this drug is well - known and has proven favorable , also , in long - term application .
side effects mainly include injection site reactions , flu - like symptoms , leukopenia , and liver - enzyme elevation.48 moreover , up to 40% of patients develop antibodies against interferon beta , which antagonize bioactivity in a significant proportion of patients.4951 if neutralizing antibodies against interferon beta persistently occur , therapeutic efficacy of the drug is reduced or abolished.5256 besides interferon beta glatiramer acetate ( [ ga ] , copaxone , teva , petah tikva , israel ) represents a common first - line therapy with daily subcutaneous injections , which is approved for treatment of patients with relapsing remitting ms , as well as for patients with cis and typical mri features of ms .
the precise ( early glatiramer acetate treatment in delaying conversion to clinically definite multiple sclerosis in subjects presenting with a clinically isolated syndrome ) study demonstrated that ga reduced the risk of developing clinically definite multiple sclerosis by 45% , compared with placebo during a 3-year study period.57 interferon beta and ga are the only agents that are licensed for treatment of cis .
however , for the sake of completeness , it needs to be mentioned that there are several other therapeutics licensed for baseline and escalation therapy in definite ms , and more agents are likely to enter the market.16 approval of all these agents is usually based on efficacy and safety data of a 2-year clinical trial . in ms
phase ii and phase iii interventional clinical trials , a duration of about 6 months to a few years has become common , since demonstration of efficacy usually needs several months of treatment . on the other hand , duration of clinical trials
longer than 2 years will make a well - controlled trial less feasible to accomplish and might hold back an effective treatment from ms patient care .
given an increasing number of available dmt in ms , trials investigating the long - term efficacy are needed .
this is to briefly summarize the terms and types of pharmacoeconomic evaluations used in the studies reviewed here ( adapted from clifford goodman unless cited otherwise).25 cost - effectiveness analyses ( cea ) measure costs in monetary units and consequences in natural units , such as life - years gained , or relapses avoided.58 in cost - utility analyses ( cua ) , a variant of cea , consequences are measured in terms of preference - based measures of health,58 most commonly based on quality - adjusted life - years ( qaly).59 a qaly is a unit that adjusts gained or lost life - years subsequent to an intervention by the quality of life during those years . gained or lost life - years are multiplied by a weighting factor ( utilities ) ranging from 0.00 ( representing death ) to 1.00 ( representing a perfect health state ) .
cea and cua always involve comparison of alternative interventions , expressed as incremental cost - effectiveness ratio ( icer ) and incremental cost - utility ratio ( icur ) , respectively .
therefore , incremental costs are divided by the change of effectiveness or utility ( eg , qualys gained ) .
depending on the perspective of pharmacoeconomic evaluations ( eg , society overall , third - party payers , patients ) , different types of costs are of interest .
costs need to be corrected for effects of inflation ; both costs and outcomes should be discounted .
discounting reflects the fact that costs and benefits tend to have less value in the future than in present .
the former approach involves collection of original data ( eg , randomized controlled studies ) .
quantitative modeling - based pharmacoeconomic analyses simulate costs and consequences of pharmacological interventions , based on existing data and estimates of key variables where there are no data available . in this type of analysis
it is based on predefined sets of health states ( eg , edss levels ) . its time horizon is divided into equal increments of time , referred to as markov cycles . for each cycle ,
costs , outcomes , and transition probabilities of moving from one state to another or of remaining in the same state are estimated.60 finally , sensitivity analyses determine robustness of results of model - based analyses by varying the estimates of key variables within plausible ranges ( eg , by applying a multivariate approach ) .
we conducted a systematic literature search in medline ( pubmed ) on december 14 , 2012 , applying the medical subject headings ( mesh ) terms multiple sclerosis and costs and cost analysis .
we deliberately chose the comprehensive mesh term costs and cost analysis to cover all potentially relevant studies .
four hundred fourteen publications met our search criteria , including 40 non - english publications , which were excluded ; titles and abstracts of the resulting 374 publications were reviewed by fc and db .
inclusion criteria were as follows : ( 1 ) original research on the pharmacoeconomics of dmt in ms ; ( 2 ) comparative study ; and ( 3 ) comparators ( initiation of dmt at the time of the first demyelinating event versus treatment after cdms ) .
because our search strategy resulted in no more than four relevant studies,6164 we did not exclude the study by curkendall et al,62 although the authors only report on costs and not on health - outcome measures of dmt in cis .
the remaining three studies were rated for quality of health - economic analyses , based on the quantitative scoring system that has been proposed by chiou et al ( range 0100 ; 0 representing the lowest ; 100 representing the highest quality).65 the 16-item weighted scoring system was independently applied by fc and db .
our scoring results were in accordance with the results reported by yamamoto and campbell , who chose the same approach ( table 1).66
as outlined before , early initiation of dmt with interferon beta or ga has been proven to reduce time to cdms , relapse rate , and disease progression .
this observation led to the approval of interferon beta and ga for treatment of relapsing remitting ms , as well as cis .
therefore , initiation of dmt may be started even before definite diagnosis of ms is established . to date
, four studies have been published that address the economic impact of starting dmt at the time of the incident cis versus after conversion to cdms ( table 1).6164 the swedish study by caloyeras et al estimates cost - effectiveness of interferon beta-1b if initiated in cis compared with delayed treatment after the diagnosis of cdms has been made.61 the authors applied a markov model analysis , based on twelve health states defined by edss scores , the assigned diagnosis ( ie , cis versus cdms ) , and the course of disease ( ie , relapsing or nonrelapsing forms of ms , and death ) . transition probabilities after 6-month cycles were estimated for a lifetime time horizon of 50 years .
the authors assumed that treatment discontinuation rates would not differ between both treatment arms ; all hypothetical patients would discontinue dmt after roughly 25 years . switching to another dmt and
the core input data for the statistical model were derived from the benefit trial.40,44,45 moreover , extrapolations of benefit data and best available data from the published literature were used as model parameters .
results of the cua demonstrate that , during a 50-year time horizon , patients assigned to the early treatment group gained 12.9 qalys , as compared with 12.4 qualys in the delayed - treatment group . on average ,
patients in the delayed - treatment group progressed 2 years earlier to cdms ( estimated conversion rate 99.54% ) , compared with patients in the early treatment group ( estimated conversion rate 99.31% ) .
direct medical costs ( ie , interferon beta-1b drug costs , costs for inpatient and outpatient care , and costs related to testing , other drugs , and relapse events ) were higher in the early treatment arm , whereas indirect costs ( ie , costs related to early retirement and short - term absence ) and direct nonmedical costs ( ie , informal care , services , investments ) in the delayed - treatment group exceeded those in the early treatment group . when all costs were summed up over the 50-year time horizon ,
total costs in the delayed - treatment arm were higher than those in the early treatment arm ( difference of approximately 344,000 sek per patient ) .
in summary , the markov model - based estimation revealed that early interferon beta-1b treatment may decrease total costs and increase qalys .
however , sensitivity analyses revealed that costs per qaly gained were very high for short time horizons .
in fact , only for time horizons longer than 10 years , early treatment was less costly and more effective with respect to qalys gained .
this study reached the highest quality of health economic studies ( qhes ) score of the articles reviewed here ( 99 points ) .
curkendall et al applied a different approach to assess the pharmacoeconomics of early dmt.62 their analysis was based on insurance claims data in the united states for the years 20002008 , extracted from the thomson reuters marketscan commercial and medicare supplemental databases ; therefore , only health care expenditures and utilizations were analyzed .
the core inclusion and exclusion criteria were as follows : ( 1 ) no diagnosis of ms during 12 months before and at the time of a cerebral mri ; this mri scan was defined as start date of the 12-months observation period ; ( 2 ) at least one symptom that was documented 6 months before or 1 month after the index date and that was likely to be attributable to ms ; ( 3 ) initiation of treatment with interferon beta-1a , interferon beta-1b , or ga sometime during the follow - up period .
thus , cis patients who may have received dmt after the follow - up period were not included .
patients were categorized into two groups an early dmt and a delayed dmt group depending on whether they received dmt before or after the diagnosis of ms .
ms diagnosis was defined as one inpatient claim or two outpatients claims coded with icd-9-cm diagnosis code 340 .
three thousand nine hundred fifty one patients were enrolled ; 227 and 3,724 were assigned to the early and delayed - treatment cohort , respectively .
the mean follow - up was approximately 3 years in both groups , yet the pharmacoeconomic analysis was restricted to the first year after the index mri .
the mean time interval between index mri and initiation of dmt was , as expected , significantly shorter in the early treatment group than in the delayed - treatment group ( 122 days versus 184 days ) .
however , this difference was small , and more than 90% of the patients assigned to the delayed - treatment group received dmt within the first year after index mri . within the observation period ,
the early dmt cohort had significantly fewer hospitalizations compared with the delayed dmt cohort ( 0.20 versus 0.33 ) .
total drug expenditures were higher in the early dmt cohort ; whereas , total ms - related expenditures were significantly lower in the early dmt group , compared with the delayed dmt group after taking out costs for dmt .
both all - cause and ms - related total financial expenditures were not significantly different between the two groups ( all - cause total expenditures us$31,184 in the early dmt group , us$30,051 in the delayed dmt group ) .
the authors conclude that the high drug costs of early dmt might be compensated by savings in other medical expenditures . however , the observation period was short , and the analysis was conducted from a third - party payer s perspective alone .
the qhes quality score could not be applied to this study , as it does not report on outcome measures , thus not fulfilling the criteria of pharmacoeconomic analyses .
in contrast to the other articles reviewed here , the strength of this study lies in the analysis of real costs , albeit restricted to health care expenditures .
lazzaro et al applied an open cohort epidemiological model from an italian perspective.63 two treatment arms were analyzed .
one group of patients received interferon beta-1b after diagnosis of cis ; the other group was treated with interferon beta-1b after diagnosis of cdms .
observation period lasted 25 years with 2,000 cis patients being added to each treatment arm every year , resulting in two cohorts of 50,000 patients each .
the conversion rates for years 12 were based on the benefit data,40 while the conversion rates for the remaining 22 years were assumed to decline asymptotically .
nineteen years after cdms diagnosis , approximately 50% of the patients would progress to secondary progressive ms .
moreover , the observation period was arbitrarily divided into four periods ( year 0 ; years 110 ; years 1120 ; and years 2124 ) . based on the report by kobelt
et al,67 edss scores were converted into utility parameters , which were assumed to stay constant within each period .
costs were adopted from both the italian national health service ( inhs ) and the societal viewpoints .
most of the cost estimates were based on the italian cost - of - illness study by amato et al;68 all costs were reported in 2006 euro . according to this analysis , patients gained 7.84 and 7.49 qalys in the early and delayed treatment arm , respectively ; the difference of 0.35 qalys reached the level of significance .
the cua showed that , from the inhs perspective ( ie , only health care resources were considered ) , the icur for early versus delayed interferon treatment was 2,575 per qualy gained and lay considerably below a recently proposed italian willingness to pay of 12,00060,000 per qaly.69 when patient and family resources ( ie , the societal perspective ) were additionally taken into account , early treatment would be even less costly than delayed treatment ( 220,416 versus 226,022 per patient for early versus delayed treatment , respectively ) .
the authors conclude that , from the health service and societal perspective , early treatment with interferon beta-1b may be cost - effective , compared with treatment initiation after cdms .
however , this interpretation did not hold true for short time horizons as there was a sharp decline in icur estimates over the first years ; eg , from the societal perspective , the icur started from approximately 135,000 per qualy gained at year 1 , decreased below 60,000 after year 3 , and , finally , became negative after year 6 onward .
the qhes score of this study reached 75 points and lay considerably below the quality score of the swedish study reviewed here .
iskedjian et al performed a pharmacoeconomic analysis of treatment with interferon beta-1a administered intramuscularly once weekly in cis patients ; the study was conducted from a canadian perspective.64 the aim of this study was to investigate : ( 1 ) cost - effectiveness of interferon beta-1a treatment based on the gain of additional monosymptomatic life - years ( mlys ) ; and ( 2 ) cost - utility of long - term interferon beta treatment based on the gain of quality - adjusted monosymptomatic life - years ( qamlys ) .
monosymptomatic life - years were defined as years after diagnosis of cis and before diagnosis of cdms . for cis patients ,
high - dose intravenous steroid pulse therapy ( plus tapering ) for the index event ( current treatment ) and high dose intravenous steroid pulse therapy ( plus tapering ) for the index event plus interferon beta-1a .
once the diagnosis of cdms was established , all patients received the same treatment regime with interferon and high dose steroids for treatment of relapse .
the time horizon of the cea and cua was 12 and 15 years , respectively , starting from diagnosis of cis and extending to various edss stages of cdms . for the cea and cua ,
two markov models were developed : the state of cis and various edss states defined the markov cycles ( cycle length , 1 year ) .
the conversion rate to cdms was derived from the efficacy results of the controlled high risk avonex multiple sclerosis study ( champs ) study.38 transition probabilities through the various stages of edss were derived from a canadian ms study by weinshenker et al.7 cost analyses , including unemployment rates and the average hospital length of stay within each edss level , were based on data from the literature7072 and canadian health authorities .
costs were reported in 2002 canadian dollars ( ca$ ) ; total costs were estimated from the perspective of the canadian ministry of health ( moh ) and from the canadian societal perspective .
the former perspective was limited to direct medical costs ; the latter additionally covered direct nonmedical and indirect costs .
the input parameters tested in the sensitivity analyses comprised the progression rate to cdms , the indirect costs associated with the duration from cis diagnosis to cdms , the time horizon , the discount rate , and the utilities .
the cea demonstrates that the incremental cost - effectiveness ratio ( icer ) of interferon beta per mly gained was ca$53,110 and ca$44,789 from the moh and societal perspectives , respectively .
as opposed to the moh perspective , interferon beta treatment was considered cost - effective from the societal perspective , as costs of current treatment per mly gained were higher ( ca$75,444 ) than the icer of interferon beta treatment .
the cua was conducted , based on the utility estimates derived from both a canadian and a swedish study.30,70 from the moh perspective , incremental cost of interferon beta per qamly gained ( icur ) was ca$227,586 ( ca$116,071 for the swedish utility estimates ) ; whereas , from the societal perspective , incremental cost of interferon beta reached ca$189,286 ( ca$91,228 , swedish utility estimates ) .
the sensitivity analyses showed that both the cea and cua were sensitive to variations of the time horizon with shorter horizons producing higher icer / ucer and vice versa .
the multivariate sensitivity analysis of the cea showed that in 87% and 6% of the resulting scenarios the icer of interferon beta therapy would be lower than the costs of current treatment per mly gained from the societal and moh perspective , respectively .
therefore , the authors conclude that interferon beta treatment in cis may be cost - effective .
however , this conclusion could be drawn from the cea of the societal perspective , only .
moreover , concerning the results of the cost - utility analysis , the authors omit to address the issue of decision makers willingness to pay . of the three pharmacoeconomic studies reviewed here ,
ms is a chronic disease with high economic burden on patients , families , the health system , and society .
worldwide incidence and prevalence seems to be increasing with a total of about 2.5 million individuals currently being affected by ms .
as reviewed here , several studies have demonstrated that progression of disease severity is accompanied by a rise of total costs as well as a change in the distribution of costs . during early stages of the disease , direct costs , which are mainly caused by dmt , dominate the total costs ; whereas , with accumulation of disability during later stages of the disease especially indirect costs significantly increase.73 moreover , occurrence of relapses has been associated with a peak of costs .
noteworthy , quality of life is substantially reduced with increase of disability and during relapse .
due to a better understanding of ms pathogenesis and the experience that efficacy of available dmt is high in early stages of ms but declines in the progressive phase of the disease , the concept of early ms treatment has been established .
therefore , dmts are usually initiated after diagnosis of relapsing remitting ms or even before definite diagnosis of ms is made at the stage of cis . since dmts are , in general , considered as rather expensive treatments , there has been much debate whether it is economically justifiable to widely prescribe these drugs .
a major concern is that clinical trials for approval of dmt even though they have clearly demonstrated efficacy on parameters such as relapses , mri activity , and sometimes also on edss progression during the trial have hardly addressed long - term disability .
numerous studies have investigated the pharmacoeconomics of dmt in ms , though only few have explicitly analyzed the pharmacoeconomic effect of early initiation of dmt in cis.6164 these studies indicate that early versus delayed treatment with interferon beta may be overall cost - effective in the long term .
reduction of relapses , hospitalization , and indirect costs and a gain of qalys seem to outweigh the costs of dmts .
however , to keep in mind , all these analyses and models highly depend on estimates of the applied input parameters .
for instance , becker et al74 recently demonstrated the impact of cohort selection by replicating a previously published model - based analysis75 on the cost - effectiveness of interferon beta in ms . based on a different patient cohort with longer follow - up ,
costs per relapse avoided turned out to be approximately 45% lower than in the original model . in their study
reviewed here , iskedjian et al showed that , from the canadian societal perspective , estimated incremental costs of early interferon beta treatment would be 189,286 cad per qamly gained . when applying different utility estimates ,
the same analysis resulted in 91,228 cad , which is less than 50% of the former result.64 however , it seems to be ambiguous which of the applied utility estimates may be more valid than the other .
thus , results of pharmacoeconomic studies and inferences that may be drawn by decision makers largely depend on the analysis approach , the applied simulations and estimations , the perspective of the analysis , and particularly on the quality of the pharmacoeconomic analysis .
as shown in our review and for instance in the recent work by yamamoto et al , the latter has turned out to be considerably variable.66 we believe that this is especially critical in a chronic , heterogeneous , and complex disease , such as ms . in this context , one should note , that several pharmacoeconomic studies in ms , including the four studies reviewed here , have been funded by manufacturers of dmt ( table 1 ) . obviously , the results of all four reviewed studies can not be readily generalized to other national settings as several key input data ( eg , costs ) were country - specific.76 besides interferon beta and ga , new dmts have been introduced , which are used as baseline and/or escalation therapy .
the wider range of dmts , as well as escalation strategies , needs to be taken into account in future pharmacoeconomic studies , which will be even more challenging .
therefore , we need more data on long - term efficacy of dmt and costs in ms in the real - life setting
. biomarkers , which will help to stratify patients at early stages with respect to severity of the disease course and response to therapy , are of great need from an economic point of view and even more so for patient care . | pubmed |
Temperature of ideal gas in a cylinder
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> **12** An ideal gas is contained in an insulating cylinder fitted with a piston, as shown.
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> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SC0jO.png)
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> The piston is suddenly moved inwards so that the volume of the gas is reduced. What happens to the temperature of the gas?
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> **A** It increases because the gas molecules bounce off the piston at higher speeds.
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> **B** It increases because the gas molecules collide with each other more often.
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> **C** It stays constant because $\mathrm{pressure \times volume}$ is constant for an ideal gas.
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> **D** It stays constant because the cylinder is an insulator.
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Why is option **A** and **C** wrong or correct?
My attempted answer:
**A**: is plausible as if the piston is suddenly moved inwards, the gas molecules bounce off the piston at higher speeds. Since temperature is proportional to rms speed, temperature increases.
Or, based on 1st law of thermodynamics, the piston suddenly moved in. So means $Q = 0$ because there is no time for the heat transfer. Since compression, $W$ is +ve, so $U$ is +ve. That implies $T$ increases.
**C**: as $P$ increases, $V$ decreases.
Please help to correct my understanding!
When the piston is moved suddenly, then the pressure on the piston is greater than the average pressure in the chamber: the process is not reversible and some energy is lost to fluid as opposed to an adiabatic reversible process.
According to the first principle, and because the heat transfer to the system is 0 (insulating cylinder) the internal energy of the system increases. It implies that the temperature of the gas increases over time.
What do you think about the other answers ?
**The answer is B.**
Pushing the piston is doing work against the pressure exerted by the gas. By doing so, it increases the internal energy within the system and part of it transfers into KE and thus increases the temperature.
| stackexchange/physics |
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Is time travel possible? Is it possible to go back in time?
I read somewhere that according to relativity, it is possible - involving black holes and other stuff - to jump into the past. Is it possible for anything to go back in time either continuously or by jumping?
It is mathematically possible to create some instances in which an object goes back in time *relative to some observer*. For example, simply going faster than light causes such an effect, but of course, speed of light is the limit for any massive object.
While it is mathematically possible, there are many paradoxes caused by time travel to past, unless you accept existence of some sorts of multiverses, which doesn't really qualify as a time travel to past anyway, rather travel between said multiverses. Mainly, and most importantly, time travel to past violates "causality", one of the main principles the universe is thought to have, in which the cause precedes the result, e.g. your father is born before you are born. Through time travel to past, it is possible for the "result" to eliminate its "cause" before it causes the result, that is, you killing your father before you were conceived. This is not the only paradox caused by time travel to past, however this is one of the main ones.
Also, I think it was Hawking that suggested this, we see no time-travelers around us, pointing out to the fact that humanity will not achieve the technology to go back in time as far as it wants. HOWEVER, it is possible that time travel to past may be discovered, only limited to taking travelers back to the creation of the machine, as some time travel machines work on this principle, namely wormholes.
Needless to say, wormholes require extremely exotic conditions to form and maintain, and therefore are very far from being created deliberately, if they even exist.
There are solutions to Einstein's field equations, which have closed timelike curves. For example Godel's solution. Would that constitute time travel, if you can reach the same point on your world line in finite time? One objection may be that such solution do not describe the universe, but examples as the Tipler's cylinder suggest that at least in theory we could modify parts of the universe to get closed timelike curves. Another objection may be that to talk about past and future you need linear order on time moments, which is not the case for closed curves.
Relativity consists of special relativity (SR) and its generalization general relativity (GR), which includes gravity.
In SR, the history of an object is described by its [world-line](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_line) through spacetime. Every event has future and past [light cones](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_cone), and a material object such as a person's body is limited to "traveling" from the past light cone to the future light cone. Therefore you can't have a world-line that forms a closed loop. A world-line such as a material object's that always stays inside the light cone is called timelike.
In GR the situation is considerably modified. GR allows the existence of [closed timelike curves](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_timelike_curve) (CTCs), which, although timelike everywhere, nevertheless close back on themselves. To conceptualize this, you can imagine drawing an ordinary timelike world-line on a piece of paper, but then wrapping the paper up into a cylinder. As far as we know, our universe doesn't contain CTCs, and there is no natural or artificial process that could create them. If the universe doesn't already contain any CTCs, then it's believed (Hawking 1992) that creating a new CTC from scratch would require exotic forms of matter (essentially, matter with negative mass). Even if one did have access to exotic matter, creating a CTC would require manipulation of matter on a godlike scale.
Supposing that a CTC exists, there are all kinds of other issues that come up involving causality (time-travel paradoxes) and quantum mechanics. A good (but somewhat out of date) popular-level discussion is given in Thorne 1995.
Hawking, S.W., (1992) The chronology protection conjecture. Phys. Rev. D46, 603-611.
Thorne, Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy
Yes, it is possible in quantum mechanics. Such setups are known as closed timelike curves (CTCs). As you may know, time travel may lead to the [Grandfather's paradox](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandfather_paradox).
There are two mathematical ways to resolve the paradox in QM. The corresponding timelike curves are called D-CTCs (named after [David Deutsch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Deutsch) who proposed them) and P-CTCs (postselected CTCs).
The D-CTC resolves the paradox by postulating that any paradoxical event converges to a fixed point which is usually a mixed quantum state (like in Schroedinger's cat paradox). The disadvantage of such CTC is that the content of the loop cannot be measured in the future: any measurement collapses the wavefunction and destroys the CTC and does not depend on the input due to inevitable convergence to the fixed point. As such, the information cannot be read or written to/from the loop, the loop just exists by itself.
The P-CTC resolves the paradox by postulating that paradoxical outcomes are prohibited and contradicting histories are eliminated. This has been demonstrated in an [experiment](http://arxiv.org/abs/1005.2219).
Such property of P-CTC allows time travel to be utilized for computation, that is, using the same time interval for multiple calculations. Unfortunately, only one result can be read in the future, so such quantum computer would require special algorithms.
Note that the observer himself never can travel to the past because any histories which lead to entropy decrease would be erased from his memory and as such, unobservable. Whatever the path of the observer, he always sees entropy to increase.
The field that studies closed timelike curves is called non-linear quantum mechanics.
The closed timelike curves in General Relativity, if exist, are thought to resolve paradoxes in a similar way, through non-linear quantum mechanics.
IMO the answer is no. I share the Israel Pérez view that time is not an entity 'de per se'. It is a mental construct percieved upon the existence of motion.
See number 7 (pages 6/7) [A physicist’s view of the universe: a philosophical approach](http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1012/1012.2423v1.pdf)
Understanding what time 'is', and what it is not, is fundamental to my answer.
Mathematically we can do whatever we like as long we dont contradict, but we need a physical and philosophical insight when we try to understand the universe. This understanding narrows what can happen.
The whole paper seems to me very interesting at several levels.
I think that he partially shares the view exposed by Espinosa in 'Ethics' about space/matter (available via the Guttenberg Project).
Positrons are electrons that are travelling backwards in time, so, yes, it is possible to travel backwards in time. Just very expensive. I'm not making this up.
| stackexchange/physics |
Danny Phantom, Teen Titans 1. The Phantom Fugitive?
Target: Phantom III: Framed
Chapter 1: The Phantom Fugitive?
The alarm rang throughout the bank and the Teen Titans came running right into the scene. The door to the bank vault was destroyed along with some unconscious guards on the floor and as they Titans looked into the main vault, they were shocked to see that it was Danny Phantom holding some gold in his hand.
"Okay" said Cyborg as he was slowly approaching Danny, "there is something wrong with you. We can talk this over with you."
"I don't think so" said the supposed Danny as he fired a ghost beam at Cyborg, knocking him toward the other Titans and crashing onto the floor, "I believe I just found a new use for my powers."
"Titans go!" shouted Robin as he took out his fighting rod.
As Beast Boy made his charge at the allege Danny Phantom, Beast Boy changed himself into a rhinoceros and charged at Danny. Danny then dodged him by going invisible and fired a ghost beam at Beast Boy, knocking him against some gold that was on the ground. Raven then attempted to use her powers and threw some objects at Danny, but he turned invisible and of course fired another ghost beam at Raven, knocking her off balance while Starfire went after Danny by firing a few star bolts at him. Danny then again turned invisible and dodged the attack.
"Danny" said Robin as he got in front of him, "why are you doing this?"
"I don't need to tell you" replied the supposed Danny.
Danny then uppercut Robin and he crashed right on the floor of the bank vault. Robin finally recovered from the attack and the rest of the Titans gathered and charged all at once against Danny. The supposed Danny then fired a large ghost beam at all five Titan members, causing them all to crash in various places around the bank vault. Danny then turned invisible as he picked up the gold and left the scene. After the allege Danny left the scene more police officers came into the scene and helped the Titans and the unconscious guards up.
"Who did this?" asked a police officer to Robin as he was helping him up.
"D-Danny P-Phantom" replied Robin in a weak voice.
Meanwhile, the allege Danny Phantom was at a secret location where several shadowy figures stood there waiting for him.
"Is the deed done?" asked Walker as he revealed himself from the shadows.
"It went quite well" smiled Bertrand as he turned back into his normal self and handed the gold to Walker.
"Now those Titans would make the fugitive who escaped from my prison the most wanted criminal" said Walker as he gave an evil grin.
A few days later, the Titans recovered from their wounds and gathered the other Titan members together.
"What's the big emergency?" asked Aqualad to Robin.
"We believe one of our own has gone to the other side" replied Robin as he showed photos of the allege Danny Phantom on the computer screen in the main room.
"So what do you want us to do about it?" asked Hotspot.
"This guy is pretty tough" replied Beast Boy, "he flipped all of us just like pancakes."
"And I didn't even get to use my sonic cannon against him" complained Cyborg.
"But how do we know if that was the same person who did this?" asked Argent, "Should at least spy on your friend Danny first before we jump to conclusions?"
"It is true that Danny is our friend" said Starfire.
"But he also went to criminal elements" added Raven.
"Which is not good" continued Robin, "and like any criminal, we're going to have to hunt him down."
"But if it does come down to that" said Speedy, "how are we going to take him down? He is after all part ghost."
"I unfortunately believe we're going to have to get help from a government group known as the Guys in White" said Robin, "and if worse comes to worse, employ inform his parents on his secret."
"If it is true that he has turned to criminal acts" said Aqualad, "I'm in for taking him down."
"We'll send a few of you to Amity Park to make sure these things are true" said Robin, "any volunteers?"
"I could blend in within the local school as a typical Goth girl" said Argent.
"We'll be up above looking down on things" said Thunder.
"I'll come along just in case as well along with Raven since she would be able to detect him" said Robin.
"Good" said Cyborg, "then everything is settled. If any of you people should get into trouble or have a hard time catching him, we'll send more Titans over."
"Good thinking" said Robin, "well, let's get going. We have a fugitive to hunt down."
The Titans were unaware they were being watched by some of Walker's crew who wiretapped the Titan Tower and were overhearing the meeting. The Deputy Warden then came into the secret area to see how progress was going.
"What's has been going on?" asked the Deputy Warden.
"We have heard that some of the Titans are heading toward Amity Park to apprehend Danny Phantom" smiled Walker's henchman.
"Excellent" said the Deputy Warden, "Walker would be pleased with this. Continue on monitoring Titan Tower in case if they send in anymore Titans to apprehend this Danny Phantom. I'll come back time and time again to check on your progress."
"Absolutely sir" said Walker's henchmen as the got back to listening on the conversations in Titan Tower.
2. The Plotters Watch
Chapter 2: The Plotters Watch
As Danny was heading toward school with Sam and Tucker, Robin's motorcycle suddenly pulled up.
"Hey, long time no see" said Tucker, "got any job for Danny to do?"
"Actually" replied Robin, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to interrogate him."
"You have got to be joking" said Danny.
"I'm afraid not" said Robin as he showed Sam, Tucker and Danny the photos of the incident at the bank.
"But last time I was at home" said Danny, "I don't remember doing these things."
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to take your Titan communicator" said Robin as he held out his hand, demanding the communicator.
"I said I didn't do it" said Danny as he raised his voice.
"Don't do this the hard way" said Robin, "hand me the communicator and I'll interrogate you."
"If Danny said he didn't do it, then he didn't do it" protested Sam.
"This is my fight Sam" said Danny as he changed into his ghost mode, "I didn't do that crime of bank robbery."
"And besides, you're just one Titan" said Tucker, "what, do you have an army of super powered Titans?"
"Actually, he's just got some backup for now" said Raven as she appeared with her powers along with Thunder, Lightning and Argent.
As Danny continued to argue in attempting to prove his innocence to the Titans present, Skulcker was watching from above along with Walker. They were both invisible of course and were looking from a safe distance.
"When will they start to hit each other?" asked Skulcker as he turned to Walker.
"The only reason I allowed you not to go back to my prison is so that if the Titans screw up and I mean all of them, you get to finally hunt down the ghost boy when he's too weak to fight" said Walker.
"I know that, but I want to see people hitting each other" added Skulcker.
The scene then goes back to Danny arguing with the other Titans present on trying to prove his innocence.
"Look, I'm not guilty of that crime" said Danny.
"Then why are you in the photos?" asked Raven.
"I know I am not guilty" replied Danny as his eyes started to have a greener glow.
"Look at the anger within his eyes brother" said Lightning as he leaned toward Thunder, "he must be guilty."
"That's it!" shouted Danny as he accidentally fires a ghost beam at Lightning, sending him flying and hitting a lamppost.
"Uh, he didn't do it?" asked Tucker.
"Take him in" ordered Robin as Raven, Argent and Thunder began to move onto Danny.
"Finally" said Skulcker as he was watching the events unfold from a safe distance, "people hitting people. How I just love it. All I need to do is of course wait until the ghost boy is weak and then I take him to my client."
As Raven, Argent and Thunder continued to move against Danny, Danny had no choice but to fire a ghost beam at Thunder, sending him flying toward Robin, but Raven used her powers to prevent Thunder from crashing into Robin. Argent and Raven then joined together and began to case down Danny. Danny then attempted to dodge the beams from Argent and any objects Raven was throwing at him. Danny then fired up a ghost shield and had some of Argent's beams deflected from the ghost shield and of course the objects Raven threw at him with her powers. While Danny continued to try to keep his shield up, Argent then fired a large beam at Danny, sending him flying all the way toward where Skulcker was watching the fight. Danny managed to recover as he got himself out of some boxes and then his ghost sense picked up. As he turned around, he was shocked to see both Walker and Skulcker.
"Walker, I should have guessed you are in someway behind this" said Danny.
"That was very quick enough for you to realize how I am using the Titans to do my dirty work" said Walker, "and believe me. The deputy warden has told me there are plenty more of these Titans ready to kick your butt and for you to go back to my prison where you belong punk."
"Why is Skulcker involved?" asked Danny.
"Skulcker has made a vow to hunt you down, and furthermore, Skulcker loves to see people hit people" said Skulcker as he grabbed Danny's sleeve, "so Skulcker is going to help them out."
Skulcker then throws Danny out of the window and onto the ground. As he recovers from the attack, Argent, Lightning, Thunder and Raven were ready to take him out. Lightning then fires some lightning at Danny, while Thunder gives Danny a good punch, sending him against a lamppost.
"That's for my brother" said Thunder.
"Okay" said Robin as he came into the scene, "Raven, subdue him and bring him in."
"Right away" said Raven.
"Wait" said Danny, "I have been framed. It's all a trick by Walker who is determine to make sure my world is an entire prison."
"I'm sorry" said Robin, "but you attacked one of the Titans, and I'm afraid we're going to have to bring you in."
"Please don't take Danny" begged Sam as she pulled on his sleeve, "he didn't do it."
"He was at his house the whole time on-line" said Tucker.
"Alright" said Robin as he had a second change of heart, "I'll let your friend go. But I am placing more Titans in Amity Park to keep an eye on him."
"So that means you are not going to interrogate Danny?" asked Sam.
"Not yet" replied Robin, "prove to me that Walker is up to his hold tricks again. And we might just forget about Danny's temper against Lightning as well."
As the events didn't seem to unfold to Skulcker's pleasure, Skulcker then smashed his fist on the window sill.
"This can not be" said Skulcker as he turned to Walker, "you said they would be hitting each other."
"I think I'm planning to change my plans" said Walker, "seems like more of these Titans are coming to Amity Park. I think I can be able to still make sure Danny Phantom looks like the biggest fugitive to the Teen Titans."
"Wonderful" said Skulcker, "more of people hitting people."
3. Plotters Up the Anti
Chapter 3: Plotters Up the Anti
Walker had finally arrived in his prison which was located in the ghost zone to present his men with the news that Titans were being sent across the globe to Amity Park to watch over the ghost boy known as Danny Phantom. He then opened the door where his men were present along with Skulcker and of course Penelope Spectra and Bertrand.
"I am pleased that our plans to turn Danny Phantom's world into a complete prison is going according to plan" said Walker.
"Sir" said one of Walker's guards, "we just heard that the deputy warden who is in Jump City eavesdropping on the Titans is sending other Titans to Amity Park."
"I know that already" said Walker, "I even heard the leader-Robin suggest such a thing."
"So what do you propose to do next in our phase?" asked Spectra.
"Well Ms. Spectra" replied Walker, "I would demand your aid-Bertrand to continue disguising himself as Danny Phantom. Cause him to do minor to major crimes such as bank robbery to of course peddy vandalism."
"That should be easy enough for me to do" smiled Bertrand as he changed him into Danny Phantom.
"And Skulcker here shall be watching everything from above" added Walker, "along with myself included."
"What if one of the Titans starts to suspect something?" asked one of his men as they raised their ghostly hand.
"That's where you come in" replied Walker, "I would you do overshadow any Titan that dares try to find out that Danny Phantom is innocent and that we're the ones behind the true acts. But I think you should stay away from the Titan known as Raven, or anyone that's close to her since she can detect us now."
"So what are we waiting for?" asked Skulcker.
"Let's get to it" replied Spectra, "I can't wait to taste all that guilt that ghost boy has when he comes into this prison."
"Sounds like a good idea to me" said Walker, "now let's move out!"
Meanwhile, back in Amity Park the mayor was greeting various members of the Teen Titans as they were coming in to city hall to greet him.
"I'm finally glad you Titans came to your senses that this ghost boy or should we say Inviso Bill is up to no good" said the mayor.
"Look" said Robin, "we're just going to make sure this 'Inviso Bill' character isn't doing anything that would break the law."
Suddenly Raven picked up something with her powers and turned around and noticed a supposed Danny Phantom defacing the mayor on city hall.
"See what I mean!" cried the mayor as he pointed to the graffiti.
"Okay" said Cyborg, "I know this seems weird and all, but let me go up to him."
"I wouldn't go there" said Beast Boy to Cyborg, "we got flipped like pancakes the last time."
"Just give him a second chance" said Cyborg as he continued to walk toward the supposed Danny Phantom.
As Cyborg was about to approach the supposed Danny Phantom, the supposed ghost boy fired a ghost beam at Cyborg, knocking him toward the other Titans and onto the ground.
"Why don't you goodie two shoes try to follow me" said the supposed Danny Phantom to the other Titans.
As the supposed Danny started to fly away, Hotspot along with Wilder Beast and Starfire were ahead of the chase. They followed the supposed Danny Phantom through various alleyways, but the supposed ghost boy managed to evade them as anyone of them got close enough. Suddenly Starfire ran right into the real Danny as he was heading home from school with Sam and Tucker.
"I thought we were chasing you down" said Starfire.
"Okay" said Danny, "what is this all about?"
"We just saw you deface the mayor at city hall" replied Hotspot as his flame shield turned off and went back to his human self.
"Come on" said Danny, "even I wouldn't do something like that."
"If you don't believe us" said Hotspot, "then follow us to the scene of the crime."
Danny then changed himself into his ghost mode and took Sam and Tucker to the scene of the crime and changed back to his normal human self where no one was looking. After that, Danny walked up toward city hall and was shocked to see that the mayor had been defaced and the other Titans whom he didn't even know were giving him an angry stare.
"Look" said Danny to the rest of the Titans, "I didn't do this!"
"We just saw you deface the mayor of this city" said Aqualad.
"We all know who you really are as your secret identity as Danny Fenton" said Bumblebee, "so don't try to fool us."
"But I swear" said Danny, "it wasn't me. I was at school the whole time."
"Hmm" said Argent, "somehow I am buying his argument."
"But he attacked me" complained Cyborg.
"Perhaps, but perhaps not" said Raven, "there was something wrong about sensing his presence back there which I did not trust."
"Look" said Robin, "we're going to use some of the other Titans to spy on your actions until this whole thing is settled down."
"Well" said Danny, "I think it would be nice if at least two Titans or more could watch over me while I am at school."
"Perhaps I can have Argent and Raven be in sort of a Goth group" suggested Sam, "you know to just keep tabs to make sure Danny is truly innocent."
"And I'll spy on you as a little fly" said Beast Boy.
"Well" said Robin, "then it's settled. The spying game starts tomorrow."
As the Titans began to separate throughout Amity Park, Walker along with Skulcker were watching the Titans leave the area.
"Excellent" said Walker, "everything is going according to my plan."
"So when do we see more people hitting people?" asked Skulcker as he was very impatient.
"Don't worry" replied Walker, "you'll see more of it."
Then Walker got his communicator out to call on Bertrand and some of his men.
"Is it time to commit more criminal acts?" asked Bertrand as he picked up his communicator.
"Yes" said Walker as he gave an evil smile, "these Titans do not realize that they are simply becoming my puppets to do my dirty work to make Danny Phantom's world into a complete prison."
4. Closing in on the Fake Danny
Chapter 4: Closing in on the Fake Danny
As the Titans were heading out to other parts of Amity Park and blending in with the inhabitants, Bertrand as the fake Danny Phantom continued to make a long list of crimes. There were some times when he would commit vandalism and certain Titan members chased him down, but couldn't catch up, only to find the real Danny and his two friends were just there at the wrong place at the wrong time. This time, the Titans brought Danny and his two friends into their hideout in Amity Park.
"We're getting tired of your old excuses" said Robin to Danny as Danny sat down on the chair on the opposite side of the table.
"Look, I didn't do it" said Danny, "I didn't do any of those crimes you have listed."
"But we have you on camera and in the newspaper" said Raven as she held up a newspaper to his face.
"Look, there must be someone behind this" said Danny, "I know somehow Walker is behind this."
"I know Danny" said Sam, "we know that his sister knows that he has ghost powers. She would of course take his side."
"Then looks like we're going to have to bring her in" said Robin, "Cyborg, can you gather some of the Titans to pick up Danny's sister-Jazz?"
"Right away" replied Cyborg as he left the scene.
"Look" said Robin, "we're not going to reveal your secret to your parents or to the rest of Amity Park."
"But we're still going to interrogate you" said Raven, "until we see proof of either of your absolute guilt or your innocence."
"Look" said Danny as he pounded the table with his fists, "I didn't do those crimes!"
"Relax" said Sam, "we don't want to make things worse."
"Yea, lighten up" added Tucker.
Suddenly Cyborg came back into the scene with Jazz along with Bumblebee and Aqualad who helped him picked her up.
"Danny" said Jazz as she came toward him, "you didn't tell me you knew the Titans."
"He's been accused of committing crimes across Amity Park and in Jump City" said Sam.
"And I keep on telling them that I'm innocent" said Danny.
"Look" said Jazz, "I know Danny wouldn't do these crimes you have accused him of."
"I don't know if we can trust her" whispered Raven to Robin.
"Look" said Robin as he whispered back to her, "we'll keep on interrogating Danny, his sister and his two friends. Use your powers to make sure Danny will always be in this room."
"Right" said Raven as she got up from her chair and got into a mediation position on the floor and began her chanting.
Meanwhile, at the bank in Amity Park, Hotspot along with Beast Boy and Speedy were guarding the bank when suddenly they heard someone from within the vault taking all the money.
"No way" said Beast Boy as a bank guard helped them open the vault as the gazed at what looked like to be Danny Phantom stealing the money and putting it into a bag.
"I thought he was being interrogated by Robin?" asked Hotspot as he fired up his powers.
"Who cares" said Aqualad, "We caught him in the act."
Hotspot then fires a fireball at the fake Danny, but the fake Danny dodges the attack and fires a ghost beam at Hotspot, sending him crashing against a table. Aqualad then uses his powers to get water from the local water fountain and use it against the fake Danny, but he manages to dodge the attacks and fires another ghost beam at Aqualad, sending him right into a bank guard. As Beast Boy was about to change himself into a large animal and fight against the supposed Danny, his communicator rang.
"What's going on?" asked Cyborg, "We've just picked up a bank alarm."
"We're being attacked by Danny Phantom" replied Beast Boy.
"But that's impossible" said Cyborg as he showed the communicator screen to the interrogation table where Robin and Danny were along with his sister and his two friends, "we're interrogating them as we speak."
"Then that means" said Beast Boy.
"That means we fooled you" said Bertrand while he was still shaped as Danny Phantom, "I can't believe how stupid you Titans really have been."
"And guess what else punks?" asked a voice.
Suddenly Beast Boy turned around to find Walker and Skulcker behind him. Both Walker and Skulcker then sent their fists right toward Beast Boy, sending him crashing right into Hotspot and Aqualad as they were recovering from the previous attack.
"Should your men overshadow these three Titans?" asked Skulcker to Walker.
"Nah" replied Walker, "I think we have sent the message that we mean business. If the Titans want a big fight, we'll bring them a big fight."
"As long as there is more people hitting people and of course us hitting them" said Skulcker, "I'm all for it."
As Bertrand, Skulcker and Walker vanished the scene, the scene switches back to the interrogation room where Cyborg was having trouble contacting Beast Boy.
"Beast Boy" said Cyborg, "are you there?"
"Beast Boy here" replied Beast Boy in a weak voice, "we just got our butts kicked."
"Well" said Robin as he turned to Danny, "looks like you were right."
"So if Walker is behind this" said Raven, "how are we going to go and face them?"
"I saw we take it to Walker's own prison" said Danny then he changes himself into his ghost mode, "if he wants a fight, we'll give one to him."
"We'll get some anti-ghost armor for each of the Titans" said Jazz, "they should fit all of the Titan members."
"Well then" said Cyborg, "let's get to it then."
5. Turning the Tables
Chapter 5: Turning the Tables
As Danny, Sam, Tucker, Jazz and the Titans gathered near the ghost portal in the Fenton residence basement, Jazz was providing cover just in case if Jack or Maddie showed up.
"So you are going to keep watch?" asked Danny to Jazz.
"Yep" replied Jazz, "I'll distract them should they venture down here."
"Good" said Robin as he and the other Titans were finishing putting on their anti-ghost armor.
"Right" said Danny as he changed himself into his ghost mode, "let's give Walker, Skulcker and Spectra a run for their money."
"Good luck" said Jazz as she pressed the button to open the ghost portal.
"Thanks" said Danny as he and the Titans were heading into the ghost zone.
As Danny, the Titans and Sam and Tucker in the Specter Speeder went into the ghost zone, Walker along with Spectra, Bertrand and Skulcker were trying to come up with another plan.
"This plan of yours is failing" said Spectra, "I expected him to come to your prison long ago."
"I too have seen the lack of people hitting people" said Skulcker.
"And I for one am getting tired of always having to form myself into that troublesome ghost boy just to get him in trouble" said Bertrand.
"Alright, alright, alright!" shouted Walker, "I guess I could change the rules of my operation against our fugitive here."
"Sir" said the deputy warden as he came into the meeting room, "the fugitive is coming toward this prison!"
"See" said Walker as he gave an evil smile, "I told you my rules would work."
"But sir" said the deputy warden, "he's bringing the Titans along with him, and they seem to be wearing some type of new anti-ghost armor of some sort."
"Ha!" shouted Spectra, "I knew your plans would fail!"
"Oh well, at least this time Skulcker is going to be the one hitting people" said Skulcker as he readied his weapons and moved onto the scene with Walker's guards.
As Danny was flying toward Walker's prison, he was followed behind with Robin who was using the anti-ghost armor's jetpack which Danny's parents have recently invented along with the other Titans following closely behind him.
"This new anti-ghost armor works well when it's merged with my suit" said Cyborg as he flew next to Danny with the jetpack.
"I know" said Danny, "I'm just glad you people came to your senses that I was innocent and didn't use those advance inventions against me."
"Looks like we're here" said Raven as the prison was up close in front of them.
"Let's give Walker a taste of his own medicine" said Danny.
Cyborg charged up his sonic cannon and fired at the gate of the prison along with the aid of Argent and Starfire using their powers to destroy the gate. Walker's guards then made their charge at the other Titans as the dust cleared. Speedy using some new anti-ghost arrows he had acquired back at the Fenton residence fired his new arrows against the guards, knocking some of them out while Robin took out his fighting rod and began to fight some of Walker's guards. The other Titans then charged into battle against Walker's guards, while Danny instructed Raven and Robin to follow him along with Sam and Tucker on the Specter Speeder. They followed Danny right into Walker's main meeting room where Spectra, Bertrand and Skulcker greeted them.
"Where's Walker?" asked Danny.
"Why should we tell you welt?" asked Skulcker.
"Perhaps we should start upping the anti already" said Bertrand as he changed himself into a large monster.
"We'll handle these three" said Raven as she was using her powers to deflect Skulcker's rockets back at Skulcker.
"Get Walker" said Robin as he was fighting Spectra and Bertrand.
"No problem" said Danny.
"We'll back them up" said Sam as she fired a laser from the Specter Speeder at Bertrand.
As Sam and Tucker aided Raven and Robin in battle, Danny went through the corridors knocking out any of Walker's guards on the way. Finally he made it to Walker's main room where he was waiting for him.
"This is the last time you have changed my rules" said Walker, "now you are going to pay the penalty of breaking them."
Walker then punched Danny across the room and hitting the wall. Danny managed to recover from the attack and fire a ghost beam at Walker, but Walker managed to dodge it and threw another good punch at Danny. Walker then picked up Danny by the neck and threw him to the opposite side of the room and against the desk, destroying it.
"I have to warn you" said Danny, "I am not as weak as the last time we fought."
Danny then held his breath in and then used his ghostly wail on Walker as he was trying to approach him. Walker tried to walk toward Danny, but the shockwave was preventing him from doing so. The shockwave then sent Walker crashing through the wall and into his meeting room where Robin, Raven, Sam and Tucker were busy fighting off Spectra, Bertrand and Skulcker. As Walker finally recovered from the attack, he saw Danny standing in front of the destroyed wall. Walker then immediately fainted and went unconscious.
"Uh, no hard feelings?" asked Bertrand while he was still in his monster form.
Danny then fired a large ghost beam at Bertrand, turning him back into his normal self and having Bertrand hitting the wall, knocking him unconscious. Spectra then launched toward Danny, but Danny then fired another ghost beam at her, knocking straight toward Skulcker and sending them straight right into Bertrand as he was about to recover.
"That was trying to make the Titans turn on me" said Danny.
"Well" said Robin, "we better help the others."
As Danny, Raven, Robin, Sam and Tucker went to the outside of the prison, most of Walker's guards were knocked unconscious.
"That's the last of them" said Cyborg as he was dusting himself off.
"Can we go home now?" asked Beast Boy.
"I'll find us a way out of here" said Raven as she began to use her powers, "you three better get going."
"Well" said Robin, "we're sorry for any trouble we have caused you."
"Thanks all the same" said Danny.
"Let's just get out of here" said Sam as Tucker was readying the Specter Speeder.
As Danny followed the Specter Speeder home, Raven used her powers and open a portal back to the real world and the rest of the Titans left the scene. Meanwhile, Vlad Plasmius came into the scene and oversaw the ruins of Walker's prison. He then lowered himself to where Walker was recovering from being unconscious.
"I'm disappointed in your work Walker" said Vlad.
"Look" said Walker, "it's not my fault."
"No matter" said Vlad, "I have come up with a new plan to target Daniel, and this time shall give you enough to rebuild your prison with my aid of course."
"And what plan would that be?" asked Walker.
"I would be using my new apprentice I have been training" replied Vlad, "she will be the one to take down Danny Phantom and of course those troublesome Titans."
End file.
| fanfiction |
The values that a person holds may be personal or political depending on whether they are considered in relation to the individual or to society. Apart from moral virtue, examples of personal values include friendship, knowledge, beauty etc. and examples of political values, justice, equality and liberty. This article will outline some current ideas relating to the first group - personal values. It will begin by looking at the kinds of thing that have value and finish with a look at some of the theories that attempt to describe what value is. Reference will be made solely to Western sources although it is recognised that many, if not all, of the values discussed may be universal.
Introduction
It is only in the last hundred years or so that the subject of value has become a subject of study in its own right, though the subject builds on the work of such earlier thinkers as Plato, Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham. A new field of enquiry called axiology from the Greek axios meaning worth, defined as the philosophical study of goodness or value, began to emerge at around the beginning of the twentieth century, and its significance lay in extending the scope of the term value into fields other than traditional ethics. R.H.Lotze, F.Brentano and G.E.Moore have been cited as early proponents of the subject, and to Moore is attributed the important distinction made between intrinsic and instrumental value, that is, between things that have value in themselves and things that might lead to something of value.
Examples of recent articles which introduce the subject include Mark Schroeder's Value Theory, Elinor Mason's Value Pluralism and Michael Zimmerman's Intrinsic and Extrinsic Value. Schroeder defines axiology as being primarily concerned with classifying what things are good, and, in accepting that there might be a number of things that can be valued or called good, he asks is there, underlying these, just one or is there more than one fundamental intrinsic value. Mason outlines two ways in which values have been considered in relation to one another: the first is called monist, which maintains that there is just one intrinsic value to which all other values are auxiliary; and the second is called pluralist, which maintains that there are many kinds of value and that the most important of these are irreducible to one another. Typical of the first school were the Utilitarians, such as Jeremy Bentham, who thought that all the values that a person might hold could be reduced to a desire for happiness or pleasure. Immanuel Kant, too, has been described as a monist in saying that the only good in itself lies in possessing a good will. Regarding those holding pluralist views, Zimmerman in his book The Nature of Intrinsic Value 2012 gives some examples of more recent philosophers with lists of the kinds of thing that they thought had value:
Brentano 1889: Pleasure, Happiness, Love, Knowledge, Beauty, Proportion, Intention, Exercise, Virtue
Moore 1908 - Aesthetics, Affection, Knowledge, Consciousness, Pleasure, Virtue
Ross 1936 - Virtue, Pleasure, Knowledge, Artistic activity
In particular, Zimmerman singles out the work of William Frankena who, in his book Ethics 1963, gave a comprehensive list of values and who, besides suggesting the use of headings, began to group similar values together. It will be useful to discuss these in the following groups:
1. Beauty, harmony, proportion, aesthetic experience
2. Moral disposition, virtue, pleasure, happiness, contentment
3. Truth, knowledge, understanding, wisdom, honour, esteem
4. Life, health, strength, peace, security
5. Love, affection, friendship, cooperation
6. Power, achievement, freedom, adventure, novelty
Frankena, in formulating his list, builds on what he called the classical triad of beauty, goodness and truth and headings similar to these terms can be used to introduce a primary set of values as follows.
Primary values
Aesthetic values
Frankena in his list of values groups beauty with harmony, proportion and aesthetic experience. There are many different kinds of value that can be included in this category and Frankena himself distinguishes between harmony and proportion in objects contemplated and harmony and proportion in ones own life. He refers to Plato who, firstly, in the Philebus suggests that aesthetic pleasure lies in the beauty of colour and form, and secondly in the Republic that formal features like harmony and proportion are important not only to art and music but also to the good life which itself should contain form, variety and balance.
Another distinction results from the question of whether aesthetic value resides in the object contemplated or in the contemplative experience itself. James Shelley in his article The Concept of the Aesthetic notes that the term aesthetic in deriving from the Greek aesthesis, which means perception or awareness, tends towards the latter interpretation; George Dickie in his book Art and the Aesthetic charts the development of awareness and consciousness in their growing importance to aesthetic theory; and Zimmerman refers to G.E.Moore who wrote in relation to art and beauty that by far the most valuable thing we know or can imagine are certain states of consciousness. Both Frankena and Nicolai Hartmann, who Frankena mentions, begin their lists of values with groups including consciousness, life and existence, and Hartmann makes reference to Nietzsche who considered that the value of beauty in art or nature lay in an increased awareness of life as an affirmation of existence.
Shelley describes another concept apart from immediacy or focussing ones attention on the subject and this is the concept of disinterestedness, a Kantian term which consists in looking at things objectively and impartially. He refers to Schopenhauer who realised that if perception were to be the only criterion of aesthetic value then, with a mind stripped of practical interest and cultural preconceptions, anything at all might be seen as beautiful: One thing is only taken as more beautiful than another because it makes this pure contemplation easier, wrote Schopenhauer, a view criticised by Sartwell for making the term beauty, ultimately meaningless. Shelley, however, manages to elucidate various criteria of aesthetic value from such a standpoint: firstly, that there is value in simple formal relations, in harmony, grace and balance, and in fact in any other objective aspect that a good critic might care to point to; secondly, that there is value in recognising that people have natural tastes and preferences, whether, for example, they prefer drama or comicality, or whether the work is striking in some way; and thirdly, that there is value in recognising the presence of non-exhibited properties, realising that the work, or perception, is located within an art-historical context where only knowledge of, in Danto's terminology, an artworld can facilitate our feeling the proper sentiments.
In addition to the views that aesthetic value lies either in the object or in the subjective experience there is a third view which suggests that value lies in some kind of engagement between the two. G.E.Moore wrote that it is neither in the beautiful object nor in the conscious perception where value is found but in the relationship between the two. Shelley too concludes with the idea that there is some reciprocal relationship between subject and object, his example being that of a Bartok quartet, where a value originally belonging to the quartet has been transferred to the experience, before being reflected back, once again, onto the quartet.
Ethical values
The second group of values listed by Frankena includes happiness, virtue, pleasure, satisfaction and contentment - values traditionally associated with the field of ethics. Zimmerman introduces Plato whose recurring concern was with the nature of the good, how we should live our lives, and whether it is pleasure or virtue that will lead to happiness. Regarding pleasure, he considers food, drink and shelter to be simple goods people value them, they value the work that goes into providing them and the pleasure that comes from enjoying them. Zimmerman after asking why eating should be considered a value refers to Aristotle who said that value resides in the proper activity or functioning of things according to their nature and that it is the active exercising of mans faculties that give rise to pleasure.
Regarding virtue, Elinor Mason refers to J.S.Mill who made the distinction between lower values and higher values. The distinction is that between efficient cause and final cause: whereas efficient cause includes hunger, thirst and the need for shelter, final cause arises from our having an overview of the relation of cause and effect whereby we can determine the end we want to achieve and then decide the means to achieve it. If the end is well-being or happiness then such values as friendship, knowledge and beauty, as well as material sustenance, might be instrumental in achieving this. Mason refers to G.E.Moore who, whilst recognising the virtues of industry and temperance, recognised that there exists a plurality of bearers of value. Love, beauty and friendship are intrinsic values i.e. good in themselves rather than instrumental values, and they do not lead in all cases necessarily either to pleasure or happiness.
Another significant writer on value, mentioned by both Frankena and Zimmerman, is John Dewey who questioned whether intrinsic values exist at all. All values for Dewey were instrumental. He compared life to an ongoing stream of cause and effect, which he called the continuum of means and ends, where for example a lack of food leads to human activity leading to a further expenditure of energy, the need for more food and so on. He maintained, like Aristotle, that value lay in economy and in the efficient functioning of a human being in terms of a whole range of needs and wants. These needs arise from a constant interaction between a human being and his environment and Dewey introduced the notion of having a framework of values to deal effectively with the various categories of being which contribute to our environment.
Cultural values
The third of the classical values - truth is listed by Frankena alongside knowledge, understanding and wisdom. Given that truth may never be fully known he shifted the emphasis onto knowledge, and most lists of values now tend to include knowledge rather than truth as one of the primary values. Jesse Prinz in Culture and Cognitive Science took this further discussing the relativity of the terms knowledge and truth and the role that culture has in shaping knowledge. This relativity is more pronounced in a second group listed by Frankena, a group which included the values of honour, esteem and good reputation. The link between the two groups was noted by Hartmann who realised that the terms truth and truthfulness involved two different, although related, kinds of value. Whilst truth is associated with the values of knowledge and understanding, truthfulness is associated with the values of honesty, uprightness and integrity.
In his article, Prinz defines culture as a complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morality and custom where the value associated with these things is acquired by people as members of society. This acquisition takes place through observing role models, imitating one's parents or learning through association with others. The telling of stories is mentioned and we may think of the value of books, whether fiction or non-fiction, and the worth of films or news programmes in disseminating knowledge and furthering understanding generally. Memory too has its place, and the importance of history in this respect is highlighted by Zimmerman who notes that some things may have value, not because they are beautiful or useful, but because they have meaning through either personal or cultural associations, for example a rare stamp or the pen with which Lincoln signed his letters.
Knowledge of both culture and subculture is important in understanding people's values. Jacobson in an article on fitting attitudes tells us that what people find funny or shameful, honourable or dishonourable are culturally related, and he refers back to Brentano who introduced the related value of what is appropriate, suitable or fitting. Such values, however, can be considered not only from the point of view of a particular culture but from the point of view of the universe where integrating one's set of values with the principles of some higher truth selective copying is the example he gives may result in instances of non-conformity and other kinds of differentiation within society. The concept of fittingness introduces the value of integrity which Cox, La Caze and Levine discuss in their article Integrity [2001]. The concept is defined in terms of the relation between the different aspects of one's life aesthetic, social, intellectual etc. and in maintaining some sort of balance between them to give a sense of unity or wholeness. Views on integrity range from the practical requirements of honesty and truthfulness on the one hand, where Aristotle could write with a true view all the data harmonise and with a false view the facts soon clash, to more general approaches regarding meaning and identity, or wisdom and self-knowledge.
Secondary values
The end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries saw an expansion in the number of values over and above the classical or primary values of beauty, goodness and truth. Some, like love, friendship and affection, clearly come from the Christian tradition and were discussed by philosophers like Moore and Brentano. A more complex group revolving around concepts such as power, spirit and the will were introduced as values by Brentano and Hartmann and owe as much to the thoughts of Kant and Schopenhauer as they do to Christianity. The emergence of a third group of values can be seen as a result of the expansion of the field away from traditional ethics, and in this group there begin to appear more material values what Plato called the goods of the body such as life, health and strength in the lists of Hartmann and Frankena.
Some early attempts were made at compiling a longer set of values and three of these can be mentioned here. R.B.Perry, referred to by Frankena, and whose work The General Theory of Value [1926] was called the magnum opus of the new approach by the Encyclopædia Britannica, increased the total number of categories by adding to the fields of aesthetics, ethics and knowledge the three further fields of religion, economics and politics; An earlier work, Lebensformen [1914], by the psychologist, Eduard Spranger, set out a similar list describing six types of personality, namely the Aesthetic, Economic, Theoretic, Religious, Social and Political; and Gordon Allport, who studied under Spranger, and who was mentioned in Peterson and Seligman's Character Strengths and Virtues [2004] , together with Vernon and Lindzey, set out in their Study of Values [1950] six types of personality each of which was orientated towards a different set of values:
Personality
Aesthetic
Economic
Theoretic
Religious
Social
Political
Values
Harmony, Beauty, Artistry, Uniqueness
Usefulness, Resourcefulness, Practical
Truth, Intellectual, Cognitive
Faith, Unity, Holiness, Oneness
Love, Sympathy, Caring, Altruism
Power, Leadership, Influence, Competitiveness
These early links between philosophy and psychology have been discussed by C.B. Miller in his article entitled Empirical Approaches to Moral Character and this concluded with a look at the work of Peterson and Seligman. Their classification of values, Values in Action or VIA, arose from an empirical survey of virtues taken from around the world, which led to a six-fold classification, similar to the above, and comprising: Transcendence, Temperance, Wisdom, Justice, Humanity and Courage. Miller suggested, however, that no valid reason has been discovered as to why there should be six categories.
Regarding the content of these additional categories it is clear that their representative values differ according to who is compiling the list. One theory suggests that if the first three categories represent the cognitive or classical tradition, then the additional categories represent the non-cognitive - the sentimental or emotivist tradition - where neither the cognitive nor the non-cognitive necessarily takes primacy. Zimmerman suggested that values taken from the latter viewpoint could be seen as just expressions of feeling or emotion about what is important. A.M.Taylor in her paper, Investigation into Facts and Values [1983], suggested that there was a fundamental difference between values based on analytical understanding and values based on synthetic or holistic understanding. The older values taken from the aesthetic, moral and scientific spheres were not enough and new categories would be required to include such concepts as creativity, feeling and innovation. Jacobson also introduced a distinction between cognitive and non-cognitive values, and among the values derived from feeling or sentiment he included those of being pride-worthy, shameful, funny and fearsome. He mentioned David Hume in this respect who had used the three headings of Pride and Humility, Love and Hatred and Will and the Direct Passions in the second volume of his Treatise of Human Nature and it will be useful to look at the second group of values in this order.
Material values
Frankena's list of values begins with a group that contains life, health and strength and in this he closely follows Hartmann. Material goods were discussed by Hartmann in the introductory section of his book,The Realm of Ethical Values [1926] in relation to wealth and economics. Frankena mentions Plato who had referred to wealth, health and strength as goods of the body. Regarding wealth, Frankena, in a discussion of money, cars and other material possessions, suggested that its value might be either instrumental or contributory, the latter term being defined in terms of things that are good because they contribute to a good life or are parts of it. Money for a miser becomes part of his happiness, just as clothes, house or land may be a part of happiness for somebody else. Jacobson introduced the value of being pride-worthy and he mentioned David Hume who had noted that people take pride in, such external advantages as country, family, children, gardens, houses, dogs and clothes. Elinor Mason mentioned the practical wisdom of Aristotle who saw wealth as a matter of prudence, and who advised people to value and not to neglect what belongs to them.
Health on the other hand, in relation to the body and the mind, is usually thought of as an intrinsic value. Frankena, for example, wrote that we desire health for its own sake, and Zimmerman wrote that Being healthy is just a good way to be. The value that we ascribe to life itself and the value of just being have been mentioned previously, but it was Hartmann who reintroduced the notion from earlier German philosophy that Being has a complementary category, namely that of Becoming. Everything is subject to change over time, and without human intervention, is subject to deterioration and decay. In relation to this, Mason referred to Immanuel Kant one of whose principal values lay in duty, particularly, in this respect, duty to self, and looking after the basic stuff through physical exercise and maintenance. Plato had also thought that the right way of living lay in medicine, bathing and exercise but Kant added to this idea by saying that value also lay in self-improvement through the cultivation of any natural talents and gifts of fortune that a person might possess. James Griffin in his book on Well-Being [1986] similarly introduced the value of accomplishment and how, in Aristotle's terminology, we might grow and flourish in other ways.
Communal values
To the classical triad of beauty, goodness and truth various philosophers in the twentieth century began to add values from another large family: that of, in Frankena's words, love, friendship, mutual affection and cooperation; G.E.Moore added love to the values of beauty, moral quality and knowledge; and Jacobson added friendship to the values of beauty, pleasure and knowledge. Moore, in reflecting Christianity's emphasis on the importance of love, suggested that the love of love is by far the most valuable good we know more complicated than beauty more complicated than knowledge. Both Frankena and Zimmerman mentioned Plato, who had outlined various kinds of love in the Symposium, and who had described sympatheia or coaffection, as filling men with affection kindness friendship forgiveness. For Plato, the soul was the seat of love and the affections, and its value lay in recognising the community of feeling among mankind. Jacobson referred to David Hume who similarly linked love with sympathy, the latter feeling arising from the great resemblance among human creatures.
On a more practical level, Bernard Gert in his work on The Definition of Morality [2002] introduced the notion of loyalty as a factor in establishing a sense of community among family and kinship groups. Regarding wider society, Gert mentioned Kant who distinguished between the values of not harming other people on the one hand and performing positive, charitable acts on the other. Zimmerman also mentioned Kant and his view that the only thing that is good without qualification is goodwill or benevolence. Kant had defined friendship as the coming together of two persons through mutual love, each particating and sharing their lives in a sympathetic manner. He also introduced the concept of respect by which he meant keeping an appropriate distance from others within the community, and he talked of community itself in terms of being able to communicate to perfect social intercourse and to cultivate a disposition of reciprocity agreeableness courtesy hospitality.
Communication was introduced as a separate value by Perry; and Hartmann, after working through the primary values, introduced a second group which included not only brotherly love but also social intercourse. Frankena introduced Aquinas who had stressed the value of communication in human relationships saying that there are close parallels between the communication of words and that between lover and beloved. Gert too realised that there was value in interpersonal interaction but queried how such a value could apply in the absence of other people, for example, on a desert island. Frankena answered the question by widening the scope of love to include love of, or communion with, God, animals, nature and the environment.
Spiritual values
Towards the end of his list, Frankena included the values of power and achievement, freedom, adventure and novelty. Regarding freedom, he introduced Schopenhauer who saw life as a continuous engagement with the realm of strife, a struggle against desire and the primal will, where the only moments of freedom that a person may have lay in art, music and spiritual contemplation. Strength and freedom of the will were values for Hartmann too, and also for Kant who, as Zimmerman noted, saw such freedom lying in the absence of coercion either from external agencies of from internal sensuous impulses. These latter included emotions such as desire, fear, hope and anger, whose value, or power, lay, according to Aristotle, in moving a person either towards or away from some perceived object. Griffin distinguished between desire itself and informed desire, where the value of the latter lay in stirring the mind, not involuntarily through emotion and natural inclination, but through the voluntary power of the will. Attitudes can be controlled through strength of mind, courage and self-discipline, and corrected, according to Brentano, through an informed choice about what is right, fitting or appropriate.
Frankena recorded that his list included all the things that Hartmann mentions, but it is notable that Hartmann completed his list with what he called spiritual goods such as love of the remote and, in a Nietzschian phrase, radiant virtue. Love of the remote referred to either love of the wilderness or love of God, but Michael Stocker in Plural and Conflicting Values [1990] suggested that value lay more, as Plato had said, not in love but in the contemplation of God or of what is good: He who proceeds aright, said Plato, should begin in youth to visit beautiful places to contemplate the vast sea until on that shore he grows and waxes strong. In the Jewish tradition it was not so much the sea that bestowed strength, but the hills, and Griffin referred to those who value mountains for the excitement or the sublimity that they might afford. Frankena referred to the values of adventure and novelty that A.N.Whitehead had introduced, but it was Ralph Waldo Emerson in the previous century who had written about the inspirational value of new things and of travel, not only for the sake of art or study, but for the value of the experience itself. Hartmann suggested that it might be a great work of art such as a cathedral or a piece of music that might be inspiring, and he mentioned Nietzsche who wrote regarding art: What does all art do? Does it not select? Does it not highlight? By doing these art strengthens certain values It is the great stimulus of life. Alternatively it might be humour that lifts the spirits and Jacobson discusses the value that different kinds of humour, such as being funny or being amusing might merit.
Theories of value
Various theories have been put forward in the West to try and define what a value is as opposed to saying what kinds of value a thing may have. There are generally held to be three kinds of theory at present that attempt to answer the question of what a value is and these have been borrowed from the field of ethics. Each group of theories tends to concentrate on different aspects of the subject so that if ethics can be defined as, say, the principles governing the conduct of a person then the first group of theories ontology and deontology looks at the principles themselves, the second group of theories teleology and consequentialism looks at the aims and outcomes of conduct, and the third group of theories virtue ethics and fitting-attitude theory looks at the concept of the person, their character and attitudes.
Ontology and deontology
Ontology from the Greek Ontos meaning being or that which is is that branch of metaphysics which deals with being, and, particularly in relation to value theory, with the ontological categories or plain categories of being. Zimmerman mentions G.E.Moore who pointed out that before discussing what we ought to value we should consider the possibility that anything that exists might be of value to somebody: If we recognise that anything whatever may be good we start with a much more open mind. Zimmerman introduced the concept of supervenience through which it is held that any structuring of our values will reflect the structuring of the underlying categories of being themselves. Kant is mentioned by Zimmerman in this respect, and also Christine Korsgaard who, drawing on Kant's distinction between things-in-themselves and the relation between things, draws a similar distinction between intrinsic values values in virtue of non-relational properties and extrinsic values values in virtue of relational properties. Regarding the former an impasse is reached when all that can be said of intrinsic values is, in Moore's words, that goodness just is, or in Zimmerman's words that pleasure just is. This has led to some, like Monroe Beardsley, to say that only extrinsic values, in the final analysis, exist. Different kinds of extrinsic value in this model derive from the different underlying categories of relation, the example given being those of beauty, utility and meaning, each of which is supervenient on one of Kant's three categories of relation, namely disjunction, causality and inherence respectively.
Deontology, on the other hand, from the Greek Deon meaning duty is the branch of ethics that bases value on moral principles which in turn form a guide to knowing what ought to be done in various situations. The problem in philosophy of moving from an is to an ought the Is-ought problem is said to have been introduced into philosophy by David Hume. Richmond Campbell, in discussing this, asks how one might move from a knowledge of what exists, i.e. from a whole range of possible values, to a knowledge of which, among these, one ought to value. Given that a small number of core moral values are espoused universally the answer would appear to lie in giving priority to those which do not conflict. Frankena suggested that these moral principles are derived from three main sources: the prevailing moral rules of a culture; divine revelation as found in the holy texts; and logical or metaphysical deduction. Kant's categorical imperative is given as an example of the latter, although Frankena pointed out that a distinction would need to be made between arguments of logical necessity, i.e. those which contain no contradictions, and arguments of logical sufficiency which would be needed to account for the various kinds of value, whether aesthetic, prudential or logical.
Teleology and consequentialism
Mark Schroeder in his article on Value Theory considers consequentialism to be under the umbrella of teleology, where the latter can be defined as that branch of metaphysics which deals with the final end or purpose of things the Greek Telos meaning the end or purpose of an action. According to this group of theories things are instrumentally valuable which help to achieve either specific or general ends, and underlying this, Schroeder tells us, is the relation of cause and effect. Frankena defined instrumental value as that which is good or useful for some purpose and he referred to Aristotle who, besides defining different kinds of cause, defined the good as that at which all things aim. If for example the aim is to live a good life those things will be good or valuable which constitute the means for achieving such an end. However, what is good for a specific person and what is good for the world as a whole are two different things and are reflected, according to Schroeder, in the ideas of egoism and consequentialism respectively. Regarding the latter, Zimmerman writes that a value is good because of a perceived final end in which all the consequences taken as a whole are good.
Regarding the end at which people aim, Bentham, according to Elinor Mason, thought that the sole end was that of pleasure, and that all other values such as beauty, friendship, knowledge etc. could be measured in accordance with the quantity of pleasure which each might afford. John Stuart Mill suggested that there were lower and higher pleasures and that these were fundamentally incommensurable. He went on to question, like Plato, whether the values of pleasure or satisfaction were in fact the ends at which intelligent people should aim. Mason also refers to James Griffin who was of the opinion that well-being was a better name for such an end, and which he saw in terms of flourishing or a maximisation of life in all its aspects. A balancing of elements is required whereby those activities which we value for well-being, such as work, rest, love, solitude, health, accomplishment etc. should be considered in various combinations in order to afford a framework or a plan of life for ourselves. This way of thinking was called by Elizabeth Anderson, in her article on John Dewey, objective list theory as opposed to theories like Bentham's based on pleasure or those of Dewey based on informed desire. Dewey rejected the notion of a final end arguing instead that the value of means and ends are reciprocally determined. According to Zimmerman, he challenged traditional metaphysical ideas with a more pragmatic approach saying that only through calm, informed reflection on the ways in which people interact with the environment and deal with the ensuing consequences can value be ascertained.
Virtue ethics and fitting-attitude theory
Mason in her article on Value Pluralism introduces virtue ethics as a third way of thinking about the subject of value and describes it as being based on how a person should be rather than what a person should do. Frankena had similarly introduced an ethics of virtue as a third approach following deontology and consequentialism, suggesting that there were two kinds of things that we can value: either the things around us like knowledge or physical objects; or the things inside us like our disposition, attitudes and emotions. Among the latter were the virtues and these he defined as dispositions to act in certain ways. Regarding the virtues, we can either value them in their own right or we can ask whether they tell us something about the nature of value itself. Hursthouse and Pettigrew deal with the first of these options in their article on Virtue ethics, asking questions like how many virtues are there and how do they relate to each other. C.B.Miller, on the other hand, in his article on moral character points to recent work which suggests that the categories used to structure the virtues are the same as those that can be used to structure values. The six core virtues listed by Peterson and Seligman have been found to be useful, for example, in the structuring of values in their Values in Action or VAI.
One of the similarities between virtue theory and fitting-attitude theory is that they both approach the subject of value through an emphasis on the agent. They are agent-centred rather than act-centred theories, but whereas virtues are defined purely as a disposition to act, fitting-attitude theory embraces the act as well within its field of consideration. Roderick Chisholm in his book, Brentano and Intrinsic Value [1986] suggested that value lies, for example, not just in virtue but in individuals acting virtuously or not just in pleasure but in individuals experiencing pleasure. However, just as there is conceived to be a necessary interaction between the agent and the environment so there is, in other circumstances, a necessary engagement between the agent and an object. Jacobson in his article on Fitting-Attitude Theory suggests that there is a reciprocity between facts about human nature and facts about the object, and that to be valuable requires either that one's feelings are adequate to the object, or that the object is fitting in respect of some particular attitude. The concept of fittingness, or what might fit together, is extended to the relation between different values and, in particular, the possible conflicts between them, the examples given being between that of humour and good taste, or between what is considered funny and what is considered fair or just. Both Mason and Zimmerman discuss the problem of conflicting values, as did Philippa Foot who, in the field of virtue ethics, suggested that the answer to possible conflict lay in bringing the virtues, or values, into relation with one another saying that even such concepts as love and justice can become dangerously distorted if not tempered with a consideration of other fundamental values.
References
Category:Western culture
Category:Axiology | wikipedia |
acute blood transfusion reaction is a group of adverse reactions which occur at the time of transfusion until 24 hours after that ( 1 , 2 , 3 ) .
they stand in two groups : none hemolytic reactions that include allergies , febrile none hemolytic transfusion reaction ( fnhtr ) and anaphylaxis and hemolytic reactions ( 4 , 5 , 6 ) .
the most common reaction following transfusion is fnhtr with prevalence of 1 - 2 % .
allergies occurs 1 - 3% , for trali ( transfusion related acute lung injury ) it is 0.014 - 0.08 and anaphylaxis due to iga deficiency captures 1 in 800 caucasians ( 7 , 8 , 9 ) .
base on censuses of nih ( national institute of health ) distribution of atrs ( acute transfusion reactions ) has been reported 1 in 1000 numbers of transfusions and abo incompatibility is the most common of them which leads to death in 50% of cases . today using filter and transfusion of washed red cells are in progress to reduce numbers of reactions ( 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ) .
patricia m. kopko and her colleagues ( 14 ) in a clinical look back investigation about transfusion related acute lung injury reported that of the 36 patient charts that could be reviewed , 7 mild / moderate reactions were reported in 6 patients ( 16.7% ) and 8 severe reactions were reported in 8 patients ( 22.2% ) .
of 5 patients who received multiple transfusions from the same donor , 2 experienced 2 reactions : one had 2 mild / moderate reactions and the other had both a mild / moderate and a severe reaction . while 5 of the 7 mild / moderate reactions were reported to the hospital transfusion service , only 2 of the 8 severe reactions were reported . only 2 reactions ( 1 mild / moderate and 1 severe ) were reported to the regional blood collection facility .
they also found out that trali was frequently underdiagnosed and underreported in recipients of blood products from a donor whose blood products may have caused trali in several transfusion recipients .
clinical education and awareness of this often - overlooked diagnosis are imperative for appropriate prevention and treatment .
s. salimi and his assistants ( 15 ) had a study on the incidence rate of acute reactions in transfusion of blood and its products prepared by urumia blood refinery center .
the most frequent complaints of patients were coldness ( 22.5% ) , pruritus ( 20.1% ) and chills ( 18.1% ) . the prevalence of acute hemolytic reaction , febrile reaction and allergic reactions were 0.52 , 6.2 and 11.1 per 1000 transfusions respectively .
they concluded that in spite of improved blood refinement techniques , acute transfusion reactions can lead to significant morbidity and mortality .
therefore , physicians , nurses and midwives meticulous attention to early symptoms and signs of acute reactions to transfusion of blood and its products have an important role in preventing adverse outcomes of this life - saving remedy . j. bux ( 16 ) in a study about trali ( a serious adverse event of blood transfusion ) figured out that trali is characterized by acute respiratory distress and non - cardiogenic lung edema developing during , or within 6 h of , transfusion .
trali must be carefully differentiated from transfusion - associated circulatory overload . in its fulminant presentation , trali can be clinically indistinguishable from acute respiratory distress syndrome occurring as a result of other causes .
the severity of trali depends upon the susceptibility of the patient to develop a more clinically significant reaction as a result of an underlying disease process , and upon the nature of triggers in the transfused blood components , including granulocyte - binding alloantibodies ( immune trali ) or neutrophil - priming substances such as biologically active lipids ( non - immune trali ) .
immune trali , which occurs mainly after the transfusion of fresh - frozen plasma and platelet concentrates , is a rare event ( about one incidence per 5000 transfusions ) but frequently ( 70% ) requires mechanical ventilation ( severe trali ) and is not uncommonly fatal ( 69% of cases ) .
non - immune trali , which occurs mainly after the transfusion of stored platelet and erythrocyte concentrates , seems to be characterized by a more benign clinical course , with oxygen support sufficient as a form of therapy in most cases , and a lower mortality than immune trali .
they concluded that by virtue of its morbidity and mortality , trali has become one of the most serious current complications of transfusion . to prevent further antibody - mediated cases
. however , further studies are necessary for the prevention of this serious transfusion complication . according to the enhancement of using blood components and their following reactions ,
this search has been accomplished to study prevalence of atrs in mazandaran heart center , sari , iran and results can be used for preventative plans in many patient groups .
among 9193 transfused blood products in fatemeh zahra hospital from 2010 till 2012 , 34 ( 0.4% ) cases of acute transfusion reaction were reported .
our data collection tool was a check list including 8 titles and patient s age , sex , blood group , transfusion history , type of received blood component and kind of atrs were studied in it .
chi square test used for data analysis , and results registered using spss software and tables and charts were drawn .
the age range was 28 - 92 . 19 ( 54.3% ) had history of blood transfusion and 11 ( 34.1% ) did nt have any history .
16(45.7% ) of all reactions were found in males and 17(48.5% ) were found in females .
frequency of bgs in persons attacked by atrs there was no meaningful relationship between type of blood component and atrs ( table 2 ) .
frequency of each component in whom attacked by atrs following blood transfusion the most common reaction following transfusion was feeling discomfort and restlessness . breathing stricture with 0.14 prevalence and
chills with 0.13 , were other common atrs ( table 3 , diagram 1 ) .
because a lot of transfusion reactions are hidden in clinical symptoms , estimating their numbers will be with errors ( 1 ) .
majority of reactions were slight and transient and included feeling discomfort and restlessness ( 0.16% ) and constriction of breath ( 0.14% ) .
overall , reactions due to receiving packed cells are more severe than reactions that occur after receiving platelets . also in this study most of acute transfusion reactions
results of this study shows that occurrence of atrs is rare and this guides can be useful to reduce available cases : a ) be careful about any symptoms of patient during blood and blood components transfusion . | pubmed |
nonequilibrium dynamic transitions driven by cascade dynamics on complex networks have attracted considerable attention recently @xcite .
the spreading of epidemic disease on complex networks @xcite is an instance , in which a pathogen is transmitted from an infected node ( e.g. , a person ) to a susceptible neighbor , who then becomes infected with a certain probability .
if the transmission probability is sufficiently large ( small ) , the pathogen spreads out to a macroscopic scale ( remains local ) .
an epidemic transition occurs between these two limits .
the extent of spreading also depends on the structure of an underlying network @xcite .
when degree distribution of a network is highly heterogeneous , diseases can spread out massively even for a small transmission probability , so that an epidemic transition point can be zero @xcite .
information spreading in social media from one page to others may be modeled in a similar manner @xcite . among the several epidemic models ,
one of the simple contagion models is the so - called susceptible - infected - recovered ( sir ) model @xcite , in which each node has one of three states , susceptible ( denoted as @xmath3 ) , infected ( @xmath4 ) , or recovered ( @xmath5 ) .
initially , all the nodes are in state @xmath3 except for one seed node in state @xmath4 .
the contagion process starts from a single node in state @xmath4 .
each node in state @xmath4 transmits pathogens to its neighbors in state @xmath3 and infects each of them with probability @xmath6 ; then , it changes its state to @xmath5 with unit probability .
this contact process is repeated until the system reaches an absorbing state in which no infected node is left in the system .
when the probability @xmath6 is sufficiently small ( large ) , the order parameter defined as the density of nodes in state @xmath5 after the system falls into the absorbing state , becomes @xmath7 [ @xmath0 ] ; i.e. , the system falls into a subcritical ( supercritical ) state . in between
, an epidemic transition occurs at @xmath9 , and the system exhibits critical behavior .
it is known that when the dynamics starts from a single seed on erds - rnyi ( er ) random networks @xcite , the sir model undergoes a continuous percolation transition following the universal behavior of ordinary percolation .
the sir model with multiple seeds has been considered @xcite , in which two percolation transitions occur successively at @xmath10 and @xmath11 as @xmath6 is increased .
the density of nodes in state @xmath5 is finite for @xmath12 , whereas the density of nodes in state @xmath3 disappears for @xmath13 .
thus , there exists a state of coexisting nodes in states @xmath5 and @xmath3 between @xmath10 and @xmath11 .
the sir model was extended to a two - step contagion model , in which a weakened state ( @xmath14 ) can exist between the @xmath3 and @xmath4 states .
accordingly , this model is called the swir model @xcite . nodes in state @xmath14
are involved in the reactions @xmath15 and @xmath16 , which occurs in addition to the reactions @xmath17 and @xmath18 in the sir model .
the properties of the epidemic transition in the swir model were extensively investigated for the single - seed case @xcite .
the order parameter defined as the density of nodes in state @xmath5 after an absorbing state is reached , displays a discontinuous transition , whereas other physical quantities such as the outbreak size distribution exhibit critical behaviors .
thus , the phase transition occurring in the swir model with a single seed is regarded as a mixed - order phase transition @xcite .
the dynamic rule of the swir model is rather so simple that its underlying mechanism for the discontinuous behavior of the order parameter was disclosed @xcite .
moreover , the mechanism turned out to be universal in other models such as @xmath19-core percolation @xcite , the cascading failure model on interdependent networks @xcite , and the epidemic - related models @xcite . here
, we investigate the phase transitions of the swir model with multiple seeds .
the model with multiple seeds has been investigated in refs .
@xcite : the authors of refs .
@xcite used the mean - field approach and performed numerical simulations , obtaining the phase diagram as a function of the reaction rates .
the order parameter exhibits either a discontinuous or continuous transition depending on the density of the infectious seeds and mean degree of a given network @xcite . in ref .
@xcite , the discontinuous transition is regarded as a spinodal transition , because there is no co - existence phase in the system while the order parameter jumps .
even though such results were obtained , the properties of the phase transitions and critical behaviors were not deeply investigated yet . here
, we reveal that the spread of contagion in the swir model with multiple seeds proceeds differently from that in the swir model with a single seed : in the multiple - seed case , the reactions @xmath16 often occur even in early time steps , because nodes in states @xmath14 and @xmath4 involved in that reaction can originate from different seeds ( see fig .
[ fig1 ] ) .
we note that the number of multiple seeds was taken as @xmath0 . on the contrary , in the single - seed case
, such reactions rarely occur until the system reaches a characteristic dynamic step @xmath20 : when dynamic step @xmath21 is less than @xmath22 , the reactions @xmath17 and @xmath18 are dominant but the number of nodes in @xmath5 still remains as @xmath7 .
the contagion spreads in the form of a branching tree . when the dynamics reaches @xmath22 , the branching tree forms long - range loops due to finite - size effect .
once such loops form , the reaction @xmath16 occurs massively , in which the nodes in state @xmath14 were generated in early time steps .
thus , the density of nodes in state @xmath5 increases drastically as many as @xmath0 in short time steps . due to these different contagion mechanisms ,
the properties of epidemic transitions in the multiple seed case become different from those in the single seed case .
we will determine the full set of critical exponents describing the phase transitions in the multiple seed case , and compare them with those obtained in the single seed case @xcite .
this paper is organized as follows : in sec .
ii , we present the rules of the swir model in detail . in sec .
iii , we set up the self - consistency equation to derive the mean - field solution using the local tree approximation of the order parameter for the epidemic transition on the er networks .
we show that , depending on the initial density of infectious nodes , different types of phase transition can occur . in sec .
iv , we report numerical results for the epidemic transitions . in the final section , a summary and discussion are presented . or @xmath14 .
( c ) a node in state @xmath4 contacts a node in state @xmath14 from a different root .
( d ) then , the node in state @xmath4 infects the node in state @xmath14 and changes its state to @xmath4 .
the two clusters merge . ]
the swir model with multiple seeds is simulated on er networks with @xmath1 nodes . initially
, @xmath23 nodes are selected randomly from among those @xmath1 nodes and assigned to state @xmath4 ; the other nodes are assigned to state @xmath3 . at each time
step @xmath21 , the following processes are performed .
( i ) all the nodes in state @xmath4 are listed in random order .
( ii ) the states of the neighbors of each node in the list are updated sequentially as follows : if a neighbor is in state @xmath3 , it changes its state in one of the two ways : either to @xmath4 with probability @xmath6 or to @xmath14 with probability @xmath24 .
if a neighbor is in the state @xmath14 , it changes to @xmath4 with probability @xmath25 , where @xmath6 , @xmath24 , and @xmath25 are the contagion probabilities for the respective reactions .
( iii ) all nodes in the list change their states to @xmath5 .
this completes the time step , and we repeat the above processes until the system reaches an absorbing state in which no infectious node is left in the system .
the reactions are summarized as follows : @xmath26 the order parameter exhibits a discontinuous transition at a transition point @xmath9 when @xmath27 is less than a critical value @xmath28 , and it shows a continuous transition at @xmath9 when @xmath29 for given parameter values @xmath30 , @xmath24 , and @xmath25 , where @xmath30 is the mean degree of a given er network .
in an absorbing state , each node is in one of three states : the susceptible @xmath3 , weakened @xmath14 , and recovered @xmath5 states .
the order parameter @xmath31 , the density of nodes in state @xmath5 in an absorbing state , is written using the local tree approximation as @xmath32 the first term in eq .
( [ rho_r ] ) , @xmath33 , is the initial density of infected nodes . in the second term
, the factor @xmath34 represents the probability that a node is originally in state @xmath3 .
@xmath35 is the probability that a randomly selected node has degree @xmath19 ; @xmath36 is the probability that an arbitrarily chosen edge leads to a node that is in state @xmath5 but not infected through the chosen edge in the absorbing state .
thus , @xmath37 is the probability that a node has degree @xmath19 and @xmath38 of them are in state @xmath5 in the absorbing state .
@xmath39 is the conditional probability that a node is finally in state @xmath5 , provided that it was originally in state @xmath3 and its @xmath40 neighbors are in state @xmath5 in the absorbing state .
similarly to @xmath41 , we define @xmath42 as the conditional probability that a node remains in state @xmath3 in the absorbing state , provided that it has @xmath40 neighbors in state @xmath5 and was originally in state @xmath3 .
@xmath43 is defined similarly .
we note that for a certain node to have @xmath44 neighbors in state @xmath5 in the absorbing state means that the node receives @xmath38 attempts to infect it when the recovered neighbors are in state @xmath4 .
thus , a node still remaining in state @xmath3 with @xmath40 neighbors in state @xmath5 has to be unchanged from @xmath40 infection attempts through the entire process .
thus , we obtain @xmath45 next , the probability @xmath46 is given as @xmath47 where @xmath48 denotes the number of attacks that a node sustains before it changes to state @xmath14 . using the relation @xmath49 , one can determine @xmath50 in terms of @xmath51 and @xmath52 .
the local tree approximation allows us to define @xmath53 similarly to @xmath36 but now at the tree level @xmath21 .
the probability @xmath54 can be derived from @xmath53 as follows : @xmath55 where the factor @xmath56 is the probability that a node connected to a randomly chosen edge has degree @xmath19 . as a particular case ,
when the network is an er network with @xmath57 , @xmath58 becomes @xmath59 eq .
( [ eq : sce ] ) reduces to a self - consistency equation for @xmath36 for given epidemic parameter values in the limit @xmath60 .
once we obtain the solution of @xmath36 , we can obtain the outbreak size @xmath31 using eq .
( [ rho_r ] ) . for er networks
, however , @xmath31 becomes equivalent to @xmath36 , thus the solution of the self - consistency equation eq .
( [ eq : sce ] ) yields the order parameter .
we remark that the methodology we used here is similar to those used in previous studies of epidemic spreading on complex networks @xcite .
hereafter , we set @xmath61 for convenience and define a function @xmath62 using formula ( [ eq : f_q ] ) , we approximate @xmath63 in the limit @xmath64 as @xmath65 where @xmath66 for convenience , we neglect the higher - order terms and redefine @xmath63 as @xmath67 depending on the relative magnitudes of @xmath68 and @xmath69 , various solutions of the self - consistency equation @xmath70 can be obtained .
however , we need to check whether these solutions are indeed physically relevant in the steady state when we start epidemic dynamics from a certain initial condition .
the stability criterion was established in a previous work @xcite : the solution @xmath71 is stable if and only if @xmath72 .
the equation of state in the steady state can be obtained using @xmath70 .
we notice that @xmath73 and @xmath74 because @xmath75 , as shown in fig .
we examine the solutions of @xmath76 , which are obtained as @xmath77 where @xmath68 , @xmath69 , and @xmath78 are given in formulas ( [ a_c])([c_c ] ) .
note that @xmath68 depends on @xmath33 . at these extreme points @xmath79
, @xmath63 has either a local maximum or a local minimum . for a given @xmath33 , @xmath30 , and @xmath25 ,
both @xmath79 values exist , and they are positive in the range of @xmath80 , where @xmath81 at @xmath82 , and @xmath83 at @xmath84 . for a given @xmath85 and @xmath86 ,
diverse types of phase transitions occur depending on @xmath33 . when @xmath87 is less than a certain value @xmath88 , the order parameter jumps at a transition point . on the other hand ,
when @xmath89 , the order parameter increases continuously with @xmath90 . at @xmath91 , @xmath92 and @xmath93 at @xmath94 , as schematically shown in the blue ( lower ) curve in fig .
[ fig3 ] . versus @xmath95 for @xmath96 .
curves represent @xmath63 for different @xmath97 .
@xmath98 , @xmath99 , and @xmath100 are the solutions of @xmath70 , where @xmath101 .
@xmath102 are the solutions of @xmath103 with @xmath104 . ] versus @xmath95 for @xmath105 .
there exists a solution @xmath106 at which the self - consistency equations @xmath107 and @xmath108 hold . ]
when @xmath110 there exists a range of @xmath90 in which @xmath70 has more than one solution , as shown in fig .
the order parameter @xmath95 versus @xmath97 is shown in fig .
[ fig4](a ) and ( b ) .
in particular , when @xmath6 has a certain value @xmath111 , @xmath112 obtained using eq .
( [ eq : hq ] ) satisfies @xmath113 .
the @xmath112 value at @xmath111 is denoted as @xmath114 .
we also define @xmath115 and @xmath116 similarly to @xmath117 in eq .
( [ eq : hq ] ) .
we note that @xmath118 .
depending on the magnitude of the reaction probability @xmath6 relative to @xmath115 and @xmath111 , the order parameter behaves differently , as follows : \i ) for @xmath119 , there exists one stable solution @xmath120 , which increases slowly with @xmath6 .
it is obtained that @xmath121 .
\ii ) at @xmath122 , there exist two solutions , @xmath98 and @xmath116 ( @xmath123 ) .
however , @xmath116 is not accessible because @xmath98 is stable .
\iii ) when @xmath124 , there exist three solutions , @xmath98 , @xmath99 , and @xmath100 , with relative magnitudes @xmath125 ; however , the solution @xmath99 is unstable .
thus , only @xmath98 is accessible from the initial density @xmath126 .
the order parameter behaves as @xmath127 for @xmath128 .
thus , the critical exponent of the order parameter is obtained as @xmath129 .
\iv ) at @xmath130 , there exist two stable solutions , @xmath114 and @xmath100 .
thus , the order parameter jumps between the two values , exhibiting discontinuous behavior .
hence , a hybrid phase transition occurs at the point @xmath131 .
\v ) for @xmath132 , there exists one solution , denoted as @xmath133 , which increases with @xmath6 as @xmath134 . versus @xmath6 for @xmath135 .
thick solid ( dashed ) curves represent stable ( unstable ) solutions of the self - consistency equation . dashed
- dotted lines represent the pandemic probability @xmath136 .
( b ) plot of @xmath31 versus @xmath6 for er networks with mean degree @xmath137 and @xmath138 .
solid curve represents analytic solution of the self - consistency equation .
red dots ( blue squares ) represent averaged values of @xmath139 ( @xmath140 ) obtained by numerical simulations on er networks of system size @xmath141 .
( c ) plot of @xmath142 versus @xmath6 for various system sizes @xmath1 .
data are obtained for er networks with mean degree @xmath137 and @xmath143 . at @xmath144 , @xmath145 , which implies that @xmath146 behaves like a step function in the limit @xmath147 , as depicted schematically in ( a ) with dashed - dotted lines . ] when @xmath105 , there exists a reaction probability @xmath9 that satisfies the relation @xmath148 , and @xmath149 .
thus , the two solutions , @xmath114 and @xmath116 , reduce to the same one , which is denoted as @xmath106 .
the function @xmath150 versus @xmath95 is shown in fig .
[ fig3 ] , and the order parameter @xmath95 versus @xmath6 is shown with the analytic solution and simulation data in fig .
[ fig5 ] . at @xmath9 ,
singular behavior occurs , and the order parameter @xmath95 behaves as @xmath151 on both sides .
the derivation of this exponent @xmath152 is presented in the appendix . versus @xmath6 for er networks with mean degree @xmath137 and @xmath153 .
solid curve represents analytic solution of the self - consistency equation .
red dots ( blue squares ) represent average values of @xmath139 ( @xmath140 ) obtained by numerical simulations on er networks of the system size @xmath154 . ]
to estimate various critical exponents , we perform extensive numerical simulations on er networks with mean degree @xmath155 . for simplicity
, the reaction probability @xmath24 is set equal to @xmath6 , and @xmath156 . with these parameter values ,
we determine @xmath28 as precisely as @xmath157 , which we will use in numerical analysis later . for @xmath109 , we take @xmath158 in the simulations .
we take the average over 50 different dynamics samples for each of 1,6004,000 network configurations . thus
, 80,000200,000 configuration averages were taken to obtain each data point .
we found analytically that the order parameter behaves as @xmath159 with @xmath129 in the thermodynamic limit , where @xmath160 .
the main panel of fig .
[ fig6 ] shows @xmath161 versus @xmath162 in a double logarithmic scale .
data points in the figure are obtained numerically from systems of several selected sizes @xmath1 , and the dashed line is obtained from the analytic solution of eq .
( [ eq : sce ] ) by taking the limit @xmath60 , which is valid in the thermodynamic limit .
we find that the data points saturate to constant values asymptotically as @xmath163 , whereas they overlap with the dashed curve as @xmath164 is increased . as shown in the inset ,
also in a double logarithmic scale , the dashed curve follows the line with a slope of @xmath165 in the region @xmath166 ; however , it deviates from the line in the opposite region beyond @xmath167 .
this fact implies that conventional finite - size scaling analysis is valid for systems with size larger than @xmath168 .
however , it would be impractical to perform simulations with such huge system sizes . versus @xmath169 in a double logarithmic scale .
data are obtained for er networks with mean degree @xmath155 with @xmath170 .
the black dashed curve represents the analytical solution . for @xmath171 ( @xmath172 ) , crossover behavior is likely to occur at @xmath173 , which is roughly close to the point from which the analytical solution ( black dashed curve in the inset ) of @xmath174 deviates from the straight line with a slope of 0.5 . ] following the conventional finite - size scaling theory , @xmath175 at @xmath111 .
we check this relation in fig .
[ fig7 ] . for small system sizes @xmath1
, @xmath176 seems to be about 0.2 , whereas it is estimated to be @xmath177 for large @xmath1 .
again the crossover occurs between the system sizes @xmath178 and @xmath179 .
we could obtain a more reliable value for the exponent ratio @xmath180 for somewhat larger system sizes , but that is impractical . versus @xmath1 at @xmath130 in a double logarithmic scale .
data are obtained for er networks with mean degree @xmath155 .
@xmath170 is used .
the slope of the data point corresponds to @xmath180 . as the system size
is increased , crossover behavior appears in the slope from @xmath181 to @xmath182 , which indicates that @xmath183 in the limit @xmath184 . ]
the fluctuation of the order parameter @xmath185 diverges as @xmath186 . for finite systems of size @xmath187
, it is expected that @xmath188 at @xmath130 . from the simulation data , we obtain @xmath189 , as shown in fig .
[ fig8 ] . versus @xmath1 at @xmath190 in a double logarithmic scale .
data are obtained for er networks with mean degree @xmath155 .
@xmath191 . here
, the slope of the data points corresponds to @xmath192 , which is estimated to be @xmath193 . ] with the measured values @xmath194 and @xmath195 and the analytic result @xmath129 , we guess @xmath196 and then @xmath197
. if we use those values , then the hyperscaling relation @xmath198 would hold . at @xmath199 .
data are obtained for er networks of @xmath200 with mean degree @xmath137 and @xmath201 . even though simulations were performed at @xmath9 and @xmath28 ,
the distribution of the order parameter exhibits two peaks , a prototypical pattern of a discontinuous transition due to the finite size effect .
as @xmath1 is increased , we expect that the two peaks converge and become a single peak . ] at @xmath91 , the jump in the order parameter does not appear , and @xmath202 at @xmath203 in the thermodynamic limit . in finite systems
, however , the order parameter can still exhibit a jump in some samples .
thus , the order parameter distribution @xmath204 accumulated over different samples exhibits two separate peaks , as shown in fig .
we regard the data points of @xmath204 in the region @xmath205 ( @xmath206 ) , where @xmath106 has the theoretical value @xmath207 , as those obtained from @xmath208 ( @xmath209 ) for different samples . at @xmath210 , in finite systems , we obtain the power - law behaviors @xmath211 with @xmath212 ( fig . [ fig10 ] ) and @xmath213 with @xmath214 ( fig .
[ fig11 ] ) . versus @xmath1 at @xmath215 .
data are obtained for er networks with mean degree @xmath155 .
@xmath105 is taken as @xmath216 .
@xmath180 is estimated to be @xmath217 . ] versus @xmath1 at @xmath218 .
data are obtained for er networks with mean degree @xmath137 .
@xmath105 is taken as @xmath216 .
@xmath219 is estimated to be @xmath220 . ] for @xmath221 , the fluctuation of the order parameter @xmath222 behaves as @xmath223 $ ] with a certain scaling function @xmath224 . on the other hand , for @xmath225
, we obtain that @xmath226 behaves as @xmath227 $ ] with a certain scaling function @xmath228 .
we numerically obtain @xmath229 ( fig .
[ fig12 ] ) and @xmath230 ( fig .
[ fig13 ] ) . , the fluctuation of the order parameter @xmath98 , as a function of the system size @xmath187 at @xmath231 .
@xmath192 is estimated to be @xmath232 .
data are obtained for er networks with @xmath137 .
@xmath33 is taken as @xmath233 . ] , the fluctuation of the order parameter @xmath100 , as a function of the system size @xmath187 at @xmath231 .
@xmath234 is estimated to be @xmath235 .
data are obtained for er networks with mean degree @xmath137 .
@xmath105 is taken as @xmath216 . ]
on the basis of the numerically obtained values @xmath236 and @xmath237 , and the theoretical value @xmath238 , we estimate @xmath239 and @xmath240 .
those values are confirmed in fig .
[ fig14 ] for @xmath241 versus @xmath242 , in which the data collapse well with the choices of @xmath243 and @xmath244 .
the measured values of the exponents satisfy the hyperscaling relation @xmath245 well .
similarly , for @xmath246 , on the basis of the numerical values @xmath214 and @xmath230 , and the theoretical value @xmath247 , we obtain @xmath248 and @xmath249 .
data for @xmath250 for different system sizes collapse well into a single curve with the choices of @xmath251 and @xmath252 ( fig .
[ fig15 ] ) .
these values yield @xmath253 , which deviates slightly from the expected value of unity that would satisfy the hyperscaling relation . to obtain those results
, we used the numerical values @xmath254 and @xmath218 .
we remark that @xmath255 is obtained analytically . for @xmath256 in the form @xmath257 versus @xmath258 , where @xmath259 and @xmath260 are used .
data are obtained for er networks with mean degree @xmath137 .
@xmath105 is taken as @xmath216 . ] for @xmath246 in the form @xmath261 versus @xmath262 , where @xmath263 and @xmath264 are used .
data are obtained for er networks with mean degree @xmath137 .
@xmath105 is taken as @xmath216 . ]
we investigated the properties of phase transitions in the swir model with a finite density @xmath87 of initially infected seeds @xcite .
a node in the state @xmath3 can change its state to weakened ( @xmath14 ) or infected ( @xmath4 ) when it comes in contact with an infected node from the same or a different root .
a weakened node can also change its state to infected ( @xmath4 ) when it contacts an infected node from the same or a different root .
the reaction probabilities @xmath6 and @xmath24 in eqs .
( [ si_ii ] ) and ( [ si_wi ] ) , respectively , serve as control parameters . for convenience , we take @xmath265 .
we found that for a given network , there exists a critical density of seeds @xmath28 such that for @xmath109 , the order parameter , the density of nodes in state @xmath5 in the absorbing state , increases continuously with the critical exponent @xmath129 as @xmath6 is increased up to a transition point @xmath111 and then jumps to a finite value , followed by a continuous increase .
accordingly , the order parameter behaves as @xmath266 for @xmath128 , where @xmath69 is a positive constant . at @xmath111 ,
the order parameter is discontinuous by @xmath267 .
thus , the order parameter itself exhibits a hybrid phase transition .
this pattern is different from that for the single - seed case , in which the order parameter jumps from @xmath268 to a finite value , and thus @xmath269 .
the fluctuation of the order parameter diverges at the transition point @xmath111 according to a power - law with the exponent @xmath270 . for the correlation size exponent @xmath271 measured in finite systems
, we find that the hyperscaling relation @xmath272 holds reasonably well .
as @xmath33 is increased , the jump shrinks and becomes zero at @xmath28 . for @xmath91 ,
the transition becomes continuous .
we determined a complete set of critical exponents describing the phase transition at @xmath9 .
the critical exponents are listed in table i. 0.5 cm this work was supported by the national research foundation of korea by grant no .
here we introduce an analytical method to determine the critical exponents @xmath238 at @xmath105 .
it is already noted in sec .
iii - b that for @xmath105 , @xmath274 we consider a line of the solution @xmath275 near @xmath276 by expanding @xmath277 as where only nonzero terms are considered . since @xmath279 and @xmath280 are two lowest terms in eq .
( [ eq : expansion ] ) and their coefficients have the opposite sign to each other , @xmath281 when @xmath282 .
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e * 93 , * 042109 ( 2016 ) . | arxiv |
PANDORUM
Written by
Travis Milloy
DEEP SPACE
A darkness like no other, a silence that is unsettling.
Sharp pinholes of light show a sea of distant stars across
the void of outer space. Our own motion is only realized as
an enormous object slowly moves towards us, taking shape.
A SPACE SHIP of unimaginable size, a tubular freighter easily
ten times larger then any aircraft carrier. At first glance
it appears lifeless and adrift, but slowly the small glow of
cockpit windows come into view as we move closer.
Moonlight cuts across the hull, displaying the name; EDEN.
BOWER (V.0.)
Where were you... when Eden was lost?
Like every other kid on my block, I was
in the middle of a dream, envious of
those who were chosen to be part of
mankind's greatest quest. Dreaming of
the unknown and trying to imagine what
only the lucky few would encounter.
We PUSH IN towards the cockpit windows and...
DISSOLVE THRU:
INT. COCKPIT (EDEN) - CONT.
Inside the flight deck it's ghostly vacant, rows of empty
flight chairs and numerous guidance computers gently
blinking. With half filled coffee-cups and jackets hung over
the seat backs... it appears the control deck has been
suddenly evacuated.
Muffled SCREAMS are heard somewhere deeper inside the ship.
BOWER.(V.0.)
As the entire world watched in wonder,
there were only a few, skeptical of the
journey's success.
(BEAT)
Only a few... who would be right.
The further we move into the ship... signs of violence
appear, smears of dark blood sharply standing out on the
bright white paneling and several broken computer screens.
The muffled SCREAMS grow louder and clearer... an argument
between men, panicked rage over-lapping.
(CONTINUED)
2.
CONTINUED:
CAMERA slowly moves past a corner to see the middle-of a
violent confrontation. One OFFICER is locked inside a sleep
chamber, banging on the glass and pleading with panic.
Another OFFICER is on the floor, mortally wounded, his body
still twitching with his head bashed in. The INSANE OFFICER,
a young corporal is moving from terminal to terminal, typing
in commands with a casual and emotionless nature.
Blood streams have run down his face from both ears and nose
as he continues to type commands into the flight computer...
heightening the trapped OFFICER'S muffled,. screams.
TRAPPED OFFICER
(IN FRENCH)
STOP IT! STOP FOR GOD'S SAKES! PLEASE!
GOD NO!
The INSANE OFFICER hits the final command key and warning
buzzers ignite with flashing lights. He closes his eyes,
taking a breath of relief.
TRAPPED OFFCIER
(IN FRENCH)
STOP IT! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS WILL
DO TO- YOU'RE NOT- STOP! YOU'RE GOING
TO FUCKING KILL US ALL!
The trapped OFFICER begins pounding on the glass with a
crazed panic as the INSANE OFFICER calmly goes to his own
sleep-pod and climbs inside, sealing the hatch.
TRAPPED OFFCIER (CONT-D)
(IN FRENCH)
PLEASE GOD! NO! NO GOD DAMMIT!
Control panels flash and hydraulics ignite. Like a row of
tumbling dominos, each of the sleep-chamber pods shift
positions with a SHUSH of hydraulics and then... they are
launched with a ROAR of micro-jets.
CUT TO:
EXT. SHIP "EDEN" - CONT.
We're suddenly back into the unsettling silence as... like a
bee hive that's exploded, thousands of coffin-sized sleep
pods are ejected from the ship in unison. They are sent
tumbling into open space in every direction as the ship
slowly continues its unaffected course.
(CONTINUED)
3.
CONTINUED:
The trapped OFFICER is seen SCREAMING in silence inside his
own pod.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. OUTER SPACE
We slowly float towards an astroid field. As we grow closer
it's the sea of sleep pods slowly floating through space.
BOWER (P.O.)
Where was I... when I heard we'd lost
Eden? Just like every other kid on my
block... I was dreaming... of being one
who would be chosen to follow.
As we move closer to the asteroid field of sleep pods, it's
obvious that time has passed, a single skeleton inside each
of the pods, hands in a clawing position towards the glass.
We PUSH IN towards one pod, moving towards the SKULL, still
locked in a SCREAMING position, wide mouthed and...
CUT TO:
M. HYPER-SLEEP CHAMBER
A RUMBLE passes... EYELIDS TWITCH... A GASP.
Inside a coffin-size chamber, a dim glow of light seeps
through a small glass porthole. A MAN is asleep, a mask
attached to his face, tubes of liquid feeding into his arms.
CORPORAL BOWER, military physique, chiseled features. His
chest lightly expanding, blood pulsating through his veins.
Lights FLICKER PAST and his body comes to life, muscles
flinching, breath quickening. He squirms with discomfort,
ripping away the mask. He gasps, trying to SCREAM.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER COMPARTMENT - CONT.
His scream is muffled under three inches of glass. The hatch
door is hit with a THUD and white gases erupt from the edges.
THUD, THUD... THUD! The door bursts open and BOWER scampers
out, struggling to rip away the feeding tubes. He HITS the
floor, naked and gasping. His pores ignite, dripping sweat.
He tries to get to his feet, but his legs wobble underneath
him, collapsing. He yells at the floor.
(CONTINUED)
4.
CONTINUED:
BOWER
Burns are red! Bruises... blue-
His voice echoes into the dark, alone in a cavernous room as
he pauses, struggling for orientation. He gets to his feet,
muscles twitching. His short-cropped hair is... pure white.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Hey...? HEY!!? Someone?
A constant low RUMBLE is present, joined by the occasional
MOAN and CREAK of a large ship. A SHUDDER travels through
the room with a random FLICKER of LIGHTS to reveal...
A massive steel compartment, tangled with technology. It's
cold and institutional. High-tech computer terminals slope
out of the floor. The FLICKER passes, taking us into black.
We hear him: fumbling through the room, switches are thrown
with no result and compartments are pulled opened and...
SNAP! A glow stick comes to life.
He squints at his darkened surroundings with confusion. A
drip of liquid catches his eye and he staggers back to his
sleep pod. He grabs the dangling tubes that were ripped from
his arm and he sucks on the tube, pulling as much liquid into
his mouth as possible.
After a few heavy gulps, he suddenly heaves towards the
floor. He painfully forces himself to drink, gasping.
He looks up to notice two sleep chambers next to his own. He
leans closer with the glow stick to see the first one, the
name plate reading; 2nd Lt. Cooper. It's EMPTY.
The third pod's name plate reads; LT. PAYTON. Deep inside
there is the figure of a man, asleep under a mask.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Payton? Lieutenant... Payton?
He turns back to his own pod, seeing the name plate that
reads; CORPORAL BOWER. Even this name doesn't seem familiar.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Bower? Bower...?
The loss of memory heightens his fear even more as a shiver
travels through his body while he staggers towards a nearby
computer terminal. He taps the keys on a computer terminal.
Nothing. He frowns, leaning closer.
(CONTINUED)
5.
CONTINUED: (2)
As he taps the keyboard, powder blooms out from under his
fingers. He wipes the surface of the panel to see a thick
layer of dust. Under the smear is...
Elysium - Flight Systems - Operation Terminal #87153-D.
He pulls focus to see... his FINGERS are trembling
uncontrollably, an odd vibration of nerves. He slowly makes
a fist with concern.
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE LOCKER ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
BOWER walks along a row of storage lockers reading each name
plate. He stops at the locker labelled; Corp. Bower. He
pauses, mumbling the name once again with no recognition.
BOWER
Bower.
He opens the locker to see an assortment of personalized
belongings, uniform and gear, none of it seeming familiar.
He uses a towel to wipe off the layer of sweat and oily
substance coating his body, pausing to see an identification
tattoo on his forearm that reads: FLT>>005»015.
He pulls on a black flight suit, emblems and military
markings of rank on the chest. He pulls on shoes and a tool
belt with a high powered pen-lamp.
On the inside of the locker is a emergency manual card with
block figures displaying breathing and stretching exercises,
labelled; Hyper-Sleep Disorientation Recovery Procedures.
BOWER (CONT'D)
(reading to himself)
.in the event of mild memory loss...
resulting from extended-
He freezes on... A PHOTO tucked inside the door. EVALON, a
beautiful young woman smiling towards camera. He stares at
the-photo, his frown deepening with confusion. He checks the
back for a name, but nothing. He tucks the photo into a
pocket and exits.
DISSOLVE THRU BLACK:
6.
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER COMPARTMENT - LATER
BOWER waves his hand over a sensor... no power. He steps in
front of a heavy set of steel doors, flipping several
switches and... nothing.
CUT TO:
BOWER breaks open a storage bin, pulling out beverage packets
and a cup, taking a seat at the control desk. With Evalon's
photograph leaned against the console, he becomes lost in a
gaze as he gulps down nutrient pills and stirs an instant
coffee as we...
PUSH IN
There is a conflict in his eyes, memories trying to return.
FLASH CUT
An image FLASHES past, EVALON smiling as BOWER kneels next to
her, gripping her hands.
BOWER'S gaze remains hollow, frown deepening as he sips the
cup and... winces with disgust.
BOWER
Faa-uck!
Distant THUMPS. He pans the pen-lamp across the ceiling and
toward the sounds... PAYTON'S sleep chamber.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP: Muffled and desperate. CRACK! Bower
jumps back as someone kicks their way out from inside, the
hatch bursting open. Out climbs...
PAYTON, a man in his forties, but the rugged physique of a
man half his age, lean and agile. His military-style hair
cut is also pure white. Gasping for breath, he hits the
floor as BOWER tries to help him. PAYTON jerks with shock.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Whoa! Hey... easy! Lt. Payton? You're-
Sir... whoa!
PAYTON chokes and gasps, then glances up, giving Bower a once
over with a frown and a sobering tone.
PAYTON
Who are you?
BOWER
Bower. Corporal... Bower, sir. I'm the-
(CONTINUED)
7.
CONTINUED :
PAYTON
(NOT FAMILIAR)
Bower?
BOWER
That's right. You're waking from
EXTENDED HYPER-SLEEP-
PAYTON
Corporal?
BOWER
Yes, sir. This is disorientation from-
PAYTON
corporal... Bower.
BOWER
Yes. That's right, I'm-
PAYTON
Wanna get that fucking light out of my
eyes, pal?
BOWER
Sorry... sir.
PAYTON rubs his face with a frown.
PAYTON
Where... are we?
BOWER
We're aboard the Elysium. From what I've
GATHERED-
PAYTON
(NOT FAMILIAR)
Elysium...? Where are we?
BOWER
I don't... really know. There's no power
in the com and I can't even-
PAYTON
Where's the... rest of the crew? It's
our shift? Our rotation-
BOWER
I believe so.
(CONTINUED)
B.
CONTINUED: (2)
PAYTON
Aren't they suppose to be here... to wake
us?
BOWER
Sir... I don't know where anyone is.
PAYTON takes breaths, trying to regain his senses, glancing
around at their darkened surroundings.
PAYTON
Hit the lights, will ya?
BOWER
Ah... we're having some power problems-
PAYTON
Who woke you up?
BOWER
Umm, not sure. It had to have been the
flight computer. There's no one here...
(off his look)
.except us.
PAYTON
Cold in here.
BOWER grabs him a towel and water container, turning back to
see PAYTON doesn't waste any time, stretching his limbs.
BOWER
There's no power coming off the main
grid. Can't fire any of the...
(searching for word)
Dynos. Can't even open the doors.
PAYTON glances to the other empty sleep-chamber with a frown.
BOWER (CONT'D)
(off his look)
Our 2nd Lieutenant? I don't know where
he is. It was empty when I woke up.
None of the systems are on-line.
Mainframe is down, so I don't know how or
why it engaged independently-
PAYTON
Bower .
BOWER
Yeah?
(CONTINUED)
9.
CONTINUED: (3)
PAYTON
Until I have two coffees you're just
gonna have to repeat all this shit, so
let's just idle here for a bit.
BOWER
Sorry. I just- Just glad to see you
awake. i was... a little concerned. I
didn't know what to do if-
PAYTON gets to his feet, stumbling. BOWER catches him under
the arm as they stagger into the wall.
BOWER (CONT`D)
Easy... Lieutenant. Easy.
PAYTON
Coffee?
BOWER
I'm on it.
PAYTON
Good man.
BOWER helps him to the locker room as LIGHTS FLICKER past.
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE LOCKER ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
PAYTON staggers along the row of storage lockers as BOWER
helps guide him with the flashlight beam. PAYTON pauses with
a frown as he glances across the name-plates, none of them
seeming familiar. BOWER gestures toward the locker, the name-
plate reads: LT. PAYTON.
BOWER
This is you, sir.
PAYTON
How do you know that?
BOWER
1 It's... the name on your sleep pod, sir.
PAYTON opens the door to see his belongings inside, a photo
of WIFE (MARIANNE) inside the door. He stares at it with
utter confusion. BOWER takes this in, looking to the memory
recovery card inside the locker.
(CONTINUED)
10.
CONTINUED:
BOWER (CONT'D)
it says that the memory loss is only
suppose to be a momentary loss that's-
PAYTON
Very reassuring. I guess when you gamma
the brain into extended REM, sometimes it
can take a while to get it back.
PAYTON pulls on his flight uniform and squeezes his feet into
his shoes. BOWER notices the identification tattoo on his
forearm, partially obscured from view;
FLT>>00... (obscured by grime, hair and angle). Unlike his
own, PAYTON'S tattoo is faded with age.
BOWER
I've been awake for at least an hour and
I still can't remember my... anything.
PAYTON
Listen, the last time I crawled out of a
hyper bunk, it took me... quite a while
to get it all back.
BOWER holds his frown as PAYTON squeezes his finger into a
wedding ring.
BOWER
What was... your last flight, sir?
PAYTON
(BEAT)
Don't recall. The Kuiper Belt odyssey?
Don't worry, it'll come back, eventually.
PAYTON kisses the photo of his wife.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
I've gone through this before. I just
can't remember why I would agree to do it
again.
PAYTON goes to close his locker and BOWER motions with a
serious tone.
BOWER
Sir? I know this is going to sound
strange, but do you even know where we're
going? I can remember the training,
but... not the mission. Know the
procedures, not the... destination.
(CONTINUED)
11.
CONTINUED: (2)
PAYTON
I figured you'd tell me.
BOWER
Didn't even know the ship's name until I
saw it-on the console. For all I know
this was another damn training exercise-
PAYTON
Trust me, it's not. if this is a
simulation...
PAYTON notices both of their reflections off the mirrored
panel inside the locker... revealing their WHITE HAIR.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
Someone is taking the joke a little far.
He shuts the locker and they exit, the flashlight's beam
panning away, taking us into darkness.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER COMPARTMENT/CONTROL DESK - LATER
BOWER and PAYTON are standing at the control console, the
screens flickering with distortion. BOWER hands him a coffee
and PAYTON takes a sip... with a wince of disgust.
BOWER
None of the activators are working.
PAYTON
Figures. We can ride two hundred
thousand tons of space freighter across
the galaxy without a dent in the hood,
but can't get one good cup of coffee.
PAYTON flips a few switches with no result of power.
BOWER
Without the mainframe, we can't connect.
I don't know how we'll ever be able to-
PAYTON is in his element at the control desk, flipping open
an emergency auxiliary-power panel. He snaps open a handle
and he forcefully gives it several rotations with a MOAN of
whirling magnetos. The hand-crank allows a dim glow of
electricity to the light panels.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Oh, I- didn't even think of that.
(CONTINUED)
12.
CONTINUED:
PAYTON gives him a look with a grin and flips a switch.
PAYTON
Payton on the con. Respond? This is Lt.
Payton of flight Team...? Shit-
BOWER
Five.
PAYTON
Five? How do you know that?
BOWER pulls up his sleeve, exposing his tattoo ID. PAYTON
nods, "good thinking."
PAYTON (CONT-D)
Lt. Payton of Flight Team Five. Does
anyone copy? Anyone... respond? Anyone
awake up there?
Dead static.
BOWER
Team Four suppose to be here for the
shift rotation. Where could they be?
PAYTON
Fucking teamsters. Maybe they couldn't
get to us.
BOWER eyes the third empty sleep-chamber.
BOWER
Where could he have gone?
PAYTON gazes off blankly. A RUMBLE of FLICKERING LIGHTS pass
and the computer screens slowly fade, going black.
PAYTON
The power systems must be free-floating
off blown circuits or something. The
over-ride grid won't even lock in.
BOWER
Whatta ya think?
PAYTON
I think we need to find a deck of cards
and call the union.
Distant THUMPS are heard overhead and they freeze... watching
the ceiling with uncertainty.
(CONTINUED)
13.
CONTINUED: (2)
BOWER
Somebody... is up there.
PAYTON
Hmm. Ventilation... maybe. Systems keep
re-booting after each surge. That could
be anything.
THUMPS fade as the ship eerily MOANS and CREAKS.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
I say we get out of here. I'd rather be
up and out then stuck in the trunk.
The room is blocked by the two heavy steel doors on either
end, security doors ten feet wide. PAYTON leads the way
towards one end, gesturing towards the doors.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
We're not far from the bridge but without
the circuits locked in... I don't know
how we could ever get this thing open.
As they approach, their flashlight beams pan across the door
to see jagged chips and scratches all along the edges. Tools
are scattered on the floor, the control panel ripped open.
BOWER
Jesus. Somebody was trying to get out.
PAYTON
Ironic. I think it was built to protect
us.
BOWER
(gesturing to the third pod)
Well, he got out... some how.
A RUMBLE approaches... another SHUDDER that FLICKERS the
lights. They watch the ceiling as BOWER counts in his head
as it fades.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Cycle is broken.
I
PAYTON
What?
BOWER
It's not circuitry. Reactor timing is
off-set in the core. Seems sporadic, but
it's not. Each revolution decreasing
before starting over from the beginning.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
14.
CONTINUED: (3)
BOWER (CONT'D)
It's trying to reconnect, but it won't
until it's reset.
PAYTON
How the hell do you know that?
BOWER
I dunno. I can't remember my own- but I
know everything there is to know about
that damn reactor.
PAYTON
The training stuck.
BOWER
And I know that...
Another SHUDDER approaches.
BOWER (CONT'D)
That's twelve revolutions, before
recycling. And this one will only last-
As they watch the ceiling, their flashlight beams stop on a
small ventilation shaft that's been ripped open. They
exchange a look and...
CUT TO:
INT. VENTILATION SHAFT - MOMENTS LATER
Their lights spill inside an endless steel shaft only a foot
and a half in diameter, leading into darkness.
PAYTON
Now if we only had a monkey and a rope.
PAYTON climbs down as BOWER rotates his jaw with eagerness.
BOWER
Our 2nd Lieutenant must have gone this
way. Don't you think?
PAYTON
Must have.
BOWER
It's the only way out.
PAYTON
I think we're better off... waiting here-
BOWER
For what? If the mainframe is off-line-
(CONTINUED)
15.
CONTINUED :
PAYTON
We're not going to be able to get to the
bridge or even be able to open that door
from the other side-
BOWER
But we can at least find out what's
HAPPENED-
PAYTON
Do you remember just how big this ship
is, kid? We don't know where that will
come out, if at all-
BOWER
But, we can at least try to-
PAYTON
(SOBERLY)
I can't do that.
BOWER
Can't do... Sir?
PAYTON
Listen, I have to take a handful of
Doxitol just to get in the hyper-bunk.
BOWER
You're... claustrophobic?
PAYTON
I can take a lot, that's not one of 'em.
BOWER
(BOLDLY)
I can take it.
PAYTON
(SIGH)
Real boy scout, is that it? You get lost
in there and you're a footnote in the
FLIGHT REPORT-
BOWER
You can guide me... over two-way.
PAYTON eyes him over with reluctance.
BOWER (CONT'D)
You know there's something wrong. How
long can we wait in here before we have
to try something?
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
16.
CONTINUED: (2)
BOWER (CONT'D)
(gesturing to 2nd Lt pod)
How long did he wait?
Silent stare as a SHUDDER passes, flickering the lights.
BOWER (CONT'D)
What if no one else is awake and there's
no one at the wheel?
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE LOCKER ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
They dig through compartments, collecting tools. BOWER puts
on a boom-mic, clips the radio on his belt and tests the
transmitter. PAYTON goes through a drawer of office
supplies, handing him an ENVELOPE OPENER.
PAYTON
Just in case...
(off his look)
.there's mail you need to open quickly.
BOWER tucks it into a zipper pocket and his photograph falls
out. PAYTON watches as he tucks it back in and zips up.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
Wife...?
BOWER
Yeah... I think so.
PAYTON
Must be newlyweds. How can you forget
something like that?
BOWER
What do-you remember? Anything yet?
PAYTON
Some pieces.
(EYES NARROWING)
Still a little fuzzy but you're the cocky
little shit who wanted the window seat?
BOWER
And you're the cranky old bastard who
made me take the aisle.
PAYTON
Give it some more time, pal.
CUT TO:
17.
INT. VENTILATION SHAFT - MOMENTS LATER
BOWER squeezes inside, pushing himself forward several feet
as PAYTON peeks inside behind him. With one last look, BOWER
holds the pen-lamp in his teeth and begins to crawl, pushing
himself forward on his stomach, only several inches at a time
in a rhythmic motion.
Grunt, slide, breath. Grunt, slide, breath.
PAYTON'S flashlight slowly fades from sight.
DISSOLVE THRU BLACK:
INT. VENTILATION SHAFT - LATER
Slowly the sound approaches...
1
Grunt, slide, breath. Grunt, slide breath.
BOWER'S pen-lamp slowly emerges and he pauses to catch his
breath. With anxiety shown across his sweat coated face, he
squints down the endless shaft.
BOWER
(GASPING)
Dammit.
PAYTON'S voice crackles over the radio.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
How we doing?
BOWER
Nothing yet. Christ, not a single vent
opening or- Nothing. How about on your
end?
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - CONT.
PAYTON is seated at the control desk, the light panel fading.
He hand-cranks the auxiliary handle and then continues
tapping the keys as they flicker with distortion.
PAYTON
Power surges keep coming across in longer
increments, just like you said.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
18.
CONTINUED:
PAYTON (CONT'D)
I'm gonna keep trying to get inside and
run a dyno. Or at least try to get a
pizza delivered.
CUT TO:
INT. VENTILATION SHAFT - CONT.
BOWER frowns as he squints down the shaft.
BOWER
Hey?
BOWER quickly pushes himself forward reaching an intersection
in the shaft.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Got an intersection here.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
What are the choices?
The light pans to endless shafts in each direction. He SNAPS
a glow stick to life, letting it drop down the vertical
shaft... silently into nothing.
BOWER
A whole lot of the same... nothing.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
If you're gonna take a turn let's keep
track. That way you can get back if
there's no way out.
BOWER
Don't say that.
BOWER lowers his head, breathing heavily.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
If you haven't seen anything yet... maybe
you should head back now.
BOWER sets his jaw and suddenly spots a SPIDER, gently
dropping down from a string of web. It lands and quickly
scurries away.
BOWER
(under his breath)
I'll be damned.
BOWER collects himself, a tightened jaw of determination.
(CONTINUED)
19.
CONTINUED:
BOWER (CONT'D)
I'm taking a left. Make a note.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Left it is.
BOWER turns the corner to follow the spider's path, the glow
of the lamp slowly fading.
DISSOLVE THRU:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
A wall of monitors FLICKER, only offering a quick glance of
surveillance cameras on the ship, images too quick and
distorted to recognize but resembling empty corridors and
vast cargo compartments.
I
PAYTON looks to the name plate that reads Elysium and a small
emblem above it, a global shape with a spiral design.
PUSH IN
As he stares at the emblem, it seems memories are returning,
a frown hardening on his face.
Distant THUMPS snap him from his trance and he pans his
flashlight towards the wall.
THUMP... SCRAPE... THUMP.
He nervously pans his light slowly up the wall and across the
ceiling. A shiver of uneasiness goes through him as he sits,
trapped within the room alone. He tries to divert his fears,
turning to the control screen, giving the hand-crank a whirl.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. VENTILATION SHAFT - LATER
Pitch black. Grunt, slide, breath. Grunt, struggle, breath.
BOWER pauses, digging for his lamp. He's soaked with sweat,
eyes nearing desperation. Pipes are cutting through the
shaft on both sides, making his crawl space even smaller and
much more difficult.
BOWER
(GASPING)
Payton?
Nothing but STATIC.
(CONTINUED)
20.
CONTINUED:
BOWER (CONT'D)
Payton!? Do you copy!? HEY!?
Finally...
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
(filled with static)
I'm here. You alright?
BOWER rubs the sweat from his eyes, anxiety increasing with
his heavy breathing.
BOWER
I dunno. I dunno if I can- I can't tell
if I'm going in circles or- There's
nothing to- Can't breath-
PAYTON
Easy, pal. Breath easy. Listen to me-
BOWER squirms, pushing outward against the walls of the shaft
with an increasing panic.
BOWER
I just want... to stand up for God's
sakes! Can't breath-
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Calm down. Listen, you gave it a shot.
Let's get you back here.
BOWER
Back!? Are you kidding- I can't turn
around! I can't even- Do you know how
far I've gone!?
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Take it easy-
BOWER bangs the wall of the shaft with desperation.
BOWER
I just want OUT of this FUCKING THING!
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
PAYTON is helpless, listening as BOWER is heard on the radio
starting to FREAK OUT.
(CONTINUED)
21.
CONTINUED:
PAYTON
Bower? BOWER!? Stop it. Stop it!
Just listen to me. Put it out of your
head. Stop moving and breath. Listen to
MY VOICE-
BOWER (ON RADIO)
I can't... breath!
PAYTON
Put your mind somewhere else-
BOWER (ON RADIO)
Like WHERE!?
PAYTON
Well... this may not be the best time to
tell you, but I got the door open.
I
CUT TO:
INT. VENTILATION SHAFT
BOWER freezes in shock.
BOWER
WHAT!? Are you fucking kidding me!?
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Yeah. I'm kidding you.
BOWER lowers his head with exhaustion and a chuckle.
PAYTON (ON RADIO) (CONT'D)
There ya go. Now just breath. Easy,
pal. Easy. We'll get you through this.
We'll figure this out together. Hear me?
I do remember something.
BOWER
What's that?
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
My dream. On the way out. Real doozy.
There I was at the Rose Bowl game. Naked
and everyone was drunk but me. Spent two
years looking for clothes. Long fucking
Rose Bowl game.
BOWER chuckles, his breathing growing more steady.
(CONTINUED)
22.
CONTINUED :
BOWER
Dream like that, sounds like you've got
some... guilt issues.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Or just... clothing issues.
BOWER
Two years?
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Huh?
BOWER
You said two years. You think we've been
asleep for two years?
I PAYTON (ON RADIO)
I do remember that being our duty
rotation and... if we're team five that
means we've been out for...
BOWER
(HAUNTING REALIZATION)
.eight years.
BOWER pulls the photo from his sleeve pocket, shining the
flashlight onto Evalon's image.
BOWER (CONT'D)
(under his breath)
That can't be right.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
What can't be?
BOWER
Why would I-leave her? I can't even
remember saying good-bye. Why would I?
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - CONT.
PAYTON ponders the thought while gazing at the ship's emblem.
PAYTON
Well, you aren't here on default. This
was a select pick. This flight was...
different.
BOWER (ON RADIO)
Different... how?
(CONTINUED)
23.
CONTINUED:
PAYTON
We're not just doing speed laps on the
belt. This was something... special.
CLOSE UP
PAYTON gently rubs his hand across the emblem carved in the
steel, brushing away the layer of dust as his finger tips
TREMBLE. He pauses with a frown as a SHUDDER approaches...
CUT TO:
INT. VENTILATION SHAFT - CONT.
The SHUDDER is felt inside the shaft, EVALON'S photo
trembling under the flashlight beam.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
1
I remember... being interviewed. My
mother seeing me on the news. This
flight was... like no other. We weren't
just pilots...
BOWER looks up, shining the light down the shaft as the
SHUDDER fades. He pauses to see small bolts protruding from
the wall, small pieces of ripped fabric and smears of blood.
PAYTON (ON RADIO) (CONT-D)
We were... heroes. We were-
BOWER (INTO RADIO)
Someone's been through here.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
What?
He pushes himself closer, squeezing between pipes for a
closer look..
BOWER
Someone's been...
BOWER notices the droplets of sweat dripping off his chin are
rolling forward across the shaft floor with a frown.
BOWER (CONT" D )
Wait a second-
PAYTON
What's wrong?
BOWER
I'm... I'm at an angle! Shit!
(CONTINUED)
24.
CONTINUED:
BOWER panics as he begins to slide forward into a downward
sloping shaft, clawing at the walls. The flashlight falls,
rolling and sliding into the darkened abyss. He frantically
tries to grip a pipe, but his hand slips, picking up speed.
BOWER (CONT`D)
No, no... N00000!
He slides head first into a vertical drop, the shaft
tightening like a funnel, crushing his lungs and SLAM! He
crashes into a steel grate where his flashlight lays. It's a
nightmarish head stand, his neck twisted with all his weight
on top of himself, squirming with no where to squirm.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
BOWER!?
The flashlight falls through the grate and he watches in
horror as the light drops, fading from sight, taking him into
darkness.
BOWER
Aaaaeirrrgh!
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
PAYTON quickly leans toward the console, gripping the radio.
PAYTON
Bower!? What happened? Bower!?
All he can hear is the muffled, panicked struggle. The
RUMBLE of a power surge approaches.
CUT TO:
INT. VENTILATION SHAFT
Pitch BLACK. BOWER squirms, twisting and heaving inside the
steel vise deathtrap. GASP, GASP, GASP! And then...
The RUMBLE approaches. A SHUDDER that sends a domino effect
of metallic CLANKS towards him from below. Small shafts of
light break through as small vents open in the side walls.
His fingers dig the envelope opener from his pocket as the
RUMBLE fades, CLANKING the vents shut just as...
He stabs the envelope opener into an open vent. Metal bends.
He begins to BANG his elbow against the vent, over and over.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
(CONTINUED)
25.
CONTINUED:
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Bower!? Answer me!
BANG, BANG... BASH! He breaks the vent and kicks until he's
able to push his legs through, into darkness, scrambling.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
PAYTON is on the edge of his chair, pressing the speaker to
his ear.
PAYTON
Bower...!?
Through the static comes a HOWL of victory.
BOWER
I'm... out! I'm-
PAYTON breathes a heavy sigh of relief.
PAYTON
Jesus, don't scare me like that! Where
are you?
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE BIN
BOWER snaps a GLOW STICK to life to see himself inside a
small box-shaped bin, kneeling on top of dozens of BOOTS.
BOWER
I'm- I'm inside a boot locker!
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
A what!?
BOWER
I'm inside a God damn-
He shoves outward and the door SNAPS open. He falls out,
flips through the air and SLAMS to the floor, an IMPACT on
the radio sends...
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
A POP of static erupts over the speaker.
(CONTINUED)
26.
CONTINUED:
PAYTON
Bower...? You alright? BOWER!?
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE COMPARTMENT - CONT.
BOWER painfully gets to his feet to see rows of storage
compartments, looking up to the storage bin he fell out of.
BOWER
Make that an overhead compartment. You
with me, Payton? I got out. Hear me?
He checks the transmitter, crackling with static.
CUT TO:
I
I INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - CONT.
PAYTON adjusts the frequency with concern.
PAYTON
Bower? Do you hear me? Bower...?
Nothing but STATIC.
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE COMPARTMENT - CONT.
BOWER digs into a storage bin, finds another flashlight and
goes to a single paneled hatch. He flips the switch and
.nothing. His eyes quickly search for a solution.
CUT TO:
INT. STORAGE COMPARTMENT/CORRIDOR -- MOMENTS LATER
A panel is BUSTED open and BOWER jabs a pipe into the gap,
forcing the door open. SHUSH... the hydraulic pistons ignite
and the hatch slides open with an echoing... THUD!
He cautiously steps out into...
FOLLOW THRU:
INT. CORRIDOR - CONT.
His beam of light stabs into the darkness of the massive
corridor. This is our first sense of the enormity of the
ship, endless steel ribbed passageways that stretch in both
directions as far as the light will illuminate.
(CONTINUED)
27.
CONTINUED:
BOWER (INTO RADIO)
Payton? You there...?
He cautiously ventures down the corridor as LIGHTS FLICKER
past, getting a quick glimpse of just how incredibly far the
corridors run. He steps up to an intersection of corridors,
adjusting the frequency on his radio.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Payton? Can you hear me!?
Dead static. He sighs, looking down each of the corridors,
all appearing identical and endless.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Which way is which?
I He examines the piping that runs along the ceiling, checking
the direction of the valves and guesses, picking a direction.
He walks to the edge of the next corridor and pauses with a
frown. Glancing down the side corridor, fifty yards away,
something is off. Within the symmetrical framing of steel,
there is a rounded shape that is out of place.
Be cautiously steps closer as the object takes the shape
of... a MAN, standing at the edge of a doorway, head slightly
cocked, peeking out.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Hey...!?
BOWER freezes, caught in a silent stand-off, the MAN'S
motionless stare is unsettling.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Hello...?
A low RUMBLE approaches as LIGHTS FLICKER past to reveal...
The MAN'S face, hauntingly contorted, swollen features. The
MAN is dead, hanging from a cable around his neck, naked and
gutted like an animal, his feet hanging an inch off the
floor. His face is brutally beaten.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Jesus... Christ. Jesus-
BOWER back pedals with fear and confusion as distant THUMPS
make him quickly click off his light and he backs away,
fading into the dark. His whisper fades.
(CONTINUED)
28.
CONTINUED: (2)
BOWER (CONT'D)
(PANICKED)
Payton...? Are you there? Answer me.
FADE THRTJ BLACK :
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - LATER
PAYTON is pacing back and forth while switching his radio
transmitter through the channels, one at a time.
PAYTON
Bower? You there?
(CLICK)
Com'on, man. You there?
(CLICK)
Bower:?
The familiar sound slowly returns overhead...
SCRAPE... THUMP... SCRAPE.
The "sounds" are heard, muffled and now closer then before.
With the flashlight leading the way he explores into a corner
of the room, tangled with pipes.
SCRAPE... THUMP!
Something is just beyond the wall, trying to get in. PAYTON
back pedals, searching for any form of a weapon. He SNAPS
the handle off a storage bin, wielding it like a baseball bat
as he slowly back pedals to the control desk.
He continues his search across the radio channels, keeping
his eyes toward the corner as... his FINGERS on the switch
seem to be TREMBLING with more intensity.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
Bower? Can you hear me?
(CLICK)
Bower? Answer me, God dammit.
DISSOLVE THRU BLACK.
INT. MESS HALL - LATER
SHUSH... THUD! BOWER forces open a single paneled hatch door
and cautiously enters into an institutional style mess hall.
Hundreds of lunch tables and chairs. Random SPARKS of light
erupt from neon lights overhead.
(CONTINUED)
29.
CONTINUED:
As he moves across the massive room, the neatly lined rows
gradually become more dishevelled, chairs knocked over and
unknown liquid dripping from the tables. Garbage litters the
floor, a dim glow of light emerging from the galley.
He crawls along the edge of the counter and peeks inside the
galley, horribly ran-sacked. In the midst of the wreckage, a
darkened FIGURE is seen scavenging through the cupboards,
angrily tossing empty containers aside.
The FIGURE pauses, sensing a presence and glances back as...
BOWER ducks. He contemplates, pulling out the envelope
opener and slowly peeks back out and...
POW! He's HIT in the face, blood spraying, slamming onto his
back. The pen-lamp and envelope opener spin across the
floor. BOWER tries to get up and he's grabbed by the hair, a
blade pressed against his neck.
I
A woman's voice growls into his ear, in German.
NADIA
Keine Bewegung!
BOWER
What-!?
He tries to look up and... CRACK! Instant swelling over his
eye from a hit. She kicks the envelope opener away.
NADIA
(GERMAN ACCENT)
Don't move!
BOWER
(DAZED)
Wait a second-
NADIA
Don't you move MOTHER FUCKER!
She quickly pats him down, stealing tools. All he can see is
her bare feet, blackened from oil. He frowns to see her toe-
nails painted with bright pink polish.
NADIA, a torn jump suit, snarled hair hiding her face, skin
smeared with oil. A beautiful woman underneath an
apocalyptic smear of grunge. Her hair is pure white, high-
lighted with smears of oil.
BOWER
Wait- I'm part of the crew! I'm-
(CONTINUED)
30.
CONTINUED: (2)
CRACK! A hit silences him and the forceful frisk continues.
She pauses to see Evalon's photograph, throwing it aside. He
grabs the photo and she shoves the blade deeper into his
neck.
NADIA
DON'T FUCKING MOVE!
BOWER
I won't! Please! Just listen- I'm not-
NADIA
Take them off!
BOWER
What!?
NADIA
SHOES! I'll gut your ass-
BOWER
Alright, alright! Take it easy!
He begins to remove his shoes and the radio on his belt
suddenly CRACKLES with activity.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Bower? You there-?
BOWER lunges and they go into a violent spin, crashing over a
table. Dishes clatter, gasps and grunts... only glimpses of
the fight through the flicker of light.
CRACK! BOWER'S hit, sent flying and he looks up to see her
silhouette approaching, edged weapon in her hand.
BOWER
Stop! Stop it! Listen to me! Hold it!
she attacks and he frantically throws dishes and chairs to
fend her off. She throws the blade, the blunt end deflecting
off his forearm.
BOWER (CONT'D)
You crazy fucking bitch-
He wields the only weapon he can find... his shoe. And her
attack abruptly halts, slowly back pedalling with fright.
BOWER is confused, realizing her eyes are looking past him.
A BLUISH GLOW seeps in from the doorway, approaching from the
corridor. He looks back to see NADIA is running for the
kitchen... gone.
(CONTINUED)
31.
CONTINUED: (3)
BOWER (CONT'D)
SHIT-
He ducks below the tables as a FIGURE slowly enters the room,
carrying a long steel spear-like device with a splinter of
blinding BLUE FIRE on the tip, fueled with a chemical sprayer
like a welder's torch.
His obstructed view reveals the FIGURE as a tribal warrior,
scantily clad, elongated muscular frames, pale skin coated in
hydraulic fluid. Bald head with clumps of tangled hair. It
moves smoothly and silently, jabbing the tip of the flaming
device into each corner and crevasse, as if flushing out
anything hidden.
BOWER (CONT-D)
(under his breath)
What the hell is-
The FIGURE quickly spins his direction and SNAPS a lever on
the spear-device, killing the blue flame and taking us
instantly into darkness.
BOWER holds his breath with fright, back pedalling on his
knees as his eyes try to adjust to the dark. He takes an
uneasy breath to realize... there is more then one.
Slowly moving out of the shadows, four more HUNTERS slowly
emerge, like a unified pack on the prowl. They carry an
assortment of crudely made weapons, spears and blades of
sharpened metal.
The apparent leader of the pack is HEFLIN, the largest and
strongest of the group and he directs the pack with an
assortment of odd vocal sounds, deep HISSES from the throat
and gargled CACKLES.
On command, the one HUNTER flips a lever and the BLUE FLAME
crackles back to life with a burst of flammable liquid. The
hunt continues, the pack weaving through the debris,
following NADIA'S path.
As the BLUISH GLOW fades, BOWER is left bewildered and
terrified. Suddenly, his radio sounds...
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Is that you!? Bower--
BOWER frantically flips it off as one of the HUNTERS suddenly
turns back.
E
WEASEL, a small framed hunter searches the area like a
hunting dog, sniffing the spot.
(CONTINUED)
32.
CONTINUED: (4)
On closer examination, WEASEL is coated with war paint and
decorative scars marking his skin.
BOWER POV
The only clear view is off an overturned bowl that shows
WEASEL'S face, oddly contorted in the rounded reflection.
WEASEL is headed directly for BOWER until.., a HISS from
HEFLIN calls him back. WEASEL takes one last look before
turning back, the torch fades from view, taking us into
black.
We hear... BOWER'S breath, heightened gasps of fear as he
begins to crawl away.
DISSOLVE THRU BLACK:
I INT. OFFICER'S QUARTERS - LATER
I
Pitch black. Sounds of the ship surround us along with the
occasional FLICKER of LIGHT. A whispered conversation
between BOWER and the radio slowly comes into ear-shot as we
find him, hidden beneath a console.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
(muffled with static)
.with that marking, she's got to be
part of the passenger manifest. Possibly
a glitch in the LFS support system, a
breakdown in the main grid must have
woken passengers, instead of the flight
crew.
BOWER
But, why would she try to kill me!? She
was going to slit my throat! And why
would they look like that?
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Look like what?
BOWER
You should have seen these guys. They
were... a very fucked up looking gang.
Why the hell would they be-- Payton,
they were hunting.
BOWER gives himself a shiver as he fearfully checks over his
shoulder, eyes shifting with fear.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Hunting!?
(CONTINUED)
33.
CONTINUED:
BOWER
They sure-as-shit weren't a welcoming
party from the Promenade deck! These
guys were... looking to do some damage.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Take it easy-
BOWER
We've got to try to contact the bridge.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
You're assuming there is someone on the
bridge.
BOWER
You're not!? We're not the only ones
awake. Team Four wouldn't go back to
sleep without waking us for rotation.
Maybe they're on the main deck?
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - CONT.
PAYTON goes to the doors, coated with desperate scrapes and
dents.
PAYTON
If they're in there... why haven't they
thrown the security hammer into lock
down? Seal and freeze it until the
emergency units wake?
BOWER
Maybe they can't. With the systems
kicking on and off- Maybe they're flying
blind, with no control of the LFS?
PAYTON eyes the scattered tools across the floor and the
ripped open ventilation shaft.
PAYTON
Either way we can't assume help will be
coming. On-board or off. Out here,
there is no rescue. There is no turning
around. This thing wasn't even built...
.to return.
He pauses off the involuntary memory relapse, looking to the
I computer screens, taking in the thought.
(CONTINUED)
34.
CONTINUED:
BOWER
What are you talking about?
PAYTON glances across the control console, nodding with more
memories returning.
PAYTON
This is no regular transport. We're not
out collecting data off the belt or
hauling cargo... we are the cargo. It
was a single launch trajectory for...
That's as far as his memory allows, his words trailing off.
CUT TO:
INT. OFFICER'S QUARTERS - CONT.
BOWER completes his thought, in a daze.
BOWER
.Tanis. Planetary processing and
population. We're a settler's vessel.
(HAUNTING REALIZATION)
Elysium. This was a one-way ticket.
BOWER'S gaze goes distant as...
FLASH IMAGE
Another place, another time, BOWER leans closer on a bed,
watching EVALON sleep. There is a a deep love in his eyes.
BOWER (CONT'D)
(under his breath)
How could I have... left her? Why would
I have done that? I loved her...
BOWER snaps out of his trance.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Payton!? Where is your wife?
PAYTON
What?
BOWER
We didn't leave them behind. No one did.
They're on this flight! Remember the
recruitment.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
35.
CONTINUED:
BOWER (CONT'D)
The fucking breeding tests- The wives,
the husbands- The- She's on this God
damn flight!
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL, DESK
PAYTON is remembering, eyes widening with the realization,
not completely at ease with the thought.
BOWER (ON RADIO)
They're here. Somewhere on board.
CUT TO:
INT. OFFICERS QUARTERS
With a new energy of determination, BOWER crawls out of his
hiding place, panning the light to reveal the compartment, an
I
officer's living quarters. The room is designed in a
circular shape, angling up the wall at a ninety degree angle.
He quickly begins to search for tools and weapons.
BOWER
I've got to find her... before those
fucking animals do! I've got to-
BOWER ransacks the compartments, tossing aside items.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Try to think of where they would be? A
sleeping compartment for non-service
PERSONNEL OR-
PAYTON
Hold it, hold it! Think about this for a
SECOND
BOWER
What's there to think about!? I
remember! There was thousands of
passengers that weren't part of the
development team. Families that-
PAYTON
No, listen to me! LISTEN! You know how
big this ship is and there's no way of
knowing exactly where- If you go on some
wild goose chase to try to find her-
BOWER
I HAVE TO-
(CONTINUED)
36.
CONTINUED:
PAYTON
And then we would be no closer to getting
out of this situation with even less time
to regain control of the ship.
BOWER stews, wanting to retort, his mind is racing.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
Our job is to obtain control of this
ship. Once we've taken control of the
systems, finding them would be easy. Are
you hearing me? We save the ship... we
can save them all.
BOWER
But... how do we-
I r PAYTON
Where are you?
I
BOWER
(panning the light)
I dunno. Officer's quarters, somewhere
above D-level, I think- I don't-
PAYTON
I can guide you. Find out where you are.
Hatch marker. Over the door.
His flashlight finds one of the hatch doors and he climbs up
the slanted wall to read the marker.
BOWER
D-71643-L.
PAYTON
Take it.
Climbing up the angled furnishings, he searches for any
available weapon. He notices a mantel that displays several
antique astrological and navigation devices. He spots an
antique pistol. He breaks the glass, grabbing the gun, but
it crumbles under his grip, falling to pieces.
He sighs, but pauses to see... because the furniture is
angled, his light spots a hiding spot underneath the desk.
He pulls out a silver flask, bone dry. He reaches further,
pulling out an unusually shaped weapon, much like a sawed-off
shotgun with rounded edges. He snaps open the hand-crank
I lever and gives a forceful whirl. A slow MOAN of magnetos
causes the weapon's lights to dimly come to life.
(CONTINUED)
37.
CONTINUED: (2)
He climbs upward to an open hatch in the ceiling as we...
ANGLE ON
In the foreground, there is a small fish tank, completely dry
with a tiny fish skeleton laying on the bottom.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - CONT.
PAYTON spins the hand-crank, allowing the computer screen to
glow brighter. He quickly works the keyboard, pulling up a
diagram of the ship.
PAYTON (INTO RADIO)
Alright. I'll lay out a path for you and
see if we can by-pass the main security
doors.
BOWER (ON RADIO)
Guide me to where?
PAYTON
Back toward the flight decks. Back to
me.
BOWER (ON RADIO)
I'm not coming back to you. What good
would that do? I can't open that door
from the other side--
PAYTON
What chance have you got out there on
your own? We'll figure out a way to
breach the command bridge-
A power surge sends a SHUDDER and FLICKERING LIGHTS past...
FLICKER CUT TO:
INT. CORRIDOR - CONT.
The same shudder of FLICKERING LIGHTS passes BOWER as he
looks down the endless stretch of corridors, pondering.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Bower...?
BOWER
Listen... if you can get me to the
reactor bay. I can... reset the
reactor's cycle.
(CONTINUED)
38.
CONTINUED:
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
You know how to do that?
BOWER
(MASKING UNCERTAINTY)
Yes. If I can... we can take control of
the ship. Open the doors, lights, get on
the bridge. You got a better suggestion?
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - CONT.
PAYTON'S fingers slide across the blueprints, jotting down
hatch numbers and markers leading to the REACTOR BAY.
SOUNDS are heard in the walls... THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.
PAYTON is too focused on the job at hand to acknowledge them.
CUT TO:
INT. CORRIDOR INTERSECTION - LATER
The flashlight emerges from the dark as BOWER reaches an
intersection, checking the marker and gasping for breath.
I BOWER
(GASPING)
Third crossing. Marker D-5381-X.
PAYTON
Okay. Hold up. I don't want you to go
too far down that lane. Just catch your
BREATH AND-
BOWER
(GASPING)
I don't need a rest. Which way?
PAYTON
I don't know vet. Hold on-
BOWER backs to the wall, nervously scanning the corridor,
struggling for breath.
In the background a SHADOW moves at the end of the corridor.
I
Feeling uneasy, BOWER slowly backs into a nearby compartment.
I FOLLOW THRU:
39.
INT. INFIRMARY - CONT.
BOWER looks across the wreckage of what was once an
infirmary, slash marks and battle scars from bladed weapons.
Through the wreckage he spots... what appears to be a WINDOW.
The haze of outer space and an odd-colored MOON are visible.
BOWER
(under his breath)
Eden.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CH.A.MBER/CONTROL DESK
PAYTON suddenly leans forward in his chair, memory sparked.
PAYTON
What did you say?
I
BOWER (ON RADIO)
The Eden.
PAYTON nods, memories returning as he mumbles the name.
PAYTON
Of all things to remember, why would you
pick that?
CUT TO:
INT. INFIRMARY
BOWER climbs through the debris towards the apparent window,
but it's pretty far up a slanted wall and he begins to climb.
BOWER
I'm just thinking, maybe there's
something we haven't considered. Eden
failed... because of ODS syndrome. The
one officer who was suffering from
Pandorum. Cabin Fever. Maybe there was
something similar with one of the earlier
TEAMS-
PAYTON
No, no, no. You're talking about- Eden
was lost because of a mechanical failure,
I
simple as that. A systems malfunction.
BOWER pauses his climb, looking up towards the "apparent
window", inside what appears to be a bluish moon, dotted with
craters. He eagerly continues his climb, growing closer.
(CONTINUED)
40.
CONTINUED:
BOWER
That was the report... but don't you
remember the story of the one flight
officer... the real story? They say he
went lunar, launched the entire ship,
five thousand people killed with the flip
of a switch. All from a bad case of
cabin fever-?
PAYTON
spook story, along with a million others.
Eden was mechanical failure, not human
error. A. glitch... that was remedied way
before we ever-
BOWER
And why did they switch the rotation
shifts from three years to two? And they
eliminated the manual over-ride-
PAYTON
They did that for obvious reasons, not
because of Eden.
BOWER pauses... within reach of the window only to realize it
was an illusion. A glass compartment door left slightly ajar
was reflecting a circular light panel, smeared with oil to
give the illusion of craters. His shoulders drop in defeat.
BOWER
Well, at least we didn't wake up...
floating away in a coffin.
PAYTON
(under his breath)
Who says we didn't?
BOWER climbs down, peering out into the corridor.
BOWER
Something happened to the other team?
Maybe there was... Pandorum.
BOWER looks to his own hand, cradling the weapon... his
FINGERS gently TREMBLING. He makes a fist and shakes his
hand, firmly grabbing the weapon.
I BOWER (CONT'D)
Which way?
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Left at the third marker. Two more
levels down and we're there.
(CONTINUED)
41.
CONTINUUED : (2)
BOWER heads down the corridor, making a turn as...
ANGLE ON
A shadowed FIGURE steps into view, slowly following his path
into darkness.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
PAYTON is lost in thought as he watches the computer screens
slowly fade with power. He grabs the hand-crank lever, but
pauses to hear the sounds are returning, muffled and distant.
THUMP, SCRAPE... RATTLE.
He turns his light towards the ceiling and wall, which almost
seems to silence the sounds. The crackle of the radio snaps
him from his thoughts...
BOWER (ON RADIO)
This can't be right-
PAYT ON
What's wrong?
CUT TO:
INT. CORRIDOR
BOWER is crouched in the corridor, panning his light down the
corridor with shifting eyes of confusion.
BOWER
Have I done a circle or am I doubling
back?
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Why do you say that?
BOWER
I've seen this before. This-
We follow his flashlight to reveal... a BODY tangled in a
wire snare. It appears to be the same dead body he witnessed
before, but as he steps closer, it's different. This body
has ripped clothing and isn't gutted.
It's... SHEPARD, a thin-framed man in a torn crew uniform,
tangled in a wire snare wrapped tightly under his arm and
around his neck.
(CONTINUED)
42.
CONTINUED:
BOWER (CONT'D)
a different one. There's booby-traps,
rigged to the-
SHEPARD'S eyes POP open wide with a terrified expression,
completely silent until BOWER sees him. BOWER jumps with
fright and SHEPARD wildly squirms, SCREAMING bloody-murder.
SHEPARD
AAAAEEEE IH !
His SCREAMS echo down the corridor, desperately fighting
back, like an animal caught in a trap.
BOWER
Stop it! Jesus, I'm not gonna- SHUT-UP!
SHEPARD
NO! PLEASE!! AAAERRGH!
BOWER hits him in the gut, knocking the air from his lungs.
SHEPARD crumbles, wheezing for air, going silent.
BOWER
(ANGERED WHISPER)
I'm not gonna hurt ya! Just shut the
hell up! I'm gonna get you out of this
thing. But, you have to be quiet,
understand?
SHEPARD'S gaze is hollow and disturbed, deeply traumatized.
BOWER pulls on the wire that's rigged to the hydraulics of a
nearby doorway, SHEPARD moans.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Bower, you sure that's a good idea? He
COULD BE-
SNAP! The wire snare snaps free and SHEPARD goes to the
floor gasping. BOWER kneels over him to help, but SHEPARD
erupts with a shriek, like a hyper-sensitive rape victim.
PAYTON (ON RADIO) (CONT'D)
Watch yourself!
BOWER hesitates, the flashlight reveals SHEPARD'S
identification tattoo through the ripped uniform and blood-
soaked bandages. It reads; FLT//006//017
BOWER
He's... team six. The unit that's
suppose to follow us. He's-
(CONTINUED)
43.
CONTINUED: (2)
As BOWER tries to wipe away blood, SHEPARD erupts again,
trying to scamper away from his touch.
BOWER (ON RADIO) (CONT'D)
Quiet! I'm not gonna hurt you!
SHEPA.RD begins to moan, mumbling and weeping as he rubs
circulation back into his limbs with nervous laughter.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Hey? You with me? You're gonna be
alright. Hear me?
Squinting past the glare of the flashlight, SHEPARD notices
BOWER'S clean uniform and the radio boom on his chin. He
begins to weep, tears of joy and agony.
SHEPARD
Shepard, Thomas L. Team Six. Sector
Eight. I think I'm the only one, sir. I
knew it. I knew you'd be coming.
BOWER
Huh?
SHEPARD
Where's the rest of your squad?
BOWER
Squad? My Lieutenant and I were the-
SHEPARD
Where's the shuttle?
BOWER
Shuttle? What are you talking about?
SHEPARD'S expression drops.
SHEPARD
Aren't you the... retraction team? The
RESCUE-
BOWER
No, no. Hold on. I'm from this crew.
I'm from Team Five.
SHEPARD'S face goes pale, eyes going hollow. His demeanor
slowly begins to shift.
SHEPARD
You... just woke up?
(CONTINUED)
44.
CONTINUED: (3)
BOWER
six... maybe eight hours ago. I had to
crawl all the way from the upper deck
THROUGH THE-
SHEPARD seems bitterly impatient as he quickly begins
gathering his tool's off the floor. His eyes watch the end of
the corridor, now he's in a hurry.
SHEPARD
So... you don't have a fucking clue to
what's happened? Is that it?
BOWER
That's what we're trying to figure out!
Tell me- what happened!?
I SHEPARD
(chuckle of disgust)
You know as much as I do.
BOWER
I don't know anything.
SHEPARD
You'll fit right in.
i SHEPARD feels along the pipes until he finds one leaking oil.
He vigorously begins to rub the oil onto his body.
BOWER
What are you doing?
SHEPARD
Get the scent off.
BOWER
What ! ?
SHEPARD rubs oil across his neck and then goes to check the
corner, wrapping a strap around his fist to secure a
screwdriver into his hand.
SHEPARD
I can't help you. I'm sorry.
BOWER
Help.me? Wait a second-
SHEPARD
They go off scent and sound as far as I
can tell and they're a lot fucking
stronger and faster they you'd think.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
45.
CONTINUED : (4)
SHEPARD (CONT'D)
When they come... run. Don't look back,
no matter what.
BOWER
They- Who the hell are they!?
SHEPARD
I can't wait for you.
BOWER is bewildered as SHEPARD poised like a sprinter,
preparing to run.
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Bower, you tell this asshole the chain of
command and a direct order to-
BOWER
God dammit, WAIT! You're still an
officer of this ship and at present time,
your CO is ordering you to-
SHEPARD
(SCOFF)
ordering? For your information, there's
a new CO on board. So fuck you and your
DRESS BLUE-
BOWER shoves him against the wall with force. Their struggle
i freezes as distant THUDS are heard down the corridor. They
both look to see... the GLOW of BLUE TORCFE'S growing.
SHEPARD begins to tremble, backing away. BOWER sets his jaw,
stepping out into the corridor and slowly cranks the power-
lever... with a WHINE of magnetos, raising the weapon.
SHEPARD (CONT'D)
(TERRIFIED WHISPER)
That's not going to help you.
SHEPARD runs as BOWER hesitates, holding the gun towards the
GLOW that grows brighter, HISSES and CACKLES approaching.
PUSH IN
Fear over comes BOWER.
BOWER
Payton...?
1
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Get the hell out of there.
(CONTINUED)
46.
I CONTINUED : (5)
BOWER turns and runs, trying to follow SHEPARD as SHADOWED
HUNTERS move past the end of the corridor.
CUT TO:
INT. FILTRATION COMPARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER
BOWER has a difficult time trying to keep up as SHEPARD
weaves through a compartment filled with filtration units and
a maze of piping.
BOWER spots a clear path but BUMPS into glass. He realizes
the compartment is separated by thick glass dividers. He
changes directions and sees SHEPARD crawling through a vent.
He tries to follow as... a BLUE TORCH moves past the doorway,
bare feet running across steel. A collection of HISS and
CACKLES grow louder.
BOWER crawls under piping to hide. He notices the activation
lights on his weapon fading... and he quietly tries to give
the energy lever a few turns... but the WHINE seems too loud.
He spots SHEPARD twenty feet away, hidden behind a console.
I They exchange a look and SHEPARD angrily waves him away.
SHEPARD
(MOUTHING)
Don't follow me! I can't help you-
SHANK! A wire noose SNAPS tight around SHEPARD'S neck. Much
like a pole and wire rig used to wrangle alligators, the wire
is released from the rig and SHEPARD bursts into a wild
frenzy, trying to run while on a thirty foot long leash. The
wire loops and tangles around the piping as...
HUNTERS move in from every direction, blades whirling.
SHEPARD'S SCREAM intensifies as the HUNTERS huddle over him.
BOWER viciously cranks the energy lever on the weapon and
climbs out of his hiding place as... SCREAMS intensify
within the brutal attack as the HUNTERS begin to feed.
SEEPARD'S neck is twisted far enough to SNAP!
BOWER
FUCKING BASTARDS-
I BOWER raises the gun towards the back of the lead hunter,
only fifteen feet away. He pulls the trigger and rusted
metal SCREECHES! Jammed.
(CONTINUED)
47.
CONTINUED:
He panics, grabbing the gun with both hands, checking for a
safety switch and... KA-WHAP! The weapon discharges a
tremendous BLAST of energy off to the side.
-The weapon is designed to destroy biological and organic
material, but for safety precautions, it's unable to
penetrate man-made materials like lead, glass or steel. It's
unable to puncture the ship's hull.
The energy blast is an electrical discharge that CRACKS like
lightening and echoes like thunder. The blast HITS the side
of the wall with a deafening RIPPLE of aftershocks,
shattering anything fragile and knocking over anything not
fastened down within a thirty foot radius. This little thing
packs a punch.
The HUNTERS turn towards BOWER, the lead hunter turning to
reveal itself as...
} HEFLIN, a muscular-frame larger then the rest, skin
glistening with a layer of hydraulic fluid along with tribal
I scars and distorted war paint. His eyes hidden under shadow.
He slowly lifts his shoulders while lowering his head, much
like the fluid motions of a reptilian predator.
BOWER frantically cranks the energy lever and raises it
toward HEFLIN, completely unaffected by the threat. He
squeezes the trigger and...
KA-WHAP! The gunshot is THUNDEROUS, HITTING the unseen glass
divider between them. The safety glass absorbs the blast,
sending a SHUDDER through the hull.
HEFLIN barely flinches, stepping closer with a HISS. Off his
command, the HUNTERS take chase, swarming in every direction,
searching for a route around the glass divider.
BOWER runs for his life.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - CONT.
PAYTON jumps to his feet, eyes darting across the flickering
monitors, gripping the radio.
PAYTON
Bower!? BOWER!? Answer me God Dammit!
All that is heard is GARGLED STATIC and PANICKED BREATHING.
I
CUT TO:
48.
INT. CORRIDOR - CONT.
BOWER is running like a madman, ricochetting off doorways and
tripping over pipes in the darkness.
BOWER
They got him! They fucking ripped him
apart! They're-
PAYTON (ON RADIO)
Don't look back! Hear me? Just go! GO!
BOWER finds an open corridor and sprints as...
Blades SCRAPE across metal, Blue.torches ROAR, HISSES echo.
BOWER gasps heavily, hyper-ventilating as he catches glimpses
of HUNTERS on his trail and running parallel in adjacent
corridors, closing in with unnatural agility and speed.
BOWER
(GASPING)
They're everywhere! They're-
I He runs through a doorway and a thin metal strip HITS him in
the legs... SHANK! Wires SNAP and HYDRAULICS MOAN. Hitting
the booby-trap at full speed causes the wire to rip out of
the door frame and...
BOWER tumbles as the wire loops around his leg and he FALLS
off the edge of a loading shaft, into an open elevator shaft
that drops into darkness.
The wire tightens and he's swung by the foot back into an
open corridor, two floors below, like a demented base-jumper.
He SLAMS into the ceiling and spins wildly over the open
shaft as his transmitter falls all the way to the bottom
exploding on IMPACT.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
The radio STATIC instantly changes to a HISS. PAYTON looks
to the meters... signal gone.
CUT TO:
INT. CORRIDOR
BOWER grabs the wall to stop from spinning and frantically
pulls on the wire around his leg as it rips through his skin.
(CONTINUED)
49.
CONTINUED:
BOWER
Aaaargh!
Footsteps are heard approaching overhead. On the floor below
him are his weapon and flashlight. He stretches for the
gun... too far from his reach.
The flashlight is "on", illuminating the area. He pushes off
the wall and reaches for it... fingers touching, but unable
to grab it.
The GLOW of torches grows in the loading shaft and BOWER
pushes off, reaching for the flashlight. Unable to retrieve
it, instead he pushes it... into the open loading shaft. It
drops all the way to the bottom as...
ANGLE ON
HUNTERS step up to the edge of the shaft, looking down to see
the flashlight fall from sight...
ANGLE ON
BOWER swings back, grabs the wall and freezes.
ANGLE ON
The HUNTERS hear the flashlight HIT the bottom of the shaft
and then slowly double back. Torches fading.
ANGLE ON/CLOSE UP
BOWER'S face fills with blood as he hangs upside down, trying
to catch his breath. His grip is weakening as he looks up to
see... a shadowed FIGURE crouched with a spear in hand,
leering at him from the shadows, approaching. With no time
to defend himself and no where to go...
SCREECH!
The cable is violently tugged from above, jerking BOWER
upward, pulling him away from the wall. He spins wildly
trying to grab back onto the wall as...
SCREECH!
The cable yanks BOWER upwards with enough force to hit the
ceiling and swing toward the open shaft. His fingers claw at
the wall as he's literally being reeled in like a fish. He
sees the FIGURE charging with a bladed spear. He's knows
he's done for and...
(CONTINUED)
50.
CONTINUED: (2)
SNAP! The wire is slashed, BOWER breaks free hitting the
floor as the cable is jerked up and out of sight.
ANGLE ON
The silhouettes of the HUNTERS on the ledge, several levels
above, inspect the loose cable and after a HISS, they turn
back, fading into the shadows.
BOWER lays on his back, squirming in the tangled wire as the
FIGURE hovers over him, spinning a bladed weapon in his hand.
BOWER (CONT' D )
Please... don't- Please, listen-
The FIGURE slashes BOWER'S sleeve, rips away the fabric and
looks at his identification tattoo.
BOWER quits squirming as the FIGURE leans closer into the
light with a curious frown.
TANAKA, a Japanese man in ripped and modified clothing.
Unlike the awkward gauntness of the HUNTERS, he has a full-
framed, hard-edged physique and soft brown eyes.
TANA..KA
Japanese- No Subtitles
BOWER
What...?
TANAKA
Japanese- No Subtitles
BOWER
I don't understand. I- I don't speak-
TANAKA jabs a finger into the emblems on BOWER'S uniform.
TANAKA
Japanese - No Subtitles
BOWER
I'm sorry. I don't- Do you... speak
English?
TANAKA
Japanese- No Subtitles
They share a nod and an awkward silence, BOWER still eyeing
the razor sharp weapon in his hand and not wanting to move.
(CONTINUED)
51.
CONTINUED: (3)
BOWER
Thanks. Thanks for... that.
TANAKA is dead pan. BOWER flinches as TANAKA picks up the
energy gun and then... flips it over, handing it back to him.
BOWER cautiously accepts as he climbs to his feet.
TANAKA
Japanese- No Subtitles
BOWER
I'm sorry. I don't...
TANAKA
Japanese- No Subtitles
BOWER
I don't know what you-
TANAKA jabs the emblem on his uniform and presents his own
F
identification tattoo that reads: AGR//812//673.
TANAKA
(matter of factly)
Japanese - No Subtitles.
BOWER
You're with... agriculture!? Jesus...
Listen, I'm not-
TANAKA jabs the emblem on BOWER'S chest, taps his tattoo.
TANAKA
(BLUNTLY)
Japanese- No Subtitles
BOWER
Yes! I know! I'm with the flight crew!
But, I don't know what's happened! I
CAN'T-
Another jab.
BOWER (CONT'D)
(BITTERLY)
I'M NOT IN CHARGE HERE!!
I
Realizing louder doesn't mean clearer, BOWER sighs at his own
idiocy. TANAKA nods, but with obviously no clue what was
1 just said. They stare at one another in silence.
TANAKA hands him a flashlight. BOWER does his best charades,
gesturing to himself and pointing to the ship.
(CONTINUED)
52.
CONTINUED: (4)
BOWER (CONT-D)
Listen, I'm going to find out what went
wrong... with the ship.
TAANAKA
Shee-ip?
BOWER
Yes, I'm going to the reactor to try to-
TANAKA
Ree-actoh?
BOWER
Right. It doesn't really matter- You
should stay put. Or go back to your
compartment sector- Wait for the
security systems to engage. Okay? We're
gonna take care of this problem.
Dead pan.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Okay?
BOWER slowly backs away and TANAKA follows. BOWER stops,
I eyeing his numerous bladed weapons.
I
BOWER (CONT'D)
No. Listen, you should stay. Wait
here... for the systems to- Alright?
Stay!
TANAKA frowns as BOWER backs away, gesturing. BOWER reaches
the next intersection and looks back. TANAKA is gone. He
continues down the corridor as LIGHTS FLICKER past.
FLICKER THRU:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - LATER
BANG! BANG! BANG!
PAYTON is coated with sweat, viciously pounding on the locked
doors with a heavy pipe. It's obviously having no effect and
he collapses with exhaustion and frustration.
!
PAYTON
GOD DAMMIT!
He.lowers his head and slowly... the "SOUNDS" return.
RATTLE.. SCRAPE... THUMP.
(CONTINUED)
53.
CONTINUED:
Like a dripping faucet of annoyance, PAYTON bitterly turns
his flashlight quickly towards the corner. Wielding the
heavy pipe, he cautiously approaches.
SCRAPE... RATTLE.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
WHO'S THERE!?
SCRAPE... THUMP.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
IDENTIFY YOURSELF!
His flashlight pans up the wall to the ventilation shaft.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
Dower...? That can't be... you-
The SOUNDS remain muffled, deeper within the wall, possibly
from inside the ventilation shaft.
PAYTON contemplates, eyes panicked. He climbs up the wall
and wedges the panel cover over the shaft opening, jamming it
closed with a screwdriver. He backs away, gripping the
weapon, ready for anything. He tries to control his
breathing as he sits... watches... and waits.
TRAP.
A blood droplet hits the floor by his feet and PAYTON wipes
blood off his nose with confusion and a nervous frown.
DISSOLVE THRU BLACK.
INT. REC ROOM - LATER
A pin-point of light appears at the end of a circular tunnel.
Slowly the light grows as BOWER approaches and cautiously
steps through a doorway and into...
A rec room with several rows of pool tables, video games and
a ran-sacked bar. The floor is heavily littered with broken
glass and BOWER wipes his finger across a wet surface on the
bar, tasting it with an eye brow raised.
I BOWER
(TO HIMSELF)
Open bar. Gotta be... E-deck?
I
He climbs over the bar, checks numerous cabinets only to find
more broken glass and emptied containers. About to give up,
he pops open the last cabinet and...
(CONTINUED)
54.
CONTINUED :
POW! A FIGURE lunges out, a direct HIT under his jaw sends
him backwards over a table. The FIGURE jumps on top of him,
jabbing a blade toward his neck. He grabs the wrist just as
the tip begins to dig into his throat.
BOWER (CONT'D)
AAAAARRRRGF! !
A quick struggle ensues and just as BOWER is about to be
sliced open... CRACK! The ATTACKER is HIT and sent flying.
TANAKA has come to his rescue, twirling a pipe across his
palms. The ATTACKER rolls to her feet to reveal... NADIA.
She snatches a pool ball off the table and throws it directly
into TANAKA'S chest.
TANAKA
UUUGH!
She rolls across the floor, grabbing her knife and... BOWER
BLINDS her with his flashlight, raising the gun with a quick
whirl of the energy lever, laser sights flaring brightly.
BOWER
HOLD IT!
BOWER ducks as a broken bottle WHIZZES past his face,
smashing against the wall. He raises the gun and...
KA-RAAAACK! A deliberate warning shot goes past NADIA and
HITS the bar, SHATTERING every piece of glass that's near by
and NADIA and TANAKA are both blown off their feet.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Knock it off! Both of ya!
TANAKA and NADIA slowly recover, both quickly try to find
their weapons on the floor.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Listen... nobody needs to get hurt here.
Both of you just... cool out. And stop
throwing that shit.
Her eyes dart with uneasiness as she finds her knife.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Let's all just... go easy here. I
understand it's been every man for
himself around here lately, but if we're
going to get out of this- A little God
damn solidarity wouldn't hurt.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
55.
CONTINUED: (2)
BOWER (CONT'D)
We can work together here. We all want
the same thing... right?
NADIA remains poised, ready to fight, knife raised. Sighing
with defeat, BOWER gestures, hands raised as he motions for
TANAKA and they slowly back towards the door.
BOWER (CONT'D)
(motioning to Tanaka)
Thanks... again.
TANAKA motions toward the emblem on his uniform and gestures
to himself.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Yeah, yeah. I get it. We can work
together on this, right?
TANAKA grins.
BOWER (CONT'D)
As long as we understand each other.
They head out of the room as... NADIA watches from the
shadows with a curious frown.
CUT TO:
INT. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER
BOWER and TANAKA head down the corridor, both of them
checking their backs as they come to a sealed doorway.
TANAKA is still wincing, rubbing his chest with pain.
TANAKA
(BITTERLY)
Japanese- No Subtitles
BOWER
Yeah... well no sympathy here. She left
me with a few sore spots too, pal.
They both go to work, attempting to wedge the door open with
pipes. BOWER looks back to see... NADIA. They back pedal
with weapons in hand and NADIA is unaffected, watching them
with a frown.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Listen, lady. We don't want any-
NADIA
(SOBERLY)
Who the hell are you?
(CONTINUED)
56.
CONTINUED:
BOWER
Huh?
NADIA
You're... part of the flight crew?
BOWER
Yeah. I'm... a corporal, I'm-
NADIA
I didn't think there was any flight crew
left. What's happened to us?
BOWER
That's what I'm trying to figure out.
Malfunction of some sort-
NADIA
Gee, you think? Where are you going?
BOWER
I'm heading for the reactor bay.
NADIA
You just wake up?
BOWER
Just joining the program already in
progress, yeah.
She eyes him over and TANAKA keeps the pipe raised.
NADIA
You'll never make it.
BOWER
Oh yeah? And why is that?
NADIA
You're going the wrong direction.
She grimaces and turns, heading back up the corridor. BOWER
and TANAKA exchange a look. BOWER chases after her.
BOWER
Hey? Wait a second- HEY?
NADIR
SSSSH! Keep it down-
BOWER
Hold on. Who are you?
(CONTINUED)
57.
CONTINUED: (2)
NADIA
Nobody.
BOWER
Wait- Can't join the team without a
name.
NADIA
Team? Why would I want to join?
BOWER
Because I need you to show me the way.
NADIA
To the reactor? No thanks. Don't like
going that fax down. No one ever comes
back.
She continues up the corridor and BOWER grabs her arm. She
yanks away from his touch, squaring off, weapon in hand.
BOWER
Hold on. Please- There's not much time
left before we lose everything onboard.
You understand what I'm trying to-
I NADIA
Do you know where this ship is headed?
BOWER
I'm working on it.
NADIA
Can you fly it?
BOWER
Huh?
NADIA
Can you fly it... if you have to?
BOWER
(NOT SURE)
Sure.
NADIA eyes him over, sizing him up.
NADIR
I'll get you as close to it as I can.
But, I won't wait for you.
I
BOWER nods with a frown and she heads up the corridor. BOWER
and TANAXA watch on.
(CONTINUED)
58.
CONTINUED: (3)
TANAKA
Japanese- No Subtitles.
BOWER
My thoughts exactly.
CUT TO:
INT. CORRIDOR ATRIUM - LATER
LIGHTS FLICKER past as...
NADIA leads them down a long corridor that widens into an
atrium of shafts going into the darkness in every direction.
The further their lights pan across the shafts... a strange
assortment of odd colored algae and moss is revealed growing
up the walls of the shafts.
TANAKA keeps a watchful eye as BOWER frowns at the
surroundings.
BOLTER
You know where you're going? This
doesn't... "feel" right.
(NO RESPONSE)
How long have you been awake?
NADIA
Don't know. There's no way to tell time
in here. Two... maybe three months.
BOWER
MONTHS!?
His voice echoes across the cavernous atrium and she glares-
NADIA
Quiet! You wanna get us killed!?
BOWER
(WHISPER)
How could you have- You telling me
people have been running around on board
for several months!?
NADIA
Longer. I wasn't the first one up.
(CONTINUED)
59.
CONTINUED:
HIGH ANGLE
Their flashlight beams continue across the enormous room like
two small searchlights. She leads them down into a side
shaft, their lights fade from view.
CUT TO:
INT. BIO-LAB VAULT DOOR ENTRANCE - LATER
NADIA stops at the foot of a large steel door, gesturing for
them to crouch in the shadows, watching the corridor.
BOWER
Where are we going? What are we doing-
NADIA
i Shush! We're waiting.
BOWER
Waiting for what-?
NADIA
Quiet!
At the far end of the corridor, a faint BLUISH GLOW grows
stronger. Shadows are moving, growing closer.
BOWER
SHIT-
NADIA gestures for them to stay put. TANAKA wants to leave,
but BOWER grabs his shoulder. They both grip weapons,
glancing to NADIA as the HUNTERS seem to be headed their way.
BOWER (CONT-D)
WE CAN'T-
NADIA
Ssssht!
The HISS and CACKLES of the HUNTERS grow closer and it seems
they're shortly going to be cornered and done for until...
A SHUDDER is felt, a FLICKER of LIGHTS approaching. She goes
to a control panel, holds down a switch and presses her palm
F across a scanner.
As the power SURGE passes, the control panel activates,
scanning her hand and the steel door activates with a MOAN of
hydraulics. BOWER notices her ID tattoo; BIO-T>>218>>076.
(CONTINUED)
60.
CONTINUED:
The SHUDDER passes, killing the power and the door stops...
open only a half foot. She squeezes through and BOWER and
TANAKA quickly follow. They help her push it shut, sealing
the lock with a CLANK.
CUT TO:
INT. BIO-LAB VAULT - CONT.
NADIA secures the lock on the door and jams a pipe in the
handles, her own added insurance.
BOWER
Who are they? What the hell are those
things?
NADIA
(shaking her head)
Never quite felt like sticking around to
find out. Running... is always the best
option. Believe me.
BOWER
They're not- They can't be from this
ship. They don't seem... human. Do you
think something got on board or maybe
I something...
He turns to follow her and pauses to see...
The BIO-VAULT. A large lab storage compartment that has been
"lived-in" for a long time. A bed has been created from
assorted chair cushions and there is a collection of
scavenged items. NADIA adds to the items, dumping the
belongings of her bag onto the floor.
BOWER is in awe as he approaches an entire wall of glass test
tubes, a maze of micro-biological containers, glimmering with
condensation.
BOWER (CONT-D)
What is... all this?
NADIA
Ecological Development, Embryonic
Charter. Livestock and wildlife re-
population.
The rows of glass tubes are labelled, ranging from mountain
goats to octopi, everything a new world would need.
(CONTINUED)
61.
CONTINUED :
NADIA checks a few gauges on the wall of tubes and makes
adjustments on the monitoring system. He senses her
meticulous care for the material.
BOWER
You've been living in here? You're...
protecting it?
NADIR
It' seems to be the only living thing left
on this ship worth protecting.
Regardless of the situation, we still
have a mission. We've only lost about
thirty percent of the specimens, mostly
reptilian class. Never was big into
snakes anyway.
BOWER doesn't share the attempt at humor, wandering towards a
darkened digital screen on the wall, displaying a charted
graph of the new planet, TANIS.
BOWER
(under his breath)
Tanis.
NADIA
(off his look)
You couldn't remember?
BOWER
No, I- I didn't remember just how far
away it is... until now. This was a
hundred and twenty-three year flight.
NADIA begins to gather a few items shoving them into a bag.
TANAKKA leans closer to the glass display with fascination,
tapping the tubes to see movement inside.
BOWER (CONT'D)
How could I have forgotten that?
NADIA
It comes only in pieces. Even after a
few months. I know everything about this
vault and its systems... but I still
can't remember where I grew up. Or my
brother's name. Only pieces... And the
training comes back first. For good
reason, I guess.
BOWER eyes the darkened computer terminals, portions of the
consoles coated in algae.
(CONTINUED)
62.
CONTINUED: (2)
BOWER
How could we have become like this... in
only eight years?
NADIA ponders the thought, rotating her jaw. She digs into
her supplies and tosses him a small block of orange material.
BOWER (CONT'D)
What is this?
NADIA
Dehydrated meatloaf. House special. I
save 'em for the weekends.
BOWER sniffs it with a sneer and tries to break off a
piece... hard as a rock.
NADIA (CONT'D)
Do you know how long it would take to
turn dehydrated meatloaf into that?
BOWER
How long?
NADIA
I don't know, but it takes more then a
couple years to turn coal into fucking
diamonds.
BOWER
You think we've over slept?
NADIA
This ship was built to outlast our
children's children... and any engineer
could tell ya the warranty is running
out. I think we've been asleep longer
then you may think.
BOWER tosses the orange brick. to TANAKA and he sniffs it with
a grin, breaking off a piece. NADIA finishes gathering tools
and she slings the bag over her shoulder, "ready to go".
BOWER
Do you have a radio?
NADIA
(shaking her head)
Who the hell is there to call?
(CONTINUED)
63.
CONTINUED: (3)
BOWER
I'm not the only flight crew officer
awake. We're not in this alone.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - LATER
PAYTON is asleep, seated on the floor, back to the wall. He
is awoken by...
RATTLE... THUMP, THUMP!
He instantly grips the pipe and turns on the flashlight. The
"SOUNDS" are closer then ever before as something is heard
crawling towards the panel in the ventilation shaft.
ANGLE ON/CLOSE UP
A vent panel lightly RATTLES, the metal begins to bend.
PAYTON
You want in? Come and get it you fu-
The screwdriver SNAPS and the panel hits the floor. PAYTON
raises the pipe, preparing to fight and... A desperate gasp
is heard from inside the shaft.
GALLO (O.S.)
Help... me!
PAYTON pauses, angling the light inside to see... GALLO, a
young flight officer, boyish innocence, short-cropped hair,
heavily coated in sweat, desperation in his eyes. His hair
is dark brown, the only person without pure white hair.
PAYTON
Who the hell... are you!?
GALLO is tightly wedged inside the shaft, squirming to crawl
out, trembling with fear and exhaustion.
GALLO
Help me- I'm part- of the flight crew!
I'm- Please- HELP ME!
PAYTON oddly hesitates... before lowering the weapon. He
digs into the shaft grabbing GALLO'S hand, pulling him out.
GALLO collapses onto the floor, crumbling into a fetal
position, naked. His hands are locked in claw-like grips,
trembling uncontrollably. His gasps are rapid and unsteady.
(CONTINUED)
64.
CONTINUED:
PAYTON
Easy... Easy. You're all right.
PAYTON runs to grab a towel and water. As he turns back he
notices GALLO'S hip and legs are sprayed with dried blood.
PAYTON kneels over him and GALLO spasms from his touch.
GALLO
PAAARRRGH !
PAYTON
EASY! I'm here to help you!
PAYTON lifts the bottle to his lips, but the water runs down
his face, GALLO is frozen in shock.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
Com'on. Try to drink a little. Here.
GALLO is unresponsive, wide eyes locked in a trance.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
What's your name? Huh? Can you hear me?
GALLO
(MUMBLING)
Gallo.
PAYTON
What's that? Gallo...?
PAYTON frowns, mumbling the name with a hint of recognition.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
Corporal... Gallo?
GALLO
(TREMBLING)
Yes, sir.
PAYTON
Where did you come from, Gallo?
GALLO
The... bridge.
Saying the words seems to send him into a terrified trance.
PAYTON
The bridge!? Where are we? What's
happened? Can you tell me-
(CONTINUED)
65.
CONTINUED: (2)
The more PAYTON inquires, the more GALLO begins to unravel,
emotionally. His eyes widen with terror, breath quickening.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
Corporal?
GASP, GASP, GASP...
PAYTON (CONT'D)
Tell me... what happened?
GALLO is hyper-ventilating, eyes wide with terror. A droplet
of blood slowly builds in his nostril, refusing to drip. A
low whine is heard in his throat as... LIGHTS FLICKER past.
FLICKER CUT TO:
INT. VENTILATION SHAFT -- LATER
A hatch is broken open and BOWER'S flashlight beam peers into
a ventilation shaft. Twenty feet inside the shaft the walls
are collapsed, blocking passage. NADIA sighs with dread.
NADIA
We can't get through this way.
BOWER
I'd prefer to stay on foot.
NADIA
It's the safest way to travel. And
there's only one other way to get through
that I know of.
BOWER
And what is that?
CUT TO:
INT, PERSONNEL SLEEP CHAMBER/MAIN CORRIDOR - LATER
Light breaks through as our gang wedges open a door, all
sneering in unison when hit by an odor.
BOWER
Where are we?
NADIA
Main corridor. Hyper-sleep chamber,
Personnel. Keep your light down.
(CONTINUED)
I
66.
CONTINUED:
She leads the way along the wall and into a compartment of
unimaginable size, fifty foot high steel walls that channel
through the room. The walls are lined with hundreds of sleep
chambers, stacked ten high on either side.
They round a corner into the main atrium to see dishevelled
equipment and smashed control consoles, scarred from battle.
Old blood stains are worn deeply into the floor.
BOWER
Jesus...
As they venture deeper inside they see numerous sleep-
chambers, open hatches and empty. The further they move
along the wall, more and more empty pods, too many to count.
BOWER (CONT'D)
My God. They're... empty. They're all-
Where the hell is everyone?
NADIA
Keep quiet.
I
As the dozens and dozens of nameplates move past his
flashlight, BOWER pauses.
BOWER
Wait a second. My wife-
NADIA
Keep moving.
BOWER
No, wait. My wife could be in here.
BOWER'S focus completely shifts, turning towards the pods,
reading name plates.
NADIA
What does she do? What's her specialty?
BOWER
She's not part of the crew, but spouses
were brought with. I remember there were-
NADIA
Then she's not in here. This is
development settlers. Engineers.
NADIA quickly continues as BOWER tries to keep up.
BOWER
Do you know where the family members are-
(CONTINUED)
67.
CONTINUED: (2)
NADIA
(GROWL)
Quiet!
They look to see TANAKA has fallen behind, crouched and
peering off towards the dark. He's poised like a dog on the
prowl that's caught a bad scent. They crouch and crawl to
the adjacent corner.
BOWER
I don't see what he's looking at, do you?
NADIA
We have to keep moving. We don't want to
stay out in the open for too long.
Especially in here.
BOWER
(TO TANAKA)
Hey...? Let's go!
Distant THUMPS are heard somewhere in the room and they
tighten up with their weapons, eyes scanning. TANAKA refuses
to look away, poised like a hunter.
NADIA
We can't stay herel
NADIA heads across the main floor and BOWER tries to wave him
on, but TANAKA is locked onto something, refusing to waver.
BOWER
Let's get out of here! Com'on-
The THUMPS grow louder and TANAKA heads into the shadows.
BOWER hesitates, turning to follow NADIA through a barricade
of dishevelled equipment, leaving TANAKA behind.
CUT TO:
INT. PROCESSING DOCK -CONT.
BOWER emerges from the barricades into a processing center
for loading passengers, darkened and in shambles. NADIA is
scanning the corridors ahead, choosing her path as BOWER
rushes to catch her.
BOWER
We can't just leave him. We have to wait-
NADIA
Then you wait... and find your own way.
(CONTINUED)
56.
CONTINUED:
BOWER
We can't split up the team, it's all
WE'VE GOT-
NADIA
I told you I'm not going to wait. I'm
not gonna get myself killed for-
BOWER
The guy saved my life twice already. I'm
not gonna leave him-
NADIA
What do you think he's doing in there!?
BOWER
How the hell should I know-
NADIA
He's hunting! Bagging the next notch on
his belt. You wait for him! Good luck.
I NADIA quickly heads deeper into the room and down a darkened
and narrowing tunnel. BOWER hesitates with frustration.
Having to choose, he turns and chases after NADIA.
I They crawl through a maze of machinery and NADIA'S pace is
difficult for BOWER to keep up.
BOWER
Wait! I'm coming-
There's a CRUNCH under his foot. He lowers his light,
picking up a small white object. He brings it closer to the
light to realize it's... A HUMAN FINGER BONE.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Jesus!
NADIA turns toward him to see...
REVERSE ANGLE
Behind BOWER is a massive stack of human skeletons and
carcasses. They've just crawled into a pit of human remains.
They both back away with horror only to see a mountain of
carcasses on both sides. The only route is upward and they
begin to crawl up the slope on their bellies, over dead
remains.
(CONTINUED)
69.
CONTINUED: (2)
BOWER (CONT'D)
(HORRIFIED)
My God! Wait- Where are we going!?
NADIA suddenly grabs him, a quick jerk to silence him. A
SHADOW passes with a CACKLING HISS. They freeze, laying on
top of the remains, the bones CRINKLING underneath them.
The HISS grows stronger... and they look up to see a
silhouetted HUNTER crouched over like a gargoyle on a rafter,
leering in their direction.
NADIA
(WHISPER)
Don't move.
They try to remain motionless, but the slope of the remains
i CRINKLES underneath them and the hill of remains begins to
slide. The HISS grows stronger.
They hold their position until... a SHUDDER approaches with
FLICKERING LIGHTS. The power surge is enough to ignite a
small landslide underneath them.
BOWER
SHIT-
NADIA grabs his arm as bones snap and they slide helplessly
to the bottom within a landslide of bones and flesh.
The finally slide to a stop at the bottom of the slope and
BOWER quickly raises his weapon towards the rafters to see...
the HUNTER is gone.
NADIA
(WHISPER)
Where... did it go-?
He pans the light and... ROAR! The HUNTER lunges at them
from five feet away. BOWER is STRUCK with enough force to
send him flying, CRASHING into a pile of bones.
NADIA spins around with a bladed pipe in her hands... but the
HUNTER is already gone. She spins back and... THWAP! She's
HIT from behind and sent with break-neck force into the
floor. The HUNTER pounces onto her back and a claw-like hand
grabs her hair... teeth opening towards her neck and...
POW! BOWER charges into the HUNTER, tackling it and they
spin into a brutal and distorted fight, seen under the
FLICKERING LIGHT. Even though the HUNTER is a smaller one,of
the pack, smaller then BOWER, its speed and strength is in-
human. It grabs BOWER by the head with a GROWL and...
(CONTINUED)
70.
CONTINUED: (3)
THWACK! TANAKA lunges out of the shadows, delivering a blow
with his bladed pipe into the HUNTER'S face. It's a hit that
would normally kill anything, nearly taking its head off.
The HUNTER stumbles, staggers and... HIIIISSSSSST! It HITS
TANAKA, sending him airborne, nearly knocking him out.
Under the FLICKERING LIGHT, BOWER, NADIA and TANAKA all
attack the lone HUNTER, taking all three of them to bring it
to the floor. They viciously pound it with pipes and blades
until it finally stops flinching beneath them.
Its pale white skin seeps a thick black colored blood. The
three of them back away, gasping and coated in its blood.
BOWER
(GASPING)
Jesus... Christ- Jesus-
Its face is smashed beyond recognition, but its facial
features are horrifically distorted, no sign of eyes under
the shredded tissue.
BOWER (CONT'D)
What the... what the hell is it!?
The HUNTER flinches and our gang back pedals with fright.
NADIA continues back pedalling, looking towards the rafters
to see... HEFLIN silhouetted, leering towards them.
NADIA
ANOTHER ONE-
BOWER quickly finds his weapon on the floor and HEFLIN slowly
begins to TAP his spear against the wall, echoing a continual
clank through the hull.
BOWER
What is he... doing?
BOWER, NADIA and TANAKA quickly realize the effect as shadows
begin to move.., the room is filling with HUNTERS, alerted by
the tapping of metal.
NADIA
Run.
BOWER
They're... everywhere-
NADIA
Run!
(CONTINUED)
71.
CONTINUED: (4)
A low gargled HISS is heard from HEFLIN'S throat.
NADIA is already gone. BOWER and TANAKA chase after her as
the walls come to life, HUNTERS swarming onto their path like
a pack of wild dogs.
Before diving through the barricade, BOWER looks back to see
HEFLIN and his pack have paused... to eat the fallen HUNTER.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/MAIN CORRIDOR - CONT.
It's a panicked and mad dash through the dark as they crawl
through the barricade and run back into the main corridor of
sleep chambers. HUNTERS can be heard closing on their trail.
They round a corner and NADIA jumps inside an empty sleep-
chamber, frantically trying to pull the hatch closed. TANAKA
follows suite, jumping inside another chamber and BOWER
scrambles, in search of an open door as footsteps are heard
quickly approaching.
In a frenzied panic, BOWER dives into the chamber with NADIA,
tugging the hatch closed.
FOLLOW THRU:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER - CONT.
BOWER and NADIA are cheek to cheek in the cramped space, both
gasping for breath and dripping sweat with terror.
Through the porthole... silhouetted HUNTERS move past with
weapons in hand, search and destroy style. One HUNTER steps
up only a few feet from their porthole and they freeze,
holding their breath. Slowly the HUNTERS continue past, the
shadows slowly fading from sight.
BOWER
What the hell happened to them!? What
the hell are those things!?
NADIA
Shut-up!
They listen for a long moment... hearing nothing as BOWER
looks at his hand, finger tips trembling.
CUT TO:
72.
INT. SLEEPING CHAMBER/MAIN CORRIDOR -- MOMENTS LATER
The hatch door inches open and BOWER peeks out. He and NADIA
crawl out quietly to see TANAKA waiting for them.
TANAKA
Japanese - No subtitles.
BOWER
I second that. Let's get the fuck out of
here. Which way did we come from?
NADIA
You want to go back?
BOWER
No, I mean... let's just go!
NADIA
We should go back. Find a different
path. I don't think we can get through
to the reactor bay from-
BOWER
You said there was no other path.
NADIA
I'm ready to explore other options-
BOWER
Which way did they go-?
NADIA
You really want to discuss it here!?
A RUMBLE is heard approaching and they all crouch in unison.
It's a power surge that sends FLICKERING LIGHTS across the
massive corridor and a BLINKING LIGHT is activated on a
nearby sleep-chamber. And then...
BANG! The hatch door is KICKED from the inside, white gas
erupting from the seam. Our gang quickly crawls toward the
shadows, crouching behind equipment to watch as...
Another KICK bursts open the hatch and a BIG PASSENGER crawls
out, slamming onto the floor with a shiver of agony, gasping
for breath, muscles twitching.
BIG PASSENGER
AA.AAAA.RGH !
(CONTINUED)
73.
CONTINUED:
The BIG PASSENGER tries to get to his feet, gasping and
heaving, mumbling in Russian. BOWER tries to stand but NADIA
pulls him back.
NADIA
What are you doing-!?
BOWER
They'll hear him- They'll- We've got to
HELP HIM-
Footsteps thunder across the floor and... WHACK! The BIG
PASSENGER is STRUCK by a single blow from HEFLIN. The
HUNTERS have returned in full force and they come out of the
shadows from every direction, bladed weapons spinning.
BOWER pulls away from NADIA'S grip and prepares to intervene,
but TANAKA suddenly grabs him, holding him back with force.
With the BIG PASSENGER wounded and moaning on the floor, the
HUNTERS gather in a circle in ceremonial fashion, praying
thanks for the feast the ship has presented.
They watch helplessly as the BIG PASSENGER is then brutally
attacked and eaten alive. WEASEL leads other HUNTERS under
the flickering light in a demented and twisted celebratory
dance, a frenzy of pure evil.
This attack is heard more then it is seen, under flickering
lights, obscured view and most of the camera angles on Bower
and the groups reactions.
Frozen in horror, BOWER is tugged by TANAKA, following NADIA
to the corner where she's lifted a grate in the floor. They
climb into a shaft under the floor and into the dark as...
The SCREAMS and HISSES echo through the hull.
FADE THRU BLACK:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - LATER
PAYTON is seated at the control desk, scrolling across radio
frequencies, talking softly into the boom mic.
PAYTON (INTO RADIO)
Bower? Do you copy? You out there?
Dead static. He sighs and glances toward GALLO, passed out
on a nearby bunk. He hesitates, holding the pipe as a
weapon, tucking it away and cautiously approached GALLO for a
closer inspection.
(CONTINUED)
74.
CONTINUED:
He feels his neck for a pulse. He notices the dried blood
under his nose then gently pulls aside the blanket to see
GALLO'S identification tattoo, reading; FLT>>004>>012.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
(frowning to himself)
Team Four. Flight Team... Four?
He glances up to see GALLO is now awake, staring at him.
GALLO
What are you doing?
PAYTON
Just... checking you.
GALLO narrows his eyes, pulling the blanket tighter.
GALLO
For what?
PAYTON
To make sure you're... alright. You...
passed out. You-
GALLO
Who the hell are you?
PAYTON
Payton... Lieutenant Payton.
GALLO
Lieutenant? You're... a lieutenant?
PAYTON
That's right. You're Team Four? You're
suppose to be... my predecessor.
GALLO deepens his frown, glancing around with disorientation.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
You said... you came from the bridge?
GALLO shifts his eyes back on him, a bad topic.
GALLO
(LEERY)
Yeah. So...?
PAYTON
Where are we? I can't get guidance off
this system and I have no idea where-
(CONTINUED)
75.
CONTINUED: (2)
GALLO
I don't know.
PAYTON
Well, what did you see? How did--
GALLO
Listen, I'm not a navigator. Stars all
look alike. I don't know! How the hell
would I know!?
Sensing GALLO is about to break down again, PAYTON tries a
calmer approach.
PAYTON
Easy. I just want to make sure...
GALLO'S hands are trembling, uncontrollably.
PAYTON (CONT'D)
.you're okay-
GALLO tucks his shaking hands under the blanket, defensively.
GALLO
I'm fine.
PAYTON lowers his stare, hesitating, glancing across the
dried blood still splattered across his legs.
PAYTON
Is this your blood... Corporal?
GALLO
Some of it is... sir.
PAYTON
Whose blood is it?
GALLOholds his stare, jaw muscles tightening.
GALLO
They didn't give me any choice.
PAYTON
Who didn't?
GALLO
There was something wrong with them.
PAYTON
i Something was wrong with who?
(CONTINUED)
?6.
CONTINUED: (3)
Off his stare, he understands the implication.
PAYTON (CONT' D )
Your crew?
GALLO
It was... Pandorum.
(off his look)
Of the worst sort. They were- I
couldn't even- I had to defend myself.
PAYTON
Pandorum. Both of them-?
GALLO
You don't believe me?
PAYTON
(UNCONVINCED)
I believe you.
PAYTON goes to a nearby compartment, popping open a First-Aid
case; inside is a pistol-gripped syringe. He turns back and
GALLO squares off, clenched fists.
GALLO
What are you doing? What is that?
PAYTON
It's just a sedative. Help you relax-
GALLO lifts his fists with a threatening posture.
GALLO
Then you take it... and relax.
PAYTON backs off, setting the syringe aside.
PAYTON
Take it easy. We're on the same team
here. Alright?
GALLO
(FLATLY)
Sure, Lieutenant.
PAYTON turns back to the control console and continues his
search across the radio frequencies. He discreetly pulls the
pipe weapon closer to his seat.
GALLO holds a hollow stare on the back of his head.
I
(CONTINUED)
77-
CONTINUED: (4)
GALLO (CONT'D)
If you would have seen them... you would
have done the same thing... sir.
LIGHTS FLICKER past...
FLICKER CUT TO:
INT. SUB-LEVEL SHAFT - LATER
A FLICKER of LIGHT passes to reveal... BOWER crouched inside
a three-foot high, narrow passageway, a crawl space beneath a
steel grated floor. He follows the tunnel into a large silo
lined with octagonal filters.
TANAKA and NADIA are both looking for a way out, jabbing
pipes into the grate overhead, unable to budge it.
BOWER
Didn't we come through here already?
NADIA
We gotta find a way out.
BOWER
Out? Why did we come iii-?
NADIA
I was trying to get us out of there alive-
BOWER
I thought you knew where you were going.
NADIA
I was trying to save our asses-
BOWER
Could've mentioned that after the first
mile. If I would have known we'd be
doing laps down here-
She angrily turns towards him, pipe in her hand.
NADIA
I didn't need to help you at all! You
and the Hong-Kong Express would still be
playing ding-dong-ditch on level eight if
it weren't for me!
Their heightening confrontation is halted by...
TANAKA
HIIISSST! ( .and whispered Japanese)
(CONTINUED)
78.
CONTINUED:
They pause to hear... CLASSICAL MUSIC echoing from below.
BOWER
What the hell is that?
They climb down the shaft, jumping from filter to filter. At
one level they follow the sound into a shaft opening and
towards the soft, warm GLOW of YELLOW LIGHT.
They reach an open hatch, peering inside to see...
Inside an empty storage tank, a comfortable living space has
been created; numerous chairs surround a make-shift dinner
table made from storage crates with hand-made candles and
various food containers. The tank appears empty.
BOWER (CONT'D)
What is this!?
BOWER and TANAKA begin to climb through and NADIA hesitates
with uncertainty. They crawl through the hatch...
FOLLOW THRU:
INT. TANK - CONT.
They climb into the empty tank, lined with valves and
filtration screens. The music is playing from crackling
speakers hidden in the darkened circular catwalk overhead.
TANAKA goes straight for the food and as soon as NADIA steps
through the hatch... a wire SNAPS! Levers clank and a mouse-
trap has triggered... SLAMMING the hatch closed. Trapped!
They instantly turn back to the door, yanking and tugging in
a panic. BOWER pans his light towards the catwalk only to
see a FIGURE (LELAND) scampering through the shadows.
Another lever is turned and... F00000SH! A stream of vapor
shoots out of several vents along the wall. The colorless
gas hits them and they instantly gag, choking for air.
With the slanted walls of the tank, there seems to be no
escape, but TANAKA runs up the wall, diving and grabbing onto
a pipe, climbing upward toward the catwalk.
The shadowed FIGURE (LELAND) quickly hobbles to the railing.
LELAND
No, no, no. Back in der' big boy!
(CONTINUED)
79.
CONTINUED:
LELAND uses a spear to jab TANAKA'S hand. He loses his grip
and tumbles back to the bottom of the tank. BOWER pulls
NADIR out of the way of the hatch.
BOWER
Get back! BACK!
BOWER whirls the magneto lever on the weapon and he raises
the barrel towards the hatch, nearly point blank.
KA-CRAAAACK! The energy blast from the weapon hits the hatch
like a lightening bolt sending a tremendous JOLT through the
entire tank. A spark IGNITES the chemical gas and there's a
BURST of flammable gas that rolls upward into the catwalks.
LELAND is knocked off his feet and he GASPS with shock.
LELAND
Whoa... WHOA! What the hell was that!?
LELAND is exposed from his hiding place, waving the smoke
from his face, bewildered. He's an older man who's lost all
vanity over survival. A thin-framed, spidery little man with
assorted clothing and a clutter of tools on his belt.
LELAND (CONT'D)
What did you do!?
BOWER whirls the lever on the weapon and points it at him.
BOWER
Shut off the gas!
LELAND
Where did you get that?
BOWER angles the barrel towards a vent blowing out the
chemical gas and LELAND jumps with fright.
LELAND (CONT'D)
NO-NO! HO-HO!
BOWER
SHUT IT OFF!
LELAND scampers across the catwalk and quickly lifts levers
and twists nozzles, shutting off the flow of chemical gas.
His frown transforms to a grin, raising an eye brow as he
stares into the barrel of BOWER'S weapon.
(CONTINUED)
80.
CONTINUED: (2)
LELAND
Fancy looking piece. Looking to trade?
CUT TO:
INT. WATER PROCESSOR - MOMENTS LATER
CLICKITY-CLICKITY-CLANK? LELAND cranks an energy lever that
ignites a string of auxiliary lights around the tank,
widening their view of the unusual living space. Several
crates and an assortment of mechanical junk and supplies.
LELAND
Com'in, com'in! Make yerselves at home.
Just throw the coats on the bed and don't
pet the rat, it's not mine. Just
watching it for a friend.
LELAND is excited to have guests as he runs along the
catwalks, lighting candles and sealing valves. They watch
him with leery suspicion, weapons still in hand.
BOWER
You... live here?
LELAND
Sublet. Got a roomier flat in the bow
for the off season, but from here, ya
just can't beat the commute.
He grins, expecting a laugh, but doesn't get one. LELAND
eyes BOWER over, admiring the uniform.
LELAND (CONT'D)
You really a flyer, or did ya grab that
off the rack? i didn't think there was
any crew left.
BOWER
Left? Have you seen any?
LELAND
Well, only the captain. informally, mind
you.
BOWER
Captain? Where!?
LELAND
Umm, up on B-Deck. Some on C. A few
pieces on the promenade and I think his
nuts are in the foose-ball game in the
rec room.
(CONTINUED)
81.
CONTINUED:
He smiles, revealing several missing teeth. No one laughs.
LELAND (CONT'D)
Tough crowd. Com'in, com'in. Grab a
bunk. Three singles or will a queen do?
LELAND laughs to himself, digging through supplies. BOWER
scans the walls, seeing no way up to the catwalks.
BOWER
Why don't you come on down so we can meet
properly?
LELAND
Oh, no-no. No-can-do. I'm real touchy
to the dust bug and who knows where yawl
have been. No offense. There's
something funky going around. But don't
let that spoil the party. Here...
LELAND lowers down a bin filled with assorted food items,
using a wire to drop it to them. TANAKA sniffs it with
suspicion.
I LELAND (CONT'D)
It's Kosher.
BOWER peeks through one of the valves, turning to NADIA.
BOWER
Where do you think we are?
NADIA
I don't know. Gotta be somewhere below B-
deck.
LELAND
Why, where you gotta be?
BOWER
The reactor bay. Know where it is?
LELAND
Reactor? Now why would you want to go
down there?
(GRIN)
You just woke up, didn't cha?
CUT TO:
82.
INT. WATER PROCESSOR - LATER
A small propane flame is lit. LELAND hovers over a make-
shift stove, heating a can of water. He pours in some powder
and stirs it up with the meticulous nature of a chef
preparing fine cuisine.
LELAND
It's tough to properly season with a
motor oil base. But if you use your
imagination, kinda tastes like...
(SIP)
Herb and garlic dog shit.
Below the catwalks, TANAKA has found a spot to rest, NADIR is
using water to clean a wound and BOWER is peering through a
slit in a vent.
BOWER
How long have you been awake?
LELAND
Mmmm. Lemme think. What's today,
Tuesday? That would be about, mmm...
He counts in his head and across his fingers, carefully
calculating, then a grin.
LELAND (CONT'D)
No idea.
He turns back to his make-shift stove, chuckling to himself.
LELAND (CONT-D)
I quit counting after the band broke up,
ooooh twenty... thirty years ago.
BOWER and NADIR exchange a look of uncertainty. The
classical music begins to SKIP and without even looking
LELAND kicks a piece of equipment, correcting the music.
LELAND (CONT-D)
Then again, an hour in this place feels
more like... one-fifteen, one-twenty.
Know whatta I mean? HA-HP_W!
(SOBERLY)
Not naming names but I'm writing a very
strongly worded letter to the airline.
LELAND chuckles, nodding to TANAKA. TANAKA glares.
(CONTINUED)
83.
CONTINUED:
LELAND (CONT-D)
But I just treat each day like it's
Christmas. Festive and violent. Let's
eat; Shall we? Who needs a bib?
LELAND sets several bowls of soup into the bin and lowers it
to them with the cable. T_ANAKA is the only one interested,
sniffing the soup with a glare. LELAND winks.
BOWER takes a seat, showing exhaustion and defeat.
BOWER
Those things out there. Could it have
been something... that crawled out of
your lab? Something that-
NADIA
No. That's... not possible.
BOWER
Then something got on board. Some kind
of life form. Something that-
NADIA
Or something that was already on board,
with us in the hyper-bunks.
BOWER
What does that mean?
NADIR
it could have been the accelerator.
BOWER
What?
NADIA
It's the only theory I can come up with.
The synthetic enzyme in our feeding
tubes. The accelerator that would help
our bodies adjust and adapt to the
environmental conditions on Tanis. From
what I've seen... these things have
adapted... to the ship instead.
BOWER
But, why would- You're saying we'll
become like them? Why would they be
affected like that and we're not-
NADIA
I don't know. Like I said, it's the only
theory I can think of- Unless...
(CONTINUED)
85.
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
GALLO'S gaze is hollow and translucent as he stares through
the glass porthole in the empty sleep chamber, his mind is
deeply pondering. Pupils dilated.
ANGLE ON
GALLO is looking at the empty sleep chambers while PAYTON
remains at the control console, determined not to give up on
contacting BOWER.
GALLO
Do you know the symptoms of Pandorum?
PAYTON
What?
GALLO
Orbital Dysfunctional Syndrome.
Pandorum. Ever witnessed the symptoms of
first-hand?
PAYTON
I've seen it before. But nothing that-
GALLO
It's not something you can easily detect.
Starts with a shiver. An itch. A slow
boil... and without being able to get off
the ship... there's no shutting off the
heat. It'll boil over, no matter what
you do.
GALLO is slowly pacing the room and PAYTON watches him with
uneasiness out of the corner of his eye.
GALLO (CONT'D)
You don't believe me.
PAYTON
I didn't say that-
GALLO
How could they both have had it? The
odds are insurmountable.
PAYTON
I wasn't about to question any of your
ACTIONS-
(CONTINUED)
86.
I CONTINUED:
GALLO
But, we all know Pandorum is greatly
affected by any substantial psychological
It has an emotional trigger effect.
PAYTON
(off his look)
That's what they say.
GALLO slowly rubs his temples, with hesitation.
GALLO
How do you think you would react... if
you knew the truth?
PAYTON
The truth... about what?
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. WATER PROCESSOR - CONT.
LELAND flips on dim flood lights, illuminating the upper
walls of the tank where... like ancient cave-drawings, a
I story has been crudely sketched out along the wall of the
tank. LELAND lurks through the shadows, telling the tale
with a campfire, spook story, flare of dramatics.
LELAND
B0000OM! Oh, how the world cheered to
the thunder of it's mightiest creation.
Eylisium! The heaven for heroes, to
venture further and farther then any of
man's machine dared before it.
BOWER and NADIA watch intently as TANAKA lazily sips the
soup. The first image is off the ship's launch and LELAND
hobbles across to the crudely sketched image of three
figures, flight officers.
LELAND (CONT'D)
Three of our bravest... atop the watch
tower as we slept. A slumber deeper then
any have dared... with only three little
Indians left to mind the store...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - CONT.
GALLO slowly unravels his own tale as PAYTON watches on with
suspicion and caution.
(CONTINUED)
87.
CONTINUED:
GALLO
we were only into our second term. All
flight systems nominal. I'd picked up on
symptoms with my CO and 2nd Lieutenant.
Mild symptoms. Nothing I thought
would... become a problem. Until we got
the transmission.
PAYTON
What transmission?
GALLO'S eyes are welling up, his lip begins to shiver.
GALLO
The final transmission. The last
message... from home.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. WATER PROCESSOR - CONT.
LELAND continues across his wall-drawings, the three pilots
pictured, receiving a radio call.
I LELAND
.until the last cry from home. All of
God's creation... ending with mere words
of encouragement. Mother Earth's last
call. Boop! Leave a message, momma.
LELAND presses a switch on a Jerry-rigged piece of equipment,
a disc player... speakers crackling with static. A VOICE
plays, heavily distorted.
RECORDER VOICE
Hoove arr awl dadz efft ah uz. Bood uck,
boogz guezz... ab hoobz deeb.
BOWER and NADIA are now completely engrossed in the story,
both getting to their feet and walking closer to hear.
TANAKA is asleep. LELAND is thrilled by their attention,
doing a dance as he plays the recording... over and over.
RECORDER VOICE (CONT'D)
Hoove err all wadz efft ah uz. Good
wuck, boogz guezz... abb hoobz deeb...
BOWER
What is that... saying?
LELAND cranks a power lever, speeding up the play back with
eagerness, whispering along. The recording slowly grows less
distorted the more he cranks the lever.
(CONTINUED)
88.
CONTINUED:
RECORDER VOICE
Yoove are all watt efft of uz. Good uck,
gog besh... ab Gogz deez. You are all
whadz left of uz. Gog besh... and Gogs
sbeeb... God blezz... and Gogz speeb...
Slowly LELAND'S whisper and the recording come into unison,
eerily echoing through the tank.
LELAND & RECORDER
You are all that's left of us. Good
luck, God bless... and God's speed.
LELAND and the recorder echo throughout the tank as...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
GALLO matches the echo with...
GALLO
You are that's left of us. Good luck,
God bless... and God's speed.
E
PAYTON
Earth... is gone?
GALLO puffs across his hand with twisted amusement.
GALLO
Wiped away. We ran a full sweep off the
grid and they were... gone. One day
there, the next... nothing.
PAYTON
In one day... it had to be nuclear or-?
GALLO
Whatever it was, they knew it was coming.
Wished us well. We're all that's left.
PAYTON sits back in shock, shaking his head in disbelief.
PAYTON
Oh my God...
GALLO
You can see why I was hesitant... to tell
even you. My fellow crew members didn't
take the news too well. I wanted to wake
the primary crew... but my 2nd Lt was
already over the edge.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
89.
CONTINUED :
GALLO (CONT'D)
ODS came through with flying colors. No
logic, no reasoning left. No future, no
past, no hope. A dangerous mix when
you're stuck inside a tin can like this.
The blow was more then he could handle.
My lieutenant wasn't far behind.
Pandorum.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. WATER PROCESSOR - CONT.
LELAND moves past a wall-drawing of Earth destroyed, moving
to the image of the three pilots.
LELAND
Three little Indians, with the burden to
bare... no more law and nothing left to
care. Three poor souls, destiny undone.
Chop, chop, chop... now there's only one.
The sketches reveal violence between the three pilots, two of
them killed, one remaining alive.
I
DISSOLVE TO:
I
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
GALLO'S hands are beginning to tremble as he struggles
through the story.
GALLO
They were my commanding officers. Men
who had guided me through FT. I looked
up to these men. But... it wasn't them
anymore. They... were gone. They...
tried to... I had no choice. I-
With his body beginning to tremble, PAYTON tries to console
him, touching his arm. GALLO flinches.
PAYTON
Easy...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. WATER PROCESSOR - CONT.
LELAND continues across the wall-drawings, showing the one
remaining pilot all alone aboard the massive ship.
LELAND
One little Indian left... all alone with
his doom.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
90.
CONTINUED:
LELAND (CONT`D)
Refused to go to bed, stayed up to play
in his room. Oh, and what naughty little
games he would play with the slumbering
prey. Slayer, master, both God and the
Devil, some would say. The boy would grow
to manhood, a self-proclaimed King, ruler
of his vessel, home to his own sin.
The sketches show the lone pilot torturing and devouring
passengers from their sleep chambers as he grows old.
LELAND (CONT-D)
And then one day the king cast out all
those who had behaved, exiled into the
barren cargo holds to fend for
themselves... scavenging against the
others within their own domain.
The sketches show tortured victims forced out into the
corridors of the ship, the King returns to his sleep chamber.
LELAND (CONT`D)
King Lonely no longer wanted to play...
he yearned to see the morning Sun on a
Tanis day. He returned to his bed of
I
slumber, waiting for the day. But the
survivors lived on, as the King slept, a
whole new world of evil grew as we wept.
The seed driven beyond-
BOWER
HOLD IT! HOLD IT!
LELAND
(SOBER FROWN)
you want me to back up?
BOWER
Play that transmission again. I want-
LELAND
Save yer questions til the end please.
We'll have a review.
LELAND continues his performance as NADIA leans toward BOWER
with concern.
NADIA
Could that be real? You think that could-
BOWER
I dunno. It can't be- It just-
(CONTINUED)
91.
CONTINUED: (2)
BOWER is quickly growing drowsy, slurring his words as he
takes a seat with exhaustion and disbelief. NADIR rests her
chin on her knee... eyes growing heavy as LELAND continues
telling the tale, softly like a child's bedtime story.
LELAND takes a peace of chalk-like material, drawing a new
sketch.
LELAND
And now the newest chapter comes to us...
three weary travelers, guided by the
light. The new brave flyer, woken by the
dying machine.
He sketches Bower and his journey towards the reactor.
LELAND (CONT'D)
A gallant knight who will wake the fiery
beast, light the rockets torch that will
sail our mighty ship to port! A new king
to deliver us to paradise! Hail to the
new King... Hail!
LELAND looks to see... everyone is asleep. He adjusts a
nozzle that... is pumping a colorless gas out of the vents at
the bottom of the tank. With a slow forming grin, he blows
out a nearby candle, taking us into...
FADE THRU BLACK:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - LATER
PAYTON'S eyes scan across the dim flickering computer screen,
a radar scan across a chart of planets... with no Earth shown
on the screen.
PAYTON is silently in shock as... GALLO watches him closely
from across the console.
PAYTON
How could they... how could they have
let this happen?
PAYTON slides his hands off the keyboard, his finger tips
i nearly twitching, an uncontrolled tremble. He tries to hide
his hands, sliding them under the console as...
GALLO watches him blankly before wandering away to let him
sit alone with the horrific realization. PAYTON shakes his
head, refusing to accept it.
(CONTINUED)
92.
CONTINUED:
A low SHUDDER approaches, more powerful then felt before,
rattling the pipes as it passes with a FLICKER of LIGHTS
as...
FLICKER DISSOLVE TO:
DREAM (FLASHBACK)
EVALON is smiling towards BOWER as he kneels in front of her,
gripping her hands. As he speaks, her smile fades, slowly
pulling her hands away and...
INT. WATER PROCESSOR -- CONT.
The powerful SHUDDER is felt, amplified in the tank. NADIA
shakes awake to see... LELAND is kneeling over her, eyes wide
with hunger, deliciously sniffing her body. They both jump
with fright and yell in unison.
NADIA & LELAND
AAAAAEEIH !
NADIA jumps to her feet, choking and gasping, jabbing her
weapon toward LELAND, a small breathing tube clenched in his
teeth. BOWER and TANA.KA are woken by their exchange, dazed.
BOWER
What are you doing!? What the-
NADIA
He was- He was gonna fucking eat me!
LELAND
(mouthful of tube)
Whaw!? I waddn't-
NADIA
He gassed us! He was gonna- All of us!
LELAND is appalled, spitting out the breathing tube.
LELAND
Gas! What gas!?
They see he's holding a fork and knife that he quickly tucks
behind his back. NP.DIA jabs the weapon and he shrieks.
LELAND (CONT'D)
NEVER!
THE SHUDDER shakes the tank with more force then ever before
as they watch the ceiling. It's followed by two quick
SURGES, higher pitch. NADIA looks to BOWER.
(CONTINUED)
93.
CONTINUED:
NADIA
What is that?
BOWER
It's gone... into the final cycle.
NADIA
What does that mean?
BOWER
it means we have less time then I
thought. The last phase... before
shutdown. It means we're... done.
BOWER is oddly defeated, taking a seat, hanging his head.
NADIA
Done!? What do you mean done? What do
we do? Hey!?
BOWER
What difference does it make?
NADIA
What are you talking about? You said you
could reset the reactor- That we could-
That there's a chance to-
BOWER
For what? They're gone. Everything is
gone. There's no Earth to go back to,
THERE'S NO-
NADIA
We weren't meant to go back! We were
meant to go on. And now it's more
important then ever! We're the last of-
BOWER
And what is left of us? What's left,
worth saving? This flight's over.
NADIA is angered by his defeat, shoving LELAND aside and
squaring off in front of BOWER.
NADIA
What about your duty? What about... your
wife!? There's still a chance she's-
BOWER
She's dead.
(CONTINUED)
94.
CONTINUED: (2)
NADIA
You don't know that for sure!
BOWER
I know...
NADIA grabs him with rage, glaring him in the eye.
NADIA
DON'T DO THAT! DON'T GIVE UP ON ME!
Off her look, BOWER holds his stare, slowly seduced by her
will. They look is broken by... LELAND'S stereo system
CRACKLES with static, power slowly returning after the power
surge, music playing.
BOWER snaps out of his daze, turning to LELAND.
BOWER
You got a radio?
LELAND
Who the hell are you gonna call-?
BOWER
DO YOU HAVE A RADIO!?
LELAND
(BEAT)
You promise to bring it back?
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
The radio speakers on the control console suddenly CRACKLE
with STATIC and PAYTON leaps forward in his chair, snapping
out of his daze. GALLO looks up with a frown.
BOWER (ON RADIO)
Payton? Do you copy? Can you hear me!?
He grabs the receiver.
PAYTON
BOWER! I'm here! Where are you?
CUT TO:
95.
INT. WATER PROCESSOR/CATWALK - CONT.
Our group is now crowded on the catwalk above the tank,
huddled around an assortment of patched together electronic
equipment. BOWER is speaking into a receiver, bound together
with wire while LELAND cranks the power lever.
BOWER
Storage Tanks, just below B-level. Mid-
ship Sector twelve... we think.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
PAYTON vigorously cranks the power lever and slides his
finger across the screen of the ship's blueprint.
I PAYTON
How the hell did you get all the way to
Y the other side of-
I BOWER (ON RADIO)
Payton, listen to me. Listen. The
I reactor is in its final stage. Its last
rotation. It's worse then we thought.
PAYTON looks to GALLO, who is silently watching with a hollow
glare from the corner.
BOWER (ON RADIO) (CONT`D)
The ship is dying and I think that's why
it finally woke us up. The entire system
is heading into permanent shutdown and
there will be no return. This entire
ship will float off into eternity with no
way of stopping it. We need to reset it.
Are you hearing me?
PAYTON and GALLO share a silent stare.
PAYTON
I hear you. How do we get you in there?
I BOWER
I need you to give me a path.
PAYTON and GALLO'S silent stare hangs in the air for a
moment, the tension between them unclear. PAYTON turns to
the console, quickly typing into the keyboard.
CUT TO:
96.
INT. LADDER SHAFT/CORRIDOR - LATER
A flashlight beams cut into a shaft. It appears as if the
gang is crawling backwards toward us, until our perspective
realizes they're crawling down a long ladder.
They reach the bottom level where a distant RUMBLE has grown
louder. They follow the sound through a field of debris to a
clear path leading to an open hatchway.
BOWER checks the marker over the door and leads them down the
corridor, preparing to step through and TANAKA grabs him,
pulling him back.
BOWER
What?
TANAKA motions toward the hatchway, shaking his head. He
i gestures for them to follow and leads them over debris and
through a hole, hidden in the paneling.
TANAKA
(Japanese - No Subtitles)
LELAND
What did he say?
BOWER
I dunno. But do what he says.
They follow TANAKA, crawling through the hole and into...
CUT TO:
INT. LOADING PLATFORM
As they head across a loading dock, the room gradually grows
more disturbed and dishevelled. Battle scars and centuries
of wear and tear grow more and more evident as they cross.
The BLUE GLOW of light can be seen through the passageway and
a low RUMBLE grows louder as they approach. They crouch
behind a large industrial condensers to catch their breath.
I BOWER glances up to the surface of the condenser with a frown
and he touches it with his fingers to find an odd-colored
algae. He looks up to see it's grown all the way to...
Be freezes to see a small shadowed FIGURE in the rafters
above them, a smaller gargoyle-type silhouette, possibly some
type of guard outside the entrance to the reactor bay.
(CONTINUED)
97.
CONTINUED:
They exchange silent gestures and TANAKA heads one direction
as BOWER heads the other... to corner it. The FIGURE begins
to move across the rafter as TANAKA flushes it out.
The FIGURE is forced to climb down, hopping to the floor,
BOWER waits with his gun raised. Out of the shadows steps...
A ten-year-old CHILD HUNTER.
BOWER flinches with shock. The CHILD is a younger version of
the hunters, awkward physique, pale skin coated with
hydraulic fluid, oblong shaped head, eyes hidden in shadow.
NADIR lowers her weapon.
NADIA
(DEVASTATED)
Oh... my... God...
The CHILD suddenly crouches in a fighting stance with a
i gargled HISS from its throat, the light catching its eyes to
reveal WHITE RETINAS deeply hidden under a thin membrane of
I skin. Everyone is too stunned to react except for TANAKA,
who instantly raises his weapon, preparing to kill it.
NADIA (CONT-D)
stop it! STOP IT! Are you crazy? It's
just a child!
BOWER
Child! ? That's no child! What the hell
is it!?
TANAKA lunges, but NADIA blocks his attack. The CHILD HUNTER
erupts with a horrific SCREECH, HISSING at them before
turning and leaping back up and over the rafters,
disappearing into the shadows. They are speechless.
LELAND
Not as cute when they're little, are
they?
TANAKA runs after it. It takes a moment for the rest to
react, chasing after.
CUT TO:
INT. CORRIDOR/NEIGHBORING COMPARTMENT
They run down the corridor and into the neighboring
compartment, stacked with broken and discarded equipment.
(CONTINUED)
98.
CONTINUED:
The CHILD runs up a wall of tubing and ducks through a small
hole punctured in the vents. TANAKA sighs with defeat.
NADIA
My God. They're... breeding.
BOWER
What!? What do you mean they? How could
they- That's impossible.
It appears the CHILD has alerted his group as the BLUISH GLOW
of flame can be seen growing stronger in the corridor, the
sounds of CACKLES and HISSES approaching.
LELAND
Little bastard rang the bell.
They all quickly turn back, running down a side corridor and
into...
FOLLOW THRU:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER COMPARTMENT - CONT.
They crouch and hide inside a smaller compartment as... the
BLUISH GLOW passes outside the doorway. The CHILD appears to
be leading the group, silhouettes passing, more HUNTERS then
they've ever seen together before.
They silently share the horror of the possible numbers
they're up against.
LELAND
This isn't going to work. Too many of
them. Have to turn back.
NADIA
There's no where to turn back to. We
can't give up-
LELAND
Told you this wouldn't fly.
NADIA
You didn't tell us anything. You never
said that. You said you'd love to come-
LELAND
(PONDERING)
Oh... then I forgot. This won't work.
BOWER
Why not?
(CONTINUED)
99.
CONTINUED:
LELAND
This is where they live. Reactor is the
Keeper's temple.
They watch and wait as the shadows move past the doorway with
the GLOW of BLUISH TORCHES and vocal CACKLES.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
PAYTON is pulling wires out from under the console and going
to the sealed doors where he's pulled apart the control
panel, preparing for a hot-wire.
GALLO watches him while slowly pacing the room.
GALLO
What are you doing?
PAYTON
I think the direct channels are fried.
I'm gonna run a patch so we can get this
door open as soon as we're back on-line.
I
GALLO
What's so important on the other side of
the door?
PAYTON
The bridge. As soon as we're up we'll be
able to take control of guidance. But
only from on the bridge.
GALLO continues pacing, throwing glances toward the empty
sleep chambers.
GALLO
This ship is not dying.
PAYTON refuses to look to GALLO, continuing his work.
GALLO (CONT'D)
It's already dead. You really believe
that kid will be able to save this ship?
PAYTON
He can do it.
GALLO
Twelve hours ago, he didn't know his own
name. Now, you think he's ready to re-
configure a nuclear reactor?
(CONTINUED)
100.
CONTINUED:
PAYTON refuses to give him eye contact, continuing to work on
the computer as G_ALLO paces back and forth in front of the
sleep chambers, fingers rapidly twitching at his side.
PAYTON
He's the only shot we have. Gotta have a
little faith.
GALLO
Faith? After what you know now, you can
actually say that with a straight face?
A little faith?
THAP. A droplet of blood hits the floor at GALLO'S feet.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER COMPARTMENT - CONT.
I
The GLOW of the HUNTERS slowly begins to fade from sight as
BOWER notices what he's hiding behind is an empty sleep
chamber, coated with dried blood and signs of violence. He
looks to the labelled name plates with a frown and wanders
deeper into the room.
NADIA follows him with a frown as LELAND and TANAKA remain
poised with weapons near the doorway.
BOWER'S walk slows as he moves past rows of sleep chambers,
nearly all of them have been opened and signs of violent
deaths left dried and splattered across the floor.
NADIA
What are you doing? What is it?
BOWER
(DAZED)
These were... family members of flight
personnel.
NADIA
FAMILY OF-
She notices BOWER is holding EVALON'S photo and glances to
the row of empty chambers, slowly realizing his grief.
NADIA (CONT'D)
You think she's... here?
BOWER
She's not here. She's dead.
(CONTINUED)
101.
CONTINUED:
NADIA
How do you know for sure? She could be-
BOWER
She's not on this flight. She wouldn't
come with me. She wouldn't marry me.
(sigh of disgust)
That's why I came. There was nothing
left for me there. She stayed on Earth.
Gone... with everyone else. And I left
because of her.
His gaze begins to gloss over, taking it all in.
NADIA
Well, then... she saved your life.
BOWER frowns on the thought, slowly nodding in agreement.
His eyes look to the label of the chamber he was led to, the
label reads; M. PAYTON. He mumbles to himself, memory
returning.
BOWER
Marianne.
NADIA
you... knew her?
BOWER
I remember her. Payton's wife.
NADIA
Who's... Payton?
BOWER
I remember her. I remember-
His eyes pull focus, coming out of his daze, memories
returning with confusion.
NADIR
Are you alright?
BOWER
Com'on.
1
BOWER grips his weapon with a flexing jaw of determination,
heading back to where TANAKA and LELAND are waiting as we...
(CONTINUED)
102.
CONTINUED: (2)
ANGLE ON
M. PP_YTON'S name plate and the dried remains of her apparent
death lay in the foreground.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBERICONTROL DESK
THAP... THAP... THAP.
Droplets of blood hit the floor at GALLO'S feet as he paces
back and forth near the sleep chambers.
GALLO
He's right about one thing. Once that
thing shuts down, we're as good as dead.
Nothing on this ship will ever turn on
again. Ever. Not the air, not the
lights, the heat... not even the pod's
escape launch systems.
PAYTON refuses to look up from the computer.
3 PAYTON
What are you saying?
GALLO
I'm�saying... once it's done. We're
done. But, we still have a way out of
this... before it's too late.
PAYTON
What are you suggesting, Corporal?
GALLO
We can still launch ourselves in the
pods. Before the ignition systems are
completely dead, sir.
PAYTON
Launching ourselves... into deep space
when we don't even know where we are? We
wouldn't last more then a few days inside
those things. That's suicide-
GALLO
A few days is better then what we have
left here. I'll take my chances. How
long do you think that reactor has been
sitting? That thing could melt-down when
he tries to fire the core. This ship
could be ripped in half-
(CONTINUED)
103.
CONTINUED:
PAYTON
Stand down, Corporal. We're not going to
abandon anything and we're not going to
leave them behind-
GALLO
We can't stay on this ship. You know
that as well as I do-
PAYTON
I said stand down, Corporal! That's an
order!
GALLO steps up behind PAYTON, his face revealed with a thin
stream of blood oozing from under his nose, dripping off his
chin, eyes hollow and pale. PAYTON refuses to look at him,
continuing to type.
CUT TO:
INT. LOADING PLATFORM - CONT.
The HUNTING party has faded from sight in the opposite
direction, leaving the hatch open to the reactor bay.
BOWER
This is our chance.
BOWER leads the way out of the hiding place, heading quickly
towards the open hatch where an eerie glow and rumble is
felt. They crawl through the hatch and enter into...
FOLLOW THRU:
INT. REACTOR BAY - CONT.
They crawl out onto the top of a massive cylinder shaped
shaft, numerous catwalks lining the walls with nothing but an
abyss of darkness below them. An odor hits all of them in
unison.
BOWER
This is it. We've got to get down there
before they come back.
BOWER looks for a path downward along the tangled metal of
catwalks, coated in algae. LELAND'S fear has instantly
surfaced, unable to move.
LELAND
I (HAUNTED)
I House of the Keepers. A descent to Hell
itself. We can't... go in here.
(CONTINUED)
I
104.
I
CONTINUED :
BOWER ignores his pleas, heading down a ladder into the
darkness, TANAKA and NADIA follow, pushing past him.
LELAND (CONT'D)
You're crazy... You can't-
NADLA
Shut-up! Move!
LELAND stays behind, watching as they begin a perilous
descent down the walls of the reactor bay wall. Clinging
onto the pipes and railings of the catwalks, the odd-colored
algae grows more and more dense... a dim glow slowly coming
into view from below.
With a gap in the catwalk, BOWER leaps across, nearly losing
his grip. He looks down to see an odd pattern of white
shapes near the bottom.
Squinting into the darkness, he's unable to make out what
he's looking at and he manages to crawl down further,
reaching a gangplank that crosses to the towering reactor.
He motions for NADIA and TANAKA to stay put and begins
crawling across... towards a darkened control panel.
1
LELAND is nervously watching from above, leaning further over
the railing and... a pen-lamp slips free from his belt.
The pen-lamp CLANKS off one of the catwalks and tumbles past
BOWER... dropping to the bottom... hitting the floor and
illuminating the strange white objects covering the floor
as... DOZENS of HUNTERS, all sleeping. Their pale white
bodies are intertwined and over-lapped resembling an orgy of
the living dead.
BOWER
CHRIST ALMIGHTY-
The fall of the pen-lamp causes one HUNTER to instantly
spring to its feet, lifting its nose towards the air like a
guard dog checking the scent.
BOWER remains frozen, gripping the gangplank that hangs
twenty feet above the field of sleeping HUNTERS.
I Slowly the HUNTER returns to sleep, slithering its way back
into the folds of flesh and BOWER continues his crawl
across... reaching the control panel.
Upon seeing the sleeping HUNTERS, LELAND fearfully backs
away, exiting the room. NADIA and TANAKA grip the ladders,
watching BOWER, holding their breath in fright.
(CONTINUED)
105.
CONTINUED: (2)
BOWER grabs a vine, but it breaks away and he dangles over
the side, losing his grip. NADIA jumps across the gap and
climbs down, extending her weapon for him to grab. Together
they cling to the side of the reactor and BOWER taps the
control panel switches and... nothing.
His eyes widen with horror, quickly searching for a solution.
He slowly pumps a primer switch and... the light panel
flickers gently under centuries of dust and vegetation...
MATCH CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
A light gently blinks on the control console and PAYTON spots
it with a frown, running back from the door.
PAYTON
He's in! That's the reactor's activator
panel. We're going to make it out of
I
this. Trust me.
No response. GALLO'S shadow moves behind him, his voice
taking on a slight raspier and "older" tone.
I
GALLO
Trust you? How can I trust someone who
isn't even honest with himself. Tell me?
PAYTON refuses to acknowledge him, continuing to monitor the
control panel. He discreetly slides his hand closer to the
pipe weapon as he senses GALLO'S presence behind him.
PAYTON
Gallo... you have to listen to me...
Carefully. You don't have•to-
GALLO steps closer behind him, his shadowed outline showing
an imposing posture, his voice is forced and unsteady.
GALLO
Don't do that.
TRAP... TRAP... THAP. Blood drops hit the floor heavily.
PAYTON
Don't... do what?
PAYTON slides his hand further across the console, reaching
for the pipe weapon, eyes on the screen.
(CONTINUED)
I
?06.
CONTINUED.
GALLO
Don't talk to me like some child that
needs reassurance. Think I don't know
the risks? Think I don't know this ship?
PAYTON
Take it easy-
GALLO'S presence is felt behind him, his voice seeming to
grow raspier and uneven with breath, anger simmering.
GALLO
I know this ship and what she's capable
of better then anyone. I know her... and
I know what she can and can't do.
PAYTON
Easy...
GALLO
And this... she can't do! Why are we
even arguing. You know it-
PAYTON
I'm giving you an order...
GALLO
You wanna stay here to die, that's your
choice, not mine!
PAYTON
.to stand-down... Corporal.
GALLO
NOT MINE!
PAYTON shoves himself out of his chair, reaching for the pipe
weapon to find nothing! He spins to see GALLO holding the
pipe and the pistol-gripped syringe, glaring down at him.
The heavy streams of blood are oozing from his nose and ears,
insanity shown in his hollow gaze.
GALLO (CONT`D)
Who's being irrational here, Lieutenant?
Tell me? Who's being delusional!? Hmm?
PAYTON raises his hands, calmly submitting.
PAYTON
Think about what you're doing...
(CONTINUED)
107.
CONTINUED: (2)
GALLO
I'm getting off this ship. My flight's
over. OVER!
Another panel on the console begins to gently blink as...
CUT TO:
INT. REACTOR CONTROL TERMINAL - CONT.
BOWER and NADIA cling to the side of the reactor, quietly
flipping switches and entering codes as... the sea of HUNTERS
sleep below them.
BOWER unfolds the auxiliary power lever, each movement
creating a CREAK of rusted metal. He grips the handle and
slowly begins to turn the magneto crank. The CREAKS of
rusted metal and the low WHINE of magnetos grows louder.
HUNTERS begin to stir in their sleep as NADIA watches them
with fright.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL, DESK
GALLO is jabbing the pistol-gripped syringe towards PAYTON,
motioning him closer to the sleep pods. He motions and
PAYTON kneels at the panel... entering the code.
PAYTON
This won't work...
GALLO
Shut-up.
GALLO jabs the syringe gun towards the back of PAYTON'S head
while putting one foot inside the pod.
PAYTON
just think about what you're doing-
GALLO
SHUT-UP!
PAYTON continues entering the launch code as GALLO steps
inside with his other foot.
PAYTON
It wasn't the crew that was sick, was it?
GALLO
Finish the code...
(CONTINUED)
108.
CONTINUED :
PAYTON
What did you really do to them...?
GALLO slides into the pod and...
GALLO
FINISH IT!
PAYTON hits a key and LIGHTS BLINK. GALLO looks away for a
second and PAYTON suddenly grabs the hatch lever... SLAMMING
it closed. He cranks the latch, locking GALLO inside.
GALLO (CONT-D)
WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?
PAYTON wedges a pipe through the handle as GALLO violently
kicks the hatch.
PAYTON
For your own good-
GALLO
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?
PAYTON
You're not well, Corporal. You just need
the proper treatment-
GALLO
LET ME OUT GOD DAMMIT! OPEN IT!! THAT'S
AN ORDER MOTHER FUCKER!
PAYTON
This isn't your fault-
GALLO
I'LL FUCKING CARVE YOU UP- HEAR ME!?
I'LL GUT YOU LIKE A FUCKING-
PAYTON
Your mind... has turned against itself.
GALLO EXPLODES with RAGE... POUNDING on the hatch with a jack-
hammer of fists, bones shattering in his own hands. PAYTON
ignores his screams, going back to the console and typing
I into the keyboard.
GALLO
OPEN THIS HATCH CORPORAL!
E CUT TO:
I
109.
INT. REACTOR CONTROL TERMINAL
BOWER cranks the hand lever faster and faster, the MOAN of
magnetos growing louder and louder. He gives one last spin
and hits the primer switch. A split-second of nothing and
then the panels brightly come to life. The digital panel
reads: >> ROTATION SEQUENCE >> CODE INITIATE TO PROCEED >>
BOWER takes a sigh of relief and glances to see NADIA is
frozen with fright. He follows their eye-line to see the
entire floor of HUNTERS are awake, heads turned towards them.
HEFLIN steps closer in their direction with a HISS.
BOWER gasps and the entire pack of HUNTERS moves toward them
and... suddenly, TANAKA bangs his bladed weapon against the
railing with a heavy CLANK! The HUNTERS instantly turn
toward his direction and TANAKA throws his weapon, HITTING
one of the HUNTERS directly in the head.
TANAKA jumps to the neighboring catwalk and breaks through a
hatch, coated with vines and vegetation. HEFLIN screeches a
command and the HUNTERS ignite in a chain-reaction, grabbing
their weapons and taking chase like a swarm of attack dogs.
They climb the wall with inhuman speed and rush out the
hatch, following TANAKA.
NADIA
Hurry! Go!
BOWER turns back to the panel, flipping more switches and
continuing the process as the reactor begins to HUM as...
CUT TO:
INT. LOADING PLATFORM
TANAKA is running at full sprint, bounding over dishevelled
equipment and weaving through debris as the pack of enraged
HUNTERS emerge from every direction to follow his path.
One HUNTER gains quickly at a sprinter's pace and TANAKA runs
directly for the open hatchway. (The hatchway they detoured
earlier.) He dives through as the sprinting HUNTER is almost
upon him.
A booby-trap is sprung, hydraulic pistons SNAP a razor-wire
that "clotheslines" the HUNTER, nearly ripping him in half as
TANAKA hits the floor, rolls to his feet and keeps running.
HEFLIN and the HUNTERS slash the tangled snare with their
weapons, trying to break through.
CUT TO:
110.
INT. REACTOR BAY - CONT.
BOWER types quickly, flipping numerous switches and... a
SHUDDER is felt, the tower begins to TREMBLE with a low bass
MOAN, like an engine trying to turn over.
BOWER
Com'on...
NADIA looks back to see there are still HUNTERS in the
reactor bay, ones who didn't join the chase, slowly coming
out of the shadows, crawling up the walls.
NADIA
Bower...?
BOWER
I'm going as fast as I can-
NADIA
(TERRIFIED)
BOWER-
BOWER
WAIT-
He hits the final key as NADIA grabs his shoulder. He turns
to see... WEASEL and numerous HUNTERS have them surrounded,
waiting to pounce. With nowhere to go, they are done for as
WEASEL CACKLES a command, the HUNTERS moving in, just as...
SHIIIISSSSH! High pressure steam erupts from the reactor's
pressure relief valves. The HUNTERS back pedal in fear as
the ventilation system ignites... fresh oxygen hits the blue
torches... BURSTING into BRILLIANT ORANGE FIREBALLS..
The HUNTER'S scatter in a panic as the BRIGHT FLAMES are
blinding and a tremendous SHUDDER travels through the ship
like an earthquake...
MATCH CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - CONT.
The SHUDDER hits the control desk, rattling the monitors and
1 WARNING LIGHTS and BUZZERS ignite as the ship feels full
power after centuries of laying dormant.
I GALLO slows his POUNDING, blood coating his fists.
PAYTON
I My God... he did it! He did it.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED:
The SCREENS FLICKER BRIGHTLY, all of the systems engaging.
GALLO is shocked, pressing his face against the glass,
peering across the computer terminals that are igniting.
GALLO
Let me out. I can... help.
PAYTON ignores him, typing rapidly into the keyboard.
GALLO (CONT'D)
I'll help you! Please- I can help!
PAYTON runs over to the security door and hits a switch on
the sensor. The door doesn't react.
GALLO (CONT'D)
What are you doing? You can't- You're
trying to get on the bridge?
PAYTON runs back to the console, typing into the terminal.
GALLO (CONT'D)
You don't want to go in there, Corporal.
PAYTON throws him a glare, continuing to type in commands as
the room erupts with activity.
GALLO (CONTT' D )
What are you going to tell them? Huh?
How are you going to explain that?
PAYTON
shut-up.
GALLO
(DEVILISH GRIN)
They'll know what you did.
PAYTON
SHUT-UP!
CUT TO:
TNT. REACTOR BAY - CONT.
Other HUNTERS have retreated away from the reactor, cowering
in fear with the exception of WEASEL, enraged by the temple's
disturbance. He HISSES as he lunges for BOWER. Trying to
duck, they SLAM into the reactor wall and CRASH to the
catwalk below.
(CONTINUED)
112.
CONTINUED:
WEASEL has incredibly quick reflexes as he springs back to
his feet just as BOWER charges into him, slamming into a wall
of burning algae. The fire quickly spreads across WEASEL'S
skin, igniting the oil that's been rubbed across his body.
With WEASEL SCREECHING wildly and engulfed in flame, BOWER
viciously continues pummeling him, throwing a rage of blows
until the body stops twitching. The flames begin to catch on
BOWER'S arms and NADIA pulls him back.
They look to see most of the HUNTERS fleeing the room, but
others have grabbed weapons. BOWER grabs her arm, pulling
her towards the hatch.
CUT TO:
INT. LOADING DOCK - CONT.
As BOWER and NADIA run, the ship comes to life all around
them, every LIGHT FLASHING and every mechanism ENGAGING at
full power. A startling contrast of blinding white walls and
glowing floors as they run down the corridor.
CUT TO:
INT. CORRIDOR ATRIUM - CONT.
STEAM ERUPTS from pipes and LIGHTS BLINDLY FLICKER as HUNTERS
scatter and run off in separate directions.
Slowly, TANAKA emerges from a hiding place, dropping down
from the rafters overhead. With a grin he turns to head back
the other direction to see...
HEFLIN waiting for him.
They stare one another down, both raising their bladed
weapons as LIGHTS shatter and implode around them from their
own intensity.
HEFLIN lunges with a HISS and blades CLASH!
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK
PAYTON rapidly pounds his fingers into the keyboard and...
LIGHTS activate... causing one of the security doors to
engage... sliding open. But, it's the wrong door, revealing
a corridor leading endlessly into the back of the ship.
I
PAYTON
DAMMIT-
(CONTINUED)
113.
CONTINUED:
GALLO
Where do you think you're going?
PAYTON
QUIET-
PAYTON continues to work the control panels, looking to the
sealed door on the other end of the room.
GALLO
Think about what you're doing, sir-
PAYTON
SHUT-UP-
GALLO pushes his knees against the hatch, the pipe beginning
to bend, the seal CRACKING open.
GALLO
You don't want to see what's in there-
PAYTON
SHUT-UP;
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CRAMBER/MAIN CORRIDOR
The control panel on a sleep-chamber is FLASHING as a
passenger KICKS his hatch open from the inside. The haggard
and bewildered passenger crawls out to find himself in the
middle of CHAOS. Before he can get a breath he's attacked by
HUNTERS.
What was once a dark and haunting chamber of metal, is now a
disco tech from hell as lights FLASH across the corridor in
what appears to be a massive riot, PASSENGERS and HUNTERS
fighting.
ANGLE ON/CRANE UP
BOWER and NADIA run across the top of the sleep chamber wall,
thirty feet above the havoc that's ensuing below. A LIGHT
BULBS BURST as...
MATCH CUT TO:
INT_ ATRIUM - CONT.
Metal blades SPARK as they connect between HEFLIN and TANAKA.
The sword play is crude, but powerful and brutal. HEFLIN
can't match his skills and pile-drives him, ripping into him
with his own bare hands and a horrific SCREECH.
(CONTINUED)
114.
CONTINUED:
TANAKA tries to grab a hold of him, but HEFLIN digs in with
his teeth, biting into his stomach. TANAKA screams, hitting
HEFLIN'S head with everything he's got, but he won't let go.
TANAKA lifts HEFLIN'S feet and ROARS as he charges himself
directly into the wall, neck bones SNAPPING! HEFLIN goes
limp, dropping to the floor dead as TANAKA gasps... looking
down to see the damage has been done, blood flowing heavily.
He takes a breath, turns to exit FREEZING to see... the CHILD
HUNTER standing alone, sensing the death of HEFLIN with
almost an expression of sorrow. TANAKA lowers his weapon
and... THWACK! The CHILD stabs TANAKA in the chest with a
small bladed weapon.
TANAKA gasps with shock, collapsing to his knees, eyes wide
before going to the floor. The CHILD begins to feed.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/MAIN CORRIDOR
BOWER and NADIA climb to a cat-walk only to see HUNTERS are
following their trail. They run to a ladder and spot LELAND
already climbing above them.
BOWER
Go... GO! GO!
Half way up, LELAND looks back to see them coming with
HUNTERS close behind. He gives them a look before closing
the hatch and latching it.
NADIA
You snake bastard- OPEN IT!
CUT TO:
INT. CORRIDOR - CONT.
With the YELLS muffled under the hatch, LELAND runs towards
an open door at the far end of the long corridor.
ANGLE ON
Inside the door at the far end... PAYTON is at the control
console, quickly typing into the keyboard. He hears the
E hatch CRACK open and he spins to see GALLO, out of the pod,
with a twisted grin, holding the pistol-gripped syringe.
GALLO
We both know who needs this shot...
(CONTINUED)
115.
CONTINUED:
PAYTON counters with the bladed weapon.
PAYTON
STAY BACK-
GALLO
Who's the one suffering... sir-
PAYTON
I MEAN IT!
PAYTON lunges with the weapon, RAGE in his EYES as... GALLO
jabs with the pistol-syringe, they lock hands, grabbing one
anothers wrists... slamming into the wall.
Upon IMPACT with the wall, GALLO suddenly appears slightly
older, his voice lowering in level.
GALLO
Corporal...
PAYTON slams him against the wall, making him older.
PAYTON
(RAGE SIMMERING)
STOP IT!
PAYTON slams him again, a FLASH that reveals GALLO has aged
almost matching PAYTON, their voices sounding the same...
GALLO
Your mind... has turned against itself,
CORPORAL-
PAYTON
I'll FUCKING CARVE YOU UP!
Within the struggle, hands grab at weapons, a wrist is
twisted... lining up both of their identification tattoos to
be identical... FLT>>004>>012>>.
The syringe is stabbed into skin. The trigger fires liquid,
injecting the chemical into someone's arm as their voices
converge, over-lapping at first and becoming one voice...
GALLO & PAYTON
It's for the best... Corporal.
I
ANGLE ON
LELAND runs up the corridor, through the doors and into the
room, gasping for breath, pausing to see...
(CONTINUED)
116.
CONTINUED: (2)
PAYTON is ALONE. He's just injected the syringe into his own
wrist. He's the only person in the room. Heavy blood
streams are running from his nose and ears.
Y77e will now refer to PAYTON by his real name, GALLO.
LELAND and GALLO exchange a look... GALLO seeming to snap out
of his trance. LELAND approaches, wheezing for air.
LELAND
We made it! We- I'm with your boy. I
was the one helping with-
GALLO suddenly SLASHES his throat! LELAND reels back in
shock, throttling his own neck in horror, blood gushing.
GALLO casually turns back to the console, continuing to type
as LELAND tries to cry out, his voice gargled with blood as
he staggers, collapsing to the floor. GALLO hits a key and
LIGHTS IGNITE, the last door finally engaging.
GALLO sigh with relief as the doors slide open revealing a
corridor of stairs leading to the bridge. A warm and gentle
smile widens on his face.
I PAYTON
Captain on the bridge.
He heads toward the bridge, while flipping another switch
that ignites the opposite doors just as...
ANGLE ON
BOWER and NADIA angrily burst through the hatch in the floor,
jamming it behind them and run up the corridor. They see the
doors sliding shut.
BOWER
That's it! GO! Go for it!
With HUNTERS hot on their trail... they run full sprint
towards the sliding doors. HUNTERS lunge out of side
corridors with SCREECHING HISSES as BOWER and NADIA dive
through the sliding doors...
One HUNTER is crushed by the doors., split nearly in half with
a heavy THUD of steel and a MOAN of hydraulics. The HUNTER
spasms wildly, kicking and clawing as BOWER and NADIA back
pedal into the room. HUNTERS gather at the gap, stabbing
weapons between the doors, trying to crawl through with
SCREECHES and HISSES of rage.
(CONTINUED)
117.
CONTINUED: ( 3)
BOWER and NADIA back further away, turning to see the room.
The original room that BOWER woke up in now looks quite
different with all the systems engaged, BLINDING LIGHT coming
from the monitors and computer terminals.
They move through the room, passing the empty sleep chambers
and the control console, seeing the entire pathway of dripped
blood across the floor.
NADIA
Where's... your lieutenant?
BOWER
He's not my lieutenant.
She frowns off his look and turns to see... LELAND on the
floor in a pool of blood, throat slashed, dead.
BOWER pulls the gun and heads into the open doorway leading
towards the bridge as NADIA follows behind.
FOLLOW THRU:
INT. COMMAND BRIDGE - CONT.
A tunneled stairwell widens out into the main flight bridge.
A stunning sight, a split-level glass control deck, rows of
blinking control panels and flight chairs. It appears
undisturbed, a thin layer of silt floats out from under their
footsteps.
BOWER leads the way, panning the weapon throughout the room
with no sign of GALLO. On the far wall; cockpit windows
coated with a black fungus that obscures the view, but hints
to the illusion of outer space, a haze of cosmic dust without
stars.
NADIA
(IN AWE)
What's happened... to us? Where are we?
BOWER goes to the nearest control console, tapping the
keyboard. The computer instantly responds, data scrolling
across the screen.
BOWER
Flight log. It'll tell us how long we've
I been out... and how far we've gone.
BOWER types in a command and the computer begins to scroll
through the flight computer's time-code. Starting with the
launch date and time the numbers begin to roll faster and
faster. BLIP... BLIP... BLIP.
(CONTINUED)
118.
CONTINUED:
NADIA walks towards the windows and suddenly jumps back with
fright to realize one of the flight control chairs has a
FIGURE sitting in it. GALLO, motionless and gazing toward
the windows.
Off her gasp, BOWER grabs his gun and approaches as the
computer time-code continues to roll even faster with no sign
of slowing... months becoming years.
BOWER approaches from behind GALLO... his identification
tatto now clearly visible... FLT>>004>>012>>. He cranks the
lever on the gun with a WHINE of magnetos and the laser
sights flare brightly onto GALLO'S back.
BOWER (CONT'D)
Seems my little memory lapse has finally
worn off... "Lieutenant".
BOWER slowly approaches, moving closer to his profile, the
stream of blood from GALLO'S ear shown running down his neck.
GALLO
(DRYLY)
Mine too.
BOWER
Who the hell are you?
GALLO keeps his gaze towards the windows, emotionless.
BOWER (CONT'D)
You're team four. Why would you...
switch bunks? Pretend to be someone
else? What would you be wanting to hide?
Who the hell are you?
GALLO
I was younger then you when I first came
on board. Funny, I can't even remember
what it was like... before this flight
began. It's all I know.
BOWER
You were the one... who first received
the final transmission. Who refused to
go back to sleep. You stayed awake...
for all those years. What were you
doing... what crimes were you hiding from
when you took Payton's bunk?
The time-code display rolls faster, years rolling into
decades... BLIP, BLIP, BLIP.
(CONTINUED)
119.
CONTINUED: (2)
GALLO
(IMPRESSED)
How the hell would you know all that?
BOWER
Is it true? What have you done to us?
Where are we now?
GALLO lazily nods towards the windows.
GALLO
Go ahead. Take a peek. You tell me.
BOWER hesitates, looking toward the darkened windows. He
stays with the weapon on GALLO as NADIA wanders toward the
front control console, towards the glass.
With the lights fading on the weapon, BOWER gives the lever a
quick whirl, motioning the barrel closer.
GALLO (CONT ' D )
What are. you gonna do, Bower? There's no
one left to hand out merit badges. No
one left at all.
BOWER
And that makes it okay? To play God?
GALLO
You think God survived? He's gone...
with the rest. There's no one left to
judge you, Bower.
NADIA approaches the glass, squinting towards the heavily
smudged glass. She frowns, trying to wipe away the layer of
sludge.
BOWER
Judgement will come for you. You think
you could cover it? Your victims
survived. Evolved. That's your creation
out there. Your crime.
BOWER jabs the gun into his back with force.
BOWER (CONT'D)
And you thought you'd be able to hide it?
Who would ever suspect that? Who would
ever remember? I remember.
NADIA rubs the glass with her hand, squinting into the
darkness. The time-code display rolls faster, decades into
centuries... BLIP, BLIP, BLIP.
(CONTINUED)
120.
CONTINUED: (3)
GALLO
No world left. No law. No order. Only
us. You the law now? You gonna be the
one that brings order to what's left?
Wanna take a shot at it? I did my best
with what I was given. Wanna be King for
a day? Give it a whirl, Corporal. I'd
like to see how you fare.
With the laser sights fading on the weapon, BOWER quickly
cranks the power lever, keeping the gun raised-
A slow grin spreads across GALLO'S face as he finally looks
to him, revealing the thick streams of blood that have
dripped from his nose, coating his chin and neck.
GALLO (CONT`D)
Try to imagine it. Imagine... yourself
for five minutes without morality. I'll
bet you'd surprise even yourself, kid-
BOWER
Shut-up.
(TO NADIA)
What's out there?
NADIA shakes her head, rubbing away the sludge from the
glass, squinting harder.
GALLO
Imagine... us both. What's left to stop
you? I offer you the kingdom and you-
BOWER
SHUT-UP-
GALLO
There's still quite a few sleeping
beauties down there... a thousand
flavors. You up for a little window
shopping?
BOWER
Shut-up!
GALLO
(licking his lips)
I wanna see it. I'll bet you'd be a
REEEEAL TIGER-
BOWER suddenly shoves him out of the chair, slamming him to
the floor, jabbing the barrel into the back of his neck.
(CONTINUED)
121.
CONTINUED: (4)
BOWER
There will be law... in whatever world we
create. And you'll pay for what you've
done. Believe me.
GALLO chuckles with his face pressed to the floor.
GALLO
A real boy scout, is that it, kiddo?
BOWER
HEAR ME ASSHOLE?!
NADIA suddenly GASPS... flinching away from the cockpit
windows, having just seen what's outside. Her expression is
ghostly as she back pedals.
BOWER (CONT'D)
What is it?
GALLO looks up with a blood-soaked grin.
BOWER (CONT'D)
What do you see!?
I
GALLO
You ready for the new world, corporal?
BOWER keeps the gun on him as he goes to the windows. NADIA
has a ghostly expression, unable to speak. BOWER leans
toward the glass, squinting into the darkness and...
SWISH! An object moves past the outside of the glass. He
leans closer, squinting to see... a school of ALIEN FISH dart
past. The shin is underwater.
BOWER staggers in shock, back pedalling as GALLO continues to
chuckle.
BOWER
(DISBELIEF)
We've... we've already crashed. We've
already... we're...
The time-code display rolls centuries past, more then a
thousand years accounted for as it finally slows to a stop.
BLIP... BLIP... BLIP.
BOWER (CONT'D)
We've been... down here... all this
time!? All this... time-
(CONTINUED)
122.
CONTINUED: (5)
BOWER staggers against the console in shock,. the weapon
lowering to his side.
GALLO
I guess this thing does land itself.
Just doesn't float too well.
BOWER lunges towards him and GALLO is ready for this one,
quickly countering his move and SLAMMING BOWER into the
console. He unleashes a vicious BLOW into BOWER'S throat.
BOWER collapses, choking for air and GALLO kicks the gun
away. He kneels over BOWER, slowly pulling out a blade.
G_ALLO (CONT'D)
And you thought you could be King!?
He slides the blade under BOWER'S neck and... there's a WHIRL
of magnetos.
He looks up to see NADIA cranking the lever on the energy
gun. She tries to turn the gun towards him and...
I
GALLO lunges toward her just as she's able to FIRE! The
BLA..ST of energy goes into the console with a CRACK of
1 THUNDER, knocking everyone off their feet. Shattered glass
and metal HIT the cockpit window like a spray of shrapnel...
CLOSE UP
.sending a thin crack across the surface of the glass.
She struggles to crank the lever again as GALLO charges,
hitting the gun away. He SLAMS her over the console.
GALLO (CONT'D)
My apologies. Ladies first... of course.
ANGLE ON/CLOSE UP
The crack on the window begins to spiderweb across...
ANGLE ON
GALLO grabs her hair to expose her neck and angles the blade
upward, forcing her to take a GASP as...
BOSSSH! Water explodes through the windows, hitting the room
like a hundred fire hoses. GALLO is hit directly and thrown
across the room as NADIA and BOWER are engulfed by the blast
of black water, sent tumbling.
CUT TO:
123.
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER/CONTROL DESK - CONT.
The tremendous ROAR of rushing water rolls them down the
stairwell and into the sleep chamber compartment in a raging
torrent, a tidal wave slams into the wall.
BOWER grabs onto NADIA and they claw themselves along the
wall as computer terminals SPARK and LIGHTS go black. He
pulls her to a sleep-chamber and he jumps inside the open
hatch, pulling her with.
NADIA
NO!? Are you crazy-
BOWER
GET IN!
He pulls her inside and turns to the control panel. He hits
the keypad to read: >>> DETACHMENT INITIATED >>>
BOWER struggles to close the hatch as water rushes in,
SLAMMING it shut on top of them.
GALLO struggles to keep his head above water as the fast
moving current SLAMS him into the edge of the doorway. His
I fingers claw at the manual lever for the door, tugging and
tugging with no effect as the water rises above his head.
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER
BOWER and NADIA are squeezed together inside the pod as water
quickly rises above the porthole.
NADIA
(GASPING)
Not like this! I can't- like this!
BOWER
Hold on!
Under the roar of the rushing water, hydraulics ignite.
Micro-jets FIRE and WHOOSH! The pod launches, shooting down
a tunnel until they're HIT with a tremendous JOLT.
They are sent spinning into a wild tumble as bubbles and gas
erupt across the outer surface. BOWER and NADIA slam into
one another as the chamber turns end over end.
Its roll seems to slow for a brief moment and BOWER squints
toward the porthole to see...
(CONTINUED)
124.
CONTINUED:
POV
They are pulling away from the side of the ship. The
exterior hull of the massive space ship slides past at a high
rate of speed with a swirl of ocean water and bubbles.
BAM! The pod SLAMS into something as SPARKS fly and seals
are ruptured as WATER sprays in with a blinding BLAST. The
chamber is sent into another violent roll as NADIA and BOWER
tumble head over feet, as if caught within a washing machine.
The chamber finally steadies as water washes across the
control panel, one last burst of sparks knocks out the
lights, taking them into BLACK.
Only their gasps are heard as they squirm towards the upper
corner... only a foot of air remaining.
He grabs the mask connected to tubes in the side and pulls
the straps over her head.
NADIA
I What are you doing!?
BOWER
1 Put it on!
NADIA
No! I can't- Not like this! I'm not
going to wake up and drowned-
BOWER
PUT IT ON!
He pulls it over her face as the water rises with only
several inches of air inside the chamber. BOWER gasps
desperately into the corner.
NADIA gasps the air through the mask, making her eye-lids
droop, slowly going unconscious. BOWER gasps one last breath
and the water rises over his head.
BOWER watches her body go limp and squirms for air as... a
warm GLOW of WHITE LIGHT grows brighter through the porthole.
As sunlight dances through the porthole, he kicks at the
hatch and...
CUT TO:
125.
EXT. OCEAN SURFACE - DAY
BOWER kicks open the hatch, gasping for breath. A gentle
breeze ripples across the water with a sunlight flickering
across the surface of an ocean.
He pulls NADIA out of the chamber, ripping the mask off her
face. Her eye-lids slowly begin to flicker back to
consciousness.
BOWER
Hey...? Hey?
She chokes on the air and struggles to orientate herself,
looking up to see him gazing down at her, coated with bright
sunlight.
NADIA
(GASPING)
Where are we? What happened?
BOWER
(GRIN)
It's all right. It's safe to wake up
this time.
I
With eyes of disbelief, they turn to see...
WIDE ANGLE
They sit on the edge of the sleep chamber as it lightly bobs
within the ocean waves. They're just off shore from a
stretch of mountainous tropical islands with waves crashing
against the beaches. The unusual shape of the islands and
their geography are nothing like we've ever seen on Earth.
Several moons dot the sky and the sun is rising with a
brilliant glow on the horizon.
FADE TO BLACK:
INT. COMMAND DECK
Pitch black. A low CHURNING is heard, a motor that is
pumping as the water lowers, allowing us to see across the
dishevelled command platform, the walls dripping with water.
The water is being drained through the grates in the floor as
unseen bilge pumps are heard loudly WHIRLING. The pump
motors whine down and shut off as...
CONTROL CONSOLE
A hand flips off the switch for the ventilation ducts. It's
GALLO...
(CONTINUED)
126.
CONTINUED:
standing at the console, having changed clothes and recovered
from the ordeal. He examines the empty tank where BOWER'S
sleep chamber once sat. He eyes the other sleep-chambers,
deeply contemplating.
He goes back to the control console, scanning across the
numerous surveillance monitors that reveal...
PASSENGERS and HUNTERS engaged in a variety of activities all
across the ship. Some are seen fighting, some searching for
food, some searching for a way out, some alone weeping. A
kingdom, for the taking.
He pulls out a coffee packet and slowly begins mixing himself
a cup, deeply contemplating as he looks across the screens.
He glances over to see... YOUNG GALLO, the younger version of
himself, who is seated nearby, watching with a grin. The
blood is gone from his face, appearing clean-cut, clean
uniform.
YOUNG GALLO
Well, if you're gonna be captain... what
are we gonna do now?
Off his look...
CUT TO:
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER COMPARTMENT - LATER
SHUSH... THUD. Doors open to another sleep chamber
compartment, completely undisturbed. Four undisturbed sleep-
chambers are lined against the wall.
GALLO enters, now wearing the CAPTAIN'S uniform, he
straightens his collar and kneels next to one of the pods,
typing into the panel. A grin appears as he removes the
wedding ring (PAYTON'S ring) he'd forgotten he's still
wearing.
GALLO
What is a King... without his Queen.
He hits the control panel switch and...
INT. SLEEP CHAMBER
A FEMALE CREW MEMBER, a beautiful young woman, deep in hyper--
slumber suddenly twitches... her EYES opening wide with a
GASP as she stares into CAMERA.
CUT TO BLACK.
THE END
Pandorum
Writers : Travis Milloy
Genres : Action Horror Sci-Fi
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neutrinoless double beta ( @xmath0 ) decay can be induced by the exchange of light particles such as majorana neutrinos ( long - range mechanism ) or by heavy particles ( short - range mechanism ) .
the classical example of the latter is right - handed w boson and heavy neutrino exchange , which occurs in left - right symmetric extensions of the standard model @xcite . a number of other examples of such `` short - range '' contributions to @xmath0 decay have been discussed in the literature ( for a review see @xcite ) , but only very recently the general decomposition for the @xmath0 decay operator , @xmath2 ( where @xmath3 has dimension of mass ) in terms of renormalizable vertices connected by heavy virtual particles , has been given in @xcite .
interestingly , several new diagrams for @xmath0 decay were identified in this work , many of which require quite exotic particles such as diquarks or colored fermions with fractional charges .
common to all of the short - range contributions is that masses of order @xmath4 tev are needed for a @xmath0 decay half - life in the range of @xmath5 ys in either @xmath6ge or @xmath7xe .
the very same diagrams which lead to @xmath0 decay can lead to lhc signals with like - sign dileptons plus ( at least ) two jets in the final state @xcite .
the atlas @xcite and the cms @xcite collaborations have published searches for such events . ( disregarding flavor , we will refer to these events as `` @xmath8-like '' . )
atlas and cms then interpret their null result in terms of the left - right symmetric model as lower limits on the mass of the right - handed gauge boson @xmath9 tev @xcite , depending on the mass of the right - handed neutrino @xmath10 and assuming the coupling @xmath11 of @xmath12 to fermions is equal to the standard model coupling @xmath13 . note that @xcite provides separate limits for opposite - sign ( os ) and same - sign ( ss ) dileptons , while cms provides only combined limits . while , of course , the search for os and ss is experimentally very similar , obviously only ss - type events are a proof for the discovery of lepton number violation ( lnv ) . in this paper
we discuss how searches for lnv signals at the lhc compare with the sensitivities of current and future @xmath0 decay experiments .
we do not limit ourselves to a particular model of lnv , but use a general decomposition of @xmath14 .
we show that a nonobservation of @xmath8-like events in the future lhc run at @xmath15 tev would rule out all but the pure leptoquark decompositions as the dominant contribution to @xmath14 .
perhaps even more interesting is that , if a positive lnv signal were found at the lhc , it is possible to identify the dominant contribution to @xmath0 .
we discuss two types of observables which could provide such `` model discriminating '' power : the construction of different invariant mass combinations and the ratio of positronlike to electronlike events .
we will call the latter the `` charge asymmetry '' .
double beta decay can be induced by exchange of scalars or vectors with or without an accompanying virtual fermion .
since the results for scalars and vectors are qualitatively very similar , we will concentrate on the scalar case only . also , there are two basic topologies of the diagrams contributing to @xmath16 decay . here , we limit ourselves to the discussion of topology i ( scalar - fermion - scalar exchange ) shown in fig .
( [ fig : diags ] ) . the results for topology ii ( triple - scalar exchange coupled to the trilinear vertex ) will be presented elsewhere @xcite .
there are in total 18 different possible decompositions ( `` diagrams '' ) in topology i that can contribute to the @xmath0 decay operator , @xmath14 .
depending on the color and @xmath17 transformation properties of the internal fermion and bosons , each decomposition can be realized in several ways , see below .
twelve decompositions involve fractionally charged ( and colored ) fermions , and were discussed for the first time in @xcite .
the remaining six possibilities have all been discussed before in the literature in the context of concrete models , most notably the mass mechanism or r - parity violating supersymmetry @xcite . [ cols="^,^ " , ] -3 mm
define the charge asymmetry as the ratio of the number of events @xmath18 consider first the simplest case of fig.1(a ) . with only one boson and two pairwise equal couplings ( @xmath19 and @xmath20 ) @xmath21 is simply determined by the ratio of production cross section for @xmath22 divided by @xmath23 .
since the number of @xmath24 quarks is different from the number of @xmath25 quarks in the proton , the two cross sections are not the same and one expects to see more events with @xmath26 than @xmath27 .
more generally , @xmath21 is a function of all masses and couplings , but even in the limit where couplings are equal , different @xmath0 decay decompositions have different values for @xmath21 .
figure ( [ fig : casmplst ] ) shows the theoretically expected value of @xmath21 for six different cases in the equal coupling limit .
these cases shown do not ( always ) directly correspond to a particular decomposition , but represent extreme limits , where the scalar identified by the color code gives the dominant contribution to @xmath21 .
the case @xmath28 assumes that both diquarks have the same mass and couplings and thus is just the average of the two individual cases .
if both @xmath29 and @xmath30 contribute equally to the @xmath0 decay rate ( case not shown ) , the two asymmetries average to a number close to , but not equal to the case of @xmath31 .
note that the case for @xmath31 is equal to the expectations in the left - right symmetric model . in this cases ,
the charge asymmetry varies only weakly from @xmath32 in the mass range shown .
as the figure demonstrates , in other cases much larger ( and much smaller ) @xmath21 are possible .
experimentalists should therefore provide data sets separately for positively and negatively charged leptons , in order to cover all lnv models . finally , note that for the lq case we show curves up to 6 tev , but realistically ( compare fig .
( [ fig : lmts ] ) ) for lqs the lhc will not have sufficient sensitivity to find any events for lq masses larger than roughly 2 tev .
we have compared the sensitivity of the lhc experiments for lnv signals with current and future sensitivities of @xmath0 decay experiments .
the lhc has large discovery potential for general lnv violating models . in case
a positive signal is found in the future at the lhc , we have proposed two types of observables , which allow distinguishing different lnv models : ( i ) particular sets of invariant mass peaks and ( ii ) the ratio of positron to electron same - sign dilepton events . this work was supported by unilhc pitn - ga-2009 - 237920 and by the spanish micinn grants no , fpa2011 - 22975 and no .
multidark csd2009 - 00064 , by the generalitat valenciana ( prometeo/2009/091 ) , by fondecyt grants no .
11121557 and no . 1100582 , and conicyt projects no .
791100017 and no .
conicyt / dfg-648 .
was supported by dgf grant no .
pa 803/6 - 1 .
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j. alwall , m. herquet , f. maltoni o. mattelaer , and t. stelzer , jhep * 1106 * , 128 ( 2011 ) . | arxiv |
cardiovascular diseases ( cvd ) are generally believed as a major concern responsible for human mortality while being among the foremost causes of preventable death ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ) .
atherosclerosis is the major reason of cardiovascular diseases and is an important cause of arterial wall disorder which directly influences large and medium - sized arteries .
elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol ( ldl ) and reduced high density lipoprotein cholesterol ( hdl ) levels were previously known risk factors for developing atherosclerosis ( 2 , 5 , 6 ) .
obesity , as an important cause of cvds , is associated with diverse cardiovascular disease risk factors like hypertension , dyslipidemia , escalated insulin levels and finally an increased risk of cvd morbidity and mortality in adulthood ( 3 , 7 ) .
modification of some socioeconomic behavioral habits like smoking , alcohol consumption , dietary patterns and physical activity especially from childhood and adolescence is important and effective measures for the prevention of cvds ( 8 , 9 ) .
albeit the clinical emergencies of atherosclerosis are displayed in adulthood , early atherosclerotic changes are apparent in youth studied post - mortem .
thus , effective prevention of atherosclerosis is advised to be started in childhood or adolescence ( 4 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ) . on the other hand
the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity is a worldwide trend and is becoming globally a remarkable public health problem .
a decline in physical activity and an increase in amount of calorie intake may be responsible for this increasing incidence .
hence , lifestyle modification and weight control in childhood should be noticed enough to reduce the risk of cvd in adulthood ( 7 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) . various chemical and herbal types of medications are used nowadays for the prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemia statins and fibrates
are the most common chemicals used to treat plasma lipid disorders ; however concerns about their side effects like elevation of liver enzymes , gastrointestinal symptoms , predisposition to cholelithiasis , rhabdomyelosis , myopathy , renal dysfunction , etc and also lack of general agreement about their use in children and adolescents , have persuaded the scientists to find an appropriate substitution for them ( 11 , 15 , 18 , 19 ) .
different studies have showed herbal drugs in treatment of dyslipidemia and prevention of ldl - oxidation thanks to their constituents like dietary fibers , vitamins , flavonoids , estrols , polyphenols , antioxidant compounds , etc as invaluable sources .
although these effects are weaker than chemical drugs , their use in primary stages of dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis seems rational ( 11 , 20 , 21 ) .
hibiscus sabdariffa l. [ roselle ] is a plant which belongs to the malvaceae family and is widely cultivated in the tropical areas like caribbean , australia , brazil , central america , india , africa , us and philippines .
this plants is used from times as a traditional medicine due to its effects against kidney stones and urinary bladder stones , and also its antibacterial , antifungal , hypocholesterolemic , antispasmodic and antihypertensive effects .
it is used as a folk medicinal plant in iran and has been recognized as sour tea ( 22 , 23 ) .
h. sabdariffa l. is rich in polyphenols , anthocyanins , flavonoids that may justify its use in prevention of cardiovascular disorders . according to the antioxidant and antilipid peroxidation actions of hibiscus
extract , it is considered that hibiscus anthocyanins and procatechuic acid may also have a role in amelioration or prevention of these clinical conditions ( 24 , 25 ) .
the aim of this study a study was to evaluate the effect of hibiscus sabdariffa calices on dyslipidemia in obese adolescents .
this randomized triple masked placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted from july 2010 to july 2011 in isfahan cardiovascular research institute , isfahan ( iran ) and registered in the iranian registry for clinical trials ( irct201109122306n2 ) .
ninety ( n=90 ) school - age adolescents ( 12 to 18 years old ) who had at least one of these criteria : a ) serum triglyceride more than 90 percentile b ) serum total cholesterol more than 90 percentile c ) ldl more than 90 percentile d ) hdl less than 10 percentile , not using tobacco , no history of alcohol consumption or drug abuse , no history of metabolic diseases like diabetes , thyroid gland dysfunction , nephrotic syndrome , chronic pancreatitis , liver and gall bladder diseases and no drug consuming ( which affects lipid profiles like statins and hormonal pills like estrogens , progestrones and oral contraceptives ) were screened for inclusion in the study .
exclusion criteria were lack of patients compliance with drug regimens at least for one week , pregnancy and lactation , drug sensitivity , presence of any disease which could interact with lipid profiles and need to take of any kind of drugs or other compounds which affects lipid profile like corticosteroids , androgens , estrogenes , progestines , thiazides , beta blockers and thyroid hormones .
the study was approved by the institutional ethics committee of isfahan medical university of sciences and all participants and their parents or guardians read and signed a written informed consent form before participation ( 26 , 27 , 28 ) .
sample size was determined according the t - student formula . accordingly the most important variable in this study was considered as serum level of cholesterol which is a quantitative continuous variable and to detect at least 10 mg / dl decrease of this variable in case group ( comparing to the controls ) , with 80% power and 5% type 1 error , suitable sample size was calculated 35 people in each group . to rectify anticipating losses of patients in terminating treatment period , sample size
the participants divided into two groups of case and control using table of random numbers .
a registered dietitian explained the same protocols for physical activity and food regimen for both groups .
lipid parameters , fasting blood sugar and thyroid hormone measured before study to screen for eligible participants for the study .
patients took 6 grams of powders per day ( placebo or drug in identical packages ) in divided doses for a complete 4 weeks period and the adherence to the therapy were checked after two weeks in the middle of study period for each patient separately .
all lipid profile indicators and anthropometric factors were measured after the study period as well .
venous blood samples obtained after eight hours of fasting and blood samples were frozen for a maximum of two weeks and stored at -70 c until the time of biochemical analysis .
serum cholesterol levels were measured by enzymatic colorimetric methods using commercial kits obtained from parsazmoon ( karaj , iran ) .
h. sabdariffa l. was bought from isfahan ( iran ) medicinal plant market and air dried h. sabdariffa l. calices were blended into fine powder and then packaged into 2 gram sachets .
. 1 gram of powder was added to 100 ml water and refluxed until water boiled . then the extract was filtered and 1ml of that was diluted with distilled water to 100 ml . thereafter 20 l of this solution poured into a test tube and 1.58 ml water and100 ml folin - ciocalteu reagent added and mixed for 5 minutes and then 300 ml of super - saturated sodium bicarbonate solution added .
after two hours in room temperature , mixture absorbance measured in 765 nm using a spectrophotometer ( jenway 6105 , staffordshire , uk ) .
a kolmogrov - smirnov test was performed to show normal distribution of all measured data .
an independent t - test analysis was performed to verify whether significant differences existed between the anthropometric and biochemical parameters of the subjects in the cases and controls groups at the baseline .
the paired samples t - test was used to compare differences between subjects of each group before and after the study .
a multivariate general linear model test was performed to assess the changes over the time in the anthropometric and biochemical parameters between the two groups and also to offset the effect of confounding factors like age , gender and body mass index ( bmi ) .
this randomized triple masked placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted from july 2010 to july 2011 in isfahan cardiovascular research institute , isfahan ( iran ) and registered in the iranian registry for clinical trials ( irct201109122306n2 ) .
ninety ( n=90 ) school - age adolescents ( 12 to 18 years old ) who had at least one of these criteria : a ) serum triglyceride more than 90 percentile b ) serum total cholesterol more than 90 percentile c ) ldl more than 90 percentile d ) hdl less than 10 percentile , not using tobacco , no history of alcohol consumption or drug abuse , no history of metabolic diseases like diabetes , thyroid gland dysfunction , nephrotic syndrome , chronic pancreatitis , liver and gall bladder diseases and no drug consuming ( which affects lipid profiles like statins and hormonal pills like estrogens , progestrones and oral contraceptives ) were screened for inclusion in the study .
exclusion criteria were lack of patients compliance with drug regimens at least for one week , pregnancy and lactation , drug sensitivity , presence of any disease which could interact with lipid profiles and need to take of any kind of drugs or other compounds which affects lipid profile like corticosteroids , androgens , estrogenes , progestines , thiazides , beta blockers and thyroid hormones .
the study was approved by the institutional ethics committee of isfahan medical university of sciences and all participants and their parents or guardians read and signed a written informed consent form before participation ( 26 , 27 , 28 ) .
sample size was determined according the t - student formula . accordingly the most important variable in this study was considered as serum level of cholesterol which is a quantitative continuous variable and to detect at least 10 mg / dl decrease of this variable in case group ( comparing to the controls ) , with 80% power and 5% type 1 error , suitable sample size was calculated 35 people in each group . to rectify anticipating losses of patients in terminating treatment period , sample size
the participants divided into two groups of case and control using table of random numbers .
a registered dietitian explained the same protocols for physical activity and food regimen for both groups .
lipid parameters , fasting blood sugar and thyroid hormone measured before study to screen for eligible participants for the study .
patients took 6 grams of powders per day ( placebo or drug in identical packages ) in divided doses for a complete 4 weeks period and the adherence to the therapy were checked after two weeks in the middle of study period for each patient separately .
all lipid profile indicators and anthropometric factors were measured after the study period as well .
venous blood samples obtained after eight hours of fasting and blood samples were frozen for a maximum of two weeks and stored at -70 c until the time of biochemical analysis .
serum cholesterol levels were measured by enzymatic colorimetric methods using commercial kits obtained from parsazmoon ( karaj , iran ) .
h. sabdariffa l. was bought from isfahan ( iran ) medicinal plant market and air dried h. sabdariffa l. calices were blended into fine powder and then packaged into 2 gram sachets .
. 1 gram of powder was added to 100 ml water and refluxed until water boiled . then the extract was filtered and 1ml of that was diluted with distilled water to 100 ml . thereafter 20 l of this solution poured into a test tube and 1.58 ml water and100 ml folin - ciocalteu reagent added and mixed for 5 minutes and then 300 ml of super - saturated sodium bicarbonate solution added .
after two hours in room temperature , mixture absorbance measured in 765 nm using a spectrophotometer ( jenway 6105 , staffordshire , uk ) .
a kolmogrov - smirnov test was performed to show normal distribution of all measured data .
an independent t - test analysis was performed to verify whether significant differences existed between the anthropometric and biochemical parameters of the subjects in the cases and controls groups at the baseline .
the paired samples t - test was used to compare differences between subjects of each group before and after the study .
a multivariate general linear model test was performed to assess the changes over the time in the anthropometric and biochemical parameters between the two groups and also to offset the effect of confounding factors like age , gender and body mass index ( bmi ) .
the total polyphenolic content of h. sabdariffa l. calyx after triple measurement was equivalent to 16.4 milligram gallic acid per gram .
a total of 90 eligible volunteers were recruited for the study and 7 participants from the cases and 11 from the controls group dropped out of the study due to irregular consumption of drugs , changing usual diet or irregular attendance for measuring lipid profiles .
the mean age of the subjects in the cases was 14.171.61 years and 14.251.59 years in the controls .
there were no statistically difference in the mean age ( p=0.826 ) , gender ( p=0.907 ) , body mass index ( p=0.648 ) and lipid profile between the cases and controls before the study .
demographic data of all participants ( age , gender and body mass index ) are summarized in table 1 .
lipid profile outcomes before and after treatment in cases and controls are shown in table-2 .
the data showed a significant decrease in ldl , total cholesterol and triglyceride in cases ( without any significant decrease in hdl ) .
the p value results of the multivariate general linear model analysis of lipid profiles for triglyceride , total cholesterol , ldl and hdl were 0.01 , 0.032 , 0.005 and 0.782 respectively .
this information reveals noticeable decrease in triglyceride , total cholesterol and ldl and no significant decrease in hdl ( table 2 ) . in this study
no significant drug side effects was reported except some mild gastrointestinal symptoms ( e.g. temporary constipation ) .
considering the increasing need to find effective cholesterol lowering agents and the role of diet in reducing atherosclerosis risk , edible plants are markedly being considered as a resources of anti atherosclerosis agents ( 30 ) .
recently , many clinical studies proposed dyslipidemia as one of the major risk factors for coronary disease . preclinical observations demonstrate that hypercholesterolemia aggregates accumulation of oxidized low - density lipoprotein ( ox - ldl ) in the arterial wall , promoting endothelial cell dysfunction and therefore promotion of atherosclerosis ( 24 , 31 ) .
h. sabdariffa l. , an annual herbaceous shrub , is a traditional chinese rose tea , cultivated in tropical areas like africa , asia and central america used effectively in folk medicine .
the chemical constituents reported in this plant are phenolic compounds , anthocyanins , flavonoids , protocatechuic acid , vitamin c and carotenoid ( 23 , 24 , 32 , 33 ) .
different studies have showed variety of pharmacologic actions of this plant like antioxidative , antimutagenic , anticancer , hypolipidemic and liver protective ( 24 , 32 , 34 - 36 ) .
some studies on the cholesterol lowering effect of h. sabdariffa l. have previously been conducted on animals and humans ( 24 , 37 , 38 ) . in a study conducted to establish the effect of anthocyanins content of h. sabdariffa l. , it was observed that extracts of hibiscus flowers prevents ldl oxidation and macrophage death ( 39 ) .
another investigation about effects of h. sabdariffa l. extract powder and preventive diet in patients with metabolic syndrome showed antihypertensive and antihyperlipidemic impacts for this plant ( 40 ) .
another study revealed that the aqueous extract of h. sabdariffa l. calices modulates the production of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in humans and lower production of mcp1 , which means the slower development of atherosclerosis ( 41 , 42 ) .
also another study proved the effect of anthocyanin extracted from hibiscus in attenuating oxidized ldl - mediated foam cell formation involving regulation of cd36 gene ( 43 ) . according to statistical data in cases and controls before and after consumption of h.s sabdariffa l. powder and placebo ,
the results show that using up the plant for one month decreases serum total cholesterol , triglyceride and ldl effectively .
meanwhile , ldl downturn ( p=0.005 ) by 7% fall and triglyceride downward trend ( p=0.01 ) by 9% fall show more prominent decline in comparison with other parameters ; hence it shows the noticeable capacity of this herbal plant in modifying serum ldl and triglyceride . the short period of drug usage ( a one month period ) may justify the ineffectiveness of the plant on hdl , and longer exposures to the drug may be needed to have a more accurate conclusion .
it is concluded that h. sabdariffa l. due to its polyphenolic and antioxidant compounds may have positive effects on serum lipids profile and presumably can be considered for future studies on prevention and treatment of dyslipidemia and atherosclerotic disorders in adolescents .
roya kelishadi and shahin shirani supervised and helped for the clinical part of the work .
all authors contributed in data analysis , manuscript preparation and read and approved the final manuscript . | pubmed |
You will Watch Doc McStuffins Season 2 Episode 16 online for free episodes with HQ / high quality. Stream cartoons Doc McStuffins Episode 42 Frida the Fairy Flier's strings gets knotted up during a very windy day and crashes and it's up to Doc to detangle her strings. & Rosie the Rescuer, Emmie and Alma's toy EMT ambulance, panics while trying to save Sir Kirby. Later, Doc helps Rosie to calm down and not to panic. | slim_pajama |
High power laser with mode TEM00 [closed]
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I wonder to get a help for me to imagine the collimated beam (I believe it's collimated) traveling though ND filter, chopper, beam splitter and then to a sample then reflected onto power sensor. I know this is a Gaussian beam but how exactly this beam travel through all these meadia and keep gaussian form. Also, what exactly is a collimated beam?
my take is your question has two parts.
1. The most optical elements have a **uniform response** on their surface of interaction. so when an electrical field distribution reaches the elements, output has the same spatial profile as input. so Gaussian profile keep its form when propagating.
the exception is specially coated elements such as laser mirrors with a nonuniform coating for producing higher TEM modes.
2. collimated beam in ray optics regime is a bunch of rays that have a near zero angle with the optical axis.
3. in wave optic regime, when normals to the wavefront is parallel we say beam is collimated.
The ND filter may act like a diffuser and spread the beam a small amount. Also the sample could be a strong diffuser and can vary from sample to sample. There is no such thing as a perfectly collimated beam but a good laser is very close. An example is a laser diode (a small chip), the beam is very bad (like 45 degrees in 1 axis and maybe 10 in the other) because diffraction is high for the small small chip. But a small lens is placed vey close to the chip, with the chip face at the focus. The lens captures most of the light and all beams become very parallel (but not perfect), sometimes another lens is used to get less than 0.1 degree. If your power sensor is big you can capture diffusing light and keep the experimental error low.
| stackexchange/physics |
the patient was a 39-year - old female who had a mass in the right parotid region .
the mass was found 2 months previously and had subsequently showed a gradual increase in size .
a firm , mobile , well - circumscribed mass was palpable in the subcutaneous tissue of the right cheek .
, the patient was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma in the right thyroid gland by fine needle aspiration cytology ( fnac ) . before the patient underwent a right hemithyroidectomy , ultrasonography and fnac were performed .
ultrasonography showed a 2.3-cm - sized irregular shaped mass in the right parotid gland with ill - defined margins .
subsequently , computed tomography scan showed a 1.91.31.2-cm - sized , heterogeneously enhancing lobulated mass ( fig .
papanicolaou staining from the aspirate showed moderately increased cellularity and was composed of isolated and cohesive cells with loose fibrous stroma . in cohesive parts , the cells consisted of short bundles or fascicles that did not form a characteristic pattern of arrangement .
most of the cells had oval or spindle - shaped nuclei and relatively abundant cytoplasm with rather indistinct cytoplasmic outline .
giemsa staining revealed that the mucoid - like stromal materials were metachromatic , which was reminiscent of the fibromyxoid matrix that is commonly seen in pa .
after fnac diagnosis of the mass , superficial parotidectomy was performed for treatment and histological confirmation . the removed specimen was 2.3 g in weight and 2.41.81.2 cm in dimensions . on section , the tumor was well demarcated , but not encapsulated .
histologically , the mass was predominantly composed of relatively uniform spindle cells which showed moderate cellularity .
the tumor cells had centrally located round to oval nuclei with finely granular chromatin and one or two inconspicuous nucleoli .
regarding mitotic count , about 8 per 10 high power fields were found , but no atypical mitotic figure was identified ( fig . 3a
the spindle cells showed positivity to vimentin ( 1:1,000 , v9 , zymed , south san francisco , ca , usa ) , smooth muscle actin ( 1a4 , 1:400 , dako , glostrup , denmark ) , but negativity to s-100 ( 1:1,000 , polyclonal antibody , novocastra , newcastle upon tyne , uk ) , desmin ( 1:200 , d33 , dako ) , cd34 ( 1:400 , qbend-10 , dako ) , and pan - cytokeratin ( 1:500 , ae1&ae3 , labvision , fremont , ca , usa ) ( fig .
papanicolaou staining from the aspirate showed moderately increased cellularity and was composed of isolated and cohesive cells with loose fibrous stroma . in cohesive parts , the cells consisted of short bundles or fascicles that did not form a characteristic pattern of arrangement .
most of the cells had oval or spindle - shaped nuclei and relatively abundant cytoplasm with rather indistinct cytoplasmic outline .
giemsa staining revealed that the mucoid - like stromal materials were metachromatic , which was reminiscent of the fibromyxoid matrix that is commonly seen in pa .
after fnac diagnosis of the mass , superficial parotidectomy was performed for treatment and histological confirmation . the removed specimen was 2.3 g in weight and 2.41.81.2 cm in dimensions . on section , the tumor was well demarcated , but not encapsulated .
histologically , the mass was predominantly composed of relatively uniform spindle cells which showed moderate cellularity .
the tumor cells had centrally located round to oval nuclei with finely granular chromatin and one or two inconspicuous nucleoli .
glands or squamous structures were not noted . some inflammatory cells including lymphocytes , neutrophils , and histiocytes were found .
many small thin - walled vessels and extravasated erythrocytes were scattered diffusely . regarding mitotic count , about 8 per 10 high power fields were found , but no atypical mitotic figure was identified ( fig . 3a
south san francisco , ca , usa ) , smooth muscle actin ( 1a4 , 1:400 , dako , glostrup , denmark ) , but negativity to s-100 ( 1:1,000 , polyclonal antibody , novocastra , newcastle upon tyne , uk ) , desmin ( 1:200 , d33 , dako ) , cd34 ( 1:400 , qbend-10 , dako ) , and pan - cytokeratin ( 1:500 , ae1&ae3 , labvision , fremont , ca , usa ) ( fig .
soft - tissue tumors or lesions of the head and neck are very rare compared with the far more common epithelial tumors that arise in these anatomic locations . among those lesions , nf arising in the parotid gland is especially exceptional , so it is essentially impossible to give any estimate of their relative frequency .
most cases of nf spontaneously resolve in 116 weeks after diagnosis based on fnac findings .
it is thought that nf is triggered by a local injury or local inflammatory episode .
however , only a small number of patients are confirmed to have histories of trauma . in our patient ,
until now , there have been few reports about the cytologic features of nf arising in a salivary gland such as the parotid , and there are no definite criteria that aid pathologists in diagnosing nf of the gland based on cytology alone .
according to the reports which have been published so far , the general cytology of nf shows aspirate material characterized by smears of low to moderate cellularity with a varying degree of myxoid background .
the cells , which are composed of mainly fibrillary spindle cells , some plasmacytoid cells and ganglion - like cells , lie singly and in small clusters .
the cytologic features of nf are often similar to many benign or malignant neoplasms arising in the parotid area , especially pa .
pa is the most common salivary neoplasm and is 10 times more common in the parotid gland than in the submandibular gland .
therefore , if fnac is performed from the tumor of the parotid area and the aspirated material shows many spindle shaped cells or plasmacytoid cells with a myxoid background , the cytologists who examine the sample may suspect at first glance that the tumor is pa , instead of nf . in comparison with nf ,
the typical cytology of pa consists of small round or cuboidal epithelial cells and occasional spindled or plasmacytoid mesenchymal cells with fibrillary , myxochondroid stromal substance .
the tumor can also show a varied cytomorphologic appearance and a varied proportion between epithelial and mesenchymal components .
however , because fnac itself represents only a small portion of the tumor , the aspirated material of the mass can reveal a different proportion of cell components and limited cytologic features each time , compared with those of typical pa .
if the aspirate material is composed of plasmacytoid cells on the whole , this more strongly pa . the presence of chondromyxoid matrix also helps to diagnose pa rather than nf . on the contrary
, nf may be suspected when inflammatory cells or mitoses are seen in the aspirate materials . in the present case ,
some plasmacytoid cells were seen , but their presence was not enough to consider pa .
although no ganglion - like cells or multinucleated cells were present , we found that inflammatory cells were frequently scattered in all slides and one mitotic cell was also present when reviewing our cytology slides ( fig . 2c )
otherwise , ductal or sheet - like epithelial structures which may be present in fnac of pa were not noted in this case . the clinical course may also be important .
typically , it presents as a rapid - forming mass that is recognized in 12 weeks and it is out of ordinary for the lesion to be present for more than 3 months before surgery .
kong and cha reported that an immunohistochemical stain for smooth muscle actin showed cytoplasmic reactivity in the spindle cells , but immunohistochemical stain for cd68 can be also helpful when smooth muscle actin is negative , because of both the fibrohistiocytic and myofibroblastic characters of the cells . therefore ,
if there is a clinical history of rapid tumor growth , nf can be suggested in the differential diagnosis , and pathologists subsequently can make an effort to find mitotic cells , multinucleated cells , ganglion - like cells or inflammatory cells such as neutrophils or lymphocytes
. it may be helpful to perform immunohistochemical staining for alpha - smooth muscle actin and cd68 in case of the presence of these cytologic features suggesting nf . in some cases
however , the latter lacks a myxoid background , actual mitotic activity , and inflammation .
immunohistochemically , -catenin may be helpful in the differential diagnosis , because nuclear positive staining for -catenin is the specific finding in fibromatosis , whereas it is absent in nf .
a benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor such as neurofibroma may also be included in the list of differential diagnoses .
neurofibroma commonly consists of a slender wavy spindle cell population of low to moderate cellularity which may be accompanied by a loose mucoid background .
however , nf shows short fibrillary spindle cells often arranged in a whorllike pattern . in confusing cases , immunohistochemical stain for s-100 protein , using cell block or liquid - based preparation samples , is very helpful . among seriously misinterpreted cases of nf ,
a majority were misdiagnosed as low - grade sarcoma from frequent mitoses , cellular spindle cell population , and low - grade nuclear atypia , leading to unnecessary extensive surgical resection . taking a careful look at the fnac smear ,
however , nf can be distinguished by its more loosely arranged short bundles of fibroblasts , abundant isolated cells , prominent mucoid matrix , mild cytologic atypia , absence of atypical mitoses , and no necrotic background . in conclusion , the cytologic diagnosis of nf in the parotid region may be difficult to distinguish from other neoplasms , especially pa , because of its extreme rarity and cytologic similarity .
however , it is crucial to precisely diagnose nf since it is a self - limiting reactive process treated by conservative surgery , or even follow - up , whereas pa should be treated with superficial parotidectomy .
therefore , careful evaluation for smears with spindle cell components is required to avoid a misdiagnosis of spindle cell - dominant lesion arising in the parotid region . | pubmed |
Q: How to get application's hdpi icons on Android API 11 tablets and more (in the java code)? I have noticed on the Motorola xoom, that the applications icons on the Launcher are 72px by 72px. This is normally the size of icons defined in drawable-hdpi/ in packages.
In my application I want to display the icons of some installed applications on that 72x72px size. I currently fetch the icons of installed apps via the PackageManager, but it returns me bitmaps of inferior size (46px), which corresponds to the resources defined in drawable-mdpi/ of each package. This is not acceptable for me as I would like to display these icons in a larger format.
Apparently the 10" screen of the Motorola xoom is 160dpi, thus mdpi and xlarge (see http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html#range).
This would explain the behaviour of PackageManager returning me mdpi resouces instead of hdpi resources.
How could I get the icons of installed applications in a size of 72x72px minimum? Does anyone knows how it was done in the Launcher application on Android Honeycomb?
Thanks,
Laurent
A: You can create special sub-folder in your res folder and call it like drawable-large-v11, or drawable-large-v11, or other name suitable for your application.
Then copy large icon to that sub-folder, but filename must be the same as in other folders for different dpi's. I've used such approach in my applications and it works great.
| slim_pajama |
half - metallic ( hm ) ferromagnets are materials in which , due to the ferromagnetic decoupling , one of the spin subbands is metallic , whereas the fermi level falls into a gap of the other subband .
the concept of hm ferromagnet was first introduced by de groot _
et al . _ in 1983 degroot on the basis of band structure calculations for nimnsb and ptmnsb semi - heusler alloys .
hm ferromagnets are considered as promising materials to exploit the spin of charge carriers in new generations of transistors and other integrated spintronic devices @xcite , in particular , as a source of spin - polarized carriers injected into semiconductors , since only one spin channel is active during charge transport , thus leading to 100%spin - polarized electric current . since 1983
many hm ferromagnets have been theoretically predicted , but very few of them found experimental confirmation like metallic oxides cro@xmath2 @xcite and fe@xmath3o@xmath4 @xcite or manganese perovskite la@xmath5sr@xmath6mno@xmath3 @xcite .
many hm ferromagnetic materials were predicted in transition - metals pnictides @xcite and chalcogenides @xcite by means of first - principles calculations .
recently , an unusual class of ferromagnetic materials @xcite , which do not contain transition - metal or rare - earth atoms , has been predicted and analysed theoretically by _ ab initio _ calculations . in ref .
@xcite the authors present _ ab initio _ calculations for caas in zinc - blende structure , where magnetic order is created with the main contribution of the anion @xmath7 electrons ( `` @xmath7-electron '' ferromagnetism ) .
more comprehensive study was made in @xcite , where the authors investigate @xmath7-electron ferromagnetism in a number of tetrahedrally coordinated binary compounds of i / ii - v elements .
the characteristic feature of this class of materials is the integer value of the total magnetic moment per formula unit , which , in some combinations of elements , can be as large as 3 @xmath8 @xcite .
results presented in ref .
@xcite , where magnetic and structural properties of ii@xmath0-v nitrides have been investigated using _
ab initio _ methods , motivated us to check possibility of finding half - metallic ferromagnetism in i@xmath0-n binary compounds .
another motivation was that the atomic bonds in i@xmath0-n nitrides are supposed to be mostly ionic in nature ( due to significant difference in electronegativity between i@xmath0 atoms and nitrogen atom ) which was essential for appearing of @xmath7-electron ferromagnetism in all previously considered hm cases ( @xcite-@xcite ) .
in this paper we present electronic structure and magnetic properties of hypothetical i@xmath0-n binary compounds ( lin , nan , kn and rbn ) with the rock salt ( rs ) , wurtzite ( wz ) and zinc - blende ( zb ) crystalline structure , calculated by means of first - principles full - potential linearized augmented plane - wave method .
we find that all four compounds in all three types of structures are hm ferromagnets with robust half - metallicity against lattice compresion in the range from 2% for lin ( rs ) up to 50% for nan ( wz ) .
this is crucial parameter for the practice of epitaxial growth , _
e.g. _ by means of mbe or mocvd , to fabricate magnetic ultrathin layer structures for spin injection into suitable semiconductor substrate .
the paper is organized as follows .
section ii shows details of our calculation method , while section iii presents calculated total energy and band structure . in section
iv we analyse density of states and the origin of half - metallic ferromagnetism .
the paper is concluded with section v.
all calculations were performed using wien2k code @xcite which implements the full - potential linearized augmented plane wave ( flapw ) method @xcite .
exchange and correlation were treated in the local spin density approximation ( lsda ) by adding gradient terms .
this gga approximation was used in the perdew - burke - ernzerhoff @xcite parametrization .
it should be mentioned that lsda gives the magnetic moments in a very good agreement with experiment but underestimates the lattice constants in the case of transition metals . on the other hand
, gradient corrections significantly reduce this error and give the correct phase stability but tend to overestimate the magnetic moment .
we checked this deficiency of gga in our calculations and it turned out that it has a small efect on the considered systems .
the convergence of the basis set was controlled by the cut - off parameter @xmath9 = 8 together with 5000 k - point mesh for the integration over the brillouin zone . the angular momentum expansion up to @xmath10 = 10 and
@xmath11 = 12 a.u.@xmath12 ( @xmath11=14 a.u.@xmath12 in case of rbn ) for the potential and charge density was employed in the calculations .
self - consistency was considered to be achieved when the total energy difference between succeeding iterations is less then 10@xmath13 ry per formula unit .
geometry optimization was performed allowing all atoms in the unit cell to relax , constrained to the initially assumed crystal symmetry .
for all four compounds investigated by us the total energies _ e _ have been calculated as a function of the lattice parameter _ a _ for three crystal structures , namely rs , wz and zb , in ferromagnetic and paramagnetic state .
we also optimized lattice constants _ a _ by minimization of the total energy _
e_. figure 1 presents total energy _ e _
versus lattice constant _ a _ for all three crystal structures .
as one can see in all compounds the rs strucure is the most energetically favored , thus , indicating the ionic bonding as prevailed coupling mechanism .
also , in all the cases , the paramagnetic phase is higher in energy than the corresponding ferromagnetic one . calculated equilibrium lattice constants _ _ a__@xmath14 can be found in table i as well as differences between total equilibrium energies of ferromagnetic and paramagnetic states @xmath15 .
the calculated total magnetic moment in all investigated compounds for all three types of crystal structures is exactly 2.00 @xmath1 per formula unit .
an integer value of magnetic moment is a characteristic feature of hm ferromagnetism @xcite .
table i shows total values of magnetic moments for all compounds as well as contributions from i@xmath0 atoms ( li , na , k and rb ) , n atom and interstitial region to total magnetic moment .
the main contribution in all cases comes from nitrogen anion ranging from 1.51 @xmath1 for lin in zb to 1.85 @xmath1 for kn in rs and zb , which confirms the general feature that in hm ferromagnetic compounds the most of resulting global magnetic moment is carried by anion electrons . to verify
that the integer value of total magnetic moment stabilizes the crystal structure , we have calculated the total energy _
e _ as a function of the total magnetic moment @xmath16 .
indeed , figure 2 shows that the creation of magnetic moment equal to 2.00 @xmath1 leads to the minimization of the total energy in all the cases .
> from the application point of view it is important to study robustness of the half - metallicity with respect to lattice constant . figure 3 shows magnetic moment as a function of lattice constant for all four compounds in three crystal structures . in the case of lin the total magnetic moment remains integer until the lattice constant is compressed to critical value of 2.75@xmath17 , 3.75@xmath17 and 4.25@xmath17 for wz , zb and rs structures , respectively . in case of nan ,
kn and rbn the values can be read from figure 3 . in all studied compounds
the most promising is wurtzite structure , where half - metallicity is maintained up to contraction of the lattice parameter of 9% ( lin ) , 54% ( nan ) , 22% ( kn ) and 21% ( rbn ) .
wide bandgap semiconductors aln , gan and zno in wz crystal structure are considered as strong potential materials for spintronic applications .
the spin scattering relaxation time of charge carriers during the transport process in these materials is strongly increased as compared to gaas @xcite .
this means longer lifetime of electrons in particular spin state and longer spin memory " of electrons when injected into these materials .
lattice constants of these wide bandgap semiconductors are close to 3.2@xmath17 , what is in the range of lin and nan hm ferromagnetism in wz structure with 3% and 18% lattice mismatch , respectively .
therefore , having in mind state - of - the - art in producing artificial structures , at least some of the hm ferromagnets studied here seem to be potential candidates for epitaxial growth on aln , gan and zno substrates as layers for injection of 100 % spin polarized electrons .
most of zb iii - v semiconductors as well as narrow bandgap iv - vi semiconductors in rs structure ( binary compounds of pb with s , se and te ) also satisfy lattice matching conditions as possible substrates for bulk growth of proposed here i@xmath0-n compounds in hm ferromagnetic phase .
figures 4 and 5 illustrate calculated spin resolved electron band structure for rbn at equilibrium lattice constant for three types of crystal structures . in all cases
the minority spin subband is metallic , while the majority spin subbands are separated from the fermi level by wide bandgaps of 4.22 ev , 3.48 ev and 3.45 ev in rs , wz and zb crystal structure , respectively .
this is in contrast with the 3__d _ _ pnictides in which the bandgap appears in the minority spin subband as a consequence of @xmath18 bands splitting pni2 .
three remaining compounds ( lin , nan , and kn ) also demonstrate half - metallic nature with wide bandgaps .
the hm bandgaps , separating allowed energies for majority spin states from the fermi level , are wide enough and ranging from about 0.2 ev for lin ( rs ) to no less than 2.0 ev in the case of kn and rbn for three considered crystal structures .
the last value is , to our knowledge , the largest one ever obtained for binary compound hm ferromagnet , thus making kn and rbn very promising materials for spintronic applications .
the bands for rbn are flat and nearly dispersionless close to the fermi level .
the mechanism leading to this kind of energy bands has been discussed by other authors @xcite as an important condition for stability of hm ferromagnetism . in the case of nan and kn
the bands look very similar to those presented in figures 4 and 5 for rbn . for lin
the situation is slightly different , because the bands near the fermi level are more dispersive , but far from breaking down hm ferromagnetism .
table ii presents calculated values of majority spin - up @xmath19 and minority spin - down @xmath20 subbands main bandgaps , as well as hm bandgaps @xmath21 in the majority - spin subband .
decrease of main bandgaps ( of direct character only in the case of rs structure ) and increase of hm bandgaps with increasing atomic number of alkali metal elements is observed .
[ cols="^,^ " , ]
it is instructive to compare the band structure ( figs . 4 and 5 ) with spin resolved total and partial site and symmetry projected density of states ( dos ) presented in figure 6 .
there are six valence electrons in rbn ( rb :
@xmath22 ; n : @xmath23 ) . two of them occupy the low - energy n @xmath24 states , about 11 ev below the fermi level , and the remaining four electrons are mainly involved in filling anion n @xmath25 states . the crystal field of cubic or hexagonal symmetry caused by surrounding n anions splits the rb cation 4@xmath26 states with three @xmath27 states ( @xmath28 ) lying lover in energy and the two @xmath29 states ( @xmath30 ) lying higher .
hybridization between n _
_ states and rb @xmath27 or @xmath29 4__d _ _ states ( depending on the type of crystal lattice ) creates both bonding and antibonding hybrid orbitals .
the bonding orbital , lower in energy , appears at the edge of normally occupied region of n _ p _ states .
the antibonding hybrid orbital remains in the rb @xmath27 or @xmath29 manifold but pushed up in energy relative to the nonbonding state .
the bands around fermi level are formed mainly of n _ p _ states with small admixture of rb @xmath26 states with predominant @xmath29 symmetry in rs structure and @xmath27 symmetry for zb and wz structures for both spin orientations .
in contrast to the _ p _ states , the @xmath24 states are placed well below or high above fermi level giving no net spin polarization . similarly , the bands located at higher energies ( from 4.5 to 12.5 ev above the fermi level ) are mainly composed of _ d _ states belonging to @xmath27 and @xmath29 representations .
hence , the _ s _ and _ d _ states are not directly involved in creation of spin polarisation and ferromagnetism in rbn and other i@xmath0-n binary compounds .
existence of narrow bands near fermi level translates into peaks in the dos diagrams .
according to qualitative stoner criterion the high density of electron states at the fermi level should stabilize the ferromagnetic order .
pressure induced lattice contraction produces changes in the band structure , increase of band widths with increasing kinetic energy , decrease of the spin splitting and destroying ferromagnetism . in the presented here results of the ground state total energy calculations we can see the influence of coulomb intra - atomic electron repulsion .
it produces energy shift @xmath31 between narrow majority and minority spin energy band states , visible as peaks at and below fermi level in the dos diagrams , shown in figure 6 .
this type of band structure with well separated up and down spin states can be attributed to the hubbard - like interaction @xmath32 .
the parameter @xmath33 is a measure of energy formation for magnetic moment localized at nitrogen ion . according to hund s rule and pauli principle
the limiting value of magnetic moment for @xmath25 electrons is the value of 3 @xmath1 .
the four valence @xmath25 electrons , present in the system , can produce magnetic moment not greater than @xmath34 , what agrees with our calculations .
estimation of thermodynamic stability of hm ferromagnetism requires additional calculations to determine the strength of inter - atomic exchange coupling @xcite .
this task requires supercell calculations for planar antiferromagnetic structure of the first ( af1 ) and second kind ( af2 ) as particular cases of spiral structure with the * q * vector @xmath35 $ ] and @xmath36 $ ] , respectively @xcite .
we have performed relevant calculations only for lin in wz crystal structure .
the energy differences are @xmath37 ev and @xmath38 ev .
the estimated lover limit for paramagnetic curie temperature is about 464 k , what makes the material promising for experimental investigation .
on the basis of _ ab initio _ calculations employing density functional theory we have investigated half - metallic ferromagnetism in rock salt , wurtzite and zinc - blende compounds composed of group i@xmath0 alkali metals as cations and nitrogen as anion .
we find that , due to the spin polarized _
_ orbitals of n , all four compounds are half - metallic ferromagnets with wide energy bandgaps ( up to 2.0 ev ) .
the calculated total magnetic moment in all investigated compounds is exactly 2.00 @xmath1 per formula unit .
our calculations show that the predicted half - metallicity is robust with respect to lattice constant contraction .
the formation of ferromagnetic order requires large lattice constants , high ionicity , empty @xmath18 orbitals and slight hybridization between n anion @xmath25 states and i@xmath0 cation @xmath18 states with energies in vicinity of the fermi level .
it is interesting to note that palladium ( with its eight 4@xmath18 electrons ) , as dopant replacing ga atom in wz gan semiconductor , interacts with surrounding n atoms in a similar way like alkali atoms do , but hybridisation between pd 4@xmath26 and n @xmath25 orbitals leads to formation of ferromagnetic order with pd as the main contributor ( not n ) to the total magnetic moment @xcite . demonstrated here ferromagnetic order is always more energetically stable than antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic state , what makes these materials possible candidates for spin injection in spintronic devices
. calculations of the total energy indicate that this class of materials can exist in stable or metastable phase .
their highly interesting magnetic properties should encourage experimentalists to stabilize these materials in properly coordinated structures via vacuum molecular beam epitaxy , chemical transport or laser deposition on suitable substrates .
p. blaha , k. schwarz , g. k. h. madsen , d. kvasnicka , and j. luitz , in wien2k , an augmented plane wave plus local orbitals program for calculating crystal properties , edited by k. schwarz , techn .
universitt wien , austria , 2001 . | arxiv |
Scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes (SCs and STs) are constitutionally disadvantaged people in India. They have been known by various terms throughout the country's history, starting from a time when the Hindu caste system was introduced. Essentially, people belonging to the Scheduled Castes are lowest in the caste hierarchy. The reason this minority were referred to as "untouchables" and "depressed classes" (before 1935) was because they were characterized by their occupation of cleaning public spaces which was considered polluting and dirty. Dalit, in Sanskrit translates to "divided, split, broken, scattered". These groups are also found in other parts of the Indian sub-continent and some have emigrated to the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore and the Caribbean.
Although untouchability was outlawed in 1947, the repercussions of being discriminated by so-called upper castes over centuries are far reaching. Discrimination is still practiced in many parts of the Indian society, segregating Dalits from the rest of the population in everyday activities of eating, entering places of worship and even homes of so-called upper caste Hindus.
A large share of the Dalit population has been reported to be living below the poverty line. Despite reservations granted by the constitution to enable equal opportunity, belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has become a political identity over the decades of independent India. The rise of Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) has led Dalits to convert to Islam, Buddhism or Christianity for better opportunities in education and securing jobs.
Elections in India is almost synonymous with vote bank or voting blocs from a single community, often based on caste and religion. Dalits make up a chunk of that vote bank and it directly impacts the formation of governments, either because of voting or because of the need for coalition from multiple parties. In the largest populated state, Uttar Pradesh, the leader of the Dalit-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Mayawati served as Chief Minister multiple times. In 1997, K.R. Narayan served as President of the country and was a Dalit.
Adivasis (literally meaning original inhabitants of a region in Sanskrit) or Scheduled Tribes are indigenous, ethnic minorities across the sub-continent are also eligible for reservations in education and employment. They do not belong to any religion, and mainly follow Animism. The smaller tribal groups across the east and central-western belt of the country are highly susceptible to easy displacement because of urbanization. | slim_pajama |
Candy Candy 1. Chapter 1
**Esta es una historia alterna escrita sólo para entretenimiento, basada en el anime de Kyoto Misuki. Las situaciones y actitudes de los personajes son producto de mi imaginación y autoría. **
**Un Compromiso**
**Capítulo 1**
**Por Sofía Morrison**
En Nueva York, los actores principales de la compañía Straford ensayaban la obra de teatro "Romeo y Julieta", para el inicio de su temporada a los pocos días siguientes. Todos estaban presionados por el gran estreno, pero el actor principal se sentía particularmente nervioso. Su novia iría hasta Nueva York a verlo. Por esa razón era que Terry Grandchester quería que su Romeo fuera perfecto.
La actriz que interpretaría Julieta, Susana Marlowe, también estaba nerviosa. Hace muy poco tiempo le había confesado a Terry que lo amaba profundamente. Sin embargo, tal como ella lo esperaba, él la había rechazado. Y ahora iría su novia Candy a ver la puesta en escena. Se sentía afligida. Susana de todos modos no guardaba esperanzas. Se consolaba con demostrarle su amor a Terry a través de Julieta Capuleto.
Era el turno del ensayo de la escena de Romeo. Terry caminaba al centro del escenario para decir sus líneas.
-Disculpen, Robert y Terry, pero ¿podríamos ensayar mi escena con Susana? Es que ya es muy tarde, y quisiera irme pronto pues quiero a ver a mi madre en el hospital.- pidió la actriz que sería la nodriza de Julieta en la trama.
Robert miró a Terry, pero él accedió. Terry pensó que ya tendría mucho tiempo para ensayar, así que no importaba que ellas ensayaran primero. Él dijo que sí moviendo la cabeza y caminando hacia atrás. Susana se movió hasta ese momento. Caminó a su lugar y empezaron la escena.
Terry la miraba ensayar. Se sentía culpable por haberla rechazado pero no quería pensar mucho en eso. Quería concentrarse en Romeo. Pensó que Susana era la Julieta perfecta. Susana era en verdad una gran actriz. Terry sonrió, pensando que así era como siempre se había imaginado a Julieta. De repente, Terry miró arriba de Susana. Una luz, arriba del escenario y justo encima de la cabeza de Susana, se movió peligrosamente. Cuidado Susana, pensó Terry. Pero, en ese instante, la luz cayó.
-¡SUSANA!- gritó Terry.
Él era el más cercano a donde estaba Susana así que corrió hacia ella y la empujó. Susana cayó muy cerca de Terry, pero él la había salvado. La luz había caído encima de la pierna de Terry. Susana corrió hacia él, al igual que los demás actores. Susana lo tomó entre sus brazos, tratando de sacudirlo.
-¡Terry! ¡Terry! ¡Reacciona, por favor!- gritaba Susana. Terry, me salvaste, pensaba Susana. Que no se muera, Dios mío, por favor que no se muera, rogaba Susana. El cuerpo de Terry seguía sin reaccionar, mientras las lágrimas de Susana caían sobre su hermoso rostro.
_**Chicago**_
Albert caminaba por el departamento de un lado a otro. Ya casi llegaría Candy a casa. Se sentó en el comedor para tranquilizarse.
-No puedo decírselo. No debo. Sería demasiado egoísta de mi parte.- dijo Albert, analizando sus emociones y discutiendo el mismo tema desde hace dos semanas.
¿Qué era lo que él sentía por Candy? Amor. A esa conclusión había llegado. Pero de nada le servía reconocerlo, pues lo mejor era ocultarlo. No sólo no sabía si tenía algo que ofrecerle a Candy, sino que ella tenía novio. Y al parecer él era perfecto. Un actor, hijo de un duque, un rebelde que desde hacía unos años vivía en el corazón de Candy. Albert no dudaba que Candy amaba a Terry. Veía la emoción en su rostro, la alegría con la que ella hablaba de él.
Además de todo, Terry era su amigo. Albert no lo recordaba pero eso era lo que Candy le había dicho. Ambos habían sido buenos amigos.
Albert se tocó la cabeza. Se sentía cansado y sin ilusiones. Todo se oponía a que él estuviera con Candy. Nunca podría quitarle la novia a alguien, y menos a su amigo.
-Bueno, puedo conformarme por ahora con verla feliz.- pensó Albert. Eso haría. Lo que más deseaba era verla contenta. Se aferró a la esperanza de recuperar su memoria pronto y entonces se sentiría mejor consigo mismo. El sonido de la puerta abriéndose lo sacó de sus pensamientos. La muchacha de sus sueños, Candy, acababa de entrar.
-Ya llegué a casa Albert.- dijo, caminando a abrazarlo. Albert nunca se sentía mejor como con Candy entre sus brazos.
**Continuará…**
**Nueva historia chicas! Por supuesto es un Albertfic, pero Terry estará mucho muy activo en la historia. Todas sus sugerencias y comentarios en los REVIEWS por favor! Sus comentarios son los que más me motivan a continuar escribiendo. Gracias por leer. Pronto subiré el otro capítulo.**
2. Chapter 2
**Esta es una historia alterna escrita sólo para entretenimiento, basada en el anime de Kyoto Misuki. Las situaciones y actitudes de los personajes son producto de mi imaginación y autoría. **
**Un Compromiso**
**Capítulo 2**
**Por Sofía Morrison**
Susana Marlowe lloraba y esperaba, junto con Robert, a fuera de la habitación de Terry en el hospital Jacob. Se sentía profundamente culpable. Si algo malo se sucedía a Terry ella nunca se lo perdonaría. Miró al pasillo y vio a la actriz Eleanor Baker caminando hacia ellos. Eleanor se veía muy nerviosa y pálida. Robert se levantó en cuanto la vio llegar.
-Eleanor. Qué bueno que te avisaron.- dijo tomando su mano. -Aún no salen los doctores. Esperemos se recupere y que no haya sido nada grave.- Robert le cedió su asiento a un lado de Susana.
Susana miraba a Eleanor. El que ella fuera la madre de Terry era un secreto a voces, pero Eleanor por primera vez se veía como una madre genuinamente preocupada, llorando. Entonces notó a Susana y la miró, como buscando una explicación a la tragedia.
-Terry...- comenzó a hablar Susana. Su voz se quebraba pero sabía que le debía una explicación detallada a Eleanor. -Terry me salvó la vida. Una luz iba a caer encima de mí y Terry me arrojó lejos justo a tiempo. Yo... Le debo mi vida.- Susana ya no pudo mirar a Eleanor a los ojos. Bajó la mirada. -Lo lamento en verdad. Si llegara a pasarle algo a Terry yo no sé...- comenzó a decir Susana pero Eleanor tomó su mano.
-Tranquila. No quiero pensar esas cosas. No fue tu culpa. Tranquila.- le repitió Eleanor, secando sus lágrimas.
Fue entonces cuando Susana se derrumbó. Susana se había controlado, pensando en que cuando supiera algo de Terry se sentiría mejor. Pero seguían sin noticias y ella se sentía desconsolada. Se aprovechó del gesto de Eleanor y lloró en su hombro. Tomó por sorpresa a Eleanor, pero ella respondió y la abrazó.
-Terry te salvó por una buena razón. No llores más. Tranquila.- le dijo Eleanor, acariciando su cabello. Ambas mujeres sufrían por la salud y el bienestar del rebelde, quien se encontraba en el quirófano. Ambas dispuestas a dar la vida por él, pero sin poder hacer absolutamente nada.
_**Chicago**_
-¿Qué tal tu viaje a Florida, pequeña?- preguntó Albert, con Candy aún entre sus brazos.
-Bien, pero te extrañaba mucho. Me siento mejor así.- dijo sin soltarlo.
Candy en verdad había extrañado a Albert. Se sentía en casa al estar con él, se sentía segura. Albert estaba muy contento. Pero deshizo el abrazo al recordar algo. Sintió una punzada en el corazón pero debía hacerlo.
-Candy, te llegó una carta.- dijo él, caminando hacia la mesa. Al girarse vio el rostro alegre de Candy. "Se alegró por recibir una carta de Terry. Nunca podré competir contra él." pensó.
-¿De Terry?- preguntó Candy sonriente.
Le emocionaba pensar en Terry. No lo extrañaba tanto como había extrañado a Albert, pero sí quería verlo. Albert asintió triste, detalle que no pasó desapercibido por Candy, quien prefirió ignorar la tristeza de su amigo. Albert le extendió la carta y Candy la tomó y caminó a su habitación para leerla en silencio. ¿Había sido su imaginación o Albert pareció deprimido al ver la reacción de Candy?
-No... No hay ningún motivo para que Albert se entristezca por eso. Albert me quiere... como su hermana.- dijo Candy para sí misma en su habitación. Pensó en Albert dos minutos y luego recordó la carta aún sin leer entre sus manos.
Terry la invitaba a Nueva York a la obra. Invitación y pasaje de ida. "¿Y el pasaje de regreso?" se preguntó Candy. Después de todo no quería pasar mucho tiempo en Nueva York. No sólo tenía responsabilidades en el hospital sino también con Albert. Salió de su habitación y vio a Albert sentado en el comedor, muy pensativo.
-Albert. Terry me invita a Broadway para ver el estreno de Romeo y Julieta.- dijo Candy. Albert sonrió sin ganas.
-Eso es fantástico.- dijo tratando de sonar convincente. -No quiero que te preocupes por mí, vete tranquila.- Albert estaba triste pero se esforzaba para que Candy no lo notara. "No debo ser egoísta", pensó.
-Gracias Albert.- dijo Candy sin mucho entusiasmo.
¿Por qué Albert no estaba contento? ¿Que no se sentía feliz por ella? ¿Qué estaría pasando por la mente de Albert? Candy se hacía esas y otras preguntas pero todas en relación con Albert. Candy entró a su cuarto de nuevo a hacer su maleta. En su mente, ganaba más espacio la preocupación por la reacción de Albert que la emoción por ver a Terry de nuevo.
-¿Candy?- preguntó Albert, al pie de la habitación de ella. Candy se giró automáticamente y le sonrió.
-¿Sí?- preguntó. Candy vio a Albert sonreír y se sintió contenta./p
-¿Cuándo partes?- le preguntó. Las sonrisas en los rostros de ambos se borraron, como si recordaran un compromiso triste.
-Pasado mañana, temprano.- dijo ella. Albert asintió sin entusiasmo y se retiró a su habitación. Candy se sentía más triste que feliz.
-Espero no haya notado nada. Pero no puedo evitarlo. Quisiera no ser tan egoísta y estar contento por ella. Pero la estoy entregando a los brazos de otro. No puedo... No quiero. Candy... Ojalá sintieras por mí la mitad de lo que sientes por Terry...-pensó Albert, en la privacidad de su recámara.
-Candy...- pensó Albert. -Si tú eres feliz yo lo seré con el tiempo. Desearía recuperar la memoria...
_**Nueva York**_
Estaban varios actores reunidos a fuera del cuarto de Terry. Todos aguardaban ansiosos la noticia. Varios rezaban, esperando que Terry viviera. Eleanor seguía sujetando la mano de Susana y ambas estaban más tranquilas, al menos eso aparentaban. Finalmente salió un doctor.
-Díganos, doctor. ¿Cómo está Terruce?- pidió Robert.
-Terruce sobrevivió la operación.- anunció el doctor. Todos respiraron aliviados. Susana y Eleanor se abrazaron felices, aún llorando.
-Pero...- comenzó a decir el doctor. El júbilo desapareció. Susana sudó frío. -Su pierna derecha...
-¡¿Su pierna?!- preguntó Susana. ¿Qué tenía? ¿Qué le había pasado?
-No pudimos evitarlo. Hubo que amputarla.- dijo el doctor. Eleanor se sentó a llorar en la silla.
-¡No puede ser!- repetía Eleanor desesperada. Susana se sentó a su lado. "Terry. Por salvarme has destruído tu carrera..." pensó.
-Quiero verlo, por favor.- pidió Susana. El doctor y Eleanor accedieron.
-Ahora voy. Necesito un momento.- pidió Eleanor aún sentada.
Susana entró a la habitación. Terry yacía en la cama. Susana, en cuanto lo vio, corrió hacia él y se arrodilló a lado de su cama. Tomó su mano entre las suyas, la besó y comenzó a sollozar.
-Terry. Daría mi vida porque tú no estuvieras aquí. Todo es mi culpa; todo, absolutamente todo. Terry, lo siento tanto...- dijo Susana. Terry, a pesar de todo, se sintió un poco conmovido. Tocó el cabello de Susana.
-Nadie me obligó a hacerlo. Tranquila. Estaré bien.- dijo Terry. Pero mentía. Él tenía miedo de su futuro. Le aterraba que Candy lo viera en ese estado. ¿Ahora qué haría? Ya no tenía nada qué ofrecerle a Candy. Su futuro pintaba muy oscuro. Se sentía sin esperanza.
-Terry, te debo la vida. Nunca dejaré de pagártelo. Te prometo que estaré para ti siempre; te ayudaré siempre que lo necesites.- le dijo Susana mirándolo a los ojos. Terry se enterneció. Sonrió amargamente.
"¿Ahora qué voy a hacer?" se preguntó Terry, acariciando el cabello de una Susana desconsolada.
**Continuará...**
**¿Qué tal? Pobre de mi Terry. No me gusta hacerlo sufrir tanto, y esto apenas es el comienzo. La verdad le esperan muchas cosas. A partir de aquí ya haré los capítulos más largos jaja SUGERENCIAS POR FAVOR! Amo leer sus comentarios, son mi mayor motivación. **
3. Chapter 3
**Esta es una historia alterna escrita sólo para entretenimiento, basada en el anime de Kyoto Misuki. Las situaciones y actitudes de los personajes son producto de mi imaginación y autoría. **
**Un Compromiso**
**Capítulo 3**
**Por Sofía Morrison**
Eleanor pasó la noche en el cuarto de Terry, velando su sueño. Al entrar a verlo, después de Susana, sólo le dijo que todo saldría bien y permanecieron el silencio. Eleanor no encontraba las palabras para consolarlo y Terry de todos modos no se hubiera podido consolar con nada. Una chica rubia no se salía de sus pensamientos. "Candy… ¿qué haré ahora?" se preguntaba pensando en ella.
Después de que Terry despertara y desayunara en compañía de su madre, ésta tuvo que irse al teatro. Se sentía un poco culpable por dejarlo pero para ella siempre habían estado primeras sus obligaciones.
-Vendré más tarde, ¿de acuerdo?- le dijo, despidiéndose y dándole un beso en la frente.
-No es necesario Eleanor.- dijo Terry.
Estaba preocupado y de mal humor. Eleanor no dijo nada y se fue. Entendía el mal humor de su hijo. Terry tenía todo el derecho a estar enojado con el mundo. Pero Eleanor volvería. No podría dejar nunca a su hijo solo en una situación así.
_**Chicago**_
Candy saldría con sus amigos por la ciudad. Todos querían estar con ella antes de que partiera a Nueva York. Candy había invitado a Albert, pero él se había excusado, diciendo que iría al trabajo.
-Pero, podrías alcanzarnos más tarde.- dijo Candy, insistiendo.
-Tal vez. Si no termino muy cansado, iré.- dijo Albert, intentando sonar convincente. Candy no quería irse y dejar a Albert así de serio y triste con ella, así que lo abrazó fuertemente. Albert quería resistirse pero no pudo y respondió el abrazo.
-Significaría mucho para mí.- dijo con su cabeza en el corazón de Albert. Albert tembló ligeramente, pues temió que Candy notara su acelerado pulso. –Además, no me iré muchos días.- dijo Candy.
-¿Para cuándo es el boleto de regreso?- preguntó Albert. ¿Cómo no se lo había preguntado antes?
Candy, temerosa, deshizo el abrazo. ¿Se enojaría Albert al saber que Terry no le había mandado ese boleto? Se giró para no mirar a Albert a los ojos.
-Bueno…- empezó a hablar Candy. ¿Por qué se sentía tan insegura? –Es que, Terry olvidó mandarlo.- dijo, girando para ver la reacción de Albert.
Albert se quedó callado por unos segundos. Quizás Candy no entendía por qué Terry no mandaría boleto de regreso a Chicago, pero Albert entendía perfectamente. Terry no tenía intenciones de dejar que Candy regresa. La convencería para que se quedara con él. Trató de ocultar sus emociones.
-Seguramente lo olvidó. Pero será mejor que me apresure para ir al trabajo.- dijo Albert retirándose a su cuarto.
-Albert…- dijo Candy muy bajo. La reacción de Albert había sido negativa, justo como ella había esperado.
Candy pasó el día con sus amigos, pero pensando en su conversación con Albert. ¿Por qué se comportaba de esa manera?
-Candy, te pregunté si ya tienes vestido para el estreno.- dijo Annie, haciéndola reaccionar. Candy regresó al presente.
-Ya sabemos que estás emocionada pero hoy has estado muy… rara. Como si estuvieras pensando en otra cosa.- dijo Patty.
-Eso es cierto Candy. ¿Está todo bien?- preguntó Annie.
Candy se sintió avergonzada. En lugar de estar contenta porque finalmente vería a su… a su novio, seguía pensando en el comportamiento de Albert.
-Lo siento. Todo está muy bien, en serio.- dijo ella con una sonrisa.
"Seguro Albert está así porque me extrañará. Después de todo, nos hemos vuelto muy cercanos." pensó Candy, buscando una conclusión para poder concentrarse en otros asuntos.
El día transcurrió rápidamente. Albert nunca se les unió. Candy no se había hecho ilusiones al respecto pero sí se sintió triste cuando, tras esperarlo, nunca apareció. Los chicos se fueron al ver que Candy no tenía casi nada de entusiasmo y, por la ausencia de Albert, supusieron que ambos se habían disgustado.
_**Nueva York**_
Susana Marlowe pasó casi todo el día en los ensayos con Henry, el nuevo Romeo. Todos comentaban que él lo hacía muy bien, pero no se comparaba a Terry, además de que Susana, por estar enamorada de Terry, actuaba mejor con el inglés que con Henry.
Al terminar el ensayo Susana se dirigía al hospital a visitar a Terry cuando vio a su madre, la señora Marlowe.
-Susana, no pensarás ir a ver a Terruce, ¿o sí?- le preguntó. Susana se quedó desconcertada.
-Por supuesto que sí. ¿Por qué lo preguntas?
-Susana, hija, suena triste decirlo, pero aunque ames a ese muchacho él ya no tiene futuro. ¿Qué clase de vida te espera a lado de un…- Susana la interrumpió muy molesta.
-No digas lo que sea que ibas a decir. Terry me salvó la vida. Siempre le estaré agradecida por eso. ¿Que qué clase de vida me espera a su lado? Ni te preocupes madre. Terry no me ama. Yo sé que él nunca se casaría conmigo. Pero no lo dejaré, ¿entiendes? El que él haya perdido una pierna sólo es muestra de su gran valor y del sacrificio que hizo por mí y que yo nunca podré pagarle.- dijo Susana. Su madre estaba atónita.
-¡Susana Marlowe! ¿Cómo te atreves a hablarme así? Además, tú misma acabas de decirlo. ¿Qué haces con él si él no te ama?
-No me importa que él no me ame. Me conformo con tener su amistad y con brindarle toda mi ayuda. Yo no lo amo por ser correspondida. Lo amo por ser como es, sin importar que él quiera a alguien más.- dijo Susana y hasta ese momento una chica rubia se apareció en sus pensamientos. –Candy… Lo siento madre, iré a verlo.- dijo Susana retomando el camino hacia el hospital, pidiendo un coche.
-¡Susana! ¡Entiende Susana! ¡Él no te conviene!- le gritó su madre en vano.
Susana pensaba en Candy. Ella iría al estreno de la obra. "Seguro Candy te tiene muy preocupado, Terry." pensó. El coche llegó rápidamente al hospital y Susana corrió a la habitación de Terry. Llamó a la puerta y entró.
-¿Terry?- preguntó parada en el marco de la entrada. Terry se incorporó en su cama al verla y dejó de leer un libro que tenía en sus manos.
-Pasa Susana.- le dijo y Susana sonrió. Ver a Terry realmente iluminaba su mundo.
-¿Cómo estás? ¿Cómo te has sentido?- le preguntó ella ya más de cerca.
-Bien. Aún me siento cansado pero mejor, supongo.- dijo Terry. Él se notaba nervioso y Susana sabía la razón.
-Estás nervioso, ¿cierto? Estás nervioso porque Candy vendrá.- le dijo Susana.
Por supuesto que le dolía que Terry pensara en Candy, pero ella sabía lo mucho que Terry amaba a Candy. Terry se sintió descubierto. Su humor empeoró.
-¿Acaso me lo estás reprochando?- le preguntó molesto.
-¡No! ¡Claro que no! Yo no tengo ningún derecho a reprocharte nada Terry, lo siento.- dijo Susana disculpándose y tocando la mano de Terry. Pero el daño ya estaba hecho.
-De todos modos, lo que Candy haga no es de tu incumbencia.- le dijo, tomando el libro dispuesto a seguir leyendo e ignorar a Susana.
Susana se sintió un poco herida y enojada. Se acababa de pelear con su madre por él, estaba dispuesta a ayudarle con Candy y él la trataba así.
-Terry… Entonces me imagino que tú irás, así como estás, a recogerla a la estación, ¿cierto?- le dijo ella enojada.
Terry estaba callado, ignorándola, pero por dentro molesto y confundido. ¿Acaso Susana, la joven con cara de no romper ni un plato, acababa de tratarlo con sarcasmo? ¿Era esa la misma Susana frágil que no lo contradecía nunca?
-¡Terry! Estaba intentando ayudarte. Estaba dispuesta a ir por… Candy a la estación. Pero si crees que tienes una mejor opción, adelante. Haz lo que quieras.- dijo Susana y se marchó.
Terry nunca había estado tan sorprendido. ¿Esa había sido Susana o su imaginación? Pero no tuvo mucho tiempo a solas para meditarlo pues su madre acababa de entrar.
-¿Era esa Susana?- le preguntó señalando hacia afuera.
Terry asintió fingiendo desinterés, con el libro entre sus manos.
-Parecía muy molesta.- dijo Eleanor, tratando de hacer que su hijo le dijera algo.
-Quién sabe.- dijo Terry. Entonces dejó de pensar en Susana y recordó a Candy.- Eleanor… Quisiera pedirte un enorme favor.- le pidió Terry. Las cosas que tenía que hacer por su pecosa. Eleanor lo miró extrañada. ¿Terry pidiendo favores?
-Claro Terry. Dime.- lo animó a seguir hablando. Terry tragó saliva y su orgullo.
-Mañana… Mañana llegará Candy a Nueva York. Yo la había invitado al estreno de la obra pero comprenderás que en vista de las circunstancias no podré ir por ella.- dijo Terry apenado. ¿Qué pensaría Candy cuando supiera del accidente? Eleanor se sintió triste por su hijo. ¿Qué haría Candy al verlo?
-Por supuesto hijo. Entiendo. Tú estate tranquilo.- dijo Eleanor levantándose. –Ahora descansa porque mañana verás a Candy.- le recordó en un vago intento por animarlo. Terry le sonrió, actuando.
-Gracias. Llega temprano, pues viene en el primer tren de Chicago.- le dijo Terry. Eleanor asintió y se marchó.
-Pecosa… Tal vez sería mejor que no vinieras…- dijo Terry.
_**Chicago**_
Candy se sentó en la sala, a leer el periódico mientras esperaba a Albert. Hasta que se hizo de noche, llegó Albert, caminando sigiloso para no hacer ruido, pues no había visto que Candy seguía en la sala. El departamento estaba oscuro así que él sólo vio una sombra. Al acercarse descubrió que era Candy, profundamente dormida con el periódico encima. Albert se acercó y le tocó la cara.
-Candy…- dijo con una sonrisa.
Le recogió un rizo, poniéndolo detrás de su oreja y la tomó entre sus brazos para cargarla. En cuanto la alzó, cargándola como a un bebé, Candy se pegó a su pecho. Albert la llevó hasta su recámara, donde le quitó los zapatos y la arropó. Le dio un beso en la frente.
-Al menos, me quedo con un muy hermoso recuerdo, pequeña.- le dijo y se fue a su habitación.
Se recostó en su cama, y a pesar de que se sentía cansado no podía dormir. Pensaba en Candy y en Terry.
-Las intenciones de Terry son tan obvias. No planea que Candy regrese. Le propondrá matrimonio y cuando Candy vuelva aquí ellos ya estarán comprometidos o tal vez hasta casados. De todos modos yo no podía hacer nada. He tratado de mostrarme alegre con ella pero sólo de recordar que mañana se va… Candy, pecosa, haría lo que fuera por verte feliz y si Terry te hará feliz, adelante.- pensó Albert, tratando de dormir.
A la mañana siguiente Candy se levantó muy temprano. Se dio un baño y se vistió, lista para ir a la estación. Al salir de su cuarto vio a Albert, también arreglado para salir. A ella le pareció extraño verlo listo tan temprano.
-Albert, ¿qué haces despierto?- le preguntó Candy.
Albert le sonrió. Se había sentido culpable por haber sido seco con Candy y había decidido enmendar su comportamiento. Además el pensamiento de que no sabía por cuánto tiempo dejaría de ver a Candy lo atormentó demasiado.
-Quiero acompañarte a la estación.- le dijo. Candy sonrió.
-¡Por supuesto! Me gusta mucho tu compañía; vamos.- dijo Candy abriendo la puerta.
Albert tomó la maleta para cargarla él y emprendieron la caminata rumbo a la estación.
-¿Cómo te fue ayer con los chicos?- le preguntó Albert. Candy se sentía radiante. Albert era el mismo de siempre.
-Muy bien, aunque nos hiciste falta.- Candy recordó algo. –Un momento… Tú ayer me llevaste a mi cama.
Albert involuntariamente se sonrojó.
-Pues… sí. ¿Qué hacías dormida en el sofá?
-Era obvio: te estaba esperando. Pero no llegabas y me quedé dormida. Bueno, gracias. ¿Llegaste muy tarde anoche?
-No hay de qué y llegué como a media noche.
-¿Puedo saber a dónde fuiste?- le preguntó Candy.
-Puedes. Fui a dar un paseo. He tenido dolores de cabeza.- confesó Albert. Candy se asustó.
-¡Albert! ¿Por qué no me lo habías dicho? No debiste venir si te sientes mal; tal vez yo debería quedarme a cuidarte. Posiblemente te duele porque falta poco para que recuperes la memoria.- Candy estaba alarmada. El ego de Albert creció al notar la preocupación de Candy.
-No te preocupes tanto, pequeña enfermera. Ojalá la recupere pronto.- ya casi llegaban a la estación.
-Albert…
-¿Sí?
-Cuando recuperes la memoria prométeme que no te irás. No quiero que te vayas y me dejes.- le pidió Candy dejando de caminar.
Albert, al escucharla, también se detuvo. Tomó a Candy por los hombros y la atrajo hacia él. La abrazó. Se separó de ella, tocó su rostro y le dio un beso en su frente.
-Nunca Candy. Nunca te dejaré. Pase lo que pase siempre estaré ahí para ti, ¿de acuerdo? No estés triste. Eres más bonita cuando ríes que cuando lloras.- le dijo tocándole la barbilla. Candy se quedó muda al oír la última frase.
-¿Qué dijiste?
-Eres más bonita cuando ríes que cuando lloras.- le repitió Albert un poco confundido. -¿Por qué?- Candy pensó que seguramente ella ya le había contado de su príncipe de la colina y de esa frase.
-Por nada…- dijo quedándose callada. Albert pensó que Candy se había sentido incómoda por el beso en la frente, así que vio su reloj.
-Hay que seguir si quieres llegar a tiempo.- dijo Albert retomando el paso. Candy lo siguió en silencio, pensando en las cosas tan bonitas que Albert le acababa de decir.
Al llegar a la estación vieron a un joven de lentes y cabello oscuro.
-¿Stear? ¿Qué haces aquí?- preguntó Candy. Stear no sabía que Albert fuera a ir, así que se sintió un poco incómodo.
-Yo… quería venir a despedirte. No sabía que vendrías, Albert.- dijo Stear sonriendo y ocultando su nerviosismo.
-Bueno, gracias por venir a despedirme Stear.- dijo Candy. Vio el reloj y supo que ya era hora de subir al tren.
-Creo ya es tiempo.- dijo Candy. Abrazó a Stear y a Albert. –Hasta pronto.
-Ten buen viaje Candy.- le deseó Stear.
-Suerte.- le dijo Albert y se despidieron con la mano.
"La dejaste ir. La has perdido." pensó Albert. Quería distraerse.
-Stear, ¿tienes algo qué hacer hoy?- le preguntó. Stear lo miró extrañado.
-Pues… sí. ¿Por qué?
-¿Qué harás hoy?- Stear no supo si confiar en Albert o no pero se arriesgó.
-Iré a enlistarme en la guerra.- dijo decidido. Albert comprendió por qué había querido ir a despedir a Candy; temía no volver a verla.
-Stear… Vamos a dar un paseo.- le dijo.
Albert sabía lo mucho que Candy sufriría si Stear se iba a la guerra. No lo permitiría. Lo haría que cambiara de parecer.
**Continuará…**
**¿Qué tal? La pecas ya va rumbo a NY y se encontrará con una muy mala noticia. ¿Cómo reaccionará al ver a Terry? ¿Cómo reaccionará Terry? SUGERENCIAS Y COMENTARIOS EN REVIEWS. Ya saben que sus comentarios me animan mucho a seguir con ésta historia loca.**
4. Chapter 4
**Esta es una historia alterna escrita sólo para entretenimiento, basada en el anime de Kyoto Misuki. Las situaciones y actitudes de los personajes son producto de mi imaginación y autoría. **
**Un Compromiso**
**Capítulo 4 **
**Por Sofía Morrison**
_**Nueva York**_
-Ella está contigo por lástima. Ya no te ama. ¿Qué no ves que eres una carga para ella?- escuchaba Terry. Él se tapaba los oídos, tratando de ignorar lo que miles de voces le gritaban. Él estaba en el escenario y todo el público le gritaba comentarios mordaces sobre Candy. De repente aparecía Candy, llorando, y se arrodillaba frente a Terry.
-Ya no tengo futuro, Terry. No tenemos futuro.- le decía, derramando lágrimas junto a la silla de ruedas de Terry.
-No, Candy. Por favor no llores.- trataba de pedirle Terry pero Candy lo ignoraba, mientras el público seguía gritando.
Terry sintió que algo le tomaba el brazo y despertó. Frente a él estaba Susana Marlowe.
-¿Terry? ¿Te encuentras bien?- le preguntó Susana.
Terry se incorporó y sintió que estaba sudando frío. Susana caminó hasta una cómoda, después de unos segundos regresó y le ofreció un vaso con agua. Terry aceptó y la bebió enseguida. Tenía mucha sed.
-Creo que tienes temperatura.- dijo Susana tocando su frente. –Recuéstate.- Terry obedeció y Susana le colocó un paño húmedo en la frente. -¿Tuviste una pesadilla? Te oí gritar el nombre de Candy varias veces y te movías mucho.- Terry no respondió. Recordó el sueño y no tenía ganas de hablarlo con ella.
-Está bien. No respondas. Sólo venía a disculparme por lo que te dije ayer. ¿Ya llegó ella?- preguntó. Terry la miró con una sonrisa sarcástica.
-Si ya hubiera llegado hubiera sido ella quien me hubiera puesto el paño húmedo.- le respondió molesto. Terry no entendía muy bien por qué le molestaba tanto que Susana mencionara a Candy.
-¿Enviaste a alguien por ella?- le preguntó.
-¿Por qué te interesa? ¿Para qué quieres saber?- preguntó Terry curioso.
-Todo lo que tiene que ver contigo me interesa, ¿de acuerdo?- le confesó Susana, poniéndose roja. –Te dije que te debo mi vida y quiero pagarte lo que hiciste por mí. Así que dime, ¿alguien fue a recogerla?- preguntó evitando mirarlo a los ojos. Terry sonrió. Susana tenía el poder para sacarlo de sus casillas y enternecerlo completamente.
-Eleanor la recogerá.- dijo. Susana asintió.
-¿Quieres que compre flores para que se las des?- le sugirió.
-No, gracias.- se negó Terry.
-Pero, ¿qué le darás de bienvenida?- preguntó Susana. Terry no había pensado en darle algo y Susana lo sabía. –Iré por unas flores. No tardo.- dijo Susana mientras salía de la habitación.
Terry sonrió de nuevo. Se preguntó cuánto tendría que quererlo Susana para ir a comprar flores para Candy.
_**Chicago**_
-Stear, ¿por qué deseas ir a la guerra?- preguntó Albert. Ambos se encontraban en el departamento de Albert y Candy, charlando.
-Verás Albert, yo creo que los hombres de verdad luchan y hacen cosas que valen la pena. Quiero hacer eso. Y si puedo hacerlo piloteando me sentiría satisfecho con la vida.- Albert reflexionó un poco las palabras de Stear.
-Tú sabes que yo no quiero convencerte de nada. Sólo pienso que hay muchas otras cosas que valen la pena. ¿No crees que valdría la pena quedarte a vivir una vida tranquila con Patty? Mírame a mí. Dice Candy que soy un trotamundos. Deseo recuperar mi memoria no para pensar en las aventuras que tuve, sino para saber si tengo una familia o no. La familia es lo más importante Stear, piénsalo.
-Albert es que yo…
-No es como si ya no pudieras volver a viajar. Sólo es no arriesgar tu vida por una causa que no te es tan cercana. Si te vas, es un hecho que Patty te esperaría pero ¿si no vuelves?
Ambos se quedaron en silencio unos minutos, cada uno pensando en sus intereses amorosos. Stear en Patty y Albert en Candy.
-Muy bien, aquí vamos.- dijo Candy entusiasmada.
Se sentía realmente mejor ahora que Albert se había comportado con ella como siempre. La decisión de Albert de acompañarla a la estación la animó. Sólo esperaba regresar pronto y deseaba que Albert recuperara la memoria pronto.
-Albert… Ojalá que al recuperar la memoria no te vayas. No me gustaría estar sin ti…- pensó Candy.
_**Un par de horas después…**_
El tren finalmente se detenía. Candy tomó sus cosas y se preparó para salir. Estaba emocionada por ver a Terry. Después de tanto tiempo de permanecer separados ambos se reunirían. Se imaginó un encuentro romántico. Al bajar del tren buscó su cara pero encontró una casi tan familiar como la de Terry.
-¡Eleanor Baker!- dijo.
Llevaba una peluca negra pero Candy nunca olvidaría su rostro, tan bello y parecido al de Terry. Eleanor le hizo una seña y Candy se acercó a ella.
-Hola Candy. ¿Me recuerdas?- preguntó Eleanor, alzando un poco su peluca y dejando ver el cabello castaño claro.
-Por supuesto.- dijo Candy sonriendo. –Me alegro mucho de verla.
-¿Qué tal el viaje? ¿Bien?- preguntó Eleanor. Candy sólo asintió.
-Seguro te estarás preguntando por qué no vino Terry.- dijo Eleanor, ocultando sus lágrimas.- Candy, es importante que hablemos antes de que… lo veas.
Candy se preocupó. ¿Sería algo malo? ¿Terry no quería verla? Eleanor la tomó del brazo y ambas caminaron a un carruaje. Una vez adentro, Candy miró detenidamente a su "suegra". Eleanor se veía enferma. Tenía los ojos rojos e hinchados. Lucía pálida y también algo descuidada. ¿Sería algo grave?
El carruaje se detuvo frente a una cafetería. Candy y Eleanor entraron y se sentaron en una mesa apartada de las demás. Ordenaron café y Candy se preparó para lo peor.
-Ahora, dígame por favor. ¿Qué pasa?- pidió Candy. Eleanor la miró y dejó escurrir una lágrima. Tomó la mano de Candy entre las suyas.
-Candy… Oh, Candy…- Candy se alarmó.
-Por favor, dígame. ¿Le pasó algo a Terry?
Eleanor no encontraba las palabras. ¿Cómo decirle lo que le había pasado a Terry? ¿Cómo reaccionaría Candy al saberlo? Respiró profundamente.
-Terry… Terry tuvo un accidente. Apenas hace unos días estaban ensayando. Una luz le cayó en la pierna y…
-¿Y qué pasó?
-Hubo que amputarla.- dijo Eleanor, sacando su pañuelo y limpiando sus lágrimas.
-¡Amputarla!- dijo Candy.
No era posible. Eso no podía ser verdad. Terry… ¡había perdido una pierna! Candy pensó en todas las cosas que Terry ya no podría volver a hacer. Y pensó en lo afectado que seguramente estaría él. Se levantó de la silla.
-Quiero ir con él. Quiero verlo.- pidió Candy. Miró a una Eleanor que, por primera vez, no se veía como una estrella de Broadway, sino como una madre desesperada. La tomó de la mano y trató de sonreírle. -Él estará bien. Estoy segura.- dijo, tratando de convencer a Eleanor y también a ella misma.
_**En el Hospital…**_
-Susana, si quieres ya puedes irte, en serio. Eleanor y Candy no deben tardar.- dijo Terry.
Susana, después de haberle llevado flores, se había quedado con él, leyéndole "Otelo" en voz alta. Susana cambió la página del libro.
-Tranquilo. Me iré cuando ellas lleguen.- le dijo y continúo la lectura.
Susana se sentía muy consternada por la posible reacción de Candy. Ella sabía que si Candy reaccionaba un poco mal al respecto Terry se derrumbaría. Terry sentía más nervios que Susana. ¿Qué pensaría Candy? ¿Qué haría con un inválido a su lado? Por primera vez, desde que se había enamorado de Candy, dudó del amor que ella le profesaba. ¿Su amor sería lo suficientemente fuerte?
-Gracias Susana.- dijo Terry y Susana le sonrió. "Pase lo que pase con Candy, Terry, yo siempre estaré para ti." Pensó Susana.
En ese momento, llamaron a la puerta.
-Pase.- dijo Terry. Su corazón latía fuertemente.
**Continuará…**
**Reviews! Perdonen la tardanza pero estuve un poco ocupada. Pero sus comentarios siempre me animan a seguir mis historias y créanme cuando les escribo que no la dejaré **
5. Chapter 5
**Esta es una historia alterna escrita sólo para entretenimiento, basada en el anime de Kyoto Misuki. Las situaciones y actitudes de los personajes son producto de mi imaginación y autoría. **
**Un Compromiso**
**Capítulo 5 **
**Por Sofía Morrison**
_**Nueva York**_
La puerta de la habitación de Terry se abrió, dejando pasar a dos mujeres muy hermosas. Eleanor y Candy. Susana se levantó de su silla y caminó a la puerta.
-Los dejaremos un momento a solas.- dijo Eleanor y salió junto con Susana.
Candy y Terry seguían sin hablar. Candy lloraba aunque intentaba controlarse. "Debo ser fuerte por Terry," pensó. No quería hablar, por miedo a que su voz sonara entrecortada por el llanto.
Terry no tenía palabras. Miraba a Candy, mientras pensaba en su horrible destino. "Nunca debiste haber venido, Candy." Se sintió más pesimista y deprimido con la vida.
Candy luchó por deshacer el nudo en su garganta y avanzó a la cama de Terry. Él había desviado la mirada.
-Terry…- dijo Candy en voz baja, tocando la mano de Terry.
Terry no quitó la mano, pero siguió sin mirarla. Quería controlar su humor, que empeoraba.
-Candy.- dijo seriamente.
-Terry… yo…- Candy no sabía cómo decirle lo que sentía. Su voz revelaba, tal como ella había esperado, que estaba llorando. Terry lo notó. Candy lloraba y todo era su culpa.
-No digas nada, Candy. Yo estaré bien, en serio.- le aseguró, mirándola a los ojos. Candy pudo ver la desesperación del joven y lo abrazó.
-Terry…Oh Terry, lo siento tanto. Pero saldrás adelante. Por supuesto que lo harás.- dijo Candy.
Terry la abrazó. Dejó escapar algunas lágrimas, aprovechando que ella no lo veía. Quería creer las palabras de Candy. Siguieron abrazados hasta que Terry ya no quiso llorar. Deshizo el abrazo y Candy se sentó en la silla donde había estado Susana.
-¿Qué tal el viaje?- preguntó Terry, deseando olvidar su accidente por un momento.
-Bien. A tiempo, supongo.- dijo Candy. Sin embargo, se quedaron en silencio, y Terry decidió volver al tema.
-Eleanor ya te habrá contado sobre el accidente.
-Sí. De camino hacia aquí, en el carruaje. Fuiste muy valiente, Terry. Pudiste morir.- Terry sonrió irónicamente.
-¿Quieres decir que tuve suerte?
-Pues, sí. De hecho sí.- Terry rio.
-Candy. Siento que no has cambiado nada.- dijo mirándola. –Es increíble que vayas a ser enfermera.
-Enfermera titulada, por favor.- dijo Candy sonriendo.
-Tienes razón Candy.
-Bueno, hablaré con tu doctor, para saber los cuidados que necesitas, ¿de acuerdo?- dijo Candy, levantándose.
-No es necesario.- empezó a decir Terry pero Candy ya había salido.
Eleanor y Susana platicaban de la pareja cuando Candy las vio.
-Hablaré con el doctor para poder cuidar de Terry.- dijo Candy. Susana, un poco temerosa, se acercó a ella.
-Candy… Fue mi culpa. Lo lamento mucho, en verdad.- le dijo Susana, tomando las manos de Candy. -Le debo la vida.- Candy asintió sonriendo.
-No fue tu culpa, Susana. Discúlpame un momento.- Candy siguió su camino.
Susana y Eleanor entraron. "Parece que reaccionó bien. Sólo espero ella ayude a Terry," pensó Susana. Ambas entraron al cuarto de Terry.
-Parece que todo salió bien, ¿cierto?- preguntó Eleanor. Terry sonrió.
-Eso parece.
-Entonces me iré. Vendré más tarde, para acompañar a Candy a su hotel.- dijo Susana.
-No te preocupes por eso Susana.- dijo Terry. Le parecía abusar de la buena voluntad de Susana. Susana sonrió.
-No hay problema. Quisiera charlar con ella. ¿Vendré a las siete?- preguntó.
-De acuerdo.- dijo Terry. Susana se acercó y le dio un beso en la frente. Ambos se sonrojaron inesperadamente, así que Susana salió de la habitación rápido, despidiéndose de Eleanor. Eleanor sonrió.
-No sabía que tuvieras tanto color, Terry. En fin, si necesitan algo estaré en el teatro. Nos veremos mañana.- dijo y se fue.
-Susana…- dijo Terry, pensando en su sonrojo. La presencia de Susana, que antes encontraba poco grata, ahora le gustaba.
-Muy bien. Muchas gracias por su ayuda, doctor.- dijo Candy, entrando a la habitación. –Listo, ya estoy al tanto de todo.
-Me alegro, enfermera.- Terry sonrió.
-¿Ya se fueron tu madre y Susana?
-Sí. Ambas tenían cosas por hacer. Susana vendrá más tarde, para acompañarte al hotel, si gustas.
-Qué amable.
-Sí.- ambos se quedaron en silencio. Ninguno sabía de qué podrían hablar.
-Y…- comenzó a hablar Terry, buscando un tema de conversación. -¿Cómo está Albert?
-Muy bien.- dijo Candy sonriendo. Podría hablar por horas y horas de su vida con Albert. –El otro día trataba de enseñarme a cocinar pero fue un desastre. Estuvimos una hora tratando de quitar una mancha de la comida que se me quemó. Y le va muy bien en su trabajo, ¿sabes? Me ayuda a pagar la renta y también se mantiene ocupado. Dice que si no hiciera nada se moriría de aburrimiento.
Candy se dedicó a hablar de Albert con Terry. Le contaba las miles de anécdotas graciosas que había vivido con el joven rubio, mientras que Terry se limitaba a oírla hablar. Después de algunas horas, una enfermera los interrumpió por ser la hora de la comida. Terry no se molestó. Sí sintió celos de Albert y de las maravillas que Candy contaba de él, pero pensó que no tenían otra cosa de qué hablar.
Candy estaba más que encantada de hablar sobre Albert. A veces cambiaba y contaba algo de Patty, o de sus amigos, pero siempre regresaba a hablar de Albert. Hablaba para dejar de pensar en el accidente de Terry.
A las siete, cuando Terry había dicho dos o tres palabras, llegó puntual Susana. Llamó a la puerta y entró.
-Espero no interrumpir nada.- dijo sonriendo. Candy sonrió también y negó con la cabeza.
-Siempre eres muy puntual Susana.- le dijo Terry sonriendo.
"¡Terry me sonrió! Debe estar de excelente humor. Me alegro tanto", pensó Susana.
-Bueno, tú me conoces, Terry.- dijo tratando de evitar sonrojarse. –En fin, me gustaría acompañarte a tu hotel, Candy. Si estás de acuerdo.
-Por supuesto Susana. Vamos.- dijo ella levantándose. –Nos veremos mañana, ¿de acuerdo?- se despidió de Terry con un beso en la frente. Ninguno de los dos se sonrojó y Candy salió de la habitación como si nada.
-Vendré mañana temprano, porque después debo ir a prepararme para la función.- dijo Susana. No quiso darle un beso a Terry por pena.
-No es necesario.- dijo Terry.
-¿No quieres que venga?- preguntó Susana, herida.
-No es eso. Me refería a que sería mejor que mañana estuvieras muy concentrada en tu papel y no en venir a verme.- Susana sintió alivio.
-Quiero venir. Me gusta…- dijo sonrojándose. –Venir a verte. Adiós.- dijo cerrando la puerta.
Seguía sonrojada al salir y Candy lo notó. "Cuánto debe querer a Terry" pensó. Susana cambió de color al ver a Candy y le sonrió.
-¿Lista?- Candy asintió y ambas salieron del hospital. Susana pidió un carruaje.
-Candy, ¿tienes hambre? Sé que la comida en el hospital no es muy buena que digamos.
-La verdad es que sí tengo. ¿Quieres que vayamos a comer algo?- preguntó Candy sin creer lo que pasaba. "Creí que me odiabas", pensó.
-Claro, vamos.- dijo y dio la dirección de un restaurante al cochero.
Llegaron algunos minutos después.
-Lo bueno de éste lugar es que queda cerca de tu hotel. Pide lo que quieras, yo invito.- dijo Susana con un guiño. Se acercó el mesero y ambas ordenaron, Susana menos que Candy.
-Susana, ¿puedo preguntar por qué te portas tan amablemente conmigo? La última vez que nos vimos…- comenzó a decir Candy pero fue interrumpida por Susana.
-Lo sé y me disculpo. Candy, seré sincera contigo. Mis sentimientos por Terry son los mismos y sé que no cambiarán nunca. Siempre lo amaré. Pero cambié desde que él salvó mi vida. Antes, yo hubiera hecho cualquier cosa por tenerlo a mi lado. Pero ahora… sólo quiero que sea feliz. Y él sólo podrá ser feliz… contigo.- dijo Susana, derramando una lágrima.
-¿Conmigo?
-Él te ama. Lo sé. Y te necesita más que nunca. No lo abandonarás, ¿verdad, Candy? Eso lo destruiría.
-Claro que no, Susana.
-Prométeme que lo harás feliz. Promételo, ¿sí?- pidió Susana. Candy le sonrió.
-Lo prometo.- le dijo. Susana sonrió y secó su lágrima.
-Gracias Candy. Confío en ti.- dijo y la comida llegó a su mesa.
-¿Así que mañana es el gran día?- preguntó Candy mientras cenaban.
-Así es. Me siento algo nerviosa, ¿sabes? Es mi primer protagónico.
-Sé que lo harás bien. Antes de venir a Nueva York conocí a una actriz llamada Karen, que te tenía mucha envidia. Si otra actriz te envidia debe ser porque tú actúas muy bien.- Susana sonrió. Ya sabía lo poco que Karen la estimaba.
-Gracias Candy. Karen no es mala actriz pero… Bueno, no es Eleanor Baker, ¿me entiendes?- dijo sonriendo.
-Hablando de Eleanor, ¿cómo la has visto desde el accidente? ¿Muy deprimida?- preguntó Candy, interesada por su estado de salud.
-Algo. Sin embargo, ha estado yendo al teatro a ver mis ensayos. No sé si mañana vaya a verme. ¿Tú irás?
-No creo. Iba a ir por Terry pero ahora, lo dudo. Prefiero quedarme con él.
-Te entiendo. Si te quedas tú con él, espero vaya Eleanor.
Al terminar la cena, ambas caminaron al Hotel Royal, donde Susana se despidió de Candy. Susana se dirigió a su casa, esperando encontrar dormida a su madre. Desde un día después del accidente no se hablaban.
Candy subió a su habitación y se puso su pijama. Al recostarse intentó dormir pero no lo consiguió.
-Albert. Terry. No puedo dejar a Terry, pero ¿por cuánto tiempo? Tengo mi trabajo y a Albert en Chicago. ¿Debo renunciar a eso por cuidar a Terry? Quisiera que no. Pero Susana… Ella ama tanto a Terry. Y me hizo prometer que me quedaría con Terry. Aunque… Albert. ¿Ya no te veré más?- pensaba Candy en voz alta. ¿Qué haría?
Susana se sentía contenta. Candy haría feliz a Terry y eso era lo único que importaba. "Si Terry es feliz, también yo", pensó Susana. Al llegar a su casa su madre estaba, afortunadamente, dormida.
Terry no sabía qué pensar. Candy había reaccionado mejor de lo que él esperaba, sin embargo se seguía sintiendo mal. Culpable. Deprimido, por arrastrar a Candy a estar con él. Le preocupaba que hablara con Susana. ¿Qué le habría dicho Susana a Candy? ¿Se lo preguntaría a Candy? No, mejor a Susana. Candy tal vez no le diría y Susana no podía negarle nada. No quería pensar más y trató de dormirse, aunque seguía pensando tanto en Candy como en Susana.
_**Chicago**_
-Candy… ¿cómo te la habrás pasado hoy con Terry? ¿Ya estarán comprometidos? Ojalá no. ¿Por qué pienso cosas que sólo me atormentan? Candy… si tan sólo supiera quién soy en realidad.- hablaba Albert consigo mismo. –Al menos hoy me distraje un poco con Stear, sin embargo no podré distraer mi amor por ti toda la vida.
Stear había sido persuadido por Albert y había decidido quedarse. Stear sólo había accedido haciendo un trato con el rubio. Si Albert recuperaba la memoria antes de que la guerra terminara, ambos se enlistarían juntos. Él confiaba en que, al saber quién era, las cosas cambiarían. También deseaba que sus sentimientos por Candy cambiaran, pero si no era así, se iría a la guerra, para tratar de olvidar a la pecosa.
-Mi Candy…- pensó Albert, antes de quedarse dormido y soñar con ella.
**Continuará…**
**Un par de sorpresas jajaja ¿Qué tal la actitud de Susana? ¿Qué decidirá Candy? ¿Y qué tal el trato de Albert y Stear? ¿Se irán a la guerra juntos? REVIEWS con todas sus sugerencias y/o comentarios, porque me alegra el día cada que los leo. Gracias por seguir mis locuras.**
6. Chapter 6
**Esta es una historia alterna escrita sólo para entretenimiento, basada en el anime de Kyoto Misuki. Las situaciones y actitudes de los personajes son producto de mi imaginación y autoría. **
**Un Compromiso**
**Capítulo 6 **
**Por Sofía Morrison**
_**Nueva York**_
Candy se despertó temprano y sin muchos ánimos. Sabía que debía estar contenta y de buen humor por Terry, pero no podía. La incertidumbre de su futuro la agobiaba. Había decidido hablar con Terry al respecto, para poder planear lo que haría.
Desayunó un poco de fruta, sin tener mucha hambre, y se dirigió al hospital a ver su novio.
-Buenos días Terry.- dijo al abrir la puerta.
Terry no había podido dormir. Toda la noche estuvo incómodo, pensativo. Así que cuando llegó Candy él se encontraba leyendo.
-Buenos días Candy. Te levantaste temprano hoy.- le dijo Terry al ver la hora. Candy asintió.
-¿Ya desayunaste? ¿Quieres que pida que te traigan tu comida?- se ofreció Candy.
-Por favor. ¿Desayunarás conmigo?
-Ya desayuné pero te ayudaré.- dijo Candy con un guiño. Terry le sonrió.
Candy salió para pedir el desayuno de Terry a una enfermera, cuando llegó Susana.
-Buenos días Candy.- dijo Susana sonriendo.
-Hola Susana. ¿Lista para hoy?- preguntó Candy con una sonrisa.
-Ni me lo digas que me muero de nervios. ¿Terry ya está despierto?
-Sí, pasa. Iré a buscar su desayuno. Mucha suerte hoy, sé que te irá muy bien.
-Muchas gracias Candy. Luego nos vemos.- dijo Susana abriendo la puerta.
-Buenos días Susana.- dijo Terry al verla. "Admitiré que ella no es fea", pensó.
-Hola Terry. ¿Dormiste bien?- preguntó ella al acercarse a la cama y ver las ojeras de Terry.
-No muy bien, para ser honesto. ¿Tú? No te ves nerviosa. Te ves b…- Susana se sonrojó profundamente y Terry cambió sus palabras. –Te ves bien para ser el día del estreno.
-Bueno, dentro de unas horas estaré mucho más nerviosa. Pero… Gracias.- dijo apenada, sin mirarlo a los ojos.
A Terry le divertía mucho ver a Susana, una actriz con muchos pretendientes, sonrojada o apenada, como si fuera una chica campesina.
-Susana, quería preguntarte. ¿De qué hablaste ayer con Candy?
-Oh, pues… Sólo le dije lo que tú ya sabes. Que te estaré eternamente agradecida y que cualquier cosa que ustedes necesiten cuentan con mi ayuda.- Terry le sonrió.
-Gracias, Susana. Candy y yo lo apreciamos mucho.- le dijo tomando su mano.
-Sabes que haría cualquier cosa por verte feliz, Terry.- dijo Susana, con la mano de Terry entre las suyas. "Bueno, tampoco debo emocionarme mucho", pensó y se alejó. –Ahora debo irme. Hay mucho por hacer hoy.
-Lo harás bien, lo sé.- le aseguró Terry. –Buena suerte.- dijo con un guiño. Susana sonrió y salió. Candy estaba afuera con el desayuno.
-Nos vemos Candy.- se despidió.
-¡Suerte! Si viene Eleanor le diré que ella debe ir a verte, ¿sí?- Susana asintió con una sonrisa y se fue, directo al teatro a empezar todos los preparativos.
_**En la Estación de Trenes, varias horas después…**_
-¡Estoy tan emocionada, madre! Ya quiero ver a Terry actuar.- dijo una joven pelirroja, que bajaba del tren.
-Tranquila Eliza. Recuerda que la función es hasta tarde. Mientras podremos pasear por la ciudad, ¿verdad, Neil?
-Supongo.- dijo el joven con apatía.
Terry nunca le había agradado y hacer un viaje sólo para verlo actuar le aburría. Se separó un poco de su hermana y madre para ver el periódico. Un encabezado llamó su atención.
-Eliza, creo que después de todo no podrás ver a tu "adorado" actuar.- dijo con una sonrisa. Eliza se acercó a donde estaba él y le arrebató el diario.
-¡Madre! ¡Es terrible! ¡Terry perdió una pierna!- gritó Eliza. –Oh madre, debo ir a verlo.
"Pobre Terry. Ahora Candy nunca te querrá. ¡Qué me importa que ya no seas actor! Al ser hijo de un duque nunca te faltará dinero y estoy segura de que sigues siendo muy guapo. Ya que estás inválido debes darte cuenta de lo mucho que te convengo", pensó la joven ambiciosa.
-Vamos al hospital. No hay que perder el tiempo.- dijo Eliza sonriendo con malicia.
_**En el Hospital… **_
-Hola jóvenes.- dijo Eleanor al entrar al cuarto de Terry.
Terry y Candy habían estado platicando de Archie y Annie y de Stear y Patty. Candy aún no había encontrado la manera de hablar con Terry sobre su futuro.
-¿Qué tal, Eleanor?- la saludó Candy. Eleanor se acercó y dio beso en la frente a ambos.
-¿Cómo te sientes, hijo?- le preguntó a Terry. El humor de su hijo había mejorado significativamente con Candy y se sentía muy agradecida por éste hecho.
-Mejor, gracias. Hace un rato vino Susana, ¿verdad, Candy?
-¡Antes de que lo olvide! Ella me pidió que la convenciera de ir a ver el estreno hoy.- dijo Candy sonriendo por no haberlo olvidado.
-No estaba segura si ir o no. Pero si tú te quedas con Terry, Candy, me sentiría más tranquila al ir. La verdad quiero ver la actuación de Susana.- dijo Eleanor.
-Por supuesto, no se preocupe. Yo me quedaré con Terry.- afirmó Candy.
-En ese caso, déjame invitarte a comer. Dejamos que Terry descanse un poco y así tú te distraes. ¿Qué dices?- propuso Eleanor.
-¿Pero tú estarás bien?- le preguntó a Terry. Éste sonrió, asintiendo con la cabeza. –De acuerdo. Vamos.- dijo Candy poniéndose de pie.
-No tardaremos.- dijo Eleanor y ambas salieron de la habitación de Terry. Al llegar a la entrada del hospital escucharon los gritos de una pelirroja.
-Exijo saber el cuarto de Terruce Grandchester. Soy una gran amiga suya y quiero verlo ahora.- demandaba Eliza. La pobre recepcionista le repetía que no podía darle esa información pues Terry era una figura pública.
-¡Es Eliza!- pensó Candy al reconocerla. Candy conocía la maldad de Eliza y sabía que su visita no podría traer nada bueno. –Eleanor, ¿podría adelantarse pidiendo un coche? Creo conocer a esa chica.- Eleanor la miró extrañada pero salió.
-¡Vaya, vaya! Pero si es la huérfana del hogar de Pony.- dijo Eliza sonriendo.
-¿Qué estás haciendo aquí?- preguntó Candy.
-¿A ti qué te importa? La pregunta es ¿tú qué haces en esta ciudad? ¿No me digas que viniste a ver a Terry?- preguntó manteniendo su sonrisa.
-Así es y no permitiré que lo veas.
-Pobre estúpida. Tú no eres nadie para impedírmelo. ¿Te crees con derechos por estar enamorada de él? No me hagas reír más.- soltó Eliza. Candy se quitó cualquier duda que tenía sobre las malas intenciones de Eliza y decidió hacer algo que nunca hacía: mentirle.
-Pues resulta que soy la prometida de Terruce, así que tengo todo el derecho de pedirte que te vayas y que no vuelvas por aquí.- dijo, tratando de sonar convincente.
"¡Su prometida!" pensó Eliza profundamente enojada.
-¡Qué vergüenza! ¡Te aprovechas de su accidente! Pobre Terry, no tiene opción y tú eres la única que se quedaría con un inválido como él.
-¡No vuelvas a hablar así de Terry!- gritó Candy. Giró para mirar a la recepcionista. –Señorita, por favor no deje que esta joven se acerque a la habitación de Terruce. Él no quiere verla.- dijo Candy. La recepcionista asintió. –Será mejor que te vayas o pediré que te echen a la fuerza.
Eliza estaba furiosa. Pero nada sería peor que ser echada frente a Candy, así que se contuvo. Volvería después. Tendría que planear muy bien el asunto; haría lo que fuera necesario para separar a Candy de Terry. No sólo porque ella quería quedarse con Terry, sino porque esa huérfana la había insultado y nunca se lo perdonaría. Eliza juró, en ese momento, que Terry y Candy nunca estarían juntos. Salió sin decir nada más. Candy caminó atrás de ella para asegurarse y cuando la vio abordar un carruaje, ella subió al de Eleanor.
-Listo, vámonos.- dijo Candy, tratando de olvidar la situación anterior.
-Candy, ¿quién era esa chica?- preguntó Eleanor, curiosa.
-Una mala persona. Sólo quería molestar. Aunque me siento mal por haberle mentido.- confesó Candy.
-¿Qué le dijiste para que saliera tan enfadada?
-Pues… que yo era la prometida de Terry. Y que no quería que volviera a ir al hospital.
-Candy… hablando de eso… ¿Qué planes tienen tú y Terry? Quiero decir, son novios pero, ¿están comprometidos? ¿Qué piensan hacer?
-No tengo idea. He querido hablar sobre eso con Terry todo el día pero no he encontrado cómo. Después de la comida… Hablaremos.- dijo Candy, pensativa.
-Es lo mejor. Son cosas que no pueden esperar, si me pides mi opinión.
-Gracias.- dijo Candy y se sumió en sus pensamientos. ¿A qué llegaría con Terry? ¿Qué decisión tomarían?
_**En el Hotel Royal…**_
Eliza entraba a la habitación, tirando todo lo que veía a su paso. Su hermano Neil, en la habitación de al lado, escuchó todo y fue a verla.
-Imagino que no fue nada bien.- dijo con una sonrisa.
-¡La odio! ¡La odio! ¡La odio! ¡Se atrevió a correrme! ¡Me dijo que está comprometida con él!- gritaba Eliza.
-¿Quién? ¿Susana la actriz?- preguntó Neil, confundido.
-¡La huérfana! ¡Está aquí con él! ¡No la soporto!- se quejó Eliza.
-¿Pero no vivía con el vagabundo?
-No seas estúpido, Neil. Vino a ver el estreno, es claro que ella no sabía del accidente. Seguramente después de saber lo que pasó decidieron comprometerse.
-Es que yo creí que ella y el vagabundo pues…-Eliza lo interrumpió.
-Sí, lo sé. Yo también lo creí.- dijo quedándose en silencio. Un pensamiento cruzó su mente y su cara se iluminó. –Y no debemos ser los únicos en creerlo. Me pregunto… Si Terry lo sabe.- dijo con una sonrisa.
-Hermana, ¿qué estás planeando ahora?- le preguntó Neil, igual de sonriente.
-Quedarme con Terry. Eso es lo que planeo.- dijo triunfante.
Ya tenía el plan perfecto.
_**En el Hospital, un par horas después…**_
-Aquí esta Candy, sana y salva.- dijo Eleanor al entrar al cuarto de su hijo. Terry les sonrió.
-¿Ya comiste? ¿Todo bien?- preguntó Candy a Terry.
-Todo bien, gracias. Supongo ya te irás a arreglarte para el estreno.- dijo Terry, recordando a Susana.
-Así es. Ya falta muy poco. Me la pasé muy bien, Candy. Nos veremos mañana.- dijo Eleanor despidiéndose.
-Hasta mañana.- dijeron Terry y Candy.
-¿Te la pasaste bien?- preguntó Terry con una sonrisa.
Extrañamente se encontraba de buen humor. Candy dudó en contarle sobre Eliza, pero no quería molestarlo con tonterías.
-Muy bien.- le aseguró Candy.
Entonces recordó que había algo muy importante que tenían que hablar.
-Terry, hay algo que debemos hablar.- dijo ella tratando de ser seria.
-¿De qué se trata?- preguntó Terry. Ya tenía algunas sospechas pero quería escuchar a Candy.
-Terry, cuando me enviaste el boleto pensé que regresaría pronto a Chicago. Por Albert y por mi trabajo. No había pensado en quedarme aquí, contigo. Sin embargo, yo te quiero y por eso es que ahora deseo estar en Nueva York contigo.- le dijo Candy. Sentía muchas cosas por Terry y quería ayudarlo sin importar qué. Era una promesa que ya le había hecho a Susana.
-¡Candy! ¿Hablas en serio? Tú no tienes ninguna obligación conmigo. Si no deseas quedarte no hay problema. Entre tú y yo no hay ningún compromiso- dijo Terry. No quería que ella se sintiera obligada.
-No es eso. Es mi decisión el querer estar a tu lado. Sólo necesito ir a Chicago a renunciar y… bueno, a decirle a mis amigos en persona, ¿me entiendes?
-Por supuesto Candy.
Terry estaba radiante. ¡Candy se quedaría con él! La vida le sonreía, después de la tormenta.
-Parte cuando quieras; la única condición es que no te tardes mucho, ¿sí?- le pidió Terry en broma. Candy lo abrazó. "Oh Albert", pensó ella.
-Bueno, ya está decidido. Para no perder tiempo me iré mañana mismo, ¿de acuerdo? Estaré de regreso en un parpadeo.- dijo con un guiño.
-Está bien.- dijo Terry.
_**En el Teatro…**_
-Tercera llamada y comenzamos.- dijo el anunciante. El telón estaba por levantarse.
A lado de Eleanor, unas señoras de sociedad hablaban en voz alta.
-Es una pena lo de Terruce. Es mucho mejor actor. Y con Susana se hubiera visto maravilloso.
-No hay que olvidar que ella lo ama; hubiera actuado mejor a su lado.
"¿Susana está enamorada de Terry? Bueno, era de esperarse. Pobre Susana. Debe de amarlo mucho", pensó Eleanor.
En camerinos, terminaban de retocar el maquillaje de Susana. Ella estaba nerviosa porque actuaría con Henry y él no le agradaba.
-Definitivamente no lo harás como Terry pero ojalá todo salga bien.- deseó Susana.
Los actores finalmente salían a escena para el primer acto.
_**En el Hospital…**_
Candy había querido distraer a Terry, por lo cual se ofreció a leerle "Otelo" en voz alta, como hacía Susana.
"Prefiero a Susana. Bueno, es obvio. Candy no es actriz, no tiene por qué leer un guion con entonación, como Susana. Susana. ¿Qué tal estará su actuación?" pensaba Terry. Seguía pensando en ella cuando notó que se había perdido en la lectura y ya no tenía idea de qué había pasado.
-Candy, tengo una idea. ¿Si me ayudas a caminar con las muletas? Prefiero eso a la silla de ruedas.- le pidió a Candy.
-Por supuesto.- dijo Candy. Si había algo que ella sabía hacer era ser enfermera.
Apenas una hora después Terry ya podía usar las muletas a la perfección. A él le sorprendió lo eficaz que era Candy. Después de eso, se ofreció a ayudarlo con la herida de la pierna.
-Eres una gran enferma, Candy.- dijo Terry orgulloso. Ella también se sintió orgullosa y sonrió.
-Así podré cuidar de ti.- le dijo.
**Continuará...**
**Gracias por sus reviews! En cuanto terminé éste capítulo dije ¿por qué no? y por eso es que lo publiqué de una vez. TODAS sus sugerencias en reviews, porque me encanta leerlas. ¿Qué estará tramando Eliza? Terry está contento, ¿pero Candy? ¿Qué pasará cuando vea a Albert? **
7. Chapter 7
**Esta es una historia alterna escrita sólo para entretenimiento, basada en el anime de Kyoto Misuki. Las situaciones y actitudes de los personajes son producto de mi imaginación y autoría. **
**Un Compromiso**
**Capítulo 7 **
**Por Sofía Morrison**
_**Nueva York**_
-¡Estuviste increíble, Susana! La mejor Julieta que he visto.- dijo Eleanor.
El grupo Straford hizo una fiesta después del estreno de "Romeo y Julieta". Todos los actores debían hacer acto de presencia, por lo que Susana tenía que estar ahí. Eleanor también fue, sólo para felicitar a Susana.
-Muchas gracias, Eleanor. Es un honor, viniendo de usted.- agradeció Susana.
-Oh, Susana. Háblame de tú, por favor.- dijo sonriendo.
Después de saber lo mucho que Susana amaba a su hijo sentía un cariño natural hacia ella. Susana quería estar feliz, pero no podía mirar a los invitados buscando a su madre sin encontrarla. ¿Estaría tan molesta como para ni siquiera ir al estreno?
-Susana, ¿estás bien?
-Sí. Cansada solamente. Si me disculpas, me iré a casa.- dijo Susana y se marchó sin ánimo.
Eleanor trató de detenerla pero no pudo. Las señoras que habían estado hablando en la función también estaban en la fiesta y Eleanor las escuchó hablar.
-¿Se fijaron que la madre de Susana no vino?
-Es obvio que ella no aprueba la relación de su hija con Terry. Ella misma me lo ha dicho. Sin embargo Susana no entiende; su amor la ciega.
"Así que es por mi hijo que tu madre no te habla. Susana…" pensaba Eleanor. No había nada que la retuviera en la fiesta y decidió irse también.
_**Al Día Siguiente, En Chicago…**_
Un joven rubio había tenido dolores de cabeza el día anterior. Se preguntaba qué serían. Despertó cansado, sintiéndose mal. Sin embargo, fue al trabajo, tratando de ignorar su malestar.
-Ojalá que pronto recupere la memoria.- deseó Albert.
_**En El Hotel Royal…**_
Candy se había levantado temprano. Ya tenía hecha su maleta y estaba lista para partir. Primero iría a despedirse de Terry y después a la estación. Salió de su habitación y se quedó pensativa.
-Han pasado dos días y ya te extraño, Albert.- dijo en voz alta, suspirando y deseando estar entre sus brazos.
Para su pésima suerte, había alguien más en el corredor del hotel. Una pelirroja. Que la había oído decir que extrañaba a Albert y ya había visto suspirar. Eliza abría la puerta de su habitación cuando escuchó a Candy. Decidió no salir, por si la pecosa decía algo más.
-Finalmente en unas pocas horas te veré, querido Albert.- dijo Candy.
"¿Así que viajarás hoy a Chicago? Perfecto. Eso sólo mejora mi plan", pensó Eliza.
Candy salió, sin notar a Eliza, hacia el hospital a ver a Terruce. Al llegar, se encontró con Susana. Susana no se veía bien; parecía haber llorado toda la noche.
-Hola Susana. ¿Estás bien?- le preguntó Candy. –Deberías estar feliz por ayer. ¿Cómo te fue?
-Bien, Candy. Gracias. Me siento cansada, eso es todo.- dijo Susana. Sin embargo, mentía. Candy no dijo nada, pero no le creyó. Susana estaba tan deprimida que ni siquiera se fijó en la maleta de Candy.
-¿Vas a ver a Terry?- Susana asintió. –Adelántate; iré al sanitario.
Susana hizo caso y fue a la habitación de Terry. Al entrar, vio a Eleanor ahí.
-Buenos días, Terry. Buenos días Eleanor.- dijo tratando de sonreír. Eleanor la vio y supo que había discutido con su madre. Terry, sin embargo, se preocupó.
-Susana, ¿estás bien? ¿Qué sucedió?- preguntó consternado. Eleanor había preferido no decirle nada a Terry mas pensó que hubiera sido mejor.
-Estoy bien, gracias. ¿Tú?
-Muy bien. Ya me contaron que fuiste un éxito anoche. Me alegro mucho.- dijo Terry, tratando de animarla. Susana sonrió pero recordó los acontecimientos de la noche anterior.
-Muchas gracias. Seguramente exageraron.- dijo con modestia. –Terry, ¿podría hablar a solas contigo un momento? Es… importante.- pidió Susana. No tenía mucho tiempo y su asunto era urgente.
-Claro. ¿Nos disculpas un momento?- pidió Terry. A Eleanor le dio mucha curiosidad, pero accedió y salió, dejándolos solos.
-Terry… Yo nunca te he pedido nada. Sin embargo ahora… necesito un favor, que espero no lo tomes como un abuso a tu confianza.- dijo Susana temerosa. No quería que Terry se molestara con ella. Él se preocupó aún más.
-Ya dime, Susana. ¿Qué sucede?- dijo algo impaciente. Susana se sentó en una silla a lado de la cama.
-Saldrás de aquí en un par de semanas, ¿cierto?- Terry asintió. –Ayer mi madre… discutimos y decidí irme de mi casa. Sé que no es lo que una chica debería de hacer pero mi madre ya no me aceptará en casa. Por eso quiero pedirte un favor.- dijo secando sus lágrimas y mirando a Terry.
-Lo que tú quieras, Susana. Lo que sea.- le dijo Terry, tocando su mano.
-¿Me dejarías quedar en tu departamento? Sólo sería mientras tú estás aquí, por supuesto. Y en cuanto te den de alta yo me iría. Únicamente necesito tiempo para buscar un lugar donde pueda vivir. Se lo pediría a alguien más pero no tengo familia ni… amigos.- dijo triste.
Terry le hizo seña para que se acercara y Susana se sentó en la cama. Él tocó su rostro, sintiendo un intenso deseo por protegerla. Los peores insultos cruzaron por su mente en referencia a la señora Marlowe. En un impulso, besó la frente de Susana. El corazón enamorado de la joven latió rápidamente y su cara cambió a mil colores.
-No estás sola y tienes un amigo. Conmigo te basta y te sobra. No llores, Susana. Tranquila; no estás sola. Me tienes a mí.- le dijo Terry.
Susana rompió en llanto y lo abrazó. Terry la recibió en sus brazos, lleno de ternura.
-Muchas gracias Terry.- le agradeció entre lágrimas. Terry acarició su cabello hasta que ella se separó, sentándose en la cama.
-Puedes mudarte cuando quieras y estar ahí el tiempo que desees. De hecho, Eleanor y yo discutíamos si sería mejor para mí vivir con ella. Y si decido eso, el departamento sería tuyo. Pero bueno, ya veremos. Por lo pronto, mi casa es tu casa.- le dijo con un guiño.
-En verdad, muchas gracias Terry.
-Aunque hay una condición.- la miró serio. –Dime, ¿qué pasó con tu madre para que tomaras esa decisión?- Susana dudó. –Quiero que me digas la verdad. Puedes confiar en mí.- le aseguró Terry. Susana no podía negarle nada.
-Es que ella no está de acuerdo con algo que yo hago.
-¿Qué es ese "algo"?
-Cree que no debería de verte. Dice que pierdo mi tiempo contigo, y también mi reputación, pues nunca te fijarías en mí. Ayer me ha dicho las cosas más horribles.- confesó Susana.
-Entiendo. ¿Y estás segura que no preferirías dejar de verme a mí?- Susana se horrorizó.
-¡No! ¿Qué dices? ¿Ya no quieres que venga?- preguntó con temor.
-No es eso, Susana. Pero irte de tu casa por mí…
-Ella está equivocada, Terry. Ayer lo vi muy claro. Antes no decía nada cuando iba a visitarte a solas a tu departamento. Y ahora se queja porque cree que ya no eres un buen partido. Sé que quiere lo mejor para mí, pero lo mejor es irme. Quizás con el tiempo ella entenderá.- dijo Susana.
"¿Desde cuándo eres madura?" se preguntó Terry sonriendo.
-Es tu decisión y te apoyo.
-Gracias Terry. Entonces me iré para mudarme, si no te molesta, y vendré más tarde.
-Claro que no. Es tu casa. La llave está en ese cajón.- le aseguró Terry.
Susana había borrado la tristeza de su rostro. Tomó la llave y salió de la habitación completamente diferente. Eleanor y Candy estaban afuera, esperando. Hasta ese momento Susana vio la maleta de Candy.
-¿Y esa maleta?- Susana se asustó. ¿Candy dejaría a Terry? No podía. Terry estaría destrozado.
-Oh, es que hoy iré a Chicago. He decidido quedarme en Nueva York y tengo que regresar para arreglar unos pendientes.- Susana se alivió.
-Ahh, está bien. Suerte y espero regreses pronto. Luego nos vemos Eleanor.- dijo y se fue.
-Bueno, entraré a despedirme de Terry y después iré a la estación.- dijo Candy.
-Buenos días Terry.
-Hola Candy. Veo que ya estás lista.- dijo al ver la maleta. Se sentía triste por su partida, pero se consoló pues sería por poco tiempo.
-Sí. Vendré muy pronto, tranquilo. Oye, ¿qué tenía Susana?- le preguntó curiosa. En ese momento entraba Eleanor.
-Se mudará a vivir sola. Me pidió estar en mi departamento mientras yo esté aquí.- dijo Terry; no quería dar más detalles.
-Bueno, parece que es una chica valiente. Me alegro por ella; espero sea un cambio para mejorar.- dijo Candy sonriendo. –Ya me iré. Nos veremos pronto.- dijo despidiéndose con la mano y salió.
-Pobre Susana. Terry… ¿no sería mejor que ella viviera conmigo?- preguntó Eleanor.
-También lo pensé, pero ¿y Candy? No puedo vivir solo con ella, por lo que preferiría dejarle a Susana mi apartamento y mudarme contigo y con Candy, si estás de acuerdo.
-Es una buena idea. Claro, hasta que ustedes se casen.- dijo Eleanor, queriendo saber la postura de su hijo al respecto.
La joven caprichosa, Eliza Leagan, se escabullía, con una peluca negra para entrar al hospital. Había estado siguiendo a Candy. La vio salir del hospital con su maleta y pidiendo un coche hacia la estación.
-¿Así que ya te vas, Candy? Es mi oportunidad.- dijo Eliza.
Se acomodó su peluca y vio con alegría que la recepcionista era otra a la del día anterior. Sonrío para sus adentros. Tenía otra oportunidad.
-Hola, buenos días señorita. He venido a ver a mi compañero de teatro, Terruce.- dijo Eliza ofreciendo su mejor sonrisa.
-¿Su compañera de teatro?- preguntó la recepcionista.
-Sí, antes del accidente, por supuesto. Quería venir antes pero estábamos muy presionados por el estreno.
-Mm, bueno, está bien. Siga ese pasillo, subiendo las escaleras a la izquierda la tercera habitación.- dijo no muy convencida. Eliza sonrió.
-Muchas gracias.- dijo y se dirigió a ver a Terry.
Al llegar al cuarto, antes de tocar escuchó voces. Decidió que sería mejor escuchar la conversación primero. Eliza se preguntó con quién estaría Terry.
-Esa era mi ilusión antes; casarme con Candy. Le iba a pedir matrimonio pero ahora… Tengo tantas dudas, Eleanor. Prefiero esperar. Quiero que ella esté consciente de lo que pasaría si se casa con un inválido.- dijo Terry, sintiendo lástima por él mismo.
"¿Eleanor? ¿Quién será Eleanor?" se preguntó Eliza.
-Esperar es buena idea. Podrán vivir conmigo el tiempo que consideres necesario, hijo.- dijo Eleanor en una clara muestra de apoyo hacia su único hijo.
"¿Hijo? ¿Acaso será la madre de Terry?" pensaba Eliza.
-Gracias Eleanor.
-¿Crees que Candy regrese pronto?- preguntó ella.
-Tal vez. Me dijo que tiene que renunciar en el hospital y hablar con sus amigos. Además de traer sus cosas, por supuesto. Hablando de mover cosas, ¿necesitará ayuda Susana al mudarse a mi apartamento?- preguntó Terry preocupado.
Eleanor se extrañó. Su hijo no era egoísta, pero rara vez le interesaban los demás. ¿Sería que su hijo sentiría algo por Susana y también por eso dudaba sobre casarse con Candy? Aunque también pensó en Susana, sola.
-Sería bueno que yo vaya a ayudarle. Regresaré para que comamos los tres, ¿te parece?
-Muchas gracias, Eleanor.
-No tardo hijo.- dijo y salió.
Eliza, de cabello negro, fingió entrar a la habitación de al lado y vio a nada más y nada menos que a la famosa actriz Eleanor Baker. "Eleanor Baker es la madre de Terry", pensó con seguridad. Era un rumor que había oído cuando vio la obra de "El Rey Lear", en Chicago, sin embargo ahora lo confirmaba. Además, sabía que Candy estaba en Chicago, y volvería para quedarse con Terry a vivir. Hasta que Eleanor se fue, entró Eliza a la habitación de Terry.
-Hola Terry…- dijo Eliza al entrar.
-¡Eliza! ¿Qué rayos haces aquí?- preguntó Terry. –Sal, no quiero verte.
-Oh, Terry. Estaba muy preocupada por ti.- dijo ella acercándose a su cama. –Pero me alegra que estés bien. La vida nos da una segunda oportunidad para estar juntos.- dijo, tratando de darle un beso a Terry. Terry la esquivó. No estaba de humor para ella.
-Lárgate Eliza. Ni en ésta vida ni en la otra. Aunque fueras la última mujer sobre la faz de la tierra…- dijo Terry.
-¿Cómo te atreves a hablarme así? ¿Qué no entiendes que sólo yo te convengo?
-Tú, niña caprichosa, no le convienes a nadie.
-Eres un idiota inválido. Déjame decirte que tú tampoco le convienes a nadie. Pobre Candy. Atada a ti, para siempre. A un cojo que no le servirá para nada. Candy, sufrirá a tu lado. ¿Sabes por qué? Porque ella ama a otro. A Albert. Ese vagabundo con el que vive. Pero ahora, se quedará contigo por lástima. ¿Sí lo sabías? ¡Qué lástima me dan!- dijo Eliza con una carcajada.
-Vete. Y no vuelvas.- dijo Terry, sin mirarla.
Eliza, sonriente, se marchó.
-Muchas gracias señorita.- agradeció a la recepcionista y salió del hospital.
-Es una lástima tener que esperar hasta que Candy vuelva para ver si funcionó mi plan. Pero bueno, valdrá la pena.- dijo abordando un coche.
-¡Maldita víbora!- gritó Terry, lanzando el florero que se encontraba en su mesa de noche. Una enfermera entró rápidamente al oír el cristal roto. –Largo. Quiero estar solo.- dijo, y se tiró en su cama.
La enfermera salió y Terry se sintió más triste que nunca. No creía lo de Albert y Candy, pero sabía que él ya no era un buen partido para Candy. Eso sí que lo sabía, y le dolía admitir que era posible que Candy estuviera con él por lástima o compromiso.
_**Algunas horas después, Chicago…**_
Albert se encontraba trabajando cuando, repentinamente, se desmayó.
-¡Albert! ¡Albert!- trataban de hacer que reaccionara pero no funcionó. Albert seguía en el suelo, inconsciente.
Mientras tanto, una pecosa rubia llegaba a Chicago.
-A esta hora, Albert debe estar trabajando. ¿Podré ir a visitarlo?- se preguntó Candy. –Ya casi es su hora de comer, tal vez es buena idea ir.- decidió.
**Continuará…**
**¿Qué tal? Pobre Susana y pobre Terry. Ambos están pasando por un mal momento. Y ¿por qué se sentirá así Albert? ¿Qué pasará cuando Candy le cuente del accidente? ¿Qué sentirán ambos al verse? REVIEWS con TODAS sus sugerencias y comentarios. Mil gracias por seguir leyendo mi historia, sus comentarios me hacen el día!**
End file.
| fanfiction |
Harry Potter Public Sex & Private Manners
Public Sex & Private Manners
By: ForbidenMaggiks
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter but I love it so I hope you love the story!
Author's Notes: Title is inspired by Strawberry's best friend! (Thanks!) Anyway I hope you like it and review it and for those of you who know my stories I'm up dating all of them little by little. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
It is over, finally and forever over and though it took the lives of many on both sides there is little regret left at its end. Unarguably the saddest loss being that of Albus Dumbledore one of the greatest headmaster's of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A father to most of his students, a headmaster who made school another home…Dumbledore you shall always be missed.
Yet no death was insignificant on either side as both sides in every war have its loved ones, its hero's.
To the families of the hero's Parvati Patil who died saving a muggle family, Alicia Spinnet who saved the life of Justin Finch-Fletchely, Lee Jordan for his part in saving those captured by Voldemort and Oliver Wood for his part in protecting those inside Hogwarts seeking shelter from the horrors of the war.
To the families of those who fought for there beliefs my condolences to the parents of Millicent Bulstrode and Marcus Flint.
To Mrs. Malfoy and Draco Malfoy, who were against the war, for the loss of a husband and father. To Blaise Zabini for the loss of a father and wishes of a speedy recovery for your mother who fought to protect students caught in the battle on Plate Form Nine and Three Quarters.
And wishes of happiness to a Pansy Parkinson who helped save Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger.
To the faculty and staff of all magical hospitals, schools, shelters and departments in the Ministry of Magic eternally thankful are those you saved you are, I am sure, angels in everyone's prayers.
In this new age an age without fear of death or oppression cheers to a new start to old faces and even newer ones and hope…hope you remember the mistakes of the past and make a future brighter than before.
Sincerely Virginia Weasley,
of the Daily Prophet.
"So?" an inpatient red head demanded of her editor and chief, with pouting lips at the ready. Her overly strict and painfully anal boss looked the article over several times while slowly sipping his coffee. Beady eyes scanning for the slightest error, purple robes in its usual impeccable place with every greasy strand of his short hair perfectly in place to hide the growing bald spot no one would dare mention.
To say he was a rude little fat man that couldn't stop watching the ass of every female employ was going a bit far but not by much. He was nice enough and kept hands off and best of all he kept the new, anonymous, head of the Daily Prophet and that THING Rita Skeeter off her ass. The old bat, since Ginny's first day on the job, had thought the red head to be her personal assistant and convincing her other wise had taken a few choice words and a bruised ego.
But now the only thing standing in the way of her relaxing weekend in Paris was a fat man in to tight robes with-
"Alright your clear for this weeks article Weasley, I'll see you back here on Monday."
-the sweetest disposition what a-
"After you clear this with the new head of the paper upstairs on the twelfth floor."
-disgusting piece of shit!
"But sir-"
"I don't want to hear it Red, it isn't my call. The new guy wants to meet and greet everyone."
"Which is just a nice way of saying weed out the idiots and hire new ones to start Monday," Ginny shot back with pout at full force checking her pocket watch.
The vivacious red head had taken to blending the old with the new in reference to style of dress wearing an all black female pants suit with a white collar long sleeved under shirt that left just enough up to the imagination to be acceptable in a work related environment. A strapy pair of black heels and long free copper curls with light make up finished the look that was all her own in the wizarding community.
"But, my plane leaves in an hour!" Ginny wined.
"Your fault for taking muggle transportation," he shoot back without remorse.
"Boss you know I'm dating a muggle I can't use magic around him!"
"Well, serves you right for dating a muggle, stupid creatures indeed."
"I'm pretending you didn't say that and come on can't I reschedule or something! Please! You know you want to…" she continued leaning on the obviously old oat desk as her employer tried to ignore her pretending to be reading over paper work. "You owe me for that piece I did on with the new Minister of Magic and that inside cover story on Harry."
"I already told you-"
"I know what you said but come on!" in desperation she did what all loyal employs did when begging alone wouldn't work with there boss…they begged and shock the table around while complaining loudly, "Please! Please! Please! I'll quit if you say no!"
"Than quit!" he shouted in irritation.
(((20 minutes later)))
"Brain wait don't hang up," Ginny begged from her private office phone to her boyfriend, "I can meet you in Paris and we'll still have a great time!"
"It's not about that Gin," a deep angry voice answered back very much aggravated, "you said you'd dedicate more time to us but your still at work. Where are we going with this anyway, huh? I have never even meet a friends of your or a family member. I don't even know where you work or what school you went to. It was cute at first but now it's just ridiculous so you know what we're through."
"No Brain wait-" but all that answered was the lifeless dial tone from Brains phone, a nice man really, studying to be a doctor with a beautiful family he wasn't afraid to introduce her to, they loved her, good health no bad habits not afraid of commitment great smile perfect body with short brown hair and the sex was amazing. Yeah he was perfect…well except for the fact that he was dating her.
''Was' being the operative word,' the young Weasley thought gloomily, she even thought of letting him meet her parents…well maybe just Bill and Charlie. But damn it all there wasn't a perfect man out there that she didn't traumatize and poor Brain had just become lucky number nine. A three year relationship down the drain.
With a depressed sigh the young writer gathered her things and headed for the elevator all thoughts of work drowned out by the thought of drowning her sorrows in the nearest pint of Ben and Jerry's.
(((Twelfth Floor)))
"It's a nice enough article but the real point of this meeting was to meet up with its writer, Mr. Tobin."
"I understand sir and normally she would be here in my place, I sent her up hours go but she seems to have disappeared. No one in the office knows where she went. She's not answering at home or any of my magical pages." The older man admitted nervously to his new superior.
"Is there a problem I should be made aware of?" The man behind a delicately carved rose would desk inquired lifting an impeccably done eyebrow.
"No sir I don't think so she might have just gone on anther hunt for a story that's all, she never answers when she's on the job."
"Fine than, you're dismissed, have her come in first thing in the morning. Good night Mr. Tobin."
"Good night, sir."
(((Out side the Office)))
Having closed the door behind him Michael Tobin breathed a sigh of relief with a promise of vengeance on a certain red headed writer.
(((Inside the Office)))
A far to familiar pop sound invaded the silence of Draco Malfoy's new office but he didn't bother to look up and notice his long time best friend Blaise Zabini standing before him.
As opposite as day and night where Draco held blond hair Blaise sported black and while there complexions were both a healthy peach Blaise was an inch smaller yet they both held a sleek firm body equal to that of any Adonis and in place of Draco's soft grey eyes Blaise stood with ones of pale green, truly a team yet to be revealed.
"Well, I never thought I'd see the see the day, a working Malfoy. Dear God, stop the presses!"
"Well I need something to keep the millions coming and it's clearly not coming from the corpse of my father."
"I hear that," the black haired young man acknowledged as he sat himself down in one of the two chairs that faced his friend's desk. "Next week I start to run the Wizarding Stock Market at the Paris head quarters until they're full transferred to London."
"Well than I say I got off light."
"Indeed, I should get back to the manor. What about you, sticking around for more work?"
"Yeah, a little" the young Malfoy admitted while stretching in his sit, "than I think I'll grab a drink."
"Ah yes that's right you have a dinner thing with your girlfriend."
"No, we broke up." Draco answered without a bit of regret, "she said something about me not paying enough attention or something or other. I really didn't know I wasn't paying attention."
"Still waiting for a certain red head to come waltzing back into your life," at the look of denial Blaise continued, "Oh come now you can't deny she had something to do with you buying up this particular new paper. And, than wanting to meet every employ please Draco there's no use denying it."
"It's not…I…I don't know anymore and I just don't care," he finished sounding more resolute unbuttoning the jacket of his black three piece suit, "I need a drink." And with an undeniable pop the blond was gone with Zabini not far behind.
Author's Notes: You'll love chapter two, its already written, I'll post it up after I get some reviews so remember love it hate it like it write it! Review Baby!
Good night, kiddies! Do anything I would! (And that's a whole hell of a lot!)
P.S. You like this you might like the rest of mine so try them if you dare!
End file.
| fanfiction |
gram - positive anaerobic cocci ( gpac ) account for approximately 2530% of all isolated anaerobic bacteria from clinical specimens .
gpac are the part of the commensal flora , but they often can become opportunistic pathogens .
gpac can be isolated from a wide variety of sites such as blood , abscesses , and infections of skin and soft tissue , joints and bones , mouth , respiratory tract , gut , and urogenital tract .
the taxonomy of this heterogeneous group has undergone extensive changes in the last decades due to the development and application of molecular identification methods , including pcr and the sequencing of the 16s rrna gene [ 2 , 3 ] .
a new method has been recently introduced for bacterial identification , matrix - assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry ( maldi - tof ms ) .
this rapid , precise , and cost - effective technology has been successfully implemented for accurately identifying gpac . since 1998 ,
the genus peptostreptococcus has been reclassified into several new genera and species . at present , the important genera of gpac that are commonly isolated from clinical material are peptostreptococcus ( mainly pe .
anaerobius ) , peptoniphilus ( pt . harei ) , anaerococcus ( a. vaginalis ) , finegoldia magna , and parvimonas micra [ 5 , 6 ] .
however , they can also be isolated in a pure culture , especially f. magna .
gpac have variable resistance to penicillin ( 710% ) , clindamycin ( 720% ) , and metronidazole ( 510% ) .
owing to the differences in antibiotic susceptibility among gpac species , it is very important to correctly identify isolates and test their susceptibility in order to administer effective antibacterial therapy .
the aims of this study were to determine the species diversity of gpac isolated from cancer patients with infectious complications , analyse the sensitivity of these anaerobes to antibiotics , and calculate the resistance levels in our hospital .
the study was performed at the 1,500-bed n. n. blokhin cancer research center , which treats adults and children in moscow , russia , under auspices of the department of health .
all clinical specimens included in this study were collected between june 2004 and october 2014 from patients with various malignancies .
the clinical samples were transported within two hours of collection to a laboratory without the use of special anaerobic transport systems .
they were inoculated onto schaedler agar ( biomerieux , france ) , supplemented with hemin , menadione , and 5% blood .
furthermore , they were placed in a thioglycollate broth ( biomerieux , france ) for enrichment .
all plates were incubated anaerobically using the jar and anaerogen systems ( oxoid , uk ) at 37c for 48 hours .
the primary plates were reincubated anaerobically while the subcultures were incubated aerobically to detect any bacteria that were not strictly anaerobic .
identification of strains isolated until 2012 ( when it was still impossible to use the maldi - tof ms device ) was done by using gram staining and the rapid i d 32a ( biomerieux , france ) , vitek 2 ( biomerieux , france ) , or microscan walkaway ( siemens , uk ) systems .
the gpac strains were stored in 20% skim milk at 70c until their use in this study . in order to ensure final identification of isolates at the species level ,
the matrix - assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry ( maldi - tof ms ) was employed .
pure cultures of each frozen strain were subcultured twice on a blood agar anaerobically and analysed based on the direct transfer method .
single or few colonies were smeared directly onto a metallic target plate in a thin film using an inoculation needle .
all spots were overlaid with 1 l of an -cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid matrix solution in an organic solvent ( 50% acetonitrile and 2,5% trifluoroacetic acid ) .
escherichia coli ribosomal proteins ( bacterial test standard , bruker daltonik , germany ) were used as a positive control and calibration standard .
mass spectra were obtained using microflex lt mass spectrometer ( bruker daltonik , germany ) and then analysed with biotyper 3.0 software within the flexcontrol program . for bacterial identification ,
the peak list for an unknown isolate is compared with the reference library of spectra .
the maldi - tof biotyper output is a log ( score ) in the range of 0 to 3.0 . according to the criteria proposed by the manufacturer , a log ( score ) between 1.7 and 1.99 indicates genus level identification , while a log ( score ) 2 indicates species level identification .
evaluator ( m.i.c.e . ) , a new gradient endpoint device ( oxoid , england ) .
strip operates on a principle similar to that of the original e - test device .
eight antimicrobial agents were tested : metronidazole , amoxicillin / clavulanate , imipenem , penicillin g , vancomycin , linezolid , ciprofloxacin , and levofloxacin .
the inoculum for each isolate was prepared in a saline solution at a density equivalent to the 1.0 mcfarland standard .
after the inoculation of the brucella blood agar plates , strips for each agent were placed onto the plates according to the manufacturer 's instructions .
mic was recorded at the point where the elliptical zone intersected with the strip . since m.i.c.e .
strips sometimes may lead to false results in comparison with reference agar method , all resistant strains have been retested twice .
the mic data was interpreted according to eucast breakpoints . in each batch a quality control for susceptibility was performed using b. fragilis atcc 25285 .
the 81 strains of gpac were isolated from 72 clinical samples , obtained from the head and neck , lung , abdomen , bone and joint , and soft tissue infections of cancer patients . in nine clinical samples ,
a total of 74 isolates ( 91,4% ) were correctly identified at the species level by maldi - tof ms and had scores greater than 2.0 .
three isolates ( finegoldia magna , peptoniphilus harei , and anaerococcus vaginalis ) were identified to genus with a score between 1.8 and 2.0 .
four strains ( one strain of finegoldia magna , two strains of anaerococcus vaginalis , and one strain of peptoniphilus gorbachii ) could not be reliably identified and had scores below 1.7 . the distribution of gpac is shown in table 1 .
peptoniphilus harei ( pt . harei ) was the second most frequently isolated species , followed by parvimonas micra ( pa . micra ) and peptostreptococcus anaerobius ( pe . anaerobius ) , respectively .
the most common sources of isolation of all gpac were skin and soft tissue and gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts .
none of the gpac species were isolated from blood samples during this study . amongst gpac ,
f. magna is the most pathogenic organism , which was most frequently isolated in a pure culture from various clinical infection sites [ 1 , 9 ] . in our study , f. magna was isolated in a pure culture in seven clinical samples ( 18,4% of all f. magna isolates and 8,6% of total gpac ) . as a sole etiological agent
, f. magna was isolated from patients with bone cancer after orthopedic surgery ( three cases ) , from surgical wounds ( three cases ) , and from a patient with cancer of the mediastinum ( one case ) .
f. magna was mainly isolated from surgical wounds ( 45% ) , body fluids ( 29% ) , and abscesses ( 24% ) .
harei was recovered from a variety of infection sources in approximately equal proportions ( table 1 ) .
harei frequently was isolated from clinical samples such as the body fluids ( 43% ) and surgical wounds ( 39% ) and rarely from abscesses ( 13% ) .
harei were correctly identified at the species level by maldi - tof ms . in the past , pt .
asaccharolyticus , since these two species have the same biochemical characteristics and could not be differentiated from each other phenotypically .
anaerobius was most frequently isolated from infections of the skin and soft tissues , as well as infections of the genitourinary tract .
four isolates of anaerococcus vaginalis were obtained from skin and soft tissue infections , as well as wounds ( n = 3 ) and subcutaneous abscess ( n = 1 ) .
identification of the two strains was not reliable , as species vaginalis / hydrogenalis of genus anaerococcus have very similar patterns . therefore , distinguishing their species is difficult .
this was a new species of gpac described in 2007 . in a european study on antimicrobial susceptibility among 299
gpac isolates , mainly from skin and soft tissue infections , the majority of isolates were identified as f. magna ( 37,1% ) , pa .
our data on the species diversity of gpac is in agreement with the study , which was conducted in 10 european countries .
however , there are differences in the percentage ratio of various species , in particular pa .
harei , possibly owing to the more diverse sources of isolation for gpac in our study .
the mic distributions of antimicrobial agents tested against gpac isolates are presented in table 2 .
all isolates were susceptible to imipenem , vancomycin , and linezolid ; the mic ranges were 0.0040.12 , 0.030.5 , and 0.54.0 , respectively .
susceptibility to penicillin g , amoxicillin / clavulanate , metronidazole , ciprofloxacin , and levofloxacin varied for different species . in our hospital , metronidazole is the drug of choice for prevention and treatment of anaerobic infections .
this drug had the highest in vitro activity compared with imipenem and beta - lactam / beta - lactamase inhibitor combinations , in particular amoxicillin / clavulanate .
for most gpac isolates , the mic ranges for metronidazole were 0,251 , 0 g / ml . one f. magna strain isolated in pure culture from a decaying mediastinal tumor was resistant to metronidazole ( 32 g / ml ) .
this strain was also resistant to penicillin g ( 32 g / ml ) , ciprofloxacin ( 32 g / ml ) , and levofloxacin ( 32 g / ml ) while demonstrating intermediate resistance to amoxicillin / clavulanate ( 8 g / ml ) .
eight cases of postoperative mediastinitis due to f. magna have been described in literature , three of which were monomicrobial . however , isolated strains have been susceptible to regular antibiotics .
f. magna isolates showed the highest mic values for penicillin ( 0.12 g / ml ) , amoxicillin / clavulanate ( 0.060.12 g / ml ) , and imipenem ( 0.030.06 g / ml ) as compared to other gpac .
nonetheless , all strains were susceptible to these antibiotics with the exception of one multidrug - resistant strain ( table 2 ) .
a total of 26 ( 68% ) and 27 ( 71% ) isolates of f. magna were resistant to ciprofloxacin ( 32 g / ml ) and levofloxacin ( 32 g / ml ) , respectively .
one strain with reduced susceptibility to levofloxacin ( 8 g / ml ) was isolated .
fluoroquinolone resistance among gpac has been reported with 14% and 27% resistance to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin , respectively .
harei showed the highest mic values for ciprofloxacin ( 1 - 2 g / ml ) and levofloxacin ( 48 g / ml ) as compared to other gpac species .
one isolate was resistant to ciprofloxacin ( 32 g / ml ) while one strain demonstrated intermediate resistance ( 8 g / ml ) .
a total of 12 isolates ( 52% ) were resistant or showed intermediate resistance to levofloxacin ( mic 832 g / ml ) . with the exception of fluoroquinolones , pt .
micra , two isolates were highly resistant to metronidazole ( mic 256 g / ml ) and were sensitive to other tested antibiotics .
two isolates had reduced susceptibility to metronidazole ( 4 g / ml ) , as well as reduced susceptibility to penicillin ( 0,5 g / ml ) .
furthermore , pa . micra strains showed the lowest mic values for amoxicillin / clavulanate ( 0.0150.03 g / ml ) and imipenem ( 0.0040.008 g / ml ) as compared to other gpac species ( table 2 ) .
five isolates had mic values for penicillin 0.0040.015 g / ml , while two isolates had intermediate resistance ( 0.5 g / ml ) and one strain was resistant to penicillin ( 32 g / ml ) .
this latter strain was also resistant to levofloxacin ( 32 g / ml ) and had reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin ( 8 g / ml ) .
one strain was resistant to penicillin ( 1 g / ml ) , as well as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin ( 32 g / ml for each ) .
the second strain was only resistant to penicillin ( 32 g / ml ) .
all pe . anaerobius isolates were susceptible to metronidazole , amoxicillin / clavulanate , and imipenem . however , three strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin ( 32 g / ml ) .
the combination of amoxicillin / clavulanic acid has been reported as being less effective against pe .
all a. vaginalis isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin ( 32 g / ml ) but were sensitive to other tested antibiotics .
gorbachii isolate was susceptible to all drugs , with the exception of levofloxacin ( 16 g / ml ) . the resistance of a. vaginalis and pt .
gorbachii isolates to levofloxacin was noted by other authors [ 12 , 15 ] . in conclusion ,
correct identification of gpac to species level and their susceptibility to antimicrobial agents is necessary in order to administer effective antibiotic therapy , as such data can vary substantially in different clinics .
furthermore , much consideration must be given to the reduced susceptibility of gpac to penicillin , as well as frequent reports of resistance to metronidazole , which are often used in empirical antimicrobial therapy of infections caused by gpac . | pubmed |
One Piece 1. Chapter 1
_**Estos personajes pertenecen a Eiichiro Oda. Disfrutad con la lectura.**_
Un viento gélido azotaba las jarcias del Thousand Sunny mientras con gran presteza surcaba las olas que arremetían sin piedad contra el casco azotando la baranda y empapando a sus ocupantes, quienes trataban de controlar el rumbo del barco a la vez que luchaban contra la tormenta que los había engullido tan repentinamente que ni siquiera su experta e intuitiva navegante había sido capaz de prever hasta que ya fue demasiado tarde para sortearla.
En aquel momento, todo eran órdenes cruzadas y confusas que se fundían con el viento en lo que parecía un vano intento de salvar el barco. Nunca se habían enfrentado a una tormenta como aquella del Nuevo Mundo, y pese a que sabían que allí los mares eran complicados y peligrosos, nunca se habrían imaginado nada parecido a lo que les aguardaba aquella noche.
-¡Franky!- gritó Nami con todas sus fuerzas luchando contra el ruido del mar embravecido para seguir dando las instrucciones pertinentes. -¡Vira 13º al este y usa un Coup de Burst! ¡Tenemos que salir ya de aquí, o el barco no lo resistirá!
-¡Imposible! – Gritó Franky a la vez que se protegía de una ola que había llegado a la cubierta dándole de lleno.- ¡Se nos acabó la cola en la última huida de la marina! ¡Apenas quedan dos latas!
-Maldición…- murmuró la navegante. Era la única salida que tenían, su única oportunidad de sobrevivir residía en llegar al claro que estaba en aquel punto concreto, pero con el viento, el oleaje y las corrientes era imposible lograrlo sin el Coup de Burst… Quizá con otro de los artilugios del Sunny podrían lograrlo, pero sin cola, estaban perdidos. Sin embargo, no podía darse así por vencida. Veía a sus nakamas luchar contra la tormenta, cómo subían y bajaban por los cabos y los intrincados recovecos del Sunny para llegar a sitios imposibles y así asegurar el barco… Llevaban cerca de 3 horas en mitad de la tormenta, y todos estaban exhaustos y con heridas producidas por choques y cortes debido a los bamboleos del barco. Sólo era cuestión de tiempo que se hundieran o que alguno cayera por la borda, pero no sería ella quien se rendiría. No podía permitírselo con aquella tripulación, después de todo, era una Mugiwara.
De repente, algo cambió. El viento se hizo mucho más frío, pero también más suave, y pese a que las olas seguían siendo grandes, habían reducido considerablemente su tamaño. Fue cuestión de segundos que la tormenta arremetiera, dejando que algunas estrellas comenzaran a aparecer tímidamente en el firmamento de una noche despejada y calma.
La tripulación de los Mugiwaras decidió que sería mejor permanecer alerta pese al cansancio, y quedarse lo que quedaba de noche en pie por si volvía la tormenta, situación que Chopper aprovechó para curar las heridas de la tripulación mientras Sanji preparaba unas bebidas calientes, no sin antes haberse cambiado todos de ropa para estar secos y entrar antes en calor.
-¿Dónde está Zoro? –Preguntó Luffy tras darle un sorbo a la bebida.
- El marimo se fue con Chopper- dijo Sanji dando una calada al cigarro.- Parece ser que tiene una herida bastante fea en el hombro.
Aquel comentario despertó la atención de los tripulantes, haciendo que se pusieran alerta. Debía de haber sido un golpe muy fuerte para que Zoro hubiera accedido ir a la enfermería.
-¿Qué le ha pasado al espadachín?- preguntó Robin cerrando el libro que sostenía en sus manos, haciendo que todos prestaran atención a la respuesta del cocinero.
-Una ola le dio de lleno y lo empotró contra la baranda de popa, y del impacto se rompió y un trozo de madera le atravesó el hombro… -Dijo Sanji serio, mientras los demás se ponían tensos.
- ¿A qué vienen esas caras tan largas?- Preguntó Zoro entrando por la puerta de la cocina.- Podéis estar tranquilos –dijo con una sonrisa tranquilizadora.- Las he tenido peores, es más, he ido a la enfermería porque si no a Chopper le habría dado algo… no dejaba de gritar "¡Un médico! ¡Un médico!".- Todos rieron ante la broma de Zoro dejando escapar la tensión acumulada y respirando aliviados.
- Eso no es verdad…- se oyó una vocecita avergonzada detrás de Zoro.- Yo no hago eso.
-Vamos doctor, es una broma del espadachín, todos sabemos que eres el mejor médico.
-Sí Chopper, si no, no te tendría en mi tripulación, ¿no crees? El Rey de los Piratas no puede tener a cualquiera a su lado.- Dijo Luffy con una gran sonrisa, que provocó que Chopper se pusiera rojo y bailara de la emoción mientras repetía una y otra vez que con aquellos halagos no le harían feliz, para disfrute de todos.
-Bueno, será mejor que pase el siguiente- dijo finalmente.- Si la tormenta vuelve quiero que estéis todos atendidos.
Todos asintieron, y uno por uno fueron pasando por la consulta del doctor, hasta que finalmente, se hizo de día sin más percances.
2. Chapter 2
Tras una ardua y larga noche, el sol finalmente salió, alumbrando con su luz los desperfectos ocurridos por la noche.
Los Mugiwara, pese al agotamiento y el dolor de los golpes recibidos durante la noche, decidieron salir a echar un vistazo al barco, no sin antes coger abrigos lo más calientes posible, pues la temperatura era muy baja.
-Este frío me llega a los huesos… Pero claro, soy sólo…
-¿Huesos?
-¿Por qué eres tan frío conmigo Ussop-san…?- Preguntó Brook con un aura negra de tristeza rodeándole por completo ante la divertida mirada del francotirador por la reacción tan exagerada del esqueleto.
-La verdad es que sí que hace frío…- murmuró Nami mientras el vaho salía de su boca.- ¿Por qué será?- dijo frotándose las manos.
-Quizá nos estemos acercando a una isla de invierno- dijo Luffy sonriente mientras recordaba su aventura en Punk Hazard.
-Supongo que tienes razón- dijo Nami. "¿Pero qué me pasa? Primero no soy capaz de ver venir una tormenta de proporciones épicas, y ahora no se me ocurre que estemos cerca de una isla de invierno…" Pensó agobiada.
-Sea como sea, será mejor que hagamos un reconocimiento por el barco para ver que desperfectos causó la tormenta de anoche.
Todos asintieron y cada uno fue hacia un lado del barco. Luffy fue a la proa, Ussop junto con Chopper a estribor, Franky cogió el submarino para ver los desperfectos del casco, Zoro subió al nido de cuervo, Robin y Brook se dirigieron a babor y Nami al huerto de los mandarinos. El único que quedó exculpado de la revisión fue Sanji, quien se puso a preparar el desayuno para todos.
A lo largo del barco sólo se veían agujeros, cuerdas y cabos colgando, y trozos de la madera de la baranda desperdigados por la cubierta. El lugar menos afectado de todos fue, para sorpresa de Nami, el huerto de los mandarinos.
-¿Qué tal han resistido los árboles?
Nami se giró sobresaltada con un trozo de rama con una mandarina colgando en las manos.
-Parece que bien- sonrió a Zoro.- Pensé que me habría quedado sin ellos… es increíble que apenas se hayan movido… Espera, están asegurados con un cabo… ¿sabes quién lo hizo?
-Ni idea, habrá sido el cocinero.
-Supongo que sí, anoche había tanto caos que no tengo ni idea de lo que hizo cada uno…- No pudo evitar fijarse en el brazo en cabestrillo de Zoro. Con toda la confusión y el cansancio no se había percatado de que lo tenía inmovilizado.- Pensé que sólo te iban a poner una venda, como siempre.
-¿Mmm? Ah, ¿esto?- dijo señalándose el brazo.- Bah, Chopper insistió en que debía ponerme esto, y es un incordio.- Farfulló.
- ¿Y desde cuando haces caso a Chopper?- Preguntó con una sonrisa burlona.
Zoro se limitó a encogerse de hombros, sin poder reprimir una pequeña mueca de dolor que la navegante captó al vuelo, haciendo que le entrara la curiosidad mientras veía cómo Zoro se alejaba.
Ya habían acabado de desayunar y estaban realmente agotados, por lo que poco a poco, se fueron dirigiendo a sus habitaciones para dormir. Sólo quedaban en la cocina Sanji y Nami, que se había ofrecido para ayudar al cocinero con los platos.
-Antes de que se me olvide, gracias por asegurar los mandarinos, no lo llegas a hacer y me habría quedado sin ellos- Dijo Nami con una sonrisa mientras aclaraba uno de los vasos.
-Creo que te has equivocado de persona- dijo Sanji con una sonrisa.- Pero… ¡Que sepas que me alaga mucho que hayas pensado en mí en primera instancia Nami-swan! –Chilló emocionado con los ojos en forma de corazón.- ¡Esto sólo puede significar que nuestro amor es mút…!
-Me lo dijo Zoro- Le cortó Nami distraída, sin darse siquiera cuenta de que el cocinero estaba en un rincón de la cocina encogido y llorando en silencio por aquel corte tan brusco que había recibido de su navegante.- Qué raro… en fin, supongo que era lo lógico.- Finalizó con una sonrisa.- A propósito… oye Sanji… ¿Sanji? ¿Qué haces en ese rincón? Ven aquí anda, que si no no vamos a acabar nunca. Lo que te decía, ¿tú viste cómo se dio el golpe en el hombro?
-Lo cierto es que no, me lo encontré así cuando paró la tormenta, ¿por qué?
-Me preocupa un poco… se me hace muy raro que vaya a la enfermería sólo porque se lo pida Chopper y que además se deje inmovilizar el brazo.
-No te preocupes por eso Nami, sabes de sobra que Zoro es así, y además, como él dijo, las ha tenido peores.
-Supongo que sí… ¿Te importa si acabas tú con los platos? Me gustaría ir a mirar un par de cosas.
-Claro, no hay problema.- Se despidió Sanji.- Además, si tú supieras todo lo que ha aguantado ese cabeza lechuga…- Murmuró cuando Nami ya había salido de la habitación recordando todo lo sucedido en Thriller Bark.
-¿Chopper?- Llamó Nami tímidamente a la puerta por si estaba dormido.
-¿Sí? Pasa.- Nami suspiró y entró en la consulta.
-No te he despertado, ¿verdad?
-No, que va, estaba mirando un par de cosas- dijo el renito metiendo un libro debajo de otro.- ¿Qué pasa? ¿Te encuentras mal?
-No, no es eso, es simplemente que me preocupa la herida de Zoro, se me hace raro que se haya dejado tratar e inmovilizar sólo porque se lo hayas pedido… es decir, otras veces lo ignora completamente.
-En realidad, yo no le pedí que me dejara curarlo… vino él donde mí.
-¿Qué?
-Os lo dije, "Eso no es cierto", pero no me hicisteis caso, ¿recuerdas?
-Pensamos que te referías a otra cosa…- dijo Nami ahora más preocupada.- Chopper, sé que no puedes, pero necesito que me digas qué le pasa a Zoro en el brazo.- El renito se quedó callado por unos instantes sopesándolo. Era evidente que había algo que le preocupaba.- Chopper, estoy preocupada, por favor…- dijo Nami muy seria.
Chopper se limitó a sacar el libro que había estado mirando, y cuando Nami lo vio, la angustia y el miedo aparecieron en su cara.
3. Chapter 3
-No puede ser… ¡Chopper, dime que no va a haber que amputarle el brazo a Zoro! –Gritó Nami histérica zarandeando a Chopper.
-Nami, tranquilízate, y baja la voz, o vas a despertar a todo el barco…- dijo Chopper logrando callar a Nami.- No, no va a haber que amputarle el brazo… al menos en un principio. Déjame acabar.- Dijo el renito al ver la cara de horror de Nami y cómo sus ojos se ponían rojos mientras se mordía el labio inferior.- El problema, es que donde está la herida es difícil de curar, hay muchos ligamentos, tendones etc que pasan por ahí, así que será una rehabilitación larga… pero lo que más me preocupa, es que apenas tenemos medicamentos, y si se le infecta la herida, puede ser muy peligroso, ya que sí que se podría llegar a la amputación.
Nami escuchaba atentamente al doctor, algo más tranquila.
-Pero… ¿es seguro que se va a infectar?
-En absoluto, pero hay que tenerlo vigilado las próximas dos semanas, podría ser que la infecció comience en un lugar profundo y no lo veamos hasta que avance bastante.
-De acuerdo…
-De momento no podemos hacer nada, así que será mejor que vayamos a dormir un poco, ¿te parece?
-Sí, creo que será lo mejor.- Dijo Nami levantándose de la silla.
-Ah, y Nami, no se lo puedes decir a nadie, ¿de acuerdo?- Preguntó en renito a la navegante haciendo que se parara en el umbral de la puerta, asintiendo ligeramente y saliendo de la habitación hacia la biblioteca.
4. Chapter 4
Ya era la hora de comer en el Sunny, pero todos seguían durmiendo, a excepción de dos personas: Nami, que seguía en la biblioteca mirando libros sobre el clima en el Nuevo Mundo, y Luffy, que no pudo resistir el hambre y decidió saquear la despensa, volviendo a dormir cuando hubo acabado.
A lo largo del día los Mugiwara fueron imitando a su capitán, acercándose a la cocina para comer algo y después volver a la cama a recuperarse, hasta que finalmente, el aroma del desayuno recién hecho logró despertarlos a todos a la vez haciendo que se reunieran en la cocina.
-¡Me muero de hambre!- Se quejaba Luffy, que había llegado el primero y llevaba un rato esperando a los demás.- Sanji… Déjame empezar, porfa…- pedía con la boca llena de babas por la comida que tenía delante.
-Ya te he dicho que no, hasta que no lleguen todos no se empieza.
-¿Y quién falta?
-Pues Zoro y…
-De eso nada, yo estoy aquí.- Dijo Zoro entrando a la cocina.- Échale las culpas a otro.- Rió.
-En ese caso, falta…- prosiguió ignorándole.- ¡Mi Nami-saaaaan!
-¡NAMIIIII! –Gritó Luffy a pleno pulmón llamando a su navegante, a la vez que recibía una patada de Sanji en la cabeza.
-¿Qué te crees que estás haciendo? ¿Y si está dormida qué? ¡La vas a despertar!
-Pero Sanji… Tengo hambre, y soy el capitán, así que…
-¡Qué no!
-Buenos días chicos- dijo Nami entrando con el abrigo puesto, la nariz completamente roja y cara de no haber pegado ojo en toda la noche.
-Nami-san, ¿te encuentras bien?- Preguntó Brook.
-Sí, no es nada- sonrió afablemente.
-Pues yo no te veo demasiado bien…- Observó Ussop.
-En ese caso… ¿sería tan amable de enseñarme sus brag…?- No pudo terminar la frase por un puñetazo de Nami, que hizo que se cayera de la silla y quedara tirado en el suelo.- Pues sí que está bien…- Confirmó a Ussop aún en el suelo haciendo que todos rieran.
-Simplemente fui a la biblioteca a buscar unos libros sobre el clima, me puse a investigar un poco, y se me fue el santo al cielo.
-¿No has dormido?- Preguntó Ussop distrayéndose lo suficiente para que su comida desapareciera del plato por culpa de su capitán, trasladando la atención de todos a aquello, y evadiendo la respuesta, a excepción de Zorro, que observaba atentamente el frotar de las manos por el frío de la navegante.
Todos acabaron de desayunar, y cada uno se dedicó a sus quehaceres o a ayudar a Franky con la reparación del Sunny.
Zoro paseaba por la cubierta sin poder hacer prácticamente nada gracias a su brazo derecho y a la insistente vigilancia del doctor, cuando vio a la navegante en el campo de los naranjos y decidió acercarse.
-¿Qué haces aún aquí?- Preguntó Zoro con el ceño fruncido.- Deberías irte a descansar un poco.
-No es necesario.- Dijo Nami sin siquiera girarse, atenta a distintos aparatos climáticos que había colocado allí.- Estoy bien.
-Llevas sin dormir desde anoche, y a juzgar por tus temblores y el color blanco y azul de tu cara, has estado toda la noche aquí fuera.
-¿Y qué si lo he hecho? No me apetecía dormir.
-¿Qué pasa?- Preguntó Zoro colocándose delante de ella y poniéndose serio.
-No pasa nada, pero necesito concentrarme para tomar bien las mediciones.
-Acabarás poniéndote enferma, ve a la cama.
-Joder Zoro, que no soy una niña, déjame trabajar tranquila.- Levantó la voz cabreándose.
-Tú veras, pero cuando estés enferma, no me vengas con lamentos.- Dijo Zoro malhumorado mientras se iba de allí.
-¡Tranquilo que no lo haré!
5. Chapter 5
Los días fueron pasando, y el Sunny estaba prácticamente arreglado, sólo faltaba la zona del huerto, donde Nami trabajaba incesantemente día y noche, sin permitir que nadie entrara allí.
La tripulación cada día estaba más preocupada por ella. Se saltaba comidas, se pasaba noches en vela… El único contacto que tenía con ellos era o cuando coincidían en la cocina o cuando se pasaba por la sala del timón para corregir el rumbo. Sin embargo, nadie se atrevía a saltarse su restricción, por lo que Sanji cambió la norma de las comidas, y decidió que se esperaría media hora para ver si aparecía la navegante. En caso de que no fuera así, todos podrían empezar a comer.
Era de noche, y tan sólo habían pasado 10 minutos de la nueva norma del cocinero, pero Luffy no hacía más que lloriquear pidiendo comida y babear sobre la mesa.
-Esto es ridículo- Dijo Zoro levantándose de la mesa.
-Espera, ¿dónde te crees que vas marimo?
-A buscar a Nami, lleva sin comer más de un día.
-Te va a echar la bronca- murmuró Chopper.
-Bah, estoy acostumbrado, en ese sentido soy el idóneo para ir a buscarla.
-Sí, en eso tiene razón.- Asintieron todos.
-Pero Zoro, una cosa…- dijo Luffy poniéndose serio por un instante.- Traela rápido… ¡Tengo mucho hambre!
Zoro cerró la puerta de la cocina mientras el cocinero golpeaba a su capitán y le gritaba sobre modales y prioridades mientras todos reían ante la escena.
-Uff, hace un frío horrible, ni con el abrigo y los guantes estoy a gusto…-murmuraba Zoro mientras un escalofrío recorría su espalda.
Llegó a los mandarinos, y tal como esperaba, se encontró allí a Nami, muerta del frío, mientras seguía tomando mediciones y leyendo libros.
-¿Nami?
-¿Q…qué q…quieres?- tartamudeó Nami por el frío.
-Para empezar que no te congeles- bromeó Zoro haciendo que Nami le echara una mirada fulminante.- Vale, vale, qué irascible estás, chica… Vamos dentro, te estamos esperando para cenar.
-No tengo hambre.-dijo en voz baja.
-Eso es imposible, ¿Cuánto llevas sin comer? ¿Un día? Si incluso has adelgazado.
-¿Qué eres, mi padre? Sé cuidarme sola.
-No estoy de acuerdo con eso, y si tengo que hacer de padre, lo haré, así que vamos, a cenar y a dormir, necesitas descansar.
-No me pienso mover de aquí, estoy bien.
-Tienes dos opciones, o venir conmigo ya o que te lleve a la fuerza.
-No serás capaz… ¡Zoro! ¡Bájame ahora mismo!- Chilló golpeándole la espalda con los puños mientras él avanzaba hacia el interior del barco.- ¡He dicho que me bajes!
-De eso nada, ya que te niegas a razonar como una persona adulta, lo haré a la fuerza.
-¡BÁJAME!- Chilló Nami mientras que con uno de sus puños acertaba justo en la herida del hombro derecho, haciendo que Zoro profiriera un grito de dolor y callera de rodillas en el suelo, a escasos metros de la cocina. Todos, alertados por el escándalo, salieron corriendo hacia allí, mientras Zoro soltaba delicadamente a Nami, quien se tapaba la boca con ambas manos a la vez que sus ojos se abrían impactados, viendo cómo la sangre emergía a borbotones a través de la camiseta.
-¿Nami? ¿Zoro? ¿Estáis bi…?- El capitán, seguido por los demás, no acabó la frase.- Zoro, ¿estás bien? ¿Qué ha pasado aquí?- Preguntó muy serio mirando a Nami mientras todos guardaban silencio.
-Yo…
-Chopper, cura a Zoro, los demás, a la cocina, y Nami, ven conmigo.
-Sí capitán…- Murmuró Robin mientras todos obedecían preocupados. Era difícil ver así a Luffy.
-No ha sido nada Luffy.- Dijo Zoro incorporándose lentamente.- Me la cargué en el hombro y se me ha abierto la herida, nada más… Lo siento doctor, no te hice caso.-Dijo mirando a Chopper que permanecía callado.
-Está bien…- Cedió Luffy finalmente.- Chopper, cura a Zoro y cuando esté listo avísame, ¿de acuerdo? Los demás, vamos a cenar.
-Y con esto ya está.- Dijo Chopper dando el último punto a la herida de Zoro.- Tienes que tener más cuidado, recuerda lo que hablamos… Hasta ahora no has tenido infección, pero ahora que se te ha vuelto a abrir la herida…volvemos a empezar.- Zoro se limitó a asentir.
-Gracias, Chopper… ya puedes decirle a Luffy que entre, lleva en la puerta desde que hemos entrado, no creo ni que haya cenado… pero recuerda, no le puedes decir nada.
Chopper asintió y se dirigió a la puerta, dejando que Luffy entrara y dejándolos solos.
-Voy a ser claro y directo- arrancó Luffy sin dar tiempo a Zoro de decir nada.- No sé qué os traéis vosotros tres, pero sé cuándo se me oculta información. Si no me lo queréis contar, adelante, pero como segundo al mando toda la responsabilidad caerá sobre ti. Si les pasa algo a Nami o a Chopper, te irás de la banda en el acto, aunque estemos en mitad del mar, ¿de acuerdo?- Zoro se limitó a asentir, tragando saliva y avergonzado de que su capitán le estuviera diciendo aquello.- Te lo voy a preguntar sólo una vez, ¿hay algo que me quieras contar?
-No.-Respondió finalmente con un nudo en la garganta. Odiaba mentir a Luffy, pero la situación lo requería.
-Está bien.- Dijo levantándose.-Bajo tu responsabilidad.
6. Chapter 6
El Sol comenzaba a salir cuando Brook cogió su violín, colocándose en el centro de la cubierta, y tocando suavemente "El saque de Binks". Los Mugiwara empezaron a abrir los ojos a son de la música, y con una pequeña sonrisa, se dirigieron a la cocina a por el delicioso desayuno de Sanji.
Sólo faltaban Zoro y Nami en la mesa, y eso comenzaba a poner tensa a la tripulación, en especial a Luffy, que ni siquiera insistía en comenzar a desayunar.
-Buenos días…- Murmuró Nami avergonzada al encontrarse con Zoro yendo hacia el comedor.
-Hola. –Respondió analizándola bien.- Vienes de fuera, ¿verdad? Has vuelto a pasarte la noche trabajando.
-No, me he quedado dormida… Supongo que tenías razón y necesitaba descansar y comer más.- Dijo con una tímida sonrisa, que fue correspondida por Zoro.- Siento lo del brazo… ¿estás bien?- Se puso más seria y titubeante.
-Sí, no es nada, Chopper me volvió a coser la herida, y eso es todo.- Respondió tranquilizadoramente.
-Luffy no se quedó a cenar, ¿qué te dijo?
-Nada, sólo quería saber qué ocurrió anoche.-Mintió una vez más. Todo aquello le costaba más de lo que imaginaba, pero si les decía la verdad, sabía que todos se volcarían en él, descuidando lo demás, sobre todo sabiendo que no había medicinas, y eso era algo que no se podían permitir donde estaban… "No puedo protegerlos de los peligros que vienen, pero sí de mí." Pensó serio.- Hacía mucho que Brook no tocaba ésta canción.- Dijo sonriendo.
-Sí, la echaba de menos… sobre todo para despertar.- Corroboró Nami sonriente, mientras abría la puerta de la cocina y ambos se encontraban con todos los Mugiwara mirándolos y muy serios. Sin embargo, cuando vieron que sonreían y que todo volvía a la normalidad, la tensión acumulada desapareció de todos y cada uno de ellos, y en especial de Luffy, que suspiró aliviado, y comenzó a robarle la comida a la gente.
Ya habían pasado 3 días del incidente, y todos hacían vida normal. Los únicos que se salían un poco de la normalidad eran Zoro, que no podía hacer sus rutinas de entrenamiento y se pasaba el día vagando por el barco, y Nami, que se pasaba horas en el huerto de los mandarinos trabajando con el frío constante, aunque ninguno de los dos perdía la oportunidad de discutir con el otro. Todo iba bien, todo volvía a la normalidad, pero, todo cambiaría en una tarde de tormenta.
7. Chapter 7
El frío cada vez era más inaguantable, y toda la tripulación permanecía dentro del Sunny, a excepción de su navegante, que insistía en seguir analizando el tiempo pese a las condiciones climáticas y a las insistencias de todos.
-Me preocupa un poco la navegante…- Dijo Robin interrumpiendo las conversaciones de todos en el acuario.
-Estoy de acuerdo, está trabajando demasiado y hace mucho frío, podría ser peligroso…- añadió Ussop.
-Sí, hace tanto frío que se me escarcha el pelo, pero claro, yo no tengo… ¡Ooooooh!- Todos se giraron rápidamente hacia Brook, preguntándose qué había pasado para que diera aquel grito de sorpresa.- ¡Sí que tengo pelo! Soy tan feliz…
-Éste nunca cambiará.- Sonrió Ussop dándole unos golpecitos en la cara, y haciendo que los demás rieran.
-El caso es que…-Prosiguió Robin.
-Chicos, tengo malas noticias, el agua fría no funciona- irrumpió Franky en el acuario. El mecanismo ha tenido una avería, y necesito materiales. Lo he estado intentando mantener, pero desde la tormenta ha estado tocado…
-Pero se puede cocinar carne, ¿verdad?- Preguntó Luffy angustiado.
-Idiota…- murmuró Zoro exasperado.- Bueno, habría sido peor el agua caliente, ¿no? Con este frío al menos nos podremos duchar.
-No es tan sencillo, al no poder regularse el agua y no haber mezcla, el agua saldrá hirviendo, así que os aconsejo que cuando os queráis duchar, cojáis barreños con agua y esperéis a que se enfríe un poco, o acabaréis escalfados.
-Pues vaya fastidio…- Dijo Luffy cruzándose de brazos.- Menos mal que esto no afecta a la comida…- sonrió mientras Zoro le daba una colleja.
De repente, la puerta del acuario se abrió de una patada, dejando entrar a un Sanji completamente empapado, y con un bulto a su espalda.
-¡Chopper!- Gritó- ¡Necesito tu ayuda, y rápido!
-¡¿Qué ha pasado?!- Preguntó el renito angustiado mientras los demás se levantaban de golpe y rodeaban a Sanji.
-Es Nami, salí para llevarle un té caliente y me la encontré fuera inconsciente.
-¿Y por qué estáis mojados?- Observó Robin temiéndose que hubiera caído por la borda.
-Está lloviendo muchísimo ahí fuera.
-Eso es imposible, hace demasiado frío para que caiga agua, si acaso granizo o nieve…
-¡Sal fuera y repítemelo marimo! –Gritó Sanji perdiendo la paciencia.- Pero ahora, dime dónde la pongo, Chopper.
Todos esperaban angustiados en el pasillo delante de la puerta de la enfermería. Algunos aún recordaban cuando Nami enfermó justo antes de conocer a Chopper, pero se refugiaban en la idea de que el renito estaba allí con ellos, y podría curarla sin problemas. Sin embrago, Zoro sabía la verdad. No había medicinas, y eso podía ser un problema serio.
Finalmente, la puerta se abrió, y salieron Chopper y Sanji muy serios.
-Le está subiendo la fiebre.- Dijo Chopper preocupado.- Y ahora no puedo hacer nada, no tenemos medicinas y tampoco puedo bajársela con agua porque sale hirviendo… Franky, necesito se lo arregles cuanto antes.
-Es imposible ahora mismo. No tengo materiales… Necesitamos una isla urgentemente.
-Pues desmonta algo, lo que necesites, pero arréglalo.- Dijo Luffy con seriedad.
-No es tan sencillo, lo único que me podría servir es el submarino, pero tardaré días en desmontarlo y otro tanto para arreglar el agua…
-Pues no hay tiempo que perder.- Dictaminó Sanji.- Vamos ya, yo te ayudo.
-Yo también.- Se ofreció Ussop siguiendo a ambos hacia el taller de Franky.
-Los demás… deberíamos hacer turnos para vigilarla por si le sube mucho la fiebre.- Dijo Robin.
-No, lo haré yo.-Dijo Zoro ante la mirada de los demás.- Todos tenéis cosas que hacer y yo no puedo hacer nada con éste brazo.
-Lo cierto es que necesito buscar información en la biblioteca, y me vendría bien tu ayuda, Robin.- Dijo Chopper.
-De acuerdo doctor.- Dijo con una sonrisa.- La navegante está en buenas manos.- Sonrió mientras se iba.
-¿Y nosotros qué hacemos?
-Alguien tiene que vigilar el rumbo y otro tiene que cocinar, conociendo al cejas rizadas no se despegará de Franky hasta que esté todo arreglado…
-Decidido pues… Brook, tú encárgate de la comida, yo iré a vigilar.
Zoro entró en la enfermería y se acomodó en la silla. Estaba realmente preocupado.
-Eres una cabezota…- murmuró.- Ya te dije que no podías seguir así, que acabarías enferma… Nunca haces caso.
Pasaron dos días en los cuales ninguno dejó la tarea asignada. Chopper se pasaba de vez en cuando por la enfermería para vigilar el estado de Nami, Luffy y Brook se iban turnando para hacer las guardias, cocinar, y repartir la comida entre los Mugiwara, y Zoro no se despegaba del lado de Nami, preocupado por ella.
-¡VENID TODOS!
El grito se oyó por todo el Sunny, haciendo que los Mugiwara salieran en trompel hacia la enfermería, dejando todo en el acto. La puerta se abrió de golpe, y Chopper fue el primero en entrar, en su forma Walk Point, seguido muy de cerca por Sanji.
-Comenzó a moverse mucho y a quejarse, y…
-Ve al grano marimo.
-Tiene mucha fiebre.
Chopper ya estaba en su forma normal, colocándole un termómetro debajo de la axila.
-41,8º de fiebre.- Dijo alarmado.- ¡Si sube un poco más morirá, hay que hacer algo!
-¿Y si cogemos agua del mar?- preguntó Robin.
-¿No estará muy fría? El contraste tan brusco puede ser peligroso.- Dijo Brook.
-No, el agua siempre se mantiene más o menos a la misma temperatura, con variaciones relativamente pequeñas de temperatura…
-Además, con que no sea hielo puro sirve.- Dijo Chopper algo más animado.
-Chicos, la temperatura ha subido una décima.-Se alarmó Sanji.
-Tardaremos demasiado en llenar una bañera.- Dijo Ussop nervioso.
-¡Apartad!
Zoro se abrió paso entre la confusa tripulación, cogiendo a Nami en volandas, y salió corriendo hacia la cubierta del Sunny seguido por los demás, que no sabían muy bien qué estaba pasando.
Por el camino se fue deshaciendo de las botas sujetando firmemente a Nami, y saltó al agua con ella en brazos ante la expresión de pánico de los demás.
-¡Estúpido marimo! ¡¿Qué te crees que estás haciendo?!
-¡Déjale Sanji!- ordenó Luffy.- Es lo único que podemos intentar.
-Si no podemos llevar el agua a la navegante… llevaremos a Nami al agua.- Dijo Franky.
Todos estaban asomados a la baranda, sin perder detalle de lo que ocurría justo debajo, donde Zoro seguía sujetando a Nami, manteniéndolos a flote, mientras sentía cómo todo el cuerpo se le agarrotaba por el frío.
-Vamos Nami, despiértate…- Rogaba Zoro mientras las fuerza le iban abandonando y fuertes temblores sacudían su cuerpo.- Nami, por favor… No te puedes morir… Te necesitamos…- Su cuerpo no aguantaba más, pero no pensaba soltarla. Si ella se hundía, él también. De repente, captó un pequeño movimiento entre sus brazos.- ¿Nami?
-¿Zoro?- La navegante estaba empezando a reaccionar.
-Maldita cabeza hueca… -Rió Zoro de la emoción.- Te dije que acabarías enferma…
-Su…supongo que tenías razón, pero… Tenía que hacerlo, porque…
-No es el momento.- La calmó Zoro, -ya hablaremos cuando te encuentres mejor… Voy a decirles que estás bien para que nos suban. ¡Chicos! ¡Subidnos, está bien!
-¡Nami está bien! –Dijo Luffy llorando.- ¡Espérame que voy!- Gritó emocionado saltando por la borda ante la cara de horror de toda la tripulación.
-¡IDIOTA!- Gritó Sanji lanzándose detrás de él, mientras Zoro y Nami veían la escena desde abajo y no podían reprimir una sonrisa.
Una vez arriba, los tres reposaban en una silla, con los pies en agua caliente y una manta por encima, mientras Nami descansaba en la cama, ya sin apenas fiebre, y todos reían y conversaban animadamente.
-¿Cómo te encuentras?- Preguntó Robin.
-Ya mucho mejor, estoy como nueva…
-Aún así necesitas descansar y comer un poco… así que todos fuera.- Dijo el renito mientras los demás asentían y Sanji iba raudo a cocinar algo para ella.
-Nami, ¿puedo hablar contigo?- preguntó entonces Zoro mientras los demás miraban expectantes.
-Sí, no hay problema.
-Está bien, pero sólo un rato, y porque has estado aquí metido todos estos días.- Dijo Chopper.
-¿Has estado aquí todos lo d…?- Preguntó Nami cuando se vació la habitación.
-¿Se puede saber que mierdas te ocurre?
8. Chapter 8
-¿Se puede saber qué mierdas te ocurre?
-¿Cómo?- La pregunta pilló a Nami completamente desprevenida. -¿A qué te refieres?
-Desde la tormenta actúas muy raro, no paras de trabajar, no te relacionas con nadie…
-No es nada importante, simplemente quiero estudiar el clima del Nuevo Mundo y…
-Una cosa es estudiar el clima, y otra muy distinta obsesionarte con él, ¿qué es lo que ha pasado para que de repente tengas esa necesidad por controlarlo todo?
Nami se quedó en silencio. No quería contárselo a nadie, y menos a Zoro, después de todo no iban a comprenderla…
-¿Y bien?
-Que no es nada.
-Nami, dímelo.
-No te lo pienso decir.
-Nami, por última vez, dímelo, ahora.- Dijo Zoro notando cómo su paciencia se iba agotando.
-Que no te…
-¡Te he encubierto, te he protegido, te he cuidado y casi muero congelado por ti, así que dímelo de una vez!- Estalló Zoro ante la sorprendida mirada de Nami, que finalmente, cedió.
-No quiero que os pase nada…- dijo en un susurro mirando al suelo.
-¿Qué?
-Ya me has oído, estoy harta de ser siempre una carga para vosotros, que siempre tengáis que arriesgaros por mí… antes al menos era capaz de manteneros a salvo del tiempo, pero ahora ni siquiera eso…
-¿Pero qué chorradas son esas?
-Es la verdad, Zoro, ya sé que no entiendes lo que es eso, el querer proteger a los demás, a alguien que te importa, pero no ser capaz…- Zoro sintió una punzada de angustia en su pecho y los recuerdos de Kuma lo golpearon sin previo aviso.-Pero es lo que siento… tengo que mejorar, y el que me eches en cara que casi te ahogas por mí, no ayuda.
-Sí que te entiendo… Pero debes cuidarte o no serás capaz de conseguirlo.- Dijo mirando al suelo para sorpresa de Nami.- ¿Sabes? Lo cierto es que el baño me ha sentado bien, lo necesitaba.- Dijo con una sonrisa amable cambiando repentinamente de tema.- Será mejor que me vaya… Descansa Nami.
La navegante se quedó atónita ante la reacción de Zoro, pero aún más por su mirada triste y taciturna al despedirse, sin embargo, decidió no hacer ningún comentario más. Necesitaba descansar. Fue entonces cuando Sanji entró como un torbellino.
-¡Nami-swaaaaaan! ¡Te traigo una sopa caliente para que entres en calor!
-Gracias, Sanji.
Durante los siguientes dos días, Nami fue mejorando hasta recuperarse completamente, tiempo que aprovechó para recapacitar en la conversación con Zoro. Tenía razón, debía tomárselo con más calma.
-¡Ey! ¡Nami ya ha salido de la habitación!- gritó Ussop al verla salir, y haciendo que los que estaban en la cubierta se asomaran para saludarla e ir a verla.
-Bueno, voy a recoger los bártulos del huerto de mandarinos- dijo tras hablar un poco con ellos.- Ya va siendo hora de que me lo tome todo con un poco más de calma.- Sonrió a la vez que sus amigos asentían contentos.
-Por cierto, navegante, ya se ve tierra. Parece que nos equivocamos, no es una isla de invierno. Calculo que lleguemos mañana por la mañana.
-Perfecto, con un poco de suerte podremos reponer el barco.
Nami se dirigió al huerto. Estaba contenta, parecía que por fin todo mejoraba. Debía agradecerle a Zoro el toque de atención, pero llevaba sin verle desde aquella conversación… Estaba inmersa en sus pensamientos, cuando tropezó con algo que la hizo perder el equilibrio, cayendo de culo.
-¡Au! Mi culo…- se quejó frotándose la zona.- ¿Con qué me he tropezado? –Dijo buscando con la mirada. Entonces, vio un trozo de baranda roto justo en frente suyo. No había reparado en ella hasta aquel momento, definitivamente había estado demasiado concentrada en estudiar el clima… La cogió para quitarla de allí y no volverse a tropezar, pero vio algo que le llamó la atención. Uno de los extremos era puntiagudo y afilado, y aún conservaba restos de sangre.-Zoro…- murmuró comprendiéndolo todo en el acto.- Él ató los mandarinos y tuvo aquí el accidente… ¿por qué no me lo dijo? Voy a hablar con él.
9. Chapter 9
La navegante se levantó rápidamente, con el trozo de madera en la mano, y se fue en su busca.
-Ussop, ¿has visto a Zoro?
-Pues ahora que lo dices… llevo sin verle desde ayer por la mañana… se le veía cansado, así que supongo que estará recuperando las horas de sueño de cuando te estuvo cuidando.
-¿Está en vuestra habitación entonces?
-No, lo habría visto… supongo que estará arriba, en su "nido"- bromeó.
Nami se dirigió hacia allí, dispuesta a pedirle explicaciones. Subir a lo alto del mástil no era lo que más le apetecía en ese momento, pero si tenía que esperar a que Zoro se levantara podía pasar mucho tiempo. Pero, para su sorpresa, justo en ese momento se abrió la escotilla, y Zoro comenzó a bajar lentamente.
-¡Zoro! Justo contigo quería yo hablar.
-Ahora no Nami…- dijo andando pesadamente por la cubierta.
-Ya sé que te acabas de despertar, pero quiero hablar contigo, y… espera, ¿dónde vas?
-A darme un baño…
-Pero si las duchas están por el otro lado… ya te pierdes en nuestro propio barco- trató de picarle.- ¿Ya ha arreglado Franky lo del agua?
-No que yo sepa…- dijo sin corregir el rumbo.
-¿Entonces?
-No quiero ir a las duchas, si no al m…- Zoro se desplomó en frente de Nami.
-Es imposible que te hayas quedado dormido mientras andabas y hablabas conmigo…- dijo con un suspiro.- Además, ¿por qué ibas a querer ir al mar con el frío que?- _"¿Sabes? Lo cierto es que el baño me ha sentado bien, lo necesitaba." _Las palabras de Zoro llegaron de repente.- Oh no…- Nami corrió hacia él, arrodillándose a su lado y poniendo una mano en su frente.- Está ardiendo… ¡Zoro! ¡Zoro! ¡Vamos, despierta!- dijo zarandeándole sin conseguir respuesta.- ¡CHOPPER!- Gritó con todas su fuerzas, haciendo que toda la tripulación corriera hasta ella.
-¿Qué está pasando aquí?- Preguntó Brook alterado.
-¡Chopper, rápido!- gritó Nami angustiada y con lágrimas en los ojos.
-¿Qué ocurre?- Preguntó Robin nerviosa mientras Chopper llegaba allí.
-¡Chopper! ¡La infección!- seguía gritando Nami.- ¡Ayúdale!
10. Chapter 10
-¿Infección? ¿Qué infección?- Sanji estaba confuso, le faltaban datos, pero por la actitud de la navegante era grave. Miró a Luffy interrogante.
Chopper estaba arrodillado en frente de Nami, al otro lado del cuerpo de Zoro, y comenzó a cortarle el vendaje, dejando a la vista una horrible herida con muy mal aspecto.
-Joder… es lo que me temía cuando se le abrieron los puntos…
- Chopper –la voz de Luffy hizo que todos se quedaran en silencio- Cúralo, y después vosotros dos- dijo señalando a Nami y al renito- me lo contaréis todo.
Franky llevó a Zoro a la enfermería, donde Chopper limpió su herida colocando un vendaje nuevo. Una vez hubo acabado, se dirigió junto con Nami a hablar con Luffy.
-Antes de nada, ¿cómo está?- preguntó el capitán.
-Está bastante grave, necesitamos medicinas urgentemente.
-Llegaremos a la isla mañana, allí podrás coger lo que necesites, y ahora, contadme qué ha pasado estos días y por qué no se me ha formado.
Ambos contaron su parte de la historia, ante la atenta mirada de Luffy. Les daba miedo cuando se ponía tan serio, pero lo cierto era que se lo habían ganado. Ambos debían haberle contado la verdad hacía mucho.
-Yo… no sé qué pensar, la verdad… Será mejor que os vayáis, tengo que recapacitar sobre algunas cosas.- Dicho esto, ambos se fueron cargados con un sentimiento de culpa y temerosos de lo que ocurriría después.
Finalmente, llegaron a la isla, donde atracaron rápidamente para buscar un pueblo donde comprar medicinas para Zoro y materiales para el Sunny, sin embargo, para su sorpresa, la isla estaba deshabitada.
-¿Puedes conseguir las medicinas doctor?
-Sí, por suerte la mayoría de éstos árboles son medicinales, puedo apañármelas con ellos.
-En ese caso, yo iré a investigar por la isla, a ver si encuentro algo para reparar el Sunny.
-Te acompaño, Franky- dijo Robin.
-En ese caso, yo iré a por comida… Luffy, Ussop, Brook, ¿me acompañáis?
-Sí, claro.- Dijo Luffy.- ¿Necesitas ayuda con algo Chopper?
-No, esto ya está, será cuestión de horas que se recupere.
Luffy asintió.
-¿Y Nami?- Preguntó Sanji
-Cuidando de Zoro- Respondió Luffy.- Vámonos.
Chopper terminó de recoger las plantas que necesitaba, y subió al barco donde preparó la medicina, dándosela a Zoro.
-En unas horas estará fuera de peligro, pero tardará al menos 10 días en recuperarse del todo, hasta entonces, se podrás mover y demás, pero estará muy débil… ¿Te haces tú cargo mientras recojo más plantas?
-Sí, claro, no hay problema… Chopper, ¿Luffy estaba muy enfadado?
-No, estaba como siempre, aunque se puso algo serio cuando hablamos de Zoro…- Nami no pudo evitar morderse el labio inferior, angustiada.- Tranquila, sabes cómo es Luffy, se le pasará en un par de días.
11. Chapter 11
Llevaban varios días atracados en la isla reparando el Sunny. Zoro ya se encontraba mucho mejor, salía a dar pequeños paseos, siempre acompañado de Nami y comenzaba a mover un poco el hombro.
-Esos dos siempre están juntos últimamente- Dijo Sanji malhumorado mientras veía cómo paseaban por la playa, riendo afablemente.
-Vamos cocinero, los dos han pasado por mucho estos días, es normal… además, ¿prefieres que se peleen continuamente?- Contestó Robin con una sonrisa.
-Para ser sinceros, sí, cuando mi Nami está con el pelo alga me ignora por completo… ¡No como tú mi Robin-san! ¡Tú siempre tienes tiempo para mí!- dijo con los ojos en forma de corazón mientras bailaba a su alrededor.
-¡Robin! ¿Te apetece acompañarme a por más madera?- Gritó Franky desde el otro lado del barco.
-¡Claro, ahora voy!- contestó sonriente mientras iba hacia él, dejando a Sanji acurrucado junto al mástil y murmurando frases de desamor mientras Ussop reía y le daba unas palmaditas en la espalda.
-¡Chicos, esperad!- Dijo Luffy.- Llevamos aquí tres días y no nos hemos movido del barco… ¡es hora de explorar!- gritó con júbilo mientras instaba a la tripulación a bajar del barco.
-Parece que hay movimiento en el Sunny.- Observó el espadachín.
-Sí, vayamos a ver qué es.
-¡Vamos! ¡Ésta isla huele a aventura!- oían gritar a su capitán, quien ya había bajado del barco de un salto.
-¿Qué ocurre?- preguntó Nami cuando llegaron donde los demás.
-¡Nos vamos a explorar!
-¿No sería una buena idea dejar a alguien en el barco por si acaso?
-Bah, llevamos aquí tres días y no ha pasado nada- contestó Luffy con ánimo.- Y sólo estaremos fuera unas horas.
-¿Unas horas?- Preguntó Chopper preocupado por Zoro.- No sé si a él le vendrá bien…
-No te preocupes, Chopper, estoy bien, y si veo que me canso mucho, os esperaré, ¿de acuerdo?
-Pero sin moverte marimo, que ya lo que nos faltaba sería ir a buscarte.
-¿Qué insinúas cocinero pervertido?
-Lo sabes perfectamente.
-Ya empiezan…- dijo Brook a Ussop.
-Sí, se echaba de menos…
-¡Basta ya los dos!- gritó Nami dándoles un puñetazo en la cabeza a cada uno.
-¡Nami! ¡Que aún no me he recuperado!
-¡Si estás bien para pelearte estás bien para que te zurre!- Alegó haciendo que todos se rieran, a excepción de Chopper que no para de murmurar "cuando se pone así da miedo…" escondido detrás de la pierna de Luffy.
-En ese caso, ¡adelante!- Gritó Luffy encaminando la marcha.
-¿Crees que encontraremos algo Luffy?- preguntó Zoro de buen humor.- ¿Luffy?- Volvió a preguntar al no obtener respuesta.- ¿Qué le pasa?- preguntó a Ussop que no pudo más que encogerse de hombros.- Luffy, ¿pasa algo?
-A ti eso no te importa.- Respondió cortante dejando a todos perplejos.
-Pero… yo…- Zoro no sabía qué decir… era cierto que no habían hablado desde que se desmayó, pero pensó que simplemente había estado ocupado correteando por la isla como de costumbre.- ¿He… he hecho algo malo?
-Si quieres venir, no te lo voy a impedir, pero déjame en paz.- Sentenció Luffy reanudando la marcha mientras los demás se quedaban paralizados.
-¿Luffy?
-Dime Franky.- Respondió con una sonrisa.
-¿Estás bien?
-¡Claro! ¡Vayamos a buscar aventuras!- exclamó volviendo a ser el de siempre.
Poco a poco el grupo fue moviéndose para seguir a su capitán, y tras unos momentos de reflexión, Zoro decidió ir también. Debía averiguar qué pasaba.
Tras un par de horas de caminata, el grupo se había dividido en tres pequeños grupos, delante de todo, Luffy con sus compañeros, que no hacían más que reír y bromear, a unos metros por detrás, Zoro, taciturno y sin entender nada, y a poca distancia de él, Nami y Sanji.
-No sé qué le ha pasado a Luffy antes…- dijo Sanji.- Vale que me peleo mucho con Zoro, pero es buen tipo, y ha arriesgado mucho por todos nosotros… no se merece que lo traten así.
-Ya lo sé… lo cierto es que me preocupa, no me puedo imaginar lo que puede pasar si esto sigue así o si Zoro se fuera…
-En especial lo segundo, ¿verdad?
-¿Qué?
-Vamos, es evidente que te gusta, sólo hay que verte… de hecho, me atrevería a decir que esto no viene de ahora… y en especial por parte de él.
-No sé a qué te refieres, Sanji, estás muy equivocado.
-Me parece bien si aún no lo has aceptado, pero no me niegues lo evidente Nami… Os gustáis, y si es necesario, os lo demostraré. Ya va siendo hora de que reaccionéis los dos.- Finalizó yendo hasta el primer grupo y dejando a Nami confusa.
Zoro estaba cada vez más cansado, le costaba moverse, pero se negaba a decir nada, después del incidente de Luffy lo último que quería era hacerle parar en su expedición.
-¿Te encuentras bien?- Preguntó Chopper preocupado.
-Sí, no te preocupes.
-Se te ve cansado…
-Estoy bien, de verdad.
-Tienes que descansar, no puedes forzarte más. ¡Luffy!
-Dime Chopper.- Se giró Luffy con la boca llena de fruta que había encontrado por el camino.
-¿Podemos parar un poco? Zoro necesita descansar.
-No.
-¿Qué?
-Si no ha dicho nada, será que no lo necesita, así que andando.
-Pero capitán…- se atrevió a decir Robin.
-He dicho que sigamos adelante.
-¡Se acabó! ¡Luffy, esto es ridículo!- gritó Zoro explotando- ¡No he hecho nada para que me trates así!
-¡Claro que sí! ¡Has hecho lo peor que podías hacer!- Dijo Luffy enfrentándose a él.
-¿Y qué es esa cosa tan horrible?
-¡Muy sencillo! ¡Has…!
-¡Cuidado!- Gritó Sanji interceptando una flecha que impactó en un árbol.
De repente, una especie de niebla comenzó a rodearlos.
-¿Qué es esto?- gritó Nami.
-¡Parece gas!- respondió el renito.- ¡No lo respiréis!
Pero ya era tarde. Poco a poco, uno por uno, todos los Mugiwara cayeron inertes en el suelo, notando cómo sus corazones se realentizaban y cómo su vista se nublaba, hasta quedar sumidos en la oscuridad.
12. Chapter 12
Ninguno de los Mugiwara sabría decir cuánto tiempo habían estado inconscientes. Lo único que sabían era que estaban encadenados en lo que parecía una mazmorra en una cueva.
-¿Estáis todos bien?- Preguntó Sanji incorporándose a duras penas.
-Ésta humedad se cuela hasta los huesos… pero claro, ¡yo soy solo huesos! Necesito leche- sollozó Brook.
-Lo tomaré como un sí… ¿y los demás? ¿Chicas?
-Todos bien- dijo Nami.
-Me fallan las fuerzas… -dijo Luffy exhausto.
-Creo que nos han puesto esposas de Kairoseki.- Observó acertadamente la arqueóloga.- ¿Estás bien, doctor?
-Muy cansado…
-¿No hay ninguna forma de escapar de aquí?- Preguntó Ussop.
-Lo cierto es que sí.- Dijo Franky.- Todo mi super cuerpo es un arma.- Rió.- Dadme un momento y os sacaré de aquí.- Dijo poniéndose en pie.
-No, espera un momento Franky.- Todas las miradas se dirigieron hacia Robin.- Está claro que podemos salir de aquí en cualquier momento, cosa que el enemigo desconoce, pero nosotros no sabemos nada sobre ellos… Propongo que esperemos todo lo posible para saber a qué nos enfrentamos.
-¡Pero qué lista es mi Robin-chwaaaan!
-Robin tiene razón –dijo Nami- si no no sabremos a qué nos enfrentamos e iremos con desventaja.
De repente, el ruido de una puerta llegó a sus oídos.
-Franky, siéntate, rápido.- Dijo Zoro con urgencia, haciendo que el robot obedeciera en el acto.
Una sombra comenzó a avanzar por el pasillo, hasta que finalmente, apareció un hombre envuelto en una larga túnica con capucha, que no permitía ver su rostro.
-¿Sabéis? Hacía mucho tiempo que nadie visitaba ésta isla… Muy poca gente logra sobrevivir al mar que la rodea, es traicionero, y de clima caprichoso… es imposible prever qué ocurrirá… Debéis de ser muy fuertes y valientes… Y apuesto a que habéis pasado por muchas cosas y creéis conoceros muy bien, lástima que vayan a salir a la luz todos esos pequeños detalles que ocultáis a los demás, cada vez que habéis dudado, que os habéis traicionado… Todo… Será divertido jugar con vosotros… pero… ¿por quién empezaré? ¿Qué tal por ti?
13. Chapter 13
Nami palideció en el acto. ¿Qué iba a hacer con ella? De repente, su cuerpo se levantó del suelo lentamente, haciendo que todos se tensaran.
-¡Zoro! ¡Chicos, ayudadme!
Franky hizo un amago de levantarse, pero fue interrumpido por Luffy.
-Aún no, espera.
Nami se acercó levitando a los barrotes, quedando a la altura del hombre encapuchado, y éste puso una mano sobre su frente. De repente, todos sus recuerdos fueron proyectados hacia los demás. Estaba todo, Bellmere, Arlong, Luffy, Zoro, Vivi, Skypiea, los dos años de entrenamiento… Todo pasaba a una velocidad pasmosa, hasta que se detuvo en la tormenta.
-Mmmm… esto parece interesante…- Murmuró el hombre.- Veamos que pasó…
Y como si le hubieran dado al play en una película, la escena comenzó a tomar vida, todo visto desde el lado de Nami… se oían sus pensamientos, olían lo que ella, sentían como ella… todo. Era como si su hubiesen convertido enla navegante. Vieron el paso de los días, su angustia y obsesión, el incidente del hombro de Zoro, la calidez que sintió al recuperar la conciencia junto a él, la angustia al pensar que moriría…y de repente, ya estaban en aquel mismo día.
_-No sé qué le ha pasado a Luffy antes…- dijo Sanji.- Vale que me peleo mucho con Zoro, pero es buen tipo, y ha arriesgado mucho por todos nosotros… no se merece que lo traten así._
_ -Ya lo sé… lo cierto es que me preocupa, no me puedo imaginar lo que puede pasar si esto sigue así o si Zoro se fuera…_
_ -En especial lo segundo, ¿verdad?_
_ -¿Qué?_
_ -Vamos, es evidente que te…_
La conexión se paró de golpe.
-Parece que tengo unos asuntos que arreglar.- Dijo el hombre depositando a Nami en el suelo mientras todos se sacudían la cabeza aturdidos por la cantidad de información que habían obtenido de repente.- Volveré luego. –Una vez dicho esto se marchó por el pasillo.
-Nami… ¿estás bien?- preguntó Zoro aún algo mareado.
-Sí, no me ha pasado nada… pero ¿qué ha ocurrido exactamente?
-Creo que tiene una habilidad capaz de hurgar en los recuerdos de la gente.- Dijo Robin.
-Oh no, dime que no es como el caballito de mar de Skypiea…- Dijo Ussop resoplando.
-No, parece más que puede meterse en la mente de la gente y proyectar sus recuerdos hacia los demás.
El rubor apareció de súbito en las mejillas de Nami.
-¿Habéis visto mis recuerdos?
-No te preocupes, no había nada de lo que avergonzarse.- Dijo Sanji tranquilizándola en el acto.- ¿Qué has sentido?
-No lo sé, era como si me hubiera quedado en trance y hubiera revivido todo… supongo que habéis visto lo mismo que yo.- Todos asintieron.
El tiempo pasó lentamente. Aún necesitaban recopilar más información sobre aquel ser, así que debían quedarse un poco más. Sin embargo, nadie se atrevía a hablar, pues la tensión entre el capitán y el espadachín era palpable.
-¿Y bien?- dijo Luffy a Zoro.
-¿Y bien, qué?
-¿Ya sabes lo que has hecho?
-¡Claro que no, porque resulta que no he hecho nada!
-¡Lo acabas de ver idiota!
-¡¿El qué?!- preguntó Zoro perdiendo los estribos.
-¡No has confiado en mí!- Gritó Luffy hecho una furia ante la atónita mirada de los demás.- ¡Me ocultaste lo de tu herida, hiciste a Chopper no decir nada, me ocultaste lo de Nami!
-Yo… es sólo que…
-Está claro que no confías en mí, y alguien que no confía en su capitán no tiene cabida en una tripulación, y mucho menos si ese alguien es el segundo a bordo…- Todos se tensaron y se quedaron pálidos. ¿Estaba diciendo lo que ellos creían?
-¿Me… me estás…?- Tartamudeó Zoro que apenas conseguía no temblar.
- No crees en mí, Zoro, y tampoco confías… alguien así puede resultar peligroso para la tripulación, y debo pensar en ellos…
-¡Pero yo sí…!
-Vete Zoro. Cuando salgamos de aquí, te dejaremos en la siguiente isla habitada y te irás.
-Yo…- Zoro sintió cómo el mundo se le caía encima, al igual que al resto de la tripulación. Todo aquello no podía ser real, tenía que ser una pesadilla…
-Quedas expulsado de la banda, Roronoa Zoro.
14. Chapter 14
-Quedas expulsado de la banda, Roronoa Zoro.
El mundo de Zoro se tambaleó por completo. Notaba cómo le faltaba el aire, y cómo un sudor frío recorría su espalda. Con la mirada clavada en el suelo no podía hacer más que tratar de centrarse en su respiración mientras en su cabeza todo daba vueltas... Pero no era el único en sentir aquello. Todos los Mugiwara se sentían igual, después de todo lo que habían pasado juntos no eran capaces de verse sin Zoro… pero tampoco sin Luffy. Nami no daba crédito a lo que habían escuchado sus oídos, debía decir algo, debía proteger a Zoro, pero alguien se le adelantó.
-¡Eres idiota Luffy!- gritó Sanji- ¡no tienes ni idea de lo que éste hombre ha hecho por nosotros!- El cocinero logró llamar la atención de Zoro, quien inmediatamente se centró en sus palabras… No sería capaz de contar aquello, ¿verdad?- ¡Es más, si no fuera por él, ahora mismo todos nosotros estaríamos…!
-¡Cállate cocinero!- gritó saliendo de su letargo.- Me lo he buscado por esconderle cosas a nuestro capitán.- Un nudo se le hizo en la garganta, haciendo que le costara hablar.- Y sea como sea… ya estoy fuera de los Mugiwara, así que no tiene sentido.- Un sutil tiemble en la voz llamó la atención de todos. Jamás le habían visto asustado, hasta aquel momento.-Ya da igual…
Sanji iba a insistir, quería que se supiera la verdad, se lo había callado durante mucho tiempo, y si no lo decía ahora, Zoro no volvería nunca. Iba a abrir la boca, cuando alguien se le adelantó.
-Qué escena tan conmovedora…- se oyó acompañado de unas palmas lentas y amenazantes.- Lo cierto era que no sabía a quién elegir ahora, pero me lo habéis puesto muy fácil.- Rió el hombre encapuchado, dejándose ver por primera vez en un buen rato. Zoro se tensó involuntariamente. Había demasiadas cosas que no quería que se supieran…- Comencemos…
El cuerpo de Zoro se acercó a las rejas, mientras éste trataba de resistirse sin éxito. Realmente se le veía angustiado, y Franky no podía más. Fue a levantarse, pero una vez más, Luffy se lo impidió. Iba a protestar, cuando la proyección se inició impidiendole incluso moverse.
-Vaya… qué cabeza tan llena de recuerdos…- dijo mientras pasaba por Kuina, el Cetrero, Arlong, Tashigi…- ¿Pero qué son éstos recuerdos que tratas de ocultarme? Será mejor que los eche un vistazo…- rió mientras los localizaba y entraba de lleno.
Lo primero que se vió, fue el juramento que le hizo a Luffy tras ser derrotado por el Cetrero, para a continuación ver nítidamente y narrado por sus pensamientos cómo conoció a los demás y lo que acabó sintiendo por ellos con el paso del tiempo.
-Va, esto es aburrido… Un momento… ¿qué es esto?
El hombre se adentró más en sus recuerdos privados, en aquellos que se guardaba para él, y ahí estaba… El encuentro con Kuma, su conversación, cómo knockeó a Sanji… Todas las emociones estaban a flor de piel, y de repente, entró en él la pequeña muestra del daño que Luffy había sufrido, haciendo que todos gritaran por el dolor tan inesperado e intenso, y que se cortara la proyección de golpe, haciendo caer a Zoro de manera brusca.
-Joder… no me lo esperaba… será mejor que inhiba el dolor, no será tan real, pero si no no podré resistirlo.- Murmuró entre dientes sacudiendo la cabeza y respirando agitadamente, igual que los demás, a quienes les dolía todo el cuerpo.- Continuemos.- Dijo volviendo a proyectar.
Ya sin poder sentir el dolor, todos fueron partícipes en primera instancia de lo acontecido en Thriller Bark entre Kuma y Zoro, en el dolor que tuvo que soportar, en cómo se le nublaba la mente… en todo, y finalmente, en lo que habló con Sanji, impidiendo que nadie se enterara de lo ocurrido.
El siguiente recuerdo fue la angustia de no poder moverse a los pies de Kizaru, y después en la frustración y el miedo cuando no pudo proteger a sus amigos, y Kuma lo envió muy lejos de allí… De repente, estaba ante El Cetrero, suplicándole que le entrenara mientras en su mente sólo podía pensar en Luffy, Nami y todos los demás.
-¡Ah!- el hombre no pudo reprimir el grito al ver al Cetrero, interrumpiendo en el acto y por segunda vez la conexión, y dejándolo caer al suelo, mientras retrocedía rápidamente sin dar crédito…- Esto no es bueno… Debo informar ya. ¿Qué clase de hombre es?- Murmuró aterrado mientras corría perdiéndose por el pasillo.
El silencio se hizo en la mazmorra. Estaban conmocionados por todo lo que acababan de ver, tenían tantas preguntas…
Zoro, sin embargo, no se movió. Se sentía expuesto. Todos sus mayores temores habían salido a la luz. Era débil, no podía protegerlos, y ahora sus amigos lo sabían.
-Zoro…- dijo finalmente Luffy.- ¡LO SIENTO!- Gritó llorando a más no poder.- ¡NO TE VAYAS, SÉ MI NAKAMA!
Zoro se quedó inmóvil durante un momento, para después notar cómo las lágrimas bajaban por sus mejillas, y después asentir sintiéndose el hombre más afortunado del mundo.
Ninguno de los presentes pudo evitar una gran sonrisa acompañada por lágrimas de alegría, aunque en el caso de algunos como Franky, Ussop y Chopper fue algo más exagerada.
-Y ahora…- dijo Luffy tras unos momentos- Franky, sácanos de aquí.
15. Chapter 15
**CAP 15**
-Franky, sácanos de aquí.
-¡Eso está suuuuper hecho!- gritó emocionado poniéndose en pie, listo para desplegar su arsenal de armas, cuando, de repente, todas las esposas se abrieron, cayendo estruendosamente al suelo ante la expectante y desconfiada mirada de todos.- ¿Pero qué…?
-Qué extraño…- murmuró Robin, poniéndose en pie y dirigiéndose hacia la puerta de la celda.
-¿Cómo han conseguido que las esposas se abran?- murmuró Ussop mientras sostenía una en sus manos.
-Chicos, mirad esto. –Todos miraron a Robin.- Está abierta.- Dijo empujando delicadamente la puerta que se abrió con un leve chirrido.
-Esto no me gusta…- Murmuró Nami mientras ayudaba a Zoro a incorporarse.
-Sea como sea, hay que salir de aquí, así que andando.- Sentenció el cocinero con la aprobación de Luffy.- Deprisa.
Todos recorrieron el laberinto de pasillos, atentos a la más mínima anomalía, hasta que finalmente lograron encontrar la salida.
-¿Dónde estamos?- Preguntó Chopper.
-Por la posición del sol, estamos en el noroeste de la isla.- Respondió Nami.- Está anocheciendo, debemos darnos prisa.
Tardaron cinco horas en encontrar el Sunny, y otra hora más en revisarlo y registrarlo por si alguien había entrado al barco y manipulado algo, pero todo estaba tal y como lo dejaron.
-Parece que no han encontrado el barco- dijo Franky mientras acababan de cargar las últimas provisiones.
-Y eso es muy raro.- Contestó Robin.- Han accedido a los recuerdos de Nami, se veía perfectamente dónde atracamos.
-Sea como sea, no lo han saboteado ni han hurgado en él, así que larguémonos de esta isla de una vez. Me da escalofríos.
Era casi medianoche cuando los Mugiwara abandonaron la isla. Todos estaban cansados, y fueron a sus habitaciones, pero miles de preguntas saturaban sus cabezas. Ansiaban respuestas, querían saber más acerca de lo que habían visto, y Zoro era consciente de que tendría que responder a todo aquello. Sin embargo, eran los recuerdos de otra persona los que le quitaban el sueño.
Y por primera vez en mucho tiempo, nadie durmió aquella noche en el Thousand Sunny.
16. Chapter 16
**CAP 16**
Brook salió de la cama antes que los demás, como era costumbre desde que se había unido a los Mugiwara. Con paso decidido, cruzó la cubierta del Sunny, hasta situarse bajo el mástil. Sacó su violín de la funda, colocándolo en posición, y con gesto solemne, dejó que las primeras notas de "El sake de Binks" inundaran el barco.
-¡BROOK IDIOTA!- Un grito surcó el aire, provocando que el asustadizo esqueleto se sobresaltara, parando la música en el acto.
-Pero Sanji-san… ¡Aaaaah!- Gritó Brook mientras una pesa volaba hacia su cabeza, esquivándola en el último segundo.
-¡SANJI! ¡TENGO HABRE!- Rugió el capitán.
-¡Luffy no grites imbécil!- Chilló Nami abriendo la puerta de golpe.
-¡¿Qué está pasando aquí?!- Preguntó Franky irritado saliendo a cubierta seguido por Robin.
Una pequeña explosión acompañada de humo sacudió el barco.
-¿Qué ha sido eso?- Preguntó Ussop que acababa de llegar donde estaba el resto.
No hizo más que preguntarlo cuando el renito salió, completamente negro de hollín mientras tosía. Todos estaban alrededor de Brook, gritándose unos a otros, hasta que Robin ya no pudo más.
-¡Basta ya!- Gritó irritada haciendo que todos se callaran.- ¿Qué ha pasado?- Todos empezaron a hablar a la vez, elevando la voz para hacerse oír por encima de los demás, en un intento por dar a conocer su versión de la historia.- ¡De uno en uno! ¡Brook, tú primero!
-Claro, Robin-san, pero antes, ¿serías tan amable de enseñarme tus…?- No pudo acabar la frase debido a un puñetazo en la cabeza por parte del ciborg.
-Céntrate- dijo Franky perdiendo la paciencia.
-Sí, Franky-san. Como iba diciendo, anoche no pude pegar ojo, aunque claro, yo no tengo…- la amenazante mirada del ciborg le hizo callar.- En fin… ha sido una noche muy larga y aburrida, así que cuando salió el sol, decidí tocar un poco el violín.
-Pues podías haber elegido otro momento- protestó Sanji encendiendo un cigarrillo.- Justo acababa de dormirme y tu dichosa canción me despertó.
-A mí me pasó lo mismo.- Añadió Zoro recuperando la pesa.
-A mí me despertó Sanji… ¡Y tengo hambre!- se quejó Luffy.
-Bravo capitán, tú nos has despertado al resto.- Nami se cruzó de brazos, indignada, mientras los demás asentían.
-¿Y a ti que te ha pasado doctor?
-Que como no podía dormir, fui a la enfermería a hacer un par de experimentos, y con los gritos me asusté y unos polvos cayeron al agua, haciendo reacción y explotando.
-Parece que nadie ha dormido, ¿eh? Y creo saber el motivo.- Dijo Robin mirando a Zoro.
-Tan observadora como siempre Robin-chwaaaan.- Dijo Sanji danzando a su alrededor.- Vayamos a la cocina, prepararé el desayuno.
Uno por uno, siguieron al cocinero, quedando el último lugar Zoro, que trataba de mentalizarse de lo que vendría a continuación.
17. Chapter 17
**CAP 17**
La cena se desarrolló a gran velocidad, pues todos estaban deseando hacerle a Zoro las preguntas que habían estado meditando toda la noche. Finalmente, con todo recogido, los Mugiwara se sentaron en silencio en la mesa, mirando fijamente al espadachín, quien no podía evitar sentirse incómodo. Todo aquello ya era difícil para él como para ahora tener que aguantar también sus incesantes miradas. Finalmente suspiró.
-Está bien.- Dijo posando suavemente el vaso en la mesa.- Podéis empezar ya.
Los Mugiwara se miraron unos a otros, sin saber muy bien quién iba a hacer la primera pregunta.
-De acuerdo, empezaré yo. –Dijo Sanji.- ¿Cuándo pensabas decirnos que durante estos dos años te ha estado entrenando Mihawk?
- Simplemente no tenía pensado decirlo, al menos no de momento.- Contestó Zoro.
-¿Y cuándo pensabas que sería el momento?- Preguntó Ussop.
-Cuando acabara de controlar las técnicas que me enseñó.
-Vamos, no digas tonterías, eres mucho más fuerte.- Dijo Ussop algo confuso.
-Sí, soy más fuerte, y he mejorado mucho en este tiempo, pero aún hay técnicas que soy incapaz de controlar, me extenúan física y mentalmente, son demasiado potentes, al menos para el nivel en el que estoy ahora.
- Aun así nos lo podías haber dicho.- Dijo Luffy de morros mientras mordía un trozo de monstruo marino que había robado de la nevera.- Además… ¡Pffff!
-¡Acabas de comer, animal!- Le interrumpió Sanji con una patada.- Luego nos quedamos sin provisiones.- Añadió dando una calada.- Pero nuestro capitán tiene razón, sabemos que eres muy fuerte, pero realmente no nos has mostrado hasta dónde llega tu fuerza.
-Sí, pero si os lo hubiera dicho, habría sido peor. Probablemente habríais recurrido a mí a la hora de solucionar algo importante, y yo habría cedido y usado una de esas técnicas. Lo que quiero decir es que debo tener mucho cuidado hasta que no sepa controlarlas, o podría poneros en peligro si se me fuesen de las manos.
Todos asintieron, entendiendo la situación en la que se encontraba, y decidieron dejar de preguntar acerca de Mihawk, pues aunque tenían muchas dudas, como por ejemplo qué le había ocurrido en el ojo, sabían que Zoro tenía buenos motivos para no hablar.
-En cuanto a Thriller Bark…- Rompió el silencio Luffy, captando la atención de todos y haciendo que Zoro se tensara.- No debiste hacerlo.
-Eres mi capitán, y vosotros mis nakamas, claro que debía.- Respondió sin atreverse a mirar a ninguno de los presentes.- Después de todo, soy el segundo de a bordo.
-Ibas a renunciar a tu sueño por nosotros.- Nami abrió la boca por primera vez.- No hay nada más importante que tu sueño para ti.
Zoro levantó la vista, aquel comentario le había dolido. Claro que su sueño era importante para él, pero estaban hablando de sus amigos, su familia. Era el tipo de comentario que se esperaría del cejas rizadas, pero no de ella pese a sus trifulcas constantes.
-Lo que Nami quiere decir, -interrumpió Luffy al ver la expresión de Zoro- es que se lo prometiste a Kuina, y todos sabemos que eso es muy importante para ti, no es algo que te tomes a la ligera, ni mucho menos, y el que lo hayas sacrificado por nosotros… -Todos miraban a su capitán, boquiabiertos. Definitivamente había madurado mucho desde la muerte de Ace, se había visto obligado a ello, aunque se empeñara en ocultarlo.- Gracias.- Finalizó mirando al suelo mientras contenía las lágrimas.
-Es sólo que… puede que mi sueño se haya modificado ligeramente con el tiempo.- Respondió con una sonrisa que contagió al resto de la tripulación.
Pasaron varias horas más preguntando a Zoro a cerca de sus recuerdos, y hablando de los dos años que habían estado separados, hasta que finalmente, comenzó a atardecer.
-Bueno, dado que ya no hay más preguntas –dijo Nami levantándose.- ¿Qué tal si nos levantamos? Me duele el culo.- Dijo con una sonrisa, mientras los demás salían de la cocina charlando animadamente.
Nami salió a la cubierta, había un viento cálido y agradable, que recordaba vagamente al otoño. Se dirigió al huerto de los mandarinos, y apoyada en la baranda miraba absorta cómo el sol se ocultaba lentamente en el horizonte, desplegando un sinfín de colores cálidos sobre el mar y el cielo. Era una visión mágica. En ese momento, notó cómo alguien pasaba por detrás de ella y se colocaba a su lado, mirando hacia el mar.
-Siento lo que dije antes.- Se disculpó la navegante.- No me expresé bien.
-No vengo por eso.- Contestó Zoro aparentemente relajado.
-¿Entonces?
-Dijiste que no había más preguntas, pero yo tengo una.- Nami se tensó en el acto. Pensaba que después de todo había conseguido pasar inadvertida.- Cuando estábamos en la celda y vimos tus recuerdos…- prosiguió Zoro al ver que Nami continuaba mirando a lontananza.- Vimos una conversación que tuviste con Sanji, y…
-¿Cuál es la pregunta?- Contestó Nami con una seguridad que realmente no sentía.
-¿Cómo acababa esa conversación?- Preguntó Zoro, esta vez visiblemente tenso y algo avergonzado.
-Simplemente dijo que era evidente que no podía pasar sin pelear contigo, que es mi forma de desahogarme – mintió tras unos segundos de duda.- Ya sabes cómo es Sanji –bromeó tratando de desviar la atención.- Me conoce bien.- Rió. Pero Zoro ya no escuchaba, un zumbido se instaló en sus oídos.- ¿Por qué preguntabas?- Dijo Nami sacándole de su trance, y mirándolo fijamente.
-Yo… verás…Quería saber que había dicho el cocinero pervertido de mí.- Mintió a su vez mientras notaba un pinchazo agudo.- Ya sabes, para ver si le tenía que machacar o no.-Sonrió en un esfuerzo por demostrar que era cierto.- Será mejor que me vaya, tengo que dormir un poco, hoy me toca hacer la guardia.- Se despidió.
-Claro, hasta luego.- Respondió Nami viendo cómo se alejaba, y sin poder evitar sentir una mezcla de desilusión y tristeza, que no sabía demasiado bien de dónde salían. Finalmente, marchó de aquel lugar, intentando descifrar lo que estaba ocurriendo en su interior.
En ese mismo instante, el pequeño punto rojo de un cigarro, se encendía entre las sombras de los mandarinos.
End file.
| fanfiction |
amphiphilic molecules are generally composed of a polar , hydrophilic ( i.e. `` water - loving '' ) head and at least one hydrophobic ( i.e. , `` fat - loving '' ) tail , typically a carbon chain . the presence of these two ingredients , in combination with an aqueous solvent , yields a large variety of self - assembled structures on different length scales , ranging from molecular - size micelles to mesoscopic membranes , bicontinuous foams and lamellar phases . from an application point of view , amphiphiles are used in a variety of contexts , e.g. , to reduce the surface tension in complex mixtures ( such as water and oil ) , as templates to create nanoporous materials @xcite and , more recently , to stabilize bundle and network formation in solutions of carbon nanotubes @xcite . from the theoretical side ,
the self - assembly of amphiphilic molecules has been investigated by a variety of approaches and models @xcite , including lattice gas systems @xcite , ginzburg - landau theory @xcite , density functional studies of entropic models ( where the surfactant is represented by a sphere plus an infinitely thin rod @xcite , or by a dimer @xcite ) , and off - lattice simulations @xcite of flexible bead - spring molecules @xcite , with and without explicit solvent .
a particularly simple , implicit - solvent model has been proposed by tarazona _
et al . _ already in 1995 @xcite .
within this model , the amphiphilic particle is a sphere composed of two hemispheres , one being hydrophilic and the other one hydrophobic .
the solvent - mediated interaction is then taken into account via an effective directional potential involving the orientation vectors defined by the symmetry axis of the spheres . despite these simplifications ( which completely neglect geometrical factors such as relative size of the head group etc . ) , the model is capable of describing bilayer- , vesicle- , and micelle formation . from todays perspective , one would call this simplified amphiphilic molecules rather as `` janus spheres '' .
this term was originally proposed by casagrande _
_ in 1989 @xcite to describe spherical glass particles with one of the hemispheres being hydrophilic and the other one being hydrophobic .
since then , and as anticipated by p. g. de gennes on the occasion , of his nobel lecture @xcite , the surface properties of these janus particles have become an area of great interest on their own . generally , janus particles are composed of at least two physically ( or chemically ) distinctive surfaces , and there has been significant progress to synthesize such particles @xcite ( whose interactions can also be , e.g. , dipolar or magnetic in character @xcite ) . theoretically there are several models `` on the market '' which are similar in character to that proposed by tarazona _
@xcite , but have been independently proposed specifically for janus particles @xcite . furthermore , in a recent study of sciortino _ et al . _
@xcite janus particles are described within a `` patchy - particle '' model . in the present paper
we are interested in the self - assembly of amphiphilic janus particles at planar interfaces and in strongly confined situations ( slit - pores ) .
indeed , within the more general context of surfactant assembly , the impact of surfaces is important in a variety of applications , including synthesis of nanoporous materials , thin film deposition for lithographic processes and devices @xcite , and enhancement of chemical reactions @xcite .
an additional attractive factor of studying systems with surfaces is that the self - assembled structured can be experimentally studied using e.g. , neutron reflectometry ( targeting the thickness of the layer ) @xcite , grazing incidence small - angle neutron scattering @xcite and atomic force microscopy ( targeting the lateral structure ) @xcite , and by studying adsorption isotherms @xcite .
moreover , there is a strong fundamental interest to understand the self - assembly process of janus - like particles at interfaces as a bottom - up process for the design of future nanomaterials @xcite .
contrary to the extensively discussed case of true surfactant molecules at surfaces , the self - assembly of janus particles at surfaces has so far rarely been considered , an exception being a recent study of hirose _
@xcite who used a macroscopic theory based on the young s equation . in the present paper
we use a microscopic approach , that is , classical density functional theory @xcite . following the original work of tarazona @xcite
, we employ a mean - field approximation to treat the anisotropic part of the interactions , whereas the repulsive ( hard sphere ) contribution is treated on a more sophisticated level .
specifically , we employ the so - called fundamental measure theory ( fmt ) @xcite which has turned out to be extremely successful for the description of inhomogeneous hard sphere systems @xcite . as a starting point
, our investigations focus on planar structures such as bilayers .
the key question is to determine thermodynamics conditions under which self - assembly arises at the surface , as compared to the corresponding bulk system .
moreover , we explore the impact of different surface properties concerning , in particular , their hydrophilic or hydrophobic character .
the remainder of the paper is organized as follows . in sec .
[ sec : model ] we introduce the model and also discuss its main features as compared to other recently proposed models of janus - like systems .
the density functional formalism including the fmt contribution is presented in sec .
[ sec : densityfunctionaltheory ] , accompanied by an appendix which describes relevant technical issues .
numerical results are presented in sec .
[ sec : discussion ] , where we focus on the case of single walls , but briefly discuss also the case of janus particles in slit - pore confinement .
we close the paper with a summary in sec .
[ sec : summary ] .
in this study we employ a simple , coarse - grained model of an amphiphilic system originally suggested by tarazona and coworkers @xcite . in this model the amphiphilic molecules are represented by spherical particles consisting of two hemispheres , one being hydrophilic and the other one being hydrophobic .
thus , the `` molecules '' rather resemble janus particles .
the solvent , which is omnipresent in real amphiphilic solutions , is treated implicitly .
the total pair potential between two janus - like particles at positions @xmath0 and @xmath1 subdivides into a hard - sphere ( hs ) and an anisotropic contribution , @xmath2 where @xmath3 , and the hs potential is given by @xmath4 with @xmath5 and @xmath6 being the hs diameter .
further , @xmath7 and @xmath8 are unit vectors denoting the orientation of the sphere .
specifically , @xmath9 ( @xmath10 ) points from the hydrophobic to the hydrophilic side of particle @xmath11 .
the vectors @xmath12 are parameterized by @xmath13 , with @xmath14 $ ] and @xmath15 $ ] .
the anisotropic interaction is defined as @xmath16 where @xmath17 in eq .
@xmath18 the parameters @xmath19 and @xmath20 measure the coupling strength and the ( inverse ) range of the interaction , respectively . if not stated otherwise , we set @xmath21 .
a characteristic feature of the anisotropic potential @xmath22 is that it lacks of any coupling between the orientations @xmath9 of the two involved particles ( @xmath10 ) .
in fact , eq . @xmath23 represents only the lowest - order anisotropic contribution of a more general expansion of the pair potential between linear molecules into spherical harmonics @xcite ( see also eq .
( [ janus_potential2 ] ) below ) .
+ in fig .
[ model ] we sketch the most important configurations of two particles ; the corresponding pair energies according to the angle - dependent terms in eq .
( [ janus_potential ] ) are given in the related table ( first column ) .
within our model the particles prefer to be orientated in opposite directions , such that the hydrophobic sides point towards one another .
the opposite configuration ( with facing hydrophilic sides ) is the energetically most unfavorable one .
further , parallel orientations are energetically neutral .
the strong energetic preference ( or penalty ) of configurations with facing hydrophobic ( hydrophilic ) sides mimics the effects expected in a real system which would include water as a solvent .
clearly , the water molecules will preferentially adsorb at the hydrophilic side of each particle .
the resulting steric exclusion yields an effective repulsion of the hydrophilic sides of neighboring janus particles . on the other hand
, the fact that the hydrophobic sides dislike water effectively favors configurations where these sides point towards each other , such that the contact with water is minimized .
an additional source of attraction between hydrophobic sides can arise from a functionalization with , e.g. , thiol .
an example has been described in ref .
where thiol ( and other molecular groups ) is used to functionalize the gold - coated side of a polystyrene sphere .
the functionalization yields a depletion area with respect to water and thus , an additional effective attraction between the hydrophobic ( gold ) hemispheres .
it is interesting to briefly consider the subsequent terms [ i.e. , beyond eq .
( [ janus_potential ] ) ] in the general expansion of the anisotropic pair potential .
these terms read @xcite @xmath24 where @xmath25 and @xmath26 in eq .
( [ janus_potential2 ] ) , @xmath27 and @xmath28 are distance - dependent functions that could be set , for example , equal to the yukawa - like function @xmath29 defined in eq .
( [ yukawa_pot ] ) .
the implications of the additional , angle - dependent contributions are illustrated in the center and the right column of the table in fig .
[ model ] .
equation ( [ q1_add_pot ] ) adds a term ( @xmath30 ) involving the negative scalar product of the orientation vectors ; this term clearly prefers parallel orientations irrespective of the configuration of the particles relative to the connecting vector . the term @xmath31 defined in eq .
@xmath32 favors parallel orientations perpendicular to the connecting axis .
here we focus on the lowest - order term [ cf .
( [ janus_potential ] ) ] which describes the main characteristics of our amphiphilic system @xcite . to complete the discussion on the interaction between the janus particles we briefly compare the present model with other models that were recently proposed in the literature .
the potential suggested by hess _ et al . _
@xcite involves all types of angle - dependent terms appearing in eqs .
( [ janus_potential])-([q2_add_pot ] ) .
however , the parameters in ref . were chosen such that _ parallel _ orientation of the janus spheres is preferred , contrary to our model favoring _ antiparallel _ alignment ( see fig . [ model ] ) .
another janus potential has been suggested by sciortino _
_ @xcite . within this model ,
the ( spherical ) particles have one patch ; the patches of neighboring particles then interact via a square - well potential .
the remaining parts of the spheres only induce steric repulsion .
this picture is quite different from our model , which should rather be compared to a particle with two patches , one mimicking the hydrophilic and the other one the hydrophobic part .
moreover , in our model the strongest attractive ( repulsive ) interactions occur when the particles are aligned in an antiparallel ( parallel ) manner .
the one - patch model in ref .
concentrates on the attraction in `` antiparallel '' configurations , i.e. configurations where the two patches become coupled through the square - well zone .
our main goal in the present paper is to study the amphiphilic system in the presence of a planar surface ( located at @xmath33 ) .
the simplest surface model is a hard wall , yielding the surface potential @xmath34 to include effects of preferential adsorption we also consider potentials of the form @xmath35 where the unit vector @xmath36 points along the z - direction .
the sign of the parameter @xmath37 determines the preferred orientations of the particles .
specifically , for negative ( positive ) values of @xmath37 the surface prefers the hydrophobic ( hydrophilic ) side of the janus particle .
finally , the range of the surface potential is controlled by the parameter @xmath38 . for simplicity
, we set @xmath39 . the central quantity in our study is the normalized singlet density @xmath40 which depends on both , the position and the orientation of the particles . in the equation above , @xmath41 .
following other dft studies of molecular fluids ( see , e.g. , refs .
@xcite ) we write the singlet density as a product of a position - dependent number density @xmath42 and an orientational distribution function @xmath43 .
the equilibrium singlet density is obtained from the grand - canonical density functional @xmath44}}$ ] , which is given as @xmath45=\beta^{-1}\int d^{3}r\rho{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r}\right)}}{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathrm{ln}{\ensuremath{\left ( { \rho{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r}\right)}}\lambda^3}\right)}}-1\right)}}\\ + \beta^{-1}\iint d^{3}r d^{2}\omega\rho{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r}\right)}}\alpha{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r},\bm{\omega}\right)}}\mathrm{ln}{\ensuremath{\left ( 4\pi\alpha{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r},\bm{\omega}\right)}}\right)}}\\ + \iint d^{3}r d^{2}\omega\rho{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r}\right)}}\alpha{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r},\bm{\omega}\right)}}\phi^{\mathrm{surf}}{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r},\hat{\mathbf{u}}{\ensuremath{\left ( { \bm{\omega}}\right)}}\right)}}\\ -\mu\int d^{3}r\rho{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r}\right)}}+\beta^{-1}\int d^{3}r\phi^{\mathrm{wbii}}{\ensuremath{\left ( \left\ { n_{\alpha}{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r}\right)}}\right\ } \right)}}\\ + \iiint d^{3}rd^{3}r'd^{2}\omega\rho{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r}\right)}}\rho{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r'}\right)}}\\ \cdot\alpha{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r},\bm{\omega}\right)}}\phi_{1}{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r}-\mathbf{r'}\right)}}\frac{\mathbf{r'}-\mathbf{r}}{\left(\mathbf{r}-\mathbf{r'}\right)}\cdot\hat{\mathbf{u } } { \ensuremath{\left ( { \bm{\omega}}\right)}}. \label{omega } \end{gathered}\ ] ] the first two contributions on the right side of eq . ( [ omega ] )
represent the ideal gas part of the free energy , with @xmath46 ( where @xmath47 is the boltzmann constant , @xmath48 the temperature ) and @xmath49 is the thermal de broglie wavelength .
further , the third and the fourth term include contributions from the external ( surface ) potential and the chemical potential , respectively .
the fifth term arises from the hs interactions , which we treat by fmt @xcite as described in more detail below . finally , the last term in eq .
( [ omega ] ) involves the anisotropic interactions ( [ janus_potential ] ) .
we treat this free - energy contribution by a mean - field approximation ( which can be rationalized from a @xmath50-expansion@xcite of the pair potential ) . in this framework ,
the pair correlation function is set to one for separations @xmath51 .
thus , correlation effects beyond the core condition are neglected within the anisotropic contribution to the density functional .
regarding the hs free energy , we use the white - bear mark ii version@xcite of fmt . in this framework the function @xmath52 appearing in the fifth term on the right side of eq .
@xmath53 is given by @xmath54 in eq .
@xmath55 , @xmath56 and @xmath57 in the expressions above , the scalar functions @xmath58 with @xmath59 and the vector functions @xmath60 with @xmath61 are weighted densities defined as @xmath62 the weight functions are composed of dirac delta distributions @xmath63 and heaviside step functions @xmath64 .
explicitely , one has @xmath65
@xmath66 @xmath67 where @xmath68 .
the equilibrium density is found by minimization @xcite of the grand canonical functional given in eq .
@xmath53 , that is @xmath69}}}{\delta\rho{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r}\right)}}}{\big|}_{\rho_0{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r}\right)}}}=0,\ ] ] @xmath69}}}{\delta\alpha{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r},\bm{\omega}\right)}}}{\big|}_{\alpha_0{\ensuremath{\left ( \mathbf{r},\bm{\omega}\right)}}}=0.\ ] ] due to the mean - field approximation of the anisotropic interaction in the density functional [ see last term in eq .
( [ omega ] ) ] , combined with the fact that this interaction is linear in the orientations [ see eq .
@xmath23 ] , minimization with respect to @xmath43 yields the simple , explicit expression @xmath71 where @xmath72 contrary to the orientational distribution , the position - dependent number density has to be calculated numerically .
technical details are given in the appendix , where we also give the exact boundary conditions by which the numerical results can be checked .
to restrict the numerical effort we focus on density distributions that depend only on @xmath73 . clearly , this strategy implies the possibility of missing other , and maybe energetically preferable solutions .
indeed , by considering both , @xmath73-dependent and @xmath74-dependent density distributions , tarazona _ et al . _
@xcite showed that the present model yields planar structures ( membranes `` ) , but also spherical structures ( ' ' vesicle `` and ' ' micelles " ) under bulk conditions .
however , in the presence of surfaces , a full three - dimensional calculation would demand considerable computational cost .
therefore , we focus on density distributions with the symmetry suggested by the planar wall and assume translational symmetry in the other spatial dimensions . as a consequence , the orientational distribution also simplifies to @xmath75 . having this in mind , it is useful to introduce various @xmath73-dependent orientational order parameters .
specifically , we define @xmath76 and @xmath77 the function @xmath78 describes the `` polarization ''
. it can take values between @xmath79 and @xmath80 corresponding to complete alignment in negative ( positive ) @xmath73-direction at the position @xmath73 considered .
the latter , second - rank order parameter @xmath81 also describes the ordering along the @xmath73-axis , but it is independent of the direction . within our ( mean - field ) approximation , the function @xmath81 is strongly coupled to @xmath78 , that is , @xmath82 automatically yields @xmath83 and vice versa ( see also fig . [ eta03 ] ) .
hence , we mainly consider the @xmath73-dependent `` polarization '' , @xmath84 .
as a starting point we briefly consider the bulk system of janus spheres , which may be characterized by the packing fraction , @xmath85 , and the reduced temperature @xmath86 [ with @xmath19 being the coupling constant appearing in eq .
( [ yukawa_pot ] ) ] . with the latter definition ,
the limit @xmath87 corresponds to a pure hs system .
therefore , at high @xmath88 and densities @xmath89 , minimization of the density functional ( [ omega ] ) just yields a homogeneous , isotropic phase characterized by constant number density , @xmath90 , and constant orientational distribution , @xmath91 . upon lowering the temperature , inhomogeneous ,
membrane-like solutions can appear . by
membrane " we refer to an isolated bilayer of janus particles , which is infinitely extended along the @xmath92- and @xmath93-directions , and where the two sub - layers are oriented towards each other in the energetically preferable configuration ( with facing hydrophobic sides ) .
the appearance of such membranes was already shown in the original paper of tarazona _ et al .
_ @xcite . to detect the corresponding temperature range in the present study
, we start the numerical minimization with an initial guess for @xmath94 composed of two gaussians . at high temperatures ,
this initial profile quickly disappears during the iteration procedure . for low values of @xmath88 ,
on the other hand , the procedure yields indeed formation of periodically repeated bilayer structures , characterized by a sharp decay of the density outside of the bilayers , and a depletion zone between the membranes .
the temperatures separating both regions are indicated by the solid line in fig .
[ bulk ] .
.,width=302 ] however , the precise location of this line has to be considered with some caution since the inhomogeneous low - temperature profile did not converge to a truly stable result .
therefore , we should consider the line in fig . [ bulk ]
rather as an upper limit of the temperature range related to membrane formation .
we also note that our results differ from those obtained in ref . , where the transition temperatures were found to be higher ( the focus in @xcite was on lower densities , though )
. these deviations might be due to the fact that the hs part of the density functional used in ref .
was treated in weighted - density approximation , rather than by fmt as in the present study .
we also note that the present functional does not predict a gas - liquid transition of the janus - particle system , as it was found , e.g. , in a recent simulation study of a related model system consisting of patchy janus particles @xcite . within our study
, the absence of condensation is a consequence of the mean - field treatment of the anisotropic interactions ; indeed , the corresponding term in the density functional [ see last term on the right side of eq .
( [ omega ] ) ] is zero in a fully disordered system . interestingly ,
if we focus on such a homogeneous , isotropic system and use a _ modified _ mean field approximation ( mmft ) for the anisotropic part ( for applications of the mmft to related systems , see refs .
@xcite ) , we do find a gas - liquid phase transition , indicating that the janus interaction is _ effectively attractive_. the corresponding phase coexistence points are indicated by the dashed line in fig .
here we do not explore this aspect further , the main reason being that the use of mmft in the presence of surfaces ( which are the focus of our study ) would have implied a drastic increase of numerical effort . in the following discussion of surface effects ( on the basis of the pure mean - field approximation )
we therefore consider temperatures and packing fractions in the whole range above the solid line in fig .
[ bulk ] , i.e. , where the bulk system is disordered .
we start the discussion of surface effects with the case of hard ( `` neutral '' ) walls [ see eq .
( [ surf_hs ] ) ] . in fig .
[ densities005](a ) we present density profiles for a dilute system characterized by @xmath95 and different temperatures @xmath96 , where @xmath97 is the temperature related to membrane formation in the bulk ( see fig .
[ bulk ] ) . and various temperatures . here and in the subsequent figures ,
the hard wall is located at @xmath33 , and the range parameter is set to @xmath21.[densities005],width=302 ] the corresponding order parameter function @xmath78 [ see eq .
( [ hz ] ) ] is plotted in fig .
[ densities005](b ) . at @xmath98 ,
the density profile agrees within the numerical accuracy with that of a hs fluid , consistent with the negligible values of the order parameter . by decreasing
the temperature , configurations with neighboring hydrophobic sides of the particles become more and more favorable , yielding orientational ordering of the particles as visible in fig .
[ densities005](b ) . at the same time
, the density profiles change from the typical behavior of a dilute hs system , where the density maximum occurs directly at the wall , towards a soft , loosely packed structure where most of the particles agglomerate somewhat away from the wall [ see , e.g. , data at @xmath99 in fig .
[ densities005](a ) ] .
moreover , the distance between the first two layers indicated by the two close maxima in @xmath94 is smaller than one particle diameter . analyzing the corresponding orientational order parameters we find that , in the first layer ( located at @xmath100 ) the particles are oriented such that their hydrophilic side points preferentially to the wall , whereas in the second layer ( at @xmath101 ) , they tend to orient in the opposite way .
thus , despite the low density considered , a significant degree of orientational ordering is already present . as expected , both the translational and the orientational ordering becomes more pronounced upon an increase of the density .
this is illustrated in fig .
[ eta03 ] where we plot density and orientational profiles for the exemplary case @xmath102 .
( b ) and @xmath81 ( c ) at @xmath102 and various temperatures.[eta03],title="fig:",width=302 ] ( b ) and @xmath81 ( c ) at @xmath102 and various temperatures.[eta03],title="fig:",width=302 ] at the lowest temperature considered , @xmath103 , the janus particles close to the wall are almost completely arranged into a double layer , as reflected by the high values of the first , pronounced maxima in @xmath94 located at @xmath104 and @xmath105 .
the double - layer formation is accompanied by a high degree of polar orientational order , as seen from the pronounced change of the function @xmath78 [ see fig . [ eta03](b ) ] from negative values at @xmath106 ( indicating that the hydrophilic side tend to point towards the wall ) to positive values at @xmath107 .
part ( c ) of fig .
[ eta03 ] additionally shows the function @xmath81 defined in eq .
( [ h2z ] ) ; however , as anticipated in sec . [ sec : densityfunctionaltheory ] , this function just follows the oscillations of @xmath78 and will thus not be considered further . combing back to the density profile @xmath94
[ see fig .
[ eta03](a ) ] we see that , at distances @xmath73 beyond the bilayer at the wall , the third maximum appears only at @xmath108 , indicating that the next layer is slightly shifted towards larger separations .
this is a result of the repulsion between the hydrophilic sides of a particle in the second , and one in the third layer .
indeed , the preferred orientation of the third layer becomes apparent from the positive value of @xmath78 in fig .
[ eta03](b ) .
we stress that all of these orientational ordering effects occur at temperatures where the corresponding bulk system is still homogeneous ( see fig .
[ bulk ] ) . within the framework of neutral walls , we have also considered the influence of the range parameter @xmath20 within the janus - particle interaction [
( [ yukawa_pot ] ) ] .
it turns out , however , that the latter has no crucial effect for the systems considered here . upon increase of @xmath20 ( i.e. , decrease of the interaction range )
one merely observes a decrease of the density maxima close to the walls , and a damping of the oscillations at larger distances .
we next consider the ordering behavior in systems , where the pure confinement effect induced by a neutral wall is supplemented by surface fields preferring ( locally ) a specific orientation of the janus particles [ see eq .
( [ surf_pref ] ) ] .
we start with a wall preferring the hydrophilic sides ( such as silica @xcite ) .
this situation implies that the surface field _ supports _ the orientation already found close to neutral walls ( see sec .
[ neutral_walls ] ) .
exemplary density profiles and order parameters are shown in fig .
[ hydrophilic ] , where the bulk density @xmath102 , and the fluid - fluid and fluid - surface interactions ( as well as the corresponding range parameters ) are of the same magnitude . and a hydrophilic wall ( @xmath109 , @xmath110 ) .
the inset in part a ) shows the density profile on an enlarged scale .
[ hydrophilic],title="fig:",width=302 ] and a hydrophilic wall ( @xmath109 , @xmath110 ) .
the inset in part a ) shows the density profile on an enlarged scale .
[ hydrophilic],title="fig:",width=302 ] due to the hydrophilic ( and thus , supportive ) character of the wall , the density in the contact layer , as well as the corresponding orientational order parameter , is even enhanced as compared to the corresponding system with neutral walls .
this can be seen when we compare , e.g. , results for the temperature @xmath111 in figs . [ hydrophilic](a ) and ( b ) with corresponding ones at @xmath112 in fig .
[ eta03 ] .
contrary the neutral - wall case , however , the second density maximum at the hydrophilic wall is much smaller than the first .
we understand this behavior as a consequence of the fact that , in the second layer , the hydrophilic orientation preferred by the wall competes with that dictated by the fluid - fluid - interaction ; the latter rather favors the hydrophobic side orienting towards the wall .
the competition is also reflected by the asymmetric shape of the maximum in the function @xmath78 . finally , considering the third density maximum and comparing with fig .
[ eta03 ] , we find that this ( and the subsequent ) peak(s ) is higher and that the depletion effect ( relative to the second layer ) is less pronounced than at a neutral wall . on the other hand , the density in the depletion zone is lower in the case of the hydrophilic ( than at a neutral ) wall . we conclude that , despite its short - range character [ see eq .
( [ surf_pref ] ) ] , the surface field is still effective even at fairly large separations from the wall .
completely different behavior is observed at a surface preferring the hydrophobic side of the particles .
this situation is depicted in fig .
[ hydrophobic ] where @xmath102 and we have chosen , for the purpose of illustration , a fluid - wall coupling parameter twice as large as that of the fluid - fluid interaction [ i.e. , @xmath113 in eq .
( [ surf_pref ] ) ] . ,
but for a hydrophobic wall characterized by @xmath113.[hydrophobic],title="fig:",width=302 ] , but for a hydrophobic wall characterized by @xmath113.[hydrophobic],title="fig:",width=302 ] as a result of the dominant surface field , the bilayer formed at neutral walls ( see fig .
[ eta03 ] ) completely breaks down , and one rather observes formation of a monolayer at sufficiently low temperatures .
moreover , this monolayer is build by particles whose hydrophilic side points _ away _ from the wall , contrary to what has been observed before . the subsequent layer then has the reverse orientation and is shifted to slightly larger distances ( @xmath114 ) as a result of the janus repulsion between first and second layer . behind these first two layers ,
one observes the typical oscillatory density and orientation profiles , indicating the tendency for bilayer formation consisting of oppositely oriented janus particles
. clearly , all of these effects depend on the ratio between the fluid - wall and fluid - fluid coupling parameter , @xmath115 , and on the range parameter @xmath38 .
specifically , upon increase of @xmath116 one observes an increase of the extrema of both , @xmath94 and @xmath78 , and an enhancement of the depletion areas .
similar effects emerge upon an increase of @xmath38 , that is , an decrease of the range of the surface field . finally , we consider systems confined between _ two _ planar walls , that is , in a slit - pore geometry . for simplicity ,
we focus on the case of neutral walls . for large wall separations @xmath117
, one expects the structure at either surface to become decoupled from that at the other surface , yielding bulk like - behavior ( i.e. , @xmath118 , @xmath119 ) in between the two walls .
indeed , we have explicitely checked that under such weakly confined conditions , the single - wall behavior discussed in sec .
[ neutral_walls ] is recovered at each of the walls . for smaller @xmath117 , pronounced confinement effects appear .
exemplary density and orientation profiles are plotted in fig .
[ lz_7 ] , where @xmath120 ( and @xmath102 ) .
and various temperatures in presence of two walls located at @xmath121 and @xmath122 , yielding a separation of @xmath120.[lz_7],width=302 ] at high temperatures ( i.e. , close to the hs limit ) the system is almost bulk - like in the center of the slit - pore .
decreasing the temperature we observe layer formation ( which is typical for any confined system ) , accompanied by the development of orientational order particularly close to the walls .
at the wall separation considered , the polarization at low temperatures is asymmetric in the sense that particles in the left contact layer point antiparallel to those in the right contact layer .
this is consistent with the fact that the low - temperature system consists of seven layers , a structure which allows for three full bilayer structures ( composed of oppositely oriented particles as discussed in sec .
[ neutral_walls ] ) plus one single layer .
two more examples are shown in figs .
[ lz_35 ] and [ lz_3 ] corresponding to the cases @xmath123 and @xmath124 , respectively . and various temperatures .
the walls located at @xmath121 and @xmath125.[lz_35],width=302 ] , but for walls located at @xmath121 and @xmath126.[lz_3],width=302 ] in the first case , the high - temperature system is characterized by three layers of particles , with the middle layer being rather thick [ see fig . [ lz_35](a ) ] . upon lowering the temperature ,
the anisotropic fluid - fluid interactions yields a splitting of the middle peak , reflecting that particles in the middle layer tend to arrange in a buckled structure where neighboring particles are somewhat shifted to each other with respect to the @xmath73-direction . the corresponding orientation profile in fig .
[ lz_35](b ) reveals that , in this buckled middle layer , the particles arrange in an antiparallel way .
note that the resulting in - plane arrangement is not particularly unfavorable , since according to our model , side - by - side configurations are energetically neutral
( see fig . [ model ] ) . by assuming this rather complex structure the system at @xmath123 overcomes frustration effects .
even stronger confinement , as it is the case at @xmath124 ( see fig .
[ lz_3 ] ) , then yields three pronounced layers of particles , with the contact layers pointing in opposite direction .
however , contrary to the situation at @xmath123 , the order parameter directly at the position of the middle layer is zero . only slightly left or right of the center one finds a preferred janus - like orientation
we therefore regard this case as a frustrated system .
the different microscopic configurations appearing in the strongly confined systems in dependence of @xmath117 give rise to pronounced oscillations of the normal pressure @xmath127 [ as calculated from the contact theorem , see eq .
( [ contact_theorem_hw ] ) ] .
the importance of this quantity stems from the fact that it is experimentally accessible , e.g. , by colloidal - probe atomic force microscopy @xcite .
results for @xmath128 at two temperatures are shown in fig .
[ pressure_slit ] .
, width=302 ] as it is typical for confined , dense systems of spherical particles , the oscillations have a period of about one particle diameter .
compared to the high - temperature situation , the anisotropic interactions not only strongly enhance the amplitude of the oscillations ; they also lead to slightly asymmetric peak shapes and to a shift of the oscillations .
indeed , at low temperatures , the maxima of @xmath128 occur at multiples of the particle diameter , consistent with the previously discussed frustration effects , e.g. , at @xmath124 . on the other hand ,
the complex structure seen , e.g. , at @xmath123 , corresponds to a minimum of the normal pressure curve .
in this paper we have used classical density functional theory to explore the structure formation of amphiphilic janus particles at planar surfaces .
our density functional approach involves a sophisticated ( fmt ) treatment of the repulsive ( hs ) interactions , whereas the anisotropic interactions are treated on a mean - field level .
one key finding of our study is that , due to the presence of a surface , significant translational and orientational ordering related to bilayer formation occurs under conditions where the bulk system is still homogeneous and isotropic .
thus , the surfaces seem to strongly support the structure formation , even when this surface is just a neutral ( hard ) wall .
moreover , we have shown that the details of the inhomogeneous structure at the wall can be tuned by varying the surface potential . indeed , walls preferring the hydrophilic part tend to enhance the bilayer structure seen already at neutral walls , whereas hydrophobic walls typically induce a competition between mono- and bilayer structures .
we note that the degree of hydrophobicity can be experimentally tuned , e.g. , by coating silicon wafers with polymer films of varying thickness @xcite . finally , we have considered confinement effects emerging from the presence of two planar ( neutral ) surfaces .
it turns out that , for specific wall separations , there are pronounced frustration effects stemming from the interplay between the fluid - surface potential , which prefers planar layering , and the fluid - fluid potential preferring bilayers with depletion areas in between .
this competition is also visible in an experimentally accessible quantity , that is , the normal pressure as function of wall separation .
clearly , the present study is only a starting point for a more systematic investigation of the impact of surfaces on the self - assembly of amphiphilic janus particles . from a physical point of view ,
one main drawback of our calculations is the restriction to planar , self - assembled geometries . especially at low densities
one would also expect the occurrence of spherical structures such as vesicles and micelles ; the most stable " structure could then be selected by comparison of the related free energies . furthermore , in experiments of elongated amphiphilic molecules ( rather than amphiphilic spheres ) at surfaces , both planar and spherical structures are observed @xcite , suggesting that different structures could also occur for the spherical ( janus ) case .
the strategy to include spherical self - assembled structures within our density functional approach is generally clear , as shown by tarazona _
@xcite in their study of bulk systems .
however , considering such spherical structures in combination with surfaces will require significant additional computational effort due to the further reduction of symmetry .
another open point is the presence of a vapor - liquid transition in the system .
although the present mean - field approach ( where the anisotropic contribution to the functional cancels out in a homogeneous , isotropic state ) does not reveal any condensation transition in the bulk , our preliminary results from a modified mean - field approach ( see fig . [ bulk ] ) indicate that there is , at least , a strong tendency for condensation .
this is in qualitative agreement to what has been found in another recent study @xcite of janus systems ( where , notably , the bulk condensation transition is accompanied by micellization ) . in the context of surface systems ,
a bulk condensation transition could have important consequences , since it would enable a wetting transition ( on top of the structures already observed ) .
therefore , it would be very interesting to improve the present density functional approach for the surface systems beyond the mean - field level . finally , a further interesting issue concerns the impact of curvature of the substrate on the self - assembled structures @xcite .
work in these directions is in progress .
g. r. would like to thank professors r. roth , s. sokolowski and a. j. archer for fruitful discussions on the numerical implementation of fmt .
moreover , he thanks professor k. e. gubbins for his kind hospitality during his stay at the north carolina state university in raleigh , n.c . financial support from the dfg via the international research training group `` 1524 self - assembled soft matter nano - structures at interfaces
'' ( project b1.1 ) is gratefully acknowledged .
in our study , we carry out the minimization numerically , using a one - dimensional lattice with a total length of @xmath129 and a discretization of @xmath130-@xmath131 points per sphere diameter @xmath6 .
we employ a simple iterative algorithm .
specifically , the density profile in step @xmath132 is given by @xmath133 where @xmath134 is a mixing parameter ( @xmath135 ) interpolating between the old ( @xmath136 ) and new ( @xmath137 ) density profile .
the new density distribution is calculated via the variational functional derivative @xmath138}{\delta\rho{\ensuremath{\left ( z\right)}}}\biggl{|}_{\rho^{n-1}}+\beta\mu_{\mathrm{ex}}\right)}}.\label{iterative_formular}\ ] ] in eq .
@xmath139 @xmath140 $ ] is the excess free energy functional including both , the hs and the anisotropic , interaction contributions to the full grandcanonical density functional ( [ omega ] ) , as well as the contribution of the external potential .
furthermore , @xmath141 is the corresponding excess chemical potential , @xmath142 denotes the surface area , and @xmath143 is the ideal - gas density ( of a homogeneous system ) .
there are two constraints for the mixing parameter @xmath134 .
first , one must ensure in each step that @xmath144 , because of the logarithmic term in eq .
second , the convergence should be fast enough . in our calculations
we used the following strategy ( which partially follows that proposed in ref . ): within the first iteration steps we calculated the grand potential for several values of the mixing parameter .
the result was fitted ( using a cubic fit ) to find the value @xmath145 where the functional becomes minimal .
this value @xmath145 was then used to define the new density distribution according to eq .
( [ mix ] ) .
after few iterations with this procedure ( each time updating @xmath145 ) , we kept the value of @xmath145 constant in the further iterations to minimize numerical noise .
as a criterion for convergence we monitored the difference between the old and new density distribution .
the iteration is stopped when the integral over the absolute values of the difference of both distributions becomes less than @xmath146 .
this method yields a better accuracy in terms of the boundary conditions , see below . to calculate the weighted densities , we rewrite eq .
@xmath147 in fourier space by using the convolution theorem .
this yields @xmath148 where fft stands for the fast fourier transformation @xcite .
the analogue of eq .
@xmath149 holds for the vectorial weighted densities @xmath150 . in practice ,
the weight functions are multiplied with appropriate factors to allow for a polynomial interpolation within the integrals .
+ + there are two exact boundary conditions , which give us the opportunity to control the numerical accuracy .
first , there is the contact theorem for planar walls @xcite @xmath151 which reduces to @xmath152 in the case of a hard wall at @xmath153 .
this theorem expresses the balance of forces , that is , the force per unit area exerted on the wall equals the bulk pressure .
the second condition is that the density profile far away from the wall approaches the bulk density ( in an isotropic system ) , that is @xmath154 within our calculations , these boundaries conditions are fulfilled with very high accuracy for all systems at neutral walls ( see sec .
[ neutral_walls ] ) . in the presence of surface fields ( see sec . [ surface_fields ] ) ,
the contact theorem is fulfilled only with less accuracy , whereas eq .
( [ rho_limit ] ) still holds .
c. g. gray and k. e. gubbins , _ theory of molecular fluids _
, vol . 1 ( clarendon , oxford , 1984 ) . m. gramzow and s. h. l. klapp , phys .
rev e * 75 * , 011605 ( 2007 ) .
g. m. range , s. h. l. klapp , phys .
e * 69 * , 041201 ( 2004 ) . | arxiv |
Märta Blomstedt 18991982 was an architect and one of the driving forces of the Finnish functionalism movement. Partnering with her husband, Pauli E. Blomstedt, her first works were noted for their functional, rather than decorative appearance and settings in park-like environments. After her husband's death, initially she formed a firm with Matti Lampén to complete projects her husband and she had begun. Later, she and Lampén formed a firm designing their own creations. She designed all aspects of her buildings including the furnishings, demonstrated in one of Blomstedt & Lampén's most noted designs of the Hotel Aulanko. During the war, Blomstedt & Lampén mostly worked on renovation and restoration projects of existing buildings, but at the war's end, they returned to their own designs. In addition to buildings, they were responsible for the city plans for Kuusjärvi and the Oravikoski Mining Community and created both public and private buildings in each city as well. When Lampén died, Blomstedt formed a partnership with Olli Penttilä and continued to work into the 1970s.
Early life
Märta Elisabeth Adelaide von Willebrand was born on 8 June 1899 in Turku, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire to Bertha Mathilda née Hoffstedt and Reinhold Alexander von Willebrand. Von Willebrand studied architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology and graduated as an architect in 1922. She studied the new modern functionalism which in Finland focused on separation of the building structure from the façade and placing it in a park-like, healthy environment, full of air and light. In 1924, she married a fellow student and architect, Pauli E. Blomstedt and had their first child, Benita 19242016. Between 1924 and 1929, she completed further study abroad in Italy and France.
Career
In 1926, the couple began a partnership in a firm as independent architects and in the same year, had their second child, Yrjö. Two years later Pauli won the competition to complete the Finnish Savings Bank in Helsinki. Though he served as lead architect on the project, he was assisted by Märta, , and others, to complete the project in 1930. Blomstedt and her husband completed the Kotka Savings Bank and began work on the Kannonkoski Church, before he died in 1935. She and Lampén jointly completed several of the designs her husband had begun, including the in Rovaniemi, an important icon of the early modernist period. In 1938, the two formed their own firm, Blomstedt & Lampén. Among the works Blomstedt and Lampén designed were the in Hämeenlinna. While the building was being constructed in 1939 Finnish actress Sirkka Sari fell off the roof and died during filming of Rikas tyttö.
During the war, Blomstedt & Lampén were hired to design repairs to the in the Kyttälä neighborhood of Tampere, which had been bombed. Between 1941 and 1942, they expanded the size of the home of the merchant, Kaarlo Ruuskanen, raising the size of the building on the Hämeen Street side, allowing for a surrounding terrace on the top floor. On the Pellavatehtaan Street side of the house, they constructed a wing in the functionalist style, which housed the Ruuskanen Clothing Factory until 1975. In 1948, Blomstedt & Lampén were hired to renovate the Lindström and Sörnäisten Factory in Helsinki. The firm was hired repeatedly to complete updates and further renovation on the structure. Other buildings in Helsinki in which Blomstedt & Lampén worked on renovations include: the real estate company Vladimirsgatan Building 1950 and 1979, the Tallberg house 1951, and the Primula Bakery Building 1957. In 1950, the firm completed a six-story residential and commercial building in the functionalist style in the city of Hämeenlinna and two years later completed the post office there as well. Blomstedt & Lampén were hired in 1954, for two projects in Imatra on Vuoksenniska Road, the design of the Suomen Yksityisyrittäjäin Puolue SYP party headquarters and the design of the Bio Vuoksi Cinema. That same year, the duo drew plans for the Nordic Union Bank and apartment building located at #19 Pitäjänmäki Road in Helsinki.
The city of Kuusjärvi hired Blomstedt & Lampén in 1955 to help with their city plan. They designed the plan for the municipality and built several of the significant buildings there, including the Käärmetalo townhouse, 1955, possibly the club house with its adjacent gas station 1955 which bears the hallmark of their firm, the City Hall 1956, two apartment buildings, and the first modern rowhouse 1957. Blomstedt and Lampén also designed a number of projects for Outokumpu Ltd. They were the original designers hired in 1956 by Outokumpu Ltd. to design a mining community in Oravikoski in the municipality of Leppävirta. In addition to the community plan, they built numerous structures. In 1957, the duo completed the commercial marketplace Kuvalehti House in Helsinki and the following year completed the headquarters for the Copper Division of Outokumpu Ltd., also in Helsinki. The final project for Blomstedt & Lampén was the design of the Oulu International School 1961.
In 1961, Lampén died and Blomstedt formed a new partnership with Olli Penttilä, known as Blomstedt & Penttilä. Penttilä was brought into the project for the Oravikoski community. In 1964, the duo built the Vuorimiehentie II Building on the campus of the Helsinki University of Technology in the Otaniemi district of Espoo. The following year, Blomstedt & Penttilä built the first high-rise apartment in Oulu, located at #3 Hiidentie. In 1971, three years after Kuusjärvi was renamed to Outokumpu, Blomstedt & Penttilä designed three single-family homes there in an area known as the Copper Deck and later the Arab Quarter as supervisor's homes. The Copper Deck properties, located at #2, 4 and 6 were of identical construction.
Blomstedt died on 16 February 1982 and was buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki.
Projects
Blomstedt & Blomstedt, with Lampén
Kotka Savings Bank was a joint project between Pauli and Märta and was completed between 1934 and 1935. The three-story structure, topped by a neon sign, was constructed with a two-floor recessed entrance, overhung by the third-floor balcony. The interior featured a bowed front half-cylinder stretching up to the balcony and minimal supports to the cashier's barriers, giving a feeling of openness to the space.
Pauli drew the plans for the Kannonkoski Church in 1933 and work began on the project in 1934. Before his death, he had completed design of the club rooms, parish hall and organ loft, basing his design on drafts submitted for an earlier work of the Temppeliaukio Church. The church was completed by Märta and Lampén, with the construction done between 1937 and 1938. The effort to remove obsolete sentimentality resulted in a sole cross to indicate that the building was house of worship. The design was industrial, with the steeple resembling a grain silo and was built in an open landscape of corn fields. The roof of the chapel sloped sharply, rising toward the tower, which had slits resembling a radiator grill in the uppermost belfry area. The interior was a bowed rectangular design with windows along the sides following the roofline. The church has been listed on the Finnish National Board of Antiquities, the national registry of significant landmarks.
Work for the Pohjanhovi Hotel was planned by Pauli, who died just prior to the start of construction, in conjunction with a joint venture of the Finnish Tourist Association, Alcohol Board and Restaurant Association. Design work was done by Märta Blomstedt and Matti Lampén. The hotel was located between Kemijärvi and Rovaniemi on the western bank of the Kemijoki River with a private beach and dock. Surrounded by a park, adjacent to a flower meadow and forest, with winding paths for hikers, the hotel used the most modern construction techniques available. The design allowed flexibility, in that the rooms could be converted from lodging space to business spaces and had a fully electric kitchen. Interior design and furniture design was also overseen by Märta Blomstedt, to ensure that it was fully integrated into the overall project. The hotel won wide accolades as one of the most definitive examples of Finnish Functionalism and was recognized as the first hotel to be marketed as a winter holiday resort. The hotel was completely destroyed by the Nazis during the Lapland War in 1944.
Yaskelyaynena Cottage was another project planned by Pauli E. Blomstedt and completed after his death, by Märta Blomstedt and Matti Lampén between 1935 and 1937. The property is located in Kirjavalahti Bay of Lake Ladoga and was originally owned by the Helsinki pharmacist Tauno Yaskelyaynenu. The house was built under an overhanging rock with a forest above and the lake below and purposely designed to blend in with the natural landscape, using natural brick, stone and wood. From the bay only the front façade and part of the side face of the house can be seen, as the rest is hidden by the trees. A multi-level veranda and terrace were constructed on one side of the property. In 1947, the property was transferred to state ownership and was used rent-free as a retreat by the Union of Soviet Composers and then in 1990 it transferred again as the property of the Composers Union of the Republic of Karelia. The cottage has been designated a cultural heritage site and is listed on the Russian cultural heritage register.
Blomstedt & Lampén
In 1936, the Finnish Tourist Association bought the site of the former restaurant operated by the city of Hämeenlinna at the historic location of the Karlberg estate on the shore of Lake Vanajavesi. They contracted with Blomstedt & Lampén to build the Aulanko Hotel on the site of the former restaurant. Situated on a lake in a park setting, the hotel featured a restaurant, business lounge, office and music room, accessed from a spiral staircase on the ground floor in addition to the service areas and guest quarters. A terrace restaurant and courtyard opened off of the building into the vast park. The entire project was seen as a single artwork and the furnishings, tableware and textiles were part of the design. It was completed in 1939 and stamped in tourists' minds that Finland was at the forefront of a modern nation. The hotel represented a bold and comprehensive example of Finnish modernism.
The Seventh Lutheran Church of the Kivennapa parish was also known as the Pajarin Church, after Major General Aaro Pajarille whose troops helped build the church. The church was the only project completed in the Karelian district during World War II and was a project of Blomstedt & Lampén. It was constructed in 1943 and stood for 231 days before being destroyed in June 1944 during a Soviet attack in the resumption of the Winter War. The site was on the hillside of the old historic Kivennapa Castle and built near the location of the former rectory which had burned. The building was a simple design adorned only by a tall cross carved of a single piece of wood. The building was constructed of wood from Ingria and interior had seating for 500 people made of larch from the Lintula Forest in Raivola. Lampen published an article on the construction of the church in Arkkitehti- lehdessä in early 1944.
In 1948, Blomstedt & Lampén were hired to renovate the Lindström and Sörnäisten Factory in Helsinki. They completely remodeled the structure adding an additional story, completing the work in 1949. They returned to the factory in 1955 to increase the structure to a four-story building. When the owners needed to modify the boiler room and create a storage area for flammable liquids Blomstedt & Penttilä completed the additional work in 1961.
The façade plan for #19 Pitäjänmäki Road in Helsinki was dated by Blomstedt & Lampén in 1954. The building served as the headquarters of the SYP party, was the location of the Nordic Union Bank and had nineteen apartments of varying sizes on the upper floors. Some of the apartments had balconies, which were slanted to provide a terraced look to the design. The slanted shed-style roof rose above the eaves at the peak.
The initial planning of the Oravikoski Mining Community began in 1956, after ore was discovered in the region in 1954. Blomstedt & Lampén's work, in addition to designing the overall city plan, consisted of numerous housing units, including seven two story apartment buildings which would service twelve families each; two bachelor residences, five 14 family row houses, and three detached houses. Community buildings included a cinema with a canteen built in 1957, a nursery school built in 1958, as well as a sauna, laundry and the heating plant. Typical housing included, for example, #19 Miller Road 1958 which was a row house with three apartments, each featuring a private sauna and basement with vertical wood cladding on the exterior. #21 Miller Road was a single-story dwelling built for the mine supervisor in 1958. #17 Miller Road 1960 was a four-unit single-story row house built initially for the senior engineers. The building was featured wooden, vertical cladding and each unit had a basement area.
Beginning in 1960, due to the increased use of automobiles, garages were added to existing construction in compatible styles to the houses.
Blomstedt & Penttilä
When Lampén died, Penttilä was brought in to help Blomstedt complete work on the Oravikoski Mining Community. Blomstedt & Penttilä designed residential dwellings, similar to their projects at #16 Miller Road 1969 and #18 Miller Road 1969. Both were one-story residential dwellings built for mine management, which originally featured a flat roof design.
Blomstedt & Penttilä designed the teaching facility for the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, known as the Vuorimiehentie II Building, on the campus of the Helsinki University of Technology in the Otaniemi. Construction was completed in 1964 and was built in three phases. The original design was a two-story brick clad structure with windows in ribbon-like rows.
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References
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Category:Finnish furniture designers
Category:Cultural heritage monuments in Russia | wikipedia |
Writing code any other way, once you've embraced the Redux-Saga way of implementing asynchronous operations, is difficult. Everything starts looking like a saga. You add a feature, and another, and another... and, soon, your project has 50+ sagas in it. (I just counted -- my current project has 52 sagas).
Here's how I managed to manage all those sagas without too much repetition.
I have one directory that holds all my saga files and each saga file is composed of a logical grouping of individual sagas.
For instance, I have a userSagas.ts file that contains all my user-related sagas, a sessionSagas.ts file that contains all my session-related sagas, etc.
This makes them easy to find.
In the same saga directory I have an index.ts file that imports all the sagas from the neighbouring saga files and then registers the sagas programmatically. This saves me from having to remember to type out each saga manually.
All new sagas I write are included automatically because I habitually add the export keyword when defining my sagas. There's no possibility of a saga going unregistered.
I just need to remember to add new saga groups into the index file as I create them, which hasn't been a problem yet.
One of my saga files has a factory method that creates parameterized sagas. But the function itself isn't a saga and, therefore, can't be registered with redux-saga middleware.
This tip isn't for everyone since I've got a special case here.
Note: I don't need to register the parameterized sagas that the factory function produces because they're all subordinate sagas that are only called from higher level sagas.
When you have a hierarchy of sagas (i.e. top-level sagas that call into sub-sagas), you will want to avoid registering the sub-sagas or else you will probably experience unwanted behaviour in your app.
On the other hand, if you need to export sub-sagas for unit testing, then I'd suggest grouping the top-level sagas into an object that gets exported.
Put these four tips into practice and managing your sagas will be simple. Have you had success with any other tricks? I'd love to hear about it. | slim_pajama |
The discography of American singer Victoria Justice consists of four soundtrack albums, fourteen singles, four promotional singles, twelve music videos and ten other album appearances.
Albums
Soundtrack albums
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Promotional singles
Other charted songs
Other appearances
Music videos
See also
List of songs recorded by Victoria Justice
Notes
References
Category:Victoria Justice
Category:Pop music discographies
Category:Discographies of American artists | wikipedia |
Working with stainless steel in 3 M HCl solution
We are trying to mix a material using 316 stainless steel blades in a $3~\mathrm{M}\ \ce{HCl}$ solution for 4 hours in a PE container? Will the blades stand for 4 hours or do they start to corrode in 4 hours?
The austenitic, chromium-nickel based stainless steel SAE 316 approximately corresponds to the material number 1.4401 or 1.4436. Especially due to the addition of molybdenum in its composition it is more resistant to corrosion overall than the usual type 304 (1.4301). However, it is generally not intended to be used in hydrochloric acid.
Hydrochloric acid lacks the oxidizing properties that are needed to maintain the passive corrosion-resistant surface layer on stainless steel.
The typical corrosion rate in $1\ \%$ hydrochloric acid at room temperature is about $0.1\ \mathrm{mm\ a^{-1}}$, which is approximately $0.1\ \mathrm{g\ m^{-2}\ h^{-1}}$. At higher concentrations or higher temperature, the corrosion rate is strongly increased. Note that your concentration of $c=3\ \mathrm{mol\ l^{-1}}$ $\ce{HCl}$ corresponds to about $10\ \%$ hydrochloric acid.
In addition to this uniform corrosion, stainless steels in media containing chloride ions are particularly susceptible to pitting corrosion, i.e. highly localised corrosion with discrete pits.
Furthermore, stainless steel SAE 316 is prone to chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking at elevated temperatures (over about $50\ \mathrm{^\circ C}$).
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Dragon Age 1. Elissa and Alistair finally meet
I don't own bioware except my character!
How would Alistair and Elissa met and fell in love if she didn't become a grey warden and was in Orlais during the blight, well this is how
After Alistair's coronation he walked about the Grand hall talking to every noble in Ferelden that came to see the new king's coronation, to thank them for coming. But of course he didn't much enjoy all of the Arl's throwing there daughters at him, especially Arl Wulff's daughter Esmeralda. As Alistair walked up to introduce himself to the arl, the arl introduced his not so pretty daughter. Alistair smiled and was thinking to him" Well I see now their last name is Wulff, his daughter looks like a dog. Then as he was going to talk to Bann Teagan, the herald introduced a new arrival. The herald said" Ladies and Gentlemen I pronounce the Teryna of Highever Elissa Cousland", as she walked in the crowd parted. She stopped in the center, curtsied in front of Alistair. She looked up and said "why hello your majesty it's an honor to meet you". Of course Alistair had his jaw wide open, because he was so astonished by her beauty. She was wearing a red velvet strapless dress, where the skirt of the dress hugged her frame, and the bottom flowed out passed her feet. When she walked away Alistair's eyes went to her rear looking at it as she walked away. He heard teagan clear his throat, and snapped out of it; he looked at Alistair and said "such a lovely woman don't you think your majesty. Not paying attention of course he said" oh yes it is lovely". Teagan laughed at him and started to walk away; All of sudden there were a line of women behind Alistair waiting to dance with the new king of ferelden. Alistair of course danced with every lady that was in line, at the last dance he had to sit down because he had to rest, and his feet too from being stomped on all night. As he was sitting down, he noticed Elissa walking up to him; she said"so enjoy dancing with all shrews of Ferelden. Alistair laughed he looked up her and spoke "Well my lady lets just say that they weren't the ladies he hoped to dance with tonight". Elissa was blushing because she knew who he meant. She cleared her throat and said "well your majesty I bet she would have been happy to dance with the most handsome man in all of Ferelden". Well your majesty would you like to get out of here and go get some fresh air. Alistair said "yes lets"; they headed out to the garden arm in arm. She noticed the rose bush nearby, and she stopped and bent down and sniffed them. She looked up and said" I love roses, to bad all of the suitors that my mother and father had come calling never caught on as to why I had a vase of fresh roses in my room all the time. "Of course they got really cross with me every time I chased them away". She looked up and laughed, and smiled at Alistair; he noticed how beautiful her eyes looked the steel blue of her eyes took his breath away. " So how come your not married yet" as Alistair was walking with Elissa as they departed from the rose bush, Elissa looked at him and said "Oh they wanted to only marry me for my title, and I am so much more than my title". Alistair looked at her and with a grin he said "oh your so much more than your title", Elissa looked at him and said "Flatterer". "I'm going to be staying in Denerim for the next few days have to handle business with my home, since that bastard Arl Rendon Howe slaughtered my family while I was gone; thank the maker my brother wasn't home". "Well my lady you will have to stay here at the palace then, and will you care to join me for dinner then". "It's Elissa and yes will join your for dinner tomorrow your majesty", Alistair looked down at her said "it's Alistair! You can call me Alistair". "Well Alistair would you have the servants move my things into a guest room here then please" as Elissa looked up at him doe eyed. " Certainly right away" Alistair said, well Alistair if you excuse me I'm going to have a servant show me to a guest room then so I can retire for this evening; these shoes are killing my feet". He took her hand up to his mouth and kissed it and then with a wink Elissa went to see to a servant showing her to a room. Later on that evening Elissa heard a knock "Yes come in", it was the servants coming in with her things, they carefully set her things down. One of the servants said "My lady my name is Giovanna; and I will be your head maid while you stay here at the palace, is there anything my lady wishes before I retire tonight". Elissa stood up and said "No I'm heading to bed myself, and if I need anything else I will take care of it". Giovanna looked at her and said" Well good night then my lady", as elissa heard the door click she finally slipped into her nightshirt and threw herself on the bed. The only thing on her mind was Alistair, and the only thing she could say was "Maker he is gorgeous". Then she passed out, she slipped into the fade for a dream; _there he was the king himself naked, and as elissa looked down she was naked too to her surprise. Alistair walks up grabs her and kisses her on the lips with fiery passion, and of course elissa kissed back. He slowly lowers her to the ground and passionately kisses her body, and suddenly she let out a mewl of pleasure. Because when she looked down the king was licking the spot between her thighs, and of course all she could do was buck her hips a couple of times. Then Alistair came up and kissed her letting her taste the succulent juices that came from her, then she felt something slip inside her sheath it was a little bit painful at first because he was so big. She gasped at the movement of his majesty's cock; he lifted her up and sat her down on his lap. Elissa wrapped her legs around him, and preceded to ride him, every thrust he had was more powerful than the last. Then all of a sudden_ she hears a knock at the door, my lady are you awake its time for breakfast, Elissa got up and said "yes Giovanna I am now, then she muttered to herself thanks to you". Elissa put on her robe, opened the door and Giovanna was standing there. "My lady your breakfast will be up in a bit". Elissa looked at her and said thank you, then she shut the door, and noticed something trickling down her leg. It was her juices she looked up and opened the door, "Giovanna" a few seconds later she heard her running, and she stopped as she got to her door. "Yes my lady" elissa looked at her and said "can you have someone run me a bath I'm dirty from last night". " Yes my lady right away"
2. Spying on the King
After getting back from the denerim market district, Elissa was walking into the garden and heard grunting. And as she followed the grunting, and clanking; she went around the corner and saw Alistair without a shirt, he was practicing on his dummy with his sword and shield. When he turned around Elissa gasped, at the god like physique of Alistair's toned body; then she fell forward and fell face first into the ground. At the sound of her falling Alistair turned around and noticed her picking herself up off the ground, and brushing herself off; when she got up she saw Alistair looking at her, and she paused looked at him and then she blushed. Before Alistair could say anything she took off running, as she was running into the entrance, she bumped into something and fell down, and she got up and said I'm so sorry. The woman with the orlesian accent said hello! She got up and noticed it was a red headed woman, the woman said hello I'm Leliana, she said hello I'm Elissa. Leliana asked her what she was running from, she said "oh I was going through the garden and I was watching Alistair practice without him noticing, and I tripped and fell on the ground and he saw me", and so I picked myself up and ran". Leliana said "oh enjoying the view were we; elissa looked at her and said "girl you have no idea". Little did she know was Alistair was walking up behind her quietly. Elissa went on and was talking on and on, Leliana said "would you care to describe Alistair's body". Elissa giggled like a school girl and said" well lets say he has the body of a god, and I would love to have that physique of his with them big strong hands; caressing and hovering over me while we were in the throws of passionate love making. Alistair's eyes bugged out when she said that" Well I guess we will see what happens then when it comes time to us getting more up close and personal". Leliana giggled and Elissa turned around shocked, and she turned around and looked at leliana. Leliana said "sorry I just couldn't help it". Elissa turned around and looked at Alistair he winked at her, and she took off into her room. Later that evening she walked into the dining hall, where she was dressed in a gold satin dress that hugged her body perfectly. The dress showed off every curve of her body, with her hair in ringlets that draped passed her shoulders. Alistair got up the minute she walked in, and he walked over to her; and said" Elissa you look good enough to eat". As they were eating they were talking about politics, and the blight that just ended, as elissa was going on her 5th glass of wine; she started to get a little more talkative. She stood up and said" well thank you Alistair for dinner, I think the wine is starting to catch up to me; so I'm off to bed". Alistair got up and said "well let me escort you to your room". As they got to her door, Elissa turned around; opened the door; but before she stepped inside. She turned around and gave Alistair a passionate deep kiss, he returned the kiss by sticking his tongue in her mouth; as the more heated the kiss got the more wet Elissa got. So she walked into her room; turned around and said" goodnight". She quickly closed the door before she ended up pouncing on him. But soon as Elissa got in the door she noticed a box on the bed, and there was a note on it.
_Dear Elissa,_
_If you want to get into the arms of the king, this should do the trick._
_Leliana_
She was wondering what she got her, so to satisfy her curiosity; she opened the box, and noticed a light blue, corset with garters straps, and a robe, and a pair of high heels with straps that would wrap up the calves of her legs. The corset was lace, and velvet. The robe was silk; and it went to the floor; it also had a feather boa collar. So she decided to put it on, and after she got done putting the garment on; she went and looked in the mirror. She noticed her hair in ringlets made the outfit stand out. Then out of nowhere she heard a knock at the door, just then she went to put her robe on to go answered the door. Soon as she answered the door, she was surprised to see who it was.
3. Why hello
"Why hello" and she said" hi couldn't sleep I take it" Then as she moved away from the door, Alistair came walking in and closed the door; "I was wondering if I was going to wake you; but come to surprise you are awake". Alistair noticed the box, and then saw the note and read it; Elissa was blushing, because she was wondering what he was going to do or say. "Well what is this thing that should do the trick; that will make me succumb to your wiles"; So Elissa replied" oh this robe and something underneath it". Alistair came over and undid the belt on the robe and slipped it off, and he gasped after the robe fell to the floor. The corset caused elissa's breasts to perk up and almost fall out the top, because they were large and round. The corset perfectly outlined her body every curve, and every line was flawless, and he noticed the straps on her heels; that looked like they were holding her calves in place. Elissa was standing there blushing a crimson red, and Alistair felt his manhood start to throb, and get bigger as he took in the beautiful sight in front of him. As Alistair turned his back elissa ran into the bathroom, and she looked in the mirror; and noticed her butt stuck out more. Elissa groaned and said to herself" Well he must got a nice view when I was running in here". Ten minutes later she came out and Alistair was gone, so she took off her heels, and put on her robe. She opened the door and ran down the hall to his chambers, and all of a sudden she heard moaning; she peeked in and saw Alistair pleasuring himself and was saying her name while doing it, she was shocked, and closed the door and started to walk off. But as she started to walk away she turned around knocked on the door, and walked in." So you decide to come in here and have fun without me, well let me help you". She walked over got down on her knees undid Alistair's pants, and pulled them down revealing his hard throbbing cock. She looked at him in a devilish grin grabbed a hold of his shaft and licked and stroked it before sticking his cock in her mouth. When she did that Alistair threw his head back, and let out a deep throaty groan; and then she heard "Oh maker". She deep throated him all the way till he burst with his juices in her mouth. After he got done, she got up looked at him, and said "there that will keep you from having fun without involving me". She walked to the door, opened it turned around; turned around looked at Alistair; and said "Sweet Dreams my handsome king". Then walked down the hall to her bedroom, and went to bed.
The next day she woke up, and saw a bouquet of Red Roses sitting in a vase on her stand, with a note in it. She picked up the envelope opened it and read it;
_Dear Lissa,_
_Thank you for the special goodnight gift last night, I am sorry for taking off like that, but I didn't want to take advantage of a beautiful creature as you. One of these days I will have to return the favor._
_Yours,_
_Alistair Theirin_
Then she realized today was her birthday; and so she was thinking maybe he knew it was her birthday, but again if he did he would of said happy birthday in the note. As later on as she got out of the tub, she came into her chambers and noticed a big box on her bed, with a big red bow on it. She opened the box, and noticed a really beautiful dress with shoes. She recognized the work it was orlesian stitching, it was a red laced bodice with velvet underneath, and the bottom had a lace sheer skirt, and red silk underneath with a beautiful long flowing train, and the shoes were ruby encrusted straps with a red feather at the bottom of shoe before her toes stuck out. She was like who got her this, surely it must be from Alistair. So she left, and went about her day; as she was coming back she noticed a whole bunch of people outside of the castle all dressed up. She was wondering as she got inside, she noticed minstrels, and a cake; There she saw Leliana, she walked up to her and asked" What's going on here?" Leilana looked at her and said well you better get ready for your party, today's your birthday isn't it the king has asked everyone around from ferelden to come celebrate your birthday". Elissa looked at her and said "well I better get ready then, can you come and help me with my hair?" So leliana said sure I have a perfect idea for your hair.
4. Happy Bday Bom Chicka Wah Wah
As Elissa was getting ready, she looked at leliana who was doing her hair; and she said "By the way did you send me the dress and shoes". Leliana chuckled and said "No! But I did have some way of picking it out, Alistair got it for you; but don't tell him I told you it was suppose to be a surprise". "Well I think Alistair will be happy to see that I wore it and the lingerie underneath it" Elissa said; Leliana was putting the feather in my bun with ringlets by the side of my face. "Well I am done, lets get down there and meet the stuffed shirts that arrived"; "Oh by the way Leliana were you and Alistair ever intimate?", Leliana looked at her and laughed "No Elissa why do you fancy Alistair?", "Yes I am quite smitten by him" Elissa said. As she entered the ballroom, everyone stopped and looked at her. Then the herald announced "ladies and gentlemen I hear by present the lady of the hour, Elissa Cousland of Highever". Alistair walked up to her looked at her and said" Happy Birthday you beautiful creature". Elissa looked at him and blushed and said "Thank you your majesty", so as the festivities commenced, she looked at him, and said "I would like to say thank you for this wonderful and beautiful dress, you have exquisite taste". He looked at her and said" Your Welcome I am thrilled that you like it". "So Alistair how did you know it was my birthday?" Alistair looked at her said "this is how I found out"; as he stepped aside he pointed out her brother Fergus, which was standing there with a smile on his face. She ran up and hugged him, "Fergus it's so good to see you I thought you were dead; everyone said you were at the castle when Howe ransacked the castle". Fergus looked at her and said "No my dear sister I was out in the korcari wilds when he over took the castle, and as you know that Oriana and Oren are dead due to Howe's treachery". She looked up at him and said "Yes dear brother I did hear about that, so sad". Fergus said to her" Well I shall let you get back to your birthday party that the King has held for you, and may I say that the king is really smitten by you, Oh! Happy Birthday Elissa". As the guests got done eating they started dancing, So Alistair walked up to Elissa and asked her to dance, she so gladly accepted. As they were dancing, Alistair told Elissa, "Elissa you know that every man is jealous right now that you are dancing with me," Elissa looked at him and said "Well let them my dance card is full for the evening, there is only one man I want to dance with". So Alistair decided to look around jokingly and said" well who is that lucky man and how come I don't see him". Elissa slapped him on the chest kiddingly and said" You're the lucky man silly". Alistair of course looked surprised and said" Really! Of course you knew I was just kidding right I knew who you were talking about". Elissa said I knew you were kidding, what gave you away is that the monster down stairs keeps getting bigger every time you look at me". He looked at her and blushed. "Of course Alistair I would like to get more up close and personal with something that big, it's a good thing I have a big enough mouth". Alistair looked down in shock, because he couldn't believe she said that; so she looked up at him and said "What have you seen how big you are down there its big enough to rip me wide open". Alistair then blushed and he had a grin on his face, besides what woman in her right mind would not want to lose her virginity to the King of Ferelden. Elissa looked at Alistair as the dance ended and said "Well I am tired and I going to retire for the evening", she curtsied and walked off. Later that evening after she got undressed and into her Night shirt, the king walked in; turned her around of course thank god he wasn't in his ceremony armor. He was dressed in pair of loose trousers, and no shirt; He just then planted a hungry kiss on her lips, and then he ripped off her nightshirt. She was standing stark naked; he looked at her and said" Makers breath your beautiful" he picked her up laid her on the desk, after he sat her down, he pulled down his trousers; turned her facing the door while leaning over the desk and just stuck it in her in swift move. She winced with pain because she was still a virgin, but she didn't say anything because she was waiting for this moment ever since she saw him practicing. He kept going at a rhythmic pace, as he was going in and out of her sheath; Elissa moaned ravaged because he hitting the spot every time he thrusted into her. Alistair reached in front of her and grabbed her breast and began massaging it, and at the moment he was moaning saying "Oh maker you're so warm and wet". Elissa responded by saying "Fuck me Your Majesty, and fuck me till I can't stand anymore". With that he said "Your wish is my command". He got so excited that he smacked her on the ass so hard that he left a red hand print on her left butt cheek. But the one thing that kept making him not want to last long is that every time he smacked her she would constrict her muscles around his hardened shaft. As the skin was smacking he pulled her hair gently, and all while he was fucking her he heard her say over and over again. "Oh Alistair you feel so good, and then finally after an hour of the skin smacking hair pulling ravaging sex, the both went over the edge together. She cried so loud that she thought the servants and everyone else in the castle would hear her; And Alistair let out this loud Groan that he knew people would hear that for sure. Afterwards he carried her to bed, and he got in with her. But before he got in he noticed blood on his penis, he said "Why didn't you tell me you were having your cycle". She looked at him and laughed then said" Before you never gave me a chance to tell you I was a virgin and boy what a way to lose my virginity". He looked at her scared, and she said "No no its ok, I wanted it just as bad as you did". She looked at him and he looked back staring at her with love and affection; Alistair crawled into bed with her, and he said" Well I thought it was amazing myself". So they laid there talking and she said "so I take this that we are more than just friends now huh?" He looked at her and said "What do you think I just railed the hell out of you, I have wanted to do that ever since I saw you in the lingerie". She looked at him smiled and said "Yay eat your heart out ladies". She looked at him again and the words "I love you Alistair", I hope you feel the same way to, He looked at her and replied" Yes I love you too Elissa". So they just cuddled up to each other and went to sleep.
5. Chapter 5
After leaving The Palace more than two weeks ago, Elissa returned to Highever to help get the castle back in order; but something was abound she was waking up nauseated, and throwing up in the morning, she didn't know what was happening to her so she kept it silent. Alistair wrote to her, and she wrote back expressing how much she missed him and loved him. But when Fergus overheard her throwing up into the chamber pot, he walked in her room and looked at her and said" My dear little sister I don't know if you know this but you are with child". Elissa looked at him, and said" oh I thought it was the flu". Fergus laughed at her and said" So who is the father?, she looked at him and bit her lower lip, and said "The King", he was shocked at first but she said "he must never know", He looked at her and was outraged so he looked at her and said" My dear little sister you hold the heir to the throne". Elissa looked at Fergus and she said" I know what is growing in my belly, but I don't want him to marry me because I am with child". So after 5 months of refusing to show up and making excuses why she couldn't come to the palace, she thought that Alistair has given up on her. Then one day she noticed the banners of the king coming down on the path to the castle, she was shocked and wondered what he is doing here! When she saw him he heard Fergus greeted him, but Alistair didn't look too thrilled he said "where is she", Fergus came up to him and whispered something to him. Alistair shot his head up, and she heard him say" Why didn't she tell me in her letters that she was pregnant, I would of gotten here sooner". Elissa ran out her room, down the stairs, and out the secret passage of the larder. But she wasn't slick enough, Fergus saw her running as fast as she could; he pointed her out to Alistair. Alistair saw her running with an extended belly, So he took off after her yelling" Elissa stop" But she kept on running and all she could think about was how could Fergus do this to her; then suddenly she tripped over a rock and fell onto her side. Alistair saw her fall, and he sped up as he came upon her she was crying she looked at him and said" Alistair I am so sorry that I kept this from you, but I didn't want you to marry me; just because I am pregnant". She wiped her face and continued some more "I wanted you to marry me because you loved me, and wanted to we only knew each other for so little time". He bent down picked her up, and kissed her wiped her off and said" My dear Lissa I would of married you regardless if you were pregnant or not"; she looked at him and smiled, he then said "come on we need to talk about this lets get you out of this wind before you and our child fall ill". Soon as they got inside Alistair excused himself, and told Elissa that he would meet her in her chambers in a couple of minutes to talk. She nodded and went on ahead, Alistair went to go look for Fergus; when he saw Fergus he said" Fergus can I talk to you for a second?" Fergus said sure Alistair what's on your mind?". Alistair looked at him and said" I came to ask you permission to marry your sister", Fergus looked at him, and said "Sure you can marry my sister, I can tell you one thing she always talked about how good looking you are to me". Alistair blushed, and said "Well I have this ring I brought with me, because I was going to ask her before she left Denerim, but when I awoke she was already gone". After him and Fergus got done talking, he went to her room, before he entered he knocked and he heard Elissa say
"come in". So Alistair walked up to her in two big steps, and pulled her close and kissed her passionately. Elissa let out a whimper of pleasure, and after they pulled apart they had to catch their breath. Alistair looked at her and said " Elissa since the moment we met I knew you were the one for me; your grace, beauty, and caring ways, set my heart ablaze so I am asking Elissa Cousland, mother of our child will you marry me, I love you more than anything and not because your pregnant." She looked at him and with tears welling in her eyes she said "Yes Alistair Thierin I will marry you". So he smiled and pulled out the ring of his pocket that was in the box and slipped it on her finger. She looked at him and said" Alistair where did you get this at its so beautiful", he looked at her and as he was slipping it on her finger he said" I bought it when you were in the market one day taking care of Things that had to do with here". I was going to ask you the day after your birthday but the time I awoke you already left". Elissa looked at him, and said "Well the reason why I left was because I didn't know what kind of backlash you would get Eamon". Alistair looks at her and says" What makes you think that I will get backlash from Eamon"? Elissa looks up at Alistair and says," Well from what I heard through the grapevine that he controls you too much". Alistair looks at her and just laughs, "Well my dear should we get you packed so we can go to Denerim" She looked at him, and said "Yes let's do that".
End file.
| fanfiction |
Mass Effect 1. Chapter 1
**Chapter One**
Few Quarians ever step foot in Nos Astra. They aren't missing much. For all it's glamour and sex appeal, the place is little better than a Batarian pirate den. It's like a shiny apple, making your mouth water just looking at it, but take a bite and you find it's bitter and full of parasites. Fortunate for me then, I don't eat apples. Still, the place is certainly clean, that at least is a relief. I don't know quite how they get it so spotless, but every surface seems bright, clean and shiny. Some of the places I've been to on my pilgrimage have been so dirty I spent the whole time focused on how quickly I could die from an infection were I to receive a suit puncture.
As I enter the central commerce hub I find myself engulfed by the sounds of traders going about their business. The Volus are the loudest here, shouting out what must count for a battle cry on their homeworld "Sell Now!" they hiss in that wheezy voice of theirs. In between, I can hear the frantic chattering of the Salarian traders, trying to play all the angles at once so they have some chance of making their fortunes before the end of their brief lives and under all of it like a dull hum in the background is the quiet patient song of the Asari, biding their time. Probably just waiting for the Volus to finally shut up or the Salarians to die (which from my experience is probably more likely).
The main trade floor is wall to wall market terminals, filled to the brim with eager punters that can't wait to part with their credits to buy the fashion accessory of the day or the newest and most expensive tools with which to deal out painful and bloody deaths. Weapons are amongst the most popular of trade goods here. With the proximity to the Terminus Systems, demand for death is always high and Illium likes to make sure the supply is equal to it. I make my way quickly through the crowds. Despite being the only one of my species here everyone seems far too focused on their own greed to give me more than a passing glance.
Today, I have business here too. I have a lead on a valuable bit of merchandise, but acquiring it requires doing a favour for the Shadow Broker. Not a position I would normally choose to be in, but I have already been on my pilgrimage for some time and this was too good an opportunity to pass up. I'm here to meet an agent for the Broker, a Human by the name of Salvador Crux. Meeting Humans creeps me out at the best of times, but meeting a human Shadow Broker agent may well be my limit. In many ways it's like meeting my own ancestors. They are so young as a race, yet so familiar, so like the stories I've heard about the Quarians, before the Geth, before the suits and before our endless convoy across the stars to destination nowhere. They represent all we've lost and all our mistakes, only they are yet to make them. It's no surprise that whenever I hear stories about rogue A.I.'s, there is always a Human involved. The greatest trap, is the one we make for ourselves.
The Agents office is near the trade floor, up a short flight of stairs. Not very fancy compared to everything else I've seem so far. At the top, I find a large service desk complete with an Asari secretary peering down her nose at me. She looks over me so thoroughly I feel the need to run an extra disinfecting routine on my suit. "You're late," she said accusingly. "Mr Crux does not like to be kept waiting!"
I let that hang for a moment, I'm already late after all. I could tell that annoyed her, probably as much for the fact that she couldn't read my expressions through my mask as for my unwillingness to play the scared little Quarian for her. I said: "Well then, maybe he shouldn't be kept waiting any longer?".
She sneers at me and I could tell there were calculations going on behind her eyes. I'm not sure I'd be too thrilled with what they were calculating. Without taking her disapproval off of me she activated her intercom. "Mr. Crux, the Quarian has arrived."
"Thank you Nyxeris, show Mr. Reegar in will you." returned the disembodied reply from the intercom.
2. Chapter 2
**Chapter Two**
The administrators office was a simple place. The most impressive thing there was the view overlooking the market floor, mostly dominated by the giant illuminated trade feed for the NAE. A simple desk stood in the middle of the simple room filled with private terminals that were far from simple. There was no personal touch here, the rest of the room looked like a warehouse container, very dry, very metallic. Reminded me of my room back home, or rather my old room back on my old home. When I return to the fleet, I will have to find a new one. The only other furnishings in the room were an assortment of metal crates, two basic plastic chairs on this side of the desk for visitors, grey and uninteresting and one large comfortable looking leather chair on the other, currently occupied by one Salvador Crux.
The man himself was much smaller than I expected. His skin was tanned, his eyes were dark and beady and his black hair was short and greasy looking. He wore a white designer business suit that looked more expensive than the entire contents of this office, including those terminals. He had a smile that made me think of a Varren sizing up a potential meal.
"Mr. Reegar, pleasure to meet you." he said, the pleasure was evidently not his. "Please, take a seat and then lets discuss the Geth".
I sat down on one of the basic plastic chairs. It wasn't particular comfortable, but then I'm used to that. "I was informed that you're willing to trade some Geth technology for a favour of some sort. I wasn't given any details, but I should warn you, I'm neither an assassin nor a hired thug, so if that is what you are after you can forget it right now." I said, although the truth was I had already been doing some morally questionable work, so I would have still considered it, but it doesn't hurt to at least start on some moral high ground.
Crux laughed. "That's cute Mr Reegar, but I think you'll find that someone as well connected as the Shadowbroker would not need to resort to hiring a Quarian for muscle." I caught a slight sneer as he said the word Quarian. He probably didn't think I noticed. I started to notice the number of ways I knew to kill him with my bare hands. I figured on about twelve that would be quiet enough not to alert anyone. If I hadn't been disarmed on arrival here, there would have been considerably more.
"So what do you want from me?" I asked. Crux paused for a moment to check something on one of his monitors, whatever it was it made him frown.
"Have you ever seen a Geth, Mr. Reegar?" It sounded like a stupid question, but he said it in all seriousness, like I made a habit of making friends with them.
"Not in person. Geth don't come beyond the Veil. They certainly don't pop around the migrant fleet for drinks." I had my doubts that the Geth never went beyond the Veil, but I kept those to myself. If the Broker managed to get hold of Geth technology then chances are Geth have been beyond the veil as the odds are even worse for someone salvaging Geth technology from the inside.
"But as a member of the species that created them, you are familiar with their technology at least?"
I figured the question was rhetorical, so I didn't answer it. "Enough messing around. Why am I here?"
"There are several reasons we asked you to assist us Mr. Reegar. First of all as a Quarian you have technical skills and are not entirely unfamiliar with Geth technology. Secondly as one on his pilgrimage, no one will expect you to be working for us. Finally we know all about the quality of your military training. Head of Admiral Gerrels class I believe. While we hope you will have no need of it on this task, we feel more comfortable having someone with it than without." I wasn't liking where this was going. Geth are the things of nightmares for every Quarian. They are the 300 year old boogeyman that is never seen, but always feared. Bringing Geth technology to the fleet could guarantee me a place on virtually any ship in the fleet. But I wasn't planing on a mission into the Perseus to get it. The only ship that will get me a place on is the one that sails to destination oblivion.
Crux continued: "I can understand your hesitation. But rest assured the task does not involve the Geth themselves. At least not any active ones." He flashed that Varren smile again at that last bit. He knew he had me with that. "What we need you to do, is track down a missing agent of ours, an Asari by the name of Monata T'Mar. On her last communication to us, she reported the acquisition of a dormant Geth platform. That was several days ago and she has failed to report in since. Her last known location was the Batarian planet Lorek."
That didn't sit right with me at all. "None of that makes a lot of sense to me. How did an Asari get hold of a dormant Geth, why send me after her instead of some of your Broker pawns and most importantly what exactly am I getting out of it? A Geth foot you're going to hack off as a thank you?"
"The Shadowbroker wishes to avoid direct involvement in this mater. The fact that a covert agent of ours appears to have been compromised is bad enough already. If we're lucky her ties to us have not been discovered, but we don't want to push that matter further. However, as I said before, you're a Quarian on your pilgrimage, you've had no dealings with us before and no one will question your interest in Geth technology." Salvador Crux rose from his desk and casually strolled to the observation window. He spent what seemed like several minutes staring out of it, like I was no longer in the room. I said nothing. Eventually he continued: "The platform itself is of no consequence to us and you're welcome to whatever is left of it as your reward, we will however require it's memory core to be extracted first."
I knew he'd sidestepped my first question, but I expect that. I gave him another question to avoid answering: "Why? What's so important about this memory core?"
"That is none of your concern." He snapped, "You are under no condition to attempt to examine the core yourself. Just bring back the platform and we will extract what we need from it and return it to you."
"And the Asari?"
"If she's alive and it doesn't compromise your mission, bring her back too."
"You're all heart Crux. So how am I getting to this planet? I don't own my own ship."
"We have made arrangements for that too. I believe you're already acquainted with Captain Hermean." I wasn't surprised to hear that name. I wasn't especially happy either. Prior to my arrival at Illium I had been serving on a ship called The Naglear as a bodyguard for it's Turian captain, a smuggler by the name of Barbarus Hermean. The job mostly involved standing around and trying to look intimidating. I signed up because it seemed like the perfect deal, dextro food, easy credits and free travel around the Terminus systems. Unfortunately as far as my pilgrimage was concerned I may as well have been working as a cook in a Turian prison. The ship was grim and the company was worse. Hermean himself was not the best example of a Turian you could come across. He was scheming, corrupt and greedy, but like any dirty Turian he found ways to convince himself it was somehow for the greater good.
Crux returned to his desk and sat down. He leaned forward, flashed his smile again and said: "So Kal'Reegar, do we have an agreement?"
We did.
3. Chapter 3
**Chapter Three**
The Naglear is a battered old Turian Frigate. From the looks of it, it was decommissioned around the time the first stars were forming in the Galaxy. Barbarus Hermean no doubt picked it up real cheap. He made a number of improvements to the vessel, increasing speed, durability and most importantly (to him at least) it's cargo capacity. The downside of this is there is very little space for the crew to operate in. That's fine with Captain Hermean though, gives him an excuse to keep as small a crew as possible. That way he doesn't have to split the profit too many ways. The main crew is a mere five people, one Batarian, two Humans, a Volus and Hermean himself. I never bothered to ask any of their names and they never bothered to ask mine. The Humans seem to be technicians, the Batarian is the pilot and the Volus is Hermeans' personal accountant. Usually there are a couple of hired bodyguards and until recently I was one of them. It seems old Barbarus doesn't trust the muscle long enough for them to become a permanent part of the crew. Probably afraid they'll ask for a proper cut. For this trip it seems he has skipped on the security, I would guess at the Shadow Brokers request.
Despite it's small size, the inside of the ship doesn't feel too cramped. The command deck is split into two halves, the front features the cockpit and navigation, while in the rear is the recreation and mess hall area dominated by a large poker table (that doubles as the Volus' office when a game is not in session). The next level is crew quarters and engineering and then the rest of the ship is all cargo hold. I had found my way to my usual hang out on the ship, a worn out old green couch that looked about as out of place as a piece of furniture could on a starship. I found it strangely comfortable, I guess I like the little luxuries. The Volus was sitting at the poker table as he always seemed to be, doing some calculations on his terminal. He was hunched over and muttering to himself while breathing heavily as Volus do. I always thought their suits seemed a little primitive, but then their needs are very different to Quarians. They don't do much to customise their suits either. This Volus was wearing the traditional brown number you see almost everywhere. He had barely acknowledged my presence since I came back on board. I decided it was time for some questions.
"So, what's your take on all this?" I asked him,
He paused from his work and turned his head towards me, taking in a long breath as Volus do before speaking, "My take, clanless one, is that I need to figure out how to make the most of this detour your presence has forced on us." He took another long breath, "We usually plan all our trading far in advance, but this assignment has ruined all that". He paused for a moment, looking me over as if to judge my credit value , then took another breath and continued "It is fortunate that the money we were offered for this detour should outweigh the loss we'll make on our current cargo. Still, my job is to minimise that loss when we arrive at Lorek.
"Well, sorry to inconvenience you" I told him, "By the way, the name's Kal'Reegar not clanless one"
There was another long breath, though it could very well have been a snort too. "So the Quarian thinks that because he has upgraded from thug to cargo, we are now on a first name basis? I don't think so clanless one." He returned to his work almost immediately, clearly not caring to continue the conversation. In normal circumstances that would have irritated me, but I had more important things on my mind. I decided it was time to go and speak to the captain of this vessel and see what he knew, or at least what he was willing to tell me. The captain would be in his cabin on mid deck. I got up off the worn old couch and made my way to the lift.
The lift clunked and whirled it's way up to me. The original lift in the ship had been replaced along time ago with what was essentially an old cargo lift. Basically just a big yellow platform with a wire cage around three of the sides. As I got in, I noticed the Volus cursing to himself, seems he was going to struggle to maximise profits on this trip. The lift motor started again and I gradually lost sight of the command deck, the poker table with the little Volus and the worn out couch that I found so comfortable.
Captain Barbarus Hermean was in the engineering section of the ship debating power efficiency with one of the technicians, a short scruffy looking dark haired Human in blue workman's coveralls. The conversation appeared to be over, at least as far as Captain Hermean was concerned, and he turned to face me as I excited the lift. He was perhaps a little short for a Turian at just under six foot, and had a pale greenish skin tone and his face was marked with dark blue paint symbolising whatever colony he originated from. Probably the most notable feature of his face was the long scar across the right side of his face, with a dark cybernetic eye at the centre of it. I would guess it was from a very nasty knife wound, but I never asked about it and the only friendly conversation I ever had with the rest of the crew involved them advising me never to do so. He wore battered old dark red combat armour of a kind that is common amongst Turian scouts and snipers, designed to provide good protection while maintaining maximum mobility and not fatiguing the user over long periods.
"Well this is a turn around for the books" he said loudly, walking towards me "The cargo has come to check on the ships' Captain! So how is my one time bodyguard doing?"
"I'd be better if I knew why you were doing this." I replied. "Is it just money or does Crux have something on you?"
He was right in front of me now and he dropped the level of his voice and leaned over staring into my visor like he was trying to read the expression on my face inside it "I have my reasons Kal'Reegar. Suffice to say it is in my best interests and let's leave it at that". I knew not to press the issue, but it was clear there was something other than money at stake here.
"Fair enough, but if you know anything about my mission it would be useful if you were to share it."
"What I know is that I have to take an unplanned detour on my trade route, that I'm to drop you at an old Asari research station on Lorek, That I will have to make what trades I can there and sacrifice a good portion of my cargo capacity for the return journey to make space for whatever you will be collecting from there. I don't know what you're collecting and I don't care. My only concern is that it gets back to Illium and after that, as far as I'm concerned" he sneered "you can both go to hell."
"So what about Lorek? You been there?"
"Lorek is a paradise!" He laughed "Providing you like red! With that suit of yours you should be practically invisible. hah!" He looked over my custom red suit with a smirk on his face. I can't say I'm especially fond of red, but with so much metallic grey around the fleet a lot of us like having something more colourful on our suits and I wasn't about to go for a floral pattern.
"So, anything useful or just jokes about the suit?"
"The planet is tidally locked to a red dwarf. The only habitable areas are in constant sunset and the crazy weather patterns tend to cause heavy fog. So yeah, it's very red. Other than that it's a fairly normal world. The native fauna tends to be black or at least dark shades. Overall the place looks like some twisted dream. The Batarians seem to like it anyway, at least I assume more than Asari did or else they wouldn't have given it up so easily. As a trade route it's poor at best, the Batarians there are pretty inconsistent. One day they will be stocking up on weapons to repel the local Warlords and Mercenary groups, the next they realise they are overstocked and sell them off. If I was lazy I could probably just about make a living buying and selling them the same guns! Hah! But that takes too long and eventually they'd figure it out. They aren't Krogans after all!" He got serious again for a moment "Oh yes, just so you know, there will be no hand holding down there. I'm dropping you off at the coordinates we were given, which turns out to be an old Asari comm station and then I'm off to see what trades I can make in this dump. We'll come back for you when you're done!"
"I would certainly appreciate it. Much as I like red, I have no plans on becoming part of the landscape." I can't say I was keen on being dropped onto a Batarian world with no back up, but it's not like I have a choice any more.
"Don't look so concerned. We're with you until you have the merchandise. Without that we don't get paid. Now if we're done here, I have Humans to shout at!" He said that with a smile on his face, but I could tell he planned to do exactly that. Old Barbarus takes efficiency seriously.
"Fine, thanks for the information. I guess I'll get back to my couch"
"Hah! I don't know how you can stand that old couch, smells live Varren piss to me". With that, he went his way and I returned to the cargo lift. Nothing much to do now but wait.
4. Chapter 4
**Chapter Four**
We took the Naglears only shuttle to the coordinates Salvador Crux gave Captain Hermean. While in transit, I took a moment to soak up the view. We travelled in from from the direction of the lighter sun facing side towards our destination. Parts of this world could be mistaken for your average hot jungle world, save perhaps for the massive storms, but as we approached the central band of habitability and the land of perpetual sunset came into view things began to look far more alien. Lorek's sun Fathar casts a dim red light across the landscape. The planet is mostly water, but what land it has is thick with vegetation, most of which is very dark or even black in colour, presumably to better absorb the poor low frequency light of it's parent star. Our destination is a fair way from the central city area of the planet, an isolated Asari outpost mostly used as a communication hub. As we approach I notice a thick fog across the landscape, presumably a side effect of the water migration between the light and dark sides of the planet. Great, like visibility wasn't already going to be a problem. As I switch my visor to infra-red mode it occurs to me that any native wildlife on this planet would probably need to see naturally in the infra-red spectrum or have some other form of navigation than standard vision if it is to thrive in this environment. So far I hadn't had an excuse to use that suit modification, but now I am suddenly glad I had it installed. I figured at the time it was probably more useful than Nerve-Stim-Pro, not much need for that one in combat situations.
The Asari outpost was visible now. A thin metal needle sticking out of the fog, clearly Asari in design (smooth, tall and with a broad arched base). I could see the cool surface of a small lake through the fog thanks to my now enhanced vision. It seemed this was a rockier area with less vegetation. Good, I'm not keen on jungles, too many insects. I couldn't see the heat signatures of any warm blooded life forms down there, though I doubt I would see them if they were inside the structure anyway. At this point it occurred to me that if there were active Geth down their they probably wouldn't be giving off a lot of heat. That thought sent a shudder down my spine. One day I hope to test my combat skills against those metal bastards, but I was really hoping to do it with a platoon of fellow Quarians at my side. That and perhaps a rocket launcher. I didn't fancy my chances against our synthetic nemesis today.
Hermean set the shuttle down a short way from the station, next to a small jetty on the lake. "Your stop" he said. I think he was grinning but it's always hard to tell with Turians. Not that he could tell what my facial expressions were either, which is probably for the best. I quickly checked to make sure the communicator he gave me was functional and leapt out of the shuttle, which departed almost instantly behind me. Time to get to work.
First of all I made a quick sweep of the area surrounding the large arched base of the structure. There were a number of metal crates scattered around both outside the facility and by the jetty, none really looked large enough to store a dormant Geth. I dug around in a few of them anyway, doesn't hurt to do a bit of salvaging while I have the opportunity. There wasn't much of value, some old Asari food ration packs (no use to me), a few bits of circuitry and some power cells. I felt a little disappointed, though it's not like I was expecting to find an arsenal of weapons or a big pile of credits. I made my way around to the front entrance, which opened automatically to welcome me as I approached. Strange, I would expect a structure like this to be locked. I made the wireless connection between my Omni-Tool and the door's computer system. A diagnostic report suggested the door would indeed normally be locked, but that someone had utilised a brute force hacking program to disable it. Crude, but effective providing you don't wish to lock it again in a hurry. It didn't seem like the kind of thing an Asari would do to gain access to an Asari comm station. I drew my Stinger IV out of it's holster and cautiously made my way inside, keeping an eye out for both heat signatures and anything else that may be moving around in here.
The main hall inside the station was a large domed affair with a two tier structure, the higher level surrounding the lower in an arch with stairs leading up to it. The upper tier seemed to be filled with computer consoles and a railing ran the length of it partitioning it from the level below. A couple of tall arched pillars supported the hall and two passageways lead off somewhere else at the rear of the room, either side of the stairway. There were a few artificial plants scattered around to make the place seem more welcoming. This effect was damaged somewhat by the obvious signs of a small battle. Singes of weapons fire marked some of the white metal walls, dried blood stained the floor and one of the railings on the upper level was bent and twisted out by what I would guess was a biotic explosion. Right now things didn't look very good for Monata T'Mar. The lack of bodies and the current air of silence around the station suggested the likely outcome was that whomever had attacked, had taken her alive. It's possible this had nothing to do with the merchandise in her possession and there was a chance it could still be here. Too much of a coincidence perhaps, but sometimes people are just unlucky. Even Asari.
My search of the station turned up very little else. No dormant Geth and no clue as to who may have taken the Asari. A whole lot of dead end. I hacked into a console in the entrance hall and dug up the stations communication records. I located the files but the encryption was too heavy to break easily, so I uploaded them to my Omni-Tool for later. Then I hacked the station security cameras to see if I could dig up any footage of the attack. It was a simple system and I didn't expect anyone but amateurs to leave evidence there. Sure enough all the archive material had been wiped and the cameras had been set to stop recording future material. All that could be accessed was the current feed. I watched this for a moment, wondering what my next move would be when I noticed movement on one of the external cameras. Ground vehicles approaching the station and at high speed! Hard to tell the numbers in the fog via the camera feed, but it looked like two. I had to move fast and hope the fog would give me adequate cover. I made my way outside and positioned myself behind one of the larger crates by the jetty. Seemed to be a good position to scope out whoever was approaching. It's possible they are friendly, but I would very much doubt that. It's also possible that whomever was responsible for the fire fight inside has returned and perhaps have both the Asari and the Geth in their possession. With luck I can get the jump on them and then find some answers.
As the vehicles drew closer I could see that it was indeed two, heavy duty multi-terrain vehicles of some kind. I couldn't see any markings on them to give away anything about who was inside. They were noisy beasts of vehicles though and that put my nerves on edge. I am taking quite a risk here, if they are equipped with infra-red sensory equipment they could possibly spot me back here and I'll loose my one advantage. The vehicles stopped, though they left their engines going and I could hear loud shouting over the roar. Not many species can shout that loud and I could feel my nerves were way past the edge and now hanging off the side of a cliff face. My fears were soon confirmed as I say the unmistakable outline of Krogan through the depth of the fog. This wasn't going to be a fight I can win. My only option was going to be staying hidden and I didn't like my chances behind this crate. As quietly as I could I backed away from the crate and slipped down into the lake. My suit can sustain me without air for a considerable amount of time and hopefully if they do have heat sensing equipment the cool waters of the lake will help mask it.
I sank down to the depth of the lake, looking up I could no longer see the Krogan or their vehicles, just the dim red of eternally setting sun. I could still hear the vibration of the engines and hoped that would be enough to inform me for their departure. Why would Krogan be here? Perhaps they are mercenaries, but if they are I doubt they're the ones responsible for the mess inside. That would suggest, including the Shadow Broker, at least three groups are after this dormant Geth or whatever information it has in it's memory core. With the Brokers resources you would think he could keep such a thing quiet or at least pay off the local mercenaries to look the other way. I spent a long time considering my next move should I not be discovered and wondering how many Krogans I could take out by myself with just a heavy pistol if I am. I watched time tick away on my chronometer, focusing on it so as to not get too disorientated in this state of virtual suspended animation down in the depths of this lake in a land with no day or night.
Eventually I heard the increased rumble of the Krogans vehicles. They must be preparing to leave. Perhaps not all of them, but if any are left behind at least now I may have a reasonable chance and perhaps may even get some answers. I decided to give it a few extra minutes to be sure, and for the first time I noticed something that had been at the edge of my vision the whole time – A faint heat signature. Neither warm nor large enough for another person and it hadn't moved the whole time I was down here. I made my way towards it and as I drew closer to it, I saw through the murky water that the heat was coming from an Omni-Tool. The detail in my vision cleared as I got closer and I could make out more in the visible colour range. The thing I saw before me was the blackened a bloated remains of something that used to be an Asari. It seems I found the Shadow Brokers contact after all. She was weighed down by several metal harpoons that perforated her body. One appeared to have hit her directly through her eye and her head was distorted in an expression of sheer horror that was visible even despite the bloating. As horrrible an image as this was, it did answer some questions. This was the work of Batarian mercenaries and that meant Blue Suns. There was more information to be gained here and only one way of getting it. I drew my boot knife and began to cut away at the arm of the former Mrs T'Mar to free her Omni-Tool. You can store a lot of information on one of those things if you have a mind to, perhaps this can give me more of an idea what I am up against. What little blood was left in the corpse oozed out through the wounds adding streaks of blue into the murky grey waters under the dim red sun.
The made my way to the surface and the air was silent now and very still. There were no Krogan left behind at the station. No doubt they found as little as I had, less perhaps. Were they Blood Pack mercenaries I wondered? Technology isn't really their thing and it's rare for two mercanary groups to be involved in the same deal. It didn't feel right. Still, I have one lead and perhaps more depending on what information I can extract from the Omni-Tool. I contacted the Naglear via my communicator. Looks like Captain Hermean was going to have to make another trip to get his pay. There is one place in the Terminus Systems you can be sure to find mercenaries and that is where I had to go, right into the hornets nest. Next stop – Omega.
End file.
| fanfiction |
nutritional iron deficiency is the most common deficiency disorder in the world , affecting more than two billion people worldwide , with pregnant women at particular risk [ 13 ] .
world health organization ( who ) data show that iron deficiency anaemia ( ida ) in pregnancy is a significant problem throughout the world with a prevalence ranging from an average of 14% of pregnant women in industrialized countries to an average of 56% ( range 3575% ) in developing countries [ 2 , 3 ] .
furthermore , ida not only affects a large number of women and children in the developing world , but is also considered the only nutrient deficiency that is significantly prevalent in the developed world also .
the number of patients with i d and ida is overwhelming as more than 2 billion people , approximately 30% of the world 's population , are iron deficient with variable prevalence , distribution , and contributing factors in different parts of the world [ 13 ] .
iron deficiency affects more women than any other condition , constituting an epidemic public health crisis .
it is usually present with subtle manifestations and should be considered as a chronic slowly progressing disease that is often underestimated and untreated worldwide despite several warnings and awareness campaigned by the who [ 13 ] .
the high prevalence of ida in women has substantial health consequences with subsequent socioeconomic hazards , including poor pregnancy outcome , impaired educational performance , and decreased work capacity and productivity [ 1 , 4 ] . because of the magnitude and consequences of iron deficiency anaemia in the world , especially in women in their childbearing period
, several international conferences on nutrition have addressed this issue in order to reduce the prevalence of iron deficiency in women of childbearing age without major success [ 16 ] .
however , there remains a lack of data about its effects on patient 's wellbeing .
targeted iron supplementation , an iron - rich diet , or both , can improve iron deficiency
. however , the variability of bioavailable iron compounds limits its value against nutritional iron deficiency .
therefore , laboratory measures of iron stores should be utilised to determine iron deficiency and monitor therapy [ 36 ] .
this review highlights the importance of ida in pregnancy and discusses appropriate treatment in order to avoid serious complications of anaemia .
the balance of iron metabolism in healthy individuals predominantly reflects three variables : nutritional intake , iron loss , and current demand .
the nutritional iron intake relates to the amount of digested iron in food and the ability to absorb iron from the digestive tract .
the amount of iron absorbed depends largely on the presence or absence of pathology of the gastrointestinal tract or a comorbidity ( such as chronic inflammatory diseases ) that may result in expression of the iron regulatory proteins and a peptide called hepcidin , which ultimately blocks iron absorption [ 1113 ] .
the main source of iron in humans comes from the destruction of erythrocytes by macrophages of the reticuloendothelial system including the spleen or in other words , a recycled internal iron supply .
recent studies have shown how the human body up- and downregulates iron absorption in response to changing iron status via intestinal and hepatic proteins [ 1215 ] . during pregnancy ,
fetal hepcidin controls the placental transfer of iron from maternal plasma to the fetal circulation . when hepcidin concentrations are low , iron enters blood plasma at a high rate .
when hepcidin concentrations are high , ferroportin is internalized , and iron is trapped in enterocytes , macrophages , and hepatocytes [ 11 , 15 ] . the daily requirement of external iron remains as little as between 1 to 8 mg daily .
however , more external iron is required to balance increased demand for iron especially with physiological requirements during growth , pregnancy , and lactation [ 16 , 17 ] . this significant increased demand for iron
is required to develop the fetus and placenta in addition to support mother 's blood volume .
furthermore , pregnant women are subject to iron loss during and after delivery [ 1618 ] .
the total iron loss associated with pregnancy and lactation is approximately 1000 mg [ 16 , 17 ] .
therefore the recommended daily dietary allowance for iron in pregnancy is 27 mg instead of 8 mg in the adult nonpregnant population .
g / l or < 115 g / l in some clinical practice guidelines with a slight variation according to the trimester of pregnancy . however , a haemoglobin level < 100 g / l indicates anaemia at any stage during pregnancy that should initiate investigations and treatment because of potentially serious consequences for the mother and her baby , with an increased risk of intrauterine growth retardation and premature birth . in the meantime , anaemia in women of reproductive age is defined as hb < 120
g / l or in some studies < 115 g / l as this is laboratory and population specific [ 710 ] .
iron deficiency can be classified as severe i d when the serum ferritin level is below 2030 g / l and mild - moderate i d if the serum ferritin level is below 70100
however , serum ferritin is an acute phase reactant and may be raised in cases of inflammation or infection , therefore a concurrent test for inflammatory markers is advisable in cases of anaemia with raised ferritin to exclude reactive causes .
i d is most likely not present if the ferritin level is above 100 g / l .
although a study of bone marrow iron stores is generally regarded as the definitive marker of iron deficiency , it remains an impractical and invasive procedure to apply for most patients .
measurement of both soluble transferrin receptor and serum ferritin provides a tool for accurate diagnosis of ida [ 1921 ] .
however , transferrin receptor is not a well - standardized test that can be reliably reproduced with high precision in most laboratories worldwide . in the meantime
, ferritin estimation is an easy automated test to perform in most laboratories in the world ; however , its use is limited in cases of inflammation or infection as it is considered to be influenced by acute phase responses and hence negatively influences its value in clinical interpretation of the test results [ 19 , 20 ] . the commonly available laboratory tests that determine iron status , namely , serum iron , transferrin , total iron - binding capacity ( tibc ) , transferrin saturation , and ferritin are widely used in worldwide clinical practice [ 19 , 20 ] .
soluble tfr ( stfr ) is present in human plasma and is considered as a truncated form of the tissue receptor that exists as a transferrin - receptor complex and therefore it reflects tissue iron deficiency .
another protein that plays a crucial role in iron metabolism is hepcidin , which is primarily made by hepatocytes and secreted into the blood circulation .
hepcidin is a small - sized molecule composed of 25-amino acid peptide , which is renally excreted and therefore can be detected and measured in urine [ 14 , 15 ] .
furthermore , hepcidins rapid excretion suggests that it is regulation triggered at the level of production sites .
hepcidin circulates in the ferroportins plasma and responds to various stimuli that regulate iron stores and serum iron .
recent studies demonstrate that hepcidin levels are reduced in iron deficiency [ 14 , 15 ] .
measurement of blood or urine hepcidin levels can be achieved by mass spectrometry and immunoassays in serum , plasma , and urine .
however , the diagnostic utility of serum hepcidin in iron deficiency has not yet been defined in clinical application .
nevertheless , hepcidin estimation seems a potentially accurate test that reflects the actual iron status with less limitations .
altogether , new technology such as hypochromic reticulocytes and reticulocyte haemoglobin testing , stfr , and hepcidin have reportedly been developed with higher sensitivity , specificity , reproducibility , and cost effectiveness [ 1924 ] .
it is worth noting that there are no specific data addressing the difference of these markers in the pregnant versus nonpregnant population .
however , in principle , no essential change should occur in iron metabolism in the pregnant versus non - pregnant population except for the increased iron demand as discussed before .
full blood count and mcv value allowing the diagnosis of microcytic anaemia is considered a good screening tool for ida . however , in areas of the world where haemoglobinopathies are prevalent and these may be associated with microcytosis , iron studies , in particular ferritin level remains the surrogate marker for ida . according to the ferritin level
, iron deficiency can be classified as severe i d when the ferritin level is < 30
g / l or mild - moderate i d if ferritin < 100 g / l and > 30 g / l ( there is a wide normal range between 20 and 464 and is laboratory and method specific ) . in cases of elevated ferritin > 100 g / l with a concurrent anaemia ,
a reactive common cause such as infection should be excluded and other causes of anaemia should be examined accordingly .
other complementary tests in iron studies such as serum iron , iron binding capacity , and transferrin saturation are helpful in confirming the diagnosis of ida .
oral iron therapy is the most widely prescribed treatment for iron deficiency anaemia , however , there are many issues that may prevent oral iron supplementation from successfully managing ida . for instance , many patients do not respond adequately to oral iron therapy due to difficulties associated with ingestion of the tablets and their side effects .
side effects may play a significant role in rates of compliance [ 25 , 26 ] .
furthermore , the presence of bowel disease may affect the absorption of iron and thereby minimize the benefit received from oral iron therapy [ 2729 ] .
the side effects of oral iron therapy include gastrointestinal disturbances characterized by colicky pain , nausea , vomiting , diarrhoea , and/or constipation , and occur in about 50% of patients taking iron preparations [ 13 , 2729 ] .
furthermore , the most widely prescribed oral iron is mainly composed of ferrous salts [ 2527 ] .
its absorption can be limited by ingestion of certain foods as well as mucosal luminal damage [ 2729 ] .
the usual recommended oral iron sulphate dose for the treatment of iron deficiency is at least 80 mg daily of elemental iron , which is equivalent to 250 mg of oral iron sulphate tablets ( abbott , australasia pty ltd . ) .
iron absorption requires an acidic medium , therefore its absorption may be decreased by intake of antacids or proton pump inhibitors and histamine receptor antagonists .
interference of iron absorption may occur with the intake of certain medications , which thereby minimises the benefit received from oral iron treatment .
the major challenges in the management of ida are related to the tolerability and side effects of iron therapy in its different forms .
therefore , it is crucial to determine the most appropriate form and dose of iron as well as duration of treatment in order to successfully replenish iron stores .
although oral iron is widely used worldwide , the effectiveness of oral iron is largely compromised by lack of absorption , poor compliance , increased adverse effects ( up to 56% ) , and discontinuation of treatment ( up to 20% ) [ 4 , 26 , 29 ] .
therefore , parenteral iron is seen to be an attractive option in the treatment of ida and is likely to be more popular due to the introduction of new intravenous iron preparations , which allow high doses of iron to be administered rapidly in a single treatment [ 3032 ] . in the past ,
intravenous iron had been associated with undesirable and sometimes serious side effects and was therefore limited in use [ 33 , 34 ] . however , in recent years , new type ii and iii iron complexes have been developed which are better tolerated and can be used for rapid repletion of iron stores [ 34 , 35 ] . despite the increasing evidence of the safety of the newer preparations , both in pregnant and general populations , intravenous iron continues to be underutilised because of previous concerns with tolerability of older intravenous iron preparations [ 7 , 8 , 30 ] .
review of infusions of iron dextran among 481 patients of both sexes revealed that about 25% of patients had mild side effects , which were self - limiting .
however , about 2% experienced severe allergic reactions and about 0.6% were considered as anaphylactic reactions .
iron gluconate is considered to have a lower reaction rate and therefore a test dose is not recommended with only 3.3 allergic events per million doses per year with iron gluconate reported .
there were no life - threatening reactions recorded as a result of iron gluconate infusion .
on the other hand , there were 31 fatalities among 196 allergic / anaphylactic reactions , which were reported for iron dextran .
the high incidence of adverse reactions to iron dextran , including serious adverse events have limited its application in pregnancy [ 3840 , 43 ] . whilst the application of iron gluconate is considered safe , it remains impractical in theory as it requires multiple infusions with huge implications on the often limited health system resources as well as on patients ' compliance .
more recently new forms of intravenous iron that have been developed and are available , are permitting treating physicians to safely administer relatively high doses of iron in a single dose treatment . intravenous iron ,
including iron sucrose , was employed in randomised controlled trials with improved effectiveness of intravenous iron only or in combination with oral iron , compared to oral iron only , based on hb levels [ 4143 ] .
a single iv iron sucrose dose has been reported to be associated with an increased incidence of thrombosis ( 9/41 , 22% ) .
in contrast , 6 small doses of intravenous iron sucrose administered over a three - week period were without infusion - associated thrombosis , with intravenous iron sucrose administered in 5 daily doses to 45 pregnant women , also well tolerated . in the first study utilising intravenous iron sucrose , there was no significant difference in hb levels at any time measured at days 8 , 15 , 21 , and 30 and at delivery between intravenous iron sucrose or oral iron sulphate .
in contrast , in another trial , with 6 small doses of iron sucrose , there was a significant difference in hb levels in favour of the intravenous iron sucrose group as measured at 2 and 4 weeks after administration of iv iron and at delivery .
however , both trials administered iv iron sucrose at the expense of a vastly greater effort from the patients to present to the hospital for 6 infusions in a short period of time as well as the extra demands on hospital resources [ 41 , 42 ] .
furthermore , relatively older and established iron preparations such as intravenous iron polymaltose ( ferrosig , sigma pharmaceuticals , australia ) demonstrated a high safety profile in the treatment of ida in both obstetric and general populations without a maximum dose of treatment .
the total dose of iv iron polymaltose is calculated according to the patient 's body weight and entry hb level with reference to the product guidelines as follows : iron dose in mg ( 50 mg per 1 ml ) = body weight in kg ( maximum 90 ) target hb ( 120
g / l ) actual hb in g / l constant factor ( 0.24 ) + iron depot ( 500 ) .
iron polymaltose infusion showed high efficacy and safety profile during pregnancy in the largest , recently published trial . in this study
, two hundred caucasian pregnant women aged 18 years or above were identified with moderate ida , defined as hb 115
g / l ) and low iron stores based on a serum ferritin level < 30 g / l ( rr 30440 g
the iv arm required a single intravenous infusion of iron polymaltose ( ferrosig , sigma pharmaceuticals , australia ) within 1 week after antennal clinic booking , usually after 12 weeks of gestation , followed by oral maintenance therapy .
the oral treatment arm comprised iron sulphate 250 mg tablets ( elemental iron 80 mg , abbott , australasia pty ltd . ) to be taken daily within two days after booking until delivery . at preenrolment
, there were no significant differences in the dietary iron intake or supplement intake between the two groups based on a specially designed questionnaire addressing these issues .
the participants were followed up during the pregnancy and at a postdelivery median follow - up period of 32 months ( range 2642 ) .
iron status and haemoglobin were determined at time of entry in the study as a baseline , then prior to delivery and thereafter 4 weeks after delivery .
as reported in the original study , at delivery the proportion of women with lower than normal ferritin levels was 79% for women who were treated with oral iron as compared to 4.5% for women who received iv iron ( p < 0.001 ) .
g / l was 29% in the oral iron group versus 16% in the iv iron group ( p = 0.04 ) . as a common practice at our institution
, we have performed more than 1000 iv iron polymaltose infusions for the treatment of ida in pregnancy during the last 5 years .
there was no recorded anaphylaxis or mortality secondary to iv iron in this cohort of patients . in unpublished data collected as a follow - up study of the original trial
, there was a significant improvement in the general health of women who received iv iron polymaltose versus oral iron ( p < 0.001 ) .
the duration of breast feeding was longer ( p = 0.04 ) in those women who had received iv iron polymaltose versus oral iron .
women with better iron status were less downhearted ( p = 0.005 ) and less likely to develop postnatal clinical depression ( p = 0.003 ) .
this would indicate that it is worthwhile considering the hb and iron status as a surrogate marker for assessment of women 's wellbeing , not only during pregnancy but also during the postnatal period . however , further studies are warranted to confirm and extend these findings .
furthermore , recent reports demonstrate the feasibility of rapid iron polymaltose infusion over 2 hours [ 30 , 44 , 45 ] .
however , a test dose of iron polymaltose ( 100 mg ) should be first administered over 30 minutes , and premedication with antihistamine and/or low - dose steroids is recommended prior to iron treatment for better toleration [ 44 , 45 ] . a recent comprehensive meta - analysis and review by reveiz et al . of the literature between 1970 till present on different treatments for ida of pregnancy showed paucity of good quality trials assessing clinical maternal and neonatal effects of iron administration in women with ida in spite of the high incidence and burden of disease associated with ida . during this period
, there was only one prospective randomized trial of the effect of iv iron versus oral iron in the treatment of ida during pregnancy that fulfils the stringent independent reviewer quality criteria [ 7 , 30 ] .
the new preparations of intravenous iron ( table 1 ) are seeking approval for use during pregnancy in phase ii and iii clinical trials from the authorised organisational bodies in europe and the usa .
nevertheless , they can be potentially used currently in the non - pregnant female population for the treatment of postpartum , pre - further , and postmenopausal iron deficiency anaemia according to the regional health authority approval . in a randomised trial to assess safety and efficacy of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose in the treatment of postpartum ida , 227 women were assigned to iv ferric carboxymaltose with 1000 mg maximum dose ( up to 3 weekly doses ) versus 117 women who received oral ferrous sulphate 100 mg twice daily .
intravenous iron carboxymaltose was as effective as oral ferrous sulfate with no statistically significant differences between groups at any time point despite the shorter treatment period and a lower total dose of iron ( mean 1.3 g iv iron versus 16.8 g oral iron ) .
furthermore , in the iv iron carboxymaltose group , the increases in ferritin levels were significantly greater than in the ferrous sulphate ( p < 0.0001 ) indicating a successful repletion of iron stores and accessibility for erythropoiesis . in a multicenter randomized , controlled study , 291 women directly after delivery with haemoglobin 100 g / l were randomized to receive 1000 mg iv iron carboxymaltose ( 143 women ) , repeated weekly to a calculated replacement dose ( maximum dose 2.5 g ) , or ferrous sulfate ( 148 women ) 325 mg orally three times daily for 6 weeks ( total dose 40.9 g ) .
g / l in a shorter period of time with a sustained haemoglobin > 120
furthermore , the achieved haemoglobin rise of 30 g / l was significantly more rapid in the iv iron group than the oral group in achieving higher serum ferritin levels .
drug - related adverse events occurred less frequently with ferric carboxymaltose . in a phase 3 randomised trial 174 women who received iv ferric carboxymaltose with a mean total dose of 1.4 g versus 178 women who received 325 mg ferrous sulfate three times daily for 6 weeks ( total dose 40.9 g ) were assessed .
patients assigned to iv ferric carboxymaltose achieved a haemoglobin rise > 20 g / l faster than the oral iron group ( 7 days compared with 14 days in the oral iron group , p < 0.001 ) .
g / l at any time ( 86.3% compared with 60.4% in the oral iron group , p < 0.001 ) , and were more likely to achieve a haemoglobin > 120 g / l ( 90.5% compared with 68.6% , p < 0.001 ) . in the meantime , there were no serious adverse drug reactions in both groups . in a large randomized ,
controlled phase 3 multicentre trial , 477 women with ida and heavy uterine bleeding were assigned to receive either iv ferric carboxymaltose ( 230 women ) with a maximum dose of 1000 mg repeated weekly to achieve a total calculated replacement dose , or 325 mg of oral ferrous sulphate ( 65 mg elemental iron ) three times daily for 6 weeks with a total dose of 40.9 g in 226 women .
women who achieved a haemoglobin rise 30 g / l were 53% in the iv iron group versus 36% in the oral iron group ( p < 0.001 ) .
g / l in the iv iron group compared to 50% in the oral iron group ( p < 0.001 ) .
this trial demonstrated that patients with ida due to heavy uterine bleeding who received iv iron carboxymaltose , are more likely to have normal haemoglobin with replenished iron stores .
altogether , the new intravenous iron preparations represent a medical revolution in effective , rapid , and safe iron repletion in the management of iron deficiency anaemia [ 4655 ] .
this will positively reflect on the treatment of ida in different populations by application of a single high - dose intravenous iron treatment with effective subsequent repletion of iron stores and hence improvement of subjective and objective outcomes of the ida .
although iron deficiency is a precursor of ida , many clinical studies treat it similarly to ida .
the cost of one iron sulphate tablet is approximately usd $ 0.3 , so the average cost throughout one pregnancy is calculated to be between $ 54 and $ 89 .
the cost of iron polymaltose containing 500 mg is $ 50 , so the average treatment cost is $ 100 . in australia ,
the cost of the outpatient hospital visit and nursing time for the iv iron adds approximately $ 60$100 to the drug cost subject to variations according to different health systems .
the cost of the new iron preparation ferric carboxymaltose is approximately $ 272 per average 1000 mg total dose compared to $ 280 for 1000 mg of iron sucrose ( table 2 ) .
in the case of severe ida , a blood transfusion has been the traditional efficient approach to correct anaemia , especially if patients did not respond to oral iron therapy or when a rapid correction of anaemia is clinically required .
although there is a lack of data regarding the avoidance of blood transfusion during pregnancy , a recent trial investigating treatment of ida with oral versus iv iron in pregnancy demonstrated that none of both treatment arm participants received blood transfusion for correction of anaemia during pregnancy .
however two patients ( 0.9% ) in the oral iron arm received blood transfusion in the postpartum period .
currently , the development of new intravenous iron formulations that offer higher doses in a single administration has provided the treating physicians with the opportunity to employ intravenous iron as an effective , rapid , and safe treatment for ida [ 4655 ] , avoiding the use of blood transfusion with its known hazards .
there is increasing evidence - based research that supports the safety and efficacy of iv iron in ida .
there is also increasing evidence for inadequacy of oral iron in terms of adverse effects , lack of compliance as well as lack of absorption and slow and often questionable effect in ida patients [ 34 , 35 , 42 ] .
a common requirement across the range of clinical situations is the need for safe , effective , higher , and less frequent doses to achieve optimal clinical outcomes .
the major goals of such strategies include overall cost reduction , relief to overstretched health system(s ) , improved patient convenience , improved compliance , preservation of venous access , and reduced blood transfusion [ 34 , 56 , 57 ] .
this will ultimately reduce the demand for blood transfusions , especially in the case of short supply .
furthermore , some of the new iron preparations such as ferric carboxymaltose and iron isomaltoside do not require a test dose and therefore , ease the application of intravenous iron in a timely and cost - effective fashion .
the who has recognised the problem of ida in the general population as the most debilitating nutritional deficiency worldwide in the twenty - first century , noting women to be at particularly high risk . such a problem , if ignored and not addressed properly , can have a devastating effect on entire populations with serious consequences .
therefore , the use of intravenous iron should be considered as an effective , rapid , and safe treatment option in some clinical situations .
an algorithm for the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy and postpartum period based on different prospective randomised trials is proposed in figure 1 [ 7 , 25 , 30 , 41 , 42 ] .
the intravenous iron is increasingly employed to avoid or reduce the demand for blood transfusions or for effective rapid repletion of iron stores .
treatment options for ida should consider the recently developed intravenous iron formulations , which are considered a milestone in the management of ida ( figure 1 ) .
overall , the developing world is most vulnerable , especially the poorest and the least educated populations that are disproportionately affected by iron deficiency , and therefore have the most to gain by eradication of ida .
furthermore , awareness of the magnitude and scale of the ida problem during pregnancy and also in the non - pregnant female population will help health practitioners in recognising the most appropriate methods of diagnosis and treatment , which are crucial in overcoming such a devastating health problem . a consensus guideline set by world experts in managing ida in women and in the general population , incorporating new intravenous iron therapies with a global approach of the health and economy aspects of ida , should be considered .
it is worthwhile considering a universal comprehensive ida management algorithm that offers different evidence - based treatment options and addresses local conditions .
therefore , it is crucial to adapt a viable programme with the aim of utilising the local available resources effectively . perhaps prioritising the treatment of ida and increasing
the awareness among the community of such a chronic devastating problem of paramount importance is the key for success and sustainability of such a programme .
certainly , successful eradication of ida will result in huge benefits for community health and productivity with a major health saving not only in the developing world but also in developed nations . | pubmed |
Chicago's school LGBT grooming scandal is a wake-up call for America
Homosexual grooming of schoolchildren is happening, and we cannot let the left cover it up.
Screenshot/https://www.fwparker.org/
Mon Dec 12, 2022 - 7:06 pm EST
(LifeSiteNews) – Christopher Rufo, who has been exposing radical gender ideology in American schools for just over half a year now, has broken another story. The details are genuinely difficult to believe.
READ: 'Shocking and disturbing': Project Veritas exposes 'queer sex' lessons taught at Chicago private school
To summarize: Joseph Bruno, the dean of students at Francis W. Parker School, a private prep institution in Chicago that charges $42,000 per year, was filmed by Project Veritas boasting about bringing in the LGBTQ+ Health Center during "Pride Week" to introduce the students to various sexual practices and to distribute sex toys. (The week's events also included the school bringing in drag queen Alexis Bevels).
"They were passing around butt plugs and dildos to my students," Bruno boasted, sporting bright nail polish. "Talking about queer sex. Using lube versus using spit. They're just like passing around dildos and butt plugs. The kids are just playing with 'em…in a classroom, while I'm sitting there. They're like, 'How does this butt plug work? How do we—like how does this work?"
The children, he noted, are often as young as fourteen, and the drag queen is there to "pass out cookies and brownies and do photos."
The Veritas journalist asked: "And everybody's cool with that? The butt plugs and the dildos? Any complaints?"
"No," Bruno replied. He then noted that parents would, in his view, be fine with all of this, and that as far as he knows, the trustees are unaware of what he's up to because he has "so much freedom." He was certain they'd find it "wonderful": "Why would I tell them?"
READ: Liberal parents celebrate showing their children pornographic fetishes and nudity at LGBT 'pride' parades
Bruno, as it turns out, was correct in his assumption that the school would back his activities. The Project Veritas videos went viral, but Principal Dan Frank released a letter titled "In Support of our Curriculum, Students, and Employees" to the entire school community. Frank stated that he was "heartbroken" that Bruno's words "have been severely misrepresented for a malicious purpose" by a "far-right activist group" in "an effort to discredit" "mainstream media organizations, progressive groups, and educational institutions."
At the same time, Frank confirms the accuracy of the video (while objecting to Bruno's being filmed without granting permission) by noting that Bruno was "describing one example of our inclusive, LGBTQ+ affirming, and comprehensive approach to sex education." He did not include that Parker's "comprehensive" approach included instructions on "queer sex" and playing with sex toys in class while adults looked on. Instead, he doubled down: "Parker administrators and Parker's Board of Trustees support Parker's programming, the strength and inclusivity of our curriculum, and the dedicated and talented faculty and staff that teach it."
Frank thus claims simultaneously that the videos are "deceptively edited" but defends the content being described in said videos; he also insists that the programming that attracted such backlash has the support of everyone in charge. For Frank, Bruno, and Parker's higher-ups, "inclusivity" means "handing out sex toys to students" and spending a week doing what amounts to grooming. (If literally instructing children in how to use butt plugs is not grooming, then nothing is, regardless of how much gaslighting the LGBT movement attempts to unleash on this issue).
Many of us have been sounding the alarm on the sexualization of children for several years now, noting that this has always been the goal of the sexual revolutionaries right from the beginning. Stories like this are important because they highlight not only that it is happening, but that when confronted with evidence that it is happening, those who are perpetrating the grooming insist that they are only doing good work in the service of inclusivity and tolerance—while those exposing the grooming are mean, "far-right" hatchet artists. If "far-right" means opposing handing out sex toys to kids, I think that category includes far, far more people than Parker's elites might suspect. They are trying to gaslight us. They should not be allowed to get away with it.
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Jonathon Van Maren is a public speaker, writer, and pro-life activist. His commentary has been translated into more than eight languages and published widely online as well as print newspapers such as the Jewish Independent, the National Post, the Hamilton Spectator and others. He has received an award for combating anti-Semitism in print from the Jewish organization B'nai Brith. His commentary has been featured on CTV Primetime, Global News, EWTN, and the CBC as well as dozens of radio stations and news outlets in Canada and the United States.
He speaks on a wide variety of cultural topics across North America at universities, high schools, churches, and other functions. Some of these topics include abortion, pornography, the Sexual Revolution, and euthanasia. Jonathon holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history from Simon Fraser University, and is the communications director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform.
Jonathon's first book, The Culture War, was released in 2016.
Francis W. Parker School
Sex-ed | slim_pajama |
4 ounces Monterey Jack Emmental, Swiss or Jarlsberg Cheese, your preference.
This seafood shells recipe is comfort food elevated to a whole new layer. This is a varied supply that can be old with any seafood you equivalent really. I most often work it really simply with peewee for an inexpensive lenience but you could easily use lobster, scallops or crab as fine. For unscheduled occasions, a combining of any of those would be improbably tasteful.
I like the slightly smoking banknote of the smoked cheeseflower in this instruction but if that isn't to your discrimination, rightful use an un-smoked tracheophyte. Humble cheeses module manipulate unsurpassable in this recipe, so secondary added that you may suchlike outdo too.
This is quite a plushy and hedonic cater, so a lowercase goes a interminable way. One f my popular slipway to answer it is in respective bantam gratin dishes as the rank direction at a ritual dinner receiver, where it can be enjoyed to it's fullest when serving something a little ignitor as the principal layer.
Scald the milk in the microwave or on the stove top to almost boiling.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook together the 3 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp flour, salt and pepper for 2 minutes.
Whisking constantly, slowly pour in scalded milk. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes stirring constantly.
Grate the other cheeses, mix them together and set aside.
Place 1/3 of the pasta in the bottom of the dish.
Pour on 1/3 the sauce.
Scatter half the seafood over the surface.
Repeat the layers ending with the grated cheese on the top.
Mix all of the ingredients for the crumb topping together and sprinkle evenly over the grated cheese.
Cover casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for 15 minutes longer. | slim_pajama |
What is a cold black hole in astrophysics?
I found the word 'Cold Black hole' in some academic papers. I think it is concerned with thermodynamics of black hole but I don't know exactly what is cold black hole. Please help me to understand well.
“Cold black hole” is *not* a standard terminology, so looking at the paper OP has cited, we see that this is the name for a class of black-hole type solutions in [scalar-tensor theories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalar%E2%80%93tensor_theory) (STT) with an infinite horizon area and zero Hawking temperature, existing for negative values of the coupling constant $ω$ (Brans–Dicke parameter).
To learn more about the properties of these solutions one could turn to the papers:
* Bronnikov, K. A., et al. *Structure and stability of cold scalar-tensor black holes.* Physics Letters A 243.3 (1998): 121–127, [arXiv:gr-qc/9801050](https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9801050).
* Bronnikov, K. A., et al. *Cold scalar-tensor black holes: causal structure, geodesics, stability*. Grav. Cosmol. 4 (1998) 128–138, [arXiv:gr-qc/9804064](https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9804064).
| stackexchange/physics |
cereal seeds must meet several quality criteria , in particular good germinative potency ( 85% after 8 days ) and sanitary state ( absence of claviceps purpurea ) .
more generally , low contamination from fungi such as fusarium , septoria , or alternaria is advisable to obtain good performance after seeding .
moreover , fungal contamination of seeds can lead to mycotoxins production such as aflatoxin b1 , b2 , g1 , g2 , m1 , ochratoxin a , zearalenone , and fumonisin .
it is thus common practice to treat seeds with antifungal molecules , but this leads to evident environmental problems and even to concern about safe disposal of seed packaging .
alternative solutions will likely become widely spread in the future and must be investigated . among them , ozone is wellknown for its efficiency as a surface disinfection agent , especially as it leaves no toxic residue once converted into oxygen .
stability of pure gaseous ozone is about 3 days at 20c and falls to about half an hour in practical conditions . as a potent oxidative agent , it is efficient against both gram or gram+ bacteria , fungi , viruses , protozoa , and also bacterial or fungal spores . apart from its use in water sanitation , it has also been proposed to lower pathogen microbial contamination on diverse plant seeds or bulbs ( triticum sp .
, brassica sp . , zea mays , hordeum sp . , phaseolus sp . , helianthus sp . , ) [ 1 , 4 , 5 ] .
a decisive advantage of ozone is its low toxicity on seed germs which allows to preserve excellent germination performance .
several methods can be used to assess ozone disinfection efficiency . apart from direct surface visual inspection
, one can also wash a seed lot and microscopically inspect the solution collected therefrom to identify foreign bodies ( sclerotes , spores , ) .
one can also incubate seeds over an ad hoc culture medium for a period of 5 to 7 days in suitable temperature and lighting conditions and observe colony development [ 6 , 7 ] .
we used such an approach to assess ozone surface disinfection performance on triticum aestivum ( common wheat ) seeds .
however it appeared to us that a more thorough scrutiny of the results was necessary . while colonies numbering did not point to a strong effect of ozonation
we thus used self - organizing maps ( soms ) to analyze surface colony area .
soms are a particular kind of artificial neural networks that learn to classify input vectors ( here pixel rgb intensity data ) according to how they are grouped in the input space .
they differ from competitive layers in that neighboring neurons in the self - organizing map learn to recognize neighboring sections of the input space .
thus , soms learn both the distribution ( as do competitive layers ) and topology of the input vectors they are trained on .
soms have been used successfully to perform segmentation of complex images , in particular from diverse food products such as cookies , fried chips , or potatoes [ 912 ] . in the present case ,
this allowed to discriminate quickly and easily between different fungi species while dodging the necessity to remove image background beforehand .
this approach showed a significant inhibition of fusarium growth after ozone treatment , while seeds retained a germinating capacity over 95% .
ozonation thus is qualified as an efficient treatment for seed surface disinfection , while som use allows to fine tune image analysis of fungi colonies .
a particular sample from cv louisart ( moisture 14 , 3% ) was selected for its known huge contamination by fusarium .
ozone was produced by corona discharge using a benchtop generator ( c - lasky series ozone generator c - l010-dt , airtree technology europe co. , germany ) , with a maximal production of 2 g / h when fed with atmospheric air .
seed samples ( 60 g each ) were placed in a cylindrical vessel ( 15 cm in diameter ) .
they were exposed for a known time to ozone treatment by percolating gas flow ( 5 l / min , 0,8 mg
the vessel was shaken every minute during operation to ensure homogeneous contact between gas and grain surface .
petri dishes filled with malt agar ( biokar diagnostics , france ) were used for fungi detection . for each assay
, a total of 300 seeds were settled in 30 petri dishes . in a particular petri dish
a seed was settled in the center , and nine others were settled equally spaced on the periphery ( figure 1 ) .
control samples were used , that is , untreated seeds and seeds commercially treated with celest ( fludioxonil , syngenta crop protection nv , belgium ) .
colonies were counted and inspected both macroscopically and microscopically to identify fungi species , as detailed in previously published methods [ 6 , 7 ] .
most displayed growth of a single fungal species and were counted one for that species .
petri dishes were then positioned over a sky blue background in a lighting cabinet ( gti minimatcher , gti graphic technology , newburgh , usa ) equipped with two 6500k daylight - balanced fluorescent lamps .
a digital camera ( nikon coolpix 4500 ) was used to take images ( figure 1 ) in jpeg format ( 640 480 pixels ) .
images ( 8 bit ) were then imported into matlab 2011 software ( the mathworks , inc . ,
three bidimensional soms ( hexagonal networks ) of 5 10 neurons each were created using the matlab neuron network toolbox .
the networks were limited to two dimensions only to match the flat shapes of the clusters of rgb values from the two fungi colonies types ( alternaria sp . and fusarium sp . ) and of the image background .
these soms were trained using three composite images created by sampling a representative set of regions from colonies of alternaria sp .
, from fusarium sp . colonies , or from the image background ( figure 2 ) .
this allowed to account for the whole complex set of color shades present in the colonies . over training iterations ,
the som progressively unfolded to match the shapes and topologies of the color pixel distributions ( figure 3 ) .
the trained soms were then used to perform segmentation of images ( figure 4 ) . for each pixel presented to a som
, a single winning neuron would respond as being closest to these particular pixel rgb coordinates .
euclidean distance between the winning neuron and pixel coordinates was then computed and used to decide whether the considered pixel was part of an alternaria colony , of a fusarium colony , or of none of them ( thus being background ) . in either colonies ,
ratio of the number of pixels to the total pixel number of a petri dish would finally provide an estimation of colony surface percentage .
seed - germinative capacity was evaluated by testing 400 seeds for each treatment , placed into four essay boxes ( 100 seeds each ) .
essay boxes are 21 cm long , 12 cm broad , and 8 cm high , with a cover to guard against water evaporation .
this substratum is then disposed in the bottom of the boxes , with a constant height of 2 cm ( about 820 g per box ) . in each box ,
100 equally spaced small holes are perforated through the sand by way of a nailed plank ( nails protrudes 1 cm ) .
each hole then receives a seed , and covered boxes are first incubated for 7 days at 6 - 7c in a refrigerated cabinet .
they then stay for 8 days at 22c in a temperature - regulated cabinet lighted with 12 neon tubes ( philips tl - d58w/54 - 765 ) , with a cycle of 12 day hours and 12 night hours .
triticum aestivum seeds , variety of louisart , were exposed to ozone treatment for different durations and then incubated over petri dishes for 7 days .
the only significant effect was a higher number of healthy seeds when treated with celest .
however , no significant effect could be seen for either alternaria or fusarium counts . a more thorough inspection of petri dishes however hinted at the existence of an effect of ozone treatment on colony surface . to test this , we measured colony surface by way of image analysis through a som methodology .
as shown in figure 6 , seed treatment with celest led to significantly smaller fusarium colonies ( about threefold ) ; no significant effect was observed on alternaria colonies .
seed treatment with ozone also led to significantly smaller fusarium colonies ( about threefold ) .
however , a significant effect was observed on alternaria colonies , with surfaces about twofold greater after treatment .
figure 7 shows the linear negative correlation between the surfaces of fusarium and alternaria colonies , for seeds treated with ozone .
we see that reduced fusarium surface results in increased alternaria surface , with a correlation coefficient of 0.71 .
all seeds retained the same germinative capacity than control , that is , over 95% , with the exception of seeds treated with ozone for more than 10 minutes in our experimental conditions , where germinative capacity was lowered to 90% .
the use of som to operate segmentation of fungi colonies on petri dishes images proved to be very efficient , as was already the case in earlier studies [ 912 ] .
we were able to obtain fast and easy image treatment , with very good segmentation between fusarium sp . and alternaria sp . colonies .
whole colony surfaces were selected , due to the som taking into account the whole range of color shades for the two types of fungi colonies . as previously described [ 1 , 13 ] , we observed an effect of gaseous ozone treatment to reduce fungi seed contamination without germinative impairment , except for prolonged ozone treatment .
however , our som method to measure surface occupation by colonies allowed to obtain more precise and detailed data , which led to better understanding of treatment effects .
first , a simple count of colonies number showed no significant decrease except for celest control . by colony surface analysis
, we also observed a decrease of both fusarium and alternaria growth after celest treatment .
ozone treatment had a different effect , effective on fusarium only : it led to a decrease in fusarium surface occupation ( the number of fusarium colonies is not decreased , but colonies are smaller ) and to an increase in alternaria surface occupation .
thus , reduced growth of fusarium allows alternaria to occupy more surface on petri dishes .
alternaria could be less susceptible to ozone toxicity , due to a more efficient spore resistance .
also , alternaria could be settled deeper into seed tegument and thus less exposed to ozone attack .
from this , we conclude that ozone is a more selective disinfectant than celest , acting efficiently on fusarium .
enhanced growth of alternaria is attributed to lower competition after fusarium was killed by ozone treatment .
it would be of interest to use this method to obtain detailed data about seed disinfection for a greater variety of fungi contaminants .
there is still to test its limits in case of colonies presenting closely matching color shades . | pubmed |
the structured testing program ( step ) is a 12-month , cluster - randomized , multicenter comparison between poorly controlled ( a1c 7.5% ) , noninsulin - treated type 2 diabetic patients using structured smbg in conjunction with enhanced usual care ( structured testing group [ stg ] ) and an active control group ( acg ) that received enhanced usual care only .
enhanced usual care included quarterly clinic visits that focused specifically on diabetes management , free blood glucose meters and strips , and office point - of - care a1c capability .
patients were recruited from primary care practice sites across the eastern u.s . , which were stratified to stg or acg .
this included both small and large practices serving communities with a range of patient education , social class , and ethnicity that reflected the diversity of primary care settings in the u.s .
the use of a stratified , cluster - randomized design ensured that physicians cared for patients from one study group only .
each site generated a list of all patients who met age , diagnosis , and a1c inclusion criteria from their patient databases or chart review .
participating physicians reviewed the list and eliminated patients whom they felt should not participate in the study ( e.g. , dementia , psychosis , recent emotional trauma ) .
patients were then randomly selected from the list using a study - defined protocol until the predetermined sample size was reached .
inclusion criteria were : duration of type 2 diabetes > 1 year ; aged 25 years ; a1c level 7.512.0% ; currently treated by diet , exercise , oral diabetes medication , and/or injectable incretin mimetic ; able to read and write english without assistance ; and had not participated in any other research protocol within the last 30 days .
exclusion criteria were : type 1 diabetes ; managed with insulin at the start of the study ; c - peptide level 0.50 ng / ml ; used systemic oral or inhaled steroids more than 14 days within the last 3 months ; treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy ; pregnant or breast - feeding ; or had severe depression or other severe psychological conditions .
the study protocol was approved by the copernicus group ( central institutional review board ) and is in compliance with the helsinki declaration ( 15 ) . written informed consent was obtained from all subjects .
the study s duration was 12 months with patient visits occurring at initial screening and baseline followed by visits at months 1 , 3 , 6 , 9 , and 12 . at screening , investigators recorded demographics , collected relevant medical history , performed physical examinations , collected laboratory samples ( e.g. , a1c , lipids ) , and documented all current medications .
patients completed the step questionnaire , which included measures of self - care , diabetes - related distress , depression , and gwb .
patients in both arms received a free blood glucose meter and test strips ( accu - chek aviva meter system ; roche diagnostics , indianapolis , in ) , and they were instructed in their use . at all subsequent visits ( months 1 , 3 , 6 , 9 , and 12 ) , acg and stg clinic staff collected laboratory samples , recorded changes in medications , and performed brief physical examinations .
point - of - care a1c equipment ( a1cnow+ test kit ; bayer healthcare , tarrytown , ny ) was provided to all practices for clinical use only to assure that differential availability of the equipment did not affect outcomes .
patients in both groups brought their meters to each subsequent visit for electronic data uploading ; physicians and clinic staff were blinded to these data and all other study - collected measures .
all patients completed the step questionnaire and a post - visit questionnaire to record physician discussion of smbg results and recommendations for pharmacologic and lifestyle changes that occurred during the visit .
stg participants used the accu - chek 360 view blood glucose analysis system ( roche diagnostics ) , a validated tool ( 16 ) that enabled patients to record / plot a 7-point smbg profile ( fasting , preprandial/2-h postprandial at each meal , bedtime ) on 3 consecutive days prior to each scheduled study visit ( months 1 , 3 , 6 , 9 , and 12 ) , to document meal sizes and energy levels , and to comment on their smbg experiences .
stg participants received training in the use of the accu - chek system , including instructions for how to identify problematic glycemic patterns and how best to address such problems through changes in physical activity , portion sizes , and/or meal composition .
stg patients and physicians reviewed the completed form at each of the scheduled visits and noted areas of needed medication and lifestyle change .
completion of the accu - chek system was prompted via a telephone call from their physician s office one week prior to their next appointment .
acg patients were instructed to use their meter following their physicians recommendations but received no additional smbg prompting , training , or instruction .
stg physicians / staff received training on interpreting the structured data and were provided with an algorithm that described various pharmacologic / lifestyle treatment strategies that could be used in response to the specific smbg patterns identified .
all stg physicians were contacted regularly over the 12 months of the study to ensure consistency of the intervention over time .
a1c analysis was conducted by a central laboratory ( covance , indianapolis , in ) using the variant ii and variant ii turbo hemoglobin testing systems ( bio - rad laboratories , hercules , ca ) .
treatment intensification was calculated using information entered into patient medical records at each clinic visit .
these included recommended pharmacologic modification ( defined as the initiation of a new medication , increase or decrease in the dose of an existing medication , or termination of an existing medication ) and recommended lifestyle modification ( defined as any change in diet , exercise , or other self - care behavior ) .
the total number of visits with medication or lifestyle modifications and the time to the first treatment change was recorded for all patients .
frequency of smbg for all patients was calculated from blood glucose meter data that were uploaded electronically by the site coordinator directly to a web server at each study visit via the accu - chek smart pix device ( roche diagnostics ) .
gwb was measured using the who-5 well - being index assessment tool ( 17 ) , a widely used , five - item questionnaire with a total score range of from 0100 ( higher scores indicating more positive well - being ) . findings regarding other patient - reported outcomes will be presented in subsequent reports . the study was designed to have a 90% power to detect a difference of 0.5% in a1c levels .
this was determined using a two - sample t test ( two - sided , = 0.05 ) , assuming a common sd of 1.5% .
the estimate of sd in a1c values was inflated from 1.15 to 1.50 because of the clustering effect ( 18,19 ) .
we required a total of 408 patients ( 204 per study arm ) to achieve the specified statistical power .
a larger stg sample was initially recruited to account for potentially greater attrition expected in this group over time .
the analysis of change in a1c and other dependent variables was performed using linear mixed models ( lmm ) analysis with sas proc mixed ( 20,21 ) .
lmm allows for comparisons between groups across study waves over time , along with analyses of moderator and mediator variables within the same analytic frame ( 20,21 ) .
control variables in all analyses included : baseline dependent variable ( a1c ) ; patient age , gender , and race ( white / nonwhite ) as fixed effects ; and practice site and subject as random effects .
missing data were estimated using maximum likelihood methods ( 22 ) . based on the mixed model ,
the least - square estimates of the group differences were obtained and tested for statistical significance .
lmm was performed in two ways using values from all study visits across the 12 months . in the first approach ,
the analysis focused on the intent - to - treat ( itt ) population , which was defined as acg and stg subjects who completed the baseline and at least one postbaseline visit .
the second approach was a per protocol ( pp ) analysis , which included all acg and stg patients who adhered to the study protocol .
adherence in the acg was defined as those who completed the study ( with 4 visits ) and did not use structured smbg records that were similar to the accu - chek 360 view blood glucose analysis system intervention tool .
adherence in the stg was defined as those who completed at least 80% of all blood glucose values on the intervention tool , brought their completed tool to the clinic visit , and reported that their physicians looked at the tool and discussed the results ( via the post - visit questionnaire ) at 4 of the 5 clinic visits .
the study s duration was 12 months with patient visits occurring at initial screening and baseline followed by visits at months 1 , 3 , 6 , 9 , and 12 . at screening , investigators recorded demographics , collected relevant medical history , performed physical examinations , collected laboratory samples ( e.g. , a1c , lipids ) , and documented all current medications .
patients completed the step questionnaire , which included measures of self - care , diabetes - related distress , depression , and gwb .
patients in both arms received a free blood glucose meter and test strips ( accu - chek aviva meter system ; roche diagnostics , indianapolis , in ) , and they were instructed in their use . at all subsequent visits ( months 1 , 3 , 6 , 9 , and 12 ) , acg and stg clinic staff collected laboratory samples , recorded changes in medications , and performed brief physical examinations .
point - of - care a1c equipment ( a1cnow+ test kit ; bayer healthcare , tarrytown , ny ) was provided to all practices for clinical use only to assure that differential availability of the equipment did not affect outcomes .
patients in both groups brought their meters to each subsequent visit for electronic data uploading ; physicians and clinic staff were blinded to these data and all other study - collected measures .
all patients completed the step questionnaire and a post - visit questionnaire to record physician discussion of smbg results and recommendations for pharmacologic and lifestyle changes that occurred during the visit .
stg participants used the accu - chek 360 view blood glucose analysis system ( roche diagnostics ) , a validated tool ( 16 ) that enabled patients to record / plot a 7-point smbg profile ( fasting , preprandial/2-h postprandial at each meal , bedtime ) on 3 consecutive days prior to each scheduled study visit ( months 1 , 3 , 6 , 9 , and 12 ) , to document meal sizes and energy levels , and to comment on their smbg experiences .
stg participants received training in the use of the accu - chek system , including instructions for how to identify problematic glycemic patterns and how best to address such problems through changes in physical activity , portion sizes , and/or meal composition .
stg patients and physicians reviewed the completed form at each of the scheduled visits and noted areas of needed medication and lifestyle change .
completion of the accu - chek system was prompted via a telephone call from their physician s office one week prior to their next appointment .
acg patients were instructed to use their meter following their physicians recommendations but received no additional smbg prompting , training , or instruction . stg physicians / staff received training on interpreting the structured data and were provided with an algorithm that described various pharmacologic / lifestyle treatment strategies that could be used in response to the specific smbg patterns identified .
all stg physicians were contacted regularly over the 12 months of the study to ensure consistency of the intervention over time .
a1c analysis was conducted by a central laboratory ( covance , indianapolis , in ) using the variant ii and variant ii turbo hemoglobin testing systems ( bio - rad laboratories , hercules , ca ) .
treatment intensification was calculated using information entered into patient medical records at each clinic visit .
these included recommended pharmacologic modification ( defined as the initiation of a new medication , increase or decrease in the dose of an existing medication , or termination of an existing medication ) and recommended lifestyle modification ( defined as any change in diet , exercise , or other self - care behavior ) .
the total number of visits with medication or lifestyle modifications and the time to the first treatment change was recorded for all patients .
frequency of smbg for all patients was calculated from blood glucose meter data that were uploaded electronically by the site coordinator directly to a web server at each study visit via the accu - chek smart pix device ( roche diagnostics ) .
gwb was measured using the who-5 well - being index assessment tool ( 17 ) , a widely used , five - item questionnaire with a total score range of from 0100 ( higher scores indicating more positive well - being ) .
the study was designed to have a 90% power to detect a difference of 0.5% in a1c levels .
this was determined using a two - sample t test ( two - sided , = 0.05 ) , assuming a common sd of 1.5% .
the estimate of sd in a1c values was inflated from 1.15 to 1.50 because of the clustering effect ( 18,19 ) .
we required a total of 408 patients ( 204 per study arm ) to achieve the specified statistical power .
a larger stg sample was initially recruited to account for potentially greater attrition expected in this group over time .
the analysis of change in a1c and other dependent variables was performed using linear mixed models ( lmm ) analysis with sas proc mixed ( 20,21 ) .
lmm allows for comparisons between groups across study waves over time , along with analyses of moderator and mediator variables within the same analytic frame ( 20,21 ) .
control variables in all analyses included : baseline dependent variable ( a1c ) ; patient age , gender , and race ( white / nonwhite ) as fixed effects ; and practice site and subject as random effects .
missing data were estimated using maximum likelihood methods ( 22 ) . based on the mixed model ,
the least - square estimates of the group differences were obtained and tested for statistical significance .
lmm was performed in two ways using values from all study visits across the 12 months . in the first approach ,
the analysis focused on the intent - to - treat ( itt ) population , which was defined as acg and stg subjects who completed the baseline and at least one postbaseline visit .
the second approach was a per protocol ( pp ) analysis , which included all acg and stg patients who adhered to the study protocol .
adherence in the acg was defined as those who completed the study ( with 4 visits ) and did not use structured smbg records that were similar to the accu - chek 360 view blood glucose analysis system intervention tool .
adherence in the stg was defined as those who completed at least 80% of all blood glucose values on the intervention tool , brought their completed tool to the clinic visit , and reported that their physicians looked at the tool and discussed the results ( via the post - visit questionnaire ) at 4 of the 5 clinic visits .
we recruited 34 primary care practices that were then randomized with stratification to acg ( n = 13 ) or stg ( n = 21 ) ( fig .
of these , 7 patients ( acg , n = 1 ; stg , n = 6 ) withdrew consent , and 9 patients ( acg , n = 2 ; stg , n = 7 ) were lost to follow - up .
the remaining 483 patients ( acg , n = 227 ; stg , n = 256 ) were included in the itt cohort . during the study ,
15 patients discontinued , 24 withdrew consent , and 69 were lost to follow - up , all primarily because of time or other life demands .
dropouts were slightly younger ( p < 0.02 ) , more likely to be african american ( p < 0.02 ) , had a higher a1c ( p < 0.01 ) , and had fewer comorbid conditions at baseline ( p < 0.02 ) .
an additional 84 patients ( acg , n = 26 ; stg , n = 58 ) were excluded from the pp analyses because of protocol nonadherence .
thus , the pp cohort included 161 ( 71% ) acg patients and 130 ( 51% ) stg patients .
patient demographic and disease - related characteristics at baseline between the two study groups differed only by age and ethnicity . these differences were controlled in all subsequent analyses .
the incidence of hypoglycemia ( < 70 mg / dl ) , based on downloaded meter data , was 1.9% in the acg and 1.8% in the stg ( p = ns ) .
there were no significant differences between the groups in number of total visits ( scheduled study visits plus follow - up visits ) over the 12 months ( acg = 5.1 [ 2.2 ] ; stg = 4.9 [ 2.6 ] , p = 0.56 ) baseline characteristics of practice sites and patients with type 2 diabetes by randomization group values are n ( percentages ) unless stated otherwise .
itt analysis revealed that both groups showed significant reductions in a1c levels ; however , stg subjects evidenced significantly greater mean ( se ) reductions in a1c than acg subjects over the 12 months : 1.2% ( 0.09 ) vs. 0.9% ( 0.10 ) ; = 0.3% ; p = 0.04 ( fig .
2a ) . pp analysis revealed an even greater mean ( se ) a1c reduction among those stg subjects who adhered to the intervention compared with acg subjects : 1.3% ( 0.11 ) vs. 0.8% ( 0.11 ) ; = 0.5% ; p < 0.003 ( fig .
it is noteworthy that a1c reductions in nonadherent stg subjects were not significantly different than reductions seen in acg subjects .
a : itt analysis : mean ( se ) a1c over 12 months ( m ) in patients with noninsulin - treated type 2 diabetes according to randomization group.b : pp analysis : mean ( se ) a1c over 12 months ( m ) in patients with noninsulin - treated type 2 diabetes , comparing acg patients , adherent stg ( stg / a ) patients , and nonadherent stg ( stg / na ) patients .
stg subjects showed significantly lower average preprandial and postprandial glucose levels at all meals and at bedtime from month 1 to month 12 ( in all cases , p < 0.001 ) .
more importantly , there was a significant drop from month 1 to month 12 in preprandial to postprandial glucose excursions at all meals : breakfast ( 44 to 35 mg / dl , p < 0.005 ) , lunch ( 25 mg / dl to 17 mg / dl , p <
0.03 ) , and supper ( 34 to 26 mg / dl , p < 0.05 ) . measurements of mean amplitude of glucose excursions indicated significant ( p = 0.0003 ) mean ( se ) reductions in glycemic variability among stg subjects from 38.5 mg / dl ( 0.9 ) at month 1 to 34.3 mg / dl ( 1.0 ) at month 12 .
there were no changes in these findings when insulin - using patients were excluded from the analyses .
itt analysis showed that patients in both study groups who received a treatment change recommendation ( pharmacologic and/or lifestyle ) at the month 1 visit experienced significantly ( p < 0.0005 ) greater reductions in a1c than patients who did not receive a treatment change recommendation at the month 1 visit .
however , significantly more stg patients received a treatment change recommendation at the month 1 visit compared with acg patients , regardless of the patient s baseline a1c level : 179 ( 75.5% ) vs. 61 ( 28.0% ) ; p < 0.0001 . of note ,
almost twice as many stg patients were started on intermediate or long - acting insulin than acg patients between the month 1 and month 12 visits : 42 vs. 23 ; p = 0.046 .
itt analyses excluding patients who began insulin during the study period also indicated significant decreases in a1c for both the acg and the stg , with stg patients still demonstrating significantly greater reductions in a1c by month 12 than acg patients : 1.3% ( 0.10 ) vs. 1.0% ( 0.10 ) ; = 0.3% ; p = 0.03 .
similar between - group differences occurred using last observation carried forward analysis ( last a1c before insulin start carried forward ) : 1.0% ( 0.10 ) vs. 0.7% ( 0.10 ) ; = 0.3% ; p = 0.03 .
thus , the observed group difference in glycemic outcomes was not accounted for by those patients who started insulin during the course of the study .
the mean ( sd ) number of scheduled visits at which a treatment change was recommended was significantly higher in stg patients than in acg patients : 2.7 ( 1.5 ) vs. 1.1 ( 1.0 ) ; p < 0.0001 .
pp analyses showed that the mean ( sd ) number of clinic visits where treatment change recommendations occurred was almost three times greater in stg patients than in acg patients : 3.1 ( 1.4 ) vs. 1.1 ( 1.0 ) , p < 0.0001 .
itt analyses showed that the mean ( sd ) number of daily blood glucose tests , even when including the 7-point accu - chek 360 view blood glucose analysis system profiles for the stg , was significantly lower for the stg than for the acg at month 6 ( 0.97 [ 0.81 ] vs. 1.21 [ 1.00 ] , p = 0.007 ) ; month 9 ( 0.85 [ 0.72 ] vs. 1.11 [ 0.84 ] , p = 0.001 ) ; and month 12 ( 0.77 [ 0.69 ] vs. 1.05 [ 0.80 ] , p < 0.0001 ) .
there was a significant increase in gwb over the study period in both the acg ( p <
0.007 ) and the stg ( p < 0.0001 ) , as assessed by the who-5 ( 16 ) , with no significant between - group differences over time . in the acg , mean ( sd ) who-5 scores rose from 58.0 ( 20.7 ) at study start to 62.0 ( 20.8 ) at month 12 .
in the stg , mean ( sd ) who-5 scores rose from 57.3 ( 23.6 ) at study start to 65.5 ( 21.3 ) at month 12 .
pp analyses revealed that adherent stg subjects reported a significantly greater improvement in gwb than adherent acg subjects ( p < 0.04 ) .
itt analysis revealed that both groups showed significant reductions in a1c levels ; however , stg subjects evidenced significantly greater mean ( se ) reductions in a1c than acg subjects over the 12 months : 1.2% ( 0.09 ) vs. 0.9% ( 0.10 ) ; = 0.3% ; p = 0.04 ( fig .
2a ) . pp analysis revealed an even greater mean ( se ) a1c reduction among those stg subjects who adhered to the intervention compared with acg subjects : 1.3% ( 0.11 ) vs. 0.8% ( 0.11 ) ; = 0.5% ; p < 0.003 ( fig .
it is noteworthy that a1c reductions in nonadherent stg subjects were not significantly different than reductions seen in acg subjects .
a : itt analysis : mean ( se ) a1c over 12 months ( m ) in patients with noninsulin - treated type 2 diabetes according to randomization group.b : pp analysis : mean ( se ) a1c over 12 months ( m ) in patients with noninsulin - treated type 2 diabetes , comparing acg patients , adherent stg ( stg / a ) patients , and nonadherent stg ( stg / na ) patients .
stg subjects showed significantly lower average preprandial and postprandial glucose levels at all meals and at bedtime from month 1 to month 12 ( in all cases , p < 0.001 ) .
more importantly , there was a significant drop from month 1 to month 12 in preprandial to postprandial glucose excursions at all meals : breakfast ( 44 to 35 mg / dl , p < 0.005 ) , lunch ( 25 mg / dl to 17 mg / dl , p < 0.03 ) , and supper ( 34 to 26 mg / dl , p < 0.05 )
. measurements of mean amplitude of glucose excursions indicated significant ( p = 0.0003 ) mean ( se ) reductions in glycemic variability among stg subjects from 38.5 mg / dl ( 0.9 ) at month 1 to 34.3 mg / dl ( 1.0 ) at month 12 .
there were no changes in these findings when insulin - using patients were excluded from the analyses .
itt analysis showed that patients in both study groups who received a treatment change recommendation ( pharmacologic and/or lifestyle ) at the month 1 visit experienced significantly ( p < 0.0005 ) greater reductions in a1c than patients who did not receive a treatment change recommendation at the month 1 visit .
however , significantly more stg patients received a treatment change recommendation at the month 1 visit compared with acg patients , regardless of the patient s baseline a1c level : 179 ( 75.5% ) vs. 61 ( 28.0% ) ; p < 0.0001 . of note , almost twice as many stg patients were started on intermediate or long - acting insulin than acg patients between the month 1 and month 12 visits : 42 vs. 23 ; p = 0.046 . itt analyses excluding patients who began insulin during the study period also indicated significant decreases in a1c for both the acg and the stg , with stg patients still demonstrating significantly greater reductions in a1c by month 12 than acg patients : 1.3% ( 0.10 ) vs. 1.0% ( 0.10 ) ; = 0.3% ; p = 0.03 .
similar between - group differences occurred using last observation carried forward analysis ( last a1c before insulin start carried forward ) : 1.0% ( 0.10 ) vs. 0.7% ( 0.10 ) ; = 0.3% ; p = 0.03 .
thus , the observed group difference in glycemic outcomes was not accounted for by those patients who started insulin during the course of the study .
the mean ( sd ) number of scheduled visits at which a treatment change was recommended was significantly higher in stg patients than in acg patients : 2.7 ( 1.5 ) vs. 1.1 ( 1.0 ) ; p < 0.0001 .
pp analyses showed that the mean ( sd ) number of clinic visits where treatment change recommendations occurred was almost three times greater in stg patients than in acg patients : 3.1 ( 1.4 ) vs. 1.1 ( 1.0 ) , p < 0.0001 .
itt analyses showed that the mean ( sd ) number of daily blood glucose tests , even when including the 7-point accu - chek 360 view blood glucose analysis system profiles for the stg , was significantly lower for the stg than for the acg at month 6 ( 0.97 [ 0.81 ] vs. 1.21 [ 1.00 ] , p = 0.007 ) ; month 9 ( 0.85 [ 0.72 ] vs. 1.11 [ 0.84 ] , p = 0.001 ) ; and month 12 ( 0.77 [ 0.69 ] vs. 1.05 [ 0.80 ] , p < 0.0001 ) .
there was a significant increase in gwb over the study period in both the acg ( p < 0.007 ) and the stg ( p < 0.0001 ) , as assessed by the who-5 ( 16 ) , with no significant between - group differences over time . in the acg ,
mean ( sd ) who-5 scores rose from 58.0 ( 20.7 ) at study start to 62.0 ( 20.8 ) at month 12 .
in the stg , mean ( sd ) who-5 scores rose from 57.3 ( 23.6 ) at study start to 65.5 ( 21.3 ) at month 12 .
pp analyses revealed that adherent stg subjects reported a significantly greater improvement in gwb than adherent acg subjects ( p < 0.04 ) .
we found that programmatic , structured smbg contributes to significant improvement in glycemic control in insulin - nave type 2 diabetic patients compared with patients who did not receive structured smbg .
further , this significant between - group difference occurs even though there is a significant a1c reduction of 0.9% achieved by the acg during the 12-month study period .
of note , patients in the structured smbg group also show improvement in mean amplitude of glucose excursions and in 7-point blood glucose profiles over the 12-month period .
we suspect that the significant a1c improvement in the acg over time is due mainly to the heightened attention paid to study subjects , the use of free meters and strips , the requirement that subjects bring their meters to all study visits , and the more frequent than usual medical visits .
thus , the observed differences between the stg and the acg may be a conservative estimate compared with what might be obtained with similar patients in most clinical settings .
we also found significant differences between the stg and the acg in the frequency and intensity of the treatment change recommendations made by physicians .
this suggests that when patients bring structured smbg information to clinic visits , and when physicians know how to interpret and respond to smbg information , timely and appropriate treatment changes are more likely to occur than in cases in which structured smbg data are not available , as occurred in the acg .
another possible explanation is that the treatment changes made by the stg physicians , and the resulting improvements in a1c , occurred because only the stg physicians were trained on a treatment algorithm and were encouraged to follow it .
however the pp analyses show that the glycemic advantage occurred only among the stg patients who adhered to the intervention .
therefore , physician training alone does not sufficiently explain these findings . additionally , the greater improvement in a1c over time in the stg than in the acg occurred with less ( itt ) smbg frequency .
this finding has important policy implications , suggesting that it may be appropriate to shift the current focus from smbg quantity ( testing frequency ) to smbg quality ( meaningful test results that contribute to positive action ) , utilizing protocols that place more emphasis on when patients test and how they and their physicians organize and make clinically relevant use of the resulting data .
we used a comprehensive approach to address the design limitations of previous studies ( 23 ) : a cluster - randomized design ; an a1c inclusion criterion of 7.5% ; a highly structured protocol that led to actionable outcomes for both patients and physicians ; and a set of pp analyses to determine the effects of protocol completion .
first , the study did not include a third study arm that would have assessed the effect of the increased attention paid to both study groups over the 12-month period .
thus , the enhanced usual care received by the acg resulted in a conservative estimate of between - group differences .
second , we could not determine if the treatment changes initiated by the physicians and the patients were clinically appropriate ; our measures examined the number of changes , rather than the type of change recommended .
third , we could not determine how many of the recommended treatment changes actually occurred .
fourth , there was more attrition of the stg patients than the acg patients over the 12-month period ( though this difference was not statistically significant ) , suggesting that some patients may have found the structured smbg intervention too burdensome , which may have biased the findings .
our findings demonstrate that appropriate use of smbg in poorly controlled , insulin - nave type 2 diabetic patients can be efficacious and clinically meaningful .
this suggests that most patients and physicians will make appropriate use of smbg data when there is a well - defined testing protocol , a tool for organizing the data , and the knowledge to interpret the data .
it is evident that physicians can be trained to use well - organized smbg data and to collaborate with patients to make timely and effective treatment decisions to improve glycemic control . integrating smbg into a collaborative program of care may lead to improved glycemic control without increasing strip consumption .
we used a comprehensive approach to address the design limitations of previous studies ( 23 ) : a cluster - randomized design ; an a1c inclusion criterion of 7.5% ; a highly structured protocol that led to actionable outcomes for both patients and physicians ; and a set of pp analyses to determine the effects of protocol completion .
first , the study did not include a third study arm that would have assessed the effect of the increased attention paid to both study groups over the 12-month period .
thus , the enhanced usual care received by the acg resulted in a conservative estimate of between - group differences .
second , we could not determine if the treatment changes initiated by the physicians and the patients were clinically appropriate ; our measures examined the number of changes , rather than the type of change recommended .
third , we could not determine how many of the recommended treatment changes actually occurred .
fourth , there was more attrition of the stg patients than the acg patients over the 12-month period ( though this difference was not statistically significant ) , suggesting that some patients may have found the structured smbg intervention too burdensome , which may have biased the findings .
our findings demonstrate that appropriate use of smbg in poorly controlled , insulin - nave type 2 diabetic patients can be efficacious and clinically meaningful .
this suggests that most patients and physicians will make appropriate use of smbg data when there is a well - defined testing protocol , a tool for organizing the data , and the knowledge to interpret the data .
it is evident that physicians can be trained to use well - organized smbg data and to collaborate with patients to make timely and effective treatment decisions to improve glycemic control .
integrating smbg into a collaborative program of care may lead to improved glycemic control without increasing strip consumption . | pubmed |
James Ewing FRSE LLD 11 January 1784 18 December 1853 was a British politician. He was a Member of Parliament for Wareham, 18301831, and Glasgow, 18321835. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh his proposer being Thomas Kinnear.
He purchased Strathleven House, Dumbartonshire, in 1830.
Ewing is frequently confused with James Ewing of Strathleven 1775-1853 a Glasgow contemporary of equally high standing and co-founder of the Glasgow Necropolis.
References
External links
Category:1775 births
Category:1853 deaths
Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Glasgow constituencies
Category:UK MPs 18301831
Category:UK MPs 18321835
Category:People from West Dunbartonshire
Category:Scottish Liberal Party MPs | wikipedia |
Electric Potential of an electric rod
>
> I am trying to find the electric potential of a rod with the following charge density function:
> $$\rho (\vec r)=k\delta(x)\delta(y)\theta(a - |z|).$$
>
>
>
From the way that the charge density function looks like, I can understand that the rod has no radius in the xy-plane and it stretches from -a to a in the z- axes.
I am trying to find the electric potential in cylindrical coordinates $\Phi(\rho , \phi,z)$ by using the known equation for it:
$$\Phi(\vec r)= \frac {1 \cdot k}{4 \pi \epsilon\_0} \cdot \int\_V \frac {\rho (\vec r)}{|\vec r - \vec r'|}$$.
But the problem I am facing is that I don't know how to manage the delta function in cylindrical coordinates.That's why I thought of trying to solve the equation in cartesian and then convert in cylindrical but that doesn't work either, or maybe it's to difficult for me. So I thought of doing it the way I said above, by using cylindrical coordinates, but I am unfamiliar with how delta works in this case because $\delta (x)$ in cylindrical becomes $\delta (\rho \cos \phi)$ and I don't know how the integration works in this case. Can anyone give me tips on how to proceed past this point ?
I think it's easiest to do this in Cartesian coordinates, then convert back to cylindrical at the end. The potential at position $\mathbf{r}$ is
$$V(\mathbf{r}) = \frac{1}{4\pi\epsilon\_0}\int\_{-a}^{a}{\left[\iint\_{\mathcal{R}}{\frac{k\delta(x')\delta(y')}{\sqrt{(x - x')^2 + (y-y')^2 + (z - z')^2}}\,dx'dy'}\right]\,dz'},$$
where $\mathcal{R}$ is a region in $\mathbb{R}^2$ containing the origin. (You can think of this as a disk around the $z$-axis.) The 2D Delta function, $\delta^2(x', y') = \delta(x')\delta(y')$, "picks out" the value of the function $\frac{k}{|\mathbf{r} - \mathbf{r}'|}$ when $x' = 0 = y'$. So our expression for the potential simplifies to
$$V(\mathbf{r}) = \frac{k}{4\pi\epsilon\_0}\int\_{-a}^{a}{\frac{1}{\sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + (z - z')^2}}\,dz'}.$$
You can evaluate this integral with a trigonometric substitution (keep in mind that $x$, $y$, and $z$ are being treated as constants here). The result is
$$\boxed{V(\rho, z) = \frac{k}{4\pi\epsilon\_0}\ln\left(\frac{z + a + \sqrt{(z+a)^2 +\rho^2}}{z-a +\sqrt{(z-a)^2 + \rho^2}}\right)},$$
where $\rho^2 = x^2 + y^2$. The potential is independent of $\varphi$, as it should be. Notice also that as $\rho \rightarrow \infty$ (or $z \rightarrow \infty$), the expression inside the natural log $\rightarrow 1$, meaning that $V \rightarrow 0$.
Defining the charge density with a delta function in cylindrical coordinates just means that when we integrate over all space, we'd better recover the total charge.
In Cartesian coordinates:
$$\int\_{-\infty}^\infty\int\_{-\infty}^\infty\int\_{-\infty}^\infty k\delta(x)\delta(y)\theta(a-|z|)dxdydz$$$$=2\int\_{0}^a\int\_{-\infty}^\infty\int\_{-\infty}^\infty k\delta(x)\delta(y)dxdydz$$
$$=2ka$$
In cylindrical coordinates, we'd better satisfy:
$$2ka=\int\_0^\infty\int\_0^{2\pi}\int\_{-\infty}^\infty \rho\_{cyl}(r, \theta, z) r dz d\theta dr$$
$\rho\_{cyl}$ cannot have $\theta$ dependence, since the problem is rotationally symmetric in the xy plane. We keep the $\theta(a-|z|)$ term, since our coordinates did not transform. Furthermore, we know the charge is localized to $r=0$, therefore $\rho\_{cyl}$ must also have a $\delta(r)$. Therefore
$$2ka=\int\_0^\infty\int\_0^{2\pi}\int\_{-\infty}^\infty C(r)\delta(r)\theta(z-|a|) r dz d\theta dr$$
$$=(2\pi)(2a)\int\_0^\infty C(r)\delta(r) r dr$$
Thus we find that $C(r)=\frac{k}{2\pi r}$, or that $$\rho\_{cyl}(r,\theta,z)=\frac{k}{2\pi r}\delta(r)\theta(z-|a|)$$
because when you integrate this expression, you get the correct result.
For less-handwaving, to perform the change of variables for the $\delta$ functions from Cartesian to cylindrical coordinates, you need to multiply by the Jacobian of the coordinate transformation ($dxdydz=rdrd\theta dz$), and recall that $$\delta(f(x))=\sum\_{x\_i}\frac{\delta(x-x\_i)}{f'(x\_i)}$$
| stackexchange/physics |
Lost Girl 1. Chapter 1
Carving Her Path
Co-written by Mistyfiedbycopeland1 and Doccubus21
**Chapter 1**
**From Dream To Reality.**
* * *
It was a beautiful sunny day outside, yet Bo found herself laying across her bed trying to drown out the harsh noises coming from within her own home. Putting on her earphones and turning the music up louder, didn't work. Her parents were fighting again. She could tell it was one of their drag out physical fights. She heard the vicious names being shouted by her farther directed towards her mother. Bo flinched every time she heard his harsh venomous tone. With each abusive name toward her mother, her anger grew. She hated getting involved but she wasn't letting her mother get hurt again. The last time she didn't do anything to help, her mother was hospitalized. She had suffered bruises and had to have her jaw sewn shut. Bo always felt guilty for not stepping in and aiding her mother against her tyrannical father.
"SHUT UP, YOU DUMB BITCH!SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU USELESS FUCKING WHORE!" Then there was a loud slapping noise followed by a resounding thump against the wall. The impact rattling Bo's dresser sending a framed photograph of her and her mother crashing to the floor the glass cracking. Seconds after her mother screamed out in pain. Bo tossed her earphones aside and flew out her room towards the disturbance.
When she entered her parents bedroom she saw her farther towing over her limp mother throwing punches, his fists connecting hard into her mothers face. Flying into a rage Bo grabbed hold of her farther. "Get away from her, you bastard. Don't touch her again. If you touch her again I'LL KILL YOU!" she yelled, as she dragged him away from her mother,who lay curled in a ball her hands covering her face,sobbing. They wrestled around for not even a minute before Bo tossed him across the room like a rag doll. She quickly ran to help her mother. When her mother didn't respond she panicked. She turned to her farther with her hands bawled into tight fists. She wanted to kill him,then and there. She knew she could easily kick his ass because she was stronger than him. She never did understand why or how or even where her great strength came from. She was in fear of herself. She had come close to hurting him in the past. It was on this day, all control would be lost. As her farther worked on getting back to his feet he began to laugh and taunt Bo about her mother.
Looking back and forth between her parents Bo could feel the monster inside her rising to the surface. She snapped. She released her last tether of control and for the first time released the beast within. Bo was across the room in a blink of an eye and reached for her evil brute of a father and slammed him up against the wall. Her fingers clutched around his thick neck squeezing until his eyes bugged out, lifting him, his feet leaving the floor. She smiled at the fear she saw in his eyes. A whimper and gurgling noise coming from behind her, brought her back from her darkness. Pulling her gaze from her father, she looked across at her mother and saw her looking back through her one good eye the other was swollen shut. That look was enough to bring Bo back into herself, the beast receding back inside. Bo grabbed her cell phone from her back pocket and dialled 911. Bo sat with her mother holding her hand waiting for help to arrive. The ambulance and police arrived sirens blazing. Bo was forced to stand aside as the paramedics assessed her mothers injuries. They acted quickly and rushed her mother onto a gurney and put her inside the waiting ambulance. Bo wasn't allowed to ride with her mother in the ambulance because several paramedics were needed to try to stabilize her condition. Her father was arrested and taken away by the police. She locked herself in her room and tried to still her racing mind by listening to her Barbara Streisand, her mothers favorite artist. She eventually fell to sleep. It wasn't until the next day when she returned home from classes that she found out her mother had passed away earlier that morning from internal bleeding caused from the severe beating she had endured at the hands of her father.
In a great deal of pain she hopped on her bike and took off. She headed straight to the park to ride until her pain was eased. She finally returned home emotionally and physically exhausted.
She sat up planning what she was going to do now. While riding she decided she wasn't going to let her father get his hands on her mothers money. Bo was very intelligent and came up with a plan to ensure that he wouldn't. She easily hacked into her parents joint bank account. She transferred all the money from their account into a dummy account she created. She locked down access to her desktop computer and kept her mother's laptop and transferred all the money into her untraceable offshore account only she could access. She wanted to disappear after her classes. But she was only weeks away from her high school graduation. She was torn about what she should do. She didn't have any other relatives to stay with. She was one month from turning eighteen where she could legally make her own decisions. She wanted to be free and away from her father before he was granted bail. Though without access to her mothers money there was no way he was going to be able to post it. She was about to run when she accidentally found her mothers birthday present. She mentioned it a few months back to her mother in passing. They would talk for hours about Bo's dream of being a motorcycle rider and her mother would always encourage Bo to follow her dreams. They talked about the danger it involved. Her mother did her own research on the sport and she saw to it that Bo ate properly and didn't overindulge in junk food and her favorite soda Dr. Pepper. She saw to it that Bo trained and toned her body because her studies of the sport showed how important it was that the rider was in peak physical and mental condition. She read articles on how riders got injured and she didn't want Bo to be one of those casualties. She was going
to make sure Bo did everything right in order to excel and accomplish her dreams.
Bo sat on the floor next to the bike. She cried as she pulled away the large tarp hiding it. Once uncovered, Bo's heart stopped. Her hands trembled as she touched the beautiful motorcycle. It was the Yamaha YZ250. Overcome with emotions Bo slowly walked around the bike taking in the beautiful sight. "Oh, Ma. I only mentioned the bike in passing, I cant believe you remembered and actually bought it for me. I love mom. I'm going to miss you so, so much."
She went back inside and pulled out the leftover lasagne. As she reheated the plate she thought about how much she loved her mothers cooking. She began to cry as she ate, knowing once she finished all the food it would be for the last time. Her mother will never cook for her again.
She went to bed early, making sure to get a good nights sleep because she knew her mother would want her to continue to pursue her dreams without her. She went to classes the next day pretending she was okay with being sent away. She was already taking college courses at the University. Normally she got out of class at two but her mothers death was being talked about all around campus so her counselor spent an hour talking with her going over her feelings about her mother death and the anger she felt towards her father. Bo trusted Mrs. James, she had helped Bo a lot in her adapting to the differences between college and high school classes. She was in college but she was still just a young teenager. She was studying Zoology and Social Sciences as she was interested in becoming an archaeologist. Her professor had heard about what she was going through and noticed that Bo was having trouble focusing on her lecture, so she told Bo that she could leave early. Over the next month Bo managed to dodge visits from child protective services as she continued to go to classes. She was determined to graduate with her friends.
After graduating at the top of her class she put into affect the rest of her plan before leaving her home behind. She made sure to set up a virus to attack her fathers computer when he opened the email she sent him that he would receive when got home from prison. She used her considerable skill to set it up to look like as if spam email was responsible for the virus. This way no one would know about her hacking into her parents bank account and taking the money. She also packed all her mothers favorite t-shirts to wear and taking a look around her house once last time Bo was finally able to make herself leave. Her friend Johnny pulled up in his Dodge pick-up as she was heading towards the garage. Bo was entrusting her mothers final gift to her to her best friend. He had promised to store the Yamaha YZ250 until she was able to give it a home when she found one.
Bo and johnny lifted it gently into the bed of the truck. Bo punches him in the arm and grabs him by his shirt. "I swear to God, Johnny if you do anything more than turn the engine over on this baby every month, I WILL KILL YOU. Oh and trust me, I'll know." He holds his hands up and then playfully pinky swears Bo before giving her a last hug goodbye with the promise to stay in touch before he drives off with her beloved bike.
She grabbed her knapsack and walked back to the garage and jumped on her trusty diamondback bike. It was the bike her mother surprised her with on her fifteenth birthday. She put on her helmet, jumped on her bike and took off like a bat out of hell out of her driveway. Bo owned a BMX Diamondback Nitrus racing bike. It was Aluminium, light weight and fast. With her emotions running high, Bo was speeding through the traffic and cutting her way in and out in front of cars. She was taking red lights in her haste to get away from what used to be her home. The image of what her mother looked like the last time she saw her was in her head as she raced away. Without her realizing it, she was riding too fast and too recklessly in the heavy traffic. But Bo Dennis knows how to ride a bike. She was the kind of rider with natural born abilities for riding and it showed in the way she manoeuvred her BMX through the congested peak hour traffic.
She was always outside until all hours of the night practicing and honing her skills. She always went for the big stunts, even when she had no idea how to do them. She would always damage her bike. Her mother would always pay for her bike to be repaired because she believed in Bo. She supported her in everything but now that she didn't have her mothers support she felt alone for the very first time in her life and she was scared. Bo had thought buying herself a new bike but she knew it was important that she didn't use the money unless she really needed to just in case the police had found where her mother money had disappeared to. She decided she should go about learning how to repair her own bike.
It had been a month of her being on her own, when she saw a woman on the street struggling with some grocery bags. She jumped off her bike and insisted on helping her picking up the stray oranges that had managed to escape from one of the torn brown paper sacks. She left the other guys that she was cycling with to help. They often gave her a hard time about helping people in need but Bo was never one to follow. She ignored their playful taunts about her being a good little samaritan and grabbed the heaviest grocery bag. When they arrived to the woman's home she was offered money for helping the very grateful woman which Bo refused to take. Instead she was offered a hot lunch instead. During her meal Bo found herself confiding in this kindly stranger expressing the struggles she had endured over the last month after the loss of her mother.
The woman who Bo now knew as Michelle told her that she had seen her riding at the local skate park on more than one occasion and thought she was very talented. Over lunch Michelle grew more and more impressed with the young woman sitting across from her finishing her second helping of minestrone soup. She was saddened by Bo's heavy loss and her living on the streets alone but she was also touched by Bo's soft gentle nature and sunny disposition despite the hard living. Bo's features and frame showed that she hadn't had a decent home cooked meal in quite some time and Michelle was determined to change this.
Michelle talked it out with her husband Nathaniel and together they decided that Bo should stay with them. Bo didn't want to be a burden but she liked the couple and after giving it some thought she took them up on their offer. They had a guest room that wasn't being used so she moved from sleeping on the streets and couch surfing to her own bedroom. She was finally able to concentrate on her studies by attending the local community college picking up where she left off. She made an agreement that as long as she kept her grades up she was able to devote all her free time to her BMX training. After spending a year with the couple they adopted Bo. She was finally able to have the emotional security she so desperately needed. She understood no one could ever replace her mother but she was beginning to feel a sense of stability. For the first time in years she felt wanted and loved.
Bo was riding around on her bike when she feels a now familiar sensation of the beast stirring within her , the hunger was rising to the surface. She pushes the feeling aside as fear sweeps through her body because she knew that sooner or later she would not be able to fight the monster inside her. She would have to take what she needed from some poor unassuming person that happens to be in her vicinity when the beast finally wins. Bo shivers at the pleasure and strength she received from those moments of weakness and she was just thankful that she had been able to stop the wonderful blue energy that seemed to flow from her victims into her mouth during these times of weakness. "Maybe I'm sick or have some weird disease," Bo thinks to herself. Bo shivers again at the memory of the one time that she almost wasn't able to stop. She had left the poor young woman slumped and unconscious and barely breathing on the dirty bathroom floor of a club down town. "What's wrong with me," Bo whispers quietly to herself and what happens if the next time she is unable to fight the monster within she ends up killing her next victim.
**2 years later...**
All her dreams were coming true. She now has a supportive family. She was about to embark on what she knew to be what she'd been dreaming of since she was little girl. In Bo's mind she was only a short time away before she would take part in her first freestyle motocross competition. She knew it wasn't going to be easy making the transition from BMX to Motocross but Bo was no stranger to hard work. Bo's star really started to rise with her first big win in Red-Bull fighters world tour in 2008, where she stole the show. In round one Bo did what she considered a warm up, with stunts such as 360's , Tail Whip's, Airing a Quarter's, One Handers, X Up's and 180's. In the final round she pulled out all the stops, pulling off perfect aerials. She wowed the crowds with the No Footed Can's , Superman's, Flair's, Can Can's and finally pulled off a spectacular Double Back-Flip.
Once the tour was complete she had people in the sport speculating what was next for this rising star. She had reporters wanting to know what Bo was going to do as well. In her interview after her Red-Bull tour she made the announcement that she was making the jump from BMX to motocross . She had a great deal of sports agencies that wanted to represent her and she was being bombarded with offers. Bo wanted to start Freestyle Motocross but she wanted time off to rest her body and mind. Bo was not one to follow what anyone else thought she should do. She did what was best for Bo. She didn't want to go into the sport half assed. She was tired physically and emotionally both from being in the spotlight, people watching her every move and also feeling the loss of her mother not being there to share her accomplishment with her. She knew it was important she be in the best shape of her life mentally as well as physically to avoid injuries. She wanted a long career in the sport that she loves. Her transition from BMX bikes to freestyle Motocross was going to be something she did with the kind of flare only she could produce. After careful consideration she wanted to move back to her hometown of Los Angeles. The sports agency that she had decided to go with were based in Los Angeles and she had a visit to Johnny to make to get her bike back.
Bo finally used her mothers money to purchase a house. The most important thing for Bo was she was in an area where she could practice her stunts. She also wanted a house that gave her privacy and had a large back yard. Bo found what she was looking for in Santa Monica after viewing four other properties.
Two months after moving into her new house, Bo sat relaxing going through a pile of mail when she noticed her. It was Lauren. The beautiful blonde was on the cover of two different types of magazines. To Bo's surprise it was one of the BMX magazine's that she is subscribed to. The other two were called Architecture+Design and Architectural Digest. Bo checked out the cover of Architecture+Design and the beautiful cover shot of Lauren.
The blonde was in a pair of thin black square glasses with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was standing in front of one of the houses she had built. What Bo loved was the fact that Lauren was partially covered in dirt and mud and Bo thought she was the sexiest woman alive. Unconsciously, she licked her lips as she focused on the fact that Lauren had actually let herself be photographed covered in muck for the cover of one of the top Architectural magazines. She quickly separated the magazines from the other mail. She read every syllable of the interviews. "Lauren Lewis" she breathed out. She remembered how she felt when seeing the course Lauren had built for the very first time. It was as if this woman built the course with her in mind. Smiling, she read interview after interview. There was one particular statement of the blonde that caught Bo's attention. "I love the idea of making a ramp or even one day a Super park that doesn't exist. I want to make a park with the most obscure lines. I want to design challenging obstacles to unleash a riders particular talents upon." It gave Bo an idea. Nowadays Bo rides her BMX bike mostly for fun and training. In her interview she spoke of how riding her bike gives her a better understanding, learning and improving getting better at riding. It also got her mentally prepared for when she starts freestyle motocross.
Bo placed the hot cup of chamomile tea she was introduced to by Lauren on the table. Lauren had recommended the tea to Bo as a great way to help her to relax. She sat back getting comfortable as her mind drifted back to the day that she met the beautiful blonde.
**Flashback...**
_As Bo sat in the airport waiting for her plane, she overheard a conversation of two guys sitting across from her. She figured them to be two business men from their appearance in their expensive suites and briefcases. They were ogling over the woman on the cover of a magazine. They were passing it back and forth between them laughing and making crude comments. Their plane was called and both men after taking one last lustful look leave the magazine behind and head off to catch their flight. Bo curiously picked up the discarded magazine. It was an Architecture magazine called 'Construction, Building and Engineering._
_Bo just sat staring for a minute or two, her eyes glued to the vision on the cover. She slowly traced her fingers over the glossy cover. Bo takes it on the plane to read more about the blonde who had completely captured her attention. When the plane lands in Houston, Texas, she heads for the hotel. Once there instead of resting she throws herself across the bed. She grabs the magazine with the blonde on the cover. Her eyes go wide with surprise. Lauren Lewis, the amazingly beautiful goddess on the cover was the one who designed the course that she was going to ride for the final stop on the Red-Bull X-Fighter tour she was in Texas for. _
_She couldn't believe it. Bo quickly pops up on the bed. She needed to meet this woman. It was still early so she called her agent. She wanted to find out everything she could about Lauren. Her agent told her to give her a little time to see what information she could find out. Bo couldn't understand why but she wanted to know who this Lauren woman was. It was something in Lauren's beautiful expressive brown eyes that the brunette found intriguing. The phone began to ring as she paced around her room. As it turned out Lauren was at Realiant Stadium right now going over the course. Other riders were already there taking practice runs. Bo was known for arriving early but she had her own personal ritual. She would arrive days early to first walk the entire course imaging that she was riding it. Then she would actually lay on her back and look around at the surrounding areas and made mental notes of every dip and turn in the course. She sometimes kneeled down and ran her hands through the dirt getting a feel for it as it would runs though her fingers. She once told a room full of reporters "It helps me to focus better and to become one with the course." _
_When Bo first arrived to the stadium her eyes swept across all the intricate details of the dirt course. She imagined herself getting huge air over the numerous high mounds performing some of her most technical and spectacular stunts. Bo fell in love with course at first sight. After recovering from her fantasies of everything she would be able to accomplish on this amazing course her eyes searched for it's creator. She found the blonde surrounded by her team of contractors. Bo watched as Lauren took charge and instructed the group of burly guys what tweaks and maintenance needed to be done to the course to be ready for competition. Bo took a couple of steadying breaths and waiting for her team to disperse and then approached the blonde confidently. _
_When they met and shook hands sparks flew between them. No one else noticed but they both held each others hand a little longer than a regular handshake. Without even realizing it Bo had let her fingers softly caress the back of Lauren's hand. Lauren didn't pull her hand away, she gave Bo's hand a little squeeze in return. Finally realizing that it wasn't just the two of them, Lauren slowly released Bo's hand. Both women blushed taken by surprise by the instant attraction. _
_Lauren wasn't used to being asked for personal tours of her work. However Bo with her growing super star status, had everyone wanting to give her special attention. For the first time Bo put this new found stardom to use. But Lauren didn't agree for that reason. She did it because she found the fact that this incredibly sexy brunette wanted to discuss every in and out of her course. Bo was very excited and she didn't hide it. Lauren found it endearing. Bo was asking so many questions and she listened to Lauren's answers giving the engineer her full and undivided attention. When she liked an answer she would grab Lauren by her forearm and excitedly ask her next question. The blonde couldn't help noticing Bo's firm grip. She attributed it to the fact that Bo had to grip tight onto her bicycle handlebars to control her bike mid-flight._
_She also noticed Bo's very toned arms. If truth be told, she noticed the brunette had a great body. Bo stands at 5'5" and Lauren estimated the she was about 128lbs of lean toned muscle. _
_Bo was dressed casual. She wore a pair of straight leg Levi's with a pair of black ,Nike high tops. Bo's hair flowed down loose about her shoulders. Lauren thought she looked extremely sexy. _
_But it wasn't what had Lauren's attention, though that did play a part. She couldn't believe that Bo was so interested in her course. No other rider had ever wanted to know how the course came to be, they just rode on it without a thought on how it was built and how much blood sweat and tears went into it's creation. When the tour ended Bo thanked Lauren profusely. Just as the blonde went to turn and walk away Bo stopped her. " Um, Lauren, I was wondering if I left you a ticket would you come and see me ride your beautiful course?" She asked. Lauren shyly accepted the invitation trying not to blush at the brunette's obvious interest. Bo laughed awkwardly and then joked, "Not that you'd need a ticket. It is your course after all but I'd really like to be the one who officially invites you." Lauren let her hair fall in front of her face. It was too late. Bo could see the woman blush. She waited for Lauren to look up again. When she finally looked up, Bo and Lauren both smiled and Lauren quietly accepted Bo's invitation before walking away._
_As Lauren sat watching Bo competing she easily understood what all the hoopla that Bo was bringing to the sport. She rode with no fear and no boundaries. For example, for a lot of the other riders they saw the vert ramp as a place to do lip tricks. Bo on the other hand used it as a launching pad. Lauren watched in awe as one of Bo's people called out any vert trick that Bo easily pulled off. After winning the competition Bo spoke to the media, Lauren approached her. She asked if Bo wanted to meet up later that night because she wanted to discuss with her, her performance and get her thoughts on the course. They made plans to have dinner..._
_**Should we continue...**_
* * *
_**Mistyfiedbycopeland1's Author's Note: Hi Guys this is my new story. I have joined forces with my girlfriend Doccubus21. Read and let US know if we should continue. Doccubus Forever!**_
_**Doccubus21's Author's Note: Hello Lost Girl fan fiction readers. I hope you enjoyed the extra long first chapter of this new totally AU Lost Girl Story written by my awesome girlfriend and I. I have not stopped writing No Fate but My Own, I have started on the next chapter and I will be posting it soon. So please let us know what you think. Lots of Love xxoo**_
2. Chapter 2
**Chapter 2**
**When Engineering Meets Artistry.**
* * *
**Flashback continues...**
Lauren inadvertently found herself checking out Bo's ass in her tight jeans as the brunette walked in front of her towards the secluded booth in the far corner of the restaurant. Lauren blushed slightly at the indiscretion and raised her eyes, looking straight ahead. She hadn't ever been so affected by a woman before. Lauren wanted to get to know Bo because she had a feeling that the beautiful brunette's insides would be even more endearing and beautiful than her outer appearance. After the amazing time she had with her at the track, she found herself wanting to explore the instant connection she had felt with Bo. None of the other riders had ever shown such genuine interest in the tracks that she designed. Some of the guys had pretended interest giving her empty compliments as a way to try to get into her pants, which of course were unsuccessful with her being gay. Though if Bo had tried to do the same thing as the rest of them she would have shut Bo down too, it would have been difficult to say no to the sexy woman but she would have still turned her down. Lauren needed to feel a connection, she wasn't into empty one night stands with strangers. No, Lauren needed more than that. But Bo was different, she knew it. Bo's eyes had shone with her excitement and interest as Lauren had answered her many questions during her tour of the course. She had laughed and smiled easily as Lauren got carried away and started to geek out and babble about the ins and outs of her work.
Bo turned towards Lauren upon arriving at their table. "After you," she says with a charming smile. Lauren returned the smile and slid into the horseshoe shaped booth. Bo shimmied in the other side sitting directly across from the blonde. "So, now that you have me here all to yourself, what would you like to do with me?" Lauren tries not to blush at the flirtatious innuendo.
Lauren clears her throat and nervously licks her lips as she stares into Bo's dark playful eyes. Lauren notices Bo's eyes shift to her mouth when she licked her lips. The brunette's gaze lingers on the blondes lips for several long seconds before looking back into Lauren's light brown orbs. "Well I thought we could get to know each other. I enjoyed our talk earlier and thought we could be...friends," Lauren says shyly, her eyes lowering to look at her fidgeting hands. _"God, she probably thinks I'm pathetic. Lets be friends. Good one, Lauren! She probably thinks you are some loner geek who has no friends,"_ Lauren thinks to herself in mortification. She was nervous. Now that she didn't have her work to hide behind and they were alone, she found herself shy and awkward.
Lauren sees Bo's hand reach out and settle over her fidgeting hands stilling them. The blondes breath hitches at Bo's gentle touch she looks up to find Bo smiling sweetly at her. "I would like that, Lauren. I don't have a lot of friends," Bo confesses. Lauren sees sadness flash across Bo's features for a moment before it is quickly replaced with another smile. Bo removes her hand and sits back against the seat, she rests her arms along the top of the booth. She looked confident and relaxed. Lauren leans back as well feeling a little less nervous than she had been feeling a few minutes ago. Bo breaks the silence. "So, Lauren...Tell me about yourself. Are you married? Boyfriend?"
Lauren blushes, "Um No. No husband, no boyfriend. I, uh have been single for a year and a half since I broke up with my girlfriend." Lauren watched Bo's face trying to get a read on whether Bo was pleased to learn that she was a) single and b) a lesbian. But Bo hid what she was thinking and feeling very well and Lauren was still left wondering if her attraction was one sided. Lauren had felt certain that the spark had been mutual but what if that was just Bo? That she was just naturally flirtatious and charming. Maybe she was reading signs that were nothing more than just Bo being friendly because she was lonely and hadn't felt this kind of connection with another woman in so, so long. Lauren decided to turn their conversation over to Bo. She wanted to know all about Bo. "So, Bo..How did you get into riding? You looked so natural and relaxed when you were practicing. It is like the bike becomes an extension of you and the amazing air you managed to get off the jumps. WOW!"
It was Bo's turn to blush and let out a small laugh. Moments later though her eyes lose their sparkle and her face becomes serious. Lauren can almost see that Bo is being transported back to memories of her past and they are not happy ones. _"Who is this woman? And what has happened in her past that is able to douse that bright light inside of her. I want to know. I want to know everything about this remarkably complex creature before me,"_ Lauren thinks, as Bo thinks about how to answer Lauren's question.
"I used to ride as a kid, for hours, to clear my head. My parents...they..fought...a lot and I would jump on my bike and ride as far away as I could to try to escape it. One day while riding I came across a local skate park. It had a huge half pipe, a bowl and a Funbox with ledges and rails. It was the most amazing place I had ever seen. I sat and watched the skate boarders and BMX riders for hours, doing so many different stunts and tricks. When it got dark I climbed on my now inadequate mint green girls bike complete with a basket on the front and rode home. I was pleased to see that my father was passed out drunk in his chair and I talked to my mom about what I had seen." Bo's face crumbled a little at the mention of her mother. Lauren wanted to go to Bo, to hold her, to take away the hurt that had come across the brunette's features. But she didn't, she waited patiently for Bo to gather her thoughts and feelings before continuing. "My mother was my best friend and biggest supporter. The next day I had my first BMX bike, the first of many," Bo says with a laugh. "I would go to the skate park every chance I got and I would practice and learn from anyone who was willing to teach me. I would try tricks without fear and ended up bruised and bloody a lot and often wrecked my bike in the process. But as the months flew by I got better and better. Soon I was doing the hardest tricks I could do and was pulling them off perfectly. I worked on putting together sequences of different tricks and tried working them together. I felt free and alive when I was riding, there was no better feeling in the world..and...then..." Bo stops talking unable to talk about what happened that night and how her mother was taken away from her. "Wow listen to me carrying on. I'm probably boring you to tears," Bo says, with a forced smile. Lauren knew Bo was covering the fact that she wasn't able to talk about whatever had happened to her mother.
"Maybe we should order now," Lauren says, giving a nod to the waiter who had been hovering nearby waiting to take their order. After ordering their food and a couple of drinks, Lauren decided to show Bo how much of a star she was becoming. Lauren had been emailed a link to a video of Bo that had been posted on YouTube. It was titled "Bo Dennis, Rising Star: Competing with the big boys and winning."
"What has you smiling all of a sudden Miss Lewis?" Bo inquired as she watched Lauren's hand disappear into her aviator jacket.
"I've got something to show you. I was emailed a link to a video the other day," Lauren said with playful, twinkling eyes.
"A video of what?" Bo's interest was peaked as Lauren pulled out her iPhone from her inside pocket.
"Of you, Bo! I tell you, if people weren't aware of who Bo Dennis was before...well...lets just say, I think the word is out and your star is about to go super nova!" She smiles as she brings up Bo's video. She notices that the video that had had over 100,000 views when she had watched it on its first day of being uploaded, had now, a day later gone viral! The counter below the video showed that it had been viewed by more than 250,000 times and it had only been up for two days. Lauren holds her phone out towards the middle of the table facing Bo and pressed the play icon. She sat smiling as she watched Bo watch herself. Bo stared at the small screen shocked that she was watching a video of herself on YouTube. "So, tell me, where was this taken?" Lauren asked referring to the video, curious as to where it had been filmed.
"Where did you get that?" Bo asked shyly, not even registering that the blonde had asked about it's origins.
Lauren gave her a disbelieving look. Could Bo really not know how much of a star she was becoming? "Its all over the internet, Bo. You've gone viral. Everyone wants to know who you are and what kind of impact you are going to have on this mostly male dominated sport. You should read some of these comments about your riding and just how amazing you are!
To hide her blush, Bo started to take sips from her drink. She motioned to Lauren. "Do you mind if I...The lights kinda shining on the screen making it difficult to see." She motioned toward all the empty space in the booth between them. Lauren and Bo both slide along the vinyl horseshoe shaped booth meeting each other in the middle, their legs touching. They sat close together and watched the video together. Lauren could feel the heat from Bo's thigh through her jeans. Her heart began to pound as Bo continued to watch the video as if completely unaware of what their closeness was doing to the blonde. "You're incredible Bo." Lauren whispered unable to hide her awe as she reached out and grabbed Bo's hand that lay on the table between them and held it gently as they continued to watch the remainder of the clip.
She couldn't believe it. Lauren had a video of her. Bo smiled widely as she watched the video lost in the memories of where the movie had been recorded. Just moments into the clip she knew it was a video of her filmed during her time at The Suzuki Camp Carmichael.
She had met a sweet little ten year old girl named Sofia who was a huge fan. She had taken pictures with her but had wanted to give her enthusiastic little fan something special that she would never forget. So upon realizing that Sofia's cameras had video mode too, she had told Sofia that she could also video her during one of her course runs, if she wanted. She had talked to Mr. Carmichael and upon receiving his permission, she had set the giddily excited fan up in the perfect area where she could film her. Bo had even given Sofia permission to put her name on it.
It was Bo's first time riding the 450 Super cross course. The owner and riding legend Ricky Carmichael himself had personally invited Bo to come and attend his camp. Suzuki camp is a special riding school with it's facility located in Tallahassee, Florida. When the word got out Bo would be attending reporters and fans from all over had flocked to the facility to see her in action. That's how Sofia had come to be at the facility.
Ricky Carmichael is the legendary Motocross and Super cross racer. He's known as "The Goat" which stands for Greatest Of All Time. He's retired from professional Motocross racing but is still a prominent figure in the sport. Currently, Carmichael is a regular at providing co-commentary on CBS and Speed Channel's Super cross coverage. After hearing all the buzz going around about Bo and doing his own research, he decided to reach out to Bo's people and have her come train one-on- one with him. He had told her on her arrival that he saw something special in Bo and that he had no doubt that Bo would go far in her career. Upon meeting and having spent time talking with her, he knew he was right about this young woman and that he would watch her redefine the sport and take it to a whole new dimension.
An hour later after enjoying a delicious meal and some wonderful conversation, Lauren took Bo to an ice cream parlor that someone had recommended she go, for dessert. As the women ordered their cones both were thinking that they didn't want the night to end. Bo ordered Butter Pecan while Lauren had cookies and cream and after receiving their cones they walked along eating the creamy sweet ice cream talking and laughing. All of Lauren's earlier nervousness was completely gone as she just allowed herself to enjoyed Bo's company. It was a beautiful evening that unfortunately had to end.
Lauren could see the regret in Bo's eyes as she explained that she had to cut the evening short. "Lauren, thank you for dinner. I hate to end this because its been the most relaxing time I've had
in weeks with all of the events and the traveling for competitions, but I'm off again in a few days. She smiled as she licked her cone enjoying the indulgence of the sweet ice cold treat. _"I'll have to do an extra session at the hotel gym before bed tonight,"_ she thought to herself, because she had spoiled herself at dinner too. She had ordered the penné alfredo with chicken and it had been divine. She had wanted to forget about her healthy food regimen tonight to just enjoy everything about this date,_ "was this a date?"_ with the breathtaking Lauren Lewis. Lauren stopped and sat on a bench. Bo followed and sat facing her, left leg resting on the wooden bench, her shin resting against Lauren's thigh. Bo found herself wanting to touch Lauren in these small intimate ways and her stomach fluttered when Lauren's breath hitched at the subtle but intimate contact. Bo rested her hand on her bent knee, her finger tips touched Lauren's leg featherlight but it still made the brunette's heart race. She filled the now composed and attentive Lauren into her travel plans. "I'm on my way to Switzerland! Every year, Zurich hosts this great festival called, and it has big air events. It is one of the top extreme sports events in Switzerland and so many of the big names go there. There are dozens of demonstrations and competitions as well as several live concerts. The atmosphere is going to be amazing. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. Right now though, I'm tired from today's events and need to rest up and prepare for the festival." Lauren nods her head letting Bo know that she understood completely.
Lauren stands and motions that they should get going. Lauren didn't want to be responsible for Bo not being rested up and ready to show the people of Switzerland just how amazingly talented she was. "Why don't I drop you off to your hotel so that you can get started on winding down your body and mind." Bo blushed a little at Lauren's words and the way her eyes had wandered all the way up her body before meeting her eyes. Lauren smiles at Bo and for the first time thinks that the connection was definitely mutual. She just didn't know what category this connection fitted into yet. Was it the connection you have with a great long lasting friendship or was it the connection that would develop into them becoming lovers. _"God, I hope so,"_ Lauren thought to herself as they stared deeply into each others eyes.
Bo was the first to break off the longing gaze. "No, Lauren you don't have to, I wouldn't want to put you out.. I can catch a cab, no problem."
"I don't want you to have to... Come on, it's no trouble at all." Lauren kept walking back to her car. Bo followed, smiling and excited. She had to run to catch up to Lauren, who was sitting on the hood of her car finishing her cone by the time Bo reached her. "Took you long enough." Lauren joked. Bo laughed and nudged the blonde playfully.
"It's those long legs of yours, they are hard to keep up with," Bo countered back flirtatiously, giving her a beaming cheeky smile.
Lauren let out a nervous laugh in response, her cheeks going pink. _"Get it together, Lauren!"_ she chided herself. Bo was disarmingly charming and so incredibly stunning. Lauren was unable to control the thump of her heart inside her chest every time Bo smiled at her a certain way or in moments like this when she said something that was seemingly just an innocent offhand comment and yet she found herself reading so much more into it then that. She prided herself on being level headed and in control of her emotions but with Bo, well, she was putty in her hand. She felt like a teenager and it was very unsettling to her._ "Say something, Lauren! You are just staring at her like an idiot. You are meant to be taking the exhausted woman back to her hotel. Get to it!" _Lauren slips of the hood and stands, she pops the last bite of her cone into her mouth and pulls her keys out of her pocket. She unlocked her car and opened the door for Bo. The brunette smiled and slid into the passenger seat, immediately resting her head on the head rest and closing her eyes. Lauren was quiet all the way back to Bo's hotel. The silence was comfortable as if they had known each other for years. Lauren spent the drive thinking about when she would be able to see the brunette again and that even if it was tomorrow, it wouldn't be soon enough.
As Lauren pulled up in front of the hotel she noticed that Bo had indeed fallen asleep during the drive. She turned the car off and sat watching the beautiful woman. As she sat taking in the relaxed features of Bo's slumbering form, she stopped herself from reaching over and brushing the stray strand of dark hair that had fallen across her face. Lauren knew that it was important for her and Bo to be friends first, to truly get to know one another. But she knew already that she wanted so much more with the woman sleeping soundly next to her. She sat watching her, mesmerized and unable to look anywhere else. Bo started to stir and her eyes opened to find Lauren watching her. She looked embarrassed when she realized she had fallen asleep. "Gosh, Lauren. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."
Lauren shakes her head indicating that there was no need for Bo to apologize. "No, Bo, it's fine really. You have had a very busy and tiring day, I'm surprised you managed to stay awake during dinner to be honest. You must be exhausted. Sorry and here I am going on and on when you could already be inside the hotel and half way up to your room by now." Lauren shuts up, realizing that once again Bo had her babbling.
"Come with me," Bo suggested suddenly.
Lauren's throat tightens. "Come with you?" Was Bo asking Lauren to go up to her room? Would I go? No it was way too soon, wasn't it?
Bo turned in her seat facing Lauren, her eyes lighting up with excitement. " Come with me to Switzerland, for the festival. Would you want to accompany me, to watch me compete and we could hang out in between events?"
"Oh," Lauren said, mostly with relief with just a tiny dash of disappointment.
Bo not realizing what Lauren had thought she was asking, faltered in her excitement taking the ''oh'' as a refusal at her invitation. "Oh of course. I'm sorry, Lauren. You have a job and a life. I couldn't possibly expect you to be able to just take off to Switzerland with barely a moments notice. I should have thought of that, it's just I had such a great time tonight and it's been a long time since I've had a friend that I can see on a regular basis. The constant traveling and competitions don't leave me much time to socialize, I think I may be a little drunk off it," Bo said, now babbling herself.
"No, Bo. I would love to see you compete in Switzerland and I could also go as a work expense. It would be a great opportunity to check out what some of the other people in my field are creating in the way of courses and tracks. It's a good way to keep in touch and develop new ideas so that I can keep things fresh and on the cutting edge so I can stay at the top of my field." Lauren explained, not liking the look of disappointment that had crossed Bo's face. _"Plus, I would do anything to spend __more time with you,"_ she thought to herself.
"Really?" Bo's spark and excitement had returned tenfold at the blondes acceptance of her invitation. Even though Lauren seemed to want to go more so she could see what the course was like rather than the idea of spending time together, Bo was just excited that Lauren would be there.
"That's great, Lauren. I will call you with all the details tomorrow morning okay," Bo said as she opened the door and stepped out of the car. After closing the door Bo leaned into the open window giving Lauren a spectacular view of her ample cleavage. "I had a wonderful time tonight, Lauren and I look forward to us becoming great friends. Goodnight. I'll call you tomorrow."
"I had a great time too, Bo. Now go, get some rest you deserve it," Lauren said with a wink and a smile.
"Okay night," Bo said again before she headed towards the glass doors of the hotel.
"Sweet dreams, Bo," Lauren whispered softly unheard by the brunette before driving off into the night...
* * *
**Mistyfiedbycopeland Author's Note: For those of you who might not know of BMX, thanks for letting me introduce to you one of my favorite sports. Now hop on and enjoy the ride with Bo, Lauren and of course Lauren's best friend Kenzington. Oh you all didn't think I'd forget about the quirky little Kenzington now did you. For those of you who read or are reading Laws of Attraction, you already know Kenzi
has a place in Lauren's life. I will be having her make her first appearance in the upcoming chapter three. **
**Doccubus21 Author's Note: Thank you all for the huge response and eager encouragement to continue :) I hope this chapter didn't disappoint and that you will continue with the reviews and thoughts ;) xxoo**
3. Chapter 3
**Carving her path**
**Chapter 3**
**Friendships And Bonding**
Bo tossed and turned in the large king size bed in her hotel suite. After her dinner with Lauren she had headed to the hotel gymnasium to get a workout session in, before retiring for the night. She was beyond exhausted but was unable to shut off her mind to sleep. Her thoughts were consumed by Lauren Lewis. She had never been so affected by another human being in her entire 23 years on this earth. Lauren had held her captivated from the moment they had met outside the restaurant. The memories of her beauty and grace made her body ache. Bo sighed and turned over again. What had this angel done to her. Angel? Why did Bo think of Lauren as an angel? She had seemed to glow with a light, a bright shimmering light that had surrounded the statuesque woman. But it wasn't just that she was incredibly attractive that had Bo unable to stop thinking about the engineer. After Lauren's initial shyness, she had seemed to burst with energy and passion. She had laughed and joked but had also showed a quiet compassion when Bo had found herself opening up to her about her childhood. Bo kept her past close to her chest and shared it with no one and yet after just a short meeting with Lauren she had wanted to share things with her, she had wanted Lauren to see all of her, not just what the public saw. She had enjoyed her evening with Lauren immensely and was delighted that they were going to be friends. Bo's heart had almost burst with joy when Lauren had agreed to accompany her to Switzerland. She had wanted to lean over and kiss her but hadn't wanted to push Lauren. They had only just met for goodness sake. What would Lauren of thought if Bo had just given into those feelings and pounced on her. No. Bo was determined to keep her obvious attraction and growing feelings to herself for now. Lauren had nervously babbled that she had wanted her and Bo to be friends and Bo was determined not to mess with her new friendship. Bo didn't have a lot of real friends. She had a lot of people fawning over her and pretending to be her friend but not many real friends that knew her beyond being an amazing athlete who was moving up the ranks like a shooting star.
Suddenly Bo's pulse spiked and the unusual sensations that she had been getting on and off for the last few years came to the surface again. She knew that she would have to find a willing person in the next few days to help her with whatever this was.
She would have to get physical with a random stranger. She had lost count of the amount of people she had kissed to get the blue energy from them to calm the beast inside. The beast always won in the end and it was another reason she hadn't given in and kissed Lauren like she had wanted to. She didn't know what the energy was that flowed from the people she kissed that went into her but it made her feel amazing. She had managed to stop before killing anyone so far but she feared that her feelings for Lauren would make her hunger harder to control. Hunger? Hunger for what, the blue energy? What the fuck is wrong with me! What about the intense sexual cravings that seemed to come with this hunger. Could I be dangerous to Lauren? Bo punched the mattress in frustration and fear. What if she hurt Lauren by getting closely involved with her and pursued her the way she really wanted to. She loved the way Lauren made her feel, these feeling were scary but so very intoxicating as well. She wanted Lauren Lewis to be more than just her friend, so, so much more then that. Bo sat up in bed and turned on the bedside table lamp. The light cast shadows in the dark room. Bo grabbed her mothers laptop and powered it up. She needed to find out what was wrong with her and how to fix it. She opened up the browser and started typing her symptoms into the search engine.
An hour later and no further forward she cried out her frustration to the empty room, "damn it!" So the search engine had taken her to several problems or illness's that she may have and they were all ludicrous in her opinion. Psychosis and Delirium were the top contenders because she is apparently having visual hallucinations when she is experiencing the blue energy transfer when she kisses people. Some of her other symptoms pointed to her being a sex addict but she wasn't actually having sex with these people she often felt better after just kissing them and getting that mysterious blue substance. "Fuck!" she said in frustration and slams her fists down onto the keyboard. She gasps in surprise when she hears something clink inside her mothers laptop. Bo looks in concern at the machine. Had she broken something inside the computer, the screen was still lit up, the laptop looked physically intact. She lifted it up and gave it a little shake. Something had definitely come loose inside.
Bo grabbed her little toolkit from her suitcase and found a small screwdriver. She shut down the laptop and begun taking the laptop apart. What she found was a small silver key with just three numbers etched into the shiny metal. It had been stuck to the underside of the keyboard housing and must have come loose when she had hit the laptop in her frustrations. Her mother must have hidden it, feeling that it was the safest place. This laptop was the only thing that her father didn't touch. He had had his own desktop computer in his office and had insisted that her mother was to never touch it, so he had allowed her to buy the laptop. Bo turned the small key over and over in her fingers, the first signs that dawn was approaching showed through a small crack in the closed curtains. She slipped the key onto her keyring and proceeded to put the laptop back together. She figured the key was to a lock deposit box at the bank in her home town. Curiosity burned inside her, what had her mother kept inside the box and hidden the key away to protect. Bo rubbed tiredly at her eyes. She couldn't think about this now, she needed to concentrate on Switzerland and performing well there. Bo hadn't been back to her home town since she left five years ago, if she had a choice she would never go back there. But she knew that as soon as she was back from Switzerland she would be making that trip. She had to find out what her mother had stashed away and if it had anything to do with her or her father. Bo sighed wearily she had five hours max to get some rest before making the final arrangements for her trip tomorrow. She called the front desk and requested a wake up call in four hours and then climbed back into bed and willed herself to get some long needed sleep...
**That same morning...**
Lauren sat back in her chair after rescheduling the last of her appointments so she was freed up to head to Switzerland with Bo the next day. She had come into work early to finish up a couple of things that couldn't of waited till she got back. In just a few hours she was meeting her best friend Kenzington at the espresso pump café downtown. Lauren was extremely protective of Zee (Kenzington) ever since her friends grandfather's death a year before. Zee had idolized her grandfather and it still affected her especially with all the family tension surrounding his will. Lauren sits back and remembers the last time she and Zee saw Albert Rothchild I before his death.
**FLASHBACK...**
"Are you sure about this granddad? If I leave who's going to take care of you
while I'm gone? You need me." She tried convincing her grandfather.
"I can take care of myself while you're away. Listen to Lauren. She's right about you needing time to clear your head. You have been cooped up in this house too long, Darling. So you're going to go to away with Lauren up to the mountain chalet for a few days. I'm giving you the private jet so I know the both of you are safe.
Lauren grabbed her best friend pulling her into a tight hug. "Come on Zee you need this. If you stay here then I'm not going either because it will be no fun without you. I'm not leaving my best friend alone at a time like this. I know you are worried about your Poppa but he really wants you to go on this trip." Lauren whispers into Zee's ear before releasing her.
"But ,Lauren, I can't leave him. He not well enough to look after himself right now. I won't be good company." The petite woman whined, trying her best to make her friend understood.
Lauren grabbed her best friend by the shoulders and looked at her seriously. "I'm not going away without you, you got that. You're forgetting something Zee. Albert is like my grandfather too, but he wants you to get away for a few days. There's no point in you being here just waiting for something bad to happen."
Kenzington's grandfather assured her it was okay for her to go away, that he had a nurse coming in while she was gone. But Kenzington started crying and refused to leave her grandfathers side. "Kenzington you are going and that is final, please sweetie don't argue with me on this. You go with Lauren and take time for yourself, you have barely left my side in weeks. I'm asking you to let your best friend help take care of you for a change, you're looking way too thin and pale. The car will be here to pick you two up in a few minutes. So scoot and get packing.
"But you're sure about this, right? You don't mind me going away? What if you need me? I don't want to...I mean what if you...I don't want you to not be here when I get back." Kenzington sobs.
Before she could finish her sentence Lauren was pulling her into a tight hug. "Zee, enough! You cant think that way and beside pops really wants you to go. So no more arguments, I'm your best friend and you're coming with me. You need to take a break for a few days, to clear your head and get some much needed sun. You need a rest from all this. You are physically and emotionally exhausted and I can see this is effecting you to the point where your not sleeping anymore. In the last few weeks how much uninterrupted solid sleep have you had?"
Kenzington sighs and looks at Lauren and nods with resignation. "Okay you're right. I haven't been sleeping well and some fresh mountain air would probably do me some good. But it's just so hard, Lauren, my poppa's my heart and I want to spend as much time with him as I can.
"Go on sweetie. I'll still be here when you get back. There's still some air in these old tires." Kenzington smiles and gives her grandfather a hug before leaving the room to pack. Lauren turns to follow but Albert Rothchild I grabbed her arm gently, getting her attention. "Lauren, I want you to promise me that you will look after my girl for me when I'm gone."
Lauren looks into Albert's kindly pale blue eyes and said, "Of course Mr. Rothchild. I will love and protect her like a sister."
"Promise me," he said, closing his eyes and taking a shuddering breath.
"I promise," whispered Lauren softly. Lauren had a feeling that Albert wanted her to take Kenzington away because he knew his time on this earth was running out.
Albert pats Lauren on the arm. "Good girl, now off you go and help my darling granddaughter pack...
They returned after the weekend to learn that Albert Rothchild I had passed away peacefully in his sleep. He had left Kenzington a note but she had never shared what it had said with anyone even Lauren.
**End of Flashback.**
* * *
**I****ntroducing Kenzington Rothchild III**
Kenzington Rothchild III. Socialite. Heiress. Business woman. It's said at birth we are all born with a clean slate. We have no history. We have no past, just a future. This wasn't the case for a little baby girl named Kenzington Rothchild III who was born with a gold spoon in her mouth. She was in the rare percentage of having her entire future planned out for her well before her birth. Her father Richard Rothchild II had wanted a son to follow in his famous families footsteps. His son was a lock-in to attend any one of the top Ivy league University's in the country. Harvard. Princeton. Yale or Stanford. But like all the men before him, he was destined to be a Harvard man. But to Richards surprise, instead of having the son he had always dreamed of he was blessed with a beautiful daughter. But to hear him tell it, it was more of a curse. Because she was a girl he set the bar even higher. His expectations for her were far beyond reason. In his mind she was a Rothchild. Period. As far as he was concerned, everything she did was a reflection upon him and his legacy. He hated the fact she wasn't the son he had always dreamed of.
Kenzington had a mind for business but an even stronger love for science. So it was no surprise to those close to her when she picked California Institute of Technology over her father's Alma Mater, Harvard University. When she proudly announced her decision at the dinner party in her honor, her father had gone ballistic. "Your going where?" He had yelled, his eyes bugging out. "No Rothchild has ever gone to any other college than Harvard! No child of mine is going to the California Institute of Technology instead of my Alma Mater. You, young lady, are going to Harvard, Period. It's where your great grandfather went, it's where my father went and it's where I went. You're the next in line for the Rothchild legacy and you're going." When Kenzington opened her mouth to speak, her father cut her off. "Kenzington Rothchild III your my..." he stops mid-sentence, shaking his head at the near slip up. "You're my daughter, carrying my last name, damn it. You will attend Harvard and that's it. Do you understand me? Do you understand the responsibility of the name you carry? You're a Rothchild! Do you have any idea how much went into planning the life you have? Now like it or not you will be attending Harvard in the fall. Now this conversation is over." He slammed his drink down, spilling it. He walked away leaving Kenzington upset and shaken.
Everyone stood mortified. All eyes were on Kenzington. But instead of causing
a bigger scene she took a sip of her drink and walked away without saying
a word. As she stood outside trying to gather herself, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Without having to look back to see who it was she knew. It was her grandmother. "Hey there kiddo. I wanted to make sure you're alright. Lets go for a walk. She directed her granddaughter towards the garden. Once they were away from the house she swept Kenzington into a hug. "I'm sorry your father ruined what should have been your night. For what it's worth I don't agree with him. I would love for you to go to Harvard and follow in your grandfather's foot steps but I have to insist that you don't. I think you attending the California Institute of Technology is a perfect fit for you. You have always been a little science geek even when you where little. I remember when you set your little homemaker oven on fire while conducting some kind of experiment." She laughed and hugged her granddaughter again.
"Enough talk,come on. I have your grandfathers present for you." She handed her a large velvet box." She kissed Kenzington on top of her head. "You remind me of me when I was younger. Only you have a lot more spunk than I ever did. You're really not going to Harvard? I think it takes guts to follow your heart with all the pressure your father puts on you. You are a science geek and always have been. I can see you walking the halls of Cal Tech. Let me guess what your going to major in, uh lets see, engineering?" She tilts her head smiling.
"Actually, Grans, you are half right. I'm actually doing a double major in Engineering and Physics."
She makes a funny face at her granddaughter, "Of course you are sweetie. You were never one to take the easy road. Now open your present already." She joked.
Kenzington opened the box. Inside was a beautiful gold chain with a diamond pendent. "It was my mother's and I want you to have it. It's been in the family for generations. Four generations to be exact. Kenzington started crying. "Okay so lets go for a ride. She pulled Kenzington toward her husbands garage. She typed in the code to unlock the door. Once inside she stood trying to decide on which of his exotic cars she wanted to drive. She picked the love of his life, the Bugetti Veyron. To Kenzington's surprise her grandmother tossed her the keys. "Here ya go kiddo, you're driving, I didn't bring my glasses. Oh did I mention this is your present to you from your grandfather? He made it clear to me that you're the only person he trusted to appreciate them for the works of engineering art that they are." She smiled at her name sake.
Kenzington froze, the keys hitting her in the shoulder and clattered to the floor. "H-he what? He left me his babies? These are all mine?" She asked as she looked around the garage full of the most exotic and fastest cars in the world. Some of them were one of a kind prototypes that never went into production. "Oh, Poppa, I miss you so much," whispered Kenzington softly.
**Lauren and Kenzington.**
Lauren scanned the busy café for her best friend. Lauren was running a little late because of a pile up on the freeway. She had messaged and told Zee that she was going to be late but she hadn't expected to be nearly forty minutes late! Lauren hated tardiness and even though the situation and the resulting lateness was out of her control she was still annoyed with herself. She spotted Zee sitting at a corner table next to the window. She looked out at the busy street beyond, sipping at her latté, deep in thought. The young woman was either unaware or was simply ignoring the quiet whispers and pointing as people coming into the coffee shop noticed the well known woman.
Zee, known to everyone else in the world as Kenzington Rothchild III and heir to one of the largest and profitable chocolate empires in the world, was her bestest friend in the whole wide world. Her Grandfather, God rest his soul had built up Rothchild Chocolatiers Ltd from the small company left to him by his father in 1952 to the Goliath it was today. At his death just over a year ago, Albert Rothchild I was estimated to have been worth $20.4 Billion Dollars. If someone had told Lauren a couple of years ago that she would become friends with one of the most newsworthy and well known socialites in the city, she would have laughed in their face at the absurdity of it. But now as she wound her way through the packed tables towards Zee, she just smiled a huge grin when, Zee looked away from the window and greeted the blonde with a smile and a wave.
Lauren instantly knew that something was wrong and that Zee was wearing her "Everything's just peachy" mask for all the gawker's sitting around her. Her smile faltered as Lauren sat down in the chair opposite her and took her hand. "Zee? What is it? What's wrong?"
Kenzington's eyes brimmed with tears, "Oh Lo Lo. Thank God you're here. Things have just gone from bad to catastrophic with my father!"
Lauren frowned, "What's the bastard blaming you for now?" Zee's father Richard (who lived up to his name. He was a complete DICK!), had always been hard on her from the moment she was born the wrong sex. But since her grandfather's death the year before he had been a nightmare. He was furious that his dad had left his spectacular and extensive car collection to Kenzington, a girl. He had always resented the closeness of Kenzington's relationship with her grandfather because he had never had that with Albert. He had barely talked to her in the last six months. "Zee what's happened now?" Lauren says again urging her friend to speak.
Zee takes the tissue Lauren offers her and wipes at her tears. Her eyes flashed angrily as she got prepared to share the information with Lauren. " I received a call from our family lawyer the other day requesting that I come in this morning because he had something to discuss with me and that he had some papers for me to sign. So I show up at his office and mom and dad are there as well. Oh Lo Lo, you are never going to guess what the lawyer had to say."
"Tell me," Lauren says holding her breath.
"In one weeks time on my 25th birthday, I am going to be the owner of the controlling shares in Rothchild Chocolatiers Ltd. My Grandfather passed dad over and gave me his company. Richard went nuclear. He almost hit me, Lo Lo, but Mr. Stevenson told him he would call security and put him up on charges if he laid even a finger on me."
"Didn't your mom do something, say something?"
Kenzington choked out a bitter laugh at Lauren's suggestion. "You know mom, she never stands up to him, she just drinks her gin and tonics and takes her valium. She like a walking zombie these days. Anyway dad screamed that he was going to contest the will with every cent that he has because the company is his birthright and that he has earned it for all the years he has been running it since granddad got sick. Mr. Stevenson said that Albert stipulated that dad remain CEO of the company but that I had the veto power in all the major decisions. Dad almost punched him in the face when he said that. I've never seen him this angry, Lauren, not even when I told him I wasn't going to Harvard. So he spat that this whole thing was bullshit and he would fight for what is rightfully his before stomping out of the office with my mom scampering after him. I'm so tired of all this fighting over Poppa's wishes. Dads been giving Nanna a hard time too. Argh I'm so sick of this shit!"
Lauren sat quietly for a moment letting everything that Zee had just told her sink in. "Zee you need to get away for a while. Get out of the city."
"Oh and where would you suggest I go, Lo Lo?"
"Switzerland," Lauren says with a big grin.
Kenzington's eyebrows raise questioningly. "Switzerland? Why Switzerland?"
"I'm going to Switzerland tomorrow for the freestyle festival. Bo Dennis asked me to accompany her." Kenzington watches as her friend gets a dreamy look on her face at the mention of this Bo Dennis person.
"Who's Bo Dennis and what's with the love struck teenager face, Lo Lo?" Lauren filled her in on meeting Bo at the track the day before and their dinner last night.
The dark haired woman gives Lauren a dubious look. "Well wont I be crowding your style. It's obvious you like this Bo, Lo Lo. I don't want to get in the way or anything."
Lauren shook her head adamantly her golden hair shiny in the light. " Don't be silly Zee we are just friends and beside we haven't spent much time together lately because I've been so busy with work. It will be fun and I want you to meet her, she's great. Plus Bo will be busy with events and stuff so I can drag you to the touristy things while she's busy."
"Well gee, when you put it like that how could I possibly refuse," Kenzington responds to Lauren sarcastically. "I thought this was about making me feel better not worse."
"Very funny, Zee," Lauren says, punching her on the arm playfully. "It will be fun, I promise. Come on, we'll go skiing."
Kenzington's eyes light up she absolutely loved to ski. "Okay, Lo Lo, I'm there. What time we leaving?" They both get up and embrace before heading out the coffee shop.
"I'll pick you up at seven sharp, be ready."
"Okay. It's a date." Kenzington ignored a couple of people taking snapshots of her on their phones and focuses on the look her friend was giving her.
"I mean it KENZINGTON, seven sharp. Not seven thirty, not eight..."
"Yeah, yeah, time nazi. I got it seven o'clock on the dot. See you tomorrow, Lo Lo. I can't wait to meet your new girlfriend." Before Lauren can tell her that Bo wasn't her girlfriend (yet), Kenzington Rothchild III, soon to be a billionaire at age 25, with a final wave, headed off. She slipped her headphones on and with music blaring she half walked, half danced, towards her penthouse apartment a couple of blocks away.
* * *
**Mistyfiedbycopelands1 Author's Note: I was totally psyched to watch the season end of the super motocross 450 on Saturday night. I sat cheering for my favourite Super-cross rider Ryan Villopoto. He Won! Now I'm all ready to start on chapter 4. Bo is going to put on a fucking show her first time in Zurich. I intend on going through my videos and DVD's of Freestyle Motocross. I'm up working on the tricks and stunts I'm going to have Bo pull off. Keep reading and thanks for your support.**** You Guys Rooocccck!**
**Doccubus21 Author's Note: Thank you all for your wonderful response to this story. We are having a great time writing it :). I am really enjoying writing a completely AU story featuring my favorite ladies. Please continue to show your support it helps keep us excited and motivated. Take care. Xxoo.**
4. Chapter 4
**Carving Her Path**
**Chapter 4**
**It's Britney Bitch!**
* * *
As Kenzington walked down the street she swiped at her iPhone 5 going directly to her play list. _"Here we go. Time to jam,"_ she thought to herself as the beats to Kylie Minogue's, 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head started playing loudly in her ears. She paused and did a few dance moves from the video that she knew off by heart. She opened her stance. She then extended her hands in front of herself. She moved as if she was a robot. Grabbing each side of her head she mimicked that of the back up dancers, twisting her head and body. She stood bobbing to the beat. The light she had been waiting for, had since changed red making it safe for her to cross the street. She didn't even notice the flashing walk sign as she continued to dance. She was in her own little world getting lost in the music. One of the cab drivers waiting at the lights started to imitate her moves. She laughed when someone walked past her, crossing the street giving her a sidelong glance as they did so, she realized that yet again she had totally spaced. She bowed to the cab as he honked his horn in appreciation for her free show.
She pretty much danced the entire way back to her home several blocks from the coffee shop. What would her father think if he had seen her display on the street, with her being a Rothchild and all? _"He'd freak the fuck out and demand that I get into the town car as to not embarrass him,"_ she thought to herself. She ran into a store to grab something to eat. She knew her maid had already cooked her dinner but she wanted a quick snack. She grabbed a large bag of regular Lays potato chips and a cold can of Cherry Coke. She paid and joked around with the clerk in the store.
She was opening and eating the chips before she even had the money out to pay. She knew the guy behind the counter personally. They talked and joked around, every time Kenzington stopped in. She'd even stop in on occasion just to say hi even when she wasn't buying anything. She shows him her latest dance moves and he applauded her when she was done telling her she should be a choreographer. She gives him a playful wink as she walks out the door , warning him to look out for her newest moves showing up in the next Britney video.
Living on Central Park West she had to pass the park everyday. She loved to just sit and people watch. Thinking of people, her mind went directly to Lauren's, Bo. _"Why does that name sound so familiar"_, she ponders to herself. "_Bo Dennis. I know that __name. Bo Dennis",_ she kept repeating it to herself. It wasn't until she noticed a few guys at the 79th street entrance doing stunts on their bikes that her brain clicked and she remembered who Bo Dennis was. _"No way. No fucking way! It can't possibly be THAT Bo Dennis_." She picked up the pace as she walked. As she entered the swanky building on ninety-fourth street she was greeted by her doorman who reached for and took her bags from her. "Afternoon, Ms. Rothchild." The man smiled as he walked ahead of her and pushed the button on the elevator. Kenzington talked with him and inquired after his family as they rode the elevator up to the top floor, he handed her back her bags upon arrival and tilted his hat goodbye when she stepped out, the doors closing softly behind her.
Once inside Kenzington smelled the aroma of food being cooked by her maid. She headed straight for her home entertainment and gaming room, after depositing her bags on the floor. She used the remote on the desk and turned on her state of the art stereo system. The room was instantly filled with the upbeat sounds of one of her favorite artists, Britney Spears. The song "Till The World Ends' was blasting, through her eight surround sound speakers. _"Its as if my girl is right here with me,"_ Kenzington thought to herself. She smiled and danced. "One day Britney. One day soon, I will be front row at your concert dancing my ass off." She said to an empty room. "Now lets get to know everything there is to know about Lauren's new crush, Ms. Bo Dennis, shall we?" She stuffed a handful of chips into her mouth as she sat down in front of her laptop. She looked around her favorite room taking in the many games, gadgets and toys that were her favorite escape from her everyday problems as she waited for her laptop to boot up. She clicked open a web browser bringing up google and typed in Bo Dennis. Bo's image flashed up on screen first followed by dozens of headlines about Bo the rising star. She looked at all the images that came up, sliding across her screen as a slide show. Her mouth fell open, when she saw a newly uploaded photo pop up along side the others. "Holy shit! Is that who I think it is?" Kenzington clicked on the new photo to get a larger view and low and behold the flash of familiar blonde hair was indeed her best friend and there she was standing alongside Bo. The photo must have been taken by someone else that had been at the track the other day. She looked closely at the smiling face of her friend, her hands outstretched obviously lost in talking about her passion building and designing state of the art, challenging BMX and motocross courses. But what she loved the most was the look of complete rapture and attention Bo was giving Lauren in return. Kenzington leaned back in the chair her eyes fixed on the perfect picture of mutual attraction being displayed before her. "Wow. My best friend is going to Switzerland with "The Bo Dennis!" She shrieked. _"This is so awesome. Bo asked Lauren to go with her to her competition. And Lauren said yes? Okay, this is huge,"_ She thought to herself as she sat smiling from ear to ear. The idea of Lauren seeing any woman tickled her. Especially after her previous messy breakup. Lauren had been alone for far too long, she deserved someone special in her life to love and cherish her.
But Bo Dennis? Lauren's first dip back into the dating pool was a bit of a surprise. Kenzington's best friend was shy and usually showed interest in woman who were equally reserved and not so...well...charismatic. Bo was the complete opposite of what she had seen of Lauren's previous interests. Bo was a public figure and she handled the reporters and fans with ease. Bo is like the rock star of the BMX world and if the rumors were true, future motocross rock star. Her status as the golden girl of BMX was high and with her charm, looks and natural, fearless talent she was only going rise higher and higher. Would the growing fame and attention that Bo was steadily building, be too much for Lauren? Though saying that Lauren had graced the cover of several very prestigious magazines herself and was quite famous in certain circles, the magazines however tended to be read by very different people that watched and read sports magazines. Kenzington frowned as she continued to browse the net. She started to have second thoughts about accompanying Lauren tomorrow. _"I can't go. I can't intrude on their..."_ She stopped, because she had no idea what they were. It was so obvious that Lauren had feelings for Bo as more than a friend, she hadn't seen that sparkle in Lauren's eyes for a long time. And Bo had to have fond feelings for her best friend if she invited her to go away with her. But was Bo just interested in being friends with Lauren or was there a romantic element to Bo's invitation? The problem was that no matter what news article she seemed to click on there was very little personal information to be found. Bo was very good at separating her career from her private life, it seemed. She appeared genuine and nice but things were not always what they seemed on the surface. No, she had to go because she wouldn't be a good friend if she didn't check Bo out for herself. Lauren was her best friend, the sister she never had. Kenzington loved her dearly and she would never let Lauren ever get hurt by another woman, ever again!
Suddenly her maid entered without warning. Kenzington jumped at the intrusion. "What the fuck!" She yelled. "What are you still doing here? I thought you had left. You scared the shit out of me. Are you crazy just walking in without knocking?!" She asked in a very high pitch.
"I'm sorry Ms. Rothchild but I was given instructions by your..."
Kenzington cut her off. "Look, you know my one rule." She tilted her head waiting for the woman to respond.
She gave Kenzington a hard stare. "I'm never to enter the game room when I hear the music because..." She paused...
"Come on. Say it. You interrupted my most cherished alone time when you're never to do that because?" Kenzington said again, enjoying watching the woman squirm.
The woman straightened her uniform, cleared her throat and said the words Kenzington was waiting to hear. "I'm never to interrupt you because..." She did the silly dance move along with saying, "Its Britney Bitch!" Kenzington erupted into a fit of laughter having made the older woman say and do the scene from Britney's video.
"Look, I know my dad hired you to spy on me and you promised me that you wouldn't do it anymore. But if I for even one second think that you are running back to him telling him every little thing that I do, I will not hesitate in firing your ass!" she barked at the woman. "Now get out!" She yelled. The woman was flustered and going very red in the face. She backed out of the game room and hurried off towards the kitchen. Kenzington knew that the woman would be picking up the phone to call her father. Kenzington slammed the door behind. _"Shit! Shit! Shit! The nerve _
_of her. I should find my own damn maid. The woman creeps me out and her cooking sucks!"_ she thought to herself. She pulled out her iPhone and she swiped it until her nanna's name popped up. The phone rang a few times before it was answered.
"Kenzington what did you do now? Your dad is here having a fit with your maid on the phone." She whispered.
Kenzington giggled. "You mean his maid, don't you? She was only here to spy on me and report back to dad. So I uh...I did a bad thing. I made her do a Britney impersonation for barging into the one room that is off limits to her spying ass. I was wondering if maybe you could..." Kenzington paused waiting for her nanna's soft laughter to die down. She heard her move off into another room and close the door blocking out the sound of her fathers angry voice in the background.
"You made her do WHAT?" Kenzington repeated the full story back to her grandmother. " Oh my Lord. Honey, I thought you had grown out of your crazy obsession with Britney Spears?" Her grandmother couldn't help but burst out into laughter once more as Kenzington started to defend the pop stars honor. Kenzington ended up laughing with her grandmother as she continued to playfully tease Kenzington about her taste in music.
"I thought I should give you a heads up because I knew that dad would just overreact as usual. I don't like putting you in the middle of our dramas. I'm sorry, Grans." She apologized because she knew that Richard would start bitching and moaning about her bad attitude and behavior all night to the sweet old woman. She knew that her grandmother wouldn't take any notice of all the horrible things her father would say about her but wanted to make sure she was prepared for it.
"I was also calling to invite you over for dinner tonight because I'm going abroad tomorrow."
The old woman's tone got serious at this news. "Away? Where are you going? I hope this isn't because of your father. You know his bark is worse than his bite." She said, her concern evident.
Kenzington started to dance to Britney playing in the background. "No nanna, it's nothing bad. Though it will be nice to get away for a while. I'm taking Lauren and her friend Bo to Switzerland. Bo has a competition there and invited Lauren who in turn invited me. Lauren seems to really like Bo, but I want to make sure she's good enough for my best friend. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Can you please stop over tonight for dinner, so we can have a proper catch up before I go? It's been a while and all this stuff with the lawyer has me missing grandpa like crazy."
"Well of course, honey. I would love to have dinner, it has been far too long. But can we get take out though? That maid of yours isn't a very good cook."
Kenzington laughed, "Yeah, tell me something I don't know. I've been thinking about sending her to some cooking classes at the local college!" They both laughed at how the maid would handle that suggestion because she thought she was a fabulous cook.
"Kenzington, sweetie. I'm glad you are going along with Lauren and this Bo. How much do you know about this Bo?"
"Not as much as I would like to. It's obvious that Lauren already has strong feelings towards her. I need to check Bo out for myself, especially after the last one. Lauren has only just started to get her spark back. That bitch did such a number on her and the last thing I need is Lauren falling for someone who could turn around and crush her heart all over again. I don't think she would recover."
"She's lucky to have you as a friend, Honey. You know how much I love Lauren and I know she's had such a hard time since her breakup with, she who must not be named. I tell you, if I were younger, I would of kicked that woman's ass for hurting her so much?" her nanna growled. "I don't know why you haven't done it already? What on earth are you waiting for? That woman needs an ass whoopin.
"Cut the tough girl act nanna and be here by eight, okay? And for the record I would have kicked that bitches ass all across town if Lauren hadn't made me promise not to!" Kenzington added. "I'll see you tonight, Gran. Love you." Kenzington hung up her phone and dropped it into her pocket, she then grabbed the remote and turned the volume up once more.
**The next morning...**
When Bo first arrived at the airport she was bombarded by hordes of people. She put on her brightest smile and waded into the crowd of the press and adoring fans. She had gotten hardly any sleep last night, her mind filled with questions about her mother and what she had been hiding. And when she wasn't thinking of her mother, she was thinking about Lauren and what effect this trip would have on their blossoming friendship. Was Lauren just as captivated and drawn to her as she was. She had never felt this kind of instant sense of connection before, it was scary and exciting all at the same time. Reporters wanted to know her thoughts on the Zurich competition that she was heading to. She was bombarded with question which she tried to answer politely and clearly. She was able to keep the personal questions to a minimum steering the questioning to her career only. Most of the reporters knew not to ask questions about her private life it was just an odd few that would continue to try to get personal with her. Surprise, surprise, it was usually the journalists for the tabloids that seemed to camp out inside airports hoping to spot someone worth while to harass.
In the past 2 years Bo had won top awards slowly making a name for herself, building her credits and legend along the way. This year she was said to be a definite winner for the best BMX Trick Innovation category. She had perfected her signature move the "Rock Solid Back flip." The Red-Bull X-Fighters grabbed the title of FMX series of the year. With that coverage Bo was brought well and truly into the spotlight. A reporter, raising his voice to be heard above everyone else asked if she seen the interview with Ricky Carmichael. Bo paused at the question wandering what an interview with Ricky Carmichael had to do with her. "No I haven't," Bo responds honestly as she grabbed an offered marker from an eager fan asking her to sign the front of her T-Shirt. Bo noticed the slight look of disappointment when she bent down and signed her name across the woman's stomach and not across her ample breasts that were straining against the light cotton fabric. Bo gave the woman a smile as she handed back the marker.
A high pitched, excited voice carried over the crowd saying, "I have a copy, Ms. Dennis, if you would like to see it." Bo saw an arm rise into the air waving her iPad as she weaved in and out around the gathered crowd trying to make her way to Bo.
"Hey, can you guys make room, please. Let her through," Bo asked politely. The crowd parted letting the beautiful woman pass. She had several friends following behind her. "Hello uh, Bo. My name is Debbie and I'm a huge fan. Do you mind taking a picture with me first?" She asked, her previous confidence gone as she stood now very nervously in front of her idol.
"No, not at all. I don't mind." Bo let the woman move close to her and draped an arm across her shoulders as her friends cheered and took pictures. They all took turns to get a picture with Bo. Once they were done Debbie loaded up the video of the interview, and put on the earphones that the woman offered her. The reporter who was interviewing Ricky asked him what his thoughts were about the new rise in popularity in the sport of BMX, more specifically the female BMX circuit. Bo unintentionally held her breath as she listened to her childhood idol and inspiration answer the reporters question.
"I've seen the progression of female BMX riders go further than expected, not only riding wise but also popularity wise with riders from all over the world uniting to promote the sport to show the world that riding bikes at a professional level isn't a male only sport."
Bo gasped when another reporter asked him one more question in regards to the woman's circuit. "What are your thoughts on Bo Dennis?" Carmichael smiled. And that smile made Bo smile. She had enjoyed her time at The Suzuki Camp Carmichael. She had learnt so much from the motocross legend and had also formed a friendship in the process. He had become more of a father towards Bo than her real father had and he called her regularly to see how she was doing not just in her pursuits in her career but also in her general well being. "Bo Dennis is one of the most aggressive riders in the world. All eyes are on her to watch as she comes into her own. She's 23 years old and she's already scooped up wins in three major contests. The Simpel session which she dominated, I might add, she landed a double decade that stopped the show. I was so impressed with her that I invited her down my camp as you all know. I've never seen a more versatile rider in the sport ever. If she so chooses to she can compete in several category's. Park, dirt BMX and her crossover to motocross will come natural to her. I believe Bo will quickly evolve in the discipline, mastering it and competing with the best in no time."
Bo held her emotions in check as she quietly thanked Debbie for allowing her to use her iPad, giving the delighted woman a hug before turning her attention back to the other fans who waited patiently for their time with the charismatic brunette. She reminded herself to call Ricky when she gets back from Switzerland. She was hoping that he would aid her if she did indeed decide to switch from BMX to motocross.
Dozens more fans (90% of them women) wanted autographs and pictures with her. Bo patiently interacted with every single fan, ignoring her exhaustion. Bo valued her fans, without them paying the money to fill the stadiums she wouldn't be where she was today. There were a handful of women that were trying their best to hit on and flirt with her. A few tried to slip her their phone numbers whispering for her to please call them. To their surprise she politely declined their advances even as her beast grumbled in protest inside her at all the decadent flesh being offered to her and being denied. All Bo could think about was a particular blonde. Images of Lauren came to mind. Lauren looking nervous. Lauren rolling her eyes. Lauren laughing. Lauren taking her hand. Her mind was filled with Lauren Lewis. Being unable to sleep she had gotten up and Googled her new friend wanting to find out everything about the woman who had captured her full and undivided attention. What Bo found from her search made her wonder if she even had a hope in hell of getting this woman to date her. Her mind rushed over the information as she continued to sign autographs and pose for pictures.
**Lauren Lewis. Child prodigy. She graduated high school at the age of eleven years old. She was the youngest to graduate MIT, at the age of fifteen, where she received her degree in Engineering. She then attended Columbia University where she received her PHD (doctor) degree in Physics in just three years. Her first job was at Cal Tech University as an assistant professor, where she worked for three years before going to work for her father Derrick Lewis, one of the worlds top Architectural Engineers.**
Mr. Lewis hired Lauren at the age of twenty-one to assist him on a major project. Lauren found herself very interested in the field. With her degree in Physics it all came natural to her. She was the leading Engineer more than once. She became so good she developed a reputation in the business. She traveled the world to design some of the best Architectural marvels of the 21
**st**** century. Lauren was at the top of her field and was therefore able to pick and choose what projects she wanted to participate in and it allowed her more time to pursue her love of designing state of the art, original and challenging motocross tracks. **
Forty five minutes later and finally alone in the first class lounge, Bo sat waiting listening to her iPhone. She was slowly drifting off to sleep with thoughts of Lauren when she thought she heard her name.
She paused the music to be sure, her tired eyes scanning the terminal. She noticed Lauren standing across the room, just inside the door, smiling. She was holding a sign with Bo's name on it. Bo jumped up from her seat as Lauren gave her another bright glowing smile and waved the sign playfully. She turned her back and gathered her belongings eager to get close to Lauren and her warmth. Bo approached Lauren with a huge grin of her own. Her smile faltered when all of a sudden a tiny dark haired woman, with the most striking eyes she had ever seen, approached Lauren, leaning against the blonde with familiar affection.
Bo's heart pounded in her chest as she watched Lauren, the blondes attention now on the new presence. Lauren's hand went around the mystery woman's shoulders, pulling her closer, placing a kiss on top of her head. Bo's smile completely faded, her heart dropping. Her eyes locked onto the loving display playing out before her. Bo thinking she must be hallucinating from lack of sleep, closed her weary eyes and shook her head before opening them again and seeing the same imagery. Bo let out a small sound of disappointment and just stood there rooted to the spot as her heart and her head waged war on how to respond to this intruder. Her plans for getting to know Lauren and spending every spare moment alone with her completely unraveled leaving her desperate to escape so she could sort through the swirling maelstrom of emotions coursing though her entire being.
Kenzington noticed the abrupt change in Bo's countenance right away at hers and Lauren's display of affection. She quickly untangled herself from Lauren and approached the uncertain brunette. She gave Bo her friendliest and least threatening smile and introduced herself. "Hi, Bo. I'm Kenzington. Kenzington Rothchild. I'm Lauren's best friend, it's very nice to meet you. She extended her hand out. All Bo's tired brain let her hear was two words, best friend. The painful clenching in her heart subsided as the words sank in. She reached out and shook Kenzington's hand flashing her a brilliant smile. Bo looked over the raven haired woman's shoulder fixing her gaze on the grinning blonde behind her.
"We should get going. Got everything?" Kenzington collected her luggage making a show on how heavy they were. Bo watched as Lauren chastised her friend about over-packing and what she could possibly have needed to require two large suit cases and a carry-on bag that was almost just as big. "Hey! This one is just for my shoes," Kenzi replied allowing Lauren to carry one of her bags.
"Just shoes!" Lauren responds incredulously. Lauren gave Bo a playful wink as she continued to tease her friend.
"Oh please. You know how much room my boots take up, and you know I can never choose between them. They all had to come with me." Bo found herself laughing at Lauren's and Kenzington's antics as they walked through the terminal. Bo noticed that they seemed to be going in the wrong direction for their loading gate. The corridor they were currently walking down was almost completely deserted except for a few scattered security personnel.
"So, ah, where are we heading? I'm sure the gate for our flight is at the other end of the airport and our plane is boarding soon. I think we might miss it, if we don't hurry." Bo looked back and forth between the two women as they smiled conspiratorially at each other. "Whats going on?" she asked in confusion at their lack of worry about missing their flight.
Kenzington skipped alongside her saying "Uh yeah, about that...I don't really like crowds so, uh... change of plans. We're not flying commercial. We're taking my family's private jet." She explained, smiling at Bo's shocked expression to the news. "You don't mind do you? I figured this way you can relax on the way to and from, without being bothered by all your adoring fans and sneaky reporters that like to ambush people when they are 35,000 feet in the air with no escape. Not to mention you can have some alone time with my best friend and be able to get to know each other better." Bo quickly looked around wondering if Lauren was listening to their conversation. She noticed Lauren a fair distance away talking animatedly on the phone. She hadn't heard a phone ring so it must have been on silent or Lauren had made the call herself. Bo relaxed, she wasn't ready to let Lauren know just how much she liked her. It was important to get to know each other first, to be friends.
They came to the end of the corridor. Kenzington pushed in a code on a numbered keypad beside the door. The doors opened automatically with a quiet click and a hiss revealing a couple of strapping young men in navy blue suits standing right outside.
"These guys will take our luggage and stow it on board for us," Kenzington said, watching the brunette closely. Bo handed over her bags to one of the men and turned back to watch Lauren as she continued to talk on the phone. Bo couldn't help but smile as she watched the blondes free hand flutter about as she talked.
Kenzington nudged Bo with her elbow getting her attention. "Pssst...you like her huh? I mean you like her , like her." She wiggled her eyebrows at Bo.
Bo blushed at the tiny woman's startling insight. "Jeez, is it that obvious."
Kenzington laughed, shoving Bo playfully. "Not to everyone. One blonde in particular probably hasn't got a clue. But seriously, Bo. Are you interested in my best friend." Lauren had just hung up her phone and was approaching them, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Bo turned to Kenzington, who's expression was now very serious as her gaze seemed to see into Bo's very soul.
"Yes, I am. I like her very much," Bo responded in an earnest whisper.
Kenzington saw that this conversation would have to be put on hold for now as Lauren arrived handing the waiting men her luggage and Kenzington's other bag.
"Why's everyone looking so serious? Come on we have a plane to catch," Lauren said, unable to hide her excitement about going to Switzerland with her bestest friend in the whole wide world and a woman that made her stomach flutter at the very sight of her. She turned around and started towards the 2010 Bombardier Challenger Jet with a giddy skip in her step.
"To be continued, Bo Bo," Kenzi said, giving the brunette a knowing smile. She then followed after Lauren, Bo following closely behind. Bo had a feeling that Kenzington was very protective of the Engineer that had stopped to talk to the man in the orange vest that was doing the pre-flight engine checks. She realized that to have even a chance at having a romantic relationship with Lauren she would have to pass whatever tests that Kenzington had planned for her and Bo had a feeling that it was probably going to be more dangerous than an aerial back flip! Kenzington slapped Lauren on the butt as she walked past and yelled over the starting engine. "Get on the plane, Nerdy McNerd and let the man do his job!" Bo smiled as Lauren laughed at her friend and punched her playfully in the arm. Kenzington turned around, yelling back at Bo. "And I thought you would be faster being an adrenalin junky BMX stunt rider. Come on, Slow Poke." Kenzington gave Bo a wink and then entered the plane.
Lauren turned her attention to Bo waiting for her to indeed catch up. The usual spring in Bo's step was absent, Lauren noticed and when Bo stopped in front of her she noticed the faint dark circles under her eyes. Bo looked beyond exhausted and Lauren's face filled with concern for her. "Bo are you ill? You look terrible."
"Well thanks, you certainly know how to flatter a girl."
Lauren stammered, "Oh no you are beautiful..I..mean..I...didn't ….mean." Bo smiled, putting up a hand stopping the flustered blondes apologies.
"I was kidding Lauren. I know I must look horrendous, I haven't slept properly for almost two days. I'm sure it shows."
Lauren reached out to Bo as if to caress her face, she stopped herself midway and moved aside gesturing for Bo to board before her. "After you, Bo. Perhaps you will be able to get some sleep during the flight over." Bo nodded giving the concerned blonde a small smile.
The plane was airborne ten minutes later. Kenzington had headed off to the cockpit as soon as they had taken off, much to Bo's surprise. She had expected the girl to be watching her every move like a hawk through the whole flight. She couldn't seem to figure the eccentric woman out._ "Which makes her even more dangerous," _Bo thought to herself, with a smile. _"Trust Lauren to have a super protective friend that is as sharp as a tack and is just this side of quite possibly being a little crazy and therefore capable of anything." _Bo shook her head realizing that it didn't matter how many hoops Kenzington made her jump through she would do it and more, if it meant having a chance with the amazing woman sitting beside her. "What's your friend doing up there in the cockpit? Does she have the hots for the pilot or something?"
Lauren laughed, "No, she's sitting beside him and is probably the one flying the plane right now."
Bo's eyes widened, "Oh wow! That's so cool." Lauren noticed Bo's hands that had already been gripping the armrests of her chair, were now gripping them so tight that her knuckles were white.
Lauren put her hand on top of the tense hand closest to her. "She's very good at flying this plane Bo. Her Grandfather taught her to fly when she was eleven. We are in very safe hands." Lauren watched Bo's body relax at her words and touch. Bo slouched down into the plush leather seat. Lauren took Bo's hand in her her own and lifted the armrest turning the two seats into one. She turned her body toward the brunette, bending her left leg at the knee to face Bo. "Bo? Why haven't you been sleeping?"
Bo looked down at their joined hands enjoying the feeling of warmth and security that seemed to flow from Lauren into her. "I've had a lot on my mind lately. I can't seem to shut off my brain. I usually get like this before a competition." That's what she said to Lauren sitting beside her. What she said in her head was, _"Oh well I'm a complete freak that has these wild uncontrollable urges that point to me being either a sex addict or completely crazy. I found a key hidden in my dead mothers laptop for a safety deposit box back in my home town that I swore I would never return too and I can't seem to stop thinking about a certain blonde, that is.. even at this very second stealing my heart." _Bo groaned in frustration and closed her eyes willing herself to just be normal.
Lauren's frown deepened. Bo's generalized answer to why she wasn't sleeping was obviously covering something much more personal. As much as she wished Bo hadn't come up with a flimsy excuse for her insomnia and had confided in her with the real reason for her troubled mind, she understood that they barely knew each other. They had gone out to dinner once for goodness sake. She couldn't expect Bo to just open up to her about anything. While she was sure that Bo felt some sort of connection to her like she did for the brunette, it would take time to build and nurture their friendship. Right now all Lauren could do was try to help Bo relax enough to get some sleep or she would not be rested enough to compete well in the upcoming events. Lauren released Bo's hand and stood up. Bo made a sound of protest at the loss of contact and opened her weary bloodshot eyes to look up at the blonde. "Where are you going?"
Bo seemed so vulnerable as she looked up at Lauren with sad tired eyes. "I'll be back in a minute, Bo. There's a tea that I drink to help me relax. I'm going to make you a cup and then I'll just sit here with you until you fall asleep okay. I wont be long."
Twenty minutes later, after drinking the tea Lauren had brewed for her Bo had closed her eyes, smiling a little when Lauren took hold of her hand again. Thoughts of her beast and her mother drifted away as Lauren talked softly beside her about anything and everything she could think of. The only thought left were of the woman sitting next to her. _"I could really see myself falling madly and deeply in love with this woman,"_ she thought to herself as her head got way to heavy to support anymore and she started to drift away with thoughts of Lauren.
Lauren smiled when Bo finally started to relax. She felt the tension seep out of her as she talked softly to the beautiful woman beside her. Bo's head slumped onto Lauren's shoulder as she mumbled something incoherent. Lauren continued to talk softly and hold Bo's hand. A few minutes later Bo was out cold, snoring softly. She started to fall forward off of Lauren's shoulder. Lauren caught her sleeping beauty and shifted along the seat a bit more until she was able to rest Bo's head in her lap. Lauren watched as Bo lifted her legs up in her sleep, curling them onto the seat and wiggled and mumbled until she was snuggled against Lauren and comfortable. Lauren lay one arm on her thigh above Bo's head and rested her other arm across Bo midsection, taking her hand again. She spent most of the flight just watching Bo sleep soundly in her lap...
* * *
**Mistyfiedbycopeland1 A/N :**
**This has to be the most fun I've had writing, well since realizing I was a writer. I'm sure it's the fact that I'm doing this with my talented girlfriend doccubus21, who, in case you haven't noticed her chapters are like mini novels. I think the best part of writing with her is the fact that she is so very talented and she can deny it all she likes but the proof is in the reviews which I save. So keep reading OUR story.**
_Doccubus21 A/N: I am blushing right now with all the praise coming from my equally talented girlfriend ;) I am sorry that it has taken so long to post an update but at long last it is finally here. It can be tricky at times writing this story together when we are continents apart and also writing other stories as well but know that we will bring you more chapters it just may take a while some times lol. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter. xxoo_
End file.
| fanfiction |
Is the operator-state correspondence an axiom or a theorem?
The operator-state correspondence – the statement that the states of a theory are in one-to-one correspondence with its (local) operators – always seemed like a working-principle to me, rather than a result one can derive. More precisely, I always had the impression we use it to *define* what we mean by the states of the theory. Especially since some theories don't have a predefined notion of Lagrangian/Hamiltonian, and therefore the "states" of the theory is a rather vague notion: what do we really mean by the states, if we don't have a Hamiltonian to diagonalise? The spectrum of operators seems to be a much more definite concept, and we define the states by acting with them on the vacuum (à la Verma). Is my understanding correct? Is the operator-state correspondence an axiom? Is it a definition? Or is it a theorem?
Note: I'm interested in the generic case here. Perhaps there is a particular toy-model where one can prove the correspondence, but that is not what I'm really looking for.
It depends on your views, I guess. There is a derivation of operator-state correspondence from path integral, see, e.g., [TASI lecture notes](https://arxiv.org/abs/1602.07982). This is good if you're fine with intuitive understanding of what states and local operators are.
There is a more axiomatic point of view. You are asking how do we know what is the Hilbert space of states in a QFT if we do not know what the Hamiltonian is. First of all, let's make the assumption that there is a unique vacuum state, which is invariant under all symmetries, call it $|0\rangle$. Then, since we are talking about a QFT, let's say that there is a real scalar field $\phi(x)$. We can then start forming new states by acting with it on the vacuum,
$$
\phi(x\_1)|0\rangle,\quad \phi(x\_1)\phi(x\_2)|0\rangle,\quad\ldots
$$
An immediate problem is that these states are not normalizable, since say the norm of the first state is $\langle0|\phi(x)\phi(x)|0\rangle$, which is a two-pt function at coincident points, which is ill-defined. (Say in CFT you immediately know this is infinite. Also note I'm doing normal Lorenzian QFT here, not radial quantization.)
To fix this problem, one considers states
$$
\int d^dx\_1 f(x\_1)\phi(x\_1)|0\rangle,\quad \int d^dx\_1 d^dx\_2 f(x\_1,x\_2)\phi(x\_1)\phi(x\_2)|0\rangle,\quad\ldots
$$
where $f$ are Schwartz test functions. These states have finite norms (this is one of Wightman axioms, it can be explicitly verified, e.g., in CFT two- and three-point functions.) One then defines the vacuum "superselection sector" $\mathcal{H}\_0$ to be the Hilbert space of states which can be created in this fashion (note that they are not all linearly independent; their inner products are computed by correlation functions). One can take this to be the Hilbert space of states if one is interested only in correlation functions of local operators. If there are non-local operators, then there may be other sectors, this highly depends on how you define your theory.
In the above we used just $\phi$ and this will be a theory of a real scalar field, more generally you can use whatever local operators you have to create new states. However, it is important that you don't need all local operators to create all states, since you can act with one operators multiple times.
This defines the space of states. Definition of the space of local operators is a bit tricky. In particular, you need a notion of completeness for the set of local operators. I think the correct requirement is that your set contains those operators which you used to define the states (e.g. $\phi$ in the above example), and that it is closed under an *asymptotic* OPE expansion. With this definition, you can [prove](http://inspirehep.net/record/109468) in CFT that this OPE expansions actually *converge* on the vacuum and thus all the states above can be reduced by the OPE to states created by a single local operator from your complete set. This allows you to prove operator-state correspondence from Wightman axioms+asymptotic OPE.
| stackexchange/physics |
Kim Possible Bonnie's Christmas
_As usual, I own nothing. This is my entry to Zaratan's Cheerleader Tales contest. I hope you enjoy_
To: popstarsensationmediterraneannet
From: queenbmiddletonnet
My ever dearest, sweetest boyfriend, Senior Senior Junior:
I like, totally can't believe this! A deliveryman showed up this morning, almost two weeks before Christmas, with a gift from you. While a bird of some sort in a potted miniature fruit tree is a little odd, it was incredibly thoughtful. Thank you very much, and I can't wait to get together at the Christmas break. Are you still going to send you private jet to take me to your island? If so, please have it circle the town a couple of times coming in and on the way out. I so want K to see what kind of a boyfriend I have.
XOXOXOXO
Bonnie
* * *
To: popstarsensationmediterraneannet
From: queenbmiddletonnet
To the most wonderful, romantic and hottest boyfriend on the face of the world:
Today, the deliveryman brought a cage with two more birds in it. That was so sweet. They have this wonderful, sad sounding song that reminds me of how much I miss you right now. They're beautiful and the best part is that neither Connie nor Lonnie have gotten anything yet. I can't wait to meet you on your island and show you how much I appreciate you.
Your loving girlfriend,
Bonnie.
* * *
To: popstarsensationmediterraneannet
From: queenbmiddletonnet
Dearest Junior,
You certainly have a thing for birds! Today the deliveryman brought me three chickens, although they look kind of exotic. Is this some sort of tradition in your country? By the way, just what nationality are you anyway? Still, the birds are pretty and my sisters are still jealous. I still look forward to meeting you on your warm, sunny island.
Your girlfriend
Bonnie
* * *
To: popstarsensationmediterraneannet
From: queenbmiddletonnet
Dear Junior,
Please, tell me what this thing is with you and birds! Today, the deliveryman brought me a cage with four little songbirds in it. I'll admit that they're a lot more, like, practical and pretty and the chickens, but the constant chirping, squawking and clucking is starting to get on my nerves. Would it be wrong if I kept the songbirds and bring the rest to the island when I come to visit? We don't have room in the house for all of these birds and it's too cold to keep them outside.
Your girlfriend
Bonnie
* * *
To: popstarsensationmediterraneannet
From: queenbmiddletonnet
To the best, most handsome, most generous, most romantic and all around most wonderful boyfriend in the entire history of time!
What did the deliveryman bring me today but five gold rings! One for each finger on one hand! Connie and Lonnie won't even speak to me and all the girls at school are absolutely green! Thank you so much! BTW, you never did get back to me about the birds, they're starting to become troublesome to look after.
Your ever loving girlfriend
Bonnie
* * *
To: popstarsensationmediterraneannet
From: queenbmiddletonnet
Dear Junior
I see you're back to the birds again. Today, the deliveryman brought me six geese, in nests. All these birds as gifts, it's got to be some sort of weird custom, isn't it? Please! No more birds!
Your girlfriend
Bonnie
* * *
To: popstarsensationmediterraneannet
From: queenbmiddletonnet
Junior
Did I do something to get you mad at me? More birds!? Today the deliveryman nearly had a heart attack when he unloaded seven tubs of water and put a swan in each one. Here's a news flash for you mister, no more birds means no more birds! Besides that, this country has a thing called livestock ordinances! The chickens, the geese, and the swans are all livestock. The police have given us a week to get rid of them but I can't get anyone to take them! I don't want the poor things to freeze, so I've been keeping them in the garage and they like, totally covered my mom's car with poop. Sure, each of the geese laid an egg overnight, but we're perfectly capable of going to the store! At this rate, I'm not visiting you on your island.
Bonnie
* * *
To: popstarsensationmediterraneannet
From: queenbmiddletonnet
Hey you
What are you trying to do, make me beg you to go back to the birds? Today, a big truck showed up and eight girls led eight cows out onto our lawn and started milking! Didn't I tell you we could get to the store? Didn't I tell you we have livestock ordinances? Do you know what it's like having me, Connie and Lonnie trying to share two bathrooms with eight girls, none of whom speak English? We're keeping them in the living room, and the cows in the back yard, but I don't know what to do after today. This can't be legal.
PLEASE, NO MORE!!
Bonnie
* * *
To: popstarsensationmediterraneannet
From: queenbmiddletonnet
To the biggest jerk on the planet
More girls? How can you give people away and not go to jail? Today, a bus showed up and unloaded nine women, who all started dancing. Our house is absolutely stuffed with people right now! No more! It's bad enough with all the animals. The birds have ruined the garage and the cows all have diarrhea. I gag whenever I come home from school. Now we're going to have seventeen people sleeping in the living room. Please stop.
Bonnie
* * *
To: popstarsensationmediterraneannet
From: queenbmiddletonnet
To the evilest man in the world
What did I ever do to deserve this? Ten lords show up and start leaping around the yard. That was _real_ pleasant considering what the cows have been doing out there. Now we have ten more people to put up. At least we don't have to worry about what to do with all of the eggs and milk anymore. The city is about to evict us, the neighbors hate us, and the kids are laughing at me at school. Thank you so much for ruining my life.
I hate you.
Bonnie
* * *
To: popstarsensationmediterraneannet
From: queenbmiddletonnet
Hey jerk
You just don't give up, do you? Now you send eleven pipers piping! News flash, we've got noise ordinances as well as livestock ordinances. Not only that, but the FBI has shown up to investigate us for running a slavery ring! How do you give people away, anyway? I've had it Junior; we're through! I hate you. With thirty-eight people, other than my family, living in the house, the inside of the house is giving both the garage and the back yard a run for the 'most disgusting space in Middelton' prize. For mercy's sake, just go away.
* * *
To: popstarsensationmediterraneannet
From: perkinslawmiddletonnet
Dear Mr. Senior Senior Junior
It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that you latest gift, twelve drummers drumming, was too much for Miss Bonnie Rockwaller. Since her complete, but predictable breakdown, she has resided in the Psychiatric Ward of the Middleton Medical Center. Legal action is pending.
Hank Perkins
Attorney at Law
End file.
| fanfiction |
What is dislocation loop?
What is dislocation loop? Is it something different from dislocations? If so can dislocations at higher temperature can combine to form dislocation loop?
a dislocation loop is a linear dislocation in which its two ends meet together- that is, it's still a dislocation in the crystal lattice but by closing in on itself it has special propagation properties, about which entire chapters of upper-division materials science textbooks have been written.
Years ago, a team of Japanese materials scientists and electron microscopists made a movie using transmission electron microscopy which actually shows dislocation loop propagation as a function of applied stresses. If I can find a copy on-line I will edit & link it to this answer.
| stackexchange/physics |
How to report a numerical result?
There is a problem of measurement of speed of sound in steel. It is given that the speed of sound in air is 343 m/s and the length of the steel rod is 100 m. The difference in time for the sound to travel 100 m for air and steel is measured as 0.27 s using an accurate timer.
The way to solve this is clear.
Find the time taken by sound in air to travel 100 m and subtract the time delay from it, which gives the time taken by sound to travel 100m in steel. Divide the length of the rod (100m) by the time found in previous step.
The problem: time taken by sound in air to travel 100 m = 100/343=0.291545. We need to take it to two significant figures, because 0.27 s is given to two sf. Or, we can take it to one extra s.f. since it's an intermediate result. So, t in air is either taken as 0.292 or 0.29. Taking 0.292 the answer comes to 4545 m/s and taking 0.29 gives 5000 m/s.
Also, if we solve algebraically and substitute in the final expression $ t= \frac{100}{\frac{100}{343}-0.27} $ we get 4641 m/s.
Considering the large difference in answers, for the same measured value, which is the best way to give the answer?
If done properly both your methods should yield the similar numerical values which should the be appropriately rounded.
When doing the calculations towards an answer any rounding should not be too severe. Indeed if done a calculator the use of the memory keys will often require no rounding to be done until the end.
If you wish to round values then look at the values which have presented to you and select the value which is quoted to the least number of significant figures.
In you example the value $343$ is quoted to three significant figures.
The $100$ is more problematic as it could be the value is to one, two or three significant figures but, given the benefit of the doubt, assume three significant figures.
Thus you are left with $0.27$ which is to two significant figures.
In this example to reduce any [rounding errors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round-off_error) it is best to work with either four or five significant figures.
You did not do that and this resulted in what looks like a great discrepancy between your two values.
However there is another problems which arises in your computation.
You will note that you have to subtract $0.27$ from a value to which, when noting the potential error in its value, is very nearly equal, $\frac{100}{343}\approx 0.2915$ and this will result in [loss of significance](http://www.zipcon.net/%7Eswhite/docs/math/loss_of_significance.html).
The result of the subtraction gives a value, $0.0215$, which is much smaller than the originating numbers, and given the error in $0.27$, really only correct to 0ne (two at a pinch) significant figures.
Thus given the rounding error in your first calculation and the realization that two approximately equal values are being subtracted from one another, $5000$ to one significant figure is not a bad estimate, and possibly? $4600$.
In your example there is a dominant error in one of the values and it is compounded by a loss in significance due to a subtraction in the denominator of your fraction.
If I want to obtain a rough estimate, I used the **result** and changed the input values to their extreme. I never round intermediate results, because the end result will depend on my *subjective method* of solving the problem. E.g. if I do not realise that some calculations cancel each another, e.g. $\sqrt{x^2} = x$ or $\log(\exp(x)) = x$, the end result might suffer from the rounding in the intermediate steps.
Using the extrem values in the end result provides the *range* of the data. However, often it is simple to use a simulation to obtain the a distribution of the end result. E.g. here I draw random numbers from uniform distributions for each input parameter. This would also be done in Excel, as long as the math does not become too complicated.
```
nSim = 2e3 # number of simulations
## Input parameters:
v_air = 343 + runif(nSim, -0.5, 0.5) # [in m/s]
s = 100 + runif(nSim, -0.5, 0.5) # [in m]
dt = 0.27 + runif(nSim, -0.005, 0.005) # [in s]
## Do the calculation:
# dt = t_air - t_steel
# => t_steel = ...
t_air = s/v_air # time needed in air
t_steel = t_air - dt # velocity in steel
v_steel = s / t_steel
## Plot:
hist(v_steel)
# add average value to the plot:
abline(v = mean(v_steel), col="red", lwd=5)
# calc quantiles and add them to the plot
q = quantile(v_steel, probs=c(25, 50, 75)*1e-2 )
abline(v = q, lwd = 3)
```
This yields the plot
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lfqamm.png)
The values you reported are all included in the histogram. However, by plotting the histogram we obtain a rather good intuition about probable and rare result. Usually, this is much more valuable than stating only the average value, and a standard deviation.
| stackexchange/physics |
Ayesha Rajab Ali is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018.
Political career
She was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan as a candidate of Pakistan Muslim League N PML-N on a reserved seat for women from Punjab in 2018 Pakistani general election.
References
Category:Living people
Category:Pakistan Muslim League N MNAs
Category:Punjabi people
Category:Women members of the National Assembly of Pakistan
Category:Pakistani MNAs 20182023
Category:Year of birth missing living people | wikipedia |
low - dimensional magnetic systems are currently a subject of intensive experimental and theoretical work . cluster methods , which approximate the physics of the infinite system by solving the problem for a corresponding finite cluster , are the most frequently used theoretical approaches , as they account short - range correlations on the scale of the cluster size . numerical standard methods in the field , such as quantum monte carlo ( qmc ) , exact diagonalization ( ed ) @xcite , and density matrix renormalization group ( dmrg ) @xcite , are able to give essentially exact results on limited size systems and form a versatile methodological triad in simulations of model hamiltonians .
even though these techniques have had spectacular successes in calculating ground state energies and many other properties of one - dimensional ( 1d ) and two - dimensional ( 2d ) quantum spin systems @xcite there is a problem with an utilizing of symmetries and good quantum numbers of the hamiltonian , which may be exploited to thin out hilbert space by decomposing it into a sum of sectors .
common symmetries and conservation laws encountered in spin systems are : ( i ) ising or xy symmetry ( magnetization conservation @xmath2=const ) ; ( ii ) point group symmetry ( parity , angular momentum conserved ) ; ( iii ) full @xmath1 symmetry ( @xmath3 conserved ) . among these symmetries only the first is usually exploited in numerical calculations .
the full @xmath1 spin symmetry is rather hard to implement , since it requires efforts similar to the diagonalization of the actual hamiltonian to construct the eigenstates of @xmath4 .
an implementation of nonabelian @xmath1 spin symmetry based on clebsch - gordan transformations and elimination of quantum numbers via the wigner - eckart theorem was performed for the interaction round a face ( irf ) models in the framework of the irf - dmrg method @xcite .
this technique has been successfully applied to the spin-@xmath5 heisenberg chain and , later , to the spin 1 and 2 heisenberg chains @xcite .
the performant dmrg method conserving a total spin quantum number has been suggested by mcculloch and gulasci @xcite .
an application of @xmath1 symmetries for the matrix product method ( mpm ) closely related to the dmrg @xcite gives a rotationally invariant formulation valid for spin chains and ladders @xcite .
as for the lattice point symmetry , despite its importance in characteristing energy states of a spin system , there appears to have been little previous work on the subject .
even though an implementing this symmetry does not lead to a drastic reduction of a dimension of the hilbert space sector to be diagonalized we can resolve properties as a function of additional quantum numbers ( irreducible representations of the point group )
. this circumstance might be crucial for efficient truncation of hilbert space in algorithms based on real - space renormalization group ( rsrg ) procedure .
this generates a motivation for the present paper , namely , we present a finite cluster solver based on rsrg scheme which allows to exploit both the continuous nonabelian @xmath6 symmetry and discrete symmetry of the lattice point group in application to isotropic two - dimensional _ spin-_@xmath0 systems . as an example illustrating features of our method we consider the spin-1/2 heisenberg antiferromagnet ( afh ) on a square lattice
this choice is motivated by two reasons .
first , the physical properties of the @xmath7 afh model on the infinite square lattice at @xmath8 have been much studied and calculated by various methods by many physicists @xcite .
the focus has generally been on the ground state energy and staggered magnetization although some other quantities have also been computed ( see ref .
@xcite , for example ) .
second , the underlying idea of our approach was first developed by lin and campbell in the study of this model system @xcite . before moving on to the details ,
we discuss important aspects of finite - lattice simulations using the ed method regarding the cluster geometry .
the method of exact diagonalization has been used on the best bipartite finite square lattices with up to @xmath9 vertices @xcite . on each of a set of finite lattices , the hamiltonian of
the quantum spin model is diagonalized exactly to find the ground - state energy and the ground state eigenvector .
the ground state properties can then be calculated exactly .
the exact ground - state data for each physical property of the model on all finite lattices are extrapolated against an appropriate inverse power of @xmath10 to obtain an estimate of the property on the infinite lattice at zero temperature @xcite .
haan et al .
@xcite showed that certain parallelogram clusters could produce good results in finite - size exact diagonalization calculations .
later , betts et al . developed a grading scheme of parallelogram tiles of the square lattice that could generate the best finite clusters @xcite . from a symmetry point of view
, this approach has an apparent flaw : the point symmetry of a parallelogram cluster does not match that of the infinte square lattice . in this respect , a renormalization - group ( rg ) approach suggested by lin and campbell combining exact diagonalization results with a rg type analysis seems us to be more promising .
the basics idea of their calculations for @xmath11 afh on an @xmath12 cluster ( @xmath13 is an odd integer ) is to divide this cluster into two parts : an inner @xmath14 cluster and the perimeter ( outer ring ) .
the afh model is firstly solved for the inner cluster and its ground state is mapped onto a single effective spin ( all the excited states are thrown away ) .
thus , the problem is reduced to an effective @xmath15 afh model in which spins on the outer ring experience antiferromagnetic nearest - neighbor interactions and interact individually with the effective central spin .
the latter plays the role of a staggered external magnetic field .
the procedure is repeated for increasing values of @xmath13 and demonstrates convincingly that the staggered magnetic long - range order exists at zero temperature .
we note especially that the lattice point symmetry holds for all the clusters and their ground state always has spin @xmath7 ( not a singlet ) according to the lieb - mattis theorem @xcite .
we offer to change real - space rg strategy of the approach making it closer to dmrg methodology .
our treatment begins by dividing a cluster into a central spin and its environment .
in the course of real - space rg iterations the environment increases ( technical details are discussed in the text ) and we determine how coupling between the central spin and the environment varies .
note especially that we address to the exact diagonalization procedure twice at each rg step .
the first use gives access to states of the environment and the second one does to those of the whole cluster that provides its spectrum and observables of interest . within our rg framework ,
local results such as the energy per bond @xmath16 and the staggered magnetic moment @xmath17 are measured on the central site .
we have carried out the renormalization procedure through systems of size @xmath18 , and , in contrast to approach in ref .
@xcite , we keep _ not only _ the ground state . for small clusters ( @xmath19 , @xmath20 , @xmath21 )
we use all of the excited states of the environment found by exact diagonalization , whereas for the cluster of size @xmath22 we apply a symmetry based truncation procedure , retaining only the states with largest weight in the environment density matrix .
for this cluster we have compared the exact diagonalization result for @xmath16 and @xmath17 with those obtained via our renormalization group , and we regard the resulting better than @xmath23 @xmath24 agreement as support for the reliability of our calculations .
we note that several other methods to improve the rsrg calculations have been previously formulated to study low - energy properties of spin lattice models . among the most important and successful ones
, one may cite the real space renormalization group with effective interactions ( rsrg - ei ) @xcite , and the dressed cluster method ( dcm ) @xcite .
the first method is an improvement of the rsrg method originally proposed by wilson . by considering the blocks of lattice it extracts effective interactions between the blocks through the exact diagonalization of dimers of blocks .
the knowledge of the exact spectrum of the dimers enable one to define interblock effective interactions via an effective hamiltonian .
this procedure is iteratevely repeated to blocks of blocks providing at very low cost reasonable estimate of the energy per bond for 1d and 2d spin lattices .
the second method ( dcm ) uses a single reference wave function as do the coupled cluster method ( ccm ) @xcite .
this wave function is used as a bath in which a finite cluster is embedded and treated exactly .
the effect of excitations occuring on the bonds around the cluster is taken into account through a dressing of the cluster configuration interaction ( ci ) matrix .
this approach gives results for the cohesive energy of the same accuracy as the best qmc ones .
the dcm can be seen as a convenient approximation of the ccm .
however , the problem is formulated as a diagonalization of a dressed ci matrix instead of the resolution of a nonlinear system of equations .
the paper is organized as follows : the general formalism for two - dimensional spin-@xmath0 systems is introduced in the following section . in sec .
iii we apply the method to the afh model on a square lattice .
finally , our conclusions and an outlook are presented in sec .
in the first step one must identify the cluster . as detailed above
, care should be taken to ensure that the cluster has the same point - group symmetry as the lattice .
since calculation of antiferromagnetism requires bipartite clusters , we select a cluster with a bipartite environment of the central site ( the case of this violation will be illustrated in the example of the cluster @xmath21 ) .
the cluster hamiltonian @xmath26 is composed of the term @xmath27 describing interactions of the central spin @xmath28 with the nearest neighbors at distances @xmath29 and rest terms denoted as the hamiltonian of the environment @xmath30 . since , by construction , the cluster retains a lattice point symmetry , its states @xmath31 with the energies @xmath32 are labeled by the cluster total spin @xmath0 with the third component @xmath33 and by the irreducible representation @xmath34 of the cluster point group .
different states with the same values @xmath35 and @xmath34 are distinguished by the index @xmath36 .
in addition we need to consider the operator @xmath37 as a double irreducible tensor which transforms according to identity representation @xmath38 .
the same arguments enable us to use the irreducible form of the central spin operator @xmath39
. the part @xmath40 may be written as the inner product @xmath41 \left ( s_0\right ) _ { q1}^{1a_1}o_{-q1}^{1a_1}\equiv \left [ \left ( s_0\right ) ^{1a_1}\times o^{1a_1}\right ] _ { 01}^{0a_1},\ ] ] where @xmath42 = 1 $ ] is the clebsch - gordan coefficient of the cluster point group @xcite .
let us suppose that we have found the eigenvalues @xmath43 and the eigenstates of the environment hamiltonian @xmath30 in the form @xmath44 .
the basis functions of the full cluster are obtained by the addition rule of spin angular momentum @xmath45 \left| i_us_um_u\gamma _ u\mu _
u\right\rangle \left| s\sigma \right\rangle , \label{eigenwf}\ ] ] where @xmath46 $ ] is a clebsch - gordan coefficient , hereinafter we use that of given in ref .
@xcite , and @xmath47 is the wave function of the central spin .
since the state @xmath48 is invariant under all transformations of the point symmetry group , the cluster basis functions transform like that of the environment according to the same irreducible representations .
the calculation of matrix elements for the hamiltonian ( [ hful ] ) with the help of the wigner - ekart s theorem yields ( see appendix a ) @xmath49 @xmath50 @xmath51 where @xmath52 is a @xmath53-symbol . the first reduced matrix element is @xmath54 and the latter may be obtained if the environment eigenstates are known ( see sec.iii ) .
the energy per bond is then calculated as @xmath55 where @xmath56 is the number of nearest - neighbors of the central spin .
the eigenfunctions @xmath57 and the energy levels @xmath32 are determined by direct diagonalization of the cluster hamiltonian @xmath58 [ eq.([hfulme ] ) ] .
the values @xmath59 should be regarded as an approximation of the energy spectrum in the thermodynamical limit , whereas the energy @xmath60 divided per bond number is much less appropriate for this .
it is important to note that from eq.([hfulme ] ) it follows that to build the cluster target state @xmath61 we need only to know the states @xmath62 of the environment with the quantum numbers @xmath63 and @xmath64 .
the most important quantity typically measured in numerical simulations is the ground - state staggered magnetization @xmath65 .
the quantum mechanical observable for @xmath56-projection of the central spin is given as follows @xmath66 where the identity ( [ three3j ] ) is used .
the staggered magnetization @xmath65 is determined as @xmath67 where factor 3 arises from rotational symmetry in spin space . at long distances @xmath68
that yields our estimate of the full root - mean - square staggered magnetization per spin @xmath69 . according to eq.([vint ] ) , spin - correlation function in the states of @xmath70-symmetry , the ground state symmetry as shown below , is determined as @xmath71 @xmath72 where @xmath73 is the lattice coordination number . in this calculation
it is convenient to introduce the double irreducible tensor @xmath74 summing spins at distance @xmath75 , which transforms according to identity representation @xmath38 .
one can see that @xmath76 as mentioned above , the lattice point - group symmetry should be conserved with increasing cluster size .
the requirement is put into a practical computational scheme by the following algorithm : ( i ) at step @xmath10 we have the eigenvalues @xmath77 and eigenvectors @xmath78 of the environment .
make a regular symmetry conserving expansion in the cluster size by adding sites from the next coordination shell .
( ii ) using a scheme of coupling of angular momenta we build the set @xmath79 of states with total spin @xmath80 and third component @xmath81 for the part that is being attached to the environment .
the index @xmath82 labels other possible quantum numbers .
( iii ) in general case , these functions form a basis of reducible representation of the cluster point group . based on the projection operator technique ,
one build basic functions @xmath83 transforming according to irreducible representations @xmath84 .
( iv ) using a scheme of coupling of angular momenta build a new set @xmath85 of states associated to the extended environment , where the notation @xmath86 is introduced .
an interaction between the @xmath10-th step environment and the part added to it can be conveniently written through the irreducible tensors @xmath87 and @xmath88 built from spin operators of the old and new added parts , respectively , @xmath89 u_{q\nu } ^{1t_u\gamma } w_{-q\nu } ^{1t_0\gamma } .\ ] ] the indices @xmath90 label different tensors of the same symmetry .
the matrix elements of the extended @xmath91-th step environment is @xmath92 @xmath93 the derivation of eq.([hu ] ) and the reduced matrix elements of the operators involved in eq.([hu ] ) are given in appendix a and appendix b , respectively . at final step ,
we diagonalize ( [ hu ] ) and find the eigenvalues @xmath94 and eigenvectors @xmath95 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma _ i & \gamma _ { ii } & \gamma _ u \\
\mu _ i & \mu _ { ii } & \mu _ u \end{array } \right ] \left| i_is_im_i\gamma _ i\mu _ i\right\rangle \left| i_{ii}s_{ii}m_{ii}\gamma _ { ii}\mu _ { ii}\right\rangle .\ ] ] the iteration is closed by recalculating reduced matrix elements of the irreducible tensors @xmath96 in the basis of the extended environment ( see appendix b ) .
note that following the scheme we will in some cases form intermediate clusters , unsuitable for calculations of local results , with a non - bipartite environment .
the spin - half antiferromagnet on a square lattice represents an optimal playground to study the strength and limitations of the method . to implement the algorithm
, we need first to build wave functions of the environment which are predetermined by the lattice point symmetry . to perform calculations we start with the cluster of minimal size @xmath97 .
the sequence of clusters involved in the calculations are shown in fig .
1 . within the smallest cluster ,
the central spin interacts with the nearest environment consisting of the spins @xmath98 .
the spin wave functions of the environment with the total spin number @xmath99 and the third component @xmath100 may be written as follows @xmath101 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } 1/2 & 1/2 & s_{\gamma _
1\eta _ 1 } \\ m_{\gamma
_ 1 } & m_{\eta _ 1 } & m_{\gamma _
1\eta _ 1 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{\alpha _ 1\beta _ 1 } & s_{\gamma _ 1\eta _ 1 } & s_u \\
m_{\alpha _ 1\beta _ 1 } & m_{\gamma _ 1\eta _ 1 } & m_u \end{array } \right]\ ] ] @xmath102 in such a description , all allowed configurations are comprised by a set @xmath103 , @xmath104 , @xmath105 , @xmath106 , @xmath107 , @xmath108 , where we have dropped the spin @xmath5 arguments for notation convenience . it is easy to see that the functions @xmath109 form ( in common case ) a basis of reducible representation of the group @xmath110 ( for details see appendix c ) @xmath111 the matrices @xmath112 ( the upper index denotes the spin @xmath99 ) with the multiindex @xmath113 are readily determined and read @xmath114 @xmath115 the functions @xmath116 , @xmath117 form a basis of this two - dimensional representation .
still another representation of @xmath110 can be generated by means of the functions @xmath118 , @xmath106 and @xmath107 @xmath119 @xmath120 @xmath121 @xmath122 in a similar way we find the matrices @xmath123 in the basis @xmath108 @xmath124 the representations @xmath125 are the direct sums of the irreducible representations
@xmath126 @xmath127 @xmath128 ( see appendix e ) .
the basis functions of these irreducible representations are given by a similarity transformation @xmath129 and the matrix @xmath130 found with the aid of the projection - operator technique reads ( for details see appendix d ) @xmath131 given the environment eigenfunctions @xmath132 with the eigenvalues @xmath133 , the reduced matrix elements of the double irreducible tensor @xmath134 can be computed straightforwardly using the wigner - eckart theorem and the similarity transformation ( [ simila ] ) @xmath135 ^{*}\left\langle s\gamma \left\| o^{1\gamma } \right\| s^{\prime } \gamma ^{\prime } \right\rangle = \sum\limits_{s_{12},s_{34}}\sum\limits_{s_{12}^{\prime } , s_{34}^{\prime } } % \hat{t}_{s_{12}s_{34}s;s\gamma \mu } ^{*}\hat{t}_{s_{12}^{\prime } s_{34}^{\prime } s^{\prime } ; s^{\prime } \gamma ^{\prime } \mu ^{\prime } } \left\langle s_{12}s_{34};s\left\| o_{\ \;\nu } ^{1\gamma } \right\| s_{12}^{\prime } s_{34}^{\prime } ; s^{\prime } \right\rangle , \label{redmat1}\ ] ] where the indeces @xmath136 , @xmath137 , @xmath138 , @xmath139 are correspondingly denoted by the numbers 1 - 4 .
to calculate the reduced matrix element that comes into the right - hand side of eq.([redmat1 ] ) one has to rewrite @xmath140 through the spin operators and employ their expressions for the reduced matrix elements of the spin operators @xmath141 ^{1/2}\ ] ] @xmath142 @xmath143 ^{1/2}\ ] ] @xmath144 @xmath145 ^{1/2}\ ] ] @xmath146 @xmath147 ^{1/2}\ ] ] @xmath148 since the operator @xmath149 coincides with that of the environment total spin @xmath150 , it turns out that the matrix elements @xmath151 are diagonal @xmath152 as a consequence , one may check that this property holds for the hamiltonian of the total cluster @xmath153 @xmath154 .energies @xmath155 and @xmath156 [ cols="^,^,^,^,^,^,^,^,^ " , ]
in this paper we present a quantum cluster solver for spin-@xmath0 heisenberg model on a two - dimensional lattice .
the formalism is based on the real - space renormalization procedure and uses the lattice point group - theoretical analysis and nonabelian @xmath1 spin symmetry technique .
let us summarize advantages of the approach : \(i ) the cluster spin states are decomposed into parts belonging to different irreducible representations of the lattice point group and to different values of the total spin . due to the embedded group - theoretical analysis
, our approach can handle each of the cluster target states independently that offers a distinct advantage for parallel computation .
\(ii ) an extension of mpm destined for quantum spin chains to higher dimensions has inspired construction of variational methods for the ground states of 2d spin hamiltonians ( vertex state models @xcite , tensor product variational approach @xcite , tensor product ansatz @xcite ) . since
, the trial states are represented by two - dimensional product of local weights , these approaches are face with severe limitations concerning their applicability because of relation between a spin value and lattice topology .
the shortcoming lacks in our formalism .
\(iii ) large sparce - matrix diagonalization algorithms ( lanscoz technique , for example ) used in dmrg and ed methods converge to maximum and minimum eigenvalues of a model hamiltonian , i.e. to eigenvalues at the edges of the spectrum .
our approach gives access to eigenstates of an entire spectrum .
\(iv ) combined with decimation procedure of the environment states like those used in dmrg technique the group - theoretical analysis allows us to overcome exponential growth of computational efforts with increase of system size .
our approach using the total spin @xmath0 and the irrep index @xmath34 as good quantum numbers yields a rather reliable truncation procedure of the hilbert space of the model hamiltonian .
\(v ) calculation of observables for the central spin involving a density matrix of the environment reduces edge effects which are inevitable on finite - size clusters .
the major drawback of the formalism is that it does not allow an easy implementation : a complexity in construction of basic sets via repeated evaluation of @xmath53 and @xmath157 symbols , the calculation involves two matrix diagonalizations etc .
the performance gains from implementing the @xmath6 and lattice point symmetries are not impressive in comparison with gains from exploiting just the simple @xmath158 symmetry leading to total magnetization as good quantum number .
their using in studies with larger clusters without truncation can not help to alleviate the problem of exponential growth of computational efforts . in the method that we suggest ,
short range correlations on the scale of the cluster are taken into account , while correlations on a scale larger than the cluster size are neglected . to overcome this shortcoming we need to restore translational symmetry of the lattice .
the results of these investigations will be reported elsewhere . in this connection
, we note that the translational invariance holds for the dcm and ccm methods .
we would like to thanks v.v .
valkov and s.g .
ovchinnikov for the useful discussions .
this work was partly supported by the grant nrec-005 of usa crdf ( civilian research & development foundation ) .
one of us ( v.e.s . ) thanks the foundation dynasty
( moscow ) for the support .
let @xmath159 is a state with total spin @xmath0 , third component @xmath33 , and transforming according to irreducible representation @xmath34 .
this state appears in the tensor product decomposition @xmath160 , where @xmath161 denotes a state with total spin @xmath0 , irreducible representation @xmath162 and @xmath36 labels other possible quantum numbers .
we need to compute the matrix element @xmath163 _ { 01}^{0a_1}\right| i_i^{\prime } s_i^{\prime } \gamma _ i^{\prime } \;i_{ii}^{\prime } s_{ii}^{\prime } \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } ; s^{\prime } m^{\prime } \gamma ^{\prime } \mu ^{\prime } \right\rangle\ ] ] @xmath164 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma _ i & \gamma _ { ii } & \gamma \\
\mu _ i & \mu _ { ii } & \mu \end{array } \right ] ^{*}\left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma _ i^{\prime } & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma ^{\prime } \\ \mu _ i^{\prime } & \mu _ { ii}^{\prime } & \mu ^{\prime } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_i & s_{ii } & s \\ m_i & m_{ii } & m \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_i^{\prime } & s_{ii}^{\prime } & s^{\prime } \\ m_i^{\prime } & m_{ii}^{\prime } & m^{\prime } \end{array } \right]\ ] ] @xmath165 the wigner - eckart theorem for a double irreducible tensor reads
@xmath166 ^{*}\left\langle i_is_i\gamma _ i\left\| w^{1\gamma } \right\| i_i^{\prime } s_i^{\prime } \gamma _ i^{\prime } \right\rangle , \label{wepg}\ ] ] where the @xmath167 symbol is related to the clebsch - gordan coefficient by @xmath168 .\ ] ] a full contraction of five clebsch - gordan coefficients of the point group may be written via the @xmath157 symbol @xmath169 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma _ i & \gamma _ { ii } & \gamma \\
\mu _ i & \mu _ { ii } & \mu \end{array } \right ] ^{*}\left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma _ i^{\prime } & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma ^{\prime } \\ \mu _ i^{\prime } & \mu _ { ii}^{\prime } & \mu ^{\prime } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma & \gamma _ i^{\prime } & \gamma _ i \\
\nu & \mu _ i^{\prime } & \mu _
i \end{array } \right ] ^{*}\left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma _ { ii } \\
\nu & \mu _ { ii}^{\prime } & \mu _ { ii } \end{array } \right ] ^{*}\ ] ] @xmath170 \delta _ { \gamma \gamma ^{^{\prime } } } \delta _ { \mu \mu ^{^{\prime } } } , \label{6g}\ ] ] however , it is more convenient to find directly this sum . substituting ( [ wepg ] ) into ( [ vint ] ) and performing the sum with the aid of eq.([6 g ] ) and the formula ( see @xcite , for example ) @xmath171 @xmath172 we get finally @xmath163 _ { 01}^{0a_1}\right| i_i^{\prime } s_i^{\prime } \gamma _ i^{\prime } \;i_{ii}^{\prime } s_{ii}^{\prime } \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } ; s^{\prime } m^{\prime } \gamma ^{\prime } \mu ^{\prime } \right\rangle\ ] ] @xmath173 @xmath174 the reduced matrix elements appearing in ( [ hutext ] ) result from the previous iteration .
the systematic increasing cluster size requires an iterative procedure to compute the reduced matrix elements of the double irreducible tensors @xmath175 or @xmath176 ( acting on the states with indices @xmath177 and @xmath178 , respectively ) in the basis @xmath179 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma _ i & \gamma _ { ii } & \gamma \\
\mu _ i & \mu _ { ii } & \mu \end{array } \right ] \left| i_is_im_i\gamma _ i\mu _
i\right\rangle \left| i_{ii}s_{ii}m_{ii}\gamma _ { ii}\mu _ { ii}\right\rangle . \label{b1}\ ] ] with aid of the wigner - eckart theorem .
on the other hand one can use the basis of states ( [ b1 ] ) to obtain @xmath180 @xmath181 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_i & s_{ii}^{\prime } & s^{\prime } \\ m_i & m_{ii}^{\prime } & m^{\prime } \end{array } \right ] \left ( -1\right ) ^{s_{ii}-m_{ii}}\left ( \begin{array}{ccc } s_{ii } & 1 & s_{ii}^{\prime } \\ -m_{ii } & q & m_{ii}^{\prime } \end{array } \right)\ ] ] @xmath182 ^{*}\left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma _ i & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma
\\ \mu _ i & \mu _ { ii}^{\prime } & \mu \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma _ { ii } \\
\mu & \mu _ { ii}^{\prime } & \mu _ { ii } \end{array } \right ] ^{*}\left\langle i_{ii}s_{ii}\gamma _ { ii}\left\| w^{1\gamma } \right\| i_{ii}^{\prime } s_{ii}^{\prime } \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } \right\rangle \label{b3}\ ] ] the sum over @xmath81 , @xmath183 and @xmath184 is performed with the aid of the formula @xmath185 @xmath186 the sum of three clebsch - gordan coefficients of the lattice point group in turn can be transformed as follows @xmath187 ^{*}\left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma _ i & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma ^{\prime } \\
\mu _ i & \mu _ { ii}^{\prime } & \bar{\mu}^{\prime } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma _ { ii } \\ \bar{\nu } & \mu _ { ii}^{\prime } & \mu _ { ii } \end{array } \right ] ^{*}\delta _ { \nu \bar{\nu}}\delta _ { \mu ^{\prime } \bar{\mu}^{\prime } } \ ] ] @xmath188 ^{*}\left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma _ i & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma ^{\prime } \\
\mu _ i & \mu _ { ii}^{\prime } & \bar{\mu}^{\prime } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma _ { ii } \\ \bar{\nu } & \mu _ { ii}^{\prime } & \mu _ { ii } \end{array } \right ] ^{*}\sum\limits_{\bar{\gamma}\bar{\mu}}\left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma & \gamma ^{\prime } & \bar{\gamma } \\
\nu & \mu ^{\prime } & \bar{\mu } \end{array } \right ] ^{*}\left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma & \gamma ^{\prime } & \bar{\gamma } \\ \bar{\nu } & \bar{\mu}^{\prime } & \bar{\mu } \end{array } \right]\ ] ] @xmath189 ^{*}\sum\limits_{\mu _ i\mu _ { ii}\mu _ { ii}^{^{\prime } } } \sum\limits_{% \bar{\nu}\bar{\mu}^{\prime } } \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma _ i & \gamma _ { ii } & \gamma \\
\mu _ i & \mu _ { ii } & \mu \end{array } \right ] ^{*}\left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma _ i & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma ^{\prime } \\
\mu _ i & \mu _ { ii}^{\prime } & \bar{\mu}^{\prime } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma _ { ii } \\
\bar{\nu } & \mu _ { ii}^{\prime } & \mu _ { ii } \end{array } \right ] ^{*}\left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma & \gamma ^{\prime } & \bar{\gamma } \\
\bar{\nu } & \bar{\mu}^{\prime } & \bar{\mu } \end{array } \right]\ ] ] after permutation of the first and second columns in the third clebsch - gordan coefficient the sum over projections @xmath190 ,
@xmath191 , @xmath192 , @xmath193 , and @xmath194 is easily performed that gives immediately @xmath157 symbol @xcite @xmath195 ^{*}\left\ { \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma _ { ii } \\
\gamma _ i & \gamma & \gamma ^{\prime } \end{array } \right\ } \delta _ { \gamma \bar{\gamma}}\delta _ { \mu \bar{\mu}}\,\varepsilon \left ( \gamma _ i\gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } \gamma ^{\prime } \right ) , \label{sixg}\ ] ] where we use the symmetry property of the clebsch - gordan coefficients @xmath196 = \varepsilon \left ( \gamma _ 1\gamma _ 2\gamma \right ) \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma _ 2 & \gamma _ 1 & \gamma \\ \mu _ 2 & \mu _ 1 & \mu \end{array } \right ] , \ ] ] and the sign @xmath197 depends on the point group .
the reduced matrix element can be computed using ( [ b3],[sixg ] ) that yields the results @xmath198 @xmath199 ^{1/2}\left\ { \begin{array}{ccc } s & 1 & s^{\prime } \\
s_{ii}^{\prime } & s_i & s_{ii } \end{array } \right\ } \left\langle i_{ii}s_{ii}\gamma _ { ii}\left\| w^{1\gamma } \right\| i_{ii}^{\prime } s_{ii}^{\prime } \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } \right\rangle \left\ { \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma & \gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } & \gamma _ { ii } \\
\gamma _ i & \gamma & \gamma ^{\prime } \end{array } \right\ } \varepsilon \left ( \gamma _ i\gamma _ { ii}^{\prime } \gamma ^{\prime } \right ) , \label{b4}\ ] ] and @xmath200 @xmath201 ^{1/2}\left\ { \begin{array}{ccc } s & 1 & s^{\prime } \\
s_i^{\prime } & s_{ii } & s_i \end{array } \right\ } \left\langle i_is_i\gamma _ i\left\| u^{1\gamma } \right\| i_i^{\prime } s_i^{\prime } \gamma _ i^{\prime } \right\rangle \left\ { \begin{array}{ccc } \gamma & \gamma _ i^{\prime } & \gamma _ i \\ \gamma _ { ii } & \gamma & \gamma ^{\prime } \end{array } \right\ } , \label{b5}\ ] ] where @xmath202 \equiv \left ( 2s+1\right ) $ ] .
here , we give a detailed derivation of representation for the @xmath110 point group in the basis of four coupled connector spins @xmath203 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_3 & s_4 & s_{34 } \\
m_3 & m_4 & m_{34 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{12 } & s_{34 } & s \\ m_{12 } & m_{34 } & m \end{array } \right ] \left| s_1m_1\right\rangle \left| s_2m_2\right\rangle \left| s_3m_3\right\rangle \left| s_4m_4\right\rangle .\ ] ] consider first the @xmath204 rotation @xmath205 about the @xmath56 axis @xmath206 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_3 & s_4 & s_{34 } \\
m_3 & m_4 & m_{34 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{12 } & s_{34 } & s \\ m_{12 } & m_{34 } & m \end{array } \right ] \left| s_2m_2\right\rangle \left| s_3m_3\right\rangle \left| s_4m_4\right\rangle \left| s_1m_1\right\rangle\ ] ] @xmath207 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_3 & s_4 & s_{34 } \\ m_3 & m_4 & m_{34 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{12 } & s_{34 } & s \\ m_{12 } & m_{34 } & m \end{array } \right]\ ] ] @xmath208 to proceed we use the orthogonality property for the clebsch - gordan coefficients @xmath209 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_2 & s_3 & s_{23 } \\
\bar{m}_2 & \bar{m}_3 & m_{23 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_4 & s_1 & s_{14 } \\ m_4 & m_1 & m_{14 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_4 & s_1 & s_{14 } \\
\bar{m}_4 & \bar{m}_1 & m_{14 } \end{array } \right ] .\ ] ] then @xmath206 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_3 & s_4 & s_{34 } \\ m_3 & m_4 & m_{34 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{12 } & s_{34 } & s \\
m_{12 } & m_{34 } & m \end{array } \right]\ ] ] @xmath210 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_2 & s_3 & s_{23 } \\
\bar{m}_2 & \bar{m}_3 & m_{23 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_4 & s_1 & s_{14 } \\ m_4 & m_1 & m_{14 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_4 & s_1 & s_{14 } \\
\bar{m}_4 & \bar{m}_1 & m_{14 } \end{array } \right]\ ] ] @xmath207 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_3 & s_4 & s_{34 } \\ m_3 & m_4 & m_{34 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{12 } & s_{34 } & s \\ m_{12 } & m_{34 } & m \end{array } \right ] \sum_{\bar{m}_1,\bar{m}_2}\sum\limits_{\bar{m}_3,\bar{m}_4}\left| s_2% \bar{m}_2\right\rangle \left| s_3\bar{m}_3\right\rangle \left| s_4\bar{m}% _ 4\right\rangle \left| s_1\bar{m}_1\right\rangle\ ] ] @xmath211 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_2 & s_3 & s_{23 } \\
\bar{m}_2 & \bar{m}_3 & \bar{m}_{23 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_4 & s_1 & s_{14 } \\ m_4 & m_1 & m_{14 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_4 & s_1 & s_{14 } \\
\bar{m}_4 & \bar{m}_1 & \bar{m}_{14 } \end{array } \right ] \delta _ { \bar{m}_{23}m_{23}}\delta _ { \bar{m}_{14}m_{14}}\ ] ] @xmath207 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_3 & s_4 & s_{34 } \\ m_3 & m_4 & m_{34 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{12 } & s_{34 } & s \\ m_{12 } & m_{34 } & m \end{array } \right ] \sum_{\bar{m}_1,\bar{m}_2}\sum\limits_{\bar{m}_3,\bar{m}_4}\left| s_2% \bar{m}_2\right\rangle \left| s_3\bar{m}_3\right\rangle \left| s_4\bar{m}% _ 4\right\rangle \left| s_1\bar{m}_1\right\rangle\ ] ] @xmath211 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_2 & s_3 & s_{23 } \\
\bar{m}_2 & \bar{m}_3 & \bar{m}_{23 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_4 & s_1 & s_{14 } \\
m_4 & m_1 & m_{14 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_4 & s_1 & s_{14 } \\ \bar{m}_4 & \bar{m}_1 & \bar{m}_{14 } \end{array } \right]\ ] ] @xmath212 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{23 } & s_{14 } & \bar{s } \\ \bar{m}_{23 } & \bar{m}_{14 } & \bar{m } \end{array } \right]\ ] ] a full contraction of six clebsch - gordan coefficients yields the @xmath213 symbol @xmath214 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_3 & s_4 & s_{34 } \\
m_3 & m_4 & m_{34 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{12 } & s_{34 } & s \\ m_{12 } & m_{34 } & m \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_4 & s_1 & s_{14 } \\ m_4 & m_1 & m_{14 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_2 & s_3 & s_{23 } \\ m_2 & m_3 & m_{23 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{23 } & s_{14 } & \bar{s } \\ m_{23 } & m_{14 } & \bar{m } \end{array } \right]\ ] ] @xmath215 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_3 & s_4 & s_{34 } \\ m_3 & m_4 & m_{34 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{12 } & s_{34 } & s \\ m_{12 } & m_{34 } & m \end{array } \right]\ ] ] @xmath216 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_2 & s_3 & s_{23 } \\ m_2 & m_3 & m_{23 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{14 } & s_{23 } & \bar{s } \\
m_{14 } & m_{23 } & \bar{m } \end{array } \right]\ ] ] @xmath217 ^{1/2}\left\ { \begin{array}{ccc } s_1 & s_2 & s_{12 } \\ s_4 & s_3 & s_{34 } \\
s_{14 } & s_{23 } & s \end{array } \right\ } \delta _ { s\bar{s}}\delta _ { m\bar{m}},\ ] ] where we use the symmetry relation for the clebsch - gordan coefficients @xmath218 = ( -1)^{s_1+s_2-s_{12}}\left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_2 & s_1 & s_{12 } \\ m_2 & m_1 & m_{12 } \end{array } \right ] .\ ] ] by introducing the state with the recoupled four spins @xmath219 \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_4 & s_1 & s_{14 } \\ \bar{m}_4 & \bar{m}_1 & \bar{m}_{14 } \end{array } \right ] \left [ \begin{array}{ccc } s_{23 } & s_{14 } & \bar{s } \\ \bar{m}_{23 } & \bar{m}_{14 } & \bar{m } \end{array } \right]\ ] ] @xmath220 we get finally @xmath221 @xmath222 ^{1/2}\left\ { \begin{array}{ccc } s_1 & s_2 & s_{12 } \\ s_4 & s_3 & s_{34 } \\
s_{14 } & s_{23 } & s \end{array } \right\ } \left| s_2s_3(s_{23})s_4s_1(s_{14})sm\right\rangle , \ ] ] that is transformation from a coupling scheme to another .
then an action of the operator @xmath223is defined by a linear transformation of the basis @xmath224 @xmath225 where the matrix @xmath226 is determined by the expression @xmath227 ^{1/2}\ ] ] @xmath228 we can handle analogously another symmetry operations in the @xmath110 group .
the standard method for constructing an irreducible basis is to use the projection operator @xmath229 } { \left [ g\right ] } \sum_{\hat{g}% \in g}d_{\mu \mu } ^{(\gamma ) } ( g)\,\hat{g } , \label{pr1}\ ] ] and the shift operator @xmath230 } { \left [ g\right ] } \sum_{% \hat{g}\in
g}d_{\mu \nu } ^{(\gamma ) } ( g)\,\hat{g } , \label{pr2}\ ] ] where @xmath231 $ ] is the order of the group @xmath232 , @xmath233 $ ] is the dimension of the irreducible representation @xmath162 and @xmath234 are the irreducible matrix elements , @xmath235 or @xmath236 is an index enumerating the basis .
supposing that @xmath237 is one of the reducible basis vectors of @xmath232 , an irreducible basis might be obtained by applying @xmath238 if @xmath239 is the basis for the irrerp @xmath240 then @xmath241 let us construct irreducible tensors @xmath242 from the operators @xmath243 forming the nearest environment of the central site .
the transformations of one of the given spins under the elements of the group @xmath110 are @xmath244 @xmath245 that together with ( [ pr1 ] ) gives immediately the irreducible tensors @xmath246 of the one - dimensional representations @xmath247 @xmath248 to find the irredicible basis for the two - dimensional representation @xmath249 we construct the projection operator @xmath250 and then apply it to the spin @xmath251 that yields @xmath252 using the shift operator ( [ pr2 ] ) and acting according to the rule ( [ act2 ] ) we obtain the second irrep basis vector @xmath253 we choose the coefficents @xmath254 ( @xmath255 , @xmath249 ) so that hamiltonian written through the irreducible tensors coincides with the initial spin operator form .
it is not always possible to construct all irredicible basises from one chain .
the theory says that one have to choose another starting function . in a computer realization , therefore , we build all chains generated by all vectors of a reducible basis @xmath256 and form the matrix @xmath257 from the chains @xmath258 the rank of this matrix @xmath259 } \sum_g\chi \left ( g\right ) \chi ^\gamma \left ( g\right)\ ] ] determines a number of linear independent columns , where the character @xmath260 . after these columns are established , orthogonalized and normalized with the help of schmidt - gram procedure we get the first @xmath261 columns of the transformation matrix @xmath262 . by running over all irreducible representations and repeating the basic steps in the approach we obtain the square matrix of corresponding similarity transformation onto the symmetry adapted basis @xmath263 as an example we calculate @xmath264 for the nearest - neighbor environment of the central site .
the characters of 3-dimensional representation can be read off from the @xmath20 matrices @xmath265 given in sec .
iii we thus obtain @xmath266 whence we conclude @xmath267 .
a direct calculation of @xmath257 matrices from eq.([xop ] ) yields @xmath268 @xmath269 and @xmath270 by noticing that ranks of the matrices equal to unity , we find finally via the schmidt - gram procedure the transformation matrix @xmath271 @xmath272
for the reader convenience we give the character table of the group @xmath110@xmath273 nishino , t. , y. hieida , k. okunishi , n. maeshima , y. akutsu , and a. gendiar , prog .
theor . phys . *
105 * , 409 ( 2001 ) ; the spin-@xmath283 afh model on a square lattice is considered in y. nishino , n. maeshima , a. gendiar , and t. nishino , cond - mat/0401115 .
fig.2 the lowest - energy spectrum of the environment for the cluster @xmath284 on the square lattice .
the su(2 ) symmetry breaks and a long - range nel order appears as a set of @xmath38-states with an energy scaling as @xmath285 ( dashed line ) .
the symbols represent the irreducible representations of the different eigenstates . | arxiv |
What does iron (III) get reduced to in a galvanic cell: solid iron or iron (II)?
Recently, I built a galvanic cell in the lab with iron (III) nitrate, magnesium sulfate, and carbon and magnesium electrodes.
My question is:
>
> When the iron $3+$ ions are reduced, do they reduce to iron $2+$ ions or to solid iron?
>
>
>
I know the reduction potential for iron $3+$ to iron $2+$ is greater, indicating that it is more likely to occur.
$$\begin{align}
\ce {Fe^{2+} {(aq)} + 2e^{-} &<=> Fe {(s)}} &E^⦵= \pu{-0.44V}\\
\ce {Fe^{3+} {(aq)} + e^{-} &<=> Fe^{2+} {(aq)}} &E^⦵= \pu{+0.77V}\\
\ce {Mg^{2+} {(aq)} + 2e^{-} &<=> Mg {(s)}} &E^⦵= \pu{-2.37V}\\
\end{align}$$
Thus
$$
\begin{align}
\ce {Mg {(s)} + 2Fe^{3+} {(aq)} &<=> Mg^{2+} {(aq)} +2Fe^{2+} {(aq)}}&&E^⦵\_{\text{cell}}= 0.77--2.37=\pu{+3.14V}\\
\ce {Mg {(s)} + Fe^{2+} {(aq)} &<=> Mg^{2+} {(aq)} +Fe {(s)}}&&E^⦵\_{\text{cell}}= -0.44--2.37=\pu{+1.93V}\\
\end{align}$$
Both reactions are feasible, and I'd imagine the first would proceed until the concentration of $\ce {Fe^{3+} {(aq)}}$ is very low, and then the second would start at a noticeable rate.
This assumes, of course, the iron solid is able to deposit on the carbon cathode, and I don't see why not.
Hope this was helpful.
(Thank you Dr. J for pointing out my typo)
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Democritus vs John Dalton atomic theory
What is the difference between atomic theory given by Democritus and John Dalton? Because I have read in many books and figured out that both theories explain the same i.e atom is an indivisible particle and all elements differ in shape and weight of their atoms. So basically what is the difference in both the theories?
Demokrit was a philosopher, while Dalton was arguing on the basis of (somewhat limited, but still) solid, quantitative evidence. I'm not knocking Demokrit (!), but his was not a scientific statement, let alone a theory. You cannot compare the two, or at least you should not try to compare them from the view of natural science.
Both came to a similar conclusion, but they were reasoning on a completely different basis. Of course, Dalton had the advantage that the idea was already there and known to him.
In Dalton's time, the modern concept of elements was already known and widely accepted. Iron, oxygen, etc., not fire, water and stone. You could say that he knew what he was talking about, regarding atoms. And Dalton and his contemporaries had the numbers they measured.
Demokrit, on the other hand, had no idea about quantitative elemental analysis. Which ultimately was the downfall of his idea: He had no numbers that others could have proved and extended, or disproved. Only when the chemists at Dalton's time were able to make quantitative measurements the atomic theory could become useful. Demokrit had probably theorised that atoms of the same kind had the same weight (we don't know exactly, because we have very little original records from him), but Dalton now had solid evidence, that only made sense if that was indeed the case.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
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Butterfly Color Pages For Toddlers Tags
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Butterfly Color Pages
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Copyright © 2019. Jamesfaulkner. All Rights Reserved. | slim_pajama |
glans penis masses are extremely rare in childhood . these masses are usually fibroma , neurofibroma , hemangioma , epidermal inclusion cysts , and ventral raphe cysts .
fibroepithelial polyps originating from the urogenital system are more commonly localized in the renal pelvis , proximal urethra , bladder , posterior urethra , vagina , and labia minora . however , fibroepithelial polyps localized on the glans penis are very rare .
fibroepithelial polyps of glans penis are fibrous tumors distinct from lesions occurring in the skin or urinary system .
so far , 20 cases of fibroepithelial polyps originating from the penis have been published .
15 of them were localized on the glans , only one of which was in childhood .
a 6-month - old male patient with a history of vaginal delivery at 38 weeks with birth weight of 2200 g admitted to the hospital for a glans penis mass [ figure 1 ] .
the parents of the patient stated that they had noticed the mass on the glans penis 4 months before admission to the hospital and that the mass had shown slight enlargement .
they did nt know whether the mass was present at birth because the foreskin was covering the glans . physical examination revealed an intact foreskin and a conical , clear cystic mass 6 mm 7 mm in diameter , localized on the ventral side of the glans penis , just adjacent to the urethral meatus and partly deviating but not obstructing the meatus .
the mass localized on the ventral side of the glans penis at surgery , cystourethroscopy was performed first to check whether there was an opening of the mass to the urethra , but no communication was observed .
the mass was then totally excised , the defect of the glans skin was primarily sutured , and the circumcision was performed .
histopathological examination showed a polypoid lesion surrounded by keratinized squamous epithelium with loose and well - vascularized stroma .
polypoid lesion with fibrovascular stroma surrounded by keratinized squamous epithelium ( h and e , 200 )
fibroepithelial polyps occurring within the urinary tract in childhood usually arise in the proximal ureter , renal pelvis , bladder and urethra .
15 cases of fibroepithelial polyps originating from the glans penis have been published in the literature .
fibroepithelial polyps involving the glans penis in adulthood have been reported to be associated with chronic condom catheter use .
fibroepithelial polyp of glans penis is considered to be a reactive process as a result of local pressure because of chronic condom catheter .
a case of glanular fibroepithelial polyp due to genital hanging kung fu causing local pressure has been reported in the literature .
however , we believe that these theories concerning the etiology of these tumors are not exactly true for children .
the current presented case was 6-month - old , and the parents had noticed it when he was 2 months old .
this period is too short for a reactive lesion to occur as the result of chronic irritation .
foreskin acts as a protective shield for the glans in infancy and there is physiologic phimosis in almost every boy in early childhood .
moreover , no case of polyp arising from the glans penis has been reported in the circumcised newborns whose glanses are in chronic contact with the diaper .
therefore , we believe that fibroepithelial polyps arising from the glans penis in childhood are congenital rather than the result of local pressure or chronic contact . the prognosis is usually good , but development of local recurrence after local excision has been reported .
so far , four cases of fibroepithelial polyps transforming into squamous cell carcinoma have been reported .
only one of them was a giant fibroepithelial polyp [ 4.5 cm ] arising from the glans penis in a 78-year - old male .
the other tumors were localized in the other parts of the body , especially the skin .
fibroma , neurofibroma , hemangioma , epidermal inclusion cysts , and ventral raphe cysts should be considered in the differential diagnosis of masses occurring in the glans penis in childhood .
most of these lesions can be surgically excised , and the diagnosis is confirmed after histopathological examination . as a result ,
fibroepithelial polyps of the glans penis are extremely rare , and they might be congenital . despite benign nature , local recurrence may develop after local excision . although rare , malign degeneration has been reported . | pubmed |
mapping the large - scale structure ( lss ) of the universe is one of the major goals of observational cosmology .
traditionally this is performed using large surveys of galaxies , either the projected 2-dimensional distributions or the 3-dimensional surveys in redshift space .
the main shortcoming of the galaxy surveys is that they trace light , while most of the matter appears to be dark .
one therefore needs to translate the galaxy power spectrum into the matter power spectrum and in order to do so one has to make some assumptions on the nature of galaxy biasing . even in the simplest model
this can be achieved only up to an unknown biasing parameter @xmath9 , which at present can not be theoretically estimated .
while sophisticated n - body and hydro - dynamical simulations will eventually provide some answers to this question , at present the biasing relation between the light and matter remains rather poorly understood and prevents one from drawing definitive conclusions on the amplitude and distribution of mass fluctuations in the universe from galaxy survey data .
it is clearly important to seek ways to estimate the large - scale structure that are insensitive to biasing .
several observable tracers have been proposed that probe directly the underlying mass distribution : cosmic microwave background ( cmb ) anisotropies , gravitational lensing , peculiar velocity flows and abundances of massive nonlinear objects .
this paper focuses on tracing the dark matter with gravitational lensing , in particular the effects of weak lensing by large scale structure on background galaxies .
weak lensing magnifies and shears the images of distant galaxies .
the shear induces an ellipticity in the image of an intrinsically circular galaxy .
background galaxies are of course not circular , but by averaging over the observed ellipticities of a large number of galaxies , the induced ellipticity can be measured , and related to the mass fluctuations along the line of sight and to the spatial geometry of the universe .
ellipticities of distant background galaxies averaged over several arcminute windows are sensitive to the mass power spectrum on scales of @xmath10 mpc . for a given spectrum of mass fluctuations , it is sensitive to the cosmological parameters @xmath8 and @xmath11 . thus while strong lensing which leads to multiple images probes non - typical regions of the universe which contain massive halos , weak lensing provides a different and a more direct measure of the mass fluctuations on large scales .
the first calculations of the shear signal due to weak lensing that used modern models for the large scale structure power spectrum were those of @xcite and @xcite , based on the pioneering work by gunn ( 1967 ) .
our work generalizes the results of these authors to include the effects of nonlinear evolution of the matter fluctuations for flat as well as open and @xmath12dominated cosmologies .
villumsen ( 1996 ) has considered some aspects of the linear calculation for open models .
very recently , bernardeau et al . ( 1996 ) , kaiser ( 1996 ) and stebbins ( 1996 ) have also made the linear calculation for different cosmologies .
our work extends the results of the above authors by using the nonlinear power spectrum , which makes a significant difference on small angular scales of @xmath13 . for the nonlinear calculation we have used the prescription of @xcite as implemented by @xcite and @xcite which provide accurate power spectra for different models , valid from the linear to the strongly nonlinear regime .
one can take two different approaches in interpreting a possible measurement of the shear signal .
the first is to work within the framework of a physical model for the dark matter and background cosmology .
such a model is best normalized to cobe and then its small scale predictions can be compared to the observational constraints of e.g. cluster or damped ly-@xmath14 system abundances , strong lensing statistics or peculiar velocity flows , or in our case the shear amplitude on a given angular scale .
another possibility , which is less model dependent , is to compare the constraints from different tracers on the same physical scale .
this way one can test the gravitational instability assumption that both tracers probe the same underlying power spectrum and place constraints on the cosmological parameters which scale differently with the tracers . at the present
the cmb data constrain the power spectrum only on very large scales , where there are no available data from other tracers . while several current cmb experiments are approaching the scales probed by other tracers , cosmological parameters such as baryon density , reionization epoch and hubble constant become important and complicate the power spectrum reconstruction .
the test mentioned above is possible between the cluster abundances ( or strong lensing statistics of multiple images at large separation , both of which trace essentially the same property ) and the peculiar velocities .
unfortunately this method can not give model independent constraints on cosmological parameters , because the two tracers scale roughly equally with the matter density @xmath8 ( peebles 1980 , white , efstathiou & frenk 1993 ) .
a similar comparison can also be made between weak lensing observations and the tracers discussed above .
for example , the shear amplitude on @xmath1 angular scale and rich cluster abundance both probe power spectrum scales around @xmath15 mpc , so the ratio of the two is roughly independent of the shape of the power spectrum .
one could hope that using such comparisons would lead to an estimate of the mean density of the universe , because the two tracers scale differently with it .
unfortunately as shown in this paper this is not the case so that this is not a promising method of obtaining the mean density .
nevertheless , weak lensing can also give important constraints on the power spectrum both on smaller and larger scales , where other tracers give less stringent constraints . on the smaller angular scales , our calculations provide the enhancement in the amplitude and the change in the scalings with @xmath16 and @xmath8 that arise due to nonlinear evolution .
once reliable detections of the shear at different angular scales are available , these results can be used to constrain cosmological parameters and the matter power spectrum .
the principal advantage of working with weak lensing is that no assumptions about the formation of observable structures need to be made to connect the mass power spectrum to the observed shear .
the only unknown parameter is the redshift distribution of source galaxies , and in principle this can also be determined observationally . in 2 and the appendix ,
the formalism for the weak lensing calculation is presented following seljak ( 1995 , 1996 ) , who generalized the work by @xcite and @xcite to a non - flat universe and non - linear regime .
the derivation presented here is complementary to recent derivations by bernardeau et al .
( 1996 ) and kaiser ( 1996 ) . the linear and nonlinear evolution of the power spectrum
is introduced in 2.1 , and the resulting dependence on cosmological parameters for power law spectra is obtained in 2.2 . in 3 realistic cdm - like spectra are used to predict the rms shear .
we provide accurate power law fits for the dependence of the shear on the parameters @xmath17 , @xmath3 , @xmath16 and @xmath8 for different cosmological models .
3.1 provides predictions of the shear for cobe and cluster - abundance normalized spectra for the range of angular scales which are being probed by current and forthcoming observations .
the effects of non - gaussianity in the distribution of shear are considered in 4 where we compute the skewness of the distribution .
this is followed by a discussion and conclusions in 5 .
gravitational lensing shears and magnifies the images of distant galaxies .
the relation of the shear to perturbations in the gravitational potential along the line of sight is developed in the appendix .
here we shall use the formalism presented in the appendix to derive expressions for 3 different measures of the second moment of the shear .
the observable mean ellipticity of galaxy images can be simply defined in the approximation that the images are ellipses with complex eccentricity @xmath18 given by the axes lengths @xmath9 and @xmath19 as : @xmath20 , where @xmath21 is the position angle of the major axis . in the limit of weak distortions ,
the eccentricity is the same as ellipticity @xmath22 .
while individual galaxies have intrinsic ellipticities which can not be separated from gravitational stretching , we have assumed here that averaging over several galaxies leaves only the gravitational component which can in principle be measured .
this mean ellipticity @xmath23 will be denoted as @xmath24 and is defined by equation ( [ shear3 ] ) in the appendix .
we shall use @xmath25 to denote its amplitude in what follows .
information on the ellipticity is contained in the trace - free part of the shear tensor , which is obtained by integrating over all the deflectors between us and the galaxy and over the distribution of background galaxies @xmath26 ( see appendix ) , @xmath27 here @xmath28 is the gravitational potential and @xmath29 is the radial comoving distance with @xmath30 being the horizon distance .
we also introduced the comoving angular distance @xmath31 defined in equation ( [ rchi ] ) .
the radial distribution of background galaxies is described with the window @xmath32 .
if all the galaxies are assumed to lie at the same redshift @xmath3 , corresponding to @xmath33 , then @xmath34 , and @xmath35 takes the simple form , @xmath36 there are several two - point statistics that can quantify the induced ellipticites in galaxy images .
the easiest to obtain from observations is the rms ellipticity @xmath37 , where the overbar indicates the average within a circular aperture of radius @xmath17 .
equation ( [ shear ] ) can be used to express @xmath38 in terms of the power spectrum of density perturbations @xmath39 . following the derivation presented in the appendix
we obtain for the ellipticity variance @xmath40d\chi , \label{p}\end{aligned}\ ] ] where @xmath41 with @xmath42 being the bessel function of first order and @xmath19 is the expansion factor normalized to unity today .
a related quantity is the two - point polarization correlation function @xmath43 , which is given by a similar expression to the one above , replacing the term @xmath44 with @xmath45 : @xmath46\ , d\chi . \label{cpp}\ ] ] the fourier transform of @xmath47 is the angular ellipticity power spectrum @xmath48 , which is often the optimal statistic to use ( kaiser 1992 ) .
here we use the quantity @xmath49 , which gives the contribution to the variance per log - interval in @xmath50 and is given by @xmath51 this gives an estimate of correlations at an angle @xmath52 .
no assumption on the matter power spectrum has been made in the above expressions and one can use them both in the linear and nonlinear regime .
the nonlinear spectrum is in general a non - separable function of wavenumber and redshift , thus leading to a complicated coupling of the dependences on the distance factors and the growth of perturbations .
it also leads to a nonlinear dependence of the predicted ellipticity correlations on the shape and amplitude of the initial power spectrum .
thus the amplitude of the ellipticity correlations as well as their dependence on cosmological parameters can change in the nonlinear regime ( i.e. , on small angular scales ) . in the rest of the paper we shall explore in detail the outcome of these effects of nonlinear evolution .
if the gravitational potential changes in time its power spectrum will depend on the radial distance @xmath29 . in linear theory this dependence is independent of @xmath53 and can be written in terms of the potential growth factor @xmath54 as @xmath55 , which gives for the density power spectrum @xmath56(\chi)p_\delta(k)$ ] , where @xmath57 is the linear growth factor for the density .
this can be approximated as ( lahav et al .
1991 ) @xmath58 we have ignored the weak @xmath11 dependence of the logarithmic growth factor . for @xmath59 , this expression simplifies to @xmath60 for a flat @xmath61 model the gravitational potential does not change in time in the linear regime and the region where @xmath35 peaks dominates the radial integral in equations ( [ p]-[ps ] ) .
typically this is at half the mean comoving distance to the galaxies , so if background galaxies lie at @xmath62 typical deflectors lie at @xmath63 . in low @xmath8 models the gravitational potential increases with @xmath29 , differently for open and for cosmological constant models . in the small @xmath64 limit
the growth factor only depends on @xmath8 ( villumsen 1996 ) . on scales where @xmath65 approaches or exceeds
unity nonlinear evolution of the power spectrum becomes important .
this is particularly important if one is discussing low @xmath8 models , where both cluster abundances and peculiar velocity normalizations give higher density normalization on scales of interest . in the quasilinear regime
the nonlinear spectrum can be computed using perturbation theory .
an alternative semi - analytic approach which is accurate from the linear to the strongly nonlinear regime ( up to density contrasts @xmath66 ) was proposed by hamilton et al .
( 1991 ) and further developed in subsequent work ( e.g. , nityananda & padmanabhan 1994 ; peacock & dodds 1996 ; jain , mo & white 1995 ; padmanabhan et al . 1996 ) .
this prescription involves mapping the nonlinear spectrum at a wavenumber @xmath53 to the linear spectrum at a unique wavenumber @xmath67 which is given by a spherical collapse model .
this leads to a mapping of the form @xmath68 $ ] , where the dimensionless power @xmath69 is defined above , and @xmath70 is a function which varies in a simple way for different initial spectra .
the linear wavenumber @xmath71 is given by @xmath72^{-1/3}$ ] .
the functional form of the mapping is thus specified by the function @xmath70 , which has been calibrated using high resolution n - body simulations and is accurate for a wide range of initial spectra .
for the predictions of the rms ellipticity in 3 we shall use the fitting formulae of @xcite for @xmath61 and of @xcite for the open and @xmath12models to describe the nonlinear power spectrum as a function of wavenumber and redshift .
we refer the reader to the above references for details of the formulae and their implementation .
while the formulae can differ by a few tens of percent for certain spectra , we find that our results for the ellipticity are not affected by more than a few percent as the ellipticity integrates the power spectrum over a range of wavenumbers and redshifts .
in particular the results for the cdm - like models shown in figures 4 - 9 would be completely unaffected by our choice of fitting formulae . in the next section
we shall use the nonlinear evolution of cdm - like spectra to predict the rms ellipticity signal . here
we consider the simplified case of power law initial spectra @xmath73 to compute the scalings of @xmath47 and @xmath74 with source redshift @xmath3 , and the cosmological model parameters @xmath16 and @xmath8 .
the parameter @xmath16 is the rms fluctuation in the mass on scales of @xmath15mpc , and serves to normalize the power spectrum .
we use the linear evolution of the power spectrum for which some of the scalings can be obtained analytically .
we also consider the qualitative modification due to nonlinear evolution by using the stable clustering regime which gives the maximal effect of nonlinearities .
the length scales that contribute to the ellipticity are of order @xmath15 mpc for @xmath75 . on these scales
most realistic spectra have a spectral index @xmath76 . on smaller angular scales ,
the contribution to the ellipticity comes from higher wavenumbers which sample a steeper part of the spectrum ( lower @xmath77 ) .
we therefore choose power law spectra with @xmath78 and @xmath79 for comparison with realistic spectra on angular scales of interest . for a power law spectrum
the @xmath80integral for @xmath81 is analytic , and gives : @xmath82 valid for @xmath83 .
the constant @xmath84 gives the normalization of the power spectrum .
aside from the numerical prefactors , the result for @xmath74 is the same and involves the same @xmath29 integral . for simplicity we shall take all the source galaxies to be at the same redshift
this is a good approximation as the result is insensitive to the source distribution for a given median source redshift .
the window function @xmath35 then takes the form given in equation ( [ delta ] ) . for @xmath61 , @xmath85 , and the @xmath29
integral is analytic as well giving the following power law dependence : @xmath86 using @xmath87 , the dependence of @xmath81 on the source redshift @xmath3 can be obtained from the above equation . for @xmath88 and @xmath89 ,
the result for @xmath81 is not analytic except in the limit of @xmath90 which is not of interest for realistic situations .
it is simple to understand qualitatively the two physical effects that enter .
@xmath91 for a given redshift , the distance @xmath29 increases as @xmath8 decreases and @xmath11 increases .
therefore there is more path length in the line of sight integral as @xmath33 is larger for a given @xmath3 .
the factor @xmath35 involves factors of the comoving angular diameter distance @xmath92 and @xmath93 ; it also increases with decreasing @xmath8 and increasing @xmath11 .
( ii ) the second factor is the linear growth factor @xmath54 .
growth of structure slows down at low redshift in an open universe , and to a lesser extent in a @xmath12 dominated universe .
therefore , at a given redshift the linear growth factor , normalized to unity today , increases as @xmath8 decreases , and for a given @xmath8 it decreases as @xmath11 increases .
the effect of both the distance and growth factors is to increase the contribution from the @xmath29 integral in equation ( [ powerlaw ] ) relative to the einstein - de sitter case .
the net contribution increases as @xmath8 decreases , and for a given @xmath8 , as @xmath11 increases . in the case of @xmath94 ,
the distance factors dominate over the linear growth factor leading to a net increase over the case with the same @xmath8 .
however the enhancement due to the integral over @xmath29 has to contend with the factor of @xmath95 outside the integral which is considerably larger .
the net result is shown in figure [ fig1 ] for source galaxies at @xmath96 ( upper panel ) and @xmath97 ( lower panel ) .
the y - axis shows @xmath95 times the @xmath29-integrand of equation ( [ powerlaw ] ) .
thus @xmath81 or @xmath98 is proportional to the area under the curves shown , aside from numerical factors which depend on the shape of the spectrum .
the figure shows that the peak contribution for a reasonable choice of @xmath3 comes from the range @xmath99 .
the scaling of @xmath38 ( the same as that of the square root of @xmath81 ) with @xmath8 is dependent both on @xmath3 and the shape of the power spectrum .
for @xmath100 the dependence is well fit by the power law , @xmath101 for @xmath102 and @xmath103 , the above equation is quite accurate . for @xmath97
the scaling depends on the spectrum , and can be approximated as , @xmath104 the result for @xmath79 is valid provided a low-@xmath53 cutoff is imposed to keep the integral finite . as expected , at higher source
redshifts the enhancement due to the distance and growth factors is larger and leads to a weaker @xmath8 dependence .
the same occurs as @xmath77 decreases , as then there is more power on large scales , and therefore more weight to the high-@xmath64 part of the integral
. the results of equations ( [ scaling1 ] ) and ( [ scaling2 ] ) are valid for @xmath105 , and are intended to cover the range of source redshift and spectra spanned by realistic models . a simple way to understand the dependence on @xmath8 follows from the fact that most of the lensing contribution comes from about half the distance to the source galaxies .
thus the @xmath8 dependence of equations ( [ scaling1 ] ) and ( [ scaling2 ] ) can be compared to that of @xmath8 at the redshift @xmath106 , corresponding to @xmath107 .
@xmath108 is well approximated by @xmath109 for @xmath96 and by @xmath110 for @xmath97 if @xmath79 . for a shallower slope
there is more power on small scales , which are closer for a given angle .
hence the results are closer to those of equations ( [ scaling1 ] ) and ( [ scaling2 ] ) for @xmath78 if one uses @xmath111 ( it makes very little difference if one uses @xmath31 instead of @xmath29 for this purpose ) .
thus as a first approximation the @xmath8 dependence can be obtained by replacing the @xmath8 term in @xmath81 for the flat case , by the value of @xmath8 at @xmath112 to @xmath113 the distance to the source galaxies .
the above scalings are derived using linear evolution of the power spectrum . on smaller angular scales
nonlinear evolution could play an important role in the next section we compute the change in the above scalings due to nonlinear effects .
it is complicated to estimate the angular scale where nonlinear effects are important because each angle involves the projection of a range of length scales at different redshifts .
the answer will therefore depend on the slope of the power spectrum . a rough estimate of the length scales that make the dominant contribution to @xmath38 is given by figure [ dist ] .
this figure shows the transverse distance for a given @xmath17 at the redshifts estimated from figures [ fig1]a and [ fig1]b as providing the dominant contribution to @xmath114 for source galaxies at @xmath115 .
for @xmath13 this length scale is less than @xmath116mpc , which is the correlation length of galaxies and therefore a good demarcation of the nonlinear regime .
we may thus expect that the linear results for @xmath114 will be modified for @xmath13 .
an analytic estimate of the change in the above scalings due to strongly nonlinear effects can be made using the stable clustering solution .
if one assumes that the lensing is dominated by clustering on small scales ( valid in the limit of small angles and low source redshift ) , which stabilized at high redshift , then the dimensionless power is a function of the physical wavenumber times @xmath117 .
this property extends to the open models as well , because at high enough redshift , @xmath118 .
it can then be shown that , if the linear spectrum is normalized to the same @xmath16 today , then the enhancement factor of the nonlinear spectrum relative to the linear one is proportional to @xmath119 .
this follows from a reversed version of the argument of peacock & dodds ( 1996 ) , which was made for spectra normalized to the same initial value .
a particularly simple example is provided by the @xmath79 spectrum , for which the nonlinear slope and growth in the einstein - de sitter case are the same as in the linear regime .
hence the nonlinear spectrum is given at all @xmath53 by a constant enhancement factor relative to the linear spectrum .
for @xmath120 one can approximate @xmath121 for @xmath102 .
therefore the @xmath8 dependence in @xmath74 due to strongly nonlinear evolution of the power spectrum is @xmath122 . in this regime then , @xmath123 times the contribution of the distance factors , which further lowers the power of @xmath8 .
this estimate is meant to provide an upper bound on the enhancement for open models due to the nonlinear contribution . for realistic redshifts the contribution from such small scales does not dominate , and the exact , numerical estimates of the nonlinear spectrum must be integrated over @xmath53 and @xmath29 .
still , it is clear that the @xmath8 dependence of weak lensing amplitude will be significantly weaker than the linear relation predicted from the scalings in previous subsection .
the detailed predictions for the rms ellipticity depend on the shape and amplitude of the power spectrum , the distribution of source galaxies , and on the cosmological parameters @xmath8 and @xmath11 . in the following subsection we shall consider two alternative normalizations of realistic cdm - like power spectra . a useful , model independent description of the scalings can also be obtained by fitting the dependence on the different parameters to power laws .
this provides a reasonably accurate approximation to the result , and shows the qualitative behavior more clearly .
table 1 provides such power law fits to the scalings of @xmath114 with @xmath17 , @xmath3 , @xmath16 , and @xmath8 for einstein - de sitter , open and @xmath12dominated cosmologies .
the three specific models we have chosen are : einstein - de sitter ( @xmath61 , @xmath100 ) , open ( @xmath124 , @xmath100 ) , and @xmath12dominated ( @xmath125 ) .
the latter two models are representative of the class of open and flat @xmath12dominated cosmologies as the results do not change significantly for @xmath8 in the range @xmath126 .
the matter power spectrum used in the calculations is the nonlinear @xmath127 cdm spectrum , where @xmath128 is the shape parameter defined in bardeen et al .
( 1986 ) and roughly corresponds to @xmath129 in cdm models .
the scalings given in table 1 are not strongly sensitive to the shape of the power spectrum as shown in figure [ shape ] and discussed in the next subsection .
.scaling of the polarization @xmath38 with @xmath17 , @xmath3 and with cosmological model parameters [ cols="^,^,^,^,^",options="header " , ] [ table ] on scales @xmath13 nonlinear evolution makes a significant difference to all the scalings .
figure [ ratio ] shows the ratio of @xmath38 computed using the nonlinear / linear power spectrum for the above three models .
the ratio is significantly larger than unity for @xmath13 , and reaches a factor of two for @xmath130 .
it is the largest for the open model , where the nonlinear effects are more important because of a slower linear growth of perturbations .
since the scalings differ in the linear and nonlinear regimes , table 1 gives power law fits for three different angles , @xmath131 , to represent the nonlinear , weakly nonlinear and linear regimes , respectively .
these give @xmath38 to good accuracy over most of the range : @xmath132 ; @xmath133 ; @xmath134 ; @xmath135 .
the results can be approximated by the following equations for the three cosmological models given above .
the angle @xmath17 below is in arcminutes , and where the scalings differ on @xmath136 and @xmath1 , the latter scaling is given in brackets in italics .
since the scaling with @xmath3 is nearly the same for the two values of @xmath17 , we have used an intermediate value in the following equations .
@xmath137\ & = & \ 0.08\ \ \theta^{-0.37 } \
z_s^{0.58}\ \sigma_8^{1.25 ( { \it 1})}\ \omega_m^{0.66 ( { \it 0.81 } ) } \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ : \ \omega_m=1.0\ , \nonumber \\ \bar{p}\left[2'({\it 15'})\right]\ & = & \ 0.04\ \ \theta^{-0.47}\ z_s^{0.66}\ \sigma_8^{1.38 ( { \it 1})}\ ( \omega_m/0.3)^{0.66 ( { \it 0.81 } ) } \ : \ \omega_m=0.3\ , \nonumber \\
\bar{p}\left[2'({\it 15'})\right]\ & = & \ 0.04\ \ \theta^{-0.42}\ z_s^{0.76}\ \sigma_8^{1.29 ( { \it 1})}\ ( \omega_m/0.3)^{0.60 ( { \it 0.68 } ) } \ : \
\omega_\lambda=0.7\ , .
\label{scalings - lambda}\end{aligned}\ ] ] these power law fits can be used to obtain predictions for the rms ellipticity for any desired choice of cosmological parameters . for @xmath138 ,
the results are consistent with the linear theory estimates for power law spectra ( with @xmath77 between @xmath139 and @xmath140 ) obtained in the previous section .
the @xmath38 curve is enhanced at small angles due to nonlinear evolution .
this enhancement causes the dependence on @xmath17 to be much closer to a power law over the range @xmath141 than the linear prediction , which has much greater curvature due to the curvature of the power spectrum .
this power law is steeper for the open and @xmath94 models due to stronger nonlinear evolution . on @xmath142 ,
the dependence on @xmath16 is significantly stronger than linear , especially for the open model .
nonlinear evolution also weakens the dependence on @xmath8 as anticipated in the previous section .
combining the scaling with @xmath16 and @xmath8 ( relevant for comparison with other tracers ) , @xmath38 for @xmath142 scales as @xmath143 , whereas on large scales of @xmath144 , it scales as @xmath145 .
thus on small scales @xmath38 measures @xmath146 ( the power of @xmath8 is even lower for @xmath147 or @xmath148 ) , whereas on large scales it measures @xmath145 . using the above differences a comparison of @xmath38 at small and large angular scales can constrain @xmath16 and @xmath8 separately .
thus nonlinear evolution , at the expense of a more complex dependence on various parameters , can help break the degeneracy between these parameters . to distinguish an open from a flat @xmath12model with the same value of @xmath8 one needs to use the difference in the scaling with @xmath3 , as the other scalings are very similar .
the @xmath12model predicts a faster increase with @xmath3 due to a faster increase of the distance factors with redshift than the open case .
once it becomes feasible to get estimates of the redshifts of source galaxies , this difference can become a useful test of @xmath94 as it is nearly independent of the shape and normalization of the power spectrum .
in choosing the most realistic power spectrum to compute the polarization signal , the approach closest to other tracers of the mass density field would be to use the abundance of galaxy clusters or the peculiar velocity field of galaxies to estimate the amplitude @xmath16 , and to then use the galaxy power spectrum to constrain the shape ( peacock & dodds 1996 ; peacock 1996 ) .
the merit of this approach is that it agrees with the observational constraints on the scales which are most relevant for weak lensing observations .
an alternative is to work with physical models for the dark matter and cosmology which give the shape of the power spectrum , and use cobe - normalization to fix the spectrum on very large scales and thus its overall amplitude .
the merit of this approach is that for a given model both the spectrum of perturbations and their evolution is fully determined .
however , the final spectrum may or may not agree with the present day observations ( which interpretation is still somewhat uncertain ) .
we shall present results using both approaches .
the first of the two reliable tracers of mass fluctuations on large scales is the abundance of large galaxy clusters with a typical mass of @xmath149 , which corresponds to a linear scale of about @xmath15mpc .
these objects are very rare and according to the press - schechter formalism ( press & schechter 1974 ) their number density depends exponentially on the amplitude of mass fluctuation on the corresponding linear scale .
this allows an accurate estimate of the amplitude , which typically gives @xmath150 ( white , efstathiou & frenk 1993 , viana & liddle 1995 , eke , cole & frenk 1996 , pen 1996 ) in an @xmath61 universe , almost independent of the shape of the power spectrum . at present
this gives the best constraint on the linear density power spectrum , with an error of about 10 - 20% .
the dependence on @xmath8 is approximately @xmath151 , and differs only slightly for open and spatially flat models .
the scaling with @xmath8 and @xmath11 is still somewhat uncertain as it requires calibration with large n - body simulations .
peculiar velocities are also tracers of underlying mass fluctuations . in the linear regime
there is a simple relation between velocity and density fields ( peebles 1980):@xmath152 , where @xmath153 . the @xmath8 dependence on mass fluctuation amplitude from velocity data is @xmath154 , which is almost the same as for the cluster abundance in a flat universe and only slightly less so in an open universe .
comparison of the two constraints therefore can not significantly constrain @xmath8 .
given a set of velocity measurements one can reconstruct the particular combination @xmath155 and estimate its power spectrum .
recent comparisons between mark iii tully - fisher catalogs and iras survey tend to favor @xmath156 ( @xcite , @xcite ) , where @xmath157 is the linear bias parameter for iras galaxies .
this combined with @xmath158 leads to @xmath159 , smaller than the value derived from the cluster abundance data .
this would therefore reduce the weak lensing predictions presented in this paper .
however , analysis of mark iii catalog with potent gives a higher value of @xmath160 ( kolatt & dekel 1996 ) , so it seems prudent to adopt the cluster abundance normalization until the discrepancy in the velocity data is resolved .
based on the above discussion , a useful functional form for the density power spectrum is given by a cdm type transfer function with two free parameters , the amplitude @xmath161 and the shape parameter @xmath162 ( peacock & dodds 1996 ) .
this is the model that will be adopted in computing predictions of ellipticity polarizations for cluster - abundance normalization .
we shall use the fitting formulae in equations ( 47 - 49 ) of @xcite to compute @xmath16 as a function of @xmath8 their normalization is very close to the results of @xcite and pen ( 1996 ) , though a bit higher than that of @xcite . before proceeding with the results for @xmath38 we consider the contribution to the integral from different ranges in @xmath53 .
figure [ fig11 ] compares the contribution per logarithmic interval in wavenumber to @xmath163 and @xmath164 at @xmath138 , @xmath96 with the logarithmic contribution to @xmath165 , which is also an integral of the power spectrum over @xmath53 with a real space top - hat filter .
all the distributions are normalized so that they peak at unity .
one can see that the distribution of @xmath98 is broader and that of @xmath164 narrower than the corresponding @xmath165 distribution , but in general they sample very much the same scales .
thus the optimal statistic to use in order to compare the normalization @xmath16 with other tracers is @xmath164 , @xmath74 at @xmath166 , @xmath75 .
the comparison can then be made nearly independent of the shape of the power spectrum . we need to choose a redshift distribution for the source galaxies in order to compute @xmath38 . at present
this is spectroscopically known only for galaxies with magnitude in i below 23 ( lilly et al .
1996 ; cowie et al . 1996 ) , which have median redshift @xmath167 , while typical lensing observations reach several magnitudes deeper ( e.g. mould et al .
hst observations of abell 2218 coupled with cluster mass reconstruction indicate that the median redshift increases from @xmath168 at r=22 to @xmath169 at r=25 ( kneib et al .
there could however be a population even at redshift beyond 1 , as indicated by the detection of the shear around a @xmath170 cluster ( luppino & kaiser 1996 ) .
most of the results we present are for @xmath96 , but they can be adapted to any desired @xmath3 using the scalings of table 1 . for simplicity
we have assumed that all the galaxies are at the same distance .
this is the best possible case in the sense that it makes the distributions in @xmath53 space more narrow than for more realistic cases .
fortunately the difference between our results and those using a different , more realistic distribution of source galaxies with the same median redshift is usually very small ( kaiser 1992 , villumsen 1996 ) .
figure [ pvstheta1 ] shows the dependence of @xmath38 on @xmath17 for the three cosmological models , all with shape parameter @xmath127 , except for the @xmath61 cobe - normalized model .
the thick solid curve is for @xmath61 , the dashed curve for @xmath124 and the dotted curve for @xmath124 , @xmath171 .
the normalization chosen is ( a ) @xmath172 , ( b ) cluster - abundance , and ( c ) cobe . for the open and flat cobe models , we have used @xmath173 so that the value of @xmath174 and @xmath16 are reasonable .
the three cobe models are : flat , @xmath61 , tilted with @xmath175 , @xmath176 , @xmath177 ; open with @xmath173 , @xmath178 , @xmath179 ; flat , @xmath12model with @xmath173 , @xmath178 , @xmath180 ( bunn & white 1996 ) . since the @xmath12model chosen has a high @xmath16 , it turns out to have nearly the same @xmath38 prediction as the tilted @xmath61 model .
the thin solid curve is computed using the linear spectrum for the @xmath61 model . as expected from the results of figure [ ratio ]
, it is only for @xmath144 that the linear and nonlinear curves start to coincide . for cluster - abundance normalization
, the amplitude of ellipticity correlations very weakly depends on the mean density for a reasonable range of @xmath8 .
the enhancement for low @xmath8 models from the growth and distance factors discussed in 2 nearly cancels out the @xmath181 dependence one might have expected from the term outside the integral in equation [ p ] . therefore one has to make subtler comparisons of the signal at small and large @xmath17 to break the degeneracy between @xmath16 and @xmath8 .
this was discussed above following equation ( [ scalings - lambda ] ) .
it indicates that comparing weak lensing measurements over different scales can more powerfully constrain @xmath8 than comparing the weak lensing amplitude with other tracers . for cobe normalization on the other hand
, a detection of the correlated ellipticity with reasonable error bars can immediately constrain the cosmological model in question , but of course there might still remain several different models which equally well fit the data . the effect of choice of statistic , shape of the power spectrum , and the redshift of source galaxies
is shown in figures [ pvssig ] and [ shape ] .
figure [ pvssig ] shows @xmath182 for the three cosmological models with cluster - abundance and cobe normalization as in figure [ pvstheta1 ] .
the curves for @xmath183 flatten at small @xmath17 more than the @xmath114 curves .
this is to be expected because @xmath114 integrates over all scales larger than @xmath184 ( where @xmath185 is the typical distance ) and so can only increase toward small scales . because there is little power on very small scales it eventually saturates ( this typically happens on subarcminute scales , keeton , kochanek & seljak 1996 ) .
the fourier space quantity @xmath164 on the other hand receives contributions only from scales smaller than @xmath186 and therefore decreases on very small scales for realistic power spectra .
the shape of the @xmath81 curve is very similar to that of @xmath98 , and for @xmath187 , @xmath81 is well approximated by @xmath188 .
figure [ shape ] compares @xmath38 for the @xmath189 cdm spectrum to the @xmath127 spectrum used in the rest of the figures .
the upper and lower set of curves are for @xmath190 and @xmath191 respectively .
since the @xmath189 spectrum has more power at small scales , it leads to a larger @xmath114 at small @xmath17 .
the curves cross around @xmath192 , but the difference is not large for @xmath193 .
figure [ zs ] shows the variation of @xmath194 with @xmath3 for @xmath138 and @xmath195 .
the models shown are the same as in the cluster - abundance normalized panel of figure [ pvstheta1 ] .
as shown in table 1 , @xmath25 increases with @xmath3 fastest for the @xmath12models .
so far we have only discussed the importance of nonlinear effects on the second order statistic , which as we have seen increases the signal above the values predicted by linear calculations .
nonlinear evolution however also changes the distribution function of correlated ellipticity or magnification .
in particular , the tails of distribution grow and become asymmetric , reflecting the nonlinear growth of perturbations into small and overdense objects .
this leads to a distribution of magnification which is skewed toward positive values .
such skewness is of interest for determining cosmological parameters by itself ( bernardeau et al .
1996 ) , but also affects the inference of cosmological parameters from the measurements of 2-point statistics . if the distribution of polarization at a given angular scale @xmath17 can be assumed to be normal distributed then the usual results from gaussian statistics apply .
for example a single measurement of polarization amplitude within a circular aperture has a rayleigh probability distribution @xmath196 , which has exponentially suppressed tail and from which the limits on cosmological parameters can be derived analytically .
several independent measurements can be easily combined and only a few observations suffice to obtain strong limits on cosmological parameters . if , on the other hand , the distribution is strongly non - gaussian so that the tails of distribution are important then one can not use these simple arguments to derive the limits and a larger set of measurements ( a `` fair sample '' ) is needed to sufficiently sample the tails so that the variance converges to a true value . at the same time , higher order statistics become easier to measure and can provide further tests of cosmological parameters . for measurements of density perturbations a simple criterion of where the nonlinear effects become important is @xmath197 , so for scales above @xmath198 mpc the universe is in the linear regime and gaussian statistic can be used . for smaller scales
nonlinear effects become important which leads to deviations from a normal distribution even if the initial field was gaussian . for projected quantities such as shear and magnification
the answer is not so simple .
the projection integrates over all the scales , so there will always be contribution from very small and thus very nonlinear scales . on the other hand , projection will reduce the deviations from a gaussian distribution because of the central limit theorem : if we sum over sufficiently large number of deflectors the final distribution will be a gaussian regardless of the probability distribution of individual deflectors .
we thus expect that the nonlinear effects will be more important for small angles and for bright ( nearby ) background galaxies . to obtain a more quantitative answer we calculated the skewness of local convergence @xmath199 using second order perturbation theory .
skewness for local convergence does not vanish as in the case of ellipticity ( bernardeau et al . 1996 ) .
the second moments of @xmath200 and @xmath114 are the same and so one may expect the higher order moments of convergence to be indicative of the nonlinear effects on the ellipticity distribution as well
. note that the quantity @xmath201 differs from the quantity @xmath202 used by bernardeau et al .
the latter is defined so that it is independent of the amplitude of power spectrum in the second order perturbation theory , while @xmath201 is a more useful variable to quantify the deviations from the gaussianity . as discussed in the appendix ,
second order perturbation theory should be approximately valid in the regime of interest here , between 1 to 1@xmath203 .
second order perturbation theory accurately estimates the skewness over a much wider range of scales than it does the variance . only on the smallest scales it underestimates the skewness , but typically not more than a factor of two , as shown by n - body simulations ( colombi , bouchet & hernquist 1996 ) . using the expressions derived in appendix
( see also bernardeau et al .
1996 ) we can compute the value of @xmath201 for any of the models discussed in this paper .
figure [ skew1 ] presents the distribution of @xmath201 as a function of @xmath17 for 3 different redshifts in 3 different models : flat model with @xmath204 , curvature and cosmological constant models , both with @xmath172 and @xmath205 ( this is very close to the cluster - abundance normalization ) . in all the models we use @xmath127 . for simplicity we will choose @xmath206 as the value where the distribution becomes non - gaussian . for background galaxies at @xmath207
we find that the distribution is non - gaussian even at @xmath208 in the flat model , where the polarization signal is only 0.25% . at @xmath96 and
@xmath190 the corresponding values are @xmath209 and @xmath210 .
for curvature and cosmological constant dominated models the non - gaussian effects are even more important because of higher normalization at @xmath15mpc , although the effect is offset by the longer radial distance to a given redshift .
the conclusion is that in most of the observationally interesting regime the nongaussian effects will be quite important .
while this complicates the issue of how large a fair sample should be , it also implies that skewness will be fairly easy to measure with a reasonably small sample . because @xmath211 depends sensitively on @xmath8 but not on the amplitude of the power spectrum ( bernardeau et al . 1996 ) this test may become a promising way to determine @xmath8 .
the analytical approach presented above provides only a limited view of the properties of ellipticity distribution .
for example , such an analysis can not answer whether skewness is produced by a few outlying points generated by rare clusters , in which case a rather large sample would be needed to sample these properly . for a quantitative estimate of what constitutes a fair sample for measuring the variance
requires therefore knowledge of at least the fourth moment .
such estimates of a fair sample for measuring the second and third moment can be made more directly by examining the distribution of correlated ellipticities in n - body simulations ( wambsganss , cen & ostriker 1996 ) .
weak gravitational lensing has several advantages over other probes of large scale structure .
it is directly sensitive to the underlying mass distribution and is therefore independent of biasing , which has plagued many of the cosmological tests based on the distribution of galaxies .
while peculiar velocities in principle similarly probe the dark matter distribution directly , in practice they suffer because of large observational errors and various biases associated with these .
this is the main reason why higher order statistics of velocity fields have not provided strong constraints on cosmological models .
gravitational lensing could provide a much cleaner way of performing power spectrum and higher order statistical tests , provided that one can overcome observational difficulties and reach the 1% level of polarization , quite feasible with the new generation of composite ccd cameras .
for a filled survey with an area @xmath212 and @xmath213 measured galaxies the noise variance in @xmath74 is given by @xmath214 , where @xmath215 is the typical intrinsic shear for a single galaxy .
although one has to average over sufficient number of galaxies to reach this level of signal , this is not a severe limitation for sufficiently deep exposures with several hundred thousand galaxies per square degree , so on degree scales the signal to noise is of the order of 100 ( kaiser 1996 ; fig .
[ sn ] ) and in fact sampling variance ( finite number of independent areas of size @xmath216 ) is more important than noise on large angles . on smaller scales the noise increases ( proportional to @xmath217 ) , but the signal also increases nearly as rapidly , so that the overall signal to noise remains approximately flat down to @xmath136 scales in open and cosmological constant models and slowly decreases in flat models ( fig .
[ sn ] ) . based on this
it appears there should be sufficient power present in a survey of this size to measure the signal even on arcminute scales with a high statistical accuracy , so a comparison between small and large scales to constrain @xmath8 would indeed be feasible , provided that the systematic effects can be kept under control .
the other limitation at present is that the redshift distribution of background galaxies is unknown beyond @xmath218 ( lilly et al .
1996 ; cowie et al . 1996 ) .
new observations with keck will be able to extend this spectroscopically up to @xmath219 ( e.g. lowenthal et al .
1996 ) and even beyond , if spectra of magnified arcs are measured .
in addition , weak lensing on high redshift clusters can be used to constrain the redshift distribution of faint galaxies without measuring their redshifts , although at present there appears to be some controversy over whether the faintest galaxies are predominantly around or below @xmath62 ( kneib et al .
1995 ) or above that ( luppino & kaiser 1996 ) .
finally , the best hope to constrain their redshift distribution may lie in the photometric redshifts technique ( conolly et al .
1995 ; sawicki , lin & yee 1996 ) .
this would allow one to perform such precision tests as the growth of power spectrum with redshift , needed to estimate the value of @xmath11 .
for example , based on hubble deep field observations , sawicki et al .
1996 find that the redshift distribution of @xmath220 galaxies is bimodal , with a large contribution of ( predominantly blue ) galaxies between redshifts 2 - 3 , while at @xmath221 most of the galaxies are below @xmath62 . in both cases
the weak lensing signal to noise with these limiting magnitudes would be comparable to the one in fig .
[ sn ] , so in principle by comparing the signals in the two magnitude bins it would be straightforward to deduce the value of @xmath11 .
the caveat is that the faintest galaxies in hdf appear to be very irregular and small , so it is not clear whether weak lensing analysis from the ground could be performed on these objects .
while more investigation is needed along these lines , there appears to be a real promise of measuring cosmological parameters with future weak lensing observations .
we have analyzed theoretical predictions for weak lensing ellipticity correlations over a broad range of angles and for a variety of cosmological models .
our principal conclusions are the following : \a ) the amplitude of the rms ellipticity varies between 4 - 6% on arcminute scales to 0.5 - 1% on degree scales for background galaxies at @xmath96 and grows as @xmath222 . in this range the amplitude only weakly depends on the value of cosmological parameters if cluster abundance ( or velocity flows ) normalization is adopted .
a single measurement of weak lensing amplitude on @xmath223 will provide a determination of @xmath224 which can be compared with the cluster - abundance or velocity flow predictions . because these tracers all scale similarly with @xmath8 this will not provide an independent determination of @xmath8 , for which a more complicated analysis will be needed .
\b ) nonlinear effects are important for second order statistics on scales below @xmath225 and enhance the signal expected from linear theory .
this enhancement can be up to a factor of two on arcminute scales . from this
it follows that the signal to noise does not decrease as rapidly on small scales as expected from linear theory and is in fact approximately flat in certain models from arcminute to degree scales ( see figure [ sn ] ) .
therefore measurements over this whole angular range should be pursued , especially since they provide complementary information .
the interpretation of cosmological models is more cleanly addressed on large angular scales , where nonlinear effects are negligible and the distribution function is primordial .
small angular scales can provide insight on the nonlinear evolution of perturbations .
if our current understanding of the latter is correct then combining measurements on large and small angular scales will help break the degeneracy between the cosmological parameters , because of different scalings in the linear and nonlinear regimes .
the ellipticity on small angles measures @xmath226 , on large angles it measures @xmath227 , while the variation with @xmath3 can constrain @xmath11 .
thus , to obtain model independent measurements of the cosmological parameters it is necessary to measure the signal over a range of angles and source redshifts .
\c ) nonlinear effects on the distribution of ellipticity are significant on scales below @xmath209 and imply that gaussian statistics can not be applied to the data .
this means that a larger sample will be required to measure second order statistics than expected from a gaussian distribution .
conversely , skewness and other higher moments will be easy to measure and may provide a strong test of cosmological parameters independent of the tests above . in conclusion ,
weak lensing has the promise to become the next testing ground for cosmological theories .
the expected signal to noise is above unity over a large range of angles and limiting magnitudes .
this should allow one to test sensitively the spectrum of density perturbations and its evolution in time , in both the linear and the nonlinear regimes .
is very grateful to jens villumsen for initiating his interest in weak lensing , and to him and richhild moessner for useful discussions .
we thank bernard fort , nick kaiser , chris kochanek , yannick mellier , stella seitz , simon white , and especially peter schneider for stimulating discussions .
we thank the referee for suggestions which helped improve the paper and led to the addition of figure 8 .
in this appendix we present a general description of lensing in a weakly perturbed universe .
the derivation presented here follows seljak ( 1995 , 1996 ) and differs from recent derivations in bernardeau et al .
( 1996 ) and kaiser ( 1996 ) in that it employs a global description of photon trajectories .
the geometrical interpretation requires only knowledge of spherical trigonometry and it is thus particularly simple to derive the general weak lensing expressions .
moreover , it can easily be generalized beyond weak lensing approximation or small deflection angles .
the framework is a perturbed robertson - walker with small - amplitude metric fluctuations .
we will only consider scalar perturbations here , in which case the metric in the longitudinal gauge can be written using conformal time @xmath228 and comoving coordinates @xmath229 as @xmath230 here @xmath231 is the scale factor expressed in terms of conformal time .
we will adopt units such that @xmath232 .
we set the two scalar potentials to be equal , which is a good approximation in the matter dominated epoch .
the space part of the background metric can be written as @xmath233 where @xmath234 is the curvature term which can be expressed using the present density parameter @xmath235 ( only the present day density parameter will be used in this paper , hence we may drop the subscript 0 ) and the present hubble parameter @xmath236 as @xmath237 .
the relation between the radial distance @xmath29 and the redshift @xmath64 can be obtained from the friedmann equation , @xmath238 , where @xmath239 is the expansion factor and the densities of matter , cosmological constant and curvature are expressed in terms of the critical density .
the density parameter @xmath235 can have contributions from mass density @xmath240 or vacuum energy density @xmath241 , @xmath242 .
the advantage of using the conformal time @xmath228 is that the metric becomes conformally euclidean ( @xmath243 ) , 3-sphere ( @xmath244 ) or 3-hyperboloid ( @xmath245 ) and leads to a simple geometrical description of light propagation . in an unperturbed universe a photon emitted from a source toward
the observer will travel along a null geodesic in the radial direction with a radial position given by @xmath246 . adding a perturbation changes the photon trajectory .
the change in photon direction is governed by the space part of the geodesic equation , which applied to the metric ( equation [ metric ] ) gives @xmath247 where the symbol @xmath248 denotes the transverse derivative of potential .
null geodesics obey @xmath249 , from which follows the relation @xmath250 . here
@xmath28 can be interpreted as the newtonian potential , since on scales smaller than the horizon it obeys the cosmological poisson equation .
it can be viewed as providing a force deflecting the photons and affecting their travel time while they propagate through the unperturbed space - time .
equation ( [ dndl ] ) is a generalization of einstein s deflection angle formula and includes the well - known factor of 2 difference compared to newtonian gravity .
even when metric perturbations are present , one can continue to parameterize the geodesic with the unperturbed comoving radial distance @xmath29 .
the deflection angle at a given position @xmath29 can be calculated using a locally flat coordinate system , which allows a plane wave expansion for the potential @xmath28 , provided that the longest correlation length is small compared to the curvature length ( this condition is well satisfied for the power spectrum in our universe ) .
the effect of the deflection angle on the photon transverse position must however include the curvature effects . in practice
this means that one only needs to know how to solve triangles using the spherical , euclidean or hyperboloid trigonometry ( figure [ fig_appb ] ) . because the only observable photon direction is that at the observer s position we will propagate photons relative to their final direction ( i.e. backwards in time ) .
we will also adopt a small deflection angle approximation , because one does not expect large deflection angles due to the lensing , but the expressions can be generalized to remove this restriction . in this approximation the transverse derivatives in equation ( [ dndl ] ) can be approximated with the transverse derivatives with respect to the observed direction of the photon or with respect to any other fiducial direction that has a small angular separation with the photon ( for example the unperturbed direction to the source ) . in this plane approximation
the observed photon direction @xmath251 can be described with a two - dimensional angle @xmath252 with respect to the fiducial direction , @xmath253 .
suppose a photon is observed at an angle @xmath252 relative to some fiducial position .
as it propagates through the universe the photon is additionally deflected according to equation ( [ dndl ] ) ( see figure [ fig_appb ] ) .
this leads to the transverse photon excursion @xmath254 relative to the unperturbed line . from euclidean ,
spherical or hyperboloid trigonometry one finds that an individual deflection by @xmath255 at @xmath256 leads to an excursion at @xmath29 given by @xmath257 .
the total excursion is given by an integral over individual deflections , @xmath258 because of gravitational lensing the `` true '' surface brightness ( i.e. the surface brightness one would see in the absence of any lensing ) at position @xmath33 is mapped into the observed one , @xmath259 , where @xmath260 is the angular deflection of a photon caused by intervening mass , which follows from equation ( [ xperp ] ) @xmath261 while the deflection @xmath260 is not directly observable , its gradient is , through the stretching and magnification of distant galaxies .
this is described by the two - dimensional shear tensor defined in equation ( [ shear ] ) . to compute it
we expand the potential in equation ( [ dtheta ] ) across two neighboring rays separated at the observer by @xmath262 using the _ unperturbed _ separation @xmath263 .
this approximation assumes that the components of shear tensor @xmath264 are small ( kaiser 1992 ) , or , similarly , that the relative deflection between the neighboring rays is small compared to the unperturbed separation .
this is the so - called weak lensing approximation .
the shear tensor can be diagonalized and decomposed into its trace @xmath265 and ellipticity ( or polarization ) @xmath266 given by @xmath267 while trace @xmath268 magnifies ( or demagnifies ) the images of galaxies , ellipticity @xmath24 stretches the images and can be observed by averaging over a sufficient number of galaxies so that the noise caused by the intrinsic ellipticity of galaxies becomes smaller than the signal .
the simplest average is the one within a circular window of radius @xmath17 , which can be written in fourier space as @xmath269 we decomposed the wavevector into the radial component @xmath270 and the 2-dimensional transverse component @xmath271 with the amplitude @xmath272 .
we introduced the variables @xmath273 , where @xmath274 is the azimuthal angle of @xmath271 .
the integral over @xmath275 can be readily performed to give @xmath276 where @xmath41 .
we may now employ the small angle approximation ( limber 1956 ) , which is valid in the limit where the radial window function is broad compared to the typical wavelength that contributes to the integral . in this limit
only the modes perpendicular to the radial direction will contribute to the integral , all the others being suppressed because of cancellation of positive and negative fluctuations along the line of sight .
this allows one to put @xmath277 . with this approximation one
obtains for rms ellipticity amplitude @xmath278 @xmath279 ensemble average can be expressed in terms of power spectrum of potential @xmath280 or density @xmath281 , @xmath282 where power spectrum @xmath283 and expansion factor @xmath19 depend on time . integrating over the dirac @xmath284 function and over the radial component of wavevector
we finally obtain equation ( [ p ] ) , which gives the rms amplitude of polarization .
the same expression can also be used for rms amplitude of magnification @xmath200 .
the rms amplitude for each of the two ellipticity components is simply @xmath285 of the total . because skewness of ellipticity vanishes for symmetry reasons we will use skewness of local convergence as an estimate of the nongaussian nature of ellipticity distribution . calculating it proceeds along the same lines as for the variance ( bernardeau 1995 ) .
it is defined as an ensemble average of the third moment of the mean magnification , @xmath286 ^ 3 \right\rangle.\ ] ] in linear theory the 3-point correlation function vanishes , so one needs to go beyond the linear approximation to obtain a nonvanishing value . in second order perturbation theory the density field is given by @xmath287.\end{aligned}\ ] ] note that the time dependence is all in the growth factors of @xmath288 , which is calculated using linear theory ( neglecting the extremely weak dependence of @xmath289 on @xmath235 , bouchet et al .
ensemble averaging of skewness gives 6 identical terms , which after integrating over the radial wavevectors leads to the following expression , @xmath290 the integrals can be further simplified using similar manipulations as in bernardeau ( 1995 ) , which leads to the expression ( see also bernardeau et al .
1996 ) @xmath291 .
\label{skew}\end{aligned}\ ] ] this expression was used in 4 to evaluate the importance of nonlinear evolution on the distribution function of polarization .
several approximations have been employed in obtaining the result above , which limit its validity .
second order perturbation theory results are only valid in the domain where density perturbations are not much larger than unity , so on very small scales a more involved calculation would be needed .
however , these corrections are typically not more than a factor of two . because our purpose is to estimate at which scale
the nongaussian effects become important second order perturbation theory suffices . another approximation is the use of small angle approximation , which leads to corrections on angular scales above @xmath209 ( bernardeau 1995 ) . in the regime of main interest for us , which is between @xmath292
this is not an important correction .
finally , expression ( [ skew ] ) neglects the deviation of the photon trajectory from the unperturbed path , which also contributes at the second order .
this correction is less important than the main term used in equation ( [ skew ] ) and can be neglected ( bernardeau et al .
1996 ) .
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Why is hypophosphorous acid (H3PO2) a strong reducing agent?
Why is [hypophosphorous acid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypophosphorous_acid) $(\ce{H3PO2})$ a strong reducing agent? the oxidation state of phosphorous in $\ce{H3PO2}$ is $+5$, as hydrogen and oxygen both are more electronegative than phosphorous, and phosphorous can never increase its oxidation state to more than $+5$, so how can it be a strong reducing agent?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/78rkS.png)
If you render the oxidation state of hypophosphorous as +5, then the electrons in the phosphorous-hydrogen bonds are attributed to the hydrogen atoms in those bonds. You can do that, but then the hydrogen atoms involved have oxidation state -1 not +1. So the reducing action of hypophosphorous acid is attributed to the negative oxidation state hydrogens.
The oxidation state of phosphorus in H3PO4 is indeed +5, but in this case you have only 2 and not 4 oxygens. This means that your P is only +1. The reason it's a reducing is because that P really wants to "become" +5.
Oscar Lanzi in his answer suggests that you can assume the H is H-, but this introduces a complication of this being a hydride, and these are not usually stable in solution. Note that this distinction is artificial. Eventually, this is all covalently bonded and the use oxidation numbers suggests ionic bonding.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
In mathematics, a minimal K-type is a representation of a maximal compact subgroup K of a semisimple Lie group G that is in some sense the smallest representation of K occurring in a Harish-Chandra module of G. Minimal K-types were introduced by as part of an algebraic description of the Langlands classification.
References
Category:Representation theory | wikipedia |
on may 7 , 2012 , a remarkable article appeared in _ physical review letters_. @xcite the author , masud mansuripur , claimed to offer incontrovertible theoretical evidence of the incompatibility of the lorentz [ force ] law with the fundamental tenets of special relativity , " and concluded that the lorentz law must be abandoned . "
the lorentz law , @xmath0\ ] ] tells us the force * f * on a charge @xmath1 moving with velocity * v * through electric and magnetic fields * e * and * b*. together with maxwell s equations , it is the foundation on which all of classical electrodynamics rests .
if it is incorrect , 150 years of theoretical physics is in serious jeopardy .
such a provocative proposal was bound to attract attention . _
@xcite published a full - page commentary , and within days several rebuttals were posted .
@xcite critics pointed out that since the lorentz force law can be embedded in a manifestly covariant formulation of electrodynamics , it is guaranteed to be consistent with special relativity,@xcite and and some of them identified the specific source of mansuripur s error : neglect of hidden momentum . "
nearly a year later _ physical review letters _ published four rebuttals , @xcite and _ science _ printed a follow - up article declaring the purported relativity paradox resolved . "
@xcite mansuripur s argument is based on a paradox " that was explored in this journal by victor namias and others @xcite many years ago : a magnetic dipole moving through an electric field can experience a torque , with no accompanying rotation . in section ii
we introduce mansuripur s version of the paradox , in simplified form , and explain namias s resolution .
the latter is based on a gilbert " model of the dipole ( separated magnetic monopoles ) ; it does not work for the ( realistic ) ampre " model ( a current loop ) . for amperian dipoles
the resolution involves
hidden " momentum , so in section iii we discuss the physical nature of this often - misunderstood phenomenon . mansuripur himself treated the dipole as the point limit of a magnetized object , so in section iv we repeat the calculations in that context ( for both models ) , and confirm our earlier results . in section
v we discuss the einstein
laub force law , which mansuripur proposed as a replacement for the lorentz law , and in section vi we offer some comments and conclusions .
-.2in[.7 ] ) and magnetic dipole ( * m * ) in proper ( primed ) and lab ( unprimed ) frames.,title="fig : " ] -.3 in first the paradox : in @xmath2 ( the proper " frame ) there is an ideal magnetic dipole @xmath3 at @xmath4 , and a point charge @xmath1 at the origin , both at rest .
the torque on * m * is ( obviously ) zero .
now examine the same configuration in @xmath5 ( the lab " frame ) , with respect to which @xmath2 moves at constant speed @xmath6 in the @xmath7 direction ( fig . 1 ) . in @xmath5
the ( moving ) point charge generates electric and magnetic fields @xmath8 ( @xmath9 , @xmath10 ) , and the ( moving ) magnetic dipole acquires an electric dipole moment @xcite @xmath11 the torque on the dipole is @xmath12 ( by lorentz transformation , @xmath13 ; the magnetic contribution is zero , because * b * vanishes on the @xmath7 axis ) .
the torque is zero in one inertial frame , but _
non_-zero in the other !
mansuripur concludes that the lorentz force law ( on which eq . 5 is predicated ) is inconsistent with special relativity .
-.2in[.7 ] -.7 in this paradox " was resolved years ago by victor namias .
@xcite the standard torque formulas ( @xmath14 and @xmath15 ) apply to dipoles _ at rest _ , but they do not hold , in general , for dipoles in motion .
suppose we model the magnetic dipole as separated monopoles ( fig .
the lorentz force law " for a magnetic monopole @xmath16 reads @xcite @xmath17,\ ] ] so the torque @xcite on a moving dipole @xmath18 is @xmath19 but @xmath20 , so @xmath21 there is a third term , missing in eq . 5 , which ( it is easy to check ) exactly cancels the offending torque ; the net torque is zero in both frames .
namias believed that his formula ( eq . 7 ) applies just as well to an ampre dipole as it does to a gilbert dipole .
he was mistaken .
an ampre dipole in an electric field carries hidden " momentum , @xcite @xmath22 because it is crucial in understanding the resolution to mansuripur s paradox , we pause to review the derivation of this formula , in a simple model .
imagine a rectangular loop of wire carrying a steady current .
picture the current as a stream of noninteracting positive charges that move freely within the wire .
@xcite when a uniform electric field * e * is applied ( fig .
3 ) , the charges accelerate up the left segment , and decelerate down the right one . _
question : _ what is the total momentum of all the charges in the loop ?
the left and right segments cancel , so we need only consider the top and bottom .
say there are @xmath23 charges in the top segment , going to the right at speed @xmath24 , and @xmath25 charges in the lower segment , going at ( slower ) speed @xmath26 to the left .
the _ current _ ( @xmath27 ) is the same in all four segments ( otherwise charge would be piling up somewhere ) .
thus @xmath28 where @xmath1 is the charge of each particle , and @xmath29 is the length of the rectangle . _ classically , _ the momentum of a single particle is @xmath30 , where @xmath31 is its mass , so the total momentum ( to the right ) is @xmath32 as one would certainly expect ( after all , the loop as a whole is not moving ) .
but _ relativistically _ the momentum of a particle is @xmath33 , and we get @xmath34 which is _ not _ zero , because the particles in the upper segment are moving faster .
in fact , the gain in energy ( @xmath35 ) , as a particle goes up the left side , is equal to the work done by the electric force , @xmath36 , where @xmath37 is the height of the rectangle , so @xmath38 now @xmath39 is the magnetic dipole moment of the loop ; as vectors , * m * points into the page and * p * is to the right , so @xmath40 this is the hidden " momentum in eq .
-1.05in[.8 ] -.5 in the term hidden momentum " was coined by shockley ; @xcite it was an unfortunate choice .
the phenomenon itself was first studied in the context of static electromagnetic systems with nonzero field momentum ( @xmath41 ) . in such configurations
the hidden momentum exactly cancels the field momentum ( @xmath42 ) , leaving a total of zero , as required by the center of energy theorem . "
@xcite this has created the impression that hidden momentum is something artificial and ad hoc invented simply to rescue an abstract theorem .
@xcite nothing could be farther from the truth .
hidden momentum is perfectly ordinary relativistic mechanical momentum , as the example above indicates ; it occurs in systems with internally moving parts , such as current - carrying loops , and it is hidden " only in the sense that it not associated with motion of the object as a whole .
a _ gilbert _
dipole in an electric field , having no moving parts , harbors _ no _ hidden momentum ( and the fields with the crucial delta - function term in * b * included carry no compensating momentum ) . @xcite returning to the configuration in fig . 1 , the hidden momentum in @xmath2 is @xmath43 = -\frac{qm_0}{4\pi\epsilon_0 c^2d^2}\,\jhat.\ ] ] because @xmath44 is perpendicular to * v * , and transverse components are unaffected by lorentz transformations , this is also the hidden momentum in @xmath45 .
it is constant ( in time ) , so there is no associated force .
but the hidden _ angular _ momentum , @xmath46 is _ not _ constant ( in the lab frame ) , because * r * is changing .
in fact , @xmath47 this increase in angular momentum requires a torque , @xmath48 and this is precisely what we found in eq .
recapitulating : _ in the gilbert model there is an extra term in the torque formula ( eq . 7 ) ; the total torque is zero , there is no hidden angular momentum , and nothing rotates . in the ampre model
there is no third term in the torque formula ( eq .
5)@xcite ; the torque is _ not _ zero , and drives the increasing hidden angular momentum but still nothing rotates.@xcite it helps to separate the angular momentum into two types : overt " ( associated with actual rotation ) and hidden " ( so called because it is _ not _ associated with any overt rotation of the object ) .
torque is the rate of change of the _ total _ angular momentum : @xmath49 in both models @xmath50 . in the gilbert model *
n * and @xmath51 are also zero ; in the ampre model they are equal but non - zero .
it is of interest to see how this plays out in mansuripur s formulation of the problem .
he treats the dipole as magnetized medium , and calculates the torque directly from the lorentz force law , without invoking @xmath14 or @xmath15 . in the proper frame
, he takes @xmath52 now , * m * and * p * constitute an antisymmetric second - rank tensor : @xmath53 and the transformation rule is @xcite @xmath54 ( for motion in the @xmath7 direction ) . in the present case , then , the polarization and magnetization in the lab " frame are @xmath55 according to the lorentz law , the force density is @xmath56 where @xmath57 is the bound charge density and @xmath58 is the sum of the polarization current and the bound current density . using eqs . 2 , 3 , 21 , and 22 ,
we obtain @xmath59 ( where a prime denotes the derivative ) . the net force on the dipole
is @xmath60\bigg|_{y=0}\,\khat = { \bf 0}.\ ] ] meanwhile , the torque density is @xmath61 so the net torque on the dipole is @xmath62\right\}\bigg|_{y=0}\,\ihat\nonumber\\ & = & \frac{qm_0v}{4\pi\epsilon_0 c^2d^2}\,\ihat,\end{aligned}\ ] ] confirming eq .
this is the torque required to account for the increase in hidden angular momentum .
what if we run mansuripur s calculation for a dipole made out of magnetic monopoles ?
the bound charge , bound current , and magnetization current are @xcite @xmath63 so the force density on the magnetic dipole ( again invoking eqs . 2 , 3 , 21 , and 22 ) is@xcite @xmath64 the total force is again zero , but this time so too is the torque density ( @xmath65 ) , and hence the total torque . as before ,
the torque is zero in the gilbert model and there is no hidden angular momentum .
having concluded that the lorentz force law is unacceptable , mansuripur proposes to replace eq . 24 with an expression based on the einstein
laub law : @xcite @xmath66\,\jhat.\end{aligned}\ ] ] the total force on the dipole still vanishes : @xmath67\bigg|_{z - vt = d/\gamma}\right\}\nonumber\\ & = & { \bf 0}.\end{aligned}\ ] ] the torque density should be @xmath68 : @xmath69\,\ihat,\end{aligned}\ ] ] giving a total torque @xmath70\right\}\nonumber\\ & = & -\frac{m_0qv}{4\pi\epsilon_0 c^2 d^2}\,\ihat\end{aligned}\ ] ] ( the derivative is again evaluated at @xmath71 ) .
it s not zero ! in fact , it s _ minus _ the lorentz " torque , eq .
but mansuripur argues that , to guarantee the conservation of angular momentum , [ eq .
32 ] must be supplemented " @xmath72 in our case the extra terms are @xmath73 and their contribution to the total torque is @xmath74\,dx\,dy\,dz = \frac{m_0qv}{4\pi\epsilon_0 c^2d^2}\,\ihat,\ ] ] which is just right to cancel eq .
33 , yielding a net torque of zero ( which mansuripur takes to be the correct answer ) . what are we to make of this argument ?
in the first place , the einstein laub force density was derived assuming that the medium is at rest,@xcite which in this case it is not .
more important , the magnetization terms implicitly assume a gilbert model for the magnetic dipole : @xmath75 as long as the magnetization is localized , the first two terms yield vanishing surface integrals , @xcite leaving @xmath76 $ ] for the net force density on the object , the same as in the gilbert model ( eq . 29 ) . @xcite there may be some contexts in which the einstein
laub force law is valid and useful , but this is not one of them .
mansuripur is quite explicit in writing that the magnetic dipole he has in mind is a small , charge neutral loop of current , " which is to say , an ampre dipole .
the resolution of mansuripur s paradox " depends on the model for the magnetic dipole : * if it is a gilbert dipole ( made from magnetic monopoles ) , the third term in namias s formula ( eq . 7 ) supplies the missing torque . in mansuripur s formulation ( using a polarizable medium ) , it comes from a correct accounting of the bound charge / current ( eq . 28 ) .
the net torque is zero in the lab frame , just as it is in the proper frame . *
if it is an ampre dipole ( an electric current loop ) , the third term in namias s equation is absent , and the torque on the dipole is _ not _ zero .
it is , however , just right to account for the increasing hidden angular momentum in the dipole .
we thank kirk mcdonald , daniel vanzella , and daniel cross for useful correspondence .
vh coauthored this paper in his private capacity ; no official support or endorsement by the centers for disease control and prevention is intended or should be inferred .
99 m. mansuripur , trouble with the lorentz law of force : incompatibility with special relativity and momentum conservation , " phys .
lett . * 108 * , 193901(4 ) ( 2012 ) .
a. cho , textbook electrodynamics may contradict relativity , " science * 336 * , 404 ( 2012 )
. k. t. mcdonald , mansuripur s paradox , " @xmath77 www.physics.princeton.edu/@xmath78mcdonald/examples/mansuripur.pdf@xmath79 ( 14 pp ) ; d. a. t. vanzella , comment on ` trouble with the lorentz law of force , ' " e - print arxiv:1205.1502 ( 2 pp ) ; d. j. cross , resolution of the mansuripur paradox , " e - print arxiv:1205:5451 ( 3 pp ) ; p. l. saldanha , comment on ` trouble with the lorentz law of force , ' " e - print arxiv:1205:6858 ( 2 pp ) ; d. j. griffiths and v. hnizdo , comment on ` trouble with the lorentz law of force , ' " e - print arxiv:1205.4646 ( 3 pp ) .
later critiques include k. a. milton and g. meille , electromagnetic angular momentum and relativity , " e - print arxiv:1208:4826 ( 4 pp ) ; f. de zela , comment on ` trouble with the lorentz law of force , ' " e - print arxiv:1210.7344 ( 2 pp ) ; t. m. boyer , examples and comments related to relativity controversies , " am .
j. phys .
* 80 * , 962 - 971 ( 2012 ) ; a. l. kholmetskii , o. v. missevitch , and t. yarman , torque on a moving electric / magnetic dipole , " prog
. elecromagnetics research b , * 45 * , 83 - 99 ( 2012 ) .
see also m. mansuripur ,
trouble with the lorentz law of force : response to critics , " proc .
spie , * 8455 * , 845512 ( 2012 ) .
the details are worked out in cross and vanzella ( ref .
d. a. t. vanzella,comment on ` trouble with the lorentz law of force : incompatibility with special relativity and momentum conservation , ' " phys .
110 * , 089401 - 1 ( 2013 ) ; and , under the same title , s. m. barnett , phys . rev . lett . * 110 * , 089402 - 1 ( 2013 ) ; p. l. saldanha , phys . rev .
110 * , 089403 - 1 - 2 ( 2013 ) ; m. khorrami , phys .
lett . * 110 * , 089404 - 1 ( 2013 ) .
paradox lost , " science * 339 * , 496 ( 2013 ) ; a. cho , purported relativity paradox resolved , " @xmath77http://scim.ag / lorpara@xmath79 ( 2013 ) .
mansuripur himself does not accept this verdict , though he does appear to have softened his assertions somewhat : m. mansuripur , mansuripur replies , " phys . rev . lett . *
110 * , 089405 - 1 ( 2013 ) . v. namias , electrodynamics of moving dipoles : the case of the missing torque , " am
. j. phys .
* 57 * , 171 - 177 ( 1989 ) ; d. bedford and p. krumm , on the origin of magnetic dynamics , " am . j. phys . *
54 * , 1036 - 1039 ( 1986 ) .
see , for instance , v. hnizdo , magnetic dipole moment of a moving electric dipole , " am . j. phys . *
80 * , 645 - 647 ( 2012 ) .
see , for example , d. j. griffiths , _ introduction to electrodynamics _
( pearson , boston , 2013 ) , eq . 7.69 .
we calculate all torques ( in the lab frame ) with respect to the origin .
but because the net force on the dipole is zero in all cases , it does not matter we could as well use _ any _ fixed point , including the ( instantaneous ) position of the dipole .
w. shockley and r. p. james ,
` try simplest cases ' discovery of ` hidden momentum ' forces on ` magnetic currents , ' " phys .
lett . * 18 * , 876 - 879 ( 1967 ) ; w. h. furry , examples of momentum distributions in the electromagnetic field and in matter , " am . j. phys . *
37 * , 621 - 636 ( 1969 ) ; l. vaidman , torque and force on a magnetic dipole , " am . j. phys . * 58 * , 978 - 983 ( 1990 ) ; v. hnizdo , conservation of linear and angular momentum and the interaction of a moving charge with a magnetic dipole , " am .
j. phys . *
60 * , 242 - 246 ( 1992 ) ; v. hnizdo , hidden mechanical momentum and the field momentum in stationary electromagnetic and gravitational systems , " am . j. phys .
* 65 * , 515 - 518 ( 1997 ) .
this is of course an unrealistic model for an actual current - carrying wire .
vaidman ( ref .
11 ) explores more plausible models , but the result is unchanged .
if the center of energy of a closed system is at rest , the total momentum of the system must be zero .
see , for example , s. coleman and j. h. van vleck , origin of ` hidden momentum forces ' on magnets , " phys .
rev . * 171 * , 1370 - 1375 ( 1968 ) ; m. g. calkin , linear momentum of the source of a static electromagnetic field , " am .
j. phys .
* 39 * , 513 - 516 ( 1971 ) .
mansuripur variously calls hidden momentum an absurdity " ( m. mansuripur , resolution of the abraham - minkowski controversy , " opt . commun . * 283 * , 1997 - 2005 ( 2010 ) , p. 1999 ) , a problem " to be solved " ( ref . 1 ) and as applied to magnetic materials an unnecessary burden " ( ref . 6 ) .
d. j. griffiths ,
dipoles at rest , " am .
j. phys .
* 60 * , 979 - 987 ( 1992 )
. the magnetic field of a point dipole is @xmath80 + \alpha \mu_0{\bf m}\delta^3({\bf r}),$ ] where @xmath81 for ampre dipoles and @xmath82 for gilbert dipoles .
the delta function term leads , for example , to hyperfine splitting in the ground state of hydrogen , and provides experimental confirmation that the proton is an ampre dipole .
we do not know a simple way to prove this directly , but we will confirm it implicitly in section iv .
this is certainly not the first time such issues have arisen .
how can there be a torque in the lab frame , when there is none in the proper frame ?
see j. d. jackson , torque or no torque ?
simple charged particle motion observed in different inertial frames , " am .
j. phys . * 72 * , 1484 - 1487 ( 2004 ) .
how can there be a torque , with no accompanying rotation ?
see d. g. jensen , the paradox of the l - shaped object , " am .
j. phys .
* 57 * , 553 - 555 ( 1989 ) .
see , for instance , ref .
the minus sign in @xmath83 is due to the switched sign in ampre s law " for magnetic monopoles ( see ref . 9 , eq . 7.44 ) .
note that in eq .
28 ( and hence also eq .
29 ) , * m * and * p * are the densities of the dipole moments of magnetic monopoles and magnetic - monopole currents , respectively .
there is some dispute as to the correct form of the lorentz force law for magnetic monopoles in the presence of polarizable and magnetizable materials , but not when ( as here ) the polarization / magnetization is itself due to monopoles .
see k. t. mcdonald , poynting s theorem with magnetic monopoles , " ( 11 pp ) , @xmath77http://puhep1.princeton.edu/@xmath78mcdonald / examples / poynting.pdf@xmath79 ( 2013 ) .
a. einstein and j. laub , ber die i m elektromagnetischen felde auf ruhende krper ausgebten ponderomotorischen krfte , " ann .
( leipzig ) * 26 * , 541550 ( 1908 ) ; english translation in _ the collected papers of albert einstein _ , vol . 2 ( princeton university press , princeton , nj , 1989 ) .
in evaluating the force , mansuripur uses the field @xmath84 due to @xmath1 ( see eq . 12b in ref . 1 ) ; his @xmath85 is our * b * ( eq . 3 ) .
the @xmath86th component of the second term is @xmath87 .
b. d. h. tellegen , magnetic - dipole models , " am .
* 30 * , 650652 ( 1962 ) .
tellegen s force ( 6 ) , which assumes a gilbert magnetic dipole , can be obtained by integrating the magnetization - dependent terms in the einstein
laub force density in which it is assumed that @xmath88 .
another derivation of the force on a gilbert magnetic dipole is by a. d. yaghjian , electromagnetic forces on point dipoles , " ieee anten .
soc . symp .
* 4 * , 28682871 ( 1999 ) . | arxiv |
Naruto, Percy Jackson and the Olympians Link to reading at Wattpad
Look at the summary please this is for my reading NPU.
End file.
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this investigation is based on the esther study , an ongoing cohort study including 9,949 subjects , 5074 years of age at baseline .
study participants were recruited by their general practitioners during a routine health check - up between 2000 and 2002 in saarland , a federal state of germany ( 1214 ) .
the distributions of sociodemographic baseline characteristics and common prevalent chronic diseases were similar to the distribution in respective age categories in the german national health survey , a representative sample of the german population ( 12 ) .
the esther study was approved by the ethics committees of the medical faculty of the university of heidelberg and the medical association of saarland and is conducted in accordance with the declaration of helsinki .
the inclusion criterion of physician - diagnosed diabetes at baseline was met by 1,375 subjects .
the exclusion criteria were a diabetes diagnosis prior to the 40th birthday ( n = 53 ; to exclude subjects with potential type 1 diabetes ) , a missing or inappropriate serum sample ( n = 39 ) , self - reported history of myocardial infarction or stroke at baseline ( n = 211 ) , and loss to follow - up ( n = 34 ) , which left 1,038 individuals for analysis . at baseline ,
data on height , weight , sociodemographic factors , lifestyle , chronic diseases with date of onset , hormone replacement therapy ( hrt ) , and history and family history of myocardial infarction or stroke were obtained by a standardized questionnaire ( 12 ) .
systolic blood pressure , hdl cholesterol serum levels , and medical conditions were documented by general practitioners on the standardized health check - up form . they additionally reported currently prescribed drugs on a separate sheet .
study participants were recorded as diabetic patients if this was documented on the health check - up form by the treating physician or if antidiabetic drugs were prescribed .
renal dysfunction was recorded by micro- or macroalbuminuria ( urinary albumin 20 mg / l ) or chronic kidney disease ( glomerular filtration rate [ gfr ] < 60 ml min 1.73 m ; gfr = 127.7 [ cystatin c ( mg / l ) ] age [ 0.91 if female ] [ 1.06 if black ] ) ( 15 ) .
blood samples were taken during the health check - up from 9,834 study participants ( 8,452 fasting ) , centrifuged , shipped to the study center , and stored at 80c until analysis .
crp was measured by immunoturbidimetry with the wrcrp antibody ( bayer , leverkusen , germany ) on the advia 2400 ( siemens healthcare diagnostics , eschborn , germany ) .
serum concentrations of il-6 , mif , and total adiponectin ( i.e. , all isoforms of adiponectin ) were determined using the quantikine hs ( il-6 ) and the quantikine ( mif and adiponectin ) elisa kits ( r&d systems , wiesbaden , germany ) ( 16,17 ) .
leptin and il-18 serum concentrations were measured simultaneously by bead - based multiplex assay using a bioplex analyzer ( bio - rad , munich , germany ) as described previously ( 16 ) .
recombinant proteins and antibody pairs were obtained from mbl ( nagoya , japan ) ( il-18 ) and r&d systems ( leptin ) .
intra / interassay coefficients of variation for crp , il-6 , il-18 , mif , adiponectin , and leptin were 2.4/5.3 , 6.7/11.4 , 3.3/18.6 , 3.1/6.8 , 4.7/6.9 , and 2.6/15.4% , respectively .
hba1c was measured from whole - blood samples with high - performance liquid chromatography on the variant ii ( bio - rad ) .
total cholesterol and triglycerides were determined from serum samples by a high - performance liquid chromatography method calibrated with the synchron lx multicalibrator system ( beckman coulter , galway , ireland ) .
serum cystatin c concentrations and urinary albumin concentration in spot urine samples were measured by immunonephelometry on a behring nephelometer ii ( siemens dade - behring , marburg , germany ) .
study participants reported on the occurrence of incident myocardial infarctions and strokes in standardized questionnaires at 2- , 5- , and 8-year follow - up .
self - reported cases were validated by standardized questionnaires sent to the study participants general practitioners .
information on fatal cases was inquired at a central register of residents registration offices of saarland on 31 december 2010 .
the vital status and date of death for the deceased could be ascertained for 99.8% of the analyzed cohort of subjects with diabetes .
icd-10 codes for the leading cause of death could be obtained for all deceased subjects with diabetes except one ( completeness , 99.5% ) .
all deaths coded with icd-10 codes i21-i23 and i60-i69 were recorded as myocardial infarctions and strokes , respectively .
furthermore , all deaths coded with icd-10 code i00-i99 were considered cardiovascular deaths . a combined end point of major cardiovascular events
was created from the first occurrence of an incident myocardial infarction , incident stroke , or cardiovascular death . in summary , from 161 incident cardiovascular events in the analysis population , 152 cases ( 94.4% ) were based on physician diagnoses either from validated nonfatal cases or death certificates .
the nine self - reported cases , for which validation from physicians could not be obtained , were not excluded because confirmation rates for self - reported myocardial infarctions and strokes in the total esther study were judged to be reliable ( 70.7 and 81.1% for myocardial infarction and stroke , respectively ) .
cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios ( hrs ) and 95% cis for the association of increasing proinflammatory immune mediator and adiponectin tertiles with cardiovascular events and to perform a trend test .
we used an age- and sex - adjusted simple model and a fully adjusted model .
covariates of the full model were chosen from a list of factors potentially associated with cardiovascular diseases and subclinical inflammation by backward selection with p < 0.25 to stay in the model .
the list of potential covariates comprised age , sex , smoking status , physical activity , high alcohol consumption , bmi , hba1c , diabetes duration , systolic blood pressure , gfr , hdl cholesterol , non - hdl cholesterol , and use of insulin , oral antidiabetic drugs , nonsteroidal anti - inflammatory drugs ( nsaids ) , statins , hrt , or antihypertensive drugs blocking the renin - angiotensin - aldosterone system ( modeled continuously or in the categories shown in table 1 ) .
the final covariates of the full model , associated with cardiovascular events with p < 0.25 , were age , sex , smoking status , physical activity , hba1c , systolic blood pressure , non - hdl cholesterol , gfr , and use of nsaids .
we additionally adjusted for those variables that did not enter the full model in sensitivity analyses .
dose - response relationships were assessed in fully adjusted cox models by restricted cubic spline curves with a priori defined knots at the 5th , 33rd , 66th , and 95th percentiles of the distributions of the proinflammatory markers or adiponectin .
baseline characteristics of the study population stratified by incident cardiovascular event status interactions of the proinflammatory markers and adiponectin among each other and interactions of these biomarkers with the variables of the full model were tested . in the case of interactions among the biomarkers of interest or independent associations of several of the markers with the cardiovascular end point ( at least with an hr of 1.20 for the comparison of top and bottom biomarker tertile ) , we aimed for a joint risk assessment . due to the strong association between kidney diseases , inflammation , and cardiovascular risk ( 18,19 ) ,
all analyses were also repeated in a subgroup of subjects with renal dysfunction . to adequately deal with missing covariate values ,
all statistical tests were two sided , using an level of 0.05 , and all analyses were conducted with the software package sas , version 9.2 ( cary , nc ) .
this investigation is based on the esther study , an ongoing cohort study including 9,949 subjects , 5074 years of age at baseline .
study participants were recruited by their general practitioners during a routine health check - up between 2000 and 2002 in saarland , a federal state of germany ( 1214 ) .
the distributions of sociodemographic baseline characteristics and common prevalent chronic diseases were similar to the distribution in respective age categories in the german national health survey , a representative sample of the german population ( 12 ) .
the esther study was approved by the ethics committees of the medical faculty of the university of heidelberg and the medical association of saarland and is conducted in accordance with the declaration of helsinki .
the inclusion criterion of physician - diagnosed diabetes at baseline was met by 1,375 subjects .
the exclusion criteria were a diabetes diagnosis prior to the 40th birthday ( n = 53 ; to exclude subjects with potential type 1 diabetes ) , a missing or inappropriate serum sample ( n = 39 ) , self - reported history of myocardial infarction or stroke at baseline ( n = 211 ) , and loss to follow - up ( n = 34 ) , which left 1,038 individuals for analysis .
at baseline , data on height , weight , sociodemographic factors , lifestyle , chronic diseases with date of onset , hormone replacement therapy ( hrt ) , and history and family history of myocardial infarction or stroke were obtained by a standardized questionnaire ( 12 ) .
systolic blood pressure , hdl cholesterol serum levels , and medical conditions were documented by general practitioners on the standardized health check - up form . they additionally reported currently prescribed drugs on a separate sheet .
study participants were recorded as diabetic patients if this was documented on the health check - up form by the treating physician or if antidiabetic drugs were prescribed .
renal dysfunction was recorded by micro- or macroalbuminuria ( urinary albumin 20 mg / l ) or chronic kidney disease ( glomerular filtration rate [ gfr ] < 60 ml min 1.73 m ; gfr = 127.7 [ cystatin c ( mg / l ) ] age [ 0.91 if female ] [ 1.06 if black ] ) ( 15 ) .
blood samples were taken during the health check - up from 9,834 study participants ( 8,452 fasting ) , centrifuged , shipped to the study center , and stored at 80c until analysis .
crp was measured by immunoturbidimetry with the wrcrp antibody ( bayer , leverkusen , germany ) on the advia 2400 ( siemens healthcare diagnostics , eschborn , germany ) .
serum concentrations of il-6 , mif , and total adiponectin ( i.e. , all isoforms of adiponectin ) were determined using the quantikine hs ( il-6 ) and the quantikine ( mif and adiponectin ) elisa kits ( r&d systems , wiesbaden , germany ) ( 16,17 ) .
leptin and il-18 serum concentrations were measured simultaneously by bead - based multiplex assay using a bioplex analyzer ( bio - rad , munich , germany ) as described previously ( 16 ) .
recombinant proteins and antibody pairs were obtained from mbl ( nagoya , japan ) ( il-18 ) and r&d systems ( leptin ) .
intra / interassay coefficients of variation for crp , il-6 , il-18 , mif , adiponectin , and leptin were 2.4/5.3 , 6.7/11.4 , 3.3/18.6 , 3.1/6.8 , 4.7/6.9 , and 2.6/15.4% , respectively .
hba1c was measured from whole - blood samples with high - performance liquid chromatography on the variant ii ( bio - rad ) .
total cholesterol and triglycerides were determined from serum samples by a high - performance liquid chromatography method calibrated with the synchron lx multicalibrator system ( beckman coulter , galway , ireland ) .
serum cystatin c concentrations and urinary albumin concentration in spot urine samples were measured by immunonephelometry on a behring nephelometer ii ( siemens dade - behring , marburg , germany ) .
study participants reported on the occurrence of incident myocardial infarctions and strokes in standardized questionnaires at 2- , 5- , and 8-year follow - up .
self - reported cases were validated by standardized questionnaires sent to the study participants general practitioners .
information on fatal cases was inquired at a central register of residents registration offices of saarland on 31 december 2010 .
the vital status and date of death for the deceased could be ascertained for 99.8% of the analyzed cohort of subjects with diabetes .
icd-10 codes for the leading cause of death could be obtained for all deceased subjects with diabetes except one ( completeness , 99.5% ) .
all deaths coded with icd-10 codes i21-i23 and i60-i69 were recorded as myocardial infarctions and strokes , respectively .
furthermore , all deaths coded with icd-10 code i00-i99 were considered cardiovascular deaths . a combined end point of major cardiovascular events
was created from the first occurrence of an incident myocardial infarction , incident stroke , or cardiovascular death . in summary , from 161 incident cardiovascular events in the analysis population , 152 cases ( 94.4% ) were based on physician diagnoses either from validated nonfatal cases or death certificates .
the nine self - reported cases , for which validation from physicians could not be obtained , were not excluded because confirmation rates for self - reported myocardial infarctions and strokes in the total esther study were judged to be reliable ( 70.7 and 81.1% for myocardial infarction and stroke , respectively ) .
cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios ( hrs ) and 95% cis for the association of increasing proinflammatory immune mediator and adiponectin tertiles with cardiovascular events and to perform a trend test .
we used an age- and sex - adjusted simple model and a fully adjusted model .
covariates of the full model were chosen from a list of factors potentially associated with cardiovascular diseases and subclinical inflammation by backward selection with p < 0.25 to stay in the model . the list of potential covariates comprised age , sex , smoking status , physical activity , high alcohol consumption , bmi , hba1c , diabetes duration , systolic blood pressure , gfr , hdl cholesterol , non - hdl cholesterol , and use of insulin , oral antidiabetic drugs , nonsteroidal anti - inflammatory drugs ( nsaids ) , statins , hrt , or antihypertensive drugs blocking the renin - angiotensin - aldosterone system ( modeled continuously or in the categories shown in table 1 ) .
the final covariates of the full model , associated with cardiovascular events with p < 0.25 , were age , sex , smoking status , physical activity , hba1c , systolic blood pressure , non - hdl cholesterol , gfr , and use of nsaids .
we additionally adjusted for those variables that did not enter the full model in sensitivity analyses .
dose - response relationships were assessed in fully adjusted cox models by restricted cubic spline curves with a priori defined knots at the 5th , 33rd , 66th , and 95th percentiles of the distributions of the proinflammatory markers or adiponectin .
baseline characteristics of the study population stratified by incident cardiovascular event status interactions of the proinflammatory markers and adiponectin among each other and interactions of these biomarkers with the variables of the full model were tested . in the case of interactions among the biomarkers of interest or independent associations of several of the markers with the cardiovascular end point ( at least with an hr of 1.20 for the comparison of top and bottom biomarker tertile ) , we aimed for a joint risk assessment .
due to the strong association between kidney diseases , inflammation , and cardiovascular risk ( 18,19 ) , all analyses were also repeated in a subgroup of subjects with renal dysfunction . to adequately deal with missing covariate values ,
all statistical tests were two sided , using an level of 0.05 , and all analyses were conducted with the software package sas , version 9.2 ( cary , nc ) .
correlations and associations of proinflammatory markers and adiponectin with conventional cardiovascular risk factors are shown in the supplementary data ( supplementary tables 13 ) . during follow - up , 63 study participants with diabetes had an incident primary myocardial infarction ( 6.1% ; incidence rate [ ir ] = 9.2 per 1,000 person - years [ ppy ] ) , 72 had a stroke ( 6.9% ; ir = 10.7 ppy ) , and 77 had a fatal cardiovascular event ( 7.4% ; ir = 8.4 ppy ) , leading to 161 subjects who reached the composite cardiovascular end point ( 15.5% , ir = 23.9 ppy ) that only recorded first events in the case of multiple events .
male sex , higher age , current smoking , low physical activity , higher hba1c , higher systolic blood pressure , renal dysfunction , use of nsaids , and higher il-6 at baseline were significantly associated with incident cardiovascular events ( table 1 ) .
crp , adiponectin , and mif were slightly ( p < 0.2 ) increased in subjects with incident cardiovascular events , whereas il-18 and leptin were rather similar in both groups . in the total population ,
fully adjusted cox regression models showed an 1.5-fold increased risk of primary cardiovascular events for subjects in the top tertile of adiponectin levels compared with individuals in the bottom tertile ( table 2 ) .
furthermore , a nonsignificant ( about 1.3-fold ) increased risk in the top il-6 and mif tertiles was observed .
il-18 and leptin tertiles showed no association with cardiovascular events , and the increased risk in the top crp tertile observed in the simple model did not persist after adjustment for the covariates of the full model .
hrs for cardiovascular events according to immune mediator tertiles in the total population and in subjects with renal dysfunction a combined assessment of all proinflammatory markers and adiponectin in the full model showed almost no attenuations in hrs for il-6 , mif , and adiponectin tertile comparisons , raising the possibility of independent associations of these biomarkers with incident cardiovascular events ( data not shown ) .
in joint risk assessment , subjects who were in mif tertile 3 , il-6 tertile 2 or 3 , and adiponectin tertile 3 had a more than doubled risk for cardiovascular events ( hr 2.40 [ 95% ci 1.214.77 ] ) compared with subjects that met none of these criteria ( table 3 ) .
joint risk assessment for incident cardiovascular events of mif , adiponectin , and il-6 in the total population and of mif and adiponectin in subjects with renal dysfunction the dose - response relationships between all analyzed proinflammatory markers and incident cardiovascular events were approximately linear .
however , there is a noteworthy flattening of the il-6 dose - response curves at higher serum levels ( supplementary fig .
, the dose - response curve for adiponectin and cardiovascular event risk showed a u - shaped association in the fully adjusted model ( fig .
dose - response relationship of adiponectin levels with risk for incident cardiovascular events in subjects with diabetes ( a ) and subjects with diabetes and renal dysfunction ( b ) in fully adjusted models .
three significant interaction terms ( p < 0.05 ) of 1 ) adiponectin and hba1c levels , 2 ) leptin levels and systolic blood pressure , and 3 ) mif levels and smoking were detected .
subjects with an hba1c > 8% were at higher cardiovascular risk if they were in the top adiponectin tertile ( hr for comparison with bottom adiponectin tertile 2.15 [ 95% ci 1.044.44 ] , p [ trend ] = 0.002 ) than subjects with an hba1c 8% ( 1.30 [ 0.802.11 ] , p [ trend ] = 0.719 ) .
subjects with systolic blood pressure > 150 mmhg were at higher cardiovascular risk if they were in the upper two leptin tertiles ( hr for comparison with bottom leptin tertile 2.12 [ 1.014.44 ] , p [ trend ] = 0.120 ) than subjects who had a systolic blood pressure 150 mmhg ( 0.96 [ 0.611.52 ] , p [ trend ] = 0.942 ) . finally , current smokers were at higher cardiovascular risk if they were in the top mif tertile ( hr for comparison with bottom mif tertile 3.54 [ 1.279.86 ] , p [ trend ] = 0.025 ) than subjects who did not smoke ( 1.02 [ 0.661.57 ] , p [ trend ] = 0.606 ) .
in the subgroup of 326 subjects with renal dysfunction , the incidence of cardiovascular events was particularly high : n = 82 ( 25.2% ; ir = 41.7 ppy ) . in this subgroup , hypertension and
furthermore , crp , il-6 , and mif were slightly increased ( p < 0.2 ) among cases , whereas il-18 and leptin were not . in subjects with renal dysfunction , the hrs for primary cardiovascular events were more strongly increased ( about doubled ) in subjects within the top tertile of il-6 levels and adiponectin levels compared with individuals in the bottom tertile ( table 2 ) .
the same pattern was observed for crp and mif , with an 1.5-fold increased risk in the top tertile , but the estimate did not reach statistical significance except for the trend test for increasing mif concentrations ( p [ trend ] = 0.04 ) . in agreement with the results from the total population ,
il-18 and leptin tertiles showed no association with cardiovascular events . a combined assessment of all proinflammatory markers in the full model showed attenuated hrs for crp and il-6 and only adiponectin and mif remained significantly associated with the outcome in the full model ( both p [ trend ] = 0.01 ) .
subjects who were in tertile 3 of both mif and adiponectin levels had an 2.8-fold increased risk for cardiovascular events compared with subjects that were in lower tertiles ( table 3 ) . the dose - response relationships between all analyzed proinflammatory markers and incident cardiovascular events
however , the u - shaped curve between adiponectin levels and cardiovascular events observed in the total population was not found in subjects with renal dysfunction ( fig .
, a rather j - shaped curve was observed because cardiovascular risk at low adiponectin levels ( < 5 g / ml ) was only marginally increased .
during follow - up , 63 study participants with diabetes had an incident primary myocardial infarction ( 6.1% ; incidence rate [ ir ] = 9.2 per 1,000 person - years [ ppy ] ) , 72 had a stroke ( 6.9% ; ir = 10.7 ppy ) , and 77 had a fatal cardiovascular event ( 7.4% ; ir = 8.4 ppy ) , leading to 161 subjects who reached the composite cardiovascular end point ( 15.5% , ir = 23.9 ppy ) that only recorded first events in the case of multiple events .
male sex , higher age , current smoking , low physical activity , higher hba1c , higher systolic blood pressure , renal dysfunction , use of nsaids , and higher il-6 at baseline were significantly associated with incident cardiovascular events ( table 1 ) .
crp , adiponectin , and mif were slightly ( p < 0.2 ) increased in subjects with incident cardiovascular events , whereas il-18 and leptin were rather similar in both groups . in the total population ,
fully adjusted cox regression models showed an 1.5-fold increased risk of primary cardiovascular events for subjects in the top tertile of adiponectin levels compared with individuals in the bottom tertile ( table 2 ) .
furthermore , a nonsignificant ( about 1.3-fold ) increased risk in the top il-6 and mif tertiles was observed . il-18 and leptin tertiles showed no association with cardiovascular events , and the increased risk in the top crp tertile observed in the simple model did not persist after adjustment for the covariates of the full model .
hrs for cardiovascular events according to immune mediator tertiles in the total population and in subjects with renal dysfunction a combined assessment of all proinflammatory markers and adiponectin in the full model showed almost no attenuations in hrs for il-6 , mif , and adiponectin tertile comparisons , raising the possibility of independent associations of these biomarkers with incident cardiovascular events ( data not shown ) .
in joint risk assessment , subjects who were in mif tertile 3 , il-6 tertile 2 or 3 , and adiponectin tertile 3 had a more than doubled risk for cardiovascular events ( hr 2.40 [ 95% ci 1.214.77 ] ) compared with subjects that met none of these criteria ( table 3 ) .
joint risk assessment for incident cardiovascular events of mif , adiponectin , and il-6 in the total population and of mif and adiponectin in subjects with renal dysfunction the dose - response relationships between all analyzed proinflammatory markers and incident cardiovascular events were approximately linear .
however , there is a noteworthy flattening of the il-6 dose - response curves at higher serum levels ( supplementary fig .
, the dose - response curve for adiponectin and cardiovascular event risk showed a u - shaped association in the fully adjusted model ( fig .
dose - response relationship of adiponectin levels with risk for incident cardiovascular events in subjects with diabetes ( a ) and subjects with diabetes and renal dysfunction ( b ) in fully adjusted models .
three significant interaction terms ( p < 0.05 ) of 1 ) adiponectin and hba1c levels , 2 ) leptin levels and systolic blood pressure , and 3 ) mif levels and smoking were detected .
subjects with an hba1c > 8% were at higher cardiovascular risk if they were in the top adiponectin tertile ( hr for comparison with bottom adiponectin tertile 2.15 [ 95% ci 1.044.44 ] , p [ trend ] = 0.002 ) than subjects with an hba1c 8% ( 1.30 [ 0.802.11 ] , p [ trend ] = 0.719 ) .
subjects with systolic blood pressure > 150 mmhg were at higher cardiovascular risk if they were in the upper two leptin tertiles ( hr for comparison with bottom leptin tertile 2.12 [ 1.014.44 ] , p [ trend ] = 0.120 ) than subjects who had a systolic blood pressure 150 mmhg ( 0.96 [ 0.611.52 ] , p [ trend ] = 0.942 ) . finally , current smokers were at higher cardiovascular risk if they were in the top mif tertile ( hr for comparison with bottom mif tertile 3.54 [ 1.279.86 ] , p [ trend ] = 0.025 ) than subjects who did not smoke ( 1.02 [ 0.661.57 ] , p [ trend ] = 0.606 ) .
in the subgroup of 326 subjects with renal dysfunction , the incidence of cardiovascular events was particularly high : n = 82 ( 25.2% ; ir = 41.7 ppy ) . in this subgroup , hypertension and
furthermore , crp , il-6 , and mif were slightly increased ( p < 0.2 ) among cases , whereas il-18 and leptin were not . in subjects with renal dysfunction , the hrs for primary cardiovascular events were more strongly increased ( about doubled ) in subjects within the top tertile of il-6 levels and adiponectin levels compared with individuals in the bottom tertile ( table 2 ) .
the same pattern was observed for crp and mif , with an 1.5-fold increased risk in the top tertile , but the estimate did not reach statistical significance except for the trend test for increasing mif concentrations ( p [ trend ] = 0.04 ) . in agreement with the results from the total population , il-18 and leptin tertiles showed no association with cardiovascular events .
a combined assessment of all proinflammatory markers in the full model showed attenuated hrs for crp and il-6 and only adiponectin and mif remained significantly associated with the outcome in the full model ( both p [ trend ] = 0.01 ) .
subjects who were in tertile 3 of both mif and adiponectin levels had an 2.8-fold increased risk for cardiovascular events compared with subjects that were in lower tertiles ( table 3 ) .
the dose - response relationships between all analyzed proinflammatory markers and incident cardiovascular events were also approximately linear in subjects with renal dysfunction ( not shown ) .
however , the u - shaped curve between adiponectin levels and cardiovascular events observed in the total population was not found in subjects with renal dysfunction ( fig .
, a rather j - shaped curve was observed because cardiovascular risk at low adiponectin levels ( < 5 g / ml ) was only marginally increased .
in this large cohort of diabetic patients , high adiponectin concentrations were associated with higher risk for primary cardiovascular events after adjustment for multiple confounders , whereas no associations were found for crp , il-18 , and leptin .
these associations were more pronounced in a subgroup with renal dysfunction in which results for il-6 and mif also reached statistical significance .
the aforementioned associations of proinflammatory immune mediators and adiponectin with cardiovascular events were independent from each other and enabled risk stratification by several of these biomarkers to identify patients at particularly high cardiovascular risk . the lack of an association of crp with cardiovascular events and the association of high adiponectin levels with incident cardiovascular events that was particularly pronounced in subjects with diabetes and renal dysfunction indicated differences from observations from the general population .
our findings are in line with studies that showed that the association between crp and cardiovascular risk was much weaker in individuals with high glucose levels or with diabetes than in subjects with lower glucose levels or without diabetes ( 4,5,9 ) and with an italian study that found no association of crp and cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients without known cardiovascular disease ( 7 ) .
in contrast , crp was associated with incident cardiovascular events and/or mortality in cohorts of diabetic patients from korea and finland ( 6,8 ) .
cohorts observed significant associations of crp with cardiovascular and all - cause mortality in both subjects with and without diabetes , and diabetes was not an effect modifier ( 20 ) .
our study also included less severe , nonfatal , cardiovascular events , which make the results not directly comparable .
larger , adequately powered studies are required to investigate the association of crp with myocardial infarction , stroke , and cardiovascular mortality separately in subjects with and without diabetes to shed light on the conflicting results in the literature .
we conclude that our study supports the results of the studies that observed an interaction between elevated blood glucose levels and crp with regard to cardiovascular risk with an attenuation of the association in diabetic patients .
adiponectin and cardiovascular event risk showed a u - shaped association in our cohort of diabetic patients .
the risk was particularly strongly increased at high adiponectin levels if diabetes was poorly controlled ( hba1c > 8.0% ) .
these data are novel because most previous studies analyzing this association were population based or based on patients with high cardiovascular risk or pre - existing cardiovascular conditions .
the population - based studies observed no statistically significant ( 21,22 ) or inverse associations ( 23,24 ) of adiponectin with cardiovascular outcomes , which is in line with our finding at low adiponectin levels . in contrast , studies in high - risk populations or with pre - existing cardiovascular conditions reported statistically nonsignificant or positive associations ( 2527 ) , which is in line with our finding at high adiponectin levels .
our subgroup analysis in diabetic patients with renal dysfunction , which is a strong predictor of cardiovascular events , also points in this direction and is supported by previous reports from other populations with kidney diseases ( 28,29 ) .
it is known that patients with certain proinflammatory conditions like coronary heart disease , heart failure , and chronic kidney disease have increased adiponectin levels ( 10,11 ) .
this could serve as an explanation for these findings if increased adiponectin levels indicate pre - existing cardiovascular conditions , although they might not be on the causal pathway to cardiovascular events . on the contrary , subjects with well - controlled diabetes without comorbidities do
. however , these relatively healthy subjects can nonetheless be obese , which is associated with lower adiponectin levels and an increased cardiovascular risk in the general population ( 24 ) .
this mixture of relatively healthy obese subjects with low adiponectin levels and comorbid subjects with high adiponectin levels in our cohort of older subjects with diabetes can explain the observed u - shaped curve of adiponectin levels and cardiovascular events .
fewer studies for cardiovascular outcomes have been published for leptin than for adiponectin and most of them showed no independent association in general population samples ( 22 ) .
thus , findings on leptin in our diabetic study population did not deviate from findings in the general population .
the proinflammatory cytokine il-18 is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes ( 30 ) , but it is not clear whether it is also associated with incident cardiovascular events .
previous population - based cohorts ( 3134 ) and cohorts with acute coronary syndromes or high - risk populations for cardiovascular diseases ( 9,3538 ) yielded inconsistent results .
increased il-18 concentrations were associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events in some studies ( 9,32,35,36,38 ) , whereas no statistically significant association was evident in others after adjustment for confounders ( 31,33,34,37 ) .
differences in study characteristics or the definition of cardiovascular outcomes among these studies can not explain the conflicting results .
neither in our cohort of diabetic patients nor in our subgroup with diabetes and renal dysfunction did il-18 show a significant association with the incidence of cardiovascular events , which supports the view that il-18 levels are not associated with cardiovascular outcomes .
furthermore , there is no consensus about the association of circulating concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokine mif and cardiovascular events .
population - based studies observed a weak ( 39 ) or no association ( 17 ) of increasing mif levels with cardiovascular outcomes .
we observed that risk for incident cardiovascular events was weakly , but not statistically significantly , increased in subjects with high mif concentrations in the total study population , and that risk was significantly increased in the subgroup with renal dysfunction in the fully adjusted model extended by adiponectin .
these are the first data for subjects with diabetes from a large population - based cohort .
they are supported by the results from a smaller cohort of patients with stable coronary artery disease in which mif was positively associated with incident coronary events in patients with impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes but not in those without these conditions ( 40 ) .
additional studies are warranted that investigate whether mif contributes to cardiovascular risk independently of other proinflammatory markers in different populations ( especially in subjects with diabetes and renal dysfunction ) and to explore potential pathways .
we had previously observed and reported a strong association of high il-6 levels and primary cardiovascular events in diabetic patients in this cohort with a smaller number of events until the 5-year follow up ( 13 ) .
this finding was only replicated with the extended follow - up data in the subgroup with renal dysfunction after adjusting for gfr , which was not included in the model of the previous analysis . modeling il-6 as a log - transformed term , as suggested by the dose - response curves ,
would have yielded a significant association in the subgroup and the total population ( p [ trend ] = 0.03 in both groups ) .
however , formal testing did not reveal a statistically significant deviation from linearity and , therefore , these results are not shown in the main tables .
nevertheless , taken together , our results support suggestions that il-6 plays a role in the development of cardiovascular diseases in subjects with diabetes . besides il-6 , mif was also only significantly associated with cardiovascular events in subjects with diabetes and renal dysfunction but both were useful for risk stratification in all subjects with diabetes .
subjects who were in the il-6 middle or top tertile , mif top tertile , and adiponectin top tertile had a more than doubled risk for cardiovascular events compared with subjects that met none of these criteria .
diabetic patients are per se at an increased risk for cardiovascular events , but il-6 , mif , and adiponectin could be of value for further risk stratification .
the observed interactions of adiponectin with hba1c and mif with smoking could especially add predictive value to cardiovascular risk models for subjects with diabetes that contain these conventional cardiovascular risk factors .
overall , the correlations and/or associations of proinflammatory markers and adiponectin among each other and with conventional cardiovascular risk factors were weak , which is another argument for the potential value of il-6 , mif , and adiponectin in cardiovascular risk assessment in subjects with diabetes . moreover , the independence of these associations and the interactions seen here are potentially interesting for the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease and need to be further explored in more mechanistic studies . the strengths of our study include the selection of diabetic patients from a cohort that is representative for this patient group in germany , which supports the external validity of the results , its large sample size , the high response rates in follow - up examinations , the detailed assessment of renal dysfunction by serum cystatin c and urinary albumin levels , and the availability of multiple biomarkers of subclinical inflammation .
the results can only be generalized for older ( 5074 years of age ) caucasian adults with type 2 diabetes ( only 0.05% of study participants were born in a non - european country ) .
the assumption that subjects who reported disease onset before 40 years of age have type 1 diabetes is imprecise and was chosen due to the lack of autoantibody measurements .
furthermore , we relied on single measurements of biomarkers , whereas serial measurements may have yielded a higher precision ( 2 ) .
further limitations are that sample size restrictions did not allow myocardial infarction and stroke to be analyzed as separate end points and that we had to rely on bmi to adjust for obesity because data for waist circumference were not available . in conclusion , in this large cohort of diabetic patients , high adiponectin concentrations were associated with a higher risk for primary cardiovascular events , whereas no significant associations were found for the proinflammatory markers crp , il-6 , il-18 , leptin , and mif after adjustment for confounders . however , besides adiponectin , il-6 and mif were also strongly associated with cardiovascular events in a subgroup with renal dysfunction .
our data indicate that the associations between circulating immune mediators and cardiovascular risk differ between diabetic patients and subjects of the general population .
furthermore , the associations of increasing il-6 , mif , and adiponectin levels with cardiovascular events were independent from each other and enabled risk stratification , which has implications for the potential use of these biomarkers in cardiovascular risk models specifically designed for diabetic patients . | pubmed |
over an year ago , we studied an ising model on a cubic lattice @xcite by use of the @xmath0 expansion @xcite .
the study is based upon the high temperature expansion and the resulting series rewritten in the inverse of a mass squared @xmath1 is transformed by the @xmath0-expansion which played a crucial role in the estimation of critical quantities . however the foundamentals of the estimation protocol , which will be explicitly stated in the next section , have not been thoroughly investigated so far .
this paper deals with the issue in enough depth via the study of ising models at one- and two - dimensions where the models are solved and high temperature expansion is available to very large orders .
another purpose of this paper is to improve the estimation protocol of critical quantities employed in ref .
we will give a renewed procedure and confirm it works better in the low dimensional models , where the estimation of @xmath2 , @xmath3 and @xmath4 will be presented on the square lattice . the new protocol
would be applicable to high dimensional models and even field theoretic models . before the application to these more interesting models , it needs a detailed test on well understood models .
the ising model we consider is a pure one without applied forces , specified by the action@xmath5 where @xmath6 denotes the inverse temperature and @xmath7 means the pair of nearest neighbor sites .
it is well known that a one - dimensional model is in the one phase and the square lattice model undergoes a second order phase transition at @xmath8 .
one often discusses critical behaviors of thermodynamic quantities in terms of @xmath9 @xcite where @xmath4 stands for the critical temperature . in the high temperature region , in contrast , thermodynamic quantities are expanded in @xmath6 . as the temperature approaches from a hot region to the vicinity of the critical point , the effective parameter changes from @xmath6 to @xmath10 .
we feel that this exchange in the basic descriptive parameter is somewhat strange .
there exists , however , a sole parameter effective in the high - temperature phase .
we note that the second order transition is activated by the divergence of the correlation length .
the physics is controlled by correlation length @xmath11 .
the critical point is specified as the point where @xmath11 is divergent and this means that , irrespective of specific value of @xmath4 which is of non - universal , the critical point is universally specified by the point of @xmath12 or the massless point @xmath13 where @xmath1 should be understood as suitably related to @xmath11 .
if one describes the system in @xmath1 , even the temperature is a function of @xmath1 ( one can obtain @xmath14 by the inversion of @xmath15 ) and the critical temperature is given by the limit @xmath16 the high - temperature expansion corresponds to the @xmath17 expansion . from the large mass side , we access the critical point with the crucial help of the @xmath0-expansion @xcite . by making use of the fact that the critical point is at the massless point , we will explore a new way of handling high - temperature expansion .
the paper is organized as follows : in sec .
2 , the @xmath0-expansion is reviewed .
we posit a base on which the estimation protocol is constructed . in sec . 3
, a one - dimensional case is taken up to analytically study the @xmath0-expansion to arbitrary orders . in sec .
4 , a two - dimensional model on the square lattice is numerically revisited . the parametric extension proposed in ref .
@xcite is re - formulated by the linear differential equation ( lde ) with constant coefficients .
the spectrum of exponents in the series expansion in the vicinity of the critical point is given by the spectrum of roots of the characteristic equation of the lde satisfied by the thermodynamic quantities .
the critical temperature and the amplitudes appear as the integration constants . studies to quite large orders tell us that the computational base under the @xmath0-expansion is numerically confirmed .
then , under a new protocol to be proposed , we demonstrate that the estimation becomes more accurate . in the final section ,
we give concluding remarks .
the @xmath0-expansion originates in the dilatation of the scaling region . with the dilatation rate @xmath18 @xmath19 , the change of the parameter from @xmath1 to @xmath20 by @xmath21 in a given thermodynamic quantity @xmath22 induces a dilatation transform as follows : consider the large mass expansion truncated at order @xmath23 , @xmath24
then , truncate the expansion in @xmath0 in @xmath25 such that the sum of the expansion order of @xmath0 and the order of @xmath26 is less than or equal to @xmath23 but not over @xmath23 .
this specific truncation rule yields @xmath27 then , taking the limit @xmath28 which means formally the infinite rate dilatation , we obtain @xmath29 where @xmath30 denotes the binomial coefficient @xmath31 thus , the results of the @xmath0 expansion denoted by @xmath32 $ ] or @xmath33 are obtained as a function of @xmath34 , @xmath35=\bar\omega_{n}(t)=\sum_{n=0}^{n } c_{n , n}a_{n}t^n.\ ] ] on the other hand , for a general power of @xmath1 we use the analytic extension of the @xmath36 function giving @xmath37=c_{n,-\alpha}t^{-\alpha}=\frac{\gamma(n+1)}{\gamma(-\alpha+1)\gamma(n+\alpha+1)}t^{-\alpha}. \label{delta2}\ ] ] one can deduce two useful results : by setting @xmath38 , we have @xmath37=0,\quad \alpha=1,2,3,\cdots . \label{regular}\ ] ] by the expansion of ( [ delta2 ] ) in @xmath39 , it follows , for example at order @xmath40 , @xmath41=-\log t-\sum_{n=1}^{n}\frac{1}{n}. \label{deltalog}\ ] ] by comparison of both sides of ( [ delta2 ] ) at order @xmath42 , one has @xmath43 $ ] .
further , if one sets @xmath44 with infinitesimal @xmath45 , expansion in @xmath45 provides a similar formula for @xmath46 times logarithms . assuming the power - like behavior of thermodynamic function @xmath22 in the scaling region ,
let us explain the effect of @xmath0-expansion .
series here is @xmath17 expansion truncated at order @xmath23 .
then , our task is to obtain the critical information of the supposed behavior @xmath47 here , @xmath48 and @xmath49 .
there are other types of critical behaviors such that @xmath50 @xmath51 and @xmath52 .
these are typical in the study of phase transition as these two represent the divergences of thermodynamic functions .
let us explain one of the advantages in the @xmath0-expansion , taking the scaling form ( [ scaling1 ] ) as an example .
the construction via @xmath0-expansion gives @xmath53=\omega_{0}+c_{1}c_{n,-\lambda_{1}}t^{-\lambda_{1}}+c_{2}c_{n,-\lambda_{2}}t^{-\lambda_{2}}+\cdots .
\label{delta_scale}\ ] ] note that order @xmath23 of large mass expansion is included in the coefficients in ( [ delta_scale ] ) .
the first term is most important and the rest acts as the corrections to the first one . in the limit @xmath54 ,
respective terms of the corrections tend to vanish since @xmath55 this represents the scaling of the amplitude @xmath56 at large enough order .
thus , as @xmath57 , @xmath58 and the @xmath59th - order correction tends to zero for fixed @xmath34 .
this is quite convenient for the estimation of @xmath60 .
the above result ( [ scale_c ] ) suggests us that for @xmath61 where @xmath23 denotes the order of large @xmath1 expansion , @xmath62(t)=\omega_{0 } , \label{delta_limit}\ ] ] _ in some region @xmath63 of @xmath34_. as mentioned in the previous section , this manifests a major characteristic property of @xmath0 expansion and plays a foundamental role in estimating the critical quantities . though formal reasoning supports ( [ delta_limit ] ) , if we inspect the terms in the large mass expansion , we find @xmath64 which diverges to infinity as @xmath57 even when @xmath34 is small . though previous work @xcite provided confirmed results on the point , the study is limited to @xmath65th order and it is as yet non - trivial whether the fundamental result ( [ delta_limit ] ) remains valid to large enough orders .
we shall deeply investigate the point in two solvable models in the following sections .
in the one - dimensional ising model , it is well known that the exact correlation length @xmath11 is given by @xmath66 .
then , the mass squared @xmath1 defined by the zero momentum limit of correlation function is obtained by @xmath67 .
we note that @xmath1 and @xmath11 do not obey the relation @xmath68 but satisfy @xmath69 ( @xmath70 ) @xcite and inversion gives @xmath71 where @xmath72 the function @xmath73 has a branch point at @xmath74 , and the large mass expansion , @xmath75 is valid within the convergence region @xmath76 .
here we have introduced the notation @xmath77 , which stands for the inverse temperature at small @xmath78 . at large @xmath78
, we make a division such as @xmath79 and obtain the expansion , @xmath80 where the notation @xmath81 means the expansion of @xmath6 near the critical point and @xmath82 denotes the regular part given by @xmath83 since @xmath6 shows logarithmic divergence in the @xmath84 limit , @xmath85 .
we call the behavior ( [ critical1 ] ) a critical behavior . from ( [ deltalog ] ) , we find @xmath86=\frac{1}{4}\big(\log(4t)+\sum_{k=1}^{n}\frac{1}{k}\big)+d_{n}[r]=:\bar\beta_{n<}.\ ] ] now , we consider @xmath87=\bar\beta_{n>}$ ] where @xmath88 stands for the truncation of @xmath77 to @xmath23th order such that @xmath89 .
we then have @xmath90 the above integral representation shows that the region where @xmath91 remains valid in the @xmath57 limit is @xmath92 ( @xmath93 ) . note that the center of the region @xmath94 is @xmath95 .
this indicates that the correct expansion should be inside region @xmath63 and not at @xmath96 on the boundary of @xmath63 . from ( [ beta_closed ] ) ,
we obtain the expansion around the center @xmath95 : @xmath97 from the comparison of ( [ critical1 ] ) and ( [ beta_expansion ] ) , we find @xmath98=\sum_{n = n+1}^{\infty}\frac{(1 - 4t)^n}{n}.\ ] ] thus we can not use @xmath99=d_{n}[m^n]=0\,(n=1,2,3,\cdots)$ ] inside the infinite sum , though the terms of the form @xmath100 are absent in the right - hand - side ( the expansion of the right - hand - side around @xmath101 is impossible ) .
the result of @xmath0-expansion reads @xmath102=o(\epsilon^{n+1})$ ] where @xmath103 and the correction to the logarithmic scaling shows rapid suppression at large @xmath23 in the neighborhood of @xmath104 . in other words , as @xmath23 tends to infinity , @xmath102 $ ] becomes negligible and @xmath105 .
thus , we are convinced that the divergence of the coefficient in the @xmath57 reflects that the point @xmath96 is just on the boundary of the convergence region @xmath94 .
the @xmath57 limit of @xmath91 diverges for any @xmath106 , and this is due to the presence of the logarithmic singularity in the original function as @xmath84 .
this case shows a variant of ( [ delta_limit ] ) in the case of a logarithmically divergent limit .
we are able to capture the behavior of the logarithmic divergence in @xmath91 via numerical analysis .
see fig . 1 where @xmath91 is depicted at @xmath107 .
= \bar\beta_{10>}$ ] against @xmath108 .
the broken gray line indicates the exact asymptotic behavior @xmath109 . ] by study of the derivative @xmath110 , we find further evidence of logarithmic behavior and the coefficient of the log , @xmath111 : we find directly from ( [ beta_closed ] ) by the differentiation with respect to @xmath112 , @xmath113 and the exact validity of ( [ delta_limit ] ) is stated as @xmath114 for convenience , we show the plots of @xmath115 at @xmath116 and @xmath117 in fig .
2 . at @xmath118 . the dashed gray line indicates the limit @xmath111 . at every orders , the unique stationary point gives the exact limit . ] in accord with ( [ 3_10 ] ) , the functions imply the step - like function , which is almost flat over the region @xmath94 . at finite @xmath23 ,
the unique stationary point is always realized at @xmath95 and gives an exact value of @xmath119 , which agrees with the coefficient of @xmath120 .
it is also instructive to note that the higher order derivatives satisfy @xmath121 @xmath122 .
in a one - dimensional ising model , the scaling behavior is simple and allows exact analysis . in the two - dimensional model , a complexity related to
the critical behaviors appears .
most of our investigation is based on the exact solution , and the model serves as a good testing ground for understanding large order aspects of @xmath0 expansion . the exact result on which our study based is a relation between the correlation length and inverse temperature @xcite , @xmath123 where @xmath11 stands for the correlation length extracted in the large separation limit of a two - point function along one of the two axes . from above , we obtain a well - known result : @xmath124 in addition we have @xmath125 where @xmath126 , and we find @xmath127 the mass squared @xmath1 corresponding to @xmath11 is given by the transformation @xmath67 @xcite . from the straightforward expansion @xmath128 we obtain @xmath129 and
arrive at @xmath130 where @xmath82 denotes the regular part . as well - known , the two - dimensional model has no confluent singularity , and the structure of the expansion is rather simple . in our analysis
, we do not intend to use the above simplicity .
we just assume the power - like expansion @xmath131 where @xmath132 . the large mass expansion of @xmath6 is obtained to an arbitrary large order from ( [ 2dxi ] ) . to the first several orders it reads @xmath133 we briefly comment on the analytic extension of original @xmath134 on the complex @xmath78-plane using pad
approximates : the poles and zeros line up side by side on the negative real axis .
the pole of the largest absolute value extends toward @xmath135 , and the pole of the smallest absolute value seems to be converging to @xmath136 . from conventional knowledge , this kind of set of poles and zeros indicates the cut .
the implied convergence radius of @xmath17 expansion is @xmath137 and this agrees with the simple study of the coefficient ratio . in the one - dimensional model , the convergence region of original @xmath17 expansion is @xmath138 and the @xmath0-expanded counterpart reads @xmath139 .
it is as if the region of convergence is shifted right by @xmath111 .
if @xmath34 is negative and small in the absolute value , @xmath140 diverges in the @xmath57 limit .
this may sound strange , since the series in powers of @xmath78 is effective around @xmath141 and then the expansion in @xmath34 would ordinarily include the origin within the convergence circle . before proceeding to estimate critical quantities in the two - dimensional model , we would like to elucidate the point in the square lattice . from ( [ 4_10 ] )
, we obtain @xmath142 at orders @xmath143th , @xmath144th and @xmath145th .
dashed line indicates @xmath4 .
( b)the plots of @xmath91 ( solid line ) and @xmath146 ( dashed gray line ) at @xmath147 . here
we note that @xmath148.,title="fig : " ] at orders @xmath143th , @xmath144th and @xmath145th .
dashed line indicates @xmath4 .
( b)the plots of @xmath91 ( solid line ) and @xmath146 ( dashed gray line ) at @xmath147 . here
we note that @xmath148.,title="fig : " ] we first show in fig .
3 the plots of @xmath91 at various orders .
as seen in the upper graph ( a ) , @xmath91 shows slow convergence to @xmath4 .
this is due to the presence of the corrections , especially the leading one @xmath149 .
actually , the simultaneous plot of @xmath91 and @xmath146 ( @xmath150 and ( [ delta2 ] ) are used ) at @xmath147 shown in fig .
3 ( b ) reveals that the two graphs are in excellent agreement .
thus , we find that @xmath91 precisely approximates @xmath151 in its simplest form and , as long as @xmath152 in the @xmath57 limit , @xmath153 in the region @xmath154 .
figure 4 shows the plots of @xmath155 at various orders .
the coefficient @xmath156 multiplied to @xmath112 is chosen from the asymptotic form of @xmath6 near the critical point @xmath157 ( see ( [ crit_2d_a ] ) ) , i. e. , the inverse of the critical exponent @xmath158 is used .
the value makes the leading correction , the term @xmath159 , be canceled between @xmath6 and @xmath160 .
thus the correction is highly suppressed in the combination . as a result , @xmath155 shows a clear convergence trend over the whole region of @xmath154 . at @xmath161 , @xmath144 and @xmath145 .
dashed line indicates @xmath4 . ]
we can say that the region supporting ( [ delta_limit ] ) thus indeed exists for the functions of interest .
explicitly , the region is confirmed to be @xmath162 approximately .
the point is , as in a one - dimensional model , that the origin @xmath96 seems to be excluded from this region . to confirm it in a more conclusive ,
we compute @xmath163 at large orders @xmath164 and @xmath165 over the region @xmath166 .
the result is plotted in fig .
5 . the effective region where @xmath91 takes a finite value is limited between @xmath167 and @xmath168 .
in other regions , we find @xmath169 .
( dotted ) at @xmath164 ( black ) and @xmath165 ( gray ) as functions of @xmath34 . the filled blobs signal points @xmath170 and @xmath171 at which @xmath172 . ]
the above feature is investigated from another angle by using pad approximants .
since @xmath91 and the derivatives converge respectively to @xmath4 and zero , the diagonal approximants denoted as @xmath173 $ ] ( @xmath174 ) are the most appropriate choice in the pad table .
6 ( a)-(b ) show the poles and zeros of the @xmath173 $ ] element of @xmath91 and @xmath175 at @xmath176 , @xmath177 and @xmath178 . from fig .
6 , we find , in spite of coefficients of @xmath179 and @xmath180 being dependent on the order , that both shapes of distributed poles and zeros seem to converge to circular ones , though the one for poles is chipped .
the shape of the pole set is apparently recognized as the circle even at rather low orders and the convergence is not slow .
in contrast , the shape of the zero set changes very slowly for @xmath91 though the reason behind it is not clear to us . at @xmath164 for @xmath91 ,
the points at the left end of pole sets have the coordinate @xmath181 , and the points at the right chipped end have @xmath182 . as for @xmath175 at the same order , the points at the left end of pole sets have the coordinate @xmath183 and the points at the right end have @xmath184 .
the respective norms are @xmath185 and @xmath186 for @xmath91 and @xmath187 and @xmath188 for @xmath175 .
the deflection angles for the upper right end points are , respectively , @xmath189 and @xmath190 for @xmath91 and @xmath175 . from these results and those at lower orders
, it is strongly suggested that in the infinite order the both sets of poles for @xmath91 and @xmath175 are dense and form the chipped circle with the radius @xmath137 , the center being at the origin and upper end points having deflection angle @xmath191 . both zero - point sets in the @xmath57 limit form dense sets of the circle with radius @xmath137 and center at @xmath192 .
then , if a @xmath34-series obtained by the @xmath0-expansion would be a series expanded around @xmath96 , it must be effective `` inside '' of the chipped pole - circle and not effective for @xmath193>1/8 $ ] .
but it is not actually the case as manifest in fig .
, we conclude that effective region of @xmath0-expansion is shown by the zero - circle , not by the pole - circle .
the origin @xmath96 is actually at the boundary of the effective region and this is in accord with the fact that the coefficient of @xmath194 diverges as @xmath57 ; that is , the @xmath0-expansion does not provide expansion around @xmath96 . in the complex @xmath34 plane .
stars , crosses and dots in black for poles at @xmath176 , @xmath177 and @xmath178 respectively .
green triangles , red diamonds and small blue circles for zeros at @xmath176 , @xmath177 and @xmath178 respectively .
( b ) same plots for @xmath195,title="fig : " ] in the complex @xmath34 plane .
stars , crosses and dots in black for poles at @xmath176 , @xmath177 and @xmath178 respectively .
green triangles , red diamonds and small blue circles for zeros at @xmath176 , @xmath177 and @xmath178 respectively .
( b ) same plots for @xmath195,title="fig : " ] from the argument so far , though it is hard to analytically proves the convergence in the large @xmath23 limit , we can say that there exists enough evidence of ( [ delta_limit ] ) , stated in this case as @xmath196 similarly , we conclude that @xmath197 and hence for arbitrary @xmath198 and parameters @xmath199 , @xmath200 an example of the above kind of combinations is @xmath201 considered before corresponding @xmath202 and @xmath203 .
the speed of convergence as @xmath23 grows depends on the value of @xmath199 . from ( [ crit_2d_a ] ) , we find that the suitable set is @xmath204 but the spectrum of the true exponents is the target itself in our study and not allowed to be used as an input . in the next section we discuss how to use ( [ fundamental_theorem ] ) for the estimation of critical temperature and exponents . figure 3(b ) clearly exhibits that @xmath91 recovers the scaling behavior .
this provides us the possibility of estimating critical quantities from @xmath91 effective at small @xmath34 . in this subsection
, we explicitly carry out estimations of critical quantities @xmath4 and @xmath2 .
in fact , @xmath4 estimation is able to carry through with the protocol presented in ref . @xcite . though we shall revise the protocol later , we first present the protocol and the result below .
we start with the scaling form written in @xmath78 , @xmath205 where @xmath82 denotes the analytic part ( see ( [ crit_2d ] ) ) .
consider the simplest ansatz to the first correction @xmath206 . from the argument on the @xmath0-expansion of regular series presented in the one - dimensional model , we neglect
@xmath102 $ ] and employe the simple ansatz , @xmath207 the terms have exponents @xmath208 , @xmath209 and the above ansatz satisfies second order lde @xmath210 , and then provides after the integration over @xmath120 @xmath211\bar\beta_{n<}=\beta_{c}. \label{lde1}\ ] ] the inverse critical temperature appears as the integration constant .
then , we assume the basic result of @xmath0-expansion which states @xmath212\bar\beta_{n>}=\beta_{c}\quad t\in i. \label{base1}\ ] ] note that @xmath91 effective at small @xmath34 is used in the place of @xmath151 . now , see fig . 7 where @xmath91 and its derivatives are plotted at @xmath147 .
we confirm from fig .
3(a ) and fig . 7 that approximate scaling behaviors for @xmath213 and @xmath214 can be observed in the region @xmath215 .
( we see from ( [ ansatz ] ) that @xmath216 .
the decreasing trend of the first derivative is clearly exhibited in @xmath217 ) and its derivatives @xmath218 for @xmath219 at @xmath147 .
the thick gray line represents @xmath8 .
though the scaling of @xmath220 has just begun to be observed , other derivatives exhibit scaling after the last bumps .
this allows us , at @xmath65th order , to use a three - parameter ansatz . a four- or more multiparameter ansatz needs higher order terms above @xmath65th .
] then , we make use of the approximate case of ( [ base1 ] ) without the @xmath57 limit ; that is , we identify the value of @xmath221\bar\beta_{n>}$ ] at a stationary point @xmath222 in the plateau ( see the plots in fig .
the result can be written as @xmath211\bar\beta_{n>}\big |_{t = t^{*}}=\beta_{c}. \label{recipe1}\ ] ] then , the task remaining is to find most reliable or optimal set of @xmath34 and @xmath223 , which is expected to be close to @xmath224 .
for this purpose , the extension of the principle of minimum sensitivity ( pms ) due to stevenson @xcite was used .
it suggests that the optimal set of @xmath223 and @xmath34 is determined by the following simultaneous equations @xmath225\bar\beta_{n>}^{(1 ) } & = & 0 \label{pms1}\\ \,\big[1+p_{1}^{-1}\frac{d}{d\log t}\big]\bar\beta_{n>}^{(2 ) } & \sim&0 .
\label{pms2}\end{aligned}\ ] ] here the symbol @xmath226 means the left - hand side must be vanishing or a local minimum in the absolute value
. some comments would be in order : in general , the solution of ( [ pms1 ] ) and ( [ pms2 ] ) is not unique at a given order , and among those solutions , the best one must be selected somehow .
let us explain this issue by focusing on typical order cases , @xmath227 . from ( [ pms1 ] ) , we obtain @xmath223 as a function of a stationary point @xmath34 as @xmath228 .
for instance , at @xmath229 , one has @xmath230 substitution of @xmath231 into the left - hand - side of ( [ pms2 ] ) gives @xmath232\bar\beta_{n>}^{(2)}(t)$ ] which is plotted in fig . 8 .
\bar\beta_{n>}^{(2)}$ ] at @xmath233 .
the dotted vertical lines indicate the singularities . ]
the optimal solution is determined in the following way : at @xmath229 we have just one solution at the cross point and this gives optimal @xmath234 . at @xmath107
there is one more solution depicted by the black blob .
the peak between the two zeros shows the turning point to the scaling and therefore the blob point is plausible to be selected as the optimal one , giving @xmath235 .
similarly at @xmath236 , the local minimum represented by blob point corresponds to the optimal one and @xmath237 .
then we obtain the optimal estimation of @xmath223 by @xmath238 and the estimation of @xmath4 is given by ( [ recipe1 ] ) .
we use the term `` proper solution '' for those depicted by the filled blobs at @xmath107 and @xmath239 . just from these orders , the proper approximation sets in . at @xmath229 ,
the set @xmath240 is optimal but not proper
. we can also carry out multi - parameter or @xmath241th order lde analysis from @xmath242\bar\beta_{n>}=\beta_{c}. \label{cond}\ ] ] extending the pms idea , we require that @xmath91 satisfies at some @xmath34 that @xmath243\bar\beta_{n>}^{(1)}&= & 0,\label{cond6}\\ \cdots & \cdots & \nonumber\\ \prod_{i=1}^{k}\big[1+p_{i}^{-1}\frac{d}{d\log t}\big]\bar\beta_{n>}^{(k)}&= & 0,\label{cond7}\nonumber\\ \prod_{i=1}^{k}\big[1+p_{i}^{-1}\frac{d}{d\log t}\big]\bar\beta_{n>}^{(k+1)}&\sim & 0.\label{cond8}\end{aligned}\ ] ] the first @xmath241 condition allows a solution @xmath223 , @xmath244 , @xmath245 , @xmath246 as functions of @xmath34 which specifies the estimation point .
then , the last condition ( [ cond8 ] ) gives the optimal or proper solution for @xmath222 , and the substitution gives the estimate @xmath247 .
estimation of @xmath4 can then be done with ( [ cond ] ) .
lccccccccc & @xmath248 & @xmath249 & @xmath143 & @xmath65 & @xmath250 & @xmath251 & @xmath252 & @xmath253 & @xmath177 + @xmath254 & 0.43451427 & 0.43768742 & 0.43905467 & 0.43952324 & 0.43989324 & 0.44004633 & 0.44020306 & 0.44027202 & 0.44035468 + @xmath255 & 0.44270440@xmath256 & 0.43995506 & 0.44045465 & 0.44057056 & 0.44062720 & 0.44064773 & 0.44066261 & 0.44066888 & 0.44067449 + @xmath257 & & & 0.44064208@xmath256 & 0.44065581 & 0.44067626 & 0.44068146 & 0.44068414 & 0.44068514 & 0.44068583 + @xmath258 & & & & & 0.44068347 & 0.44068540 & 0.44068627 & 0.44068653 & 0.44068666 + @xmath259 & & & & & & 0.44068684@xmath256 & 0.44068662 & 0.44068672 & 0.44068677 + in general , as many terms are included into the ansatz , the accuracy of estimate is increased , though the onset of proper estimation is delayed to higher orders .
see fthe numerical results summarized in table i. an approximate assessment at which order @xmath91 begins to show that scaling is found from the plot of the function and its derivatives .
for instance , at @xmath147 , we notice that , though the seventh - order derivative which enters the job at a three - parameter ansatz shows rough scaling , all the derivatives can be said to be exhibiting the scaling behaviors .
it is also notable that from the plot one can guess the value of proper solution @xmath260 . on these grounds
, one may expect that the three parameter ansatz is available at @xmath147 .
more precisely , we consider that reliable estimation begins with the emergence of the proper stationary point . and , at a given order of large @xmath1 expansion , the best approximation of @xmath4 is obtained in an ansatz with @xmath241 parameters where @xmath241 denotes the maximal number of parameters providing a proper solution @xmath260 .
this is the summary of the protocol used in ref .
@xcite .
the estimate of an exponent @xmath261 by @xmath262 accepts slightly less accuracy .
for instance at @xmath147 , a three - parameter ansatz meets just proper case and yields @xmath263 , @xmath264 . at @xmath265 , a proper six - parameter ansatz yields @xmath266
, @xmath267 , and @xmath268 . the value of @xmath244 at @xmath177th order proves that the next order term is @xmath269 and not @xmath270 , which is contained in @xmath82 ( see ( [ crit_2d ] ) ) .
the value of @xmath271 at @xmath265 indicates the next - to - the - next order is @xmath272 .
all of these results are in accord with ( [ regular ] ) , ( [ beta_scale1 ] ) , and ( [ beta_scale2 ] ) . in the previous protocol , critical exponents
are estimated in the relation with @xmath4 . here
we try to estimate the leading exponent @xmath223 in the manner independent of @xmath4 estimation .
the point is simple .
it just suffices to differentiate @xmath273 by @xmath120 to remove @xmath4 and then construct a quantity which converges to @xmath223 in the @xmath274 limit .
we will demonstrate that the ratio of the derivatives @xmath275 is convenient for the aim and the estimation accuracy will be improved .
one remark is in order here . in working @xmath73
, we assumed that the regular part @xmath82 is negligible and the numerical results on the exponents @xmath244 and @xmath271 at high orders support that it is the case .
however , in @xmath276 , a regular part plays a role of effective corrections as we can see below : writing @xmath277 , we find @xmath278 the first part implies the expansion result comes solely from non - analytic part of @xmath73 , while the last part involves @xmath82 .
we find that @xmath82 dependent part has expansions in the fractional powers of @xmath78 . on the other hand ,
actually , the first part is a regular series , and the @xmath0-expansion would make it be negligible except for the first term @xmath209 .
thus @xmath82 plays a major role in @xmath276 . neglecting higher order corrections
, @xmath276 satisfies @xmath279\bar f_{\beta n<}= 0,\label{dif1}\ ] ] where @xmath280 , indicating the constant term @xmath209 in ( [ ratio2d ] ) .
another exponent @xmath281 @xmath282 stands for the power of terms involved in the second part of ( [ ratio2d ] ) . here
, @xmath283 stands for the number of terms included in @xmath284 . integration with respect to @xmath34 and the replacement @xmath285
would then give @xmath286\bar f_{\beta n>}= -p_{1}. \label{dif2}\\\ ] ] this is the equation we start with .
conditions to estimate @xmath209 are obtained by the differentiation , giving @xmath287\bar f_{\beta n>}^{(1)}&= & 0 , \label{cond9}\\ \prod_{i=2}^{k_{\nu}}\big[1+q_{i}^{-1}t\frac{d}{dt}\big]\bar f_{\beta n>}^{(2)}&= & 0,\label{cond10}\\ \cdots & \cdots & \nonumber\\ \prod_{i=2}^{k_{\nu}}\big[1+q_{i}^{-1}t\frac{d}{dt}\big]\bar f_{\beta
n>}^{(k)}&\sim & 0.\label{cond11}\end{aligned}\ ] ] the estimation details are same as those in the estimation of @xmath4 .
the only thing worth mentioning is that the series of @xmath288 becomes somewhat less - qualified compared to the series of @xmath213 itself .
this depletion is reflected in the derivatives of @xmath288 , which is depicted in fig .
9 . for the @xmath289-lde case
, a proper sequence appears at eighth order for even orders and @xmath239th for odd orders . for the @xmath156-lde sequence ,
a proper estimate begins from @xmath290th for even orders and @xmath291th for odd orders . for the 3-lde sequence
, we have @xmath292th and @xmath293th orders , and for the @xmath294-lde sequence , @xmath295th and @xmath296th orders .
the result of the estimate is summarized in table ii and depicted in fig .
10 . at @xmath147 .
the seventh - order derivative shows behavior far from scaling and the sixth - order derivative is just about setting in the scaling .
the thick gray line indicates @xmath297 . ] via @xmath6 and @xmath276 .
`` @xmath298 '' means the result from the @xmath241-parameter ansatz of @xmath81 .
similarly , `` @xmath299 '' means the result from the @xmath241-parameter ansatz of @xmath300 .
plot ( a ) shows the results via the one- and two - parameter ansatz and plot ( b ) via the three- and four - parameter ansatz .
the dotted lines indicate @xmath301 . both of ( a ) and ( b )
show that the estimations via @xmath302 are superior to those via @xmath303.,title="fig : " ] via @xmath6 and @xmath276 .
`` @xmath298 '' means the result from the @xmath241-parameter ansatz of @xmath81 .
similarly , `` @xmath299 '' means the result from the @xmath241-parameter ansatz of @xmath300 .
plot ( a ) shows the results via the one- and two - parameter ansatz and plot ( b ) via the three- and four - parameter ansatz .
the dotted lines indicate @xmath301 . both of ( a ) and ( b )
show that the estimations via @xmath302 are superior to those via @xmath303.,title="fig : " ] lcccccc & @xmath249 & @xmath143 & @xmath65 & @xmath250 & @xmath251 & @xmath252 + @xmath304 & 1.0072333 & 1.0039272 & 1.0027581 & 1.0018766 & 1.0014966 & 1.0011272 + @xmath255 & 0.9829895 & 0.9928665 & 0.9958010 & 0.9974954 & 0.9981953 & 0.9987589 + @xmath305 & 1.0051863@xmath256 & 1.0015675 & 1.0002212 & 1.0001129 & 1.0000743 & 1.0000465 + @xmath257 & & & 0.9986069 & 0.9994266 & 0.9996737 & 0.9998178 + @xmath306 & & & 1.0001608@xmath256 & 1.0000539 & 1.0000069 & 1.0000033 + @xmath258 & & & & 0.9997888 & 0.9998998 & 0.9999569 + @xmath307 & & & & & 1.0000048@xmath308 & 1.0000018 + in table ii and fig .
10 , the results of the @xmath223 estimate by the previous protocol in the 2-lde ansatz are also plotted . as a typical case ,
compare 2-lde results with the improved 2-lde ( including @xmath309 and @xmath310 ) results .
we see from table ii that the improved 2-lde results are superior to the original 2-and 3-lde results when those are available at a given order .
the only drawback in the former is the delay of the emergence of the proper sequence .
the correction exponents can be also estimated : at @xmath265 , a proper five - parameter ansatz is available and yields @xmath311 , @xmath312 , and @xmath313 .
this result serves as evidence that @xmath314 , @xmath315 , and @xmath316 .
note that the integer power is not detected .
ccccccc & @xmath249 & @xmath143 & @xmath65 & @xmath250 & @xmath251 & @xmath252 + @xmath255 & 0.44104211 & 0.44079548 & 0.44071637 & 0.44070377 & 0.44069666 & 0.44069360 + @xmath257 & & & 0.44069402 & 0.44068944 & 0.44068762 & 0.44068726
+ @xmath258 & & & 0.44069045@xmath256 & 0.44068811 & 0.44068702 & 0.44068689 + @xmath259 & & & & & 0.44068692 & 0.44068685 + by using the @xmath223-estimate obtained in this manner , the improved estimate of @xmath4 becomes possible as we can see below : the new protocol tells that , at a given order , one should use the ansatz of @xmath317 with maximal number of parameters , say @xmath241 .
then we bias @xmath4 estimation via @xmath318 with @xmath241-lde by the substitution of @xmath319 obtained in the @xmath283-lde estimation via @xmath276 , where the order @xmath283 stands for the available maximal order of lde .
for instance , at @xmath65th order a three - parameter ansatz is available ( see table i ) .
then , we can use @xmath305 proper estimate of @xmath223 via @xmath276 . on the other hand , at @xmath292th order , we deal with the same three - parameter ansatz with @xmath306 proper estimate of @xmath223 . at each orders , we substitute @xmath223 obtained in respective orders into the set of conditions ( [ cond6 ] ) - ( [ cond8 ] ) .
since the @xmath223 exponent is thus fixed , one can discard one condition .
the last condition ( [ cond8 ] ) involves the highest derivatives among them and suitable to be discarded . in this way
, we redo the estimation of @xmath4 , and the results are summarized in table iii and fig . 11 . in the naive and improved protocols .
`` @xmath320 '' means the naive result from the @xmath241-parameter ansatz of @xmath81 .
similarly , `` @xmath321 '' means the improved result from @xmath241-parameter ansatz of @xmath81 under the bias of estimated @xmath2 via @xmath276 .
the dotted line indicates @xmath4 .
for a three - parameter ansatz , non - proper results are also plotted . ] at @xmath65th order , for example , the naive estimation gives @xmath322 in @xmath323-lde . in the improved estimation
, we have @xmath324 in @xmath323-lde .
the improved result is more accurate than the naive one .
the accuracy improvement occurs to all orders we have examined to @xmath177th order .
we conclude that the new formula improves the accuracy of the @xmath4 estimate .
the exact and closed expression of the magnetic susceptibility defined by @xmath326 is not obtained yet . however
, its mathematical structure has been vigorously investigated for some years .
references @xcite provide good guidance .
it is now known that the behaviors of @xmath327 near the transition point read @xcite , @xmath328 where @xmath329 and @xmath330 use of the expansion of @xmath331 in @xmath1 , @xmath332 then gives the behavior of @xmath327 described in @xmath78 , @xmath333 compared with the critical behavior of @xmath73 , @xmath327 shows more complicated structure .
the spectrum of exponents comes in two families of @xmath334 and @xmath335 .
in addition the later family allows logarithms which are considered as the remnant of the exponents with double , triple , etc degeneracies .
the similar but more complicated structure is observed in the ratio function @xmath336 . though @xmath337 is more complicated than @xmath327 , its leading term is just a constant @xmath3 and convenient for its estimation .
we therefore work with @xmath337 .
first of all , we do not make use of the detailed result ( [ chi_scaling ] ) , since our purpose here is to assess the power of our approach to estimate the @xmath327-exponent @xmath338 under simple assumptions .
we start in a robust manner with the supposed power - like behavior with analytic back ground , @xmath339 where @xmath340 .
then , we have @xmath341 where @xmath342 and @xmath343 .
the lde to be satisfied by @xmath344 to the first @xmath241 expansion reads @xmath345\big[p_{1}+\frac{d}{d\log t}\big]\prod_{n=2}^{k}\big[r_{n}+\frac{d}{d\log t}\big]\bar f_{\chi n<}=0.\ ] ] integration over @xmath34 and the replacement @xmath346 then gives @xmath211\prod_{n=2}^{k}\big[1+r_{n}^{-1}\frac{d}{d\log t}\big]\bar f_{\chi n > } \sim \frac{\gamma}{2\nu}. \label{lde_fchi}\ ] ] the behaviors of @xmath347 @xmath348 at @xmath147 are depicted in fig .
12 . from the plots ,
we can understand roughly at which region of @xmath34 , the estimation should be carried out in a given order . at @xmath147 for example , all of @xmath347 from @xmath349 show approximate scaling around @xmath350 and @xmath260 would be close to that
. it would be interesting to see whether the @xmath0-expansion plays an expected role in this case , i. e. , whether @xmath351 recovers the true complicated critical behavior .
we have numerically studied both functions @xmath351 and @xmath352 at several @xmath23 and confirmed it is the case .
for instance , fig .
13 shows the plots of those at @xmath147 .
the two functions are almost degenerate over a region of @xmath34 ranging from @xmath353 to @xmath354 .
the agreement between them is confirmed also for the first and second derivatives at @xmath147 .
( @xmath355 ) at @xmath147 .
the thick gray line indicates @xmath356 . ] and @xmath352 at @xmath147 .
the dashed line indicates @xmath356 . ] in ref .
@xcite , an unbiased estimation of @xmath338 via large mass expansion was done .
however , we must say that the result is not as good in the accuracy . here
we note that the estimation of @xmath4 was improved under the bias of @xmath2 estimated order by order via @xmath276 .
this would apply to the @xmath338 estimation since the leading correction comes in @xmath357 .
we therefore employ the same procedure : we substitute @xmath358 estimated in the previous subsection into the left - hand - side of ( [ lde_fchi ] ) and extended pms conditions that follow from ( 4.28 ) to ( 4.30 ) under the replacement @xmath359 in them . the result of @xmath3 estimation to @xmath177th order is shown in table iv and fig . 14 .
it is apparent that the use of @xmath319 has made the accuracy better .
here we notice that the used value of @xmath319 is the one obtained in the @xmath289-lde for @xmath276 .
the @xmath360-lde with larger @xmath360 by which @xmath319 is supplied does not bring about any net improvement on @xmath3 . in the naive and improved protocols .
`` @xmath361 '' means the unbiased result from the @xmath241-parameter ansatz of @xmath362 .
similarly , `` @xmath363 '' means the improved ( biased ) result from the @xmath241-parameter ansatz of @xmath362 .. ] cccccccc & @xmath143 & @xmath65 & @xmath250 & @xmath251 & @xmath252 & @xmath253 & @xmath177 + @xmath254 & 0.87663881 & 0.87601885 & 0.87575751 & 0.87552991 & 0.87542884 & 0.87531581 & 0.87526554 + @xmath255 & 0.87444212 & 0.87481600 & 0.87490090 & 0.87492284 & 0.87493726 & 0.87494082 & 0.87494692 + @xmath257 & & 0.87496338 & 0.87495516 & 0.87495917 & 0.87496394 & 0.87496794 & 0.87497436 + our biased protocol may be said to be working basically well up to the moderate orders
. however , a complicated phenomenon occurs at higher orders .
for instance , a `` second '' proper solution appears about @xmath364 and @xmath365 , respectively , in three- and four - parameter ansatze .
the region where the second proper solution lives is separated from the region of first proper solution by the pole of the relevant functions .
after the appearance of the second proper solution , the latter region gradually shrinks and the new region develops .
thus , we come to be aware that the new solution must be kept as the true proper solution , and the old one should be called a pseudo proper solution . as for
one- and two- parameter ansatze , the second proper solution if it exists does not appear up to @xmath366 , which is the maximum order we have studied .
however , a seemingly irregular phenomenon still occurs at higher orders .
for instance , using the exact value @xmath367 , we found that @xmath368\bar f_{\chi n > } ^{(1)}$ ] changes behavior at @xmath369 .
see the change shown in fig .
\bar f_{\chi n > } ^{(1)}$ ] at @xmath370 ( a ) and @xmath371 ( b).,title="fig : " ] \bar f_{\chi n > } ^{(1)}$ ] at @xmath370 ( a ) and @xmath371 ( b).,title="fig : " ] at @xmath370 , @xmath368\bar f_{\chi n > } ^{(1)}$ ] approaches zero from below .
in contrast , at @xmath366 , the same function goes across the zero - line at @xmath372 . as plotted in fig .
16 , from the exact critical behaviors to order @xmath373 ( the exponents of terms included are @xmath208 , @xmath374 , @xmath375 , @xmath376 , @xmath377 , @xmath378 , @xmath379 , @xmath380 ) , we can observe similar behavior as in the case @xmath366 of @xmath368\bar f_{\chi n > } ^{(1)}$ ] . though the matching of the plotted two functions is not good yet
, the gray curve representing @xmath368\bar f_{\chi n < } ^{(1)}$ ] at @xmath366 passes across the zero line at @xmath381 .
the value of the across point slightly increases as the number of terms included grows .
for instance , when the terms to @xmath382 are included , we have @xmath383 for the crossing point . on the other hand
, the evaluation of the crossing point in @xmath368\bar f_{\chi n > } ^{(1)}$ ] proves that @xmath384 at @xmath385 , respectively .
this would signal the reliability of the behavior of @xmath368\bar f_{\chi n > } ^{(1)}$ ] at quite large orders .
we emphasize that the discrepancy between the two functions is in fact small . indeed , the peak values are of the order @xmath386 , and the discrepancy is also of the same order .
the speed of approaching zero of @xmath368\bar f_{\chi n > } ^{(1)}$ ] is extremely slow .
this slow convergence to zero is a signal that this anomalous behavior originates from the logarithmic terms .
\bar f_{\chi n > } ^{(1)}$ ] at @xmath366 ( black ) and @xmath368\bar f_{\chi n < } ^{(1)}$ ] to @xmath387 ( gray ) , in which @xmath388 is included . ] in the improved protocols at large orders .
`` @xmath363 '' means the result from the @xmath241-parameter ansatz of @xmath362 . ]
the sequences of one- and two- parameter ansatze seem to imply slightly smaller value of convergence limit ( see fig .
however , we have checked that over @xmath389 , the estimate shows a slow increasing trend with small oscillation .
the reason of the appearance of an increasing trend even in the peak of the logarithmic effect is not seen in @xmath368\bar f_{\chi n > } ^{(1)}$ ] is that the coefficients of the logarithmic terms decrease as @xmath23 increases ( see ( [ scale_c1 ] ) ) .
the same phenomenon does not occur in @xmath2 and @xmath4 estimations up to @xmath366 .
this would be because @xmath390 and @xmath391 near @xmath4 are of the power - like structure .
in the one - dimensional ising model , the basic result ( [ delta_limit ] ) is analytically proved . in the square model , numerical work to large orders confirmed that ( [ delta_limit ] ) is valid . based upon ( [ delta_limit ] )
, we performed the estimation of @xmath2 , @xmath338 , and @xmath4 and demonstrated that the new protocol works better than the previous one @xcite . also important
is the confirmation of the convergence region of the @xmath0-expanded large @xmath1 expansion .
the existence is proved in one - dimension and verified numerically in the square model .
we emphasize in both cases that the convergence region is of the type @xmath392 , and the origin @xmath96 is excluded .
the presented approach has a characteristic property that one can estimate critical exponents directly from the high - temperature expansion , with no bias from the critical temperature . under the new protocol
, we understand that @xmath2 can be estimated first and then , @xmath338 and @xmath4 in the bias of estimated @xmath2 .
it is logically natural that universal quantities are directly estimated by the large @xmath1 expansion .
the exponent @xmath2 has a special role in our approach because any typical thermodynamic quantity scales as @xmath393 and the first correction has the extra power @xmath224 due to the relation @xmath394 near the critical point . in the traditional method such as dlog pad @xcite and differential approximants methods
@xcite , @xmath4 is involved in the estimation equations .
many estimation data are supplied in a given order and the statistical processing of those data is employed and the average becomes accurate compared to the raw data themselves . in our method , in contrast , we have essentially a unique estimate .
thus , there is no room for the statistical processing of the data .
the accuracy is not superior to those in the traditional approaches , but the logic is alternative and would be interesting since a direct path to the exponent is opened .
99 h. yamada , arxiv : 1303.3714 [ hep - lat ] ( 2013 ) .
h. yamada , phys .
d * 76 * , 045007 ( 2007 ) . on the choice of parameter describing the thermal behavior , see ; i.a .
campbell , k. hukushima and h. takayama , phys .
lett . * 97 * , 117202 ( 2006 ) ; i.a .
campbell , k. hukushima and h. takayama , phys . rev .
* b76 * , 134421 ( 2007 ) ; i.a .
campbell and p. butera , phys . rev .
* b78 * , 024435 ( 2008 ) . at small @xmath11 , the two variable has connection @xmath395 and @xmath1 and @xmath396 has no similarity .
actualy , at small @xmath11 we have expansion of @xmath6 such as @xmath397 .
the @xmath0-expansion is not applicable to this kind of series .
the squared mass @xmath1 can not be replaced by @xmath396 .
montroll , r.b .
potts and j.c .
ward , j. math .
phys . * 4 * , 308 ( 1963 ) .
b. tarko and m. e. fisher , phys
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b. m. mccoy , advanced statistical mechanics , oxford university press , 2010 .
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we have made use of the data of high temperature series opened to the public at http://www.ms.unimelb.edu.au/@xmath226iwan/ising/ising_ser.html .
h. yamada , cit report * 61 * , 91 , 2014 ( arxiv : 1311.4741 ) .
g. a. baker , phys . rev . * 61 * , 768 , 1961 .
a. j. guttmann and g. s. joyce , j. phys . *
a5 * , l81 , 1972 ; m. e. fisher and h. au - yang , j. phys . * a12 * , 1677 , 1979 ; d. l. hunter and g. a. baker , phys . rev . *
b19 * , 3808 , 1979 .
a. j. guttmann , in _ phase transitions and critical phenomena _ ,
* 13 * , 1989 , c. domb and j. lebowitz eds .
( academic press , new york ) . | arxiv |
Are virtual photons observers?
Often when talking about the double-slit experiment, it is said that the wavefunction of an electron (or any other particle for that matter) collapses when observed which results in a definite position of an electron.
My question is wouldn't the particle in question be subject to virtual photons produced by the gravitational field and electromagnetic field from the photographic plate,surrounding environment,ect which subject the particle to virtual photons hence why doesn't the wave function collapse in these instances?
Virtual particles [are mathematical functions](http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Particles/expar.html) carrying the quantum numbers of the name, a mnemonic placeholder to keep correct conservation of quantum numbers in the Feynman diagrams. The four vectors describing them are off mass shell and depending on the problem are varying under a Feynman integral.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tc8pz.png)
So they cannot be considered measurements or real interacting particles.
| stackexchange/physics |
Harrowing survival of Truman Everts in the Yellowstone Park
Sep 20, 2016 Doug Williams
© public domain
Conquering the uncharted territory saw its prime in the 18th and 19th century when individuals and expeditions strived to set foot where no one had ever gone before. In American expeditionary history, Truman Everts has earned a unique place as an old-school smart and resilient person.
With an ambition to trek through the legendary Yellowstone, Truman Everts a 54-year-old tax assessor for the Montana authorities, decided to join a group of nineteen experienced men in a bid to map and understand the Yellowstone region; the men were accompanied by a hoard of forty horses.
The famous Washburn-Langford-Duane Expedition was commissioned in 1870 with the assignment to trek the wilds of Yellowstone and compile the chronicles of region's many wonders, separating facts from fictions and legends.
For the most parts the team essentially circumnavigated the Yellowstone Lake; in the early September of 1870 Everts nearly escaped his demise while on the south end of the Yellowstone Lake. The first set back the Everts had to face was the moment when he unwittingly got separated from his expedition while whacking through thick woods between Yellowstone Lake and Heart Lake. Despite Everts apparent disappearance, his absence did not particularly raise alarms amongst his fellow men who were quite busy trying to make their way through pine forest. The thick forest posed a real challenge to the men especially due to the small size of the group who got tired and wary very quickly in the forest.
In the beginning, Everts thought he could eventually catch up with the party; he felt that, despite being left behind he was not lost. However, when his horse decided to make a run with all Evert's provisions still strapped to the saddle, everts felt a sense of uneasiness building up in his guts, which worsened after he had to spend the cold night alone in the wilderness. Everts wrote about his experiences and feelings during the first night alone in the forest; he wrote that despite being alone and deprived of even the very basic provisions he was adamant that he could catch up with his fellow men very soon in the following morning.
In some accounts, Everts talks about losing the horse the following morning when he decided to execute his plans of travelling in the direction of his expedition and meeting up with his men. But soon after he started his journey his horse got spooked and ran away with all provisions including his food, guns, and other safety equipment. Everts was left with only the clothes he was wearing with some blankets on his shoulders, it was at this point that Everts realized the true predicament he was in and the danger he was facing.
Lack of provisions, coupled with the tough terrain made things difficult by the hour, and his short-sightedness made the whole affair even more dreadful for him. September in Yellowstone could be an amazing time of the year but for Everts, it turned out to be near fatal, and he was losing confidence, and the hope of getting out of this unscathed seemed vanishing into the thick forest. Everts had to make a choice, either to return back to the Yellowstone Lake in the hope of his men returning for him or carry on south heading towards the Heart Lake; he chose the latter and took refuge under a tree. The warmth of the thermal springs kept him warm while he could feast on the little birds who also took refuge under the same tree trying to escape a mean storm, Outside reported.
Soon after Evert switched into his survival mode he started thinking in a different much ingenious way; he started a fire using his opera glass and fashioned a small knife out of his buckle and some fish hooks. He later caused a fire in the forest nearly burning his hair and narrowly escaped death after waking up and making a run out of the fire.
The expedition decided to look for him and at one stage got very close to the Heart Lake where Everts was hiding, but they were unable to locate him and left for another direction. For the next 37 days, Everts tried to survive in the woods from the wild animals and vicious weather, changing his location and catching birds and other little animals here and there for food. In mid-October Everts was spotted by a group of men who initially thought he was a wounded bear cub crawling around along the banks of Heart Lake. | slim_pajama |
Harry Potter 1. Mort
**Introduction:** This is my response to reptilia28's death challenge. I had been wanting to do this one for quite some time now, but all of my ideas had already been done by others. It wasn't until I was reminded about the Discworld novel 'Mort' that I finally was able to develop this idea.
This story was previously posted to another profile of mine; i.e. the **Bard of Aevíl **(/u/1970071/). I have decided that that profile will purely be for posting my more 'mature' fics, i.e. stories that could possibly see my account deleted (if there's another purge) for falling foul of the site's 'overseers', for their 'adult' content. This new account is for all my stories rated T and below!
I have moved the story from the 'Discworld & Harry Potter' cross-over section to 'Harry Potter', due to the fact that I've realized very little of the Discworld (other than the occasional appearance by Mort) appears in this story!
I write fanfiction in order to give me a break from writing my original stories, especially when I have a major case of writer's block. Because writing my original stories will have to take priority for me, the updates for this (and future fanfiction stories) will be sporadic.
**Pairings**: The challenge itself primarily calls for a Harry / Hermione pairing, this is where my story differs. This is still a Harmony story, but with the inclusion of two others as well, namely Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott (hence the title of this fic). I won't explain why I've included them two as well, as that'll reveal some of the plot; it'll be explained in due course.
**Worlds**: Harry Potter & (slight) Discworld!
**Rating**: I do not plan on writing any sexually explicit material for this fic, therefore I have rated it a T!
**Story Length & Updates**: This particular story lasts up until the end of fourth year. There maybe a sequel, but that'll be a long way off as I have nothing planned for after this point in time. I have decided to break this story up into four equal parts, to follow each of Harry's years; e.g. "Oh Susannah: First Year", etc... This is mostly due to the fact that despite having an overall plot for this story, I still have yet to plan out their second through fourth years! Each chapter will vary in length, though they will usually be over 2.5k words (excluding notes)!
**The Challenge**: Harry is killed at 17 during a fight with Voldemort.
He's sent to his Death's office (explained later) and finds out that this isn't the first time that this has happened.
Harry's Death (who can have a human name) is mad at his arrival. Apparently, people dying before their time is a black mark on the various Deaths' records, and Harry is getting perilously close to getting this particular one fired.
When Harry asks what was supposed to have happened, Death goes off on a rant saying how he was supposed to have killed Voldemort, found his soul mate ("Some Granger girl...") and lived to be a centennial age. But since Harry keeps getting into life-threatening situations for one reason or another, he keeps dying before that happens.
Harry is surprised about the soul mate part.
Death gives Harry a paper to sign that allows him to retain his memories (the previous times, he wasn't given this option for some reason). Harry is deposited to a previous time of the writer's choosing. Eventually, Harry gets it right. He kills Voldemort, gets the girl, and lives to a ripe old age of whatever. And Harry's Grim Reaper doesn't get fired Harry.
**Disclaimer**: Listen to me very carefully, I shall say this only once … I do not own Discworld or Harry Potter, they belong to Terry Pratchett and J. K. Rowling respectively; and their various publication and distribution houses. No money is being made off this work. I am writing this purely as a hobby and for no other reason.
**Oh Susannah!**
**Chapter 1: Mort**
To say that Harry Potter was confused would be an understatement. The last thing he remembered was battling Voldemort near the Forbidden forest, a green light, then ending up here. Where ever here was. He looked around, trying to get his bearings and to work out where he was. The only thing that Harry could discern was that he were in a waiting room of some sort. The white walls kinda reminded him of a hospital. He knew that this was not a hospital.
"HARRY POTTER", said an ominous sounding voice. The young man in question jumped up from his seat with a start, at the sudden call of his name. At first he could not work out where it was coming from, but then he saw a figure standing in one of the doorways, a figure wearing an ominously black cloak; with the hood up so that its face could not be seen. Harry could not tell if it were male or female. "PLEASE COME WITH ME!" The voice said a moment later before turning and heading through the door. Harry had no choice but to follow.
The black cloaked figure lead Harry through an endless array of corridors that seemed to go on for ever. Several hours later, as it seemed to a now knackered teen, they came to a door through which his guide entered. Harry could see that this was an office of someone very important, for the seats and desk alone indicated someone of status.
"TAKE A SEAT", the figure said as it made its way to a large, almost throne like, chair behind the desk. In compliance of the instruction Harry's body seemed to move of its own accord, before finally sitting down.
The now clearly revealed male figure had removed his cowl as he sat down. He leant forward and put his elbows on the desk, before making a triangle out of his hands. It was a pose that reminded Harry of a certain yellow skinned nuclear power plant owner, though he could not recall the cartoon character's name.
"Well Harry," the man said in a much more normal tone of voice. "What are we going to do with you? You were not supposed to be here for quite some time. In fact, this is not the first time you've arrived in our realm. In fact, the Death who previously handled your case nearly had a mental break down because you'd died so many times, nearly getting him sacked in the process. In the end I had to take over and give him some paid leave to recover; even so, it'll take him quite some time to return back to work.
"Not only are we disappointed in the number of times that you've died, but you've also failed to complete the bonds with your soul-mates. Let's see," at this point he began to leaf through the file on his desk to get the right information. "Ah, here we are; some Granger girl and a Abbott and Bones. Though how the last two came about, I do not know. Let's see. It appears that Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones are the last of their lines. Well, this is interesting. It seems that they are two halves of the same soul, which is why they paired off together. Ah, here's the bit that pertains to you. Because they are the last of their lines, and that they are both 'together', they needed a male to help them continue their lines. Because of your childhood the Fates decided that you needed more than one soul-mate. Granger is your primary, and you were supposed to be the one who fathered the next generation of the Abbott and Bones families."
Harry was stunned. Not only had he apparently died, but he'd done so many times before. Then there was the fact that Hermione was his soul-mate. And she wasn't his only one. Apparently he was the soul-mate of two other witches that he did not know all too well, apart from their brief conversations after D.A. meetings. It never occurred to him that they were a lesbian couple. All this information proved to be too much of a shock for his mind to take in; it needed a reboot. Thus he ended up unconscious and slumped in the chair.
Several minutes later, Harry awoke with a groan. Everything suddenly came back to him: him dying multiple times and having three soul-mates. "Who-who are you?" He asked nervously, not knowing the person who he was speaking to.
"Ah, sorry Harry. My name is Lord Mortimer, Duke of Sto Helit, though most people call me Mort. I am deputy director of the Death Guardians (1) and the former apprentice of Death himself. He was the one from whom I got that loud voice, by the way, for he always talked like that, even when he was 'relaxing'. I mostly handle those really difficult cases, like yours, where the rank and file Death Guardians are having great difficulty with their charges. Hence why your case was forwarded to me.
"Now, I am sure that you have several questions about what I told you during my rant. Sorry about that."
Harry sat back firmly into his chair and took a deep breath. "You said that I had died many times before. How?" He asked a moment later.
Mort picked up the file and turned the pages over till he hit the right one. "Okay, let's see, you died a total of 10 times before, making this the 11th: Thrice while at the Dursleys, where they either beat you to death or you were left in the cupboard for far too long without food; during the Quidditch match when you fell off your broom; when you went to rescue the stone at the end of first year; you were killed by the Dragon; drowned in the lake when Victor Krum knocked you unconscious and you died during Voldemort's resurrection; again, your relatives didn't take too kindly to being told to lay off you; you were given an overdose of Amortentia; and you committed suicide after the death of your Godfather."
Harry was stunned, mouth open, jaw hitting the floor. He could not comprehend what he'd just heard, the fact that he'd died so many times and the manner in which he had done so. A moment later he asked the next obvious question, "how come I don't remember any of this?"
"Well," replied Mort. "When someone of importance, such as you, dies before their time we usually send them back to just before the point that they died. Their memories are wiped in the process, after all we do not want everyone to know what happens after they die. It would send those fundamentalist types into an apoplexy, if they found out what the after life was really like. This is why we wiped your memory of each of your visits here."
Harry nodded, for he could see some sort of sense in the explanation.
"Now, on this occasion, if you agree, we'd send you back with all of your memories intact, with a few added extras uploaded into your consciousness as well."
"You're sending me back again?" Harry asked with a hint of confusion.
Mort smiled. "Yes, for you see you're a linchpin in your world. Events revolve around you, are shaped by you. Yet you have not been given the skills and training needed to actively take charge of your true role in society. Your previous Death Guardian did not have the authorisation to send you back with your memories and upgrades. I do. It is why I am giving you this contract to look over and sign. If you agree, then you'll have to go on a few missions for us, which will be revealed to you at the appropriate time. The first two missions being, check in with Gringotts at the first available opportunity, you'll be in for a surprise; secondly, you need to begin establishing the connections with your soul-mates. This is one of the main reasons why we'll be sending you back to just before your first year; before Susan and Hannah become 'too focused' on each other." (2)
It was at this point that Harry was reminded about him having three soul-mates. So he asked the next question that immediately came to mind. "About that, I thought that Ginny was my Soul-mate?!"
Mort sighed, expecting this. "No Harry, she wasn't. She was the one that gave you the lethal dose of Amortentia, for she'd been feeding you it for some time before, but it was not having the desired affect, so she upped the dosage without realising how it would affect your body. It was her mother's idea to use the potion, for she wanted her 'precious daughter' to marry the famous boy-who-lived in order so that she could claim part of your fortune."
"So she never loved me?" Harry asked while tears threatened to fall from his eyes.
Mort sighed. "No Harry, she never truly loved you, she loved the boy-who-lived. She was programmed, from an early age by her mother, to want the fame and fortune that came with being Mrs Harry James Potter. It didn't really matter to the two Weasley women whom they hurt in the process. Though the younger is just as much a victim as you were, for the mother never cared about what her daughter truly wanted; it was about her own desires only. This is truly the most tragic part of the whole situation for the girl was just as much a pawn of the mother as you were, for she was destined for another. Not only that, but the youngest male Weasley was also in on the plan, though he probably would not have been had the magical world known about Savantism." (3)
"Savantism?"
"It is a condition where the sufferer has an encyclopedic knowledge of certain areas, Quidditch and Chess in Ronald's case, yet does not like change. They also have problems in social situations, an example would be his eating habits, his jealousy and the fact that it doesn't take much to make him angry."
To Harry this made some sort of sense. In the non-magical world the science of the mind is far more advanced than in the magical. It did not surprise him that his 'best friend' possibly had an emotional condition that very few in the magical world understood, if it were known at all. He just nodded, indicating that he'd understood what was said.
The revelation that the Weasley matriarch didn't really care about him, Harry Potter, but about the money that he was entitled to, as the last remaining member of an Ancient and Noble House, made him feel rather numb and depressed. He didn't really know what to think. He considered himself a part of the Weasley family, especially after the so many times that Molly 'claimed' that he was like another son to her. Now he could not comprehend the fact that the woman he looked to as a sort of 'mother figure' was actually using him to gain access to his vaults.
Mort just sat there, as he watched the young man in front of him. This was the part of his job that he didn't really like, telling people that what they thought was the truth was in fact a lie. Though he had yet to tell young Mr. Potter about the person behind the whole thing. He knew that that would cause further upset. He just continued to sit there for a few more moments, to let the information circulate through the young man's mind.
A moment or two later on, Harry breathed a heavy sigh, before asking. "Were any of the other Weasleys involved?" He couldn't bear the thought of the whole family being in on the plan.
At this Mort could give a smile. "No Harry; Arthur Weasley, had no clue as to what his wife and youngest children were doing, especially as his wife had her own ways of 'diverting' him should he come across any of their planning meetings. The twins did not know about it either, not only that, but they wouldn't intentionally harm anyone they consider family. Percy has been estranged from his family for a few years now. Bill and Charlie are too involved with their respective jobs to become caught up in their mother's schemes."
Harry let out a sigh of relief, glad that it was not every member of the Weasley family involved in the plot to steal money from him.
"Now, there's one further bit of information that I need to give you on this topic," Mort continued. "Molly Weasley wasn't the primary instigator of this plan. For one she didn't have the money nor the knowledge to pull this one off on her own. Her partner in crime was one Albus Dumbledore, who was in line to receive the primary share of your fortune, if the goal of their plans were to have reached their desired conclusion. He was also the one who left you at the Dursleys, despite knowing full well that your parents forbade you ever going there."
Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this. He just couldn't even comprehend the idea that the man he looked up to as a grandfather figure had been the one to make his life a living hell. That the old man didn't really care about him at all. "Why?" He asked in a small voice.
On hearing the quietly asked question, Mort couldn't help but sigh. "For his so called 'Greater Good', Harry. He wanted a world where pure-blood wizards ruled over everyone else, with him at the very top. In other words, he desired to become the first true Emperor of humanity. He could afford to take a long term view with this. The wealth of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter would give him enough funds to truly set his plans in motion, plus the Wizengamot votes your house holds would give him the majority he needed to pass or deny new legislation to further his aims. You were an obstacle to his plans, so he needed you out of the way, hence the Dursleys. He also needed a martyr for 'the cause' as a rallying point; though he needed to make sure that house Potter continued, under the influence of a family loyal to him, which is where Ginny came in."
This information proved to be too much for Harry. So once again, he passed out.
Harry came to several moments later, not really too sure how to react to everything that he'd just been told. To know that the individual who he looked up to the most was the one responsible for the hell that he'd been living in for the vast majority of his life; he just didn't know where to begin, in order to start processing it all.
"I am sorry about the way your life turned out Harry," Mort said a few moments later. "If you agree to the terms as laid out in the contract, we can change things. We can't do much about your life before Hogwarts, but we can make sure your time in the castle is a much better experience for you. Not only that, but you'll be in the position to prevent the deaths of several people who'd died before their time, Misters Diggory and Black for example."
Harry perked up at this, for it was the first time that that thought had percolated through his mind, the ability to save those who'd died. Well, as many of them as he could. He knew that the first thing to happen would be the freeing of his Godfather from Azkaban, and to prevent Cedric from dyeing in the grave yard at the end of fourth year. It was these thoughts that turned his mood around to a far more positive one.
Mort could see Harry's mood change as he realized the full implications of being able to go back in time. "Yes Harry, you'll be able to save some of those who'd died before their time. This will be one of your tasks. You'll be told who and when in plenty of time. Though there are those who's time was at an end that you cannot save."
Harry nodded at this.
"Okay, let's look at this contract you keep mentioning." Harry said a moment later.
Mort then proceeded to hand him the contract before sitting back while the younger man read it. It was the standard contract which set out the terms and conditions of what was to happen upon being sent back in time. Who he can or cannot tell about his past life. The stipulations about performing various missions and tasks as an agent of the Death Guardians, which he would effectively become. It also set out which parts of the time-line he was permitted to change and which he weren't. All pretty much bog standard.
As he came to the end of said document, Harry nodded. "You mentioned something about 'upgrades'. What are they and how can I use them?"
Mort thought for a moment, wondering what he should tell him. There were a few things that Harry's pre-teen body just would not be able to cope with, so Mort mentally debated with himself to see if he could come up with a viable reason as to why he should not tell him. He could not; though he did conclude that it would be best to tell him the truth.
"Well," he said after a while. "You will be sent back with all your knowledge and memories intact, as previously mentioned. You will have enhanced mental defences, to the point where not even Dumbledore could enter your mind. You will have an increased speed-reading rate and near instantaneous recall of any facts and pertinent knowledge. You will be given several Animagi forums, each of which will serve a different function, though I will leave which forms they are for you to discover. Not only will you have Animagi forms, but we'll also fully activate your Metamorphmagi abilities that you've inherited from your paternal grandmother. There will also be several other abilities that will only reveal themselves to you over time; for your body has to literally grow into them in order to adapt itself."
Harry was once again shocked, though this time in a good way. The abilities alone would certainly help him to become a much better wizard this time around. He was very curious about these mysterious Animagi forms, but reasoned that the Death Guardian just wanted to surprise him with them.
After thinking about it for a few moments more, Harry decided to sign the contract. He and Mort talked for a few minutes more about his first few tasks and what was to happen during Harry's first year at Hogwarts. Mort also mentioned that he'd be popping in from time to time in order to check up on Harry's progress. Once they'd talked everything over, with a final "good luck Harry", Mort waved his hand in the air and Harry's world went black.
**Footnotes**:
1 = I know that the Death Guardians do not exist in either universe, but it fitted in with this story.
2 = In Harry's first time around, in this story, Susan and Hannah officially became a couple in their third year. Soon after, they lost all interest in boys, preferring to focus solely on each other.
3 = I remember seeing a documentary about this condition and the way Ron is portrayed, especially in other fics, fitted my understanding of the symptoms. My apologies to anyone who is or knows of a sufferer, if I have made an error here. I'm not a psychiatrist.
**In the next chapter**:- Harry is sent back in time to his eleventh birthday. While in Gringotts he requests a meeting with the Potter accounts manager. Things are revealed that he didn't expect.
2. Hagrid
**Note:** I know that the opening for this chapter has been used many times before, in time-travel fics. I hope that I've made mine a tad different. I won't even attempt to write out Hagrid's accent, as I wouldn't have a clue where to start, so I've written it as if he were speaking normally.
**Oh Susannah!**
**Chapter 2: Hagrid**
The next thing he knew Harry woke up with a great BOOMING sound pounding on the door. He was disorientated for a moment, not really too sure what was going on or where he was. When the second BOOM sounded he remembered. He remembered dyeing and meeting Mort, his Death Guardian. He remembered being given the chance to come back again, to start over.
Taking a quick look around Harry grinned when he saw the room he stayed in on his eleventh birthday, the room in the shack on the islet somewhere out in the North Sea. He was back to the very beginning, to the moment when his life began to change. He grinned.
BOOM.
The door, ever so slowly, fell to the floor. Framed in the doorway stood the huge hulking form of the man whom Harry greatly admired. The person to introduce him to the wizarding world. Hagrid.
The rain was pouring it down in biblical proportions. It was dark. It was stormy. It was the start to many a story that Harry had read over the years; which made him chuckle. Though he quickly schooled his face so that the giant of a man saw an expression of shock.
"Sorry about that," said Hagrid, as he lifted the door from off the floor to place it back into its frame. He then proceeded to shake as much of the rain off of him as he could. "Keep forgetting my own strength, most of the time."
It was by that point that Vernon and Petunia Dursley had made their way down the stairs, huddled together in fear. Vernon carrying a shot gun that could clearly be seen moving from side to side, as the hands that held it were visibly shaking. When Vernon spied the man that had so rudely barged into their hideout, the couple gasped at the sheer size of him. He was not the size of a 'normal' man.
"Who-who are you?" Vernon asked rather nervously. "Do-don't come any c-c-closer, I'm a-armed!" He had the air of someone who was trying to be 'the man' and failing miserably at it.
"Be-care-ful Vernon, it's o-one of those f-freaks!" Exclaimed Petunia.
"Yes dear."
The giant turned his attention on them and slowly walked towards the cowering couple. As he reached them Vernon lifted the gun as is if he were about to fire. The giant then reached out his right hand, grabbed hold of the barrel and, without any noticeable effort on his part, proceeded to bend it upwards. The gun fired and the shot went harmlessly into the ceiling.
"Shut up Dursley, I'm not here to talk to you." The giant then turned around to face Harry who was making himself as small as he could against the wall.
Inwardly Harry was congratulating himself in his acting. _I should receive an Oscar for this_, he thought with a mental grin.
The giant smiled. "And you must be young Harry?!" It was somewhere between a question and a statement.
"Y-y-yes sir," he replied nervously.
"I have something for you." He the proceeded to look through all his various pockets that he had sown into his coat. "Ah, here we are," he said, while pulling out an ornate looking envelope and handing it to the obviously 'terrified' boy.
"Don't you dare give him that letter." Vernon said with a tad more confidence showing through.
"It is his letter, why should I not give it to him?" The giant asked!
"I know what that letter is, and I will not let the boy attend that freak of a school so that he can learn to be even more freaky." There was more than a hint of anger by the time Vernon finished.
The giant turned back to face the couple and said. "This is his birth right, you cannot deny it to him. He needs to learn this to become strong, to become the powerful wizard that he is destined to be."
It was then that Harry knew he had to speak. "W-i-zard?" He asked nervously, pretending not to know what that word meant.
"Blimey Harry, I'm guessing that you don't know who your parents were and your origins?"
Harry shook his head. "No sir, they told me that my father was an unemployed layabout drunk, my mother was a whore and that they died in a car crash, while drunk." He had said this all in a small and quite tone of voice; all the while congratulating himself on pulling off a convincing performance. It was amusing for him to see the way Hagrid reacted to that statement, it was exactly the same as last time.
"WHAT!" The giant roared. He turned to face the other two adults in the room. "What lies have you been telling him Dursley? Car crash. Car Crash! How could James and Lily be killed in a car crash?" He turned back to Harry, then spoke in a calmer manner. "I'm sorry Harry. I didn't think that I'd be the one to tell you. We thought that your aunt would have told you everything that you needed to know, about your parents and their world. Your parents did not die in a car crash Harry. Even if they did drive, they would not have done so drunk. They were murdered by an evil wizard, because they'd stood in his way."
It always made him sad on hearing about the death of his parents. He'd known what had happened for quite some time now. It didn't take much acting for a depressed mood to envelop him. He sighed. It took him a moment to articulate his thoughts. After a few moments he finally asked, "who killed them?"
"Erm, You-Know-Who killed them Harry!" He replied a moment later.
"No, I don't know who!" Came Harry's almost flippant response.
"I'm sorry?"
"You said that You-Know-Who killed them, but I don't know who! For you haven't told me his name."
"We don't like to say his name Harry! He was a really evil man who went round torturing and killing anyone who didn't agree with his views or whom he thought was inferior to him. Even now, people still do not like using his name, for it reminds them of truly dark times."
"Well that's just silly. He's not going to suddenly appear if you say his name three times. The more people are afraid to say someone's name, the more power that person has over them." Harry replied. No matter how many times he tried to get people to say Voldemort's name, they still refused to do so. Apart from a few, that is. It really infuriated him, how many of the Wizarding population were such sheep. In the end he looked at the giant questioningly, trying to get him to say the name.
Hagrid sighed, knowing that he would have to be the one to tell him, even though he really didn't want to. "Okay, it's V-Volde-mort." Hagrid sighed.
Harry smiled. "There, that wasn't too hard, was it? No one else has suddenly appeared in the room, have they?" Harry hoped that this would help start the process of making Hagrid into a stronger individual than he was the last time round. The phrase 'baby steps', is what Harry was going for here.
"No Harry, it wasn't. Though please don't make me say it again." He sighed.
There was a pause for a moment or two, before Harry said: "excuse me sir, but you haven't told me who you are!" Harry, of course, knew full well who the giant in front of him was, but the large man hadn't yet fully introduced himself.
Hagrid was momentarily startled, completely having forgotten that he had yet to introduce himself to the boy in front of him. "I'm really sorry about that Harry. The name's Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of Grounds and Keys at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; which is the place that the letter has come from." Hagrid nodded towards the unopened letter that was nestled on Harry's lap.
This surprised Harry, for he'd completely forgotten about the letter. He'd already known what the contents would be, but still, he should of at least had the common courtesy to actually read the missive. He blushed. Hagrid chuckled.
_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_
_Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE_
_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock,_
_Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)_
_Dear Mr Potter, _
_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. _
_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. _
_Yours sincerely, _
_Minerva McGonagall_
_Deputy Headmistress _
_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY (1)_
"Hagrid, what do they mean by 'we await your Owl'?" Harry asked, in a sufficiently confused tone of voice.
Hagrid smiled. "Don't worry Harry, I've already let them know that you've gotten your letter. Though we should be heading off, if we want to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow."
"Why, what's happening tomorrow?"
"Getting your school supplies, of course!"
"But Hagrid, I don't have any money, how am I going to pay for all this? The Dursleys aren't going to pay for all the things I'd need!" Harry asked. He knew full well that he, at the very least, had a trust vault with a large sum of money in it.
"Too right, we're not!" Exclaimed a rather irritated Vernon.
Both Harry and Hagrid startled at hearing his voice, for they'd completely forgot that there were other people in the room.
Hagrid turned his head around to face the angered man. "Shut up you great Walrus." He then turned back to Harry. "Don't worry Harry, it's all been taken care of," he said cryptically.
It was a bit of a running joke, that Hagrid could never keep a secret, but that brief statement surprised Harry. It was just enough to let him know that there was more than enough money available for him to take care of everything, but it also meant that there was not enough information for the Dursleys to use in order to gain access to said monies.
"So Harry," Hagrid said a moment later. "Do you want to come to Hogwarts and learn to be a Wizard? It would mean leaving your _family_ behind for most of the year." The Giant had said the word family in such a way that it indicated to Harry that Hagrid wasn't too fond of his so called relatives, to put it mildly.
Harry paused for a moment, the expression on his face indicating that he was 'thinking' about whether or not he wanted to attend. He looked at his 'relatives', sighed for a moment, then turned back to Hagrid with a smile. "Of course I want to come!" He said emphatically.
"Great, then let's get going." Said Hagrid.
Harry stood up, turned to his relatives then said. "By Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, Dudley. Can't say that it's been nice knowing you, because it hasn't. You can go back to your perfect world, knowing that you won't be seeing me for quite some time. Let's just hope that this is the last we'll ever see of each other, for the next time we do..." he left the rest unsaid, for he didn't really care about them at all.
A moment later Hagrid led Harry out the front door. It was still raining heavily outside. Harry didn't care. This was the last time that he'll ever have to see those 'relatives' again.
**Diagon Alley, 0900, The Following Morning**
Hagrid had rented a pair of rooms in the Leaky Cauldron, for the night. When they had arrived there, everyone had the same reaction as last time, upon discovering who he was and why they were there. Even though he was used to it by now, it still infuriated him.
Harry was woken up at 0730 so that they could go down for breakfast. After feasting on a full English, they went back up to Harry's room so that he could gather his things together for their trip through the alley. A trip that Harry was really looking forward to. Though he wasn't too sure about how he felt about going to Gringotts, considering what happened the last time he was there, even if that event hadn't happened yet, in this time line.
And now Harry found himself standing in front of the barrier that lead to the main shopping area of the British magical community. Hagrid tapped the appropriate bricks, with his umbrella. The bricks moved aside. Harry didn't have to feign amazement at what he was seeing, mainly as it always excited him to see that bit of magic.
After Hagrid had welcomed him to the alley, Harry found himself walking on its cobbled street a moment later. To Harry, the last time he had seen the alley, it was completely deserted. To see it now, so full of life and bustling with people, brought a happy smile to the young boy's face. This was a reminder of the good times, before everything went to hell. It was also a reminder of what Harry came back for, so that none of the tragic events of last time happened. Seeing the alley at its economic height, strengthened his resolve.
Even though he was paying attention to where he was going, Harry was not aware of how long it took to reach their first destination of the day. He was surprised to find himself standing in front of a large white building, that had a pair of Goblin guards on either side of the open doors. Gringotts. The heart of the wizarding economy. Harry shook his head a few times so that he could regain focus. He had a job to do this morning, one that would begin the process of gaining himself full independence from a manipulative old man.
**Footnotes****:**
1 = This was 'borrowed' from the Harry Potter Wikia site.
3. Return to Gringotts
**Diagon Alley, 0900, The Following Morning**
Hagrid had rented a pair of rooms in the Leaky Cauldron for the night. When they had arrived there everyone had the same reaction as last time, upon discovering who he was and why they were there. Even though he was used to it by now, it still infuriated him.
Harry was woken up at 0730 so that they could go down for breakfast. After feasting on a full English, they went back up to Harry's room so that he could gather his things together for their trip through the alley. A trip that Harry was really looking forward to. Though he wasn't too sure about how he felt about going to Gringotts, considering what happened the last time he was there, even if that event hadn't happened yet, in this time line.
And now Harry found himself standing in front of the barrier that lead to the main shopping area of the British magical community. Hagrid tapped the appropriate bricks with his umbrella. The bricks moved aside. Harry didn't have to feign amazement at what he was seeing, mainly as it always excited him to see that bit of magic.
After Hagrid had welcomed him to the alley, Harry found himself walking on its cobbled street a moment later. To Harry, the last time he had seen the alley it was completely deserted. To see it now, so full of life and bustling with people, brought a happy smile to the young boy's face. This was a reminder of the good times, before everything went to hell. It was also a reminder of what Harry came back for, so that none of the tragic events of last time happened. Seeing the alley at its economic height, strengthened his resolve.
Even though he was paying attention to where he was going, Harry was not aware of how long it took to reach their first destination of the day. He was surprised to find himself standing in front of a large white building, that had a pair of Goblin guards on either side of the open doors. Gringotts. The heart of the wizarding economy. Harry shook his head a few times so that he could regain focus. He had a job to do this morning, one that would begin the process of gaining himself full independence from a manipulative old man.
Harry and Hagrid walked through the large set of doors and into the bank. They went up to the first available teller and waited for the Goblin to finish his task. A moment later said Goblin teller looked up to see the two people on the other side of his counter. "What do you want?" He asked with a slight sneer in the tone of his voice. Most wizards were rude to those that they considered 'lesser' beings, so the Goblins acted accordingly.
Wanting to make sure that Hagrid didn't divert him from his self-appointed task, Harry stepped forward and decided to make his voice heard first. Bowing slightly, to show respect to the individual who handled his money, he replied: "Good morning Master Goblin, my name is Harry James Potter and as this is my first time back in the Wizarding world, I'd like to talk with someone about the account my parents left me. Though if no one is currently available I'll come back later at a more convenient time."
If the Goblin was surprised that it was the child who responded, he didn't show it. Nor did he show any surprise at the name of said child. Though he did find the boy in front of him a most unusual wizard indeed. "Very well mister Potter," he replied a moment later. "I will see if your account manager is free, but first I need to verify that you are in fact Harry James Potter." He then proceeded to take out a special piece of parchment, and a clean knife, from his draw. "All you need to do is place a few drops of blood on this parchment. The potion it is soaked in will then mix with your blood to reveal your identity. It has never been wrong once." He said finally, as a way of warning.
Harry nodded and was about to reach for the dagger when Hagrid stopped him. "We really don't have time for this today, as we've got a lot of things to buy!" The giant was sounding a tad nervous, like he knew that what Harry was doing wasn't part of the plan. Hagrid didn't really know why, of course, but he was told by Dumbledore to take Harry to withdraw the money from his trust vault, and nothing else. The Headmaster really did not want Harry to discover his true wealth and heritage, nor the fact that he'd been pilfering from the boy's trust vault. Of course the Headmaster didn't count on Harry's 'new found' powers of persuasion!
The green eyed lad in question understood what Hagrid was trying to do and who it was that had put the half-giant up to it. He knew that the Headmaster didn't want Harry to launch an accounting of the 'authorized' withdrawals that had taken place from his trust account, not the number of attempts that the Headmaster had made on accessing the main Potter vaults, which failed each and every time. Harry smiled inwardly, knowing that he wasn't going to be dancing to the Headmaster's tune, this time round.
A moment later a lines of text appeared on the parchment, which read:
Name: Harry James Potter,
Father: James Henry Potter (deceased)
Mother: Lily Marie Potter nee Evans (deceased)
"Very well Mr. Potter, I shall inform Griphook that you have arrived and wish to see him. Wait here!" The Goblin then got off his chair before making his way through a set of doors.
This surprised Harry somewhat. He never recalled hearing that Griphook was in charge of the Potter accounts. Then again he'd never really paid much attention to anything other than his trust vault, and only then to withdraw money. He supposed that it was due to the fact that he was too naïve to think of it, during his first few years, then the war pretty much took all of his concentration after that. When he wasn't trying to survive the latest plot to 'test him', by the Headmaster, that is.
Harry turned to face Hagrid and said. "You do not have to come with me Hagrid, I know that you've got other things to do."
He wasn't too sure what to do. He was conflicted. He'd been told by the Headmaster to stay with Harry and to make sure he didn't find out about any of his accounts. He was loyal to Dumbledore. Harry was the son of two of the people he really respected. He looked into the green eyes of the lad in question, eyes which seemed to say 'trust me'. He thought about this for a while, not really too sure what to do. In the end the eyes won out. There was something in those eyes that he couldn't say no to. "That's okay Harry," he said finally. "Dumbledore said that I should stay with you, to make sure that you got everything okay. I shall come with you."
Inwardly Harry was smiling, for this is what he wanted. He knew full well that secrets would be 'revealed' to him today. Secrets that had been put in motion by the very man that Hagrid had just been speaking of. Harry knew that those secrets would greatly shake the foundations of the trust and 'worship' Hagrid had in the old man. "Thank you Hagrid, that means a lot to me, knowing that I'll have someone in there that I know!" Harry knew that he was probably laying it on a tad thick, but he genuinely was happy that a good friend from his past life would be there with him.
**A Few Minutes Later - Griphook's Office!**
It was several moments later when the teller came out through the doors and headed over to them. "Griphook will see you now. Follow me!" Without even stopping to check to see if the two Wizards were following him, he turned around and marched back through the doors.
Harry and Hagrid followed the Goblin through a set of large doors at the back of the bank's lobby. They then proceeded down a long corridor, one that had several doors on either side. They eventually stopped in front of a door which had 'ACCOUNT MANAGER GRIPHOOK, POTTER ACCOUNTS.' Harry was somewhat confused at this, for as far as he knew there was only his trust vault, and family vault; but then again he hadn't really looked into what else he had here at the bank, last time round. He supposed that this was one of the known unknowns that Mort had told him to expect.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
A moment after the escort Goblin knocked on the door there was a loud voice that bade them to "come in".
Harry entered the large ornate room, with Hagrid a pace behind. The room itself screamed wealth as there were many artefacts and paintings that could have belonged to a museum or gallery. At the far end of the room was a large wooden desk that many top executives would love to have had in their office. Harry was never really good in identifying different types of wood, or trees in general for that matter, but he could tell that it was a hard wood of some kind and had a dark sheen to its varnish. It also looked rather heavy.
Sitting behind the desk was a Goblin of an age that Harry couldn't even hope to identify. He was never good with telling the ages apart as only the ancient had the greying hair that signified someone of advanced years. Harry, along with most humans, had no real clue as to how Goblins developed as they aged. The Goblins were, after all, a very secretive society. The Humans that worked for them only really caught glimpses of their true nature.
The Goblin in question, who went by the name of Griphook, was looking at the two who entered with a mixture of pleasure and surprise. Pleasure because the young Lord Potter had made his first appearance in the bank and that things could really start moving on his accounts, once he'd claimed his Lordship. The surprise came upon seeing the one that accompanied the young Lord. Griphook had known about the half-giant, who didn't; he also knew that the Hogwarts Grounds Keeper was blindly loyal to one Albus Dumbledore, the supposed leader of the light. Griphook wasn't too sure what this meant, though the primary thought revolved around the possibility of Hagrid being here to 'sabotage' this first meeting. He didn't know that young Harry had invited Hagrid to attend for a very specific reason.
"Harry Potter and guest to see you, account manager Griphook." The Goblin who escorted the pair to this office said. He soon left once Griphook acknowledged him.
Griphook rose from his seat. "It is nice to see you again, mister Potter." Harry was confused by this somewhat, for he had no memory, in this life or the previous, of ever being in the bank before he turned eleven. "Though I wasn't expecting you to be bringing a guest. Please take a seat."
Knowing that it was the polite thing to do, Harry bowed before replying. "Er, thank you, Mr. Griphook." He then sat down in the offered seat. Hagrid did the same, though the chair somehow enlarged itself in order to accommodate the larger than average Human. Harry's eyes widened slightly at that, for he hadn't known that Goblin chairs could do that. It was a moment later that Harry realised that he'd not introduced his companion to the Goblin. Indicating the large man next to him, Harry said nervously; "this is Hagrid, grounds keeper at Hogwarts. He's here to help me purchase my school supplies."
"I see," said Griphook in a tone of voice that indicated he wasn't too happy about the half-giant being in the room. "We do not usually allow non family members, apart from guardians, into these meetings. There are things we do not like outsiders to know about, without the express permission of the account holder."
Harry was expecting this sort of reaction, so had to think of an acceptable reason as to why he'd allowed this 'complete stranger' to attend the meeting. After a moment or so he came up with something, even though he mentally cringed at how weak it sounded. "Well Mr. Griphook sir, he's the only one I know in the wizarding world and I thought he'd be able to help me understand a few things!"
Griphook looked at his young client and pondered that for a moment. After a while he replied; "okay. Now, let's get on with why you are here ..."
4. Inheritance
**Note**: Firstly I'd like to apologise for the delay in posting this new chapter; I can give no real excuse for this, apart from a bit of writer's block with regard to the families. I had a problem regarding what houses Harry should inherit.
To the person who decided to spam this story, instead of reviewing it, you have been reported! To everyone else, thank you for your reviews; I shall start responding to them over the course of the next few days!
**Oh Susannah!**
**Chapter 4: Inheritance**
Griphook then opened the file that was on his desk and proceeded to pull out a piece of parchment. "First off we have the will of your parents. Would you like me to read it out in full, or just give you the summery?" The Goblin asked of his client.
Harry pondered this for a moment, knowing that he can always read the full text of the document at his leisure! "I think it would be best to read the summary for now. Would I be able to have a copy of the will so I can read it in full later?"
"Yes mister Potter." The Goblin replied almost immediately. "You will be given fully notarised copies of all pertinent documents at the conclusion of this meeting!"
Harry nodded at this.
The Goblin then proceeded to have a preliminary read through, so that he could get to the core matter of what was left and to whom. Once he'd finished his perusal he then said: "Well mister Potter, there are a number of bequeaths to the following people…" Griphook then proceeded read out various names and what they were getting. Harry was not really surprised as to the people being mentioned. (1)
After a moment's pause, Griphook continued. "If we are both to perish, the following people, in order of preference or availability, are to be given the option of gaining custody of our son Harrison James Potter: Sirius Black (Harry's Godfather), Alice Longbottom (Harry's Godmother), Remus Lupin (family friend), Amelia Bones (family friend and mentor), Minerva McGonagall (family friend and mentor) and Selene Lovegood (James' cousin). If they are unavailable to care for Harry, for whatever reason, he is to be given into the care of a wizarding family that does not have any ties to the pure-blood supremacist faction. Failing that he is to be given to a reputable orphanage. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should he be placed in the home of one Petunia Dursley nee Evans!"
"What?!" Said a surprised Hagrid on hearing that news, for he was the one to take baby Harry to that abode. "Dumbledore said that the Dursley family home was the safest place for Harry to grow up, to be away from the wizarding world until it was time for him to come to Hogwarts!"
"Is this true mister Potter?" Asked an equally surprised Goblin. "That you have been living, for the past 10 years, at the very place your parents forbade you to end up?"
Harry really didn't need to put on a show, for the two he currently shared the room with, for the mere mention of Durskaban was enough to fill him with unhappiness at the memories associated with that place and those 'people'. He hated to refer to them as such. For he had come to realise that they were not 'normal people' as Vernon and Petunia Dursley routinely described themselves as. With a sigh, he answered the question: "yes Griphook, that is the very place where I ended up!"
There was silence for a few moments before it was broken by the sound of quill scratching on parchment as Griphook made notes. Once he'd finished his notations Griphook said, "rest assured mister Potter, we will look into this matter, for the place you ended up was in blatant disregard to your parents wishes."
Harry nodded his head and sighed again, not really too sure what to say after that. Though he did take a sneaky look at Hagrid and inwardly smiled at the expression showing on the half-giant's face; for it was one of outrage and disgust. At that moment, Harry could, without a shadow of a doubt, safely assume that Hagrid's loyalty to the Headmaster was on the wane.
There was a pregnant pause, for a few moments, as this piece of information sunk into the heads of both the Goblin and half-giant!
Griphook then cleared his throat, picked up the will again, then proceeded to read its conclusion. "Finally, we wish to name our son, Harrison James Potter, to be emancipated on his 11th birthday and given the title of Lord Potter, Lord of the Most Ancient and Most Nobel House of Potter; along with all monies, property and assets that had not previously been bequeathed."
Once Griphook had put the will down he picked up an envelope that was addressed to Harry. "This letter was written by both Lord James and Lady Lily Potter, to be given to you on the occasion of your 11th birthday."
Harry took the envelope and held it reverently in his hands. A moment later he sighed and put it into the pocket of his bag. "Thank you Griphook, I will lead this later." The Goblin nodded.
After another moment, Harry took a deep breath to still himself, knowing the question that he'd have to ask next. "Griphook, why weren't the people, who were listed, willing to take me in?"
"Let's see," Griphook then proceeded to take up another document. "Well, Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban for betraying your parents and killing 13 muggles along with a wizard named Peter Pettigrew. Alice Longbottom is in the long term care ward of St. Mungo's hospital, along with her husband, after over exposure to the torture curse. Remus Lupin was denied custody for being a werewolf. Selene Lovegood died a couple of years ago when a new spell she was working on backfired on her! As for the others, we do not know; chances are they were not notified about their ability to raise you for the will had been sealed on the orders of the Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore."
Harry sighed at this and nodded. He knew about Sirius and the Longbottoms, but knew that he'd have to wait a bit before he started rectifying their situations. He already had a plan for Sirius and hoped that the letter he'd been given, from his parents, would be the key into freeing his Godfather. He, at the moment, didn't have a clue as to what he should do with Neville's parents.
He nodded to Griphook.
Hagrid was further stunned by the revelations that he'd just heard, especially about the Headmaster sealing the Potters' will; thus making it difficult for the other potential carers of Harry to be told of their options regarding whether or not to take on the young orphan. Hagrid's esteem of the Headmaster dropped yet another notch.
Griphook paused to allow the shock of these revelations to sink in to the two on the other side of his desk. From the expression on his client's face, the Goblin knew that the 'esteemed' Albus Dumbledore was going to be in for an 'interesting' time, in the not too distant future!
Once sufficient time had passed Griphook cleared his throat and asked: "what would you like for us to do to Albus Dumbledore, for he is in breach of several laws regarding last wills and testaments of Ancient and Noble families?"
Harry thought about it for a moment. "I think that it would be best to wait a while before bringing any formal charges against this Dumbledore person. Leaving it till such a time that he is at his most vulnerable!"
_A move worthy of a Goblin_ Griphook thought, especially seeing the vicious smirk on his client's face. "Very well then, we shall gather all available evidence and await your signal to act!"
Harry nodded.
Once that part of their business had been completed, at least for now, Griphook put that folder on one side of his desk before moving to pick up the next one. "Now mister Potter, before you can claim your headship ring and become Lord Potter; Lord of the Ancient and Nobel house of Potter; we need to perform an inheritance test to see what other houses and families that you may be heir to. To do this we just need seven drops of your blood added to a unique potion that we'd then, after mixing it together for a few moments, pour over a special parchment. This parchment will then display a list of names belonging to those families you have a connection to."
As he was explaining this to Harry, Griphook had called for one of Goblins in the Inheritance Department to bring in the necessary equipment for the ritual. It only took the efficient Goblins mere moments to have everything set up and ready to go!
"Please hold out your hand, mister Potter and I shall prick your finger with this ceremonial knife. Do not worry, your finger will automatically heal once the required number of drops have fallen into the potion." Said the as yet unnamed Goblin from the Inheritance Department.
Harry took a deep breath, he then held out his hand over the potion vial and waited for the Goblin to pierce his finger with the knife. After the required seven drops had been taken, Harry smiled in amazement as the cut on his finger began to heal itself within a matter of moments. _I love magic_, was his happy thought on watching this.
Harry then watched as he saw Inheritance Department Goblin pour the potion over the parchment. All four people in the room (Harry, Hagrid and the two Goblins) paused in their motions as they waited the potion to take effect. They didn't have to wait long, for soon words began to appear on the parchment.
**Name**: Harrison James Potter
**Father**: James Charlus Potter (deceased)
**Mother**: Lily Marie Potter nee Evans nee Evanstar (deceased)
**Age**: 11
**Status**: Pure-blood
**Families**:
Head of the Royal House of Evanstar (2) (from Lily Potter)
Head of the Royal House of Pendragon (from Lily Potter)
Head of the Most Ancient and Nobel House of Peverell (from James Potter)
Head of the Ancient and Nobel House of Potter (from James Potter)
Head of the Ancient and Nobel House of Gryffindor (from James Potter)
Head of the Ancient and Nobel House of Slytherin (by conquest)
Heir to the Ancient and Nobel House of Black (from Sirius Black, Godfather)
Stunned silence permeated throughout the room as its four occupants took in the information that the page displayed.
Harry had no idea that his mother was descended from pure-blood stock, making him a pure-blood; for everyone had assumed that she was a muggle-born. He hadn't a clue as to why he didn't know about this, last time round. W_hat was this 'Royal House' business?_ He thought! He was confused. Was he a descendant of royalty? He'd have to ask the Goblins to find out; first he needed his brain to reboot, which it did so by making him faint.
Hagrid was shocked by what he was reading. He'd always assumed that Lily was a muggle-born, she'd never talked about being anything other than muggle-born. He really did not know what to think about this and the various families that had been listed.
Once the shock had worn off, a great deal of excitement began to build within the Goblins, for they knew precisely what this would mean for both the wizarding world and magical world in general. It had been a long time since anyone from the Evanstar and Pendragon families had made themselves known. Gringotts knew that their lines still existed, for their vaults remained 'active'. The only conclusion that they could come up with was that these families had started to produce squibs and; therefore, their lines disappeared into the muggle world.
Griphook's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his client groaning as he woke up from the fainting spell. He immediately dispatched the Inheritance Department Goblin to get the appropriate files, rings, and to get mister Potter a Pepper-up potion, as well.
Once the Pepper-up potion was duly administered, and Harry was feeling more compos mantis again, he asked the first question that came to mind. "Royal House, what does that mean?" Harry was rather puzzled, for he was always lead to believe that his mother was a muggle-born!
Griphook regarded the two opposite for a moment, especially his client. He knew full well what this revelation would mean for the status of his mother, Lily Potter. Not only would it call into question the so called disparity between the academic achievement of pure-blood v muggle-born; but it would also sow some doubt on the theory that muggle-borns spontaneously appearing as most common wizarding folk believes. Although, Goblin kind had always known that these so called muggle-born are in actuality descendants of pure-blood lines that had become squibs. It took two of these lines to reawaken the magic in their child; though not always, as proved by the boy's aunt.
"Well Mr Potter," Griphook said a few moments later once he'd finished looking into the relevant files. "It appears that your mother was, in fact, a descendant of pure-blood lines that disappeared into the muggle world when they became squibs." Upon seeing the 'confused' look on Harry's face (who wasn't actually confused about what a squib was) he said. "Squibs are those who are born to a witch and wizard but have no, or very little, magic in them. They are often disowned by the fanatical families of those that believe in 'blood purity'."
Harry was a little surprised at that, or at least the other two in the room saw him looked surprised. Though he did not need to act sad at this piece of news, for it always disheartened him to hear of how families treat children that are perceived as 'different' from the ideal. He was a prime example of that! It was one of the things he wanted to change, this time round, to make 'differently perceived' children accepted by their families and wizarding society in general. Although, he knew that it might take at least a couple of generations before things began to change.
After the momentary pause Griphook continued. "As for the two royal houses in question; Evanstar is the name of the royal family of the last clan of High-Elves to reside in this dimension before they departed to a nearby dimension that wasn't so populated by humans as this one was! We do not know the exact details, because of how far back in time this was, but we believe that one of the princes of this house mated with a daughter of a noble house. The woman gave her child the name Evans as a sign of respect! We do not know much beyond that, though there maybe something of record in the Evans family vault."
Harry perked up at that, at the chance to read something that could be as ancient as he was lead to believe, and still survive in a readable state.
The Goblin continued. "As for the Pendragon line, one of the grand-daughters of King Arthur and his queen, Guinevere, married a Harold Evans, who was heir to the Evans clan. At that time, the clan had large tracts of land around what is now Swansea."
Harry's eyebrows rose into his hairline upon hearing this, for it was something that he'd not heard of before now. "Did my mother know about all this?" He asked after letting that bit of information sink in.
"No, Mr Potter, I'm afraid to say that she did not, for she had not done an inheritance test, believing herself to be a muggle-born." Harry sighed and simply nodded his head, upon hearing this.
"What does this mean for me?" He asked, not actually too sure how he felt about the situation.
**Footnotes:**
1 = I am not going to bother with reading out a list of names and what they're getting. Basically, they are pretty much the standard list and amounts in other stories.
2 = This house will be the primary focus for any possible sequel to this story!
**Note:** Just to let you know that I have signed up to the Grammarly service and; therefore, will be using it to check the previous chapters, in due course!
**Next chapter**: Harry learns of his properties and gets his abilities tested before exploring his vaults.
End file.
| fanfiction |
nowadays , modern telecommunication system conveys most information with electrical or electromagnetic signals .
however , still there are many applications which are not convenient or appropriate for these technologies . for example
, the use of wireless communication inside networks of tunnels , pipelines , or salt water environment , can be very inefficien @xcite .
as another example , with the dimensions of the transmitter and receiver become smaller and smaller , electromagnetic communication is extremely challenging because of constrains such as the ratio of the antenna size to the wavelength of the electromagnetic signal @xcite .
+ inspired by nature , one possible solution to these problems is to use chemical signals as carriers of information , which is called _ molecular communication_(mc ) @xcite . in molecular communication ,
a transmitter releases small particles such as molecules or lipid vesicles into an aqueous or gaseous medium , where the particles propagate until they arrive at a receiver .
the receiver then detects and decodes the information encoded in these particles.moreover , molecular communication signals are biocompatible , and require very little energy to generate and propagate .
these properties makes chemical signals ideal for many applications , such as biomedical application , environment application , where the use of electromagnetic signals are not possible or not desirable .
+ although mc is present in nature and is used by micro - organisms , it was only recently that engineering a mc system has been proposed as means of communication at the microscale @xcite .
macroscale mc was not even considered until dr.nariman farsad developed the first macroscale test - bed for mc @xcite .
+ in @xcite , dr.nariman farsad developed the first horizontal , modular , and programmable platform for mc in macro - scale , which makes a big leap in the development of molecular communication .
nariman et al .
elaborate on the horizontal flow assisted propagation of molecular communication in a long range , but discusses little about the short range of mc based on pure diffusion . in biological systems ,
the communications between nano machines are in short range in most situation , also particles(information molecules ) are precious resources , thus releasing large numbers of particles at once is impractical , we need to consider limitations on the transmission amount of the molecules .
also for the reason that in the vertical direction , the receiver can receive the peak value @xcite of the information molecules . in nature there are many examples of information transportation in the vertical direction , such as _ transpiration _ @xcite of plants , _ biological pump _
@xcite in ocean , biological nitrogen removal using a vertically moving biofilm system @xcite , and blood transportation from heart to brain .
therefore , we need to consider both pure diffusion and information transmission in the vertical direction .
+ in this paper , we propose a channel model of the isopropyl alcohol molecules propagation in the vertical direction .
also we refer nariman farsad s model to set up our new platform to test the channel model we proposed .
the test bed we developed only measures the peak of the transmission , which is especially useful in biological system .
+ this paper is organised as follows . in section [ section_mc_via_diffusion ] , we describe the molecular communication via diffusion . in section [ section_vertical_model ] , we describe the theory model and set up a test - bed of molecular communication model . in section [ section_fitting_model ] , we first analyse the theory knowledge of mc via diffusion , and then through experiments , we showed the difference of experiment result with the theory result , at last we use the non - linear least squares curve fitting method to get the parameters of the coefficients .
last in section [ section_conclusion ] , we draw a conclusion of our work .
we model a communication system composed of a pair of devices , each called a nanonetworking - enabled node(nen , ie.,nano node or nano robot)@xcite . in molecular communication via diffusion(mcvd ) , the nens communicate with each other through the propagation of certain molecules via diffusion@xcite .
the molecular communication via diffusion is depicted as fig .
[ fig : mc_sketch ] .
the mcvd system has five main processes : encoding , sending , propagation , reception , and decoding@xcite . during the encoding process before modulating the symbols during the sending process , may need some channel coding techniques . after emitting the messenger molecules
, the propagation process plays an important part in transmitting the messenger molecules to the receiver .
when some messengers molecules arrive at the receiver(ie . , hit the receiver ) , they will form chemical bonds with the receptors on the surface of the receiver . and
after the molecular messengers hit the receiver they are removed from the channel and the properties of these received molecules(e.g . , concentration , type)constitute the received signal .
demodulation function takes place during the absorption process and it is followed by decoding if a channel coding is employed . + in a mcvd system , communication pairs are assumed to be synchronized .
information is modulated on some of the physical properties of messenger molecules , it can be the number , type , or any other property of the messenger molecules .
the information messengers movement is modulated as either brownian motion or diffusion process.the motion is governed by the combined forces due to thermal energy of the medium .
if we consider the diffusion process of particles starting from its transmitter , then the concentration at distance @xmath0 and time @xmath1 is given as @xmath2\cite{2014-farsad - p- } \quad t > 0 \mbox { and } d > 0\enspace.\ ] ] where @xmath3 and @xmath4 are the dimension of the environment and the diffusion coefficient@xcite , and @xmath5 stands for the amount of molecules .
@xmath4 depends on temperature of the environment , viscosity of the fluid , and stokes radius of the molecules@xcite .
since different propagation scheme and modulation technique lead to different channel model .
therefore , we propose a new channel model , which looks like the following fig . [
fig : mc_sketch ] , when in a vertical situation , the receiver can receive the peak value @xcite of the information molecules , which is very effective for communication , and in biological , the information molecules spread for every direction , and vertical diffusion is one of the common phenomenon , nutrition is transmitted in bloods of human or animals and pheromones are transmitted in plants , both are also in this direction sometimes , therefore , it s necessary to research it . for this situation , we consider the amount of the molecules at different time steps , and when the information molecules are transmitted in the vertical direction , the channel is basically affected by the transmitter and receiver s delay , the flow of the medium , also we need to consider the gravity of the mass molecules which we denote @xmath6 and we all known @xmath6 is positive . + in the uniform acceleration motion , if we know the initial velocity , the instant time , the we get the velocity of the entity at time @xmath1 from the following equation @xmath7 where @xmath8 is the velocity of the entity at time @xmath1 , @xmath9 is the initial velocity , @xmath10 is the acceleration , and @xmath10 is either negative or positive .
+ similarly , we assume that the decrease of molecules is proportion to gravity as time gone , also due to the flow may affect the gravity , we denote the final result of gravity as @xmath11 , the amount of the molecules which denotes as @xmath12 is at different time steps can be regard as the velocity of the entity at time @xmath1 , then we get the following equation @xmath13 where @xmath14 looks like the initial velocity in the uniform acceleration , but it decreases with time .
+ due to the first part @xmath14 , we should introduce several parameters to adjust the formula of ( [ formular_pulse_n_dimission ] ) in 1-d@xcite , @xmath3 equals 1 , then we will get the following formula @xmath15-et \quad t > 0 \enspace .\ ] ] where @xmath0 is the distance between sender and receiver , and @xmath1 is the time , for parameter @xmath10 corresponds to this part @xmath16 of ( [ formular_pulse_n_dimission ] ) , which is related to the diffusion coefficient and the delay of transmitter and receiver , and @xmath17 corresponds to the part @xmath18 of ( [ formular_pulse_n_dimission ] ) , which is affected by the diffusion coefficient , for the parameter @xmath11 is related to the diffusion coefficient and the gravity of molecules , also we assume that the variation of gravity is a constant . for the value of the coefficients , we will discuss in section .
[ fitting model ] . in this section ,
we introduce a test - bed of molecular communication which is depicted as fig .
[ fig_real_model]@xcite .
our test - bed refer to dr.nariman farsad s [email protected] transmitter is composed of a spray and a microcontroller .
when an input command is given to the microcontroller , the information is converted into a binary stream , which can be transmitted through different modulation schemes by precisely controlling the spray .
the chemical signals is used as the information . when the spray releases these molecules , they propagate through the medium(i.e.,air ) until reach the receiver .
the receiver consists of an alcohol sensor and a microcontroller that reads the sensor data which displays on the lcd screen .
since alcohol is used as carrier of information , mq-3 semiconducting metal oxide gas sensor is used for detection at the receiver .
the microcontroller at the receiver side reads the sensor data using an analogy to digital converter .
the data can then be analyzed and sent to a computer serial port .
it was shown that short text messages could be transmitted across a room using this setup through concentration shift keying@xcite . in this work ,
we analyse the system response of the platform of this test - bed . to perform some measurements , we separate the transmitter and the receiver by 10 cm . fig .
[ fig_single_exp ] shows the analogy value of alcohol molecules at the receiver side .
we wait between each trial until the initial analogy reading of the sensor drops to about a fixed number .
although it is extremely difficult to find the exact cause of deviations between trials , some likely causes are : the spray , which is not precise to spray the same amount of alcohol for each trial ; the flow can be turbulent ; the sensor can be noisy ; and other environment factors such as random flows in the room .
in this section , we present the difference of the theoretical models and the experimental data from our platform , also according to the experiment data and non - linear least squares method , we fitted a more accurate model for our test - bed . in this section
we compare the previously published theoretical models to the experimental results obtained using the table - top platform . to demonstrate this
, we set the distance of the transmitter and the receiver is 10 cm .
table [ table_system_param ] summarizes all the experiment parameters we will use in our test - bed .
.the experiment parameters [ cols= " < , < " , ] [ table_system_param ] + if these parameters are used in the theoretical formula , the system response can be calculated . because the number of particles released by the transmitter is not known ,
we assume @xmath19 and then normalize the plots by dividing them by their respective maximum values .
similarly the system responses obtained from experiment result is normalized with its maximum . by normalizing the plots ,
we compare only the shape of the theoretical results with the shape of the experimental results . for our experimental system response
, we average the response of 6 different experimental trials to produce a single plot . as fig .
[ fig_exp_theory_simulation ] , shows the theory simulation versus the experiment simulation at different time steps . according to the shape of the two curves
, we find that the theoretical model reaches its peak early than the experiment model .
then we need to consider some delay in the experiment model . the sensitivity of transmitter and receiver and the flow of the medium may lead to the delay .
we may reduce the delay when we adjust the formula of the theoretical by adding or adjust some parameters , we may get a curve as the experimental curve . for the details we will discuss in the section . [ fitting model ] . for the reason that only the first few seconds of the pulse response is typically used in practice for information transmission@xcite in the molecular communication .
also , in order to get a better and more accurate result , we use the first 11 seconds of sensor measurements to fit the curve of the proposed model .
+ through the experiment data we got from our test - bed , we use non - linear least square curve fitting method @xcite to estimate the coefficients of @xmath10 , @xmath17 , @xmath11 . in fig .
[ fig_six_trials ] shows the 6 trials of the experiments and the fitting models from the data we get .
and the red dot is the data from the test - bed , and the green line is the fitting models .
after six trials of experiments , we choose coefficients of @xmath10 , @xmath17 , @xmath11 as the average of each trials .
then we get coefficients of @xmath10 , @xmath17 , @xmath11 are 1.8788,60.4567,0.0301 respectively .
then we get the following formula from([formular_new_model ] ) .
@xmath20 - 0.0301 t \quad t > 0\enspace .\ ] ] + again we do the experiment with the coefficients we get , and plot the results as the fig . [ fig_fit_exp ] .
in this paper , we showed a vertical mc channel model based on the alcohol molecules . from fig.[fig_exp_theory_simulation ] , we know that the experiment results have some difference from the theory results , but through comparing the model ( [ formular_new_model ] ) to the experiments results , we can get the coefficient of the new model([formular_mend_end ] ) through experiments with non - linear least squares method .
as the fig.[fig_single_exp ] show , the variation of the analogy value with time fits the power low after the maximum value .
+ for future work , we will research the difference of theoretically from the experiment results , how the distance between transmitter and receiver affect on the efficiency of mc , also its application in blood transmission from heart to brain .
this work was supported by the fundamental research funds for the central universities(gk201402038,gk201501008 ) and the national natural science foundation of china(61173190 ) .
n. garralda , i. llatser , a. cabellos - aparicio , and m. pierobon .
simulation - based evaluation of the diffusion - based physical channel in molecular nanonetworks . in _ 2011 ieee conference on computer communications workshops ( infocom wkshps ) _ , pages 443448 .
ieee , 2011 .
m. s. kuran , h. b. yilmaz , t. tugcu , and i. f. akyildiz .
modulation techniques for communication via diffusion in nanonetworks . in _
2011 ieee international conference on communications ( icc ) _ , pages 15 .
ieee , 2011 . | arxiv |
The 201314 Big East Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2013, followed by the start of the followed by the start of the 201314 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. This was the 35th year in the conference's history, but the first as a non-football conference, which officially formed on July 1, 2013. Conference play started on New Year's Eve 2013, and concluded in March with the 2014 Big East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The original Big East Conference split effective immediately after the conclusion of the 2013 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. The seven schools that did not sponsor FBS football purchased the Big East name and reorganized as a new Big East, while the FBS schools that had not left for other conferences retained the original Big East charter and are now operating as the American Athletic Conference The American. Both leagues, however, claim the 1979 founding date of the original Big East as their own founding dates. While both offshoot leagues initially claimed the history of the original conference, that has apparently changed, as the basketball history of the original Big East is now claimed by the current Big East, and The American now considers its basketball history to have begun with the conference split. Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida, and UConn, the five full members of the original Big East that sponsored FBS football before the split, joined with several new members to reorganize as The American.
The nucleus of the conference is the so-called Catholic 7, the members of the original Big East Conference that do not sponsor FBS football, all Catholic institutions: DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's, and Villanova. The seven from the original Big East were joined by Butler and Xavier from the Atlantic 10, and Creighton from the Missouri Valley. The Big East's full membership remained unchanged from the conference's relaunch through the 201920 season; the first change to the league's core membership will take place on July 1, 2020 when UConn joins from The American.
Preseason
first place votes
Preseason All-Big East teams
Coaches select 8 players
Players in bold are choices for Big East Player of the Year
Rankings
Regular season
Conference Matrix
This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play. x indicates games remaining this season.
Honors and awards
All-Americans
All-Big East awards and teams
Coaches
Postseason
2014 Big East Tournament
March 1215, 2014 Big East Conference Basketball Tournament, Madison Square Garden, New York.
Bracket
* denotes overtime game
NCAA tournament
* denotes overtime game
References
External links
Big East website
* | wikipedia |
unlike ordinary phase transitions , quantum phase transitions ( qpts ) @xcite take place at a temperature of absolute zero and are consequently driven entirely by quantum fluctuations , rather than thermal ones .
moreover , the long - range , algebraically decaying correlations which are characteristic of critical many - body ground states are due entirely to entanglement . as such , one would expect entanglement measures ( see ref .
@xcite for an overview ) to provide further insight into the fundamental physical underpinnings of qpts , possibly complementing the conventional condensed - matter approach , which relies mostly on two - point correlation functions .
indeed , osterloh and co - workers @xcite demonstrated singular and scaling behaviour of a bipartite entanglement measure in the vicinity of the critical point in the one - dimensional xy spin model . on the other hand , this behaviour could be understood entirely from that of the relevant two - point correlation functions as these are sufficient to determine the two - particle reduced density matrices .
furthermore , the entanglement between just two sites is not particularly well suited to capturing the large - scale behaviour of correlations , which becomes all the more relevant in the critical regime .
this was recognized in ref .
@xcite , where the scaling behaviour of the entanglement between a contiguous _ block _ of @xmath1 sites with the rest of the lattice was first considered in lattice field theories .
it was found that the entanglement entropy of _ noncritical _ chains with short - ranged interactions reaches a saturation level , while the entanglement entropy diverges logarithmically with @xmath1 in the field limit , i.e. in the case of _ critical _ chains .
this approach was subsequently pursued numerically @xcite in the particular context of the one - dimensional xy model and , in more generality , in an analytical treatment based on random matrix theory @xcite , applicable to any spin chain hamiltonian that can be cast into a quadratic form of fermionic operators . at the same time
, progress has been hampered by the realization that _ bi - partite _ entanglement , whether of blocks of spins or otherwise , at best only gives us an incomplete , local picture of the entanglement exhibited by generic many - body ground states .
it is something of a truism , of course , to note that a truly global , multi - partite approach is indispensable if one wishes to capture the entanglement that pervades critical many - body ground states simultaneously at all length scales ( for recent work on multi - partite entanglement in quantum spin chains see for example refs .
@xcite ) . unfortunately , the theory of multi - partite entanglement is still very much in its infancy .
it is true that many of the entanglement measures used for bi - partite states carry straightforward generalizations to the multi - partite setting .
this is particularly true for distance - based entanglement measures , such as the relative entropy of entanglement @xcite or the closely related geometric entanglement @xcite : the entanglement of a state is then simply quantified in terms of the minimum distance of that state from the set of all multi - partite separable states , rather than the set of all bi - partite separable states . however , it is one thing to generalize the axiomatic definitions of entanglement measures to include the multi - partite case , but quite another to still be able to compute these in practice .
moreover , the theory of multi - partite entanglement is still plagued by a host of different candidates for suitable entanglement measures , even for the case of pure states ( see ref .
@xcite for more details ) . in view of these difficulties ,
attention has shifted to include other , potentially related , means of characterizing qpts @xcite .
one such approach centres around the notion of _ geometric phase _
@xcite , and it is this approach which we wish to pursue in the remainder of this work . in his seminal paper
@xcite , berry investigated the phase picked up by an eigenstate of a parameter - dependent hamiltonian when transported adiabatically around a closed trajectory in parameter space .
it turns out that in addition to the well - known dynamical phase there is also a geometric component to the phase , which is observable , at least in principle . while the dynamical phase provides a measure of the duration of the hamiltonian s evolution and is independent of the geometry of the trajectory followed , conversely , the geometric phase is independent of the rate at which the state is transported around the loop ( as long as this is slow enough for the adiabatic theorem to rule out transitions to neighbouring , orthogonal states ) and depends solely upon the geometry of the trajectory .
the geometric phase had hitherto been widely overlooked as just another unphysical phase factor , and certainly had not been granted the level of recognition it enjoys nowadays .
before going on to explain how berry s phase may be used to probe for qpts , it is useful here to first restate a simple example given in berry s original paper , which serves to illustrate the concept of geometric phase . to that end , consider a single spin-@xmath2 particle which is coupled to an external magnetic field , and suppose the spin is initially aligned with the magnetic field , i.e. the particle is in an eigenstate of the system s hamiltonian .
then the spin will remain aligned with the magnetic field vector ( the particle remains in the instantaneous eigenstate ) when the magnetic field vector is made to rotate adiabatically . upon completion of some closed trajectory ,
the final state of the particle differs from its initial one by an overall phase factor , which is part dynamical , part geometric in origin .
now , it turns out that the geometric phase is in fact equal in size to precisely half the solid angle subtended at the origin by the magnetic field vector s trajectory in parameter space .
this result not only serves to highlight in a particularly acute way the geometric character of berry s phase , but it also gives an indication of the origin of berry s phase : the spin s state is degenerate when the magnetic field is switched off , and the geometric phase can thus be interpreted as providing a measure of the view of the circuit as seen from that point of degeneracy at the origin of the parameter space .
in fact , in any general setting , the emergence of geometric phases can always be traced back to the presence of isolated singularities in parameter space .
formally , berry s phase can be related to the curvature of the hilbert space bundle over the base space of parameters @xcite , and it is this interpretation of berry s phase which renders its potential usefulness as a diagnostic tool for criticality plausible : points of degeneracy are associated with a greater curvature of the associated hilbert space bundle , and therefore it might be reasonable to expect berry s phase to act as a signature for quantum critical points in interacting spin systems .
of course , the geometric phase of @xmath3 non - interacting spin-@xmath2 particles with respect to a particular circuit is simply @xmath3 times the geometric phase of a single particle , which in turn can be related to the circuit s solid angle , as explained above .
however , as we switch on the spin - spin interactions , this simple interpretation of the geometric phase in terms of solid angles starts to break down .
it is of great interest to know how the geometric phase of a set of interacting spins with respect to a given circuit changes as a function of the coupling parameter , and whether the geometric phase is able to signal the presence of critical points in the system .
an important point to note here is that the circuit in parameter space need only pass _ near _ the critical point for the berry phase to register it . in other words ,
the system need not actually undergo the quantum phase transition for the berry phase to pinpoint its presence and location in parameter space , a consideration which assumes particular importance in the light of the difficulties that may be associated with physically implementing actual qpts .
a relationship between the geometric phase and criticality in spin chains was examined by carollo and pachos @xcite .
specifically , the authors analyzed the berry phase of the ground state of a one - dimensional spin-@xmath2 @xmath4 model @xmath5 where @xmath6 for an odd number of spins @xmath3 .
the berry phase , as computed with respect to a rotation of the complete hamiltonian around the @xmath7-axis , was shown to exhibit the following property in the thermodynamical limit @xmath8 : @xmath9 as the @xmath4 model is critical for @xmath10 ( and non - critical otherwise ) , the quantity given above may be interpreted as a signature of criticality for this model . unfortunately , the berry phase _ per spin _ ,
@xmath11 , is not a physical quantity that is accessible via experiments .
we can only measure the _ total _ berry phase @xmath12 , which vanishes for all values of @xmath13 : i.e. @xmath14 .
this is in agreement with hamma @xcite , who also showed , via a different line of argument , that for a finite number of spins , the berry phase acquired by the ground state is always trivial ( @xmath15 or @xmath0 ) . as an alternative
, it was suggested that the same quantity would be non - trivial in the thermodynamic limit : @xmath16 .
however , for any physical , finite system , no matter how large , one is not able to detect criticality in this manner .
in other words , any finite - size scaling behaviour is completely lacking , i.e. @xmath17 ; it is only in the thermodynamic limit itself that this method represents a signature of criticality , i.e. the limiting case is reached discontinuously . as such , the result s worth is perhaps more of an abstract , mathematical nature , than of any real , physically measurable consequence . in the present work , in contrast
, we employ a technique based on the geometric phase that is able to detect critical points without the need to contract the circuit s radius to zero or to extend the number of particles to infinity .
we do so by considering discretized circuits that pass directly through the critical point , rather than circumnavigating it .
this procedure and the obtained results are outlined in the following .
we start by introducing the concept of a bargmann invariant @xcite and its associated phase , which may be regarded as a generalized berry phase .
it will be seen that bargmann invariants are ideally suited for _ numerically _ analyzing the gauge - invariant phase induced by evolving states along a _
discretized _ circuit in parameter space .
we then introduce the model of interacting spin-@xmath2 particles with which we will be concerned for the rest of this paper and discuss some of its more salient features .
the bargmann invariant and associated phase is computed numerically for a chosen discretized circuit and plotted as a function of the spin coupling strength @xmath18 . of note
will be the ` speed ' ( to be defined ) with which the bargmann invariant changes as a function of @xmath18 and the behaviour of the magnitude of the bargmann invariant ; we will find that both of these quantities can act as adequate signatures of criticality . at this stage
, it may be helpful to depict the procedure schematically : [ fig : schematic ] [ tc][tc]@xmath18 [ tc][tc]@xmath19 [ bl][bl]@xmath20 [ rc][rc]@xmath21 [ rc][rc]@xmath22 let us fix the coupling parameter to some value @xmath23 and choose a particular circuit composed of @xmath24 vertices @xmath25 , each representing the set of parameters needed ( together with @xmath23 ) in order to completely describe the hamiltonian of the system at that point . at each individual point on the circuit
we numerically compute the ground state of the system .
the bargmann invariant associated with the circuit at @xmath23 is then obtained by cyclically multiplying successive overlaps of these ground state wavefunctions .
this will be explained in more detail in section [ section : bargmann ] , which is devoted entirely to the subject of bargmann invariants ; for now , we merely note that , in order to be sure to acquire a gauge - invariant quantity in this way , the wavefunctions at the start and end points of the circle need to be taken as _ identical_. by repeating this procedure for a range of different coupling strengths ( generating a complex number , the bargmann invariant , for each value ) , we start to build up a picture of the general trend .
we present our results for varying lengths of the spin chain , contrast the case of spin-@xmath2 particles with that of spin-@xmath26 particles , and discuss the effect of increasing the number @xmath24 of constituent vertices of the circuit
. of particular interest , of course , is what , if anything , may be said about the bargmann invariant as the coupling parameter crosses its critical point @xmath19 . the report concludes with a summary and brief discussion of our work .
in quite general terms one may define the phase difference @xmath27 between two non - orthogonal state vectors , @xmath28 and @xmath29 , by the relation @xmath30 so that @xmath31 .
naturally , individual state vectors are only defined up to arbitrary phase factors ; @xmath27 is thus gauge - dependent and its value may not be assigned any direct physical meaning . on the other hand ,
any _ cyclic _ combination of state vectors , such as @xmath32 is manifestly gauge - invariant and may therefore potentially represent a physically relevant , measurable quantity .
this observation features strongly in the early works of pancharatnam @xcite and it also appears in the form of a remark in the celebrated proof of wigner s theorem by bargmann @xcite .
introducing some notation , we define the _ bargmann invariant _ with respect to a general @xmath24-vertex circuit in parameter space by @xmath33 the associated _ bargmann phase _ is denoted by @xmath34 .
modulo @xmath0 , the global bargmann phase is just the sum of the individual phases , i.e. @xmath35 .
note that we require @xmath36 for non - trivial bargmann phases .
suppose now , for argument s sake , that we are dealing with state vectors @xmath37 that represent the instantaneous ground states of a family of parameter - dependent hamiltonians @xmath38 .
then , in the continuum limit where the sum above is replaced by a contour integral over an infinitesimal phase along a ( smooth ) closed circuit in parameter space , the bargmann invariant reduces to the usual berry phase . in this sense
bargmann invariants may be regarded as generalized berry phases .
the key advantage afforded by the generalized formulation lies in its computational ease : bargmann invariants lend themselves directly to numerical computation , and thus , crucially , to scenarios where parts of the circuit under consideration represent non - integrable hamiltonians , as is the case in the present work .
an obvious potential drawback is that the discretization procedure may lack the simple interpretational underpinnings of the berry phase in terms of physical adiabatic processes .
consider a spin chain with nearest - neighbour @xmath39 interactions in the presence of an external magnetic field , which is aligned along an arbitrary direction @xmath40 .
the system is described by the following hamiltonian : @xmath41 where , @xmath42 denotes a vector of unit length , so that @xmath43 with @xmath44 , @xmath45 . note that we impose periodic boundary conditions , so that @xmath46 .
as already outlined in the previous two sections , our aim is now to analyze the bargmann invariant induced by the ground states of a family of hamiltonians ( [ eq : generalham ] ) that is characterized by a set of @xmath24 unit vectors @xmath47 .
typically , we will imagine the magnetic field vectors of that family of hamiltonians to be arranged on the vertices of a regular polygon residing on the surface of the bloch sphere ( i.e. @xmath48 ) ; an example of such a circuit is depicted in fig .
[ fig : bloch2 ] . for a given coupling strength , @xmath23 , the bargmann invariant can now be obtained by numerically computing the ground states at each of the circuit s vertices and applying eq .
( [ eq : phasedefn2 ] ) . having chosen our circuit in parameter space , we would then like to investigate the manner in which the bargmann invariant depends on the choice of spin coupling strength , @xmath18 .
of particular interest are circuits that slice through any critical points of the system .
does the bargmann invariant undergo a marked shift when the parameters pass through their critical values ?
of further interest is the dependence on the number @xmath24 of vertices of the regular polygon circuit , as well as the dependence on the number @xmath3 of spins in the chain . leaving the choice of circuit in parameter space open for now , it is evident from the form of hamiltonian ( [ eq : generalham ] ) that there are two ` special ' directions in which the magnetic field vector may point , namely the @xmath49-direction and any direction in the @xmath50 plane .
the former is essentially a classical model while the latter corresponds to the quantum ising model . in both cases ,
the hamiltonian is analytically soluble .
of course , it is well known that the ising model exhibits criticality when @xmath51 , provided we find ourselves in the thermodynamic limit of an infinite spin chain . aside from the two special cases outlined , however , the hamiltonian will in general be non - integrable at any point along the circuit ; this forces us to resort to numerical simulations of a limited number of spins , which moves the ising model s critical point outside our region of accessibility . on the other hand , when the magnetic field vector points in the @xmath49-direction , the hamiltonian does possess a critical point , even for a _
finite _ number of spins , as outlined in the following .
a special case of the class of hamiltonians ( [ eq : generalham ] ) occurs when the magnetic field vector points in the @xmath49-direction : @xmath52 this hamiltonian is purely classical : its two constituent terms commute and are diagonal in the \ { } eigenbasis . in the following
we will demonstrate that @xmath53 possesses a critical point @xcite at @xmath54 .
it is not difficult to find the ground state of this model . when @xmath55 , it is simply @xmath56 with the corresponding ( non - degenerate ) ground state energy given by @xmath57 . in the regime @xmath58 ,
the situation is only slightly more involved as the parity of @xmath3 now becomes important . for an _ even _ number of spins , the ( doubly degenerate ) ground state energy is given by @xmath59 , the corresponding eigenstates being @xmath60 and @xmath61 . for
an _ odd _ number of spins , the ground state energy is @xmath3-fold degenerate and reads @xmath62 .
the ground state is given by @xmath63 and all @xmath3 translations thereof . in order to convince oneself that this is indeed the correct ground state
, one can easily show that no individual spin flip is capable of lowering the energy any further . from the analysis above it follows that the ground state energy @xmath64 can always be written as a function of @xmath65 , demonstrating non - analyticity at the critical point @xmath19 .
moreover , the energy gap vanishes in the region @xmath58 .
in light of the previous discussion , the parameter circuit which suggests itself is the following : a regular polygon residing on the bloch sphere of which one edge is bisected by the @xmath49-axis , as illustrated in fig .
[ fig : bloch2 ] .
as we move along the vertices of the circuit , the critical @xmath49-axis is crossed in the direction of positive @xmath7-axis .
we now turn to the results of our simulation of the bargmann invariant for the spin-@xmath2 chain , which are summarized in fig .
[ fig : spinonehalf ] .
the circuit used in the simulation is the regular polygon described in the previous section , but consists of @xmath66 vertices .
[ tc][tc ] [ bc][bc ] [ tc][tc ] [ bc][bc ] + + + + + the bargmann invariant and its phase were computed for different spin chain lengths , ranging in odd numbers from @xmath67 to @xmath68 , and shown in fig .
[ fig : spinonehalf ] as increasing from the top .
note that the results for even numbers of spins have been omitted as they showed no qualitative difference .
this may be due to finite - size effects of the kind which have been observed in similar studies elsewhere , see for example ref .
the left - hand column of the figure depicts the bargmann invariants @xmath69 on the unit disk in the complex plane .
each data point of the graph stems from a different value of the coupling parameter @xmath18 .
the right - hand column shows the corresponding bargmann phase @xmath70 , as a function of the coupling parameter @xmath71 , where @xmath72 refers to the radius of the circle within which the @xmath24-polygon circuit is inscribed .
note that in this case the radius was chosen as @xmath73 , but the graphs , as they are plotted , are qualitatively independent of the size of this radius .
we would like to point out several features that are apparent from fig .
[ fig : spinonehalf ] .
first and foremost , the bargmann invariant @xmath69 is observed to always pass through the origin of the complex plane just when the spin coupling strength attains its critical value of @xmath74 . in other words ,
the magnitude @xmath75 vanishes at the critical point .
this is one of the features which we would like to propose as a signature of criticality , and is discussed further in section [ subsection : magsignature ] .
another trend that is immediately apparent from fig .
[ fig : spinonehalf ] is that with increasing spin chain length the bargamann invariants ` wind ever more loops ' around the origin .
this statement can be made a little more precise by referring to the corresponding bargmann phases .
these graphs are characterized by discontinuities at the critical point : ` jumps ' by @xmath76 alternating with ` jumps ' by @xmath0 . however , on joining up those separate pieces in the graphs end - to - end , one notices that the ` image ' covered by the resulting graphs grows with @xmath3 as @xmath77 .
this result may be explained by way of referring to the @xmath78 limit of non - interacting spins for which the berry phase grows linearly with the number of spins .
also note that for spin-@xmath26 chains , the ` joined - up ' bargmann phase covers twice as much ground for any given number of particles ( see fig .
[ fig : spinone ] ) .
in addition , we should note that we obtain berry s solid angle result for the case of non - interacting spins , @xmath78 . approximating the solid angle of our regular polygon circuit as that of the enveloping cone , the bargmann phase @xmath12 asymptotically approaches berry s solid angle result as the number of vertices of the polygon
is increased . of course ,
in the present work only spin chains of up to @xmath68 particles were simulated , and the exponential growth in the size of the hilbert space with increasing particle number precludes one from simulating chains that are much longer than that @xcite .
however , from the preceding discussion the trend for bargmann invariants and phases of longer spin chains should by now be fairly obvious . in particular
, it has become clear that , perhaps surprisingly , precious little may be deduced about criticality from the bargmann phase . instead
, a much clearer indication of the existence of a critical point is the vanishing magnitude of the bargmann invariant itself .
it was already apparent from fig .
[ fig : spinonehalf ] that the magnitude of the bargmann invariant @xmath69 is able to assume the role of a diagnostic tool for critical points in the finite - sized interacting spin chain considered . for clarity ,
the magnitude of the graphs of @xmath69 in fig .
[ fig : spinonehalf ] are plotted separately in fig .
[ fig : varyspinnumber ] . [ tc][tc]@xmath71 [ bc][bc]@xmath75 for varying lengths of the spin chain , ranging from @xmath79 to @xmath80 ( odd numbers only ) .
the longer the spin chain , the more sharply peaked is the graph .
the number of vertices on the circuit is kept constant , at @xmath81 .
, title="fig : " ] an analogous plot is shown in fig .
[ fig : varypointnumber ] , but this time for a fixed number of spins @xmath3 and a varying number of circuit vertices @xmath24 . [ tc][tc]@xmath71 [ bc][bc]@xmath75 [ tl][tl]@xmath82 [ tl][tl]@xmath81 for varying numbers of vertices on the circuit , ranging from @xmath66 to @xmath83 ( in steps of @xmath84 ) .
the more vertices there are on the circuit , the more sharply peaked is the graph .
the spin chain length is kept constant , at just @xmath85 .
note that qualitatively nothing changes as we increase the chain length ( tested up to @xmath86 ) .
, title="fig : " ] of course , there is a perfectly plausible explanation for these results : as the circuit passes over the critical point the ground state changes abruptly , so that the overlap of the ground states on either side of the critical point will be rather small in magnitude .
this in turn forces the magnitude of the product of overlaps along the circuit in eq .
[ eq : phasedefn2 ] to be small .
in fact , similar results were observed in a work by zanardi and paunkovi@xmath87 @xcite , who concluded that the ground state overlap function is itself a good characterization of qpts .
another characteristic that is sensitive to the phase transition is the ` speed ' with which the bargmann invariant changes as a function of the coupling parameter , which we define by @xmath88 , the speed picks up markedly in the vicinity of the critical point .
again , this phenomenon is a direct result of the rapid change of the ground state near a critical point .
[ tc][tc]@xmath71 [ bc][bc ] @xmath89 and the circuit is composed of @xmath81 vertices .
, title="fig : " ]
the results presented in fig . [ fig : spinone ] derive from simulations that are entirely analogous to those that gave rise to fig . [
fig : spinonehalf ] , but they refer to the spin-@xmath26 chain model , rather than the spin-@xmath2 model , eq .
[ eq : generalham ] .
+ [ tc][tc]@xmath71 [ bc][bc]@xmath70 + + [ bc][bc]@xmath75 + the bargmann invariants are shown for spin-@xmath26 chains of lengths @xmath90 ( left - hand column ) and @xmath91 ( right - hand column ) , and allow for direct comparison and contrast with the spin-@xmath2 case of fig .
[ fig : spinonehalf ] .
the circuit is composed of @xmath81 vertices .
again , the uppermost row shows the trajectory traced out in the complex plane by the bargmann invariant as the spin coupling strength is varied from @xmath92 to @xmath93 .
the second row from the top shows the corresponding bargmann phase ; notice that points in the immediate vicinity of the critical point have been disregarded as the phase of a complex number becomes increasingly prone to error as the origin of the complex plane is approached .
the next row pictures the overall ` extent ' of the phase , with the individual pieces of the graph having been joined up end - to - end , as described in section [ section : results ] .
finally , the magnitude of the bargmann invariant is shown , and is clearly seen to vanish in the vicinity of the critical point .
qualitatively , the results for spin-@xmath26 chains are very similar to those of spin-@xmath2 chains . in particular , the magnitude of the bargmann invariant still represents a signature for the critical point .
of note is also the fact that the ` joined - up ' bargmann phase extends twice as high for spin-@xmath26 chains as it does for spin-@xmath2 chains , for the same number of particles .
again , this can be understood from berry s solid angle result for non - interacting particles , where the geometric phase is proportional to the spin dimension .
in summary , we have shown how the magnitude and ` speed ' of the bargmann invariant can act as a signature of the critical point for the finite one - dimensional spin chain model considered .
this stands in stark contrast to the bargmann phase , which is oblivious to the phase transition as long as the spin chain length remains finite .
it is conjectured that the signatures presented here in the context of a specific spin chain model will uphold their validity also in a wider , more general setting
. it would be worthwhile to conduct experimental investigations with a view to testing this conjecture ; similarly , any theoretical proof of the proposed conjecture would be of considerable interest .
finally , it is worth stressing that the observed signatures of criticality are very likely a direct consequence of the finite ` speed ' with which the circuit is traversed in parameter space , i.e. a result of the discrete nature of the circuit .
no matter how finely spaced are the neighbouring vertices on the circuit , the adiabatic approximation will always break down in the immediate vicinity of the critical point , causing landau - zener tunnelling effects @xcite to take centre stage . in the limit of a smooth , continuous circuit
, the observed signatures of criticality would likely disappear altogether .
the authors would like to acknowledge discussions with k. audenaert at early stages of this project , as well as helpful comments by d. gross and k. kieling .
we thank l. reuter for her invaluable help and patience in creating fig . [
fig : bloch2 ] of this paper .
this work was funded in part by hewlett - packard ltd . via an epsrc case award , by qip irc with support from the epsrc ( gr / s82176/0 ) , by the eu integrated project qubit applications ( qap ) , which is funded by the ist directorate as contract no .
015848 , by the alexander von humboldt foundation and the the royal society .
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a * 57 * , 1619 ( 1998 ) as an aside , we remark that we only became aware of the vanishing energy gap at @xmath94 in this system as a direct result of observing a discontinuity in the magnitude of the bargmann invariant .
of course , this is very much in the spirit of this investigation , where bargmann invariants are assumed to take on a diagnostic role for critical points , even if in hindsight the existence of that critical point is easily demonstrated analytically .
we note in passing that we have also developed matrix product state algorithms in an attempt to boost the number of particles we can simulate .
however , these analyses have not succeded in producing qualitatively new results , over and obove those presented here . | arxiv |
a 6-year - old male child presented in the emergency with high grade intermittent fever and erythematous rashes all over the face along with loss of appetite and weight for two weeks . before being admitted in our hospital , he had received oral drugs prescribed on the line of lower respiratory tract infection . there was no history of peripheral intravenous cannulation , instrumentation , and blood transfusion . on arrival , he was conscious , febrile , dyspneic , pale , irritable with generalized lymphadenopathy , mild abdominal distension , and pedal edema .
his temperature was 104f , pulse was 140 per min , regular , blood pressure was 100/60 mm hg and respiratory rate was 30 per min . at the admission ,
a working diagnosis of prolonged pyrexia due to left - sided pneumonia with anemia and congestive cardiac failure was made , and the possibilities of typhoid fever and malaria were also entertained .
peripheral smear showed normocytic hypochronic anemia with neurophilia and moderate thrombocytopenia and mild shift to left pattern .
ecg was within normal limits and chest x - ray showed left lower lobe pneumonic patch with left sided mild pleural effusion .
spikes of 103f continued despite of intravenous antibiotics . on 2 day , repeat thorough examination of cardiovascular system revealed faint systolic murmur with a tumor plop .
blood culture yielded growth of staphylococcus aureus and antibiotics were changed according to sensitivity . due to auscultatory tumor plop finding ,
transthoracic 2d echocardiography was done , and it showed large echodense heterogeneous mass ( suspected vegetation ) attached to tricuspid valve apparatus [ figures 1 and 2 ] , mild to moderate tricuspid regurgitation ( tr ) with moderate pulmonary artery hypertension ( pap , 45 mm / hg ) [ video 1 ] .
echocardiography revealed no predisposing condition in heart or pre - existing abnormalities of the any cardiac valve .
apical four - chamber view showing large vegetation attached with the tricuspid valve leaflet apical four - chamber view showing large vegetation attached with the tricuspid valve leaflet repeat two blood cultures sent on 2 hospital day also grew s. aureus . after due consent of the parents ,
two vegetations were found attached to anterior leaflet measuring 2.5 2.0 sq.cm and posterior leaflet measuring 2.0 1.5 sq.cm [ figure 3 ] .
both masses were excised followed by reconstruction of posterior leaflet taking care to preserve the native valve .
postoperative 2d echocardiogram revealed trivial tricuspid regurgitation , no visible mass or vegetation in the right atrium .
histopathological report shows acute fibrinous inflammation with focal suppuration and many bacterial colonies confirming of infective endocarditis ( ie ) in the tricuspid valve .
childhood ie was previously only a rare complication of rheumatic heart disease . however , now , ie in childhood is increasingly common and difficult surgical problem in cardiovascular units but reports describing surgical experiences with childhood ie , specially of tricuspid valve are very less .
tricuspid valve endocarditis ( tve ) in children with structurally normal heart is very rare diagnosis .
systemic presentation and extracardiac complications generally predominate the clinical picture and hide the underlying main valvular pathology . the patients may present with fever , respiratory symptoms , flu - like illness , or diarrhea as our patient presented .
he did not have any history of central venous line cannulation or immunocompromised state . in our case ,
the respiratory infection with anemia was recognized initially , but the main cause endocarditis was missed .
this pneumonia usually arises due to migration of septic emboli from vegetations over tricuspid valve into pulmonary arteries .
the consequent delay in correct evaluation may delay appropriate therapy and decrease the probability of a successful outcome .
the clinical presentation usually consists of persistent fever associated with pulmonary manifestations , anemia , and microscopic hematuria , signs that constitute the tricuspid syndrome .
the absence of peripheral stigmata of endocarditis or relevant murmurs in the majority of cases is worth mentioning .
right - sided endocarditis involving the tricuspid valve should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with staphylococcal or streptococcal bacteremia accompanied by clinical and or radiological signs of pulmonary involvement .
our patient had unusual tumor plop sound , which suggested us to go ahead with early 2d echocardiography .
in this case , large vegetation produced a diastolic sound that is found as tumor plop .
this sound arises from obstruction to ventricular in - flow that occurs because the vegetation / mass comes to rest over the tricuspid annulus and functionally equivalent to tricuspid valve stenosis and also due to damage to the tricuspid valve a concurrent regurgitant murmur was produced . even in the absence of classic predisposing risk factors for right - sided endocarditis ,
a diagnosis of right - sided endocarditis should be considered and echocardiography should be promptly carried out to document the presence of vegetation .
duke or modified duke criteria may be used to make the diagnosis in otherwise unclear cases of endocarditis .
the minor criteria comprised of multiple positive blood cultures , evidence of septic pulmonary emboli , absence of systemic emboli , and a murmur compatible with tricuspid involvement .
either two major or one major and three minor criteria make the diagnosis of tve . in cases complicated by sepsis , severe valvular dysfunction , conduction disturbances , or embolic events , empirical antimicrobial therapy
should be started after three blood cultures have been taken . in right - sided ie
, surgery is indicated for large ( > 10 mm ) or increasing vegetation size , severe heart failure , fungal endocarditis , annular or aortic abscess , evidence of valvular dysfunction , persistent infection after a prolonged period ( 7 - 10 days ) of appropriate antibiotics , as indicated by presence of fever , leukocytosis , and bacteremia - assuming that there are no non - cardiac causes for infection and recurrent emboli after appropriate antibiotic therapy . in our case , we decided to go for surgery in view of persistent sepsis and large vegetation size .
major diagnostic ( first of all echocardiography ) and therapeutic progress ( mainly surgery during active ie ) have contributed to some prognostic improvement during the last decades .
if the diagnosis is delayed or appropriate therapeutic measures postponed , mortality is still high . through our report
, we strongly emphasize that one should have high clinical suspicion in febrile pediatric cases and should go for early 2d echocardiogram to detect infective endocarditis .
few studies have also suggested that any child with acute staphylococcal sepsis should be subjected to 2d echo particularly if fever does not subside despite antibiotic therapy .
we should aim at surgical intervention before the onset of systemic embolization and irreversible damage to the valvular apparatus . | pubmed |
TAKING SIDES
by Ronald Harwood
adapted from the play by
Ronald Harwood
Final Draft, 1988
FADE IN:
INT. BERLIN CONCERT HALL (1944) - NIGHT
A man conducting Beethoven. Air raid in progress. Bombs
falling nearby. The orchestra continues to play. Suddenly
the lights go out. The music stops.
INT. BACKSTAGE CORRIDOR, CONCERT HALL - NIGHT
A beam from a torch, bouncing, making shadows. An
ATTENDANT, carrying the torch, hurries down the corridor.
The air raid continues.
He comes to a door, knocks, opens it and looks in.
ATTENDANT
(agitated)
Dr. Furtw�ngler, the Reichsminister.
The sound of heavy footsteps approaching. The attendant
turns his torch to light the way for three men in Nazi
uniform, also with attendants and torches, marching down
the corridor.
The attendant bows deeply as the REICHSMINISTER and his
aide go through the door. The other man remains in the
corridor on guard.
INT. CONDUCTOR'S ROOM - NIGHT
Candles light the room where the conductor shakes hands
with the Reichsminister.
REICHSMINISTER
Dr. Furtw�ngler, I want to apologise
personally for this power failure.
I was so enjoying the performance.
In times like these we need
spiritual nourishment.
A bomb explodes nearby.
REICHSMINISTER
But I welcome this unexpected
opportunity of talking to you.
(with great care)
When you came on to the platform
tonight, I thought you weren't
well. You looked tired,
(a warning)
Get away from this bombing.
Away from the war. Yes, you look
tired...
(a crooked smile)
Even in this light.
INT. RUINED CINEMA - DAY
Dark. ON A SCREEN: scenes from Leni Riefenstahl's triumph
of the will. Over this:
A MAN'S VOICE
Look at them. Men, women, kids.
Boy, did they love him. You see,
Steve, Adolf Hitler touched
something deep, real deep and savage
and barbaric, and it won't just go
away overnight. It's got to be
rooted out. You know what I think?
I think they were all Nazis. And
let's face it, their leaders, those
bastards now on trial in Nuremberg,
couldn't have done it alone. It's
these people, they gave all the
help that was needed. Willingly.
The film changes with a scratchy music soundtrack - Wagner.
SHOTS of high-ranking Nazis in an audience including Josef
Goebbels, listening. And they're listening to and watching
Wilhelm Furtw�ngler conducting. At the appropriate moment:
THE MAN'S VOICE
That's him. Furtw�ngler. Wilhelm
Furtw�ngler.
The Nazis applaud. Goebbels shakes hands with Furtw�ngler.
The film ends.
Sitting in the ruined cinema are two men: GENERAL WALLACE,
with files on the table, and, beside him, MAJOR STEVE
ARNOLD. A PROJECTIONIST is standing in the door of the
projection room.
WALLACE
So, you never heard of him.
STEVE
Nope.
WALLACE
Do you know who Arturo Toscanini
is?
STEVE
Sure.
WALLACE
He's as big as Toscanini, maybe
even bigger. In this neck of the
woods, he's probably Bob Hope and
Betty Grable rolled into one.
STEVE
Jeez, and I never heard of him.
Wallace glances at the file.
WALLACE
You were in insurance before the
war.
STEVE
Right. Claims assessor.
WALLACE
Conscientious, determined, dogged.
STEVE
(amused)
They said I was dogged?
WALLACE
Well, they say here that when you
went on a case, you stayed on it.
(looks up at Steve.)
Now we can't take every Nazi in
this country to trial, although I
would like to; it's an
impossibility. So we're going for
the big boys in industry, education,
law, culture.
STEVE
Like this bandleader.
WALLACE
(a smile)
Well, he's more than just a
bandleader, Steve. He's a great
conductor, a gifted artist. But we
believe that he sold himself to
the devil. Your number one priority
from this moment on is to connect
him to the Nazi Party. Don't be
impressed by him. I want the folks
back home to understand why we
fought this war. Find Wilhelm
Furtw�ngler guilty. He represents
everything that was rotten in
Germany.
Steve wants to rise, but Wallace puts a hand on his shoulder
to make him sit again.
WALLACE
Stay put, Steve. There is some
other stuff that I'd like for you
to see here. Background.
He nods to the projectionist, then starts to go, but stops.
WALLACE
Oh, one thing that may be a problem.
Our Occupation Authorities in
Wiesbaden have a duty to help these
poor unfortunates with their
defence. They keep repeating: 'We
must be just, we must be seen to
be just.' Well, I've only one thing
to say to the liberals in Wiesbaden:
fuck 'em.
(as he goes)
You answer to no one but me. Is
that understood?
(to the projectionist
in the door)
Show him the film.
PROJECTIONIST
Yes, sir. Roll it.
Wallace goes. The projectionist starts the next reel.
ON THE SCREEN: a Berlin sequence. Bombs falling. Ruins, a
city devastated, empty. Flags of the four allied nations.
Posters of Truman, Stalin, Churchill.
ARCHIVE FILM VOICE
That is the hand that dropped the
bombs on defenceless Rotterdam,
Brussels, Belgrade. That is the
hand that destroyed the cities,
villages and homes of Russia. That
is the hand that held the whip
over the Polish, Yugoslav, French
and Norwegian slaves. That is the
hand that took their food.
Steve watches expressionless.
WALLACE
Next reel, please.
ON THE SCREEN: SHOTS of camp survivors. Then SHOTS of
emaciated corpses being bulldozed into mass graves.
ARCHIVE FILM
Sanitary conditions were so
appalling that heavy equipment had
to be brought in to speed the work
of cleaning up. This was Bergen
Belsen.
The moment this appears, Steve rises and goes quickly.
ON THE SCREEN: piles of cadavers.
INT. MAJOR STEVE ARNOLD'S BEDROOM (I945) - NIGHT
Steve having a nightmare, twisting, turning, moaning. He
wakes with a cry. He is sweating. He turns on the light,
looks at a clock, reaches for a cigarette, lights it. He
smokes. He stares at the ceiling.
Later:
Early morning. Cold. Steve is at the basin in his small
room, shaving. A radio on a shelf.
AMERICAN RADIO VOICE
Remember, men, no fraternisation.
In a German town, if you bow to a
pretty girl or pat a blond child,
you bow to all that Hitler stood
for. You bow to his reign of blood.
You caress the ideology that meant
death and destruction. You never
know who was a member of the Nazi
Party. Don't be fooled. Don't
fraternise.
EXT. STEVE'S OFFICE BUILDING, BERLIN - DAY
Steve's car swerves round the corner and comes to a halt.
A small crowd watch workmen on ladders hammering away at a
stone swastika above the portico. American soldiers
supervise. Steve gets out of the car, carrying an attache
case, and he, too, watches as the stone swastika falls and
crashes into pieces on the road. One or two people clap,
most just stare.
The American soldiers immediately hoist the Stars and
Stripes. Steve goes into the building. The sentry salutes.
The driver of the car goes to the trunk and takes out a
labelled duffel bag, cans of film, a case which holds a 16-
mm projector. A small BOY sidles up to him:
BOY
Cigarettes, chewing gum?
INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY
Steve and Sergeant Adams ascending a grand, winding but
damaged staircase to the rear of a spacious entrance hall.
A once impressive building. Signs of bomb damage everywhere.
German workmen doing repairs. American military personnel
coming and going, saluting Steve, who barely acknowledges
them.
They reach the landing. Adams opens double doors and they
go through.
ADAMS
We're gonna have the heating fixed
by tonight.
A few gilt chairs, a workman trying to repair the stove.
Adams opens another door for Steve.
INT. STEVE S OFFICE - DAY
EMMI is hanging the standard photograph of President Truman
on the wall. She turns to see Steve and Adams and is covered
with confusion. She gives Steve a little curtsey.
ADAMS
Fr�ulein, this is Major Arnold.
Sir, this is your secretary,
Fr�ulein Emmi Straube. Her file's
on your desk. They sent her over
from Admin. I'll leave you to it.
He goes. Steve scrutinises Emmi. She's embarrassed, keeps
her eyes downcast. Steve goes to his desk, opens a file,
reads.
STEVE
You live here, in Berlin?
EMMI
Yes.
STEVE
You do shorthand and typing?
EMMI
Yes.
He nods, goes on reading.
STEVE
Okay, let's see. How long were you
in the camp for?
EMMI
Three months.
STEVE
Says here because of your father.
What's that mean?
EMMI
My father was one of the officers
in the plot against Hitler. They
arrested the plotters and their
families.
STEVE
Your mother, too.
EMMI
Yes. She suffered longer. She was
in Ravensbruck.
STEVE
And your father was executed.
She nods, keeps her eyes averted. He smiles sympathetically.
STEVE
I'm gonna call you Emmi, you're
gonna call me Steve. Okay?
No response.
STEVE
I got a list of stuff here I'd
like you to get for me.
He searches his pockets.
ADAMS
If you need anything, let me know.
EMMI
Major...
STEVE
Steve.
EMMI
There have been messages for you.
(She consults the
pad.)
A Lieutenant David Wills called
from the Allied Kommandatura
Cultural Affairs office in
Wiesbaden. I don't know who he is.
Steve starts to unpack his attache case.
EMMI
Then there have been three calls
from Dr. Furtw�ngler wanting to
know when you wish to see him. I
did not speak to him personally...
She hands Steve a typewritten sheet. He ignores it, finds
a list which he hands to her. He waits for her to read,
then:
STEVE
Think you can get me any of that?
EMMI
(pleased)
Oh yes, Major, I have recordings
of all his symphonies. I kept them
safe during the bombing. My
favourite is the Seventh Symphony.
STEVE
Mine's the Eleventh.
EMMI
(puzzled)
But... he only wrote nine, Major.
STEVE
I'm kidding, Emmi. What about a
record player? You have that, too?
EMMI
No. Ours was damaged.
STEVE
(surveys the room)
What's in those files?
EMMI
The names of the members of the
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra since
1934 together with their
questionnaires. Major, what am I
to tell Dr. Furtw�ngler?
STEVE
You tell him nothing, Emmi. If he
calls again, you say you know
nothing. We're gonna keep him
waiting while I get acquainted
with his case and with the
witnesses. And, God help me, with
Beethoven.
He smiles. She tries to smile back.
EXT. FLEA MARKET, BERLIN - DAY
Freezing weather. A narrow street, crowded, busy, noisy.
Some makeshift stalls set out, trestle tables, open
suitcases, people buying and selling every imaginable
commodity.
Emmi wanders through the crowd, passing a violinist, Helmuth
Rode, wrapped up against the cold, playing Handel's Air on
a G String, a bowl for money at his feet. A passer-by drops
a cigarette butt in it. Immediately, Rode retrieves the
butt.
Emmi comes to a stall selling piles of gramophone records.
She asks the stallholder a question. He points to another
stall across the way.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
Steve at his desk, paging through files. A knock on the
door.
STEVE
Yeah.
Lieutenant DAVID WILLS, aged twenty-four, enters, comes to
Steve's desk, stands to attention, salutes.
DAVID
Lieutenant Wills reporting to Major
Arnold. Sir.
STEVE
For Chrissakes I hate that shit,
cut it out.
DAVID
I'm very sorry.
STEVE
I'm Steve. What's your name?
DAVID
David. David Wills. I'm your liaison
officer with the Allied Kommandatura
Cultural Affairs Committee. Sir.
STEVE
Sounds a lot of run.
(studies David.)
So they sent the big guns to check
up on me. We recruiting children
now?
DAVID
(smiles')
I guess so, sir.
STEVE
You call me sir again and I'll
make you listen to Beethoven.
David half-smiles.
STEVE
Where you from, David?
DAVID
was born here, in Leipzig. I escaped
in '36. My parents, they sent me
to my uncle in Philadelphia. They
were to follow. But they delayed
and...
Breaks off. Nothing from Steve.
DAVID
Our family name was Weill. But
that doesn't sound well in English.
My uncle changed it to Wills and...
The door opens and Emmi enters carrying a record player,
sees David and starts to back out.
EMMI
I'm sorry.
STEVE
Come in, Emmi, this is your office,
too. Emmi, this is Lieutenant David
Wills.
They nod briefly.
STEVE
He is here to watch over us.
A flick from Emmi.
STEVE
I guess you admire musicians.
DAVID
Some.
STEVE
Don't. This is like a criminal
investigation, David. Musicians,
morticians, doctors, lawyers,
butchers, clerks. They're all the
same.
For Emmi's benefit too. She becomes still, listens.
STEVE
We have a duty, a moral duty.
David takes a few files, sits and starts to look through
them. Steve returns to his files. Emmi, by now, has put on
a record and starts to play it: the opening of Beethoven's
Fifth Symphony blasts out.
The two men look up, startled. Emmi beams:
EMMI
It works! Hallelujah!
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
Emmi at the door. Steve at his desk. David present.
EMMI
Herr Rudolf Werner.
WERNER enters, bows to Steve and David. Emmi goes to her
desk.
STEVE
Sit down, Werner.
Indicates the upright chair; Werner sits.
STEVE
I want you to understand why you're
here. This is an investigation
into Wilhelm Furtw�ngler, former
Prussian Privy Councillor, banned
from public life under Control
Council Directive No 24 and who's
applied to come before the Tribunal
of Artists of the Denazification
Commission. I'm interested in what
he was up to from 1933 to the end
of the war, understood?
Werner nods.
STEVE
Rudolf Otto Werner. Wind section
since 1936. What instrument did
you play?
WERNER
First oboe.
STEVE
I have your questionnaire here. It
says you were never a member of
the Nazi Party.
WERNER
Absolutely not.
Long silence; Steve watches him. Werner is made more
anxious. At last, in a rush:
WERNER
No, I was never a Nazi, I have no
interest in politics, I'm a musician -
STEVE
Hey, hey, slow up, Fraulein Straube
has to take down what you say.
Werner swivels round to look at Emmi.
WERNER
Straube? Any relation to Colonel
Joachim Straube?
EMMI
My father.
WERNER
It's a great honour to meet you,
Fraulein. Your father was a great
patriot.
Brief silence.
WERNER
Dr. Furtw�ngler is a great musician.
He actively opposed the Nazis and
later on he helped many Jews to
escape.
STEVE
Then how do you explain him being
made a Prussian Privy Councillor?
WERNER
It was Hermann Goering. I was told
he just made the maestro his Privy
Councillor, no questions asked.
Although Dr. Furtw�ngler stood up
to him. And to Dr. Goebbels.
STEVE
He also conducted for Hitler, didn't
he?
WERNER
Yes, that's true, but he refused
to give the Nazi salute. He kept
his baton in his right hand. In
Hitler's presence. That was a brave
act...
STEVE
Brave? To celebrate Hitler's
birthday with some heroic piece by
Wagner but without the Nazi salute?
Bravo.
WERNER
It was Beethoven's Ninth.
STEVE
Do you really think it was brave?
Didn't he bow to him and shake his
hand?
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
Another man, SCHLEE, is in the chair. Only Steve and Emmi
now. Pale, yellow electric light. Silence. Schlee, too, is
very nervous. At last:
SCHLEE
No, no, no, I give you my word. I
was never a member of the Nazi
Party. Never. I am in the percussion
section. I play the timpani.
Steve just stares at him.
SCHLEE
Anyway, they would never have
allowed it. My brother was married
to a Jewess, may she rest in peace.
And Goebbels said...
(to Emmi)
...please take this down carefully,
because it's most important,
Fraulein?
EMMI
Straube.
SCHLEE
(acting surprised)
Straube? Are you by any chance
related to Colonel Joachim Straube?
EMMI
My father.
SCHLEE
He was... he was a great hero.
Steve lights a cigarette.
SCHLEE
Goebbels, yes, Josef Goebbels said,
'There's not a single filthy Jew
left in Germany on whose behalf
Dr. Furtw�ngler has not intervened.'
No, no one could have been less of
a Nazi than Dr. Furtw�ngler.
STEVE
But this was the same guy who
conducted for Adolf on his birthday.
SCHLEE
He was forced to do that. But he
refused to give the Nazi salute in
front of Hitler. He kept his baton
in his hand, you can't salute with
a baton in your hand.
DAVID
And what about the Nuremberg Rally?
SCHLEE
No, we...we played on the evening
before the Rally.
STEVE
(straight-faced)
Oh! The evening before, I see...
SCHLEE
Yes, Dr. Furtw�ngler was absolutely
clear about this: politics and art
must be kept separate.
STEVE
Politics and art must be kept
separate. I'll remember that. But
let me see if you can help me with
something I just don't understand.
I'd really like to know why all
you guys are so crazy about him.
What's his secret?
Schlee tries to find words.
SCHLEE
Well, it's hard to explain. I can
only tell you from my own
experience. Soon after I joined
the orchestra, we were rehearsing
the Third Symphony of Beethoven,
the Eroica. There are several rather
difficult passages for the timpani.
One particular crescendo. During
the break, I asked how he wanted
it played. He was studying his
score. He didn't look up. He said,
'Just watch me.' So, of course, I
did. I never stopped watching him.
The moment came. And suddenly, he
turned to me and our eyes were
locked. There was something in his
look that... that simply demanded
the crescendo. I shall never forget
his look. It was a moment of... of
magic.
Steve nods, thinks for a moment. Then:
STEVE
You ever seen Adolf Hitler's eyes
when he was making a speech? I've
seen 'em on films.
SCHLEE
Yes.
STEVE
Was looking at Furtw�ngler like
that?
SCHLEE
I don't know what you mean, Major.
STEVE
When you got to the crescendo.
Schlee looks at him bewildered.
INT./EXT. CAR (TRAVELLING), LAKESIDE AND MANSION - DAY
In the back, David and Steve. Military driver. The car's
making its way along a road that skirts a lake towards a
grand mansion from which fly the four Allied flags.
STEVE
You think a whole orchestra, what,
a hundred and forty or so guys,
could be orchestrated?
DAVID
I guess it's possible.
STEVE
So, what does the Russki want?
DAVID
Colonel Dymshitz asked specially
to see you.
STEVE
'Dim-shits'?
INT. THE MANSION - DAY
A huge, cavernous room, once the ballroom.
In the centre, a table with four chairs. To one side,
antique furniture, objets d'art, paintings. Four Allied
officers are surveying the treasures: COLONEL DYMSHITZ,
COLONEL GREEN (American), MAJOR RICHARDS (British) and
CAPTAIN VERNAY (French). What they say is barely audible,
low mumbles. They're accompanied by aides with clipboards,
taking notes.
Beyond, and some distance away, a row of gilt chairs for
observers where David and Steve take their seats.
STEVE
What the hell are they doing?
DAVID
(whispered)
They're trying to sort out some of
the works of art the Nazis stole
from occupied territories. Who
really owns what? That's Colonel
Dymshitz, on the far side.
Dymshitz, small, intelligent face, cunning eyes.
DAVID'S VOICE
art historian, head of the famous
Leningrad Museum of Art. He is an
expert on German culture.
Green, correct, formal, precise, immaculate. Richards,
bespectacled and nondescript. Vernay, upright, proud.
VERNAY
(suddenly raising
his voice)
Je suis navr�, Colonel, cette
peinture n'est pas la propri�t� de
I'union sovi�tique mats bien cette
de la France.
GREEN
What's he saying? Henri, what is
you saying?
AMERICAN AIDE
He's saying that picture is the
property of France
VERNAY
C'est un Braque qui avec Picasso
�tait un des pionniers du cubisme.
DYMSHITZ
(in French)
I know who Georges Braque is,
Captain.
AMERICAN AIDE
(almost
simultaneously)
It's a Barque.
FRENCH AIDE
We can produce the provenance of
this Braque, you say provenance?
INT./EXT. SALON OFF THE BALLROOM AND TERRACE - DAY
Outside the club room for the participants. Buzz of
conversation, clink of glasses, cups. The terrace is
deserted.
A waiter carries a tray with various refreshments to a
quiet corner where Dymshitz, Green, Vernay, his aide
LIEUTENANT SIMON, Steve and David sit in comfortable
armchairs. The waiter serves them. During this:
DYMSHITZ
Hello, Major, my name is Dymshitz.
I'm glad to see you.
STEVE
Colonel. Pleasure.
DYMSHITZ
So, Major, tell me, have you
questioned Dr. Furtw�ngler?
STEVE
Not yet.
DYMSHITZ
I've had two meetings with him.
He's a great musician. Maybe the
greatest conductor in the world.
His Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert -
unequalled.
Steve makes a non-committal gesture.
DYMSHITZ
I'll come straight to point. I've
offered him a very attractive
position. Conductor of the
Staatsoper Unten den Linden. He
refused. But I want him. I want
him badly. And I want your help.
GREEN
Hey, just a moment, you should
have discussed this with me first.
DYMSHITZ
I'm discussing it with you now.
Major, I want you to drop your
investigation, save everybody time
and trouble.
GREEN
We can't drop a case just like
that.
DYMSHITZ
I'll give you another conductor in
exchange or writer, musician, actor
what...what do you care? But I
like Furtw�ngler. He's my favourite
conductor.
(chuckles.)
Mine and Hitler's. He's our
favourite conductor.
INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY
Rode is seated, waiting. Nervous, tense. The sound of
laughter, David's laughter from the office. It makes him
even more uncomfortable.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE SUITE - DAY
Emmi and David laughing.
DAVID
I clicked my heels, saluted and
bowed at the same time.
He demonstrates. She laughs again.
EMMI
That's because you had a proper
upbringing.
DAVID
That's right. I was raised very
strictly. So don't speak before
you are spoken to!
EMMI
Oh! And don't wave your hands about!
DAVID
Respect your elders and your
betters!
EMMI
And no elbows on the table!
DAVID
Eating is eating... and...
EMMI
And talking is talking! Well, I
think we better get on.
DAVID
Right. So, this is going to be
very formal, too, now. Lieutenant
David Wills requests die pleasure
of die company of Fraulein Emmi
Straube at dinner any night she
cares.
She smiles just as Steve bursts in. He's in a bright,
cheerful, energetic mood.
David draws back guiltily. Emmi, embarrassed, hesitates
then turns to the typewriter and types furiously. Seeing
this, Steve stops, but just for a brief moment. Then, as
he goes to his desk:
STEVE
David, need to ask you something.
You heard this rumour the British
found something called the Hinkel
Archive?
DAVID
Yes.
STEVE
So what is it?
DAVID
The British occupy the building
where this guy, Hinkel, ran the
Nazi Ministry of Culture and it
seems they've... they've discovered
his secret archive.
STEVE
What's that mean?
DAVID
I don't know, but the British are
excited about it, I know that. The
rumour is Hinkel kept a file on
every artist working in the Third
Reich.
STEVE
Jeez. And you think the British'll
share it with their Allies?
DAVID
Major Richards said he'd call to
let us know.
STEVE
That's big of him.
He looks from David to Emmi as if trying to work out
something. Then:
STEVE
Okay, better question the next
witness. I bet you a bottle of
French champagne he tells us the
baton story inside ten minutes.
DAVID
Five minutes.
STEVE
It's a bet. You're the witness,
Emmi.
Later.
Rode in the witness chair. Steve studying the file. David
and Emmi ready to take notes.
STEVE
Helmuth Alfred Rode. Second
violinist since 1935. What's it
mean, second violinist?
RODE
It means I wasn't good enough to
be a first violinist.
He chuckles, looks around for approval. Steve grins
encouragingly.
STEVE
Good, and according to your
questionnaire, Helmuth, you never
joined the Nazi Party.
RODE
Me? Never. Never.
Long silence.
RODE
I... I know everyone now says they
were never Nazis but in my case it
is absolutely one hundred per cent
true. I am a Catholic, it would
have been totally against my
conscience.
Silence.
Steve lights a cigarette; Rode eyes it hungrily.
RODE
Is it true you're going to interview
Dr. Furtw�ngler today?
STEVE
I'll ask the questions, Helmuth.
RODE
Excuse me. Did you know that he
refused to give the Nazi salute
when Hitler was present in the
audience?
Steve flicks David a glance, waggles his finger like a
baton.
RODE
The problem was how could he avoid
giving the Devil's salute when
Satan was actually sitting there.
(modestly taps his
chest with his
thumb.)
And, I said, 'Dr. Furtw�ngler, why
not enter with the baton in your
right hand? Hitler will be sitting
in the front row. If you give the
salute with the baton in your right
hand it'll look like you're going
to poke his eyes out.'
Chuckles. David mouths I win to Steve.
RODE
He was...He was really grateful to
me for that. After the concert,
I... I stole that baton as a memento
of a great act of courage. I still
have it. I should have brought it
to show you. I hope I'm not going
too fast for you, Fraulein?-
EMMI
Straube.
Steve and David exchange a brief look.
RODE
Straube. Any relation to Colonel
Joachim Straube?
EMMI
My father.
RODE
(standing)
I am deeply honoured to be in your
presence, Fraulein Straube. Your
father was a true patriot, a man
of God.
He crosses himself. Silence. David raises a discreet finger.
STEVE
You have a question for Helmuth,
David?
DAVID
Yes. What was the orchestra's
reaction when they asked you to
play for Hitler's birthday?
RODE
Oh, we didn't play for his birthday,
we played the evening before - it
was the 19th of April not the 20th.
STEVE
Do you know Hans Hinkel?
RODE
(alarmed)
Do I know Hans Hinkel?
STEVE
That's what I asked.
RODE
Do I know Hans Hinkel?
STEVE
You seem to understand the question,
now how about answering it?
RODE
Hans Hinkel was in the Ministry of
Culture; how could I know such a
man? I
Brief silence; a smile.
RODE
I hear the British have his... his
archive, files, records.
STEVE
Do you know what's in this archive?
RODE
How could I know what's in the
archive?
Steve nods, smiles.
STEVE
Okay, you can go now, Helmuth. Get
out.
Rode stands and bows.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - NIGHT
The final bars of the Fifth Symphony. Snowing. Dim light.
There is more furniture now: two chairs, one comfortable,
the other upright. A sitting area by the window with the
telephone extension. The 16-mm projector set up in another
corner.
Steve, at his desk, wrapped up against the cold, going
through files, making notes. He stops, seems to listen,
then goes to the window, looks out.
The music ends. The record hisses. Steve just stares out
at the night and the snow. The record continues to hiss.
INT./EXT TRAM, BERLIN (TRAVELLING) - DAY
The tram packed to overflowing. Then, a sudden stir among
the passengers as people push through trying to find space.
One of them is FURTW�NGLER. He's recognised. Whispering.
He stares ahead or keeps his eyes downcast. An elderly man
tugs at his coat, half-rises, offering his seat.
Furtw�ngler manages a smile and shakes his head. The tram
rattles on.
INT. HALL, STEVE'S BUILDING - DAY
Furtw�ngler approaches Adams at his desk.
He crosses to the stairs. German workmen stop what they
are doing to let him pass. One of them bows.
On the upper landing, Emmi is making her way to Steve's
office.
She stops, sees Furtw�ngler on the stairs and then dashes
to Steve's door.
FURTW�NGLER
Furtw�ngler.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
Emmi bursts in on Steve and David. She's overawed:
EMMI
Major, Major... he's here ...
STEVE
Shut the door, Emmi. Sit down,
Emmi. We're going to keep him
waiting, too.
Emmi glances out again and reluctantly closes the door,
Steve sits calmly, relaxed.
STEVE
Emmi, get us some coffee, will
you? And, Emmi, don't offer him
coffee. Don't even greet him, okay?
INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY
Furtw�ngler sits, waiting. Emmi, deeply embarrassed, hurries
through.. Furtw�ngler is about to ask her something, but
she's gone. He waits.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
Steve and David preparing papers.
INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY
Furtw�ngler waiting. Emmi enters from the landing door
carrying a tray and three mugs of coffee. She hurries
towards the office door, eyes downcast.
FURTW�NGLER
Fraulein?
Emmi stops.
FURTW�NGLER
How long am I to be kept waiting?
Emmi bites her lip and, without looking at him, disappears
into the office. Furtw�ngler closes his eyes, breathes
deeply.
He stands, goes to the window, looks out.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
Silence. Steve studying his notes. David watching him.
Emmi staring forlornly into space.
STEVE
Okay, Emmi, go get him.
Emmi rises, opens the door, nods, turns back to Steve.
EMMI
Dr. Furtw�ngler.
Furtw�ngler enters. As he passes her, Emmi gives him a
small curtsey. David nods. Steve doesn't look up.
Furtw�ngler waits a moment, glances round, sees the more
comfortable chair and sits in it. Steve looks up.
STEVE
I didn't hear anyone invite you to
sit down.
Furtw�ngler stands. Steve points to the other chair.
STEVE
Sit there.
Furtw�ngler sits.
STEVE
I want you to understand why you're
here. You're automatically banned
from public life under Control
Council Directive No 24. We're
here to look into your case before
you appear in front of the Tribunal
for Artists of the Denazification
Commission. You understand that?
FURTW�NGLER
I have already been cleared by a
Denazification Tribunal in Austria.
STEVE
What they do in Austria doesn't
interest me one little bit. Okay?
I have your questionnaire here,
(reading)
Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm
Furtw�ngler, born Berlin, January
1886. Orchestral conductor. And
you say here you were never a member
of the Nazi Party.
FURTW�NGLER
That is correct.
A very long silence. When the silence is unbearable Steve
speaks.
STEVE
Could you tell us about being made
a Prussian Privy Councillor. How
did that happen to a non-Party
member?
FURTW�NGLER
I received a telegram from Hermann
Goering informing me that he had
made me a Privy Councillor. I was
not given the opportunity either
to accept or refuse. After the
dreadful events of November 1938,
the violent attacks on the Jews, I
stopped using the title.
STEVE
What about Vice-President of the
Chamber of Music, you used that
title didn't you? But then I suppose
you had no choice there either,
because I suppose Dr. Goebbels
just sent you a telegram saying,
Dear Mr. Vice-President.
FURTW�NGLER
I don't think Dr. Goebbels sent me
a telegram. I was simply told. In
a letter, I believe. I don't
remember exactly.
STEVE
Goebbels and Goering were sure
heaping honours on you. One makes
you a Privy Councillor, the other
makes you Vice-President of the
Chamber of Music, and you weren't
even a member of the Party, how do
you explain that?
FURTW�NGLER
Well, there was a constant battle
between Goering and Goebbels as to
which of them would control German
culture. I was simply a pawn.
Anyway, I resigned from the
Musikkammer at the same time I
resigned as Musical Director of
the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1934.
David puts up a hand. Steve nods.
DAVID
Why was that? Why did you resign,
Dr. Furtw�ngler?
FURTW�NGLER
I wrote an open letter to the
newspapers condemning what they
were doing to music, making these
distinctions between Jews and non-
Jews. For my part, the only divide
in art is between good and bad.
Eventually, Goebbels summoned me
and told me I could leave the
country if I wanted to but under
no condition would I ever be allowed
to return. I always believe that
you have to fight from the inside
not from without. I asked myself,
what's the duty of an artist, to
stay or to leave? And then Goebbels
demanded that I acknowledge Hitler
as solely responsible for cultural
policy. Well, that was a fact and
it seemed pointless to deny it. I
simply acknowledged that Hitler
and the Minister of Culture
appointed by him were solely
responsible for the cultural policy
of the Reich. What I wanted to
express was that I, personally,
had no responsibility whatsoever
for their cultural policy. I have
always had the view that art and
politics should... should have
nothing to do with each other.
STEVE
Then why did you conduct at one of
their Nuremberg rallies?
FURTW�NGLER
(flaring)
I did not conduct at at the rally,
I conducted on the evening before
the rally.
STEVE
That sounds like the small print
in one of our insurance policies,
Wilhelm. And what about April 19,
1942? The eve of Hitler's fifty-
third birthday, the big celebration;
you conducted for Hitler, didn't
you? Was that in keeping with your
view that art and politics have
nothing to do with each other?
FURTW�NGLER
(flustered)
That... that was a different matter,
I... I was tricked.
STEVE
How come?
FURTW�NGLER
Could I have a glass of water,
please? Please, Fraulein?
EMMI
Straube.
Steve looks expectant but Furtw�ngler remains silent. Steve
nods to Emmi, who gets the water. Furtw�ngler drinks.
Steve waits.
FURTW�ANGLER
Thank you. I was in Vienna,
rehearsing the Ninth Symphony of
Beethoven, when Goebbels called
and said I had to conduct at
Hitler's birthday. I'd always
managed to wriggle out of such
invitations, pleading previous
engagements, illness, having my
doctors state I was not well and
so on and so on. I was also
fortunate that Baldur von Shirach,
who controlled Vienna, hated Dr.
Goebbels and would do anything to
thwart his wishes. But this time
Goebbels got to my doctors before
me; they were frightened off, and
von Schirach was threatened, bullied
and gave in. So, I had no
alternative but to conduct for
Hitler. Believe me, I knew I had
compromised, and I deeply regret
it.
STEVE
(playing with him)
Doesn't sound much of a trick to
me. Sounds like you made a deal.
FURTW�NGLER
I made no deal!
STEVE
I don't buy that.
FURTW�NGLER
It's the truth.
Silence. Steve paces. Then suddenly turns on Furtw�ngler.
STEVE
I keep hearing you helped a lot of
Jews to escape. How did you do
that?
FURTW�NGLER
I don't remember in detail, there
were so many.
STEVE
Did you call someone you knew?
FURTW�NGLER
I may have, as... as I said, I
simply don't remember.
STEVE
Let me me help you, then. You picked
up the phone and made a call -
(Mimes a telephone.)
'Hello, Adolf? Wilhelm speaking.
Listen, old pal, there's a Jew-boy
musician I want you to help. He
needs a permit to get to Paris.'
Emmi sticks her fingers in her ears and shuts her eyes
tight.
STEVE
Or maybe you called Goebbels or
Goering? You were so close you
were in the same shithouse as them.
FURTW�NGLER
May I ask a question?
STEVE
Sure.
FURTW�NGLER
When will my case be heard by the
Tribunal?
STEVE
Your guess is as good as mine.
FURTW�NGLER
I need to work. I need to make my
living. I live off the generosity
of friends...
STEVE
Tough, tough!
FURTW�NGLER
(now more and more
agitated)
Then why is it, please, that another
conductor who was actually a member
of the Party, who used to play the
Horst Wessel before his concerts,
has already been cleared and is
working again while I have to wait
and wait and wait?
STEVE
I don't know, he wasn't my case.
Why did you escape to Switzerland
just before the war ended?
FURTW�NGLER
It was because I learned that the
Gestapo was about to arrest me.
STEVE
Why were they going to arrest you?
FURTW�NGLER
I believe it was because of another
letter I'd written to Goebbels
lamenting the decline of musical
standards due to racial policies.
STEVE
You didn't complain about the racial
policies, just about the musical
standards, is that right?
No response.
STEVE
So, how did you learn that the
Gestapo was out to get you?
FURTW�NGLER
During an enforced hour-long
interval because of a power failure
at a concert here in Berlin, Albert
Speer, the Minister of Armaments,
said to me, 'You look very tired
Dr. Furtw�ngler, you should go
abroad for a while.' I knew exactly
what he meant.
STEVE
You sure knew a lot of people in
high places.
FURTW�NGLER
It would be truer to say, I think,
that a lot of people in high places
knew me.
STEVE
You were real close to all of them,
to Adolf, to Hermann, to Joseph,
to Baldur, and now Albert,
(flaring)
So, let's hear the truth, let's
come clean. What was your Party
number?
FURTW�NGLER
If you are going to bully me like
this, Major, you had better do
your homework. You obviously have
no idea how impertinent and stupid
your questions are.
Steve is stung. His eyes narrow dangerously.
STEVE
David, you remember I said I had a
question that he wouldn't be able
to answer? Well, I'm gonna ask it
now. You ready for this, Wilhelm?
It's a tough one. Why didn't you
get out right at the start when
Hitler came to power in 1933? Why
didn't you leave Germany?
No response.
STEVE
I have a list of names here, people
in your profession, who got out in
'33. Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer,
Arnold Schoenberg, Max Reinhardt...
FURTW�NGLER
They were Jews, they had to leave.
They were right to leave.
(He breathes deeply,
summons strength.)
I could not leave my country in
her deepest misery. After all, I
am a German. I... I stayed in my
homeland. Is that my sin in your
eyes?
STEVE
See, David? He can't answer the
question. I'll ask it again,
Wilhelm, and don't give me any
more airy-fairy, intellectual
bullshit!
The telephone rings. No one moves. Then Emmi picks up the
telephone.
EMMI
Major Arnold's office. Yes, he is.
Offers the phone to David.
EMMI
It's Major Richards for Lieutenant
Wills.
David takes the telephone.
DAVID
David Wills. Yes, sir.
(listens.)
Well, you want me to tell him?
Okay,
(to Steve)
Major Richards wants a word with
you, sir.
Steve indicates he'll take the call on the extension.
Furtw�ngler stands. As Steve crosses to the extension:
STEVE
(muttering)
Why can't he just ask for me? Why
does he have to ask for you first?
Goddamn British, so correct!
He picks up the extension. Emmi puts down her receiver.
STEVE
Steve Arnold...
FURTW�NGLER
I've had enough of this, I'm
leaving.
He goes quickly. David dashes after him.
INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY Furtw�ngler is at the door when
David reaches him.
DAVID
Dr. Furtw�ngler! Dr. Furtw�ngler!
Please, please...
(a warning)
Don't. It's not advisable.
The sound of Steve laughing with delight. Furtw�ngler
hesitates.
Emmi comes to the waiting-room door, watches, as if on
guard.
David comes round to face Furtw�ngler.
DAVID
(he gathers courage)
When I was a child, my father, he
took me to... he took me to one of
your concerts. I remember you
conducted Beethoven's Fifth
Symphony. I was deeply moved. And
I've loved music ever since. I was
grateful to you. And I've admired
you. How could you... how could
you serve those criminals?
He falls silent.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
Emmi, at the open door, has been listening. She's shocked,
turns away to see Steve, on the extension, chuckling,
grinning from ear to ear.
STEVE
How many? Jesus, that's dynamite!
Okay.
INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY
David and Furtw�ngler haven't moved. Both are looking
towards Steve's office and Emmi in the doorway.
Again the sound of Steve's laugh. Then Emmi steps into the
room, approaches Furtw�ngler.
EMMI
Dr. Furtw�ngler.
He gives her a wonderful smile. And, suddenly, Steve stands
in the doorway, smiling.
STEVE
Well now. Aren't we all sociable?
The others are made awkward.
STEVE
I've got to hand it to the British,
David. You know what those guys
are? Decent.
(He sits, crosses
his legs.)
Tell me, Herr Dr. Furtw�ngler, do
you know Hans Hinkel?
FURTW�NGLER
Yes, a despicable human being. He
was in the Ministry of Culture.
His job was to get rid of Jews in
the arts.
STEVE
Yup, that's him, that's the guy.
You know what else the little creep
did? He kept files, close on 250,000
files. And you know what's in those
files?
FURTW�NGLER
Certainly not, but I knew he had
informers everywhere. Even in my
orchestra there was someone
STEVE
Who?
FURTW�NGLER
I wasn't told. I just knew it.
STEVE
How?
FURTW�NGLER
(uneasy)
I was warned.
STEVE
Who warned you?
FURTW�NGLER
(lowering his head)
Goering. Because Hinkel was working
for Goebbels.
STEVE
What did Goering say?
FURTW�NGLER
He told me to be careful as one of
Goebbels' men was watching me. He
read a report on me - everything I
said was quoted word by word.
STEVE
Oh boy, you're gonna love this.
Take your time with this now. Those
files contain the details of every
working artist in this country.
Those files are gonna tell us who
joined the Party, who informed and
who was helpful.
Furtw�ngler goes to the door. David opens it for him.
Furtw�ngler nods, then turns to Emmi, bows to her and
smiles. He goes.
INT. BRITISH INTELLIGENCE HQ, ARCHIVE ROOM - DAY
SECURITY
Your name, please.
DAVID
David Wills.
SECURITY
Over there.
There is a long trestle table running the length of the
room, with chairs, as if in a library. A notice requests
'Silence'.
British and American servicemen, a Russian and a French
officer studying papers, making notes. At the furthest
end, Steve, David and Emmi.
STEVE
Fantastic! The only condition is
we have to do the work here. I
want you to collect all the files
on the boys in the band.
INT. BRITISH INTELLIGENCE HQ, ARCHIVE ROOM - NIGHT
David discovers that the archive room was originally a
synagogue. He is moved. He lays stones on the rail of what
was once the ark.
INT. BRITISH INTELLIGENCE HQ, ARCHIVE ROOM - DAY
Emmi and David surrounded by files, sifting through, making
notes. They examine the Hinkel Archive.
INT. BRITISH INTELLIGENCE HQ, ARCHIVE ROOM - DAY
Another day.
Sunshine pouring in. Steve seated as before, but Emmi and
David again in different places.
Emmi rises, goes to Steve, shows him something.
EMMI
Maybe you can have a look at this.
He reads. He is not pleased. He writes furiously. Emmi
returns to her place. Suddenly, a movement causes Steve to
look up.
STEVE AND HIS POV: David slides a note across to Emmi.
Emmi reads the note. David watches her. She looks at him.
She almost smiles, nods surreptitiously.
DAVID
(a whisper)
Schubert.
She feels Steve's eyes on her, and returns quickly to her
work.
Steve is displeased and even more suspicious.
EXT. PARTLY RUINED CHURCH - EVENING
Summer evening. The first movement of Schubert's String
Quintet in C Major, D956, played by three men and two women
to a large audience packed into the ruins, partly open to
the sky, Dymshitz among them.
At the rear of the church, Emmi and David, enraptured,
seated side by side.
The first movement ends and the Adagio begins. After the
music gathers momentum:
Rain. Thunder and lightning. The musicians continue to
play, unperturbed. They are coming to the end of the
Quintet.
David and Emmi huddled together. Some umbrellas up and
then movement which catches David's attention. He nudges
Emmi, I indicates with his chin.
People have moved to reveal Furtw�ngler: seated, wearing a
hat, still I' as a statue, soaked, listening,
expressionless.
Much applause. The musicians bow. The audience start to
leave.
Emmi and David emerge from the ruins. Furtw�ngler passes
them.
They nod awkwardly. He doesn't respond but is about to
walk on when Dymshitz pushes through, nods to David, who
salutes. Dymshitz catches up with Furtw�ngler. They are
near to Emmi and David.
DYMSHITZ
Dr. Furtw�ngler -
Furtw�ngler stops.
DYMSHITZ
Moving, you agree? Whenever I hear
Schubert I am moved. You agree?
FURTW�NGLER
The tempi were a little too correct
for my taste. But I expect that is
because of the rain.
He nods politely, is about to go -
DYMSHITZ
(also for David's
benefit)
Wait, Doctor, I understand you
have difficulties with the
Americans. I want you to know, I
am your champion. We can help.
Furtw�ngler allows himself a faint smile, tips his hat,
and then hurries off into the night. Dymshitz goes, too.
David and Emmi watch them. Then:
EMMI
(frowning, worried)
What does he mean, too correct?
DAVID
I don't know.
Huddled under their umbrella, they dash off.
INT. STEVE'S BEDROOM, GRAND HOTEL - NIGHT
Steve, fully dressed, lies on the bed in his small, shabby
room, staring into space. He is suddenly startled by a
loud roll of thunder and then a fierce crack of lightning.
He goes to the window, watching the rain. He stands
motionless for a second, then makes a decision. He grabs
his cap, a raincoat from the back of the door. Another
loud thunderclap.
INT. US OFFICERS' CLUB - NIGHT
Dancers jitterbugging and jiving. Among them, David and
Emmi also dancing, imitating the others and having a good
time. The music ends. Scattered applause. The band leaves
the platform. The dancers return to tables or the bar.
Later:
David and Emmi at their table, eating. She eats voraciously,
eyes glazed, all her concentration on the food in front of
her. David is fascinated, can't stop watching her.
Steve enters the club, makes his way to the bar, orders a
drink.
Steve turns to survey the room, almost at once spots David
and Emmi, their backs to him. He observes them.
David and Emmi at their table: They have finished their
meal. Emmi is silent now, staring at her empty plate.
Steve is suddenly at their table.
STEVE
Well, what is this, the office
party?
David and Emmi are frozen with embarrassment.
STEVE
May I join you?
(sits down, beams.)
So, what have you two been up to
tonight? Hey. Don't I owe you a
bottle of French champagne?
Tries to get a waiter's attention but fails. � No response.
STEVE
You know, David, you're a lucky
guy. I invited Emmi here but she
turned me down. You must've hidden
depths, David...
he band starts to play; he stands, holds out a hand.
STEVE
C'mon, Emmi, let's dance. I'll
teach you how to jive.
She is horribly embarrassed, doesn't move. David suddenly
stands and takes Emmi by the arm.
DAVID
I'm very sorry, Major, but I
promised her mother, we have to
go.
They leave quickly.
Steve watches them. He sinks down, angry and jealous.
INT. HALL, STAIRWAY, STRAUBE APARTMENT BLOCK - NIGHT
David and Emmi enter the hall, each locked in their own
thoughts. They reach the foot of the stairs and pause.
They want to kiss but both are too awkward. She starts up
the stairs.
EMMI
Don't see me to my door, there's
no need.
DAVID
But I promised your mother.
She stops, turns.
EMMI
Well, sleep well.
She continues on her way.
INT. ARCHIVE ROOM - DAY
Steve and Emmi at work on the files. One or two BRITISH
OFFICERS present, and David, who is working at the far end
of the table. He has a cold.
Emmi, who also has a cold, opens a file and is immediately
alert. She reads. She blows her nose. She is uncertain.
She looks up at Steve. She makes a decision. She rises,
takes the file to Steve.
EMMI
Excuse me, Major. I found this on
Helmuth Rode. You remember? The
second violinist? Look, he's
Austrian not German. But it's this
that's more important, I think...
She points to something. Steve laughs loudly.
AN OFFICER
Sssh!
David looks up at them, puzzled. Then a British SERGEANT
comes into the doorway.
SERGEANT
Lieutenant Wills, telephone -
David rises and as he goes:
THE OFFICER
(exasperated)
What is this, a railway station?
INT. LOBBY, ARCHIVE BUILDING - DAY
In a booth near the front desk, David is on the telephone.
DAVID
(into telephone)
David. Wills. Hello? Who? Who in
Wiesbaden?
Irritated, he taps the receiver but the line's gone dead.
EXT. LAKESIDE, BERLIN - DAY
Steve lies, shirt off, taking the sun. Children playing.
Noise behind him of someone in the bushes. Steve doesn't
move.
Rode, carrying a slender leather case, pushes through to
Steve, who remains with his eyes closed.
RODE
Major.
STEVE
(eyes still closed)
Helmuth.
RODE
Guess what I am holding in my hand.
You like guessing games?
STEVE
Love 'em, Helmuth. I give up. What
are you holding in your hand?
Rode takes from the case a conductor's baton. Steve opens
one eye.
RODE
It's Dr. Furtw�ngler's baton, which
I stole.
STEVE
The one he kept in his right hand.
Yes, you remember.
RODE
Yes, you remember.
STEVE
How could I forget?
Sits up, takes the baton. Somewhere a child laughs; suddenly
Steve thrusts the baton at Rode.
STEVE
Show me.
RODE
Show you?
STEVE
Yeah, show me, I want to see you
do it. Pretend I'm Adolf. You're
the maestro, and you have the baton
in your right hand, but you give
me the salute just the same.
RODE
Not here, Major, there are people,
if anybody should see... please,
please, Major...
STEVE
Do it, Helmuth.
After nervous looks over his shoulder Rode, salutes half-
heartedly.
STEVE
Do it right.
Rode thrusts his hand out in the Nazi salute.
People by the lake:
Mostly elderly, but some younger ones see Rode saluting.
Some turn away. Others stare.
STEVE'S VOICE
You look great doing that.
Rode and Steve:
Rode looks around nervously, lowers his arm.
STEVE
And I see what you mean. You nearly
poked my eyes out.
RODE
Exactly. Replaces the baton, gives
Steve the case.
STEVE
Don't worry, Helmuth, it'll be our
secret.
A ball comes bounding towards them. Steve catches it. Then
a BOY runs in, looks hopeful.
BOY
Mister, mister, here, here,
mister!!!
Steve tosses the ball back to him.
STEVE
Great catch, kid. The boy runs
off.
RODE
So. You wanted to see me.
Steve pats the spot next to him and Rode sits.
RODE
You usually don't work on Sunday,
Major?
STEVE
All in the cause of humanity,
Helmuth. Or should I call you one-
zero-four-nine-three-three-one?
RODE
What?
STEVE
One-zero-four-nine-three-three-
one. Or d'you mind if I just call
you 'one'?
Rode makes an attempt to go but Steve grabs him.
STEVE
You know what I say you are,
Helmuth? I say you're a piece of
shit.
Rode suddenly starts to retch.
RODE
That bastard!
People by the lakeside:
Faces turning at Rode's sobs. Impassive. Blank.
Steve and Rode:
STEVE
Who's the bastard, Helmuth? Hinkel?
Rode nods.
STEVE
Why? He promised to remove your
file?
Rode vomits.
STEVE
And what about before that? What
were you a member of in Austria?
After a moment:
STEVE
Was a member of...? Speak up?
RODE
(barely audible)
I was a member of the Communist
Party. I was a communist. That's
what Hinkel had over me. He knew
everything. He held that over me.
That's how he made me co-operate.
STEVE
Oh, I see, he made you co-operate.
And now are you a communist again?
RODE
(angry)
You don't know what it's like to
wake up every single morning of
your life terrified, you don't
know that -
(he stops.)
Brief silence. Steve stands.
Further along the lakeside:
Steve and Rode walk. People about. Boats on the lake.
RODE
I would never, in my wildest dreams,
have ever been a second violinist
in the Berlin Philharmonic. When
they got rid of the... the Jews in
the orchestra, it gave people like
me a chance.
EXT. LAKE - DAY
Rode rowing Steve in a small boat. Rode, exhausted, stops.
The boat drifts. Steve watches him for a moment, then:
STEVE
Helmuth, you ever heard of plea-
bargaining?
Rode, trying to catch his breath, shakes his head.
STEVE
Talk about power, I have the power
to give you work, make your life
easier. Your past won't be
mentioned. I could give you a job
tomorrow but I have to get something
in return. See, Helmuth? That's
plea-bargaining.
No response. Rode keeps his head bowed.
STEVE
I can give you freedom of movement,
freedom to work, freedom, Helmuth.
But I need something in return.
RODE
Major, we're discussing a man of
genius, I don't want...
STEVE
Fuck that, Helmuth. You want to
discuss symbols here? This guy
was a front man. He was the piper,
but he played their tune, you get
my philosophical meaning? I'm not
interested in small fish, I'm after
Moby Dick. Come on, Helmuth. Hard
facts.
Silence. Then Rode slowly raises his head.
RODE
The only thing I know is he's an
anti-Semite.
STEVE
Of course. You, too. Like everyone
else in this goddamn country.
EXT. WOOD, LAKESIDE - DAY
Rode and Steve walking. Rode suddenly turns to him:
RODE
I've remembered something else...
STEVE
Yeah?
RODE
Furtw�ngler sent Hitler a telegram
for his birthday.
STEVE
He did?
RODE
One of your people told me.
STEVE
One of my people?
They start to walk away from the water.
RODE
Yes. A corporal. US Army. A Jew.
He said he'd seen the telegram in
the Chancellery.
STEVE
Son-of-a-gun. We'll find the
corporal and we'll find the
telegram.
He stops, takes out a cigarette, offers one to Rode, lights
them both, gives Rode the packet. They smoke for a moment.
STEVE
But I need documentary proof. You
know of anything like that?
RODE
No. But that's why we hated him.
We admired him as a conductor but
we all hated him too because he
didn't have to join the Party and
yet he had a better life than any
of us. He didn't have to go and
deliver a report after every trip
abroad. He got everything from
them, everything. He was filthier
than any of us Party members.
The sun is setting. Rode stops suddenly.
RODE
There's a rumour... I don't know
if it's true or not... but ask him
about von der Null.
STEVE
Never heard of him, who is he?
RODE
Edwin von der Null. Music critic.
He gave Furtw�ngler terrible reviews
while he raved about Herbert von
Karajan.
STEVE
Who's he?
RODE
Also a conductor. Very brilliant.
Young. Von der Null called him
'The Miracle von Karajan'.
Furtw�ngler was outraged and they
say he had von der Null conscripted
into the army. The same thing
happened to another critic. True
or not, it's not such a bad idea.
Critics give you bad reviews, you
have them sent to the Russian front.
(Chuckks.)
But if you really want to get
Furtw�ngler, ask him about Herbert
von Karajan.
STEVE
The Miracle Kid.
RODE
Yes, yes you may notice that he
cannot even bring himself to utter
his name, he... he refers to him
as K.
Rode tries to make up his mind about something, then
decides. He reaches into an inside pocket and takes out a
small black notebook.
RODE
And ask him about his private life.
STEVE
His private life?
Rode hesitates, then he hands Steve the black book.
RODE
Yes, it's all in here. His women.
INT. ARCHIVE ROOM - DAY
Steve going along the shelves filled with files. He's at
the H, then I, then J. He stops at the letter K. With his
forefinger, he runs down the files. He stops, pulls out a
fat file:
'KARAJAN,H.VON'
He opens the file.
INSERT: - the file:
ID PHOTOGRAPHS of an energetic-looking young man and two
Nazi Party membership booklets.
INT. CAFETERIA - DAY
David makes his way from the counter. He carries a tray
with two cups of coffee. He goes to a table where CAPTAIN
MARTIN sits, papers and files spread before him. David
gives him his coffee, then sits across from him, blows his
nose.
Silence while they sugar and milk their coffee. David aware
of Martin's eyes on him.
MARTIN
Where do you stand on all this?
DAVID
On all what?
MARTIN
On Furtw�ngler.
DAVID
I don't know.
He breaks off.
MARTIN
You represent the United States
now. We have a moral duty to be
just and we have to be seen to be
just.
DAVID
Major Arnold believes he has a
moral duty, too.
MARTIN
Our duty is to help Furtw�ngler
with his defence,
(carefully)
That's why I want you to look at
this...
(he selects papers
from the table.)
These are part of the transcripts
of the trial at Nuremberg. We can't
get them translated fast enough.
But I guess you understand German,
right?
Passes papers across to David.
MARTIN
That's the evidence of a guy named
Dahlerus. He's a Swede. Friend of
Hermann Goering. I want you to
study it. And I want you to use
it.
David tries to sneeze but fails; he starts to read.
MARTIN
We're going to find more stuff to
feed you. We'll have some other
suggestions. We need to build a
case for the defence - based not
on feelings, not on prejudice, but
on facts.
He watches David read. David is engrossed. Almost
imperceptibly, he shakes his head.
EXT. BERLIN STREET - DAY
A half-ruined caf� with tables on the sidewalk. WERNER,
the timpanist, SCHLEE, the oboist, and two others seated
at one of the tables, drinking coffee.
David carries an attach� case and walks towards the caf�.
He scans the people at the tables, sees the musicians and
approaches. They stand.
WERNER
Lieutenant Wills.
David nods
WERNER
Herr Schlee, timpanist, Herr Romer,
cello and Herr Schmidt, viola.
They are willing to help. We have
already ordered ourselves coffee.
I hope you...
DAVID
Yeah, of course.
WERNER
The whole orchestra will vouch for
him. He was always there to support
us.
DAVID
We need names, if possible with
addresses, because it's urgent.
Names of musicians saved by Dr.
Furtw�ngler, people he helped to
escape abroad. Let's go somewhere
public.
David leaves money on the table and then walks off with
the four men. They talk as they make their way down a side
street.
INT. DYMSHITZ'S VILLA - NIGHT
Steve and Dymshitz sit opposite each other and clink vodka
glasses. They have been drinking but are not yet drunk.
DYMSHITZ
To co-operation.
They drink. Dymshitz pours more vodka.
STEVE
I was in Vienna. I had with me an
Austrian chauffeur, Max his name
was, he spent time in the camps.
We were looking at these Viennese
cleaning up the bomb damage,
scavenging for rotting food, butt
ends, anything. I said, 'To think
a million of these people came out
to welcome Adolf on the day he
entered the city, a million of
'em, and now look at 'em.' And
Max said, 'Oh, not these people,
Major. These people were all at
home hiding Jews in their attics.'
You get the point, Colonel? The
point is they're all full of shit.
DYMSHITZ
Furtw�ngler's in a different
category.
STEVE
We're dealing with degenerates
here.
He is still for a moment, then grabs the bottle and pours
himself a drink, downs it. Dymshitz watches him, then:
DYMSHITZ
Degenerates?
INT. ANOTHER ROOM, DYMSHITZ'S OFFICE SUITE - NIGHT
German modern paintings stacked untidily.
Dymshitz, carrying a vodka bottle and his glass, shows
Steve the paintings. Steve, too, has a glass.
DYMSHITZ
A great artist will have great
privileges in a Russian zone.
STEVE
That's why he didn't get the hell
out of here when he had the chance!
I put that to him, he couldn't
answer. Why didn't he go and direct
in America, like that Italian,
Toscanini.
Dymshitz pours vodkas, raises his glass, drinks. So does
Steve. Now, their moods swing with the drink.
Dymshitz drinks; then sits, sinks into his own world.
DYMSHITZ
(lost for a moment)
Perhaps... perhaps he believed he
could at least try to preserve
something important, things like
an orchestra, a school. That's his
country. Maybe he has an old mother
who can't be left alone. Maybe he
has brothers, sisters... you
can't...
A forlorn look at Steve. His eyes are misty, he is visibly
drunk.
STEVE
(a wry smile)
Colonel. He had no sisters, no
brothers, only a lot of love
affairs.
DYMSHITZ
Anyway, Major, why should he leave
his country, his mother tongue,
his family, his history, his past,
his future, just because now,
suddenly, there is a dictatorship?
Why?
STEVE
But what... before that turns
rotten... What if they surround
the space with barbed wire, Colonel?
DYMSHITZ
(suddenly exploding)
Don't talk about things you know
nothing about. He was in a
dictatorship!
STEVE
(dismissive)
Yeah, yeah, art and politics, yeah,
yeah, I heard all about that.
DYMSHITZ
(angry)
In a dictatorship, art belongs to
the Party. If you want to be a
conductor, you have to have an
orchestra. And you can only get an
orchestra if you have contact with
the power. All over the world you
need the right contacts and you
have to make the right compromises.
STEVE
This is what I'm saying. He must
have had Party contacts.
DYMSHITZ
There are good Party members who
help, and there are dirty non-Party
members who inform on you. Of
course, they gave him privileges.
Pause.
DYMSHITZ
And suddenly, Steve, suddenly you
notice that they like you. They
honour you, suddenly you are the
director of the best museum in the
world, for example.
STEVE
What museum?
DYMSHITZ
I'm sorry. Museum? Not... I said
orchestra. Sorry. Believe me.
(another sudden
change of mood to
earnest, intimate)
Help me, Steve. You say you answer
for someone from high up. I, too,
have orders from high up. Very
high up. We want Furtw�ngler. I'll
give you in return the whole
orchestra, four, five conductors.
I need him, Steve.
STEVE
No can do.
DYMSHITZ
Let Furtw�ngler go. Please.
STEVE
I have a duty.
DYMSHITZ
(flaring)
Duty? I am sorry, duty? Duty fucking
duty. Trouble is, you Americans
want everybody to live like you.
We liberated Berlin, Major Steve,
not you. Our duty also is to bring
back the best of German culture.
Dymshitz bursts out laughing.
Stung, Steve advances on him, almost as if he's about to
attack him physically. He stops, sways a little, then,
after a moment, drops down in a chair near to Dymshitz.
They drink. Intimate:
STEVE
I'm gonna get that fucking
bandleader, Colonel. No deal. No
fucking deal.
DYMSHITZ
Then you're going to kill me.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Drunk, Steve is clumsily, almost frantically, threading
film into the 16-mm projector.
He switches off the lights then stumbles back to the
projector, turns it on and directs its beam towards a blank
square of watt.
It's an American military propaganda film.
ARCHIVES
You'll see ruins, you'll see
flowers, you'll see some mighty
pretty scenery, don't let it fool
you. You are in enemy country. The
Nazi party may be gone, but Nazi
thinking, Nazi training and Nazi
trickery remain. Somewhere in this
Germany are two million ex-Nazi
officials. Out of power but still
in there and thinking, thinking
about next time. Remember that
only yesterday every business,
every profession was part of
Hitler's system. Practically every
German was part of the Nazi network.
They believed they were born to be
masters. Don't argue with them.
You are not being sent Germany as
educators. You're a soldier on
guard. You will observe their local
laws, respect their costumes and
religion and you will respect their
property rights. You will not be
friendly. You will be aloof,
watchful and suspicious.
Steve, swaying slightly, watches, with the film continuing.
EXT. FLEA MARKET - DAY
Bright summer's day. Emmi pushing her way through the
crowded market. She comes to the stall with gramophone
records.
David is with her, staying behind a little so as not to
disturb her.
She starts to look through the records, blowing her nose
from time to time. Then she finds a box of records, opens
it, is delighted. She bargains with the stallholder, and
she hands over money.
She shows her purchase to David happily. They struggle on
in the crowd. David suddenly stops. He has spotted a tandem.
The bicycle with two seats is old and rusty but seems to
be in working order. David steps up to it, touches it.
EXT. WOODLAND - DAY
Two persons, Emmi and David, riding the tandem. Emmi in
the front, pedalling, David behind. The road going up into
the hills is full of potholes. They change seats. David is
in the front, Emmi at the back. Suddenly the road begins
to descend. They change again, Emmi sits in the front,
David at the back. They speed down the hill.
INT. BURNT-OUT DEPARTMENT STORE - DAY
The tandem, ridden by Emmi and David, rolls into a huge
building, black and burnt out.
In the middle of the vast hall, surrounded by the staircase,
there is a Christmas tree, almost burnt to cinder. Emmi
and David stare at it, mesmerised.
DAVID
Yesterday I read that Furtw�ngler
was asked to lead the New York
Philharmonic back in '36, Toscanini
suggested it. Had he accepted, he
would have become the most
celebrated conductor in America.
EMMI
When he made his decision, he
couldn't have known everything.
Especially not the way people like
you do, who've returned from exile
and feel that you have a right to
pass judgement. Because you are
blameless, you think you know best
who is a sinner and who deserves
forgiveness. But you have no idea
how people lived here.
DAVID
When he met Hitler at his birthday
and shook hands with him, was he
pleased?
EMMI
I don't know. But you and I already
know that he has saved lives.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
Steve and David studying files in silence. Furtw�ngler's
baton is on Steve's desk. Steve drinks black coffee.
Emmi enters. Curt nods of greeting. She goes to her desk,
then takes the Bruckner record to Steve. Steve looks at
the record, then glances up at Emmi. He does his best to
exclude David, who tries to hear what is said.
Emmi glances at David. She's embarrassed.
EMMI
Bruckner's Seventh, Major.
STEVE
Do you know where the Adagio begins?
EMMI
Of course.
STEVE
Put it on ready to play, and I'll
tell you when to play it.
He returns to his desk. Emmi looks through the album for
the appropriate record.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
Steve by the open window, looking at his wristwatch, smoking
a cigarette. David and Emmi both watch him. The door opens
and Furtw�ngler bursts in.
FURTW�NGLER
It is now nine o'clock precisely.
I do not intend to be kept waiting
again.
STEVE
(dangerously calm)
Don't talk to me like I was a second
violinist. Go back into the waiting
room. Miss Straube will come and
get you when I am ready to see
you.
Furtw�ngler goes out.
STEVE
Jesus God, who the hell does he
think he is? Who the hell does he
think he is?
David and Emmi gaze at him as he tries to regain control.
INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY
The door to the landing is open and Rode is there pretending
to sweep. He looks in to see Furtw�ngler sitting, holding
his handkerchief over his nose and mouth.
RODE
Would you perhaps like to have a
glass of water, Herr Professor?
Furtw�ngler doesn't seem to hear. Rode hesitates, then
continues to sweep.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
David and Emmi look at him, puzzled.
She goes to the door, opens it, nods. Rode quickly
disappears. Furtw�ngler looks at Emmi.
FURTW�NGLER
What is this man doing here?
Emmi doesn't answer. All eyes on the door. Furtw�ngler
enters.
STEVE
Dr. Furtw�ngler! Come in, come
in, sit down.
Furtw�ngler, deeply suspicious, goes for the uncomfortable
chair.
STEVE
No, no, take this one, it's more
comfortable
He holds the other chair for Furtw�ngler, who sits.
STEVE
If it's too hot, open your tie.
FURTW�NGLER
(interrupting)
I wish to say something.
STEVE
Go ahead, be my guest.
Furtw�ngler takes from his pocket a piece of paper with
notes. He blows his nose. The room is warming up. It will
become like an airless court room, a pressure cooker.
FURTW�NGLER
When I last saw you, I was
unprepared. I did not know what to
expect. In these past weeks, I
have been thinking more carefully
and making some notes.
(glances at the
notes.)
You have to understand who I am
and what I am. I am a musician and
I believe in music. I am an artist
and I believe in art. Art in
general, and music, in particular,
has for me mystical powers which
nurture man's spiritual needs. I
must confess, however, to being
extremely naive. I insisted for
many years on the absolute
separation of art and politics. My
entire life was devoted to music
because, and this is very important,
because I thought that I could,
through music, do something
practical.
STEVE
And what was that?
FURTW�NGLER
Maintain liberty, humanity and
justice.
STEVE
Gee, that's a thing of beauty,
honest to God, a real thing of
beauty. I'm going to try to remember
that. Liberty, humanity and justice.
Beautiful. But you used the word
'naive'. Are you now saying you
think you were wrong? That art and
politics can't be separated?
FURTW�NGLER
I believe art and politics should
be separate, but that they weren't
kept separate I learned to my cost.
STEVE
And when did you first learn that -
when you sent the telegram? Was
that the surrender signal, the
waving of the white flag?
FURTW�NGLER
What telegram?
STEVE
'Happy birthday, dear Adolf, love
Wilhelm.' Or words to that effect.
That sounds to me like you were
dropping on your knees and saying,
'Okay, Adolf, you win. You're the
number one man. Have a swell party.'
FURTW�NGLER
I have no idea what you're talking
about.
STEVE
The birthday greetings you sent to
your old pal, Adolf Hider.
FURTW�NGLER
I never sent him any birthday
greetings or any other kind of
greetings.
STEVE
Think carefully, Wilhelm... maybe
not in your own name, but as Privy
Councillor or Vice-President.
FURTW�NGLER
I don't have to think carefully.
This is utterly ridiculous.
David and Emmi exchange the briefest of looks. David raises
his hand.
STEVE
Yes, David?
DAVID
Why not show Dr. Furtw�ngler the
evidence. It may refresh his memory?
FURTW�NGLER
You won't find it because no such
telegram exists.
STEVE
Well, I tried, you got to admit I
tried. I thought I might just trap
you there, Wilhelm, but David here
was too quick for me. Smart move,
David, smart move. No, I don't
have the telegram, but I know it
exists. And I want you to know,
Wilhelm, we're going to keep looking
for it because I believe you sent
it.
FURTW�NGLER
Then you are wrong.
STEVE
Art and politics, yeah, art and
politics. Let's look at that. You
and the Berlin Philharmonic toured
the Third Reich, played in countries
the Nazis had conquered. Are you
saying that conducting in occupied
territories from 1939 on wasn't a
commercial for Adolf and all he
stood for?
FURTW�NGLER
We never, never officially
represented the regime when we
played abroad. We always performed
as a private ensemble. As I think
I already told you, I was a
freelance conductor.
STEVE
You know something? You should've
written our insurance policies for
us because you got more exclusion
clauses than Double Indemnity.
What do you imagine people thought?
The Berlin Philharmonic's taken
over by Doctor Goebbels and his
Propaganda Ministry but Wilhelm is
a freelance, so art and politics
are now entirely separate? Is that
what you believed ordinary people
thought?
FURTW�NGLER
have no idea what ordinary people
thought.
STEVE
No!
FURTW�NGLER
No, because I had only one
intention. My only intention
whatever I did was to show that
music means more than politics.
STEVE
Tell me about von der Null.
FURTW�NGLER
(taken off-guard)
Von der Null?
STEVE
Yes, von der Null.
FURTW�NGLER
Von der Null?
STEVE
How long's this going to go on,
Wilhelm? I say von der Null, you
say von der Null, I say von der
Null, you say von der Null, we
could go on all day. You know who
von der Null is, don't you? Edwin
von der Nuell, music critic.
FURTW�NGLER
Yes, I know who he is.
STEVE
Isn't it true that because he gave
you bad reviews and praised this
young guy, Von Karajan, called him
a goddamn miracle, said he was a
better conductor than you, then
you had von der Null conscripted
into the army and no one's heard
from him since?
FURTW�NGLER
That's an outrageous lie!
STEVE
You sure you didn't call one of
your close buddies and say, God in
heaven, did you see what that guy
von der Null wrote about me? The
greatest conductor on earth. I
want him out the way. He had the
nerve to accuse me I am not playing
enough modern music. Send him to
Stalingrad. Isn't that what you
did? You don't like criticism, do
you, Wilhelm? You surely didn't
like them saying there was another
conductor who was better than you...
Are you saying the name von der
Null was never mentioned in your
talks with Goebbels?
FURTW�NGLER
(uncomfortable)
Well. Once he said he'd read what
this man wrote about me.
STEVE
And what did he say?
FURTW�NGLER
He said, 'Don't mind him. His job
is to criticise, your job is to
conduct.'
STEVE
And what happened to Von der Nul?
FURTW�NGLER
I have no idea.
STEVE
You've really no idea? I'll tell
you what happened. He died in
Stalingrad.
FURTW�NGLER
I'm sorry.
STEVE
Now, that young conductor what's
his name?
(playing with
Furtw�ngler)
That miracle kid, you know who I
mean. Von Karajan! But you called
him something else. C'mon. What
did you call von Karajan?
Silence.
STEVE
Say it.
Silence.
STEVE
I'll say it, then. 'Little K.' Is
that right? You couldn't even bear
to say his name!
Furtw�ngler rises angrily and starts to pace.
FURTW�NGLER
Please stop playing these games
with me. Why you should bring up
the name of another conductor is
beyond my understanding.
STEVE
I'll tell you why. You remember we
talked about you playing for
Hitler's birthday? And you told
me that Goebbels got to your doctors
first, that you were tricked?
FURTW�NGLER
Yes, that's what happened.
He sits heavily, wipes his brow. He is sweating now.
STEVE
I have a different story to tell.
I don't think you were tricked.
Not in the way you describe. I
believe something else happened.
I've seen the Hinkel Archive, I've
seen records of phone calls, and
putting it all together, this is
what I think happened. I think
Goebbels said, 'Wilhelm, if you
won't conduct for Adolf's birthday,
we'll get the Miracle Kid, the guy
that critic, von der Null, thinks
is the greatest conductor in the
world. He's not just willing to
conduct for Adolf, he's offered to
sing "Happy Birthday" as a solo.'
Silence.
STEVE
Come on, admit it. K worried you,
didn't he? He always worried you.
In 1942, he's thirty-four years
old, you're already fifty-six. And
Goebbels and Goering keep saying
to you, 'If you don't do it, little
K will.' Never mind art and politics
and symbols and airy-fairy bullshit
about liberty, humanity and justice
because I don't care how great you
are. It's the oldest story in the
book,
(a wry look at David)
The ageing Romeo jealous of the
young buck. The real reason you
didn't leave the country when you
knew you should have was that you
were frightened that, once you
were out of the way, you'd be
supplanted by the Miracle Kid, the
Party's boy twice over, flashy,
talented little K.
FURTW�NGLER
This is absolute nonsense!
STEVE
Well, I'm just beginning to develop
my theme. Isn't that what you call
it in classical music, developing
your theme? Okay, so they played
on your insecurity. That's human,
understandable. But, there is one
guy who doesn't like little K as
much as he likes you - yeah, the
number one man your old pal, Adolf.
He thinks you're the greatest, and
when he says, I want Wilhelm for
my birthday, boy, they better go
out get Wilhelm. So, Josef calls
and threatens you with little K.
And you said to hell with the Ninth
in Vienna, I'll give it to Adolf
as a birthday present in Berlin.
That's the trick they played, they
got you by the balls and they
squeezed. Hard. Why did you stay?
Why did you play for them? Why
were you the flag-carrier for their
regime? Jealousy?
FURTW�NGLER
(interrupting)
Of course there was a conspiracy
against me, a campaign - even
abroad.
Brief silence; all eyes on him.
STEVE
You see, Wilhelm, I'm talking about
ordinary, everyday reasons. Which
is why I want to discuss your
private life. How many illegitimate
children do you have?
DAVID
Major, I don't see how this line
of questioning could...
STEVE
David, what are you Counsel for
the Defence now? (
(to Furtw�ngler)
Did you hear the question?
FURTW�NGLER
(barely audible)
I have illegitimate children.
STEVE
What?
FURTW�NGLER
I said I have illegitimate children.
I don't know how many.
STEVE
You like the women, don't you,
Wilhelm?
No response.
STEVE
Isn't it true that before every
concert you got a woman in your
dressing room and gave her the old
conductor's baton, isn't that true?
DAVID
(indicating EmmI)
Major, this is deeply offensive
and repugnant!
STEVE
You bet.
DAVID
and totally irrelevant.
STEVE
(continuing to
Furtw�ngler)
Not so, Counsellor. That secretary
of yours, she wasn't just your
secretary, she procured women for
you, didn't she? As many and as
often as you wanted.
FURTW�NGLER
Stop this, please, stop this now!
STEVE
No, I'm not going to stop it. Hitler
himself offered you a beautiful
house and a personal bomb shelter.
FURTW�NGLER
I absolutely refused the house and
the bomb shelter.
STEVE
But you see what I'm getting at?
You get a gorgeous house, you're
highly paid. What are you gonna
do, stay or leave? One voice comes
back at me: stay!
DAVID
Major, that's not a good argument.
If Dr. Furtw�ngler did indeed enjoy
all these... these privileges, he
enjoyed them because of who he is
and what he is. That's true of any
leading artist in any country in
the world.
STEVE
But it still doesn't make them
saints. They still have to get up
and piss in the middle of the night,
don't they? They can still be
vindictive and envious and mean
just like you and me. Well, just
like me. Can't they?
No response. To Furtw�ngler:
STEVE
Okay, Wilhelm, go home now. Go
home and think about these past
twelve years.
FURTW�NGLER
I don't understand what you mean.
STEVE
No, that's your problem, Wilhelm.
You understand nothing. We'll call
you. Go!
Furtw�ngler leaves.
DAVID
Major.
Steve goes to his desk and, as Furtw�ngler rises
uncertainly:
STEVE
What?
DAVID
Your manner.
STEVE
My manner? Why don't you go
downstairs, get a cup of coffee
and calm down? What's the matter,
Emmi? What's going on with you?
What's wrong?
EMMI
I'm sorry but I have to leave.
I'll find other work. You'll have
to get someone else, that's all.
STEVE
What is this, Emmi?
EMMI
I can't do this. It's not right.
STEVE
What's not right?
EMMI
I have been questioned by the
Gestapo just like that. Just like
you questioned him.
STEVE
Emmi, stop! I want to show you
something. Let me show you something
and then if you want to leave, you
can leave, please please. His
friends, they did this. And he
gave them birthday concerts.
EMMI
But he had no idea, a lot of people
had no idea. I only realised what
was really going on when I got
arrested.
STEVE
If he had no idea, why did the
Jews need saving? This is the
question, Emmi, to all Germans:
Why did the Jews need saving in
this country? Why, if people had
no idea?
EMMI
I would like to go now, please.
But Steve turns on the projector and the Bergen-Belsen
film flickers into life.
INT. US OFFICERS' CLUB - NIGHT
Band playing. Couples dancing. David and Steve at the bar,
each with a drink in front of them, lost in their own
thoughts. Then:
Steve signs to the barkeeper to fill their glasses but
David puts a hand over his glass. Then:
DAVID
Can I ask you a favour, Major?
STEVE
Yeah.
DAVID
When you question him again, could
you treat him with more respect?
STEVE
With more what? More what?
DAVID
Major, he may just be the greatest
conductor of this century and that
merits respect.
STEVE
(flaring, hissing)
David, I don't understand a thing
about you. You're a Jew. Are you a
Jew?
DAVID
Yes, I'm a Jew. But I like to think
first I'm a human being.
STEVE
A human being, oh, good, I'm
relieved, I thought you were going
to say you were a music lover.
This man, this great artist has
made anti-Semitic remarks like you
wouldn't believe. I got letters.
DAVID
Major, show me someone who hasn't
made an anti-Semitic remark and
I'll show you the gates of paradise.
STEVE
(over-reacting and
overlapping)
What is it with you, David? Where
are your feelings? Where's your
hatred, your disgust? Where's your
fucking outrage, David?
He starts to go, then comes back to them.
STEVE
Think of your parents, David, and
then think of him conducting 'Happy
Birthday, dear Adolf'. I mean, for
Chrissake, whose side are you on?
Grow up! Just grow the fuck up!
The customers stare at him as he stalks out. The band plays.
CUT TO:
INT. STRAUBE APARTMENT - EVENING
David and Emmi, sitting.
DAVID
I want you to come back to the
office. May I come in? If you are
there you can influence what
happens. What good can you do by
leaving. If you go, you are giving
up and how can you help Furtw�ngler
or me? Don't think about leaving.
Stay.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
Hot, Windows closed. Furtw�ngler seated. David and Emmi
present. Steve looks up from his notes.
STEVE
Everybody says what a great
benefactor you were to the Jews.
But--
(holds up a sheaf
of papers.)
I have things here you said and
wrote. Listen to this: 'The Jew
composer Schonberg is admired by
the Jewish International.' And
what about this: 'Jewish musicians
lack a genuine affinity with our
music.' 'Jewish musicians are good
businessmen with few scruples,
lacking roots.' You deny you said
these things?
FURTW�NGLER
Those attitudes do not exist in
me.
STEVE
I believe that. But just answer
the question, don't give me
explanations.
FURTW�NGLER
Speaking to Party members I used
their language, of course I did,
everyone did.
DAVID
(with some irony)
Major, sorry to interrupt, but
maybe we have to... maybe we have
to balance those things against
his assistance to his Jewish
colleagues.
Steve tenses.
DAVID
This is a transcript of the
proceedings at Nuremberg.
A Swedish businessman, Birger
Dahlerus, testified in cross-
examination that he had several
meetings with Hermann Goering. 'I
first saw Goering,' Dahlerus
testified, 'embroiled in a stormy
interview with Wilhelm Furtw�ngler,
the famous conductor of the Berlin
Philharmonic, who was vainly seeking
permission to keep his Jewish
concert master.
Holds up his package of letters and dumps them on Emmi's
desk.
DAVID
Emmi, pick one of these, any one,
read it out loud.
Emmi is uncertain. Steve shrugs indifferently.
She picks an envelope and takes out the letter.
EMMI
(reading)
'Please remember that Dr.
Furtw�ngler risked his life to
help anyone who asked him. I
personally testify to having seen
literally hundreds of people lined
up outside his dressing room after
concerts to ask for his help. He
never turned anyone away. After he
heard me play... I am a violinist...
he gave me money because I was
unable to feed myself or my family
and then he helped me to escape to
Sweden. He helped countless people
in similar ways.'
DAVID
And this, only one of these letters,
Major. I have lots of them.
STEVE
(smiling)
How many times have I got to tell
you I was in insurance? You think
I can't smell a phoney policy when
it's shoved under my nose? Sure,
he helped Jews, but that was just
insurance, his cover, because all
the while he was maestro of all he
surveyed,
(turning on
Furtw�ngler)
See, Wilhelm, I think you're their
boy, their creature. You were like
an advertising slogan for them:
this is what we produce, the
greatest conductor in the world.
And you went along with it. The
truth of the matter is, Wilhelm,
you didn't need to be a member of
the Party. I made a mistake when I
asked you for your Party number. I
should've asked you for your non-
Party number. Just like some other
well-known artists.
(suddenly, to Emmi)
Emmi, put that record on.
Emmi puts on the record of the Adagio from Bruckner's
Seventh Symphony. After a moment:
STEVE
Do you know what that is?
FURTW�NGLER
Of course I know what that is.
STEVE
Okay, so what is it?
FURTW�NGLER
Bruckner's Seventh. The Adagio.
STEVE
Who's conducting?
FURTWANGLBR
I am.
STEVE
You know the last time it was played
on these air waves?
FURTW�NGLER
How can I know such a thing?
STEVE
I'll tell you, then. The last time
this music was played on these air
waves was after they announced
that your pal Hitler had shot
himself. Listen to it. They listen.
Did they pick little K's recording?
Did they pick some other conductor?
No, they picked you, and why?
Because you represented them so
beautifully. When the Devil died,
they wanted his bandleader to
conduct the funeral march. You
were everything to them.
The music plays.
FURTW�NGLER
(near to breakdown
but struggling for
control)
I have always tried to analyse
myself carefully and closely. In
staying here, I believed I walked
a tightrope between exile and the
gallows. You seem to be blaming me
for not having allowed myself to
be hanged.
David takes the record off.
FURTW�NGLER
I didn't directly oppose the Party
because I told myself, that was
not my job. If I had taken any
active part in politics I could
not have remained here. But as a
musician, I am more than a citizen.
I am a citizen of this country in
that eternal sense to which the
genius of great music testifies. I
know that a single performance of
a great masterpiece was a stronger
and more vital negation of the
spirit of Buchenwald and Auschwitz
than words.
An uncontrollable surge of anger wells up in Steve, causing
him to pace alarmingly. He grabs the baton from his desk,
stands trembling before Furtw�ngler, and snaps it in half.
He pushes his face close to Furtw�ngler, who recoils,
terrified. David half-stands, ready to intervene physically.
During this Emmi puts her fingers in her ears.
STEVE
(quiet, terrifying)
Have you ever smelled burning flesh?
I smelt it four miles away. Four
miles away, I smelt it. Have you
ever seen the gas chambers, the
crematoria? Have you seen the mounds
of rotting corpses? You talk to me
about culture, art and music? You
putting that in the scales, Wilhelm?
You setting culture, art and music
against the millions put to death
by your pals? They had orchestras
in the camps. They played Beethoven,
Wagner. The hangmen were playing
chamber music at home with their
families. I don't understand the
Germans' relationship with music.
What do you need music for? Your
pals you could call to save a few
Jews when millions of them were
being annihilated? Yes, I blame
you for not getting hanged, I blame
you for your cowardice. You strutted
and swaggered, you fucking piece
of shit, king-pin in a shithouse.
You talk to me about walking a
tightrope between exile and the
gallows, and I say to you, lies!
FURTW�NGLER
(breaking down)
I love my country, I believe in
music, what was I to do?
STEVE
Look around you. See the country
you served. Look at people who had
real courage, who took risks, who
risked their lives. Like Emmi's
father.
He sees Emmi has her fingers in her ears, yells at her.
STEVE
Emmi, take your fingers out of
your ears!
She does so.
STEVE
I'm talking about your father.
She screams. Stillness. All eyes on her.
EMMI
My father only joined the plot
when he realised that we could not
win the war. She cries quietly.
FURTW�NGLER
(desperate)
What kind of a world do you want,
Major? What kind of world are you
going to make? Do you honestly
believe that the only reality is
the material world, so you will be
left nothing, nothing but
feculence... more foul-smelling
than that which pervades your
nights...
(near to breakdown)
How was I to understand, how was I
to know what they were capable of?
No one knew. No one knew.
He breaks down, buries his face in his hands, weeps.
FURTW�NGLER
I don't want to stay in this
country. Yes, I should have left
in 1934, it would have been better
if I'd left...
He is suddenly overtaken by nausea and faintness, stands,
a hand to his mouth. Emmi goes to him.
STEVE
Get him out of here.
Emmi helps Furtw�ngler out. Steve strides to the window,
opens it, puts his head out into the fresh air.
INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY
Emmi helps Furtw�ngler to a chair. She watches him
solicitously. He breathes deeply.
FURTW�NGLER
Thank you, Fraulein. You have been
most kind.
(he rises.)
He smiles at her. She is
embarrassed.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
Steve is trying to get a number on the telephone. David is
packing up his papers.
David turns to the records, starts to son through until he
finds what he's looking for. He removes the Bruckner and
puts another record on the turntable.
STEVE
(into the telephone)
Major Arnold. Get me General
Wallace. General? Major Arnold,
about Furtw�ngler. I don't know if
we've got a case that'll stand up,
but sure as hell we can give him a
hard time.
At full volume the sound of the subdued opening of
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
STEVE
(to David)
Hey, turn that down, would you?
Can't you see I'm on the phone?
(into the telephone)
Never mind, we got a journalist
who'll do whatever we tell him.
But David ignores him, sits, implacable, listening.
INT. STEVE'S BUILDING - DAY
Furtw�ngler walks slowly down the stairs, a broken man
struggling to regain his composure. Emmi watches him.
INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY
The music at full blast. David, at an open window, keeps
his back to Steve, still on the telephone.
STEVE
Turn it off!
EXT. STEVE S BUILDING - DAY
Furtw�ngler, on the stairs, stops, hearing the music echoing
through the building.
Furtw�ngler left hand begins to tremble, but it is only
his way of sensing the tempo.
Furtw�ngler slowly continues down the stairs.
STEVE'S VOICE
We handed Wilhelm Furtw�ngler over
to the civil authorities and he
was charged with serving the Nazi
regime, with uttering anti-Semitic
slurs, performing at an official
Nazi Party function and with being
a Prussian Privy Councillor. Dr.
Furtw�ngler was acquitted. I didn't
nail him. But I sure winged him.
And I know I did the right thing.
Furtw�ngler resumed his career but
he was never allowed to conduct in
the United States. He died in 1954.
Little K succeeded him as head of
the Berlin Philharmonic.
INT. CONCERT HALL (ARCHIVE)
Furtw�ngler conducting. Goebbels and other high-ranking
Nazis in the audience. When the music finishes, Furtw�ngler
turns and bows. Goebbels rises and shakes hands with him.
Furtw�ngler takes his handkerchief and wipes his hands.
The film replays this gesture several times - Furtw�ngler
wiping his hands.
FADE OUT:
THE END
Taking Sides
Writers : Ronald Harwood
Genres : Drama Music
User Comments
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the purpose of this paper is to construct bounded elliptic solutions of a compressible isentropic ideal flow in ( @xmath4 ) dimensions .
such solutions exist even in the case where the riemann invariants admit the gradient catastrophe .
let us first present a brief description of a procedure detailed in @xcite for constructing rank-@xmath5 solutions in terms of riemann invariants for the case of an isentropic compressible ideal fluid in @xmath6 dimensions .
such a model is governed by the equations @xmath7 where @xmath8 and @xmath9 are @xmath10 real - valued matrix functions of the form @xmath11 @xmath12 and @xmath13 is the adiabatic exponent of the medium under consideration .
the independent and dependent variables are denoted by @xmath14 and @xmath15 , respectively , and @xmath16 stands for the first order partial derivatives of @xmath17 , i.e. @xmath18 , @xmath19 , @xmath20 . here , the quantity @xmath21 stands for the velocity of sound in the medium and @xmath22 is the velocity vector field of the flow . throughout this paper ,
we adopt the summation convention over repeated lower and upper indices .
the purpose of this article is to obtain rank-@xmath5 solutions of system ( [ original - system ] ) expressible in terms of riemann invariants . to this end
, we seek solutions @xmath23 of ( [ original - system ] ) defined implicitly by the following set of relations between the variables @xmath24 and @xmath25 , @xmath26 for some function @xmath27 and @xmath28 .
such a solution is called a rank-@xmath5 solution if @xmath29 .
the functions @xmath30 are called the riemann invariants associated with the wave vectors @xmath31 of the system ( [ original - system ] ) . here , @xmath32 denotes a direction of wave propagation and the eigenvalue @xmath33 is a phase velocity of the considered wave .
two types of admissible wave vectors for the isentropic equations ( [ original - system ] ) are obtained by solving the dispersion relation @xmath34 ( \lambda_0 + \vec{u}\cdot\vec{\lambda})^2 = 0.\ ] ] they are called the entropic @xmath35 and acoustic @xmath36 wave vectors and are defined by @xmath37 where @xmath38 and @xmath39 are unit and arbitrary vectors , respectively .
the construction of rank-@xmath5 solutions through the conditional symmetry method ( csm ) is achieved by considering an overdetermined system , consisting of the original system ( [ original - system ] ) in @xmath40 independent variables together with a set of compatible first order differential constraints ( dcs ) , @xmath41 for which a symmetry criterion is automatically satisfied .
such notions as conditional symmetry , conditional symmetry algebra and conditionally invariant solution for the original system ( [ original - system ] ) we use in accordance with definitions given in @xcite . under the above circumstances ,
the following result holds : the isentropic compressible ideal fluid equations ( [ original - system ] ) admit a @xmath42-dimensional conditional symmetry algebra @xmath43 if and only if there exists a set of @xmath42 linearly independent vector fields @xmath44 which satisfy on some neighborhood of @xmath45 the trace conditions @xmath46 where @xmath47 and @xmath48 denotes the symmetrization over all indices in the bracket .
solutions of the system which are invariant under the lie algebra @xmath43 are precisely rank-@xmath5 solutions of the form ( [ rank - k - solution ] ) .
this result is a special case of the proposition in @xcite .
note that these symmetries are not symmetries of the original system , but they can be used to construct solutions of the overdetermined system composed of ( [ original - system ] ) and ( [ differential - constraints ] ) . for the case of rank-@xmath49 entropic solution @xmath50 , the wave vector @xmath51 is a non - zero multiple of ( [ wavevectors ] i ) .
therefore , the corresponding vector fields @xmath52 and riemann invariant @xmath53 become @xmath54 where we chose @xmath55 in ( [ wavevectors ] i ) .
rank-1 solutions invariant under the vector fields @xmath56 are obtained through the change of coordinates @xmath57 on @xmath58 .
assuming that the direction of the wave vector @xmath38 is constant , the fluid dynamics equations ( [ original - system ] ) transform into the system @xmath59 with the invariance conditions @xmath60 the general rank-@xmath49 entropic @xmath50 solution takes the form @xmath61 where the riemann invariant @xmath62 is given by @xmath63 t - \vec{e } \cdot \vec{x } , \quad \vec{c } = ( c_1,c_2,c_3 ) \in \mathbb{r}^3.\ ] ] a similar procedure can be applied to the rank-@xmath49 acoustic solution @xmath64 . here ,
the wave vector @xmath65 is a non - zero multiple of ( [ wavevectors ] ii ) and the corresponding vector fields @xmath52 and riemann invariant are @xmath66 again , the change of variables ( [ changement - de - variable - rang-1 ] ) leads to transformed dynamical equations , which we integrate in order to find rank-@xmath49 acoustic solution of the form @xmath67 . \nonumber\end{aligned}\ ] ] here @xmath68 et @xmath69 are arbitrary functions of the riemann invariant @xmath62 which has the explicit form @xmath70 in general , the overdetermined system composed of ( [ trace - eq ] i ) and ( [ trace - eq ] ii ) is nonlinear and can not always be solved in a closed form
. nevertheless , particular rank-@xmath5 solutions for many physically interesting systems of pdes are well worth pursuing .
these particular solutions of ( [ trace - eq ] i ) and ( [ trace - eq ] ii ) can be obtained by assuming that the function @xmath71 is in the form of a rational function , which may also be interpreted as a truncated laurent series in the variables @xmath72 .
this method can work only for equations having the painlev property @xcite .
consequently , these equations can be very often integrated in terms of known functions . applying a version of the conditional symmetry method to the isentropic model ( [ original - system ] ) ,
several new classes of solutions have been constructed in a closed form @xcite . comparing these results with the ones obtained via the generalized method of caracteristics ( gmc ) @xcite ,
it was shown that more diverse classes of solutions are involved in superpositions ( i.e. rank-@xmath5 solutions ) than in the case of the gmc @xcite .
this paper is a continuation of the papers @xcite .
the objective is to construct bounded elliptic solutions of the isentropic system ( [ original - system ] ) using the version of the csm proposed in @xcite .
these types of solutions are obtained through a proper selection of differential constraints ( dcs ) compatible with the initial system of equations ( [ original - system ] ) .
that is , the solution should satisfy both the initial system ( [ original - system ] ) and the differential constraints ( [ differential - constraints ] ) . among the new results obtained , we have rank-2 and rank-3 periodic bounded solutions expressed in terms of weierstrass @xmath0-functions .
they represent bumps , kinks and multiple waves , all of which depend on riemann invariants .
these solutions remain bounded even when the invariants admit a gradient catastrophe .
the paper is organized as follows . in section 2
we construct rank-2 and rank-3 elliptic solutions of the system , among which multiple waves and doubly periodic solutions are included , and we show that they remain bounded everywhere .
section 3 summarizes the results obtained and contains some suggestions for future developments .
the construction approach outlined in section 1 has been applied to the isentropic flow equations ( [ original - system ] ) in order to obtain rank-2 and rank-3 solutions .
the results of our analysis are summarized in tables 1 and 2 .
several of them possess a certain amount of freedom .
they depend on one or two arbitrary functions of one or two riemann invariants , depending on the case .
the range of the types of solutions obtained depends on different combinations of the vector fields @xmath73 as given in ( [ vector - fields - prop ] ) . for convenience ,
we denote by @xmath74 , @xmath75 , @xmath76 , @xmath77 , etc , @xmath78 the solutions which are the result of nonlinear superpositions of rank-@xmath49 solutions associated with different types of wave vectors ( [ wavevectors ] i ) and ( [ wavevectors ] ii ) . by @xmath79 and @xmath80
we denote the riemann invariants which coincide with the group invariants of the differential operators @xmath73 of the solution under consideration .
the arbitrary functions appearing in the solutions listed in tables 1 and 2 allow us to change the geometrical properties of the governed fluid flow in such a way as to exclude the presence of singularities .
this fact is of special significance since , as is well known @xcite , in most cases , even for arbitrary smooth and sufficiently small initial data at @xmath81 the magnitude of the first derivatives of riemann invariants becomes unbounded in some finite time @xmath82 .
thus , solutions expressible in terms of riemann invariants usually admit a gradient catastrophe . nevertheless , we have been able to show that it is still possible in these cases to construct bounded solutions expressed in terms of elliptic functions , through the proper selection of the arbitrary functions appearing in the general solution . for this purpose
it is useful to select dcs corresponding to a certain class of the nonlinear klein - gordon equation which is known to possess rich families of bounded solutions @xcite .
we choose elliptic solutions of the klein - gordon equation because a group theoretical analysis has already been performed @xcite .
the obtained results can be adapted to the isentropic ideal compressible fluid flow in ( @xmath4 ) dimensions .
thus , we specify the arbitrary function(s ) appearing in the general solutions listed in tables 1 and 2 , say @xmath83 , to the differential constraint in the form of the klein - gordon @xmath84-field equation in three independent variables @xmath79 and @xmath80 which form the coordinates of the minkowski space @xmath85 @xmath86 here , we choose @xmath87 to be timelike and @xmath88 to be spacelike coordinates .
it is well known ( see e.g. @xcite ) that equation ( [ klein - gordon ] ) is invariant with respect to the similitude lie algebra @xmath89 involving the following generators @xmath90 where @xmath91 denotes a dilation , @xmath92 represents translations , @xmath93 stands for rotations and @xmath94 for lorentz boosts .
a systematic use of the subgroup structure @xcite of the invariance group of ( [ klein - gordon ] ) allows us to generate all symmetry variables @xmath95 in terms of the riemann invariants @xmath96 .
we concentrate here only on the case when symmetry variables are invariants of the assumed subgroups @xmath97 of @xmath98 having generic orbits of codimension one . for illustration purposes , we perform a symmetry reduction analysis on four selected members of the list of subalgebras given in ( @xcite , table iv ) which involve dilations . for each selected subalgebra in minkowski space @xmath85 ,
we compute the group invariants @xmath95 of the corresponding lie subgroup and reduce the equation ( [ klein - gordon ] ) to a second order ode .
the application of the symmetry reduction method to equation ( [ klein - gordon ] ) leads to solutions of the form @xmath99 where the multiplier @xmath100 and the symmetry variable @xmath101 are given explicitly by group theoretical considerations and @xmath102 satisfies an ode obtained by substituting ( [ symmetry - reduction ] ) into equation ( [ klein - gordon ] ) .
the results of our computation are listed below .
@xmath103\}^{-1/4 } , \quad \xi = \frac{1}{2 } \arctan{\frac{r^3}{r^2 } } , \quad f '' + f + f^5 = 0,\\ & 2 .
\quad \{d , l_{31}\ } : \quad \alpha = \{-c(r^1)^2/4\}^{-1/4 } , \quad \xi = \frac{(r^2)^2+(r^3)^2}{(r^1)^2},\\ & \qquad \xi(1+\xi)f''+\left(2\xi+\frac{3}{2}\right)f ' + \frac{3}{16 } f + f^5 = 0 , \\ & 3 .
\quad \{d + \frac{1+q}{q } k_{12 } , l_{23}\ } : \quad \alpha = \{-\frac{(2q+1)}{c}\}^{1/4}(r^1+r^2)^{q/2 } , \\ & \qquad \xi = [ ( r^1)^2-(r^2)^2-(r^3)^2](r^1+r^2)^q , \\ & \qquad f''+\frac{3q+l}{2q+1 } \frac{1}{\xi } f ' + f^5 = 0,\quad q =- l/3 , l-2 , 4 - 3l , \quad l\in \mathbb{z}^+,\\ & 4 .
\quad \{d+\frac{1}{2}k_{12 } , l_1 - k_{13}\ } : \quad \alpha = ( 9/4c)^{1/4}\{r^2-(r^1+r^3)^2/4\}^{-1/2 } , \\ & \qquad \xi = \frac{6(r^3-r^1)+6r^2(r^1+r^3)-(r^1+r^3)^3}{8(r^2-(r^1+r^3)^2/4)^{3/2 } } , \quad ( 1+\xi^2)f''+\frac{7}{3}f'+\frac{1}{3}f + f^5 = 0 .
\raisetag{5 cm } \end{split}\ ] ] the parity invariance of ( [ klein - gordon ] ) suggests the substitution @xmath104^{1/2}\ ] ] which transforms the equations listed in ( [ reduced - odes ] ) to @xmath105,\\ \label{3.8p } & \{d + \frac{1+q}{q } k_{12 } , l_{23}\ } & & h '' = \frac{{h'}^2}{2h } - \left[\frac{m}{\xi } h ' + 2 h^3\right ] , m=\frac{3 q + l}{2 q + 1}=(0,4/3,2 ) , \\ \label{3.9p } & \{d + \frac{1}{2 } k_{12 } , l_1 - k_{13}\ } & & h '' = \frac{{h'}^2}{2h } - \frac{1}{1+\xi^2}\left[\frac{7}{3}\xi h ' + \frac{2}{3}h + 2h^3\right],\end{aligned}\ ] ] where the three admissible values for the scalar @xmath106 come from group theoretical considerations @xcite .
each of these four equations possesses a first integral @xmath107 in which the four sets of functions @xmath108 and constants @xmath109 obey the respective conditions @xmath110 ( @xmath111 denotes an arbitrary nonzero real constant ) . under a transformation
@xmath112 which preserves the painlev property , @xmath113 the equation ( [ eqfirstn ] ) becomes autonomous @xmath114 when @xmath115 , @xmath116 is either a sine , cosine , hyperbolic sine or a hyperbolic cosine function , depending on the signs of the constants , therefore bounded solutions are easily characterized . when @xmath117 , it is convenient to first integrate this elliptic equation in terms of the weierstrass function @xmath118 , @xmath119 ( where we abbreviate @xmath120 by @xmath121 ) then to use the classical formulae which connect @xmath0 and various bounded jacobi functions .
this correspondence is quite easy to write down if one uses the symmetric notation of halphen @xcite to represent the jacobi functions .
halphen introduces three basis functions @xmath122 and the connection between the weierstrass @xmath0 function and the jacobi copolar trio @xmath123 is given by @xcite @xmath124 where @xmath5 is the modulus of the jacobi elliptic functions . for full details on halphen
s symmetric notation , see @xcite .
we give here explicit solutions in terms of the weierstrass function , leaving the conversion to jacobi s notation to the reader .
these solutions are obtained by convenient choices of the normalization constants @xmath125 . with the normalization @xmath126 , the general solution of ( [ 3.6p ] ) is @xmath127 with the normalization @xmath128 , the solution of ( [ 3.7p ] ) has the form @xmath129 with @xmath130 .
the three cases for equation ( [ 3.8p ] ) associated with the subalgebra @xmath131 yield the respective solutions @xmath132 finally , equation ( [ 3.9p ] ) integrates as ( equation no @xmath40 in ( [ reduced - odes ] ) ) @xmath133 where @xmath134 denotes the hypergeometric function . using these results
, we construct bounded rank-3 solutions of the equations ( [ original - system ] ) .
for this purpose , for each general solution appearing in tables 2 and 3 , we introduce the arbitrary functions into the klein - gordon equation ( [ klein - gordon ] ) and select only the solutions expressed in terms of the weierstrass @xmath0-function . for illustration ,
let us now discuss the case of the rank-@xmath135 entropic solution @xmath136 which represents a superposition of three rank-@xmath49 entropic solutions @xmath137 given by ( [ rank-1-entropic ] ) .
we assume that the entropic wave vectors @xmath138 , @xmath139 and @xmath140 are linearly independent and take the form @xmath141 hence the corresponding vector fields @xmath52 and riemann invariants are given by @xmath142 where @xmath143 . the rank-@xmath135 entropic solutions invariant under the vector field @xmath144 are obtained through the change of coordinates @xmath145 on @xmath58 .
specifying the form of the solution as a linear superposition of rank-@xmath49 solutions ( [ rank-1-entropic ] ) , @xmath146 the fluid dynamics equations ( [ original - system ] ) transform to @xmath147 { \bar{a}}'_i(r^i ) { \bar{a}}'_j(r^j ) = 0 , \end{split}\ ] ] while the invariance conditions have the form @xmath148 this solution exists if and only if the three entropic wave vectors @xmath149 intersect at a certain specific angle given by @xmath150 where @xmath151 denotes the angle between the wave vectors @xmath152 and @xmath153 @xcite
. imposing the condition that each of the functions @xmath154 , @xmath155 obeys the ode @xmath156 then according to ( [ 3.6sol ] ) , the rank-@xmath135 entropic solution takes the form @xmath157 making use of an explicit expression for the zeros of the @xmath0-function , we show that the values for which the denominator in solution ( [ isentropic - bounded ] ) vanish are not located on the real axis for a specific choice of the constants of integration @xmath158
. then we have the following result .
if the constants of integration @xmath158 are equal to @xmath159 , then the elliptic rank-@xmath135 entropic solution ( [ isentropic - bounded ] ) of the isentropic ideal compressible fluid flow equations ( [ original - system ] ) is bounded . indeed , according to recent results obtained by duke and imamoglu in @xcite , the location of the zeros of the @xmath0-function
can be given explicitly in terms of generalized hypergeometric functions .
considering a lattice @xmath160 , @xmath161 , the doubly periodic weierstrass @xmath0-function is defined by @xmath162 where the sum ranges over all @xmath163 .
note that the @xmath0-function assumes every value of the extended complex plane exactly twice in @xmath164 and since it is even , its zeros are of the form @xmath165 .
the value of @xmath166 can be determined from the following theorem @xcite . _
[ thm - wp - zeros ] the zeros @xmath165 of the @xmath0-function are given by @xmath167 where @xmath168 denotes the generalized hypergeometric functions and @xmath169 is a function of the modular discriminant @xmath170 and the eisenstein series @xmath171 , @xmath172 it is understood that the principal branch is to be taken in the radical expression @xmath173 . _ we now illustrate the application of this theorem by showing that the function @xmath174 is always strictly positive for real @xmath175 .
this case is the specific case of solution ( [ 3.6sol ] ) for which @xmath176 . from given invariants @xmath177 and @xmath178 , by finding the roots @xmath179 of the cubic polynomial @xmath180
, one can determine the values of the periods @xmath181 and @xmath182 .
in the case when @xmath183 and @xmath184 , we obtain the periods @xmath185 and @xmath186 , hence @xmath187 . for any pair of periods @xmath188
, the lattice @xmath189 can be rescaled in such a way that @xmath181 is normalized to @xmath49 by using the well - known formula for the @xmath0-function @xmath190 introducing the numeric value of @xmath191 into ( [ intermediate_computations_z0 ] ) , we can evaluate from ( [ equation_for_z0 ] ) and ( [ wp - rescaling ] ) the zeros of the weierstrass function @xmath192 , @xmath193 which are indeed complex .
note that the @xmath0-function always possesses a double pole at @xmath194 and that it tends to @xmath195 at this point .
since it is continuous for all real @xmath196 , this implies that it must always be strictly positive .
hence , @xmath197 on the real interval @xmath198 and the function @xmath199 is therefore bounded for all real @xmath175 .
choosing the constants @xmath158 as values of the initial constant @xmath200 for which solution ( [ 3.6sol ] ) is bounded then guarantees the boundedness of functions @xmath21 and @xmath22 in solution ( [ isentropic - bounded ] ) .
therefore , solution ( [ isentropic - bounded ] ) is bounded everywhere , even when the riemann invariants @xmath201 admit the gradient catastrophe .
a similar analysis can be applied to every solution presented in table 3 to show that they are bounded .
this can be accomplished by the same procedure as presented above through the use of the theorem from @xcite .
this solution is physically interesting since it remains bounded for every value of the riemann invariants @xmath201 .
thus , it represents a bounded solution with periodic flow velocities ( see figure [ rank-3-bounded - fig ] ) .
similarly , it is possible to submit the arbitrary functions of the differential equations no @xmath202 listed in ( [ reduced - odes ] ) to obtain other types of bounded solutions .
table 3 presents these various types of solutions with their corresponding riemann invariants .
they are all bounded solutions of periodic , bump or kink type .
note that these solutions of ( [ original - system ] ) admit gradient catastrophes at some finite time .
hence , some discontinuities can occur like shock waves @xcite .
note also that the solutions remain bounded even when the first derivatives of @xmath201 tend to infinity after some finite time @xmath82 .
however , after time @xmath82 , the solution can not be represented in parametric form by the riemann invariants and ceases to exist .
solution , width=453 ]
the methods presented in this paper can be applied quite broadly and can usually provide at least certain particular solutions of hydrodynamic type equations .
the conditional symmetries refer to the symmetries of the overdetermined system obtained by subjecting the original system ( [ original - system ] ) to certain differential constraints defined by setting the characteristics of the vector fields @xmath73 to zero .
the conditional symmetries are not symmetries of the original system ( [ original - system ] ) .
however , they are used to construct classes of rank-3 solutions of this system which are not obtainable by the classical symmetry approach . among the new results obtained
, we have rank-2 and rank-3 periodic solutions expressed in terms of the weierstrass @xmath0-function that we have shown to be bounded over the real axis .
they represent bumps , kinks and multiple - wave solutions , all of which depend on riemann invariants .
these solutions remain bounded even when the invariants admit the gradient catastrophe . among the questions that one may ask is what role do exact analytical solutions play in the physical interpretation .
one possible response is that such solutions may display qualitative behaviour which would otherwise be difficult to detect numerically or by approximations .
for example , the doubly periodic properties of certain solutions expressed in terms of the weierstrass @xmath0-function would not be very easily seen numerically .
one could also inquire about the stability property of the obtained solutions .
indeed , solutions which possess the property of stability should be observable physically and such analysis could be the starting point for perturbative computations . this task will be undertaken in a future work . + * acknowledgement * + the authors would like to thank william duke ( university of california , los angeles ) for helpful and interesting discussion on the topic of this paper .
this work has been partially supported by research grants from nserc of canada .
rc is pleased to thank the laboratoire de physique mathmatique du centre de recherches mathmatiques at the universit de montral for its continuous support .
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28 , 9 , 21942212 ( 1987 ) * table 3 :* bounded real solutions for the nonscattering solution @xmath136 obtained by submitting the arbitrary functions to the various reductions ( [ 3.6p])-([3.9p ] ) of the klein - gordon equation ( [ klein - gordon ] ) . | arxiv |
certain commercial equipment , instruments , or materials are identified in this paper in order to specify the experimental procedure adequately .
such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the national institute of standards and technology ( nist ) , nor is it intended to imply that the materials or equipment identified are necessarily the best available for the purpose . | pubmed |
Whats between molecules? [duplicate]
**This question already has answers here**:
[What is 'space'? [closed]](/questions/75690/what-is-space)
(2 answers)
Closed 6 years ago.
Okay, this will be tricky to explain. But, this is a question that i have been wondering about in quite a long time, okay lets get started, Molecules moves faster in higher temperatures and there will be more space between the molecules than in cooler temperatures, right? i wonder what is between the molecules? in pure water to an example, there should be only oxygen and hydrogen. But, what is between the H2O molecules? it got to be something, right?
I hope you guys can understand my question, my english is not the best and i am no expert in chemistry. :)
Just because they move faster doesn't mean there's more space between them. Here's why:
We need to look at several important things in this case: how many molecules, what's the temperature and what's the space they are in. For this example it is most easy to understand if we say we got the same space and the same amount of molecules, we just want to change the temperature.
If we got 1000 molecules (to make the math easy) in a liter (=1000 mL) then in average each molecule has free space around it of 1 mL. It doesn't matter how fast the molecules move, there are always 1000 molecules in 1000 mL so on average each molecules does always have 1 mL of space.
And in addition: between molecules is just nothing.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
cosmic strings and their dynamics have been studied for more than twenty - five years .
although much is known about the formation and evolution of cosmic string networks @xcite , the complexity of these systems still stands in the way of a complete understanding .
it is generally believed that , after their formation , the networks evolve into a scaling regime where all length scales grow linearly with the hubble time .
this would imply that the typical size of cosmic string loops is a fixed fraction @xmath1 of the horizon scale . however , there is no consensus on the value of the proportionality constant @xmath1 ; in fact , estimates range over tens of orders of magnitude .
a key question is whether the smoothing of the string by gravitational radiation is necessary for scaling of the loop sizes .
if so , @xmath1 will depend on the dimensionless string tension @xmath2 , because the emission of gravitational radiation is proportional to this parameter . if not
, then the evolution of the network will be purely geometric , and @xmath1 will be a pure number , independent of @xmath2 .
for many years , simulations appeared to show loops forming at the short distance cutoff scale , and this was interpreted as implying the need to include gravitational radiation .
several recent simulations , however , indicate that the loops are actually forming above the cutoff scale , so that @xmath1 will be independent of @xmath2 .
@xcite finds notably large loops , @xmath3 , while refs .
@xcite find loops a few orders of magnitude smaller . in ref .
@xcite we attempted to construct an analytic model of the small scales in cosmic string networks .
we had some success in understanding the two - point functions of the tangent vector and velocity on long strings .
however , loop production was found to diverge at small scales , and we had no means to deal with the resulting strongly nonlinear dynamics . in sec .
2 we use our model to study gravitational radiation from long strings .
it was long assumed that this radiation smoothed the strings on scales of order the horizon length times @xmath2 , so this would be the size of loops if they formed at the gravitational radiation cutoff @xcite
. however , ref .
@xcite showed the radiation from long strings had been overestimated , and so it becomes important only at a shorter length scale , proportional to a larger power of @xmath2 @xcite ; the exponent depends on the power spectrum of fluctuations on the long string .
here we rederive the results of ref .
@xcite in perhaps a simpler way .
our result for the exponent of @xmath2 differs somewhat from ref .
this difference arises in going from the periodic wave train calculation of ref .
@xcite to the random distribution on the actual network .
also , we use input from our model @xcite and from simulations @xcite to determine the actual power spectrum on the long string . in sec . 3 we discuss loop production
we use the results from sec . 2 to find the cutoff on loop sizes .
it is notable that in our model these smallest loops will be highly relativistic .
we then consider the recent simulations of ref .
@xcite , which are able to cover the longest time scales , and which show large loops .
these simulations also show a population of small loops near the cutoff scale , which are claimed to be transient .
we instead argue on several grounds that these smaller loops are a real effect , so that the true loop distribution has _ two _ peaks .
one scales at @xmath3 , while the second is presumably at the scale set by gravitational radiation .
we discuss how the resulting picture affects current limits and future sensitivity of searches for cosmic strings .
in particular , refs .
@xcite showed that the @xmath3 loops produce a much larger stochastic background than in previous network scenarios , tightening existing bounds and increasing the potential for discovery .
if these loops represent only a fraction of the total string length then this effect is somewhat reduced , but still significant .
we also discuss the gravitational wave signatures of the small loops , and the interaction between the short distance structure and the string cusps .
let us first review some of the results of ref .
@xcite for the small scale structure on a long cosmic string .
the motion of a cosmic string in a three - dimensional target space can be described by a map @xmath4 , where @xmath5 parametrizes the distance along the string and @xmath6 is the frw time .
denote @xmath7 by a prime and @xmath8 by a dot ( where @xmath9 is the scale factor and @xmath10 is the conformal time ) , and define @xmath11 .
then in transverse gauge , @xmath12 the quantities @xmath13 are unit vectors . in flat space these describe simply left- and right - moving waves . in an expanding universe
the equations of motion derived from the nambu action introduce a correction to the wave equation which is proportional to @xmath14 .
to better understand the small scale behavior of cosmic string networks a model was developed in @xcite that focused on the two - point functions @xmath15 .
this correlator must vanish at scales larger than the horizon size due to causality , while it encodes the short distance structure observed at smaller scales . assuming that stretching of the network as spacetime expands gives the dominant behavior at scales small compared to the horizon but long compared to the gravitational radiation scale , the two - point function was determined to be @xmath16 where @xmath17 is the physical separation ( weighted by the local value of @xmath18 along the string ) .
this quantity is a function of the ratio @xmath19 only and so it scales properly .
the exponent @xmath20 is a function of the rate of change of the scale factor and also the rms velocity of the strings , @xmath21 . for a power law expansion of the form @xmath22
one finds @xcite @xmath23 in a flat spacetime the virial theorem imposes @xmath24 ( in natural units ) but due to expansion @xmath25 .
thus , for a decelerating universe the exponent @xmath20 is a positive number , taking the specific values @xmath26 in the radiation dominated era and @xmath27 in the matter dominated era .
these exponents are in reasonable agreement with the two - point functions given in ref .
@xcite over a range of scales below the horizon size , with the normalization @xmath28 found to be @xmath29 in both the matter and radiation epochs . at smaller scales
the simulations seem to indicate a larger exponent @xmath30 , corresponding to the functions @xmath31 mapping out a random walk on the unit sphere .
we are unable to identify a physical mechanism that would produce this effect , and believe that the discrepancy is due to transients in the simulations . in any event
, our discussion below just uses the general power law form ( [ pp ] ) , and one can insert any assumed values for @xmath20 and @xmath28 . also useful for the computations in the next section is the small fluctuation approximation introduced in @xcite . in this framework the structure on a small segment is expressed as a large term that is constant along the segment plus a small fluctuation : @xmath32 with @xmath33 and @xmath34 .
an equivalent equation can also be written for the right - moving vector @xmath35 .
equation ( [ pp ] ) can then be expressed in terms of the fluctuations as @xmath36 ^ 2 \rangle + o(w^4_\pm ) \approx { \cal a } ( l / t)^{2\chi } \ . \label{ww}\ ] ] gravitational radiation is important on scales short compared to the hubble time and so we can use the flat metric diag@xmath37 , and also make the gauge choice @xmath38 . and @xmath39 . ]
the modes are then functions only of @xmath40 or @xmath41 , so that @xmath42^{2\chi } \ , \quad \langle { \bf p}_- ( v ) \cdot { \bf p}_- ( v ' ) \rangle \approx 1 - { \cal a } [ ( v - v')/t]^{2\chi } \ ; \ ] ] ( the explicit @xmath6 on the right - hand side is effectively a fixed parameter , varying only over the hubble time ) .
the energy radiated per unit solid angle in the @xmath43 direction is given by @xcite @xmath44 with the left- and right - moving contributions given respectively by @xmath45 here , @xmath46 is the gravitational radiation wave vector , and @xmath47 are null 4-vectors whose time component is identically 1 and with @xmath31 being the unit vectors above .
these are related to the standard notation @xmath48\ ] ] via @xmath49 and @xmath50 . in the spirit of the small fluctuation approximation we orient a given segment of string mainly along the @xmath51-axis and consider fluctuations @xmath52 in the perpendicular @xmath53-plane .
thus , @xmath54 we can ignore the last two terms in equation ( [ energy ] ) : they are equal when @xmath55 is real , and so cancel when ensemble - averaged over the short distance structure .
let us review the argument of refs .
first linearize the modes ( [ ab ] ) in the oscillations , so the exponential factors become @xmath56 and @xmath57 respectively , with @xmath58 here @xmath59 and @xmath60 are the frequency and wavenumber of the radiation .
then the ensemble averages in the linearized approximation ( @xmath61 ) are @xmath62 here @xmath63 , taking the values 1.25 and 0.57 in the matter- and radiation - dominated eras respectively . the convergence factor @xmath64 accounts for the decay of the correlations on horizon scales ; its detailed form is unimportant at shorter scales .
the factors @xmath65 and @xmath66 are volume regulators : we artificially cut the oscillations off to produce finite trains , but these regulators of course drop out when we consider rates per unit time and length . using @xmath67
we can write the total energy radiated as @xmath68 the volume of the world - sheet is @xmath69 , so this translates into a power per unit length @xmath70 the total energy of the wavetrains is @xmath71 isolating a momentum range @xmath72 , we have @xmath73 we have used the fact that momentum conservation determines that the energy coming from the @xmath74 and @xmath75 modes is in the proportion @xmath76 to @xmath77 . a given point @xmath78 interacts with the @xmath79 train for a time @xmath80 ,
so the rate of decay becomes @xmath81 the integral is dominated by the lower limit : most of the energy loss from the left - moving mode @xmath76 comes from its interaction with right - moving modes of much longer wavelength .
cutting off the lower end of the @xmath77 integral at the horizon scale , @xmath82 , we find that the decay rate is of order @xmath83 .
this is faster than the hubble time for @xmath84 meaning that modes with wavelengths @xmath85 are exponentially suppressed .
thus , eq . ( [ naive ] ) reproduces the usual ( naive ) estimate for the gravitational damping length .
the calculation above implies that the energy loss from the left - moving modes @xmath76 comes primarily from their interaction with much longer right - moving modes at the horizon scale .
@xcite argued that this was paradoxical , because a wave that encounters an oncoming perturbation with much longer wavelength is essentially traveling on a straight string , and such a wave will not radiate .
they showed that this paradox arose due to the neglect of the exponential terms in the modes ( [ ab ] ) . with their inclusion
, the radiation is exponentially suppressed when the ratio of @xmath76 to @xmath77 becomes sufficiently large .
@xcite considered monochromatic wavetrains @xmath86 and found that the gravitational radiation was suppressed unless @xmath87 the first of these relations will cut off the integral ( [ decay1 ] ) below the horizon scale , but first we need to extend it to the incoherent spectrum on a long cosmic string .
we will do this in a systematic way below , but we can anticipate the answer . for a continuous spectrum , of course ,
a single frequency makes a contribution of measure zero .
the natural extrapolation is then to replace @xmath88 with the rms average in bands of frequencies @xmath89 .
that is , @xmath90 ^ 2 \nonumber\\ & \sim & ( k_b t)^{-2\chi}\ ; \end{aligned}\ ] ] here @xmath91 is a plausible choice , corresponding to integrating over one unit of log frequency , but the precise value does not matter . in the second line
the filter function @xmath92 has a width of order @xmath93 and a magnitude of order @xmath77 . in the third line
, we have used the two - point function ( [ ww ] ) .
thus , @xmath94 using this lower cutoff in the decay rate ( [ decay1 ] ) gives @xmath95 this is faster than the hubble rate for @xmath96 the gravitational length scale is reduced from the naive @xmath97 by a factor @xmath98 .
the qualitative conclusion is the same as in ref .
@xcite , but the exponents do not seem to agree .
the result there was @xmath99 .
it is not clear whether @xmath100 is to be identified with @xmath101 ( as suggested by eq .
( 21 ) of ref .
@xcite , compared with eq .
( [ decay1 ] ) above ) or with @xmath20 ( as suggested by @xcite eq .
( 31 ) ) , but in either case the exponents differ .
this stems from a different method of converting from the single - mode result to the continuous spectrum ; our exponent will be borne out by the more formal treatment below .
finally , recalling sec .
2.1 , our analytic model @xcite gives for the exponent @xmath102 the values 1.2 in the radiation era and 1.5 in the matter era ; using instead the simulations @xcite would yield an exponent around 2.0 at the shortest scales in both eras .
, so that their eq .
( 31 ) is @xmath103 the necessary correction to the naive radiation formula comes from the previously neglected exponential factor in @xmath104 , eq .
( [ ab ] ) @xcite . expanding the exponential to second order in the fluctuations gives @xmath105 noting that @xmath106 , when the first term in the exponent is of order one , the second and third terms in the exponent are respectively of order @xmath107 and @xmath108 .
thus , as @xmath77 decreases they become important at precisely the scale ( [ socut ] ) where the small - amplitude calculation is expected to break down .
the linearized form for @xmath109 remains valid , so we can simply insert the corrected form ( [ bexp ] ) into the decay rate ( [ adecay ] ) . by completing the square , the exponent in eq .
( [ bexp ] ) can be written as @xmath110 ^ 2 \ .\end{aligned}\ ] ] converting @xmath111 , we have at fixed @xmath76 the integral @xmath112 ^ 2 \right\ } \ .\quad \label{bexp2}\end{aligned}\ ] ] we have used @xmath113 , since this is the regime where the correction is important .
we now approximate , replacing both the exponent and the prefactor with their mean values from sec .
then @xmath114 here @xmath115^{2\chi/(1 + 2\chi ) } \left [ \frac{\cal a } { 1 + 2\chi}\right]^{1/(1 + 2\chi)}\ ] ] is 2.5 in the matter era and 2.1 in the radiation era .
we can improve this approximation if we make the assumption that the ensemble is gaussian .
the first order correction , keeping contractions between the prefactor and the exponent , involves a straightforward calculation ; its inclusion simply renormalizes the constant @xmath116 , with @xmath117 \ .\ ] ] however , this represents a small correction since @xmath118 in the radiation epoch and @xmath119 in the matter epoch .
thus , to good approximation , @xmath120 this is faster than the hubble rate for the scales ( [ true ] ) , as deduced earlier .
we can now improve our earlier result for the two - point function @xcite through the inclusion of gravitational radiation .
define @xmath121 where @xmath5 is related to the actual length along the string by @xmath122 ; here @xmath123 and @xmath124 . combining the stretching given by eq . 2.26 of ref .
@xcite with the gravitational radiation found above gives @xmath125 this is readily integrated , to give @xmath126 the function @xmath127 is obtained by matching onto the known result ( [ ww ] ) at early times , giving @xmath128 .
expressing the result in terms of the physical momentum scale @xmath129 gives @xmath130 \ .
\label{2pf}\ ] ] thus , unless we consider modes with such short wavelength that the exponential suppression factor kicks in , we have @xmath131 . at length scales
smaller than @xmath132 this behavior is altered as a result of the inclusion of gravitational radiation , in such a way to make the two - point function smoother . in fig .
[ 2pf plot ] we show the numerical fourier transform of @xmath133 , in terms of the correlation @xcite @xmath134 .
the solid line corresponds to the matter epoch and the dotted line to the radiation epoch .
the value @xmath135 has been adopted for illustrative purposes . ]
the smoothing at short distance seen in fig .
[ 2pf plot ] resembles that found in the numerical simulations of ref .
@xcite , but here it is due to an additional physical effect , gravitational radiation , whereas in ref .
@xcite such smoothing was found even without gravitational radiation .
goes as @xmath136 at short distance , corresponding to an ensemble of smooth functions , whereas it appears to be close to @xmath137 in ref .
@xcite , corresponding to a random walk in @xmath138 . ]
again , it remains to be seen whether the result of ref .
@xcite is a real effect or a transient . in fig .
[ 2pf plot ] we have assumed the latter , so that the two - point function follows a simple power law down to the gravitational radiation scale .
the exponential falloff in the world - sheet two - point function at large wavenumber implies that the strings are very smooth at short distance . inspection of fig .
[ 2pf plot ] indicates that this smoothing sets in at @xmath139 in both the matter and radiation epochs .
the exponent we obtain is smaller than the estimates in @xcite : @xmath140 in the radiation dominated era and @xmath141 in the matter dominated era here , compared to @xmath142 and @xmath143 respectively .
the difference is primarily from using a more accurate model of the effect of stretching , leading to a power spectrum with a slower falloff .
the length @xmath144 is the approximate size of the smallest loops .
in particular , the divergent loop production found in ref .
@xcite is cut off at this scale .
it is customary to parameterize the size of small loops as @xmath145 with @xmath146 .
the parameter @xmath147 corresponds to the lifetime of the loop in units of the frw time , if gravitational radiation is the principal decay mode .
thus we have found @xmath148 in the matter era , while for the radiation era @xmath149 however , for the phenomenology of the small loops there is another important property , first noted in ref .
@xcite : they move _ extremely _ fast .
the point is that the functions @xmath150 and @xmath151 must have equal mean values on the loop ( the condition for the loop to form ) .
if the loop is small , so these functions have limited range , this implies that both remain near one point on the sphere , and the velocity ( the average of @xmath150 and @xmath151 over the loop ) will be very close to unity . from eq.(4.34 ) of ref .
@xcite , the lorentz contraction factor is @xmath152^{1/2 } \ .\ ] ] this is @xmath153 in the matter era , and is of order @xmath154 for tensions of interest ; in the radiation era it is @xmath155 and is of order @xmath156 .
since this factor is so large , we must be careful to recall that the specific definition of length is @xmath157 and so @xmath158 is @xmath18 times the rest frame length @xmath159 .
it is equal to twice the inverse period of the loop in the frw rest frame . to see one effect of the boost , in ref .
@xcite the total stochastic gravitational wave spectrum from small loops was considered .
the frequency spectrum simply scales inversely as the size of the loops if they are at rest , @xmath160 . in the frw rest
coordinate this frequency is reduced by a factor of @xmath18 .
however , the large boost pushes essentially all of the radiation into the forward direction , where the frequency is enhanced by a factor @xmath161 .
thus the gravitational radiation spectrum corresponds to an effective loop size @xmath162 this is @xmath163 in the matter era , meaning that @xmath164 . in the radiation era @xmath165 , meaning that @xmath166 .
we should note that ref .
@xcite considered the sensitivity in the whole @xmath167 plane , and we are simply highlighting one line in this plane .
it is notable that advanced ligo is more sensitive than lisa to these smallest loops , because their small size puts them above the lisa frequency range .
in fact , for interesting values of the tension the loops will produce a periodic signal in the ligo frequency band , which may be observable at advanced ligo @xcite . finally , let us discuss how these small loops might fit into the overall picture of the string network . in ref .
@xcite we found that loop production from long strings diverges ( as measured by total string length ) at small sizes . to match the scaling value for the rate of long string loss to loops we would need to cut this divergence off at @xmath168 ; this is small in the sense of being an order of magnitude below the horizon length , but very large compared to the scales that we have discussed thus far .
however , the emission of loops from long strings does not end the story , since the divergent loop production continues on the large loops themselves .
we were unable to go further analytically , but conjectured that loops would fragment extensively until they reached a non - self - intersecting configuration at a scale we guessed to be a few orders of magnitude smaller , @xmath169 to @xmath170 .
this appeared to be consistent with the simulations of refs .
if this were the case then the gravitational radiation smoothing that we have discussed would be largely irrelevant , because loop production would already be cut off at much larger scales .
however , refs .
@xcite have recently been able to simulate over longer time scales , and argue for a rather different picture .
namely , they find two populations of loops , one of which scales at @xmath171 , and a second which remains at the simulation cutoff length .
they argue that @xmath3 is the actual loop size , and that the small loops are a transient effect in the simulations and will not be present in the real networks .
we would argue that this interpretation of the small loops as transients is implausible .
first , there is no sign in refs .
@xcite that the total fraction of string length going into the small loops is diminishing in time .
second , if this were a transient effect then its natural time scale should be small in proportion to the size of the loops . instead
, these loops are still being produced after several hubble times , showing that some longer - distance process is continuing to feed the small loop production .
indeed , we have identified this mechanism already @xcite : the small scale structure on long strings and large loops , which originates at the horizon length and then is carried down to smaller relative lengths by the expansion of the universe , leads to production of loops on arbitrarily small scales .
thus we are led to suggest the following picture .
after a large loop is formed , production of smaller loops continues near its cusp regions . in the end
, there is a large loop without cusps or self - intersections , reduced in size by the excision of the cusp regions .
there is also a population of much smaller loops ; based on the non - scaling seen thus far @xcite , we conjecture that these will be at the gravitational radiation length .
inspection of fig . 4 of ref .
@xcite suggests that as much as 80% of the total string length goes into the small loops , with 20% remaining in the large loop . as has been discussed in refs .
@xcite , the @xmath3 loops produce a much larger stochastic background than in previous network scenarios , tightening existing bounds and increasing the potential for discovery .
if these loops represent only a fraction of the total string length then this effect is reduced . for loops produced and decaying during the radiation era ,
the total energy density today is proportional to @xmath172 .
thus , if only 20% of the string length goes into large loops , the bound on @xmath2 is weaker by a factor of 25 .
for example , the pulsar timing bound @xmath173 for reconnection probability @xmath174 , shown in fig . 2 of ref .
@xcite , would be weakened to @xmath175 , very close to the current cmb bound @xcite .
foreseeable improvements in pulsar timing , e.g. @xcite , will improve the sensitivity by several orders of magnitude in @xmath2 .
our work also allows us to address an old question , the interplay between the small scale structure and the cusps @xcite .
a cusp arises when the functions @xmath150 and @xmath151 cross on the unit sphere @xcite .
the _ size _ of the cusp is the inverse of the ` velocity ' of the functions @xmath176 when they cross , their rate of change with respect to the length along the string .
now , the average velocity of these functions on the long strings is ( going again to the gauge @xmath177 ) @xmath178 where @xmath179\ , [ b_\chi ( 1+\chi)(1 + 2\chi ) ] ^{2(\chi - 1)(1 + 2\chi ) } \label{v2}\ ] ] takes the value 0.006 in the matter era and 0.008 in the radiation era . on the long strings in the network , if the functions @xmath150 and @xmath151 were smooth and varied on the scale of the correlation length ( which is not far below the horizon scale ) , then the typical velocity of any crossing would be the inverse correlation length , and this would be the size of cusps . what we see from eq .
( [ v2 ] ) is that such slow crossings and large cusps are impossible .
superimposed on the slow motion is the irregular motion from the short distance structure ,
so all crossings occur at the much larger velocity @xmath180 , and all cusps have a size of order @xmath181 which is very much smaller than the correlation length .
effectively each large cusp breaks up into a large number of small cusps : the high fractal dimension of @xmath150 and @xmath151 above the gravitational radiation length , noted in ref .
@xcite , implies that these curves will cross many times near the would - be large cusp .
we can estimate the number : the total length of each curve @xmath182 during one hubble time is @xmath183 .
the total number of crossings is roughly the total length of either path divided by the solid angle @xmath184 of the sphere , and so up to numerical factors it is large to the same extent that the size of each cusp is small .
we could also imagine course graining , looking at the string with a resolution @xmath185 that is longer than the gravitational radiation scale , and the same argument would imply @xmath186 cusps each of size @xmath187 .
recall further that the cusp region is the site of rapid loop production , so these small cusps will actually end up on small loops , disconnected from the long string .
it might seem paradoxical that the cusp size ( [ cusps ] ) is parametrically larger than the loop size ( [ lsize ] ) , but this is another lorentz effect : in the loop rest frame these sizes are of the same order . regarding the large loops ,
we have already noted that these are likely to form without cusps .
however , when they eventually decay by gravitational radiation at @xmath188 , the higher harmonics will decay more rapidly , smoothing out the string and likely leading to new cusps .
thus there is the possibility of a cusp signal @xcite from these , although it will be reduced to the extent that the large loops represent only a fraction of the total loop length .
jvr acknowledges financial support from _ fundao para a cincia e a tecnologia _ , portugal , through grant sfrh / bd/12241/2003 .
this work was supported in part by nsf grants phy05 - 51164 and phy04 - 56556 .
we thank lars bildsten , florian dubath , mark hindmarsh , vuk mandic , carlos martins , ken olum , paul shellard , xavier siemens , and alex vilenkin for helpful discussions and communications .
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One Tree Hill 1. Basketball Players vs Tutors
**Opposites Attract**
**Introduction**
This story is kind of an alternate universe. It still takes place in Tree Hill and the names are still the same and most of the same characters are still in it and are not really that different from who they are (personalities and what they're interested in, i.e., Peyton's still a cheerleader and an artist), so here's the deal:
Nathan Scott is the star player of the Tree Hill Ravens basketball team. He is the king of the school and he knows it. He also acts like it. His father is the overbearing, former basketball-obsessed player who tries to relive his glory days through his son.
Haley James is the best tutor at Tree Hill High and has one of the highest GPA's in her class. She is the best friend of Nathan's cousin, Lucas Scott (the son of Karen and Keith Scott), who is also on the Ravens basketball team. While Lucas and Nathan are as different as day and night, they have one common love: basketball. So, they are generally civil towards one another.
Basketball Players vs. Tutors (Chapter One)
Nathan Scott walked out of his bedroom with his gym bag clutched in his hand. He walked into the kitchen and smiled as he saw his mother dressed for work. His mother had just become his Aunt Karen's business partner last year after Karen had gone to Italy for a while to take some cooking lessons. "Nate, where are your books?" she asked. Nathan stopped to think.
"They're in my locker at school," he replied.
"You didn't have any homework over the weekend?" Deb asked. Again, he stopped to think.
"Uh, no. The teachers didn't assign us anything on account of the long weekend. They wanted us to enjoy our vacation," he explained. Of course, he wasn't sure if that was true. He had no idea if he had homework. He rarely did homework because he had barely any time for it and he didn't want to do it. Besides, once he explained to his teachers that he had a late practice the day before, they let him get away with it and almost always forget to ask him about it the next day.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Deb asked. Nathan grabbed the toast off the plate.
"I'll eat as I go," he said.
"Come by the café today after practice, ok? Maybe you'll get a decent meal in you for once," his mom said. Nathan laughed as he left the room.
"Bye, Mom. I'll see you later," Nathan called as he walked out the door. He smiled as he saw that his father had already left for work. The last thing he needed was another lecture about how not to slack off during practice after a long weekend. He got into his car and started the engine. He pulled out of the driveway and started the ten-minute drive to school. Then he drove into the school parking lot and parked. He looked at his watch and sighed as he realized he was late again. He knew his teacher wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but he hated seeing the other students in his English class rolling their eyes. He got to his locker and pulled his books out and headed into his classroom.
"Mr. Scott, you're late," his teacher, Ms. Doyle, said. He nodded as he sat down.
"I'm sorry," he said. Ms. Doyle looked at him and he gave her a tired expression.
"I'll let it slide this time, but if you're late again this week, I'm going to have to give you a detention," she said. He nodded. Then, he turned to his friend, Tim and smirked. When the teacher asked a question about the book they were reading, there were at least a three minutes of silence until a brunette raised her hand and answered the question. "Very good, Miss James," Ms. Doyle said.
Nathan rolled his eyes. He didn't know who that girl was but he knew she always answered the questions right. He figured that she must have absolutely no life if she had time to do the reading. What kind of a sixteen-year-old had so much free time? He wondered to himself. Then, Tim tapped him on the shoulder and he forgot about the girl.
TWO HOURS LATER
"Hey, Hales," Lucas Scott said to Haley as he walked up to her locker.
Haley slammed her locker shut in frustration as she said, "Unbelievable!" Lucas looked at her in surprise. She was one of the most even-tempered people he knew.
"Something wrong?" he asked, smiling in amusement. Haley rolled her eyes.
"Ok, so you know my mom was sick over the weekend and my dad was out of town so I had to take care of her. I didn't get to type up an English paper, but I did get it done. The _one_ time I don't hand in an assignment on time and Ms. Doyle says she's going to dock me 10 because it'll be late," Haley said, as they started walking towards the cafeteria. They sat down at their usual table and Lucas looked at her sympathetically. He knew her grades were very important to her. "And then Nathan walks in twenty minutes late, probably didn't even start the assignment, let alone finish it, and she just says, 'I'll let it slide this time'. It just amazes me how differently a person is treated because they have the talent to throw a ball through a hoop," Haley fumed.
"Gee, thanks," Lucas said, looking at her. Haley looked at him and realized that she had insulted him. "You know, Haley, not all of us get treated like Nathan does, or if we do, we don't take advantage of it the way he does. And one could also argue the same about you," Lucas said.
"I can't throw a ball through a hoop," Haley said. He smirked at the memory of trying to teach her how to play basketball once. She couldn't even do it granny style the first few times she tried.
"I meant that because you're smart, people treat you different. Imagine how some teachers must treat Nathan. A lot of people know that he doesn't do so well in school," he said. Now, Haley was insulted. She was a tutor so she understood that everyone has different strengths and learns at different paces. So she took it very personally when people accused her of looking down on other students because they may not get good grades.
"I didn't say anything about that. I never said Nathan was stupid," she said.
"You implied it when you said he didn't start his paper," Lucas said. Haley shook her head.
"I said that because he never does his homework. That implies laziness. It doesn't have anything to do with how smart he is," she said defensively.
"Well, whatever it was intended to mean, what you said was still insulting one way or another," Lucas said.
"I'm sorry," she said. She hated it when Lucas got defensive whenever something basketball-related happened. Haley had a right to be pissed off. She had worked hard on the paper and because her mother was sick, she had to lose ten percent of a grade she worked hard to earn. Lucas nodded.
"Look, I'm sorry about your grade," he said.
"Nathan Scott, report to room 222," the main office secretary's voice said over the PA.
Nathan walked into his English class. Ms. Doyle was sitting at her desk and nodded for him to come in. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
"You can take a seat," she said. He sat down at the desk behind him. "I'm concerned about you, Nathan," she said. He looked at her in confusion. "You're not doing very well in this course, you know," she said. He nodded. Everybody else knew it too.
"I'm trying," he said. Ms. Doyle looked down.
"Nathan, you've barely handed anything in. And the assignments that you handed in are not your best work," she said. "I'm very strung out over basketball and school work," he said, shrugging.
"Well, I don't think you want to give basketball up, do you?" Ms. Doyle asked. He shook his head. "Well, if your grades don't improve, I'm afraid that you won't be eligible to stay on the team," she said. He nodded.
"Now, is it because you really don't have time to do the work?" she asked. He looked at her in confusion. "Or are you having trouble understanding everything?" she asked. He was about to answer when a knock on the door. Ms. Doyle turned her head. "Miss James, what can I do for you?" she asked.
"I was hoping I could talk to you about something, but I can come back if you're busy," she said. Ms. Doyle looked at Nathan questioningly. He shrugged.
She looked at Haley and said, "Will it be quick?" Haley nodded. "Nathan, you can wait outside," Ms. Doyle said.
"No, that's ok. He can stay. I don't mind," Haley said.
"To answer your question, it's the second one," Nathan replied. Ms. Doyle nodded. Then, she turned her attention to the girl.
"I was hoping to talk to you about the assignment," Haley said. Ms. Doyle looked at her.
"Haley, I'm fine with you handing it in tomorrow on account of your track record with handing things in on time," she said.
"I know and I really appreciate it. But I was wondering if you would reconsider docking the ten percent?" Haley asked.
"Based on what?" Ms. Doyle said.
"The fact that I had it finished, but I couldn't type it up since I had to take my mom to the hospital because she has pneumonia," Haley said. Ms. Doyle's face wrinkled with concern.
"You said that she was sick. You never said that it was serious. Is she ok?" she asked. Haley nodded.
"She's fine now. They gave her medicine," Haley said.
"I won't dock ten percent. I'll dock three, but that's all I'll do. The assignment is still late," Ms. Doyle said. Haley sighed.
"Thank you," she said, starting to leave.
"Haley, wait a minute," Ms. Doyle said. Haley turned around. "Do you still tutor at the tutoring centre?" Ms. Doyle asked. Haley nodded slowly. The teacher looked at Nathan. "I have someone in need of tutoring," Ms. Doyle said. Haley nodded. "Would you be willing to tutor them?" Ms. Doyle asked.
Haley nodded. "Sure," she said. The teacher's face brightened.
"Nathan, is that ok with you?" Ms. Doyle asked. Haley turned to see that Nathan was looking at her. He nodded. Haley's spirits sagged. "Excellent," she said. Ms. Doyle got up and left, saying that she had to do run an errand and that they could both leave if they wanted. Nathan got up.
"So, when do you want to meet?" Haley asked. Nathan smirked.
"Never. Look, just make the paper look like I actually wrote it. And my name has two 't's at the end," Nathan said as he neared the door.
"Excuse me?" she asked. He turned around and looked at her.
"You heard me," he said. Haley shook her head. She couldn't believe his nerve.
"I hope that, for your sake, I didn't. I'm your tutor, not your slave," she said. Nathan shrugged.
"I don't need a tutor," he said. Haley looked at him in disbelief. He started to leave again.
"Fine. I hope you like watching basketball then," she said. He turned around and looked at her.
"What?" he asked.
"Because there's no way you'll be playing if you fail English," Haley said.
"I'll be fine. I can handle school," he said. Haley couldn't help it when she said, "Really? Teachers usually don't ask me to tutor students who are 'handling school'." Nathan frowned.
"After practice," he said.
"What?" Haley asked.
"After practice is ok for me to work," he replied.
"Ok. Meet me at Karen's Café," she said.
"Why?" he asked. He didn't want to meet at his aunt's business.
"That's where I work and I'll be free around the time practice ends," she said. He nodded.
2. What Drives Him He's an Idiot
**What Drives Him… He's an Idiot** (Chapter Two)
Nathan walked into the café and was shocked to see that Haley actually did work there. She was behind the counter, wiping it down. He walked over to where she was and looked at her expectantly. She looked up. "You can just take a seat. I've got about five minutes left on the clock," she said, gesturing to one of the seats in the café. He turned around and noticed an empty table in the corner. He shrugged and took a seat at one of them. He opened the sports magazine he brought and started reading.
"Haley?" His Aunt Karen called.
"What's up, Karen?" Haley asked. Nathan looked up and saw that Karen was standing with an older man that he didn't recognize. He looked like a truck driver or something. When Haley saw the man, a look of annoyance crossed her face.
"Did you pour water on this man?" Karen asked. Haley sighed as she nodded. Karen took her by the arm and led her closer to where Nathan was so she could talk to her in private. "You can't just pour water over a customer, Haley. This man may start talking and then I might lose business," Karen said.
"The pig didn't leave me much of a choice," Haley said. Karen looked at her. "He wouldn't stop hitting on me and then he grabbed me and pulled me down on his lap. I grabbed the pitcher of water and poured it over him," Haley said.
"Why aren't you wet?" Karen asked.
"Oh, I brought a change of clothes and changed into them," Haley explained. Karen laughed. Haley smirked.
"Look, I'll take care of him," she said. Karen eyed her carefully.
"I promise I won't pour anything on him," Haley said, as she walked over to him.
"Are you here to apologize to me?" the man asked. Haley laughed at him.
"No, I'm here to warn you that if you don't stop complaining, I might change my mind and actually have you charged," Haley said. The man shook his head.
"You can't prove a thing and it was just a little fun," he said.
"There was a room full of witnesses and the police have a different term for your 'little fun'," Haley said. He looked at her in confusion.
"Sexual harassment and sexual assault since you grabbed me," Haley said.
"There's no way you'd ever have the guts," he said.
Haley's face grew serious as she said, "Do I look like I'm scared?" The man looked at her for a second before he shrugged. "Oh, and by the way, I'm using my right to refuse service to you," Haley said, as he walked out. Karen came over and patted Haley on the back.
"Good job. Next time, please just ask one of the many customers in the room," Karen said, laughing. Haley shrugged, but nodded agreeably. She took off her apron and put it behind the counter and put the rag away in the back. When she came out, she had English books with her. She came over and sat down.
"You handled that guy pretty well," Nathan said. Haley nodded. "Where'd you learn to stick up for yourself like that? A lot of the girls I know are-" he started.
"Wimps?" Haley finished.
"Well, I wouldn't put it like that. I meant that they're just not the type to throw water on a guy for hitting on them. They're more likely to get their boyfriend to warn him to stay away or something," he said. Haley laughed.
"How about we get started?" she suggested. He nodded.
"Now, you were supposed to write a paper on what drives you in your life over the weekend," Haley said. Nathan looked at her and smirked.
"How do you remember that?" he asked. Haley shrugged.
"I write it down," she said.
"That's probably a good idea," he said.
"Now, how about I start by asking you this: Why didn't you write the paper?" Haley asked. Nathan stopped to think.
"I was playing basketball," he replied. Haley looked at him.
"All weekend?" she asked. Nathan laughed.
"Well, no. I had parties to go to too," he explained.
"Well, you're going to have to start putting homework before parties and playing basketball when it's not a practice or a game," Haley said.
"Why should I?" Nathan asked.
"Because if you want to stay on the team, you need to pass English and you need me in order to pass English. And if you don't change your priorities, I'm not going to tutor you because it's a waste of _my_ time," Haley said. Nathan nodded.
"So, we need to do an outline, but first, we have to pick a topic," she said. She showed him what a proper outline looked like from one of her notes. He started copying. A minute later, he looked up at her.
"What drives you?" she asked.
"Girls," he joked. Haley rolled her eyes.
"Can you be serious?" Haley asked. He laughed.
"All right. What do you mean?" he asked.
"When you wake up every morning, what do you look forward to all day?" Haley asked. Nathan smirked.
"That's easy. Basketball practice," he said. Haley nodded.
"Why?" she asked. The reason she was asking was because in the paragraph about basketball, he had to give at least three reasons why. He stopped to think for a second.
"Well, I guess because I like sports and basketball is my favourite sport. It's also the one thing Lucas and I have in common so that keeps us from killing each other and it keeps the peace between our two families," he explained. Haley nodded. Karen and Dan had dated previously in high school, but Dan dumped her as soon as senior year ended. Then, Keith and Karen grew closer over missing Dan while he was away and they fell in love and within a few weeks, Karen was pregnant with Lucas. Dan had gone to college and gotten Deb pregnant and did the honourable thing and stayed by her side. Lucas and Nathan had grown up together, but they had never gotten along. Nathan was into popularity and all the profits that came along with it, while Lucas was usually happy sitting in a corner with a good book. Haley didn't know Nathan that well, since he never bothered to hang out with his cousin when it didn't concern basketball so they had never met until now.
"What else drives you?" she asked.
"I guess my friends do. I mean I don't like to see them in pain. Like my friends Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis, but of course, you must know her," Nathan said. Haley nodded. Lucas and Brooke were dating so Haley ran into Brooke all the time now, though she desperately tried to avoid her. She didn't know Peyton Sawyer that well, so she didn't really have an opinion of her.
"So, you like to hang out with your friends," Haley said. It was a statement, not a question, because she already knew that. Nathan nodded. "Do the guys on the team fit into that category?" Haley asked. Nathan nodded.
"Of course they do. I see them all the time, so I kind of know if something's bothering them. You know Tim Smith, right?" he said. Haley nodded.
"What else drives you?" she asked.
He smirked awkwardly as he said, "Well, I wouldn't say they drive me, but I like to see my parents every day. It's cool now that my mom works with my aunt so I get to see her more. I only see Keith and Karen on holidays or birthdays," Nathan said.
"Even though you live in the same town? Is that your point?" Haley asked. Nathan nodded.
"Well, there you go. That's your paper right there," she said. Nathan looked at her. "Seeing your family, basketball and your friends drives you and you know why now. Just put that into sentence format, drop it over at the Tutoring Centre on Saturday because I'll be there and I'll look it over," Haley said. Haley started to get up, but when she noticed Nathan looking at down like he needed help with something, she sat back down. "Nathan?" she said. He looked up and smiled. "Is everything ok?" she asked. He shook his head. She nodded and left the table.
Nathan thought she was going to help him with more than just a paper. He needed help in every part of English. He was not doing well in a lot of subjects. He sat up and put his books in his shoulder bag. "Nathan?" his mom asked. "Hey, Mom," he said.
"I can't believe you actually came here," she said. He smirked.
"I actually needed help from another student for something in school. We decided to meet here," he said. Deb smiled.
"Oh. Well, take a seat and I'll get you something to eat. On me, of course," she said.
"I can pay for my own meal, Mom. Besides, I can't. I have to get home. I'm meeting some friends later and I came here straight from practice," he said. He hugged her and took one last look around the café before leaving. Just then, Lucas and Brooke walked up to the door. Lucas looked so shocked to see Nathan there; he dropped Brooke's hand. "Hey, Brooke," Nathan said. He looked over to Lucas and nodded at him. "Hi, Luke," he said before leaving. Lucas walked up to the counter and smiled when Haley stood up from leaning down.
"Hey, Hales," he said. She smiled at him. Then she looked at Brooke and her smile vanished for a second, but she quickly smirked at Brooke.
"Hey, Tutor Girl," Brooke said cheerfully. A look of annoyance crossed her face and she rolled her eyes.
"It's Haley," she corrected Brooke.
"Can I get a soda?" Brooke asked. Haley shrugged.
"Ask someone else for it. I'm off the clock and I'm going home. I've been here since school ended and I have work to do," Haley said.
"You work yourself to death between the work at the café, your own homework and then you take time to help other people with their homework," Lucas said, smiling.
"And I get it all done. I'm the Energizer Bunny," Haley said. Lucas laughed.
"Bye, Hales, I'll see you tomorrow," he called as she left.
SATURDAY
Haley sat down at the computer and looked at the exam of a student she was tutoring. She pulled up his math exam and then his history exam. She made a few notes on the notebook she had in front of her and put the notebook in the file folder with his name on it and put it away in its slot. Just then, Nathan walked in. "You have your paper?" she asked. He nodded. She took it from him and looked at it. A few minutes later, she looked at him. She took a red pen and made a few marks on it.
"Just a few grammar mistakes. Just type it up again, using the corrections and then hand that copy in. You'll do fine. It's really good," she said, giving it back to him. He took it back from her and put it away.
"Thanks," he said. She nodded as she turned back to what she had been doing. He looked like he wanted to ask her something, but then thought better of it and started to leave. He wanted to ask her if she would tutor him for good now, but he didn't want to bother her. It was obvious that she didn't like working with him and since she didn't offer, it was pretty clear that she only wanted this to be a one-time thing. But he needed help. "Haley?" he asked. She turned around and looked at him. Then, Tim and a few guys from the team walked in.
"Nathan, what are you still doing here, hanging out with this nerd?" Tim asked.
Nathan put on a cool smile as he said, "I was just leaving. I'm just giving her a few seconds of the attention she's dying to get from me." Tim nodded in understanding. Haley's face hardened as she turned around and started doing something else.
"Let's go, Nathan. She obviously thinks she's better than us," Tim said.
"Cause she's so smart. Well, at least I get a date every once in a while," Nathan said to her back. She stiffened. Nathan left with his friends. Haley continued to put the files away even as a tear trickled out of her eye. She took a deep breath. How could she have been so wrong about Nathan Scott? For the few minutes they spent together in the café, he was really nice to her and two seconds ago; he was thanking her for helping him. She took the file she had been working on, on the computer out of the slot. She looked at the name. It said Nathan Scott. She took the notebook out of the file and ripped the one page of writing out of it. She crumpled the folder and threw it all in the garbage. There was no way she was going to continue to tutor him so she could endure that kind of treatment all year long.
3. Returning the Favour
**Returning the Favour **(Chapter Three)
TWO DAYS LATER
On Tuesday afternoon, Haley walked to her locker and put some of her books away. She closed her locker door and jumped when she saw Lucas. "Jeez, Luke!" she exclaimed. He laughed at her.
"Sorry, Hales. I didn't mean to scare you," he said.
"Yes, you did," she said. He shrugged. They started walking down the hall and Lucas smiled. Haley looked in the direction of his smile and frowned when she saw Brooke Davis, along with Nathan Scott, Tim Smith and Peyton Sawyer. This was the last thing she needed; a run-in with that jerk, but she continued walking. Lucas hugged Brooke and then they kissed for a few minutes. Haley looked around uncomfortably.
"Hey, Broody," Brooke said.
"Hi, Cheery," he said, smiling. He started to laugh.
"Guys, can we please go get something to eat now?" Tim asked.
Peyton laughed at him and said, "Tim, do you ever have any patience?" Tim shook his head.
"Not when I'm hungry," he replied. Lucas looked at Brooke for a minute and then to Nathan. He stiffened for a minute.
"Will you eat with us?" Brooke asked, pouting and widening her eyes in innocence. Haley rolled her eyes because she knew that when she turned to look at Lucas, there would be a big smile on his face as he nodded. She looked up and sure enough, Lucas was nodding and smiling at her. Then, he stopped and looked at Haley as if he suddenly remembered that she was there. She never hung out with this group and Haley could tell that Lucas was worried that she wouldn't be accepted.
"Hales, you going to join us?" he asked carefully.
"Yeah, Tutor Girl, come on," Brooke said encouragingly. Haley heard the sarcasm in her voice so she shook her head.
"As fun as that sounds, I have some work to catch up on," Haley said.
"Like what? You're ahead of everyone else in all of your classes," Lucas asked.
"Ok, fine. It's not my work. I have some tutoring stuff to work on. I'll see you later," she said, walking away. Lucas exhaled sharply. He turned to look at Brooke who was chatting with Peyton.
"I'm going to go talk to her," he said, starting to leave, but Brooke pulled him back.
"Just leave her be, Lucas. She's probably very busy," she said.
"No, she was upset and she's been upset for a few days now," Lucas said.
"Everybody gets upset once in a while, Lucas," Peyton said.
"Not Haley. And if she is upset, she's the kind of person who will tell her best friend about it and she hasn't," Lucas said.
"So, maybe she's fine," Brooke said. Lucas shook her head.
"No, she is. I know her," Lucas said.
"Well, we're hungry and we haven't seen each other in two days," Brooke said. Lucas shrugged as he gave in to Brooke.
TEN MINUTES LATER
Nathan didn't know why he went to the tutoring centre. He didn't know why he cared if Haley James was upset or not. He didn't know why he felt that he ought to help her in some way and he didn't know why he thought he could help her; he just felt that he should. Haley was sitting at a round table with three-file folders open flat and three notebooks in each along with other papers. She had a few pieces of paper that had obviously been typed on the computer because it was computer paper that she was holding. She grabbed a sip of orange juice and then put it back down. She reached for her red pen and put the papers down on the table so she had a flat surface to write on. He walked up to her and asked, "Is this seat taken?" Haley shook her head without looking up. A few seconds later, she reached for her juice but then stopped when her eyes locked with Nathan's. Then, her eyes narrowed.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. He shrugged. "Are you lost or something?" she asked. He looked at her in confusion.
"I mean, isn't this where 'nerds' hang out? Last time I checked, you weren't part of that group," she said angrily. Nathan bit his lip.
"Okay. Lucas was right; you are upset," he said.
"How lucky of me to have you around to point out these sort of things," she said. _Whoa_! He thought to himself. If he didn't know better, he'd swear that she was Peyton Sawyer's twin sister. Only Peyton had the guts to say something like that and it was certainly her style. He didn't think Haley James had a mean bone in her body. He assumed she was one of those girls that were always nice and full of wide-eyed innocence. The kind of girl that didn't want to hurt anyone or make any enemies. Also the kind of girl that would never dare insult the great Nathan Scott. Clearly, he was wrong.
"Call me crazy, but are you angry at me by any chance?" he asked. Haley smirked sarcastically at him.
"Why would I be angry at you?" she asked, looking at him as if she didn't have the slightest clue as to what he was talking about. "I mean, it's not like you arrogantly insulted me after I helped you out," she said. He swallowed hard. "Oh, but wait," she said. She paused as she looked at him.
"That _was_ you," Haley finished. She gathered up her things and walked to another table and put them down again. She sat down and pulled out a portable CD player, plugged headphones into it and put it down as she went back to what she was doing before he sat down. He was speechless as he looked at her in shock and disbelief.
TEN MINUTES LATER
Nathan went to the cafeteria and found Peyton, Brooke, Tim, Jake and Lucas all eating at the same table. He sighed as he walked over and pulled a chair out and sat down. He grabbed his lunch and opened it. "Where have you been?" Peyton asked.
"At the tutoring centre," he replied. Peyton dropped her fork onto her rice that she had been eating. Tim gaped at him in shock. Brooke raised her eyebrows in surprise and curiosity. Jake had a neutral expression while Lucas' mirrored Brooke's.
"Did you just say you were at the tutoring centre?" Brooke asked. Nathan nodded.
"The temperature _must_ have dropped in hell. I didn't know you knew where it was," Peyton said.
"Why were you at the tutoring centre?" Jake asked in a matter of fact tone.
"Well, you said that Haley was upset," Nathan said, looking at Lucas. Lucas looked at him in confusion.
"And?" Brooke asked.
"I went to see if she was ok," he said.
"Why?" Lucas asked.
"Well, she helped me out a while ago. I was just trying to return the favour," Nathan replied.
"How'd it go?" Peyton asked. Nathan shook his head as he laughed.
He looked at Lucas as he asked, "Let's just say I didn't receive a warm welcome."
"From Tutor Girl?" Brooke asked in disbelief. It seemed that Brooke had the same misconception of Haley that he had had. He nodded.
"What did you say?" Lucas asked.
"Well, it's not what I said this time. It's what I said the last time I saw her that she's mad about," he said.
"Nathan, what did you do to her?" Peyton asked, looking at him knowingly. Peyton and Nathan knew each other very well, since they had dated for a while and known each other since grade eight.
"I don't really remember, but apparently I insulted her in front of my friends," Nathan said, trying to remember.
"Oh, I remember!" Tim exclaimed happily.
"Care to share?" Brooke asked.
"Well, it was Saturday. I asked what you were doing in the tutoring centre with that nerd and you said you were giving her the attention she craved from you or something," Tim said. Peyton looked at him in disbelief.
"Nathan!" she exclaimed. Now, Nathan remembered. It was when he was about to ask her to tutor him full-time but Tim and a few guys on the team had seen him.
"Well, no wonder she wasn't nice to you," Lucas said, shaking his head in disappointment. Nathan and Lucas had been at odds for a while, but since Lucas started dating Brooke and joined the team, they had come to a truce. They were civil towards one another now.
"What exactly did she say to you?" Brooke asked.
"It wasn't really what she said. It was more in the way she said it," Nathan said.
"How did she say it?" Brooke asked.
"She reminded me of you," he said, looking at Peyton.
"That doesn't surprise me. Haley's always had a way with words. She's always known how to express herself without resorting to actual insults," Lucas said. Brooke looked at him.
"Actual insults?" she repeated.
"You know. She doesn't swear," Lucas tried to explain.
"I never thought she had it in her," Peyton said, smiling like she was impressed.
"Not many people do. Haley's a very even-tempered person and she tries to be nice. But when you get her angry…" Lucas said. Nathan and the others looked at him expectantly. "Watch out and take cover," he finished.
4. Apologizing 101
**Apologizing 101 **(Chapter Four)
A WEEK LATER
Nathan Scott walked out of the school building and was surprised when he saw Haley James waiting for a bus to arrive. He assumed she would be getting a ride from Lucas. He honked his horn at her. At first, she flinched while waiting, but got back to reading the book she had. He honked again and stared at her. Another student nudged Haley. He said something to her. Her eyes widened a little and then she rolled them like she didn't believe the guy. Then, he pointed towards Nathan. Haley looked in Nathan's direction. Her gaze fell upon him and her eyes immediately narrowed in annoyance. She sighed as she went right back to the book she was reading. He honked the horn a few times in a row. She ignored him. Now, he was getting frustrated. No one had ever ignored him like that. "Haley James!" he shouted. She looked up at him and shrugged. He motioned for her to come over and she shook her head. At this point, a few of the students, including the ones waiting with Haley, were watching the scene unfold. A female student started talking to Haley, but since he was too far away, Nathan couldn't hear what she was saying. Haley shook her head at the girl and then pointed towards Nathan. Haley shook her head at Tina Lang.
"If you want someone to talk to Nathan, then, you go over there and talk to him," Haley finished saying. She pointed towards Nathan.
"I can't just go over there and talk to him. He wants to talk to you, so you should go over there," she said. Haley wrinkled her brow at her. She knew this was something of high school politics that she never really understood. She guessed that Tina meant that she can't just go over and talk to the popular guy if he didn't request her to and she also guessed that since Nathan, the popular guy in the scenario was asking her to come over and talk to him, Haley had some sort of obligation to go over and talk to him. Screw that. She was never one to conform to the insane rules of high school social hierarchy and she wasn't about to start now. If Nathan wanted to talk to her, he would have to get out of his car and come over to talk to her. But, that didn't mean that she'd talk to him, though. She'd gotten pretty good at ignoring him. Even Lucas had suggested that she give him a chance, but she knew he was only saying that so there'd be peace between him and Brooke. As well as the others when they ate at lunch, but since she never ate lunch with them, she didn't really care if there was peace. She smirked to herself as she saw that Nathan was getting impatient. He turned off his car and took off his seatbelt. He got out of the car and walked over to her. Patience always won out in the end. If she hadn't been patient with ignoring him, she'd never be able to see him squirm and she enjoyed it.
"What is your problem?" he asked as he came up to her. The others backed away. _Chickens_, she thought to herself.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, looking up from her book for a minute. He grabbed it from her. She reached for it.
"It's not polite to read while someone is talking to you," he said. She scoffed.
"I don't need a lecture on etiquette from _you_, thanks," Haley said. He put the book behind him and Haley shrugged. The bus had arrived. The other students were getting on it but Nathan wouldn't let her pass. "Grow up," she said, trying to get around him. She sighed as she turned around and started walking away.
"Where are you going?" he called.
"I'm walking home!" she yelled back.
"What about your book?" he called back.
"Keep it. You could probably benefit from reading a book that's not about sports!" she yelled. Nathan would've laughed at that comment if it weren't directed at him. He'd tried numerous times to get Haley to talk to him so he could apologize, but she never gave him a chance to get one word in. He had tried to talk to her at the tutoring centre a few times, but she'd either move to a different table or leave the room. If he saw her in the hallway, she'd turn around and go in the opposite direction. He was tired of Lucas bugging him about how Haley was acting around him so he decided that this little fight would end now so he could go back to getting along with his cousin and playing basketball without a care in the world, etc. He gave Haley a good ten-minute start, and then he got into the car and drove. He was driving on a country road, since their school was located on the edge of town. He finally caught sight of her. He stopped a few feet ahead of her and got out of the car.
"You walk pretty fast," he said as she neared him.
"Learn something new everyday," she said as she passed him. He sighed. Well, at least she was talking to him and not ignoring him.
"I'm sorry, ok?" he said loudly. Haley stopped walking. She turned around and walked back to him.
"I bet you are. You didn't think I'd hear what you were saying, did you?" she asked. He didn't answer. Haley shook her head in disbelief. "You know, everything people say about you is true: You really are a jerk," she said. She started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and turned her around. A look of fear flashed in her eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. There was only anger in her amber-coloured eyes now.
He let go of her as he said, "What I said was mean. I know that, but…" Her eyes flashed.
"But?" she repeated angrily. He looked at her for a minute. "There's a 'but' in your apology? You're not really going to give me a lame excuse, are you?" she asked. He shrugged. "Let me guess. I didn't know what you meant or how about, 'I was only saying it because my friends were there'?" Haley asked. He didn't know what to say. She laughed.
"Look, do me a favour. The next time you feel the need to apologize to me, go on one of your dates that you have 'every once in a while' because I don't want your apology if it's not sincere," she said.
THE NEXT DAY (AT SCHOOL)
"So, I heard you ignored Nathan," Lucas said as he came up behind Haley. Haley sighed. She turned around.
"Luke, leave it alone. You're never going to get me to see anything but arrogance in him," she warned. Lucas shook his head.
"I don't understand why you won't give him a chance," he said.
"Why should I?" Haley asked.
"Because it's what you told me to do when I didn't get along with him," he said.
"What is it that you're so upset about anyways? People have called you a dork or worse before and he didn't even call you that. Why are you giving him a hard time," Lucas asked.
"He used me," Haley said simply. Lucas looked at him. "He was nice to me when I was tutoring him and then five seconds after I corrected the final assignment, he turned into the arrogant asshole everyone says he is," she said. Nathan, Brooke, Peyton and Jake all walked up to Lucas' locker.
"Hey, Lucas," Nathan said. He looked at Haley and said, "Tutor girl." He meant it as an insult, not as the nickname that Brooke had made up. Haley actually laughed.
"But not your tutor," she retorted before she left. Peyton laughed but when Nathan looked at her, she stopped.
5. Working it Out
**Working it Out **(Chapter Five)
Peyton smiled at Haley's retreating form. She had quite the mouth on her and Peyton was impressed that she had the guts to talk to Nathan like that. Even Peyton herself had never dared to insult Nathan Scott when she first met him. But Haley obviously didn't care who Nathan was. Lucas glared at Nathan. "You know, you could make an effort," he said to him. Nathan scoffed.
"I did make an effort to apologize for the last week. I'm done that. If your friend wants to be a little bitch to me for no reason, that's fine by me. I'm done walking on egg shells because poor little Haley James got her feelings hurt," Nathan said. Lucas shook his head at Nathan in frustration.
"Why should Nathan be the one to apologize now?" Brooke asked. Lucas sighed.
"I'm not saying that Haley shouldn't apologize for the way she's been acting and the things she's said to you, Nate. I'm just saying that you could be the bigger person for a change and apologize to her first," he said.
"I did and she threw it back in my face," Nathan reminded him. Peyton looked at him.
"Did you try to excuse what you said by any chance?" she asked. Nathan stiffened. Peyton knew him way too well. He looked at her and nodded. She shook her head and smiled in amusement. She walked over to him. "Nathan, Nathan. You're never going to learn, are you?" she said putting her hands on his shoulders and laughing.
"What?" he asked.
"You can't make excuses if you're apologizing," she said.
"Why not?" he asked her.
"Because if you do, it's not really an apology," she explained.
"Well, I'm not apologizing again. I'm perfectly happy just ignoring her," he said.
"You're not ignoring her," Brooke pointed out.
"You're insulting her every time you see her," Jake added.
"Kind of like how when we were younger, you use to pick on the girl you liked," Peyton said. Nathan glared at her. Lucas started smiling.
"Is that it, Nathan? Do you like Haley?" Lucas asked. Nathan shook his head.
"Of course not. I think she's stuck up and looks down on everyone because she thinks she's so smart," Nathan said.
"Uh, she is smart," Brooke reminded him.
"And Haley's not like that. If you actually said that to her, I'm not surprised that she's being so mean," Lucas said.
"Whose side are you on here? We're family," Nathan asked.
"I'm not on anyone's side, Nathan. And, besides, Haley's my best friend. I'm just looking out for her," Lucas said.
"What did you mean when you said you wouldn't be surprised?" Peyton asked curiously. Lucas yawned for a second.
"Haley's been a tutor for a few years now and she takes those kinds of comments very personally," Lucas explained. Nathan shook his head in annoyance.
"How would you feel if someone accused you of taking steroids and then said that that's the only reason you're so good at basketball? Or that you're riding off of your dad's success as a kid?" Lucas asked. Nathan gave him a death glare. Peyton laughed. "See? You don't like that. Haley's been tutoring people for over three years now and she knows that people learn at different paces. She also is probably one of the most patient tutors in the school," Lucas said. Peyton looked at him.
"How do you know?" Brooke asked.
"She tutored me in ninth grade," he admitted.
"I never knew you had tutoring. I assumed you were always smart," Brooke said.
Lucas laughed as he said, "No I couldn't understand math to save my life in grade nine. Haley helped me through it, but she always waited for me to get it on my own. She didn't blast me or anything. If I didn't understand one part of a problem, she'd explain it step by step. That's how she is," Lucas said. Jake nodded.
"She tutored me for History one semester last year. I had a big project due and she helped me do research for it and helped me write the proper bibliography for it. She even edited everything for me," Jake said. Peyton looped her arm through Jake's as she drew him close.
"I didn't know you had tutoring. We were dating in tenth grade. How did I not know?" she said.
"I didn't want to tell anyone that I needed tutoring. I was ashamed," he explained.
"Even you can't deny that she's not a good tutor," Lucas said to Nathan. Nathan had to agree with him on that subject. He had had a professional tutor before in tenth grade and it was always sitting at the kitchen table doing problems and then giving them to the tutor who would mark them all wrong without telling him where he went wrong and he failed that class and had to make it up in summer school. Haley had helped him with his English paper by sitting down and having a normal discussion. It was the easiest paper he'd ever written. He remembered her saying that his paper was really good even when it had about a hundred grammar and spelling mistakes in it. Now, he felt bad. Lucas looked at him and smiled. "Starting to feel a little guilty?" he asked. Nathan nodded. He shook his head in defeat.
"Where did she go?" Nathan asked.
"Tutoring centre," Lucas replied, pointing down the hall. Nathan walked away from them and headed towards the tutoring centre. He walked in and was surprised to find that Haley was the only one in the room.
She looked up and said, "What do you want?"
"I wanted to talk to you," he said. She scoffed and looked at him incredulously.
"Yeah, right," she said.
"I'm serious. I just want to talk to you, I swear," he said, holding his hands up in surrender. She nodded. He walked into the room and closed the door. He sat down at the table she was at. She put her book down and looked at him.
"Well?" she said.
"Look, I wanted to apologize for what I said about you that Saturday," he said.
"I'm listening," she said. He smirked.
"I don't have an explanation for why I said what I said, or at least not one that you're going to like, so I won't try to explain. All I'll say is that I'm sorry and that I was wrong about you," he said. She nodded.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" she asked. He actually laughed.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"That's all I wanted to begin with but you made it seem like it was so difficult. If you had just said that the day you followed me home, it would've ended there," she said.
"I wasn't really sorry then," he said.
"What changed?" Haley asked.
"I got some sense knocked into me," he replied. Haley looked a little confused, but smirked.
"Now, it's your turn," he said.
"My turn?" Haley said. "To apologize," he said. Haley laughed.
"What do I have to apologize for?" she asked.
"Well, for starters, that you were wrong about me," he said.
"No, I wasn't. You were a jerk," she said. Nathan rolled his eyes. "But I'm sorry too," she said. He laughed.
"Friends?" he asked, holding out his hand. Haley looked at him closely for a second and then hesitated before she put her hand in his and shook it.
"Friends," she clarified.
6. To Join a New World or to Not
**Part Two**
Three months have gone by.
**To Join a New World or To Not **(Chapter Six)
Lucas Scott walked into school on Monday morning and went to his locker. He put his stuff away very quickly and grabbed the books he'd need for the next few periods and shoved them into his bag. He put a few pens and one pencil as well as an eraser in his pocket and was all set to go. He walked towards his best friend's locker. Since he and Brooke were all right in their relationship at the moment, he'd decided to hang out with Haley more often. Since he started dating Brooke, he knew he'd neglected time with Haley and he wanted to see how she was doing. He was near her locker, but slowed his pace down when he saw his cousin, Nathan at her locker. It'd been a few months since Haley and Nathan had buried the hatchet and become friends, but it was still unusual to see Haley hanging out with Nathan. He walked up to them, but neither had noticed that he was there. Haley was holding a math textbook in her hand as well as a piece of paper. She was explaining sine from trigonometry to Nathan. "Thanks, Haley. You've saved my life. I think I might actually pass the test today," he said taking the textbook from her and put it in his bag. He turned around and smiled as he saw Lucas.
"Hey, Luke," he said. He started to walk away, but then turned around. "We're still on for tonight, right?" he asked Haley. Haley nodded and smirked.
"Hey, loser," she said to Lucas. Lucas smiled.
"Hi, buddy," he said.
"What's tonight?" he asked.
"Tutoring session at his house," she replied.
"You're going over to his house?" Lucas asked. Haley nodded.
"Why?" she asked.
"Have you met his dad?" he asked sarcastically. She nodded.
"I've been there before," she said. Lucas' eyes widened in surprise.
"You two certainly seem to be spending a lot of time together lately," he commented. Haley's face scrunched in confusion.
"No more than when I tutored you in ninth," she said.
"Haley, we spent all our time together in grade nine," he pointed out. Haley laughed.
"Well, that's true. That was back when it was just the two of us against the world and no Tigger, but what I meant was the time I spent actually tutoring you," she said, closing her locker and putting the lock on it. Lucas stopped for a minute.
"Why do you call Brooke 'Tigger'?" Lucas asked, suddenly overcome with curiosity.
"Because she's so bouncy," Haley replied. Lucas looked at her in confusion.
"What?" he asked as if she were crazy.
"I'm serious. She's got a bouncy personality. She never stands still; she's always bouncing on her feet. Tigger from Whinny the Pooh bounced on his tail," Haley explained. Lucas laughed hysterically getting what she meant. That totally explained Brooke.
"That is true, but I don't think Brooke would appreciate that," Lucas said. Haley shrugged.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Because the way you say it sounds like you're insulting her," he said. Haley shrugged.
"Well, it's not an insult," she said. Lucas started walking again.
"Are you sure?" he asked. Haley looked at him. It was her "you better tell me what that means or else" look.
"I know you don't like Brooke," he said.
"And?" Haley asked.
"Well, I just want to make it clear that I don't want you insulting her. Brooke means a lot to me, Haley, and I would really like it if you two would get along or at least be civil towards one another," he said. Haley laughed.
"What is it with you and trying to get me to get along with your new friends?" she asked. He looked at her for a minute, but she continued as she said, "Next thing you know you're going to start asking me to eat lunch with the whole gang." He decided to drop the subject. Sarcasm was part of Haley's personality, but when every other word was sarcastic, he knew she was starting to get snarky. They walked into class and sat down.
AN HOUR LATER
Lucas ran into Brooke in the hall at her locker. She smiled when she saw him in the mirror that was on her locker door. "Hey," she said, putting on some lip-gloss. He smiled at her.
"So, I'm free tonight if you want to do something," he said. Brooke frowned. She turned around and looked at him.
"I thought you were doing something with Haley tonight," she said.
"I neglected to check to see if she didn't have plans already," he said.
"And she does?" Brooke asked in surprise. Lucas nodded.
"Doing what, homework?" Brooke joked.
"Tutoring session," he said. Brooke nodded.
"Who's she tutoring?" she asked.
"Nathan," he replied. Brooke's eyes widened in surprise.
"Again? Nathan blew me and Peyton off yesterday for a tutoring session," she said. Lucas shrugged.
"I guess he needs a lot of help," he said.
"Or he needs to see a lot of Haley," Brooke suggested. Lucas looked at her in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" he asked. Brooke smiled at him suggestively.
"Come on, Luke. I know you don't pay a lot of attention to things happening around you but no one is that oblivious," she said. He shrugged.
"Nathan and Haley," Brooke said.
"What about them?" he asked.
"I think Nathan likes Haley," Brooke said. Lucas laughed.
"Yeah, right. Haley is so not Nathan's type," Lucas said.
"So?" Brooke asked.
"Nathan's used to girls who are into like make-up, who drink, who are athletic or are cheerleaders and shop a lot. Haley's not like that. She likes to hang out and be comfortable, maybe read a book. Her idea of exercise is walking to school every morning," Lucas said.
"Depending on how far she walks, it might be exercise," Brooke said. Lucas looked at her.
"I know; totally not the point. But none of that matters. You can't help who you like, Lucas. You're not supposed to," Brooke said.
"They're complete opposites of each other. Haley's a sweet girl who doesn't like to be pushed around and Nathan's an arrogant jerk who is used to having his way and girls falling all over him," Lucas said.
"Opposites attract," Brooke said with a wink.
MEANWHILE IN THE TUTORING CENTRE
"Oh, it was awesome, Haley! I understood it," Nathan exclaimed as he walked into the nearly vacant room. Haley laughed.
"I take it the math test went well," Haley said. Nathan nodded.
"Better than well. It was..." he started.
"Awesome?" she teased. He laughed.
"Aren't you going to lunch?" he asked, looking at the table she was sitting at. She moved the chair beside her that had her bag on it and took out a lunch bag.
She pointed to it as she said, "I brought it with me." Nathan was not impressed.
"You're going to eat here?" he asked.
"Why not? I always do," she asked.
"All alone?" he asked.
"I have a book and music. I have everything I need," she replied. He looked at her with pity in his eyes. "Don't look at me like that, Nathan. It's not like I don't have any friends or anything. I do. I just prefer to eat here especially since I have work to do and it's quiet here and I have a computer to work on if I need it," she said.
"Why don't you come eat with me?" he asked. Haley laughed.
"Yeah, sure. Me eating with the jocks and the cheerleaders? How does that picture look to you? Because to me it looks like a big 'no'," Haley said sarcastically.
"Come on, it's not that bad," he said.
"What would I do their homework?" she asked.
"It wouldn't hurt. You'd definitely get on their good sides," he said. Haley looked at him in shock. He smiled to show that he was only kidding and she sighed with relief. He looked at her for a minute. "You could just sit and eat," he said. Haley shook her head.
"No, thanks. I'm fine right here," she said. He shook his head.
"Come on, Haley. What are you afraid of?" he asked.
"I'm not _afraid_," she insisted.
"Are you sure that you're not afraid that you might not be accepted by them?" Nathan asked. Haley didn't answer for a minute. Haley wasn't afraid that she might not be accepted. She was not the type of person who cared about what others thought of her. She was more concerned that she would be bored of her skull listening to them chat about sports.
"I don't like just sitting at a table and not saying anything when there are other people there," she said. He looked at her in confusion.
"You don't need to worry about that. They talk more than they eat," he said. Haley laughed.
"About what?" she asked.
"All sorts of things," he replied.
"Such as?" she asked.
"Well, about the team and the squad, of course," he offered. Haley's scrunched her face in disgust as she shook her head.
"No, thanks, Nathan," she said as she started to open her lunch. He shook his head. He walked over and grabbed her bag, portable CD player and her lunch bag. He put her things back in her bag and zipped it up. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Haley demanded.
"Call it persuading you to come and eat lunch with us. You need to eat and since I have your bag with your lunch and I'm going to the cafeteria, you're going to have to come too if you want your things back," he said.
"Persuading, huh? That's a pretty big word, Nathan. How'd you learn that?" Haley teased angrily as she tried to get her bag back from him. He held up over his head and he was at least three feet taller than her so she couldn't reach it.
"Nice try. Insulting me is not going to make me leave you alone," he said.
"You realize this is childish, right?" Haley asked, getting her sweater and putting it on as she put the files away. He shrugged.
"Maybe so, but I accomplished my goal," he answered as they were walking down the hall. They walked into the cafeteria and grabbed a lunch from the line and Haley came and sat down with him. It was almost as if she'd never even been in the cafeteria before. She seemed to have no idea where she was going. Nathan led the way to his lunch table. Haley could already see Peyton, Brooke, Lucas, Tim and a few other guys from the team at the table. Lucas looked up at her and was shocked to see her. Nathan sat down and pulled out a chair in between him and Peyton for her to sit in.
"What are you doing here? Don't you have some work to finish?" Lucas asked. He sat directly across the table from Brooke and to Haley's left.
"Yes," she replied, glaring at Nathan. He laughed. "I convinced her to join us," he explained. Lucas looked at Haley carefully.
7. Hidden Talents
Hidden Talents (Chapter Seven)
Nathan smirked in amusement at the look of annoyance on Haley's face. He couldn't help but admire her restraint as she took her bag from him and didn't swat him or anything. He could definitely tell she was angry or at least irritated with him. "So, what have you been up to, Hales?" Lucas asked.
"You just saw me this morning," Haley pointed out. Lucas shrugged.
"What's happened since then?" Brooke asked for him.
"Nothing much," she replied opening her lunch bag and bringing out her bottle of orange juice, turkey sandwich and a granola bar.
"Where'd you get that?" Peyton asked.
"From my kitchen," Haley replied as if the question were ludicrous. Peyton smirked.
"Most people I know buy their lunch from the cafeteria," Peyton said.
"Well, the prices in there are ridiculous and I happen to like good food, not the mush they serve that passes for food," Haley explained. Peyton laughed.
"It is horrible, isn't it?" she asked. Haley nodded.
"Where's your food?" Haley asked, noticing the lack of food in front of Brooke, Lucas, Nathan and Peyton.
"Oh, Jake went to get us something from McDonald's," Lucas explained.
"I think we have a class together next period," Peyton said. Haley shrugged.
"What do you have?" she asked.
"History," Peyton replied. Haley shook her head.
"No. I have vocal next period," Haley said.
"You sing?" Brooke asked. Haley nodded.
"Are you any good?" Nathan asked, looking at her. Haley shrugged.
"I do fine for the class," Haley replied. Lucas shook his head.
"Don't listen to her. She's amazing," he said.
"Why don't you ever perform?" Peyton asked.
"I have," she replied. Every one looked at her in surprise.
"She performs at the café a lot. When my mom learned that Haley could sing, she made me drag our piano over there and set up a little place for Haley to sing when she feels like it," Lucas said. Now that Nathan thought about it, he did remember seeing a piano with a microphone set up in a corner near the window of the café. He nodded in surprise.
THAT NIGHT (TUTORING SESSION AT NATHAN'S HOUSE)
"Mom, I'm home," he said as he and Haley walked into the house after school.
"Hi, Nathan," his father called. His mother actually came to the front door and smiled.
"Hi, honey," she said. Then, she looked at Haley and smiled. "Oh, hi, Haley. Are you tutoring today?" she asked. Haley nodded. "Will you be staying for dinner?" she asked. Nathan turned to look at Haley. He shrugged as she looked at him questioningly.
"I guess so," she said cautiously. Nathan smirked. Deb smiled as she went back into the kitchen.
"It will be served at seven," she called. He led the way downstairs to the den. There was a table set up there with chairs. They usually worked in the kitchen, but he didn't want his mother pestering them every five minutes. He grabbed his books from his room and came back downstairs and was surprised to see Haley already sitting down with her books piled in front of her.
"Where do you want to start off?" she asked.
"History?" he suggested. Haley nodded, grabbing her binder and textbook. He and Haley had three classes together: English, French and History. History was second period, English was first and French was third. And they both had fourth lunch.
"You know, until you started tutoring me, I never realized how many classes we have together," he said. Haley smirked.
"Well, we won't have any classes together next semester," she said.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because I loaded up on English and science courses next semester," she explained.
"Like what?" he asked.
"Well, I have biology first period, general science second period, grade twelve English third, and then Writer's Craft fifth period," she replied. He whistled.
"All university preparation?" he asked. She nodded.
"Well, you're right about that then because I stopped taking science in tenth grade when it was no longer required," he said.
"Let me guess: you're taking more PE courses," she said. He nodded.
"I like gym and I'm good at most sports. Might as well stick with my strengths, especially since I want to be a professional basketball player," he said. She nodded.
"You're going to college, right?" she asked. Nathan nodded.
"Yeah. I want something to fall back on," he said.
"What would you major in?" Haley asked.
"Probably advertising or technology," he said. She nodded and smiled.
"Not bad choices," she said.
"Thanks. So, why are you taking so all of those courses?" he asked.
"I want to be a writer," she said.
"Journalist or like novel writing?" he asked. Haley smiled.
"Both," she replied.
"What about singing?" he asked.
"It's a hobby, besides I write my own songs," she said.
"So, technically, you already are a writer," he said. She laughed.
"I guess that's true," she said laughing.
TWO HOURS LATER
"That was delicious, Mrs. Scott," Haley said.
"Thank you, Haley," Deb said smiling appreciatively.
"Thanks, Mom. That was great. Come on, Hales," Nathan said as he led the way out of the living room. He had adopted Lucas' nickname for her a long time ago. She never seemed to mind. She followed him out of the kitchen. He led the way into one of the two living rooms in his house. The one that he led her into had a piano.
"Nathan, shouldn't we get back to work?" she asked.
"We're done. I just needed help with the homework," he reminded her.
"Okay, so then, I should get home," she said.
"All in good time," he said. She looked at him and seemed to notice something in his expression.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.
"Will you do me a favour?" he asked. Haley's face wrinkled in confusion.
"That depends on what it is," she replied.
"Will you sing for me?" he asked.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I find it hard to believe that we've been friends for three months and not only have I not heard you sing, I had no idea that you could sing," he said.
"You promise you won't laugh?" she asked. He chuckled.
"Of course I won't laugh," he said.
"You can use that piano," he said, pointing towards it. She went over to the piano nervously and started playing chords. Then she started to sing:
_I'll always love you_
_Even though you are far away_
_I will think of you_
_While you ignore me_
_No matter how many times you say_
_That you're over me_
_I won't believe that_
_And no matter how loud you scream_
_I know you still want to kiss me_
_Our love goes deeper than the lies that were buried_
_Our love is clearer than the shadows of doubt_
_And I don't want to lose this once in a lifetime_
_Let love win, please darling_
_Let love win_
_I have no excuses for my terrible choices_
_My heart was in the right place_
_Will you ever forgive me?_
_You trusted me; I trusted you_
_But now our love-our dreams-are fading_
_There's nothing else I can do_
_Except to pray that you'll come back_
_Our love goes deeper than the lies that were buried_
_Our love is clearer than the shadows of doubt_
_And I don't want to lose this once in a lifetime_
_Let love win, please darling _
_Let love win_
_Let love win, please darling_
_Let love win_
She stopped playing and took a deep breath as she turned around to face him. She looked at him nervously. He started clapping as he smiled. "That was incredible, Haley! What was that song called?" he asked.
"Let Love Win," she said.
"Did you write it?" he asked. Haley laughed as she shook her head.
"No, it was written by Jane French," she said.
"Why don't you sing one of your own songs?" he asked. Haley shook her head insistently.
"Oh, no," she said.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because I'm already very nervous," she said.
"Come on," he said. She sighed as she looked at him. He looked at her pleadingly.
"Please? For me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Haley laughed.
"All right. Just don't ever make that face again," she said.
"Can't resist the puppy dogface, can you?" he asked.
"Actually, I can. It looks ridiculous," she said, turning back to the piano. She started playing and then singing:
_You're the one everybody's interested in_
_You see me, but you look right past me_
_You know who I am, but you don't know me_
_You assume I'm not worth your time_
_You'd think you would get it by now_
_I'm the one who's always around_
_Looking at people and hoping they're all okay_
_I'm the girl that nobody notices _
_I hide behind the mask that people around me have given me_
_It's not the only one that can fit me, but I wear it anyways_
_There is so much more to me than meets the eye_
_But when I'm around, no one notices_
_Nobody wonders what's going on with me_
_Nobody wonders if I'm okay_
_They're all busy trying to figure out who they are_
_I take comfort in the fact _
_That I already know who I am _
_The only thing left is for you to know too_
Nathan watched her stop playing and was amazed by the power and volume of her voice. He had no idea that Haley James was so talented. He guessed like she said in her song, he never noticed. "What's that called?" he asked.
"It's Time That You Knew," she replied.
"That was great," he said again. She smiled at him.
"Now, I need to get home," she said. He laughed as he nodded.
8. Becoming One of the Girls
Becoming One of the Girls (Chapter Eight)
FIVE DAYS LATER (SATURDAY MORNING)
"Hey, Nathan!" Peyton exclaimed when Nathan opened his front door. Nathan felt like he'd gone back in time. Back in ninth grade, he and Peyton had dated and this was how they used to start every morning. Peyton would come to his house and ring the doorbell. He'd answer it and she'd give him a big greeting.
"What are you doing here?" he asked without thinking. Peyton frowned.
"Gee, it's nice to see you too," she said sarcastically. She started to turn around but he grabbed her arm.
"Look, Peyton, I'm sorry. I'm just surprised to see you at my doorstep. What's up?" he said. Peyton nodded.
"Me and Jake are kidnapping everyone to go hang out," she said.
"Everyone?" he repeated.
"You, me, Jake, Brooke, Lucas, Tim and…" she replied.
"And?" he repeated. He started repeating the names in his head. Who was missing from their group?
"And Haley," Peyton said. Nathan looked at her in shock.
"Haley _James_?" he asked. Peyton nodded. "Since when does she hang out with us?" Nathan asked.
"Since she's eaten lunch with us every day for the past week," Peyton replied.
"I don't know if she'd want to come. It's not really her kind of thing," he said. Peyton laughed.
"Oh, please, Nathan. Every girl likes shopping," she said, hitting him on the shoulder and walking into his house.
"Where are you going?" he asked, following her inside.
"Up to your room. You need to get ready. Come on," she said already up the stairs.
"What about Brooke, Tim and Lucas?" Nathan asked walking into his room and picking out some clothes. He went into the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom and closed the door most of the way, but left it open a little crack so he could still hear her.
"We already picked Tim up. Jake just when to go grab Lucas and Brooke. They're at his house. We need you and Lucas to get Haley," she said.
"Why?" he called.
"Because we don't know where she lives," Peyton replied. He was dressed and came out of the bedroom.
"How are you going to convince her to go?" he asked eagerly. Peyton smiled at him. He looked in the mirror and saw that there was a silly grin on his face.
"Just leave it to me. I can convince anyone to do anything," she said.
"You may have met your match with Haley, Pey," he said. Peyton looked at him curiously. "What?" he asked. She smiled. "What!" he asked again, more loudly this time.
"You like Haley, don't you?" she asked. He looked away from her.
"Don't be ridiculous," he said. Her eyes widened with excitement as she smiled.
"You do!" she exclaimed. He started to say something, but she interrupted him. "Oh, you can't deny it now, Nathan. You only avoid looking someone in the eye if you're hiding something," she said. A horn honked outside and Peyton went to the window. She waved as she said, "It's them. Come on, lover boy, we've got to go."
"Don't say a word," he warned her. Peyton laughed.
"Aw," she teased.
"Peyton, I mean it," he said. She rolled her eyes as she nodded. "You promise?" he asked.
"Oh, what are you, in kindergarten? Yes, I promise," she said, leading the way out of the room and to the car.
FIVE MINUTES LATER
They pulled in front of Haley's house. Her house was impressive, but it wasn't a flashy house. It was large enough for all of her brothers and sisters, but it still wasn't as big as Nathan's house. He knew her parents made a good enough living to afford a house like his if they didn't have so many kids. Everyone got out of the car and started walking up to the front of the house. Lucas was the one to knock on the door. No one answered. Nathan had never been over to her house. They always did tutoring at a library, school or his house. Lucas turned the knob, but it was lock. He took his key chain and unlocked the front door. He walked in first and led the way up to the main floor. "Haley?" he called. There was no answer.
"I hear music," Peyton said. Lucas listened carefully.
"It's the piano coming from her room," he said, leading the way upstairs. They walked passed eight doors and stopped in front of the one at the end of the hall on the right. Lucas tapped on it lightly. The piano music stopped as footsteps approached the door. The knob turned and Haley appeared on the other side. She smirked when she saw Lucas, but frowned when she saw every one else.
"What's going on?" she asked, looking at everyone.
"We're going out," Lucas announced.
"Okay. Have fun," Haley said uncertainly. It was as if she thought they came all the way over there to tell her that and she clearly didn't understand why.
"No, Hales. We're all going out," he said gesturing to everyone, including her. Haley laughed.
"We are, are we?" she asked doubtfully. Peyton stepped forward, dragging Brooke in the room by her arm and closed the door.
"Yes, we are," she said. Haley narrowed her eyes at Peyton. _No wonder Nathan likes her_, Peyton thought to herself. Haley was clearly her own boss.
"I don't think so," Haley said, sitting back down at the piano. Peyton was surprised by the harshness of her tone.
"Why not?" Brooke asked.
"I'm not a big drinker. I wouldn't fit in," Haley offered. Peyton cracked a smile.
"Then, you can be the designated driver," Brooke said, shrugging as if it weren't a big deal, which it wasn't. They didn't discriminate against people who didn't drink. Peyton actually had a lot of respect for people who chose not to.
"Driving at night creeps me out," Haley said.
"So put on the interior. You'd never know the difference," Brooke said, playing along to Haley's game.
"That's illegal," Haley pointed out. Brooke looked to Peyton questioningly. Peyton nodded, indicating that what Haley said was true.
"Whoops. Oh, well," Brooke said to herself.
"Next excuse, please," Peyton said sarcastically. Haley winked at Peyton mischievously.
"I hate shopping," Haley said. Brooke gasped and started choking as if she'd had the wind knocked out of her. Peyton laughed hysterically.
"That was a good one," she said to Haley.
"Thanks," she said.
"So, seriously, will you come with us?" Peyton asked. Haley hesitated. Then, she shook her head.
"Not even if Nathan is coming?" Peyton asked intuitively. There was a flicker in Haley's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"Not even if he's coming," Haley said.
"Brooke, go and see Lucas," Peyton said.
"Thank you! Hope you decide to come with us, Haley," Brooke called as she slammed the door. They heard her footsteps bounding down the stairs. Haley had a confused look on her face.
"Did she just call me 'Haley'?" she asked. Peyton nodded.
"I think you should come with us," Peyton said.
"Well, I don't," Haley said. Peyton smiled. Nathan was right; Haley was a stubborn one.
"Why not?" Peyton asked. Haley played a few keys on the piano before she answered.
"I'm not the best person to go shopping with," Haley said. Peyton smiled.
"Well, we're not only going to shop at the mall. We'll grab a bite to eat eventually. But I think you're the perfect person to go shopping with me and Brooke," she said. The guys would meet up with them eventually, but for the most part, it'd be the girls shopping.
"Why?" Haley asked.
"Well, Brooke and I sometimes go crazy when we shop. We don't know when to stop sometimes. And you seem like you're the kind of person who doesn't shop a lot. You go to the stores when you need things and you occasionally browse, but you'll look quickly at clothes and take what you like. You won't try on twenty different outfits and model each one for your friends. You'll pick what you like," Peyton said.
"So?" Haley asked.
"Well, you also strike me as the type of person who doesn't like to waste their time. So when Brooke and I go crazy, you'll be there to stop us," Peyton said. Haley laughed as she nodded.
"You'd probably drag us out of the store," Peyton said, smiling.
Haley smirked as she said, "I totally would do that." Peyton's eyes widened in surprise.
"What would people think?" she asked Haley.
"They'd know not to mess with me when I mean business," Haley offered.
9. Regroup
Regroup (Chapter Nine)
TWENTY MINUTES LATER
Peyton and Brooke walked into La Senza's and started looking around. Haley browsed for a while, but after fifteen minutes, she started to complain. "Come on, Brooke, you've tried on six bras and you're buying them all. Surely, you have enough," Haley said. Brooke laughed.
"Just this last top, Tutor Girl," she promised.
"That'll be the day," Haley said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I told you that she tends to go overboard," Peyton said, smiling.
"She passed overboard four bras and seven tops ago and crossed directly into outrageous shopaholic!" Haley said loudly.
"I heard that!" Brooke called from the dressing room.
"You were supposed to!" Haley called back. Peyton laughed. Then, she grew serious.
"Do you like Nathan, Haley?" she asked. Haley looked at her in disbelief for a second. She scrunched up her face in a look of annoyance.
"I don't know," she said. This surprised Peyton. Haley always seemed to be so sure of everything.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" Peyton asked.
"Well, I like him, sure, but I'm not so sure that it'd be a good idea," she said.
"Oh," Peyton said in understanding. Haley wasn't sure if she and Nathan dating would be a good idea. "Why don't you think it would be a good idea?" she asked. Haley stopped to think for a second. "Are you worried that he might not like you?" Peyton asked. Haley shook her head.
"Well, I know that he likes me… as a friend. But in the way that I like him?" Haley said. She shrugged. "And even if he did, there's other things that get in the way," Haley said.
"Like Lucas?" Peyton asked. Haley laughed.
"No. Why would he be in the way?" she asked.
"Well, maybe you're worried that Lucas might not be comfortable with you and Nathan dating," Peyton said. Haley shook her head.
"He didn't feel the need to check to see if I was comfortable with him and Brooke before he started dating her, so why should I care if he's comfortable with Nathan and me?" Haley said.
"Well, you seem like the type of person who would be, especially since Nathan and Lucas are related," Peyton said.
"So? Brooke and I might not be related, but we still don't get along all the time. Normally, I would be cautious because Nathan and Lucas are related, but not this time," Haley said. Peyton nodded in understanding. She knew that when Lucas and Brooke started dating almost eight months ago that things had changed. Peyton had to welcome a new person in her group of friends and she was a little hesitant at first, but she welcomed Lucas eventually. Haley, Peyton remembered, had not welcome Brooke at all when they started dating. Haley and Brooke's animosity towards one another had been there since seventh grade when Brooke spread a rumour around school about Haley's older sister, Taylor, being a slut. Peyton imagined that Haley must have been really hurt when Lucas started dating Brooke, but Haley probably realized how Lucas felt about Brooke and let it slide.
"So what else is getting in the way?" Peyton asked.
"Nathan," Haley replied cryptically. Catching the confused on Peyton's face, Haley said, "The way he acts around me. He's really nice to me when we're alone. But when we're with other friends, he gets this weird edge to his voice and starts behaving like a jackass." Peyton smiled.
"That's just, Nathan. Is he an ass to you?" Peyton asked. Haley shook her head.
"Not anymore," she said with an edge in her voice. Peyton smiled. She remembered the little fight between Nathan and Haley a few months prior and how Haley had taught Nathan a lesson on how he had to treat her if he wanted her help.
"He's probably acting like a tough guy in front of his friends because he doesn't want any of them to take you from him," Peyton said. Haley laughed.
"Yeah, right. He doesn't even really see me," she said.
"Oh, I beg to differ. From what he told me this morning, he sees you pretty clearly," Peyton said, smirking.
"What do you mean?" Haley asked. Peyton shook her head. _Sorry, Nathan, but I have to tell her if you want a chance in hell of dating her_, Peyton thought to herself.
"He told me he likes you," Peyton said. Haley looked at her doubtfully.
"In what context?" Haley asked. Peyton smirked.
"In the context that you better let him know that you like him too if you want him to make a move," Brooke said as she came towards them with the shopping cart. Haley looked happy at the realization that Nathan liked her too.
SOMEWHERE IN THE MALL
Nathan and Lucas walked out of HMV and started to walk to the food court where the girls said they'd meet them. Jake and Tim joined them as they found a table with six chairs and dragged one over. They sat down and started chatting. "So, Nathan, what are your plans for this weekend? Any dates?" Tim asked. Nathan shook his head.
"Nathan Scott doesn't have a date for the weekend?" Lucas asked in amazement.
"It's by choice, Cuz. I'm not losing my touch or anything," he said.
"Why is it by choice?" Tim asked.
"I've got my eye on a particular girl and I don't want any distractions," he said. Lucas and Jake looked at each other knowingly and smiled at Nathan. "What?" he asked.
"That girl wouldn't happen to be Haley, would it?" Lucas asked, smirking. Nathan kept his cool.
"What makes you think that?" he asked calmly.
"Oh, come off it, Nathan. It's obvious to anyone with half a brain that you have a thing for her," Jake said.
"It is?" he asked, looking to Lucas. He nodded.
"What's taking you so long to ask her out?" Tim asked. Nathan shrugged.
"I don't know how she feels," he said.
"Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and say she likes you," Lucas said.
"She told you that?" he asked. Lucas shook his head.
"Not directly, no," he admitted.
"Then how do you know?" Nathan asked.
"Because I see the look on her face when the two of you are together," Lucas said. Nathan looked at Jake in confusion. "It's the same goofy look you have on your face," Lucas explained. Jake and Tim laughed as it dawned on Nathan that Haley liked him like he liked her.
"Come on, Brooke. No more shopping until I've had a good meal so I'll be able to pull you away from the stores," Haley shouted as the girls approached them. Lucas kissed Brooke when she sat down next to him. Jake kissed Peyton. Haley sat down in between Nathan and Tim and smiled at Nathan.
"Hey, Hales," he said, looking at her in a new light now that he knew the truth. It was as if a switch had been pulled and he was recognizing all the signs of attraction now.
Haley smiled at him sweetly as she said, "Hi, Nathan." "Let us know when you're ready to come up for air," she said to the others. She looked around the table. "Where'd Tim go? He was just here two seconds ago," she asked. Nathan pointed towards a separate table that had two people sitting at it. Tim was with his girlfriend, Tammy.
10. Crossing into Unkown Territory
Crossing into Unknown Territory (Chapter Ten)
Haley got out of Jake's car when he pulled into her driveway. She was shocked when Nathan got out too. Haley looked at him in confusion. "They're going to drop Brooke, Lucas and Tim off first, then come back for me. I live on this side of town," he explained. Haley nodded.
"You can come in if you want," she said leading the way across the lawn and unlocked the front door. She opened it and took her shoes off in the front hall. She walked up the stairs and down the hall and turned to the right. They were in the kitchen now. "I'm hungry," she said.
"We just ate," he said laughing at her.
"I meant for good food," she said, grabbing an apple.
"Fries are good," he said.
"You know that I meant food that's actually good for you," she said. "Want one?" she asked. He nodded. She tossed him one.
"Thanks," he said as he bit into the Granny Smith apple.
"Did you have fun?" he asked as they sat down at the table. Haley took another bite out of her apple and then swallowed.
"I guess," she said. He raised his eyebrows.
"You guess?" he asked.
"Well, the eating part was fun. But I don't think I'll be shopping with Brooke again anytime soon," she said. Nathan laughed as he nodded in understanding. "She's still that bad?" he asked.
"How do you know how bad she is? You guys were nowhere to be found," she said.
"When Peyton and I dated, she and Brooke dragged me shopping with them," he explained. Haley laughed. "So, why do you like the eating part best?" he asked. Haley bit her lip.
"Because you were there," she admitted. Nathan felt as if he were dreaming. He was almost certain that his ears were playing tricks on him.
"Did I hear you right?" he asked. Haley nodded. He exhaled deeply. What the heck was he going to say to that? She had basically just admitted that she had feelings for him. Or did she? He could never really tell with Haley. One thing that usually meant something could mean something totally different with her. "Why?" he asked. Haley smiled.
"You're not that daft, are you?" she asked, smiling.
"I've been wrong about this sort of thing before, Haley. I need you to tell me exactly what you mean," he said. He hadn't really ever been wrong before. He just wanted to hear her say the words he was almost convinced she was going to say.
"I should think that it's quite obvious, Nathan. I like you in every sense of the word," she said.
"The romantic sense?" he asked.
"Especially that sense," Haley confirmed. He smiled at her.
"Interesting," he said more to himself. Haley frowned. Her face clouded with confusion.
"That's all you have to say?" she asked. She was getting angry. He really liked her when she was angry. The way her eyes narrowed and her voice got a dangerous edge to it was so attractive he was surprised she didn't have very much experience in dating. He smiled.
"You're cute when you're angry," he said. At first, she seemed annoyed, but then the full meaning of his words dawned on her and she smiled widely. It was a genuine smile and they were his favourite. He took her hand from across the table. She entwined their fingers and closed their hands together.
"So, now that we both know how we feel, what do we do about it?" Haley asked. Nathan looked at her suggestively. Haley glared at him and he smiled.
"I think we should go on a date and then take it from there," he said as he pulled her off the chair and led her out of the house.
"I don't have a car and neither do you," she said.
"Yes, I do," he said.
"But you don't have it here," she pointed out.
"Then, I'll wait for Jake and Peyton to come back and drop me off and then I'll come back and get you. It will give you some time to get ready," he said. Haley looked at herself.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" she asked with a puzzled look on her face. He smiled as he sighed with relief.
"I knew I liked you for a reason," he said. Haley still looked confused. "There's nothing wrong with what you're wearing," he said.
"Then, why would I change?" she asked. He laughed again. She was so unlike the other girls he'd dated and he loved it.
TWENTY MINUTES LATER
Nathan pulled in front of Haley's driveway and honked the horn. Two minutes later, the front door opened and Haley was still wearing the same clothes that she was. The only thing different was her hair. She'd pulled it into a classy ponytail. She opened the front passenger seat and smiled as she dropped her purse on the front dash. "Is it ok if I put that there?" she asked. He nodded.
"Why wouldn't it be?" he asked.
"Some people might find it presumptuous to just toss my purse there," she said.
"Well, not me," he said, shaking his head. Then she pulled her seatbelt on.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Charlotte," he replied. Haley looked at him in shock.
"Um, Nathan, that's two hours away," she said.
"I know a good restaurant there. My dad took us there once," he said.
"It's not a fancy restaurant, is it?" she asked.
"I guess," he said.
"Then, turn the car around and pick somewhere else," she said. He pulled over as he looked at her in confusion.
"What's wrong?" he asked. Haley smiled.
"Have you taken other girls there?" she asked. He stopped to think.
"A few, yes," he said.
"And you feel that you have to take a girl to a fancy restaurant?" Haley asked.
"Most girls expect it from me," he explained. Haley smiled.
"Nathan, I hate to point out the obvious, but I'm not like 'most girls'. You don't need to take me to a fancy restaurant to impress me. Just being you is enough for me," she said.
"In that case, how about Karen's Café?" he asked. Haley's smile widened.
"Now, we're talking. Good food is a good way to win me over too and I happen to be an expert on the food served at the café. It's the best," she said. He laughed. He couldn't believe it'd taken him this long to ask Haley out. He liked how she acted like herself all the time. Other girls that he'd take out would be too willing to please or total snobs once they were actually out. He didn't like it one bit and that was usually what made him not ask them out again. From the way the date had been going so far, he'd ask Haley out again, and they hadn't even gotten to the café yet. He parked on the road near the café and got out of the car. Before she could, Nathan raced around to her side and opened Haley's door for her. She looked at him and smiled. "And they say chivalry is dead," she joked.
"Just common courtesy," he said, folding her arm in his as they walked into the café. To his amazement, Lucas and Brooke were there. His mother was there as well, but that didn't really surprise him since she worked there. He ignored the looks of astonishment on the teenage customers' faces and took Haley over to the corner booth where they'd had their first tutoring session and sat down.
"Do you feel like we have an audience?" she asked, gesturing to the people around them. Nathan shrugged.
"Since when do you care what people think about you?" he asked. Haley laughed as she took their menus and started to leave. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"Its kind of ridiculous to wait here, isn't it? I work here. I can go back there and grab what we want," she said. Nathan started to shake his head, but Haley ignored him and got up. A few minutes later, she returned with food. "I hope you like this because I'm not getting up again now that I have my food," she said. He laughed.
"It's fine," he said. It was roast beef and fries along with gravy. They started eating in silence for a while. About ten minutes later, a girl walked up to them, or rather, to Nathan and smiled at him.
"Hi, Nathan," she said and leaned on the table, blocking his view of Haley. He was at a loss of words. He had no idea who she was.
"Hi," he said carefully.
"It's me, silly. Amber," she said.
"It's nice to meet you, Amber," he said. She smiled appreciatively.
"We've met before. You took me out a few months ago. Remember?" she asked. He shook his head. "Well, it was a while ago. I can't blame you. Anyways, I was hoping you might want to go catch a movie tonight," she said.
"We're on a date, which you're kind of intruding on," he said. Amber looked at him in shock.
"You are on a date with Haley James?" she asked. He nodded.
"Did you lose a bet or something?" Amber asked.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"Or is this some sort of pity thing?" Amber asked. He looked at Haley. She looked furious.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Haley demanded.
"Oh, come on, Haley. Every one knows that you've never been on a date before and Nathan here obviously feels some sort of obligation since you've been tutoring him," Amber said, looking at her. Haley looked at her in disbelief. "You don't really expect me to believe that this is a real date, do you? There's just no way," Amber said.
"And why's that?" Haley asked.
"Because you're you and he is Nathan Scott. You're a nerd and he's hot," Amber said.
"Well, it is a real date. One that I'd like to get back to. So, please leave," Nathan interrupted. Amber stalked away in annoyance. Haley was looking at her empty plate. "Haley, are you ok?" he asked. Haley looked at him and smirked.
"I'm sorry. I don't usually let people like her get to me," she said.
"Well, she was out of line," he said. Haley shook her head.
"Was she?" she asked. Nathan looked at her in shock.
"What?" he asked. Haley shrugged.
"Well, part of what she said was true. We are totally different," Haley said.
"And?" Nathan asked.
"And we don't really have that much in common, do we? We come from different worlds. You're used to girls who dress like supermodels or whatever, who are experienced in dating and who just give it away at the drop of a hat. You live the high life. I don't," she said. He nodded.
"I understand what you mean. I really do. Its part of the reason I was so hesitant to admit that I actually liked you for a long time. But now I think that it's our differences that make us so perfect for each other," he said.
"What?" Haley asked.
"Haley, I like that you're different. I like that you have your own life and you don't dress like a 'supermodel'. You dress like you and you act like you. You're an original and that is really more attractive than all the supermodels in the world," he said. Haley smiled widely. She leaned over the table and so did he and they kissed.
11. Rejection
Rejection (Chapter Eleven)
Two months have gone by
HALEY'S HOUSE
"Okay, now it's time to get to work," Haley said as she broke the kiss. Nathan sighed.
"Come on. I can fail one test," he said. Haley laughed as she got up off the bed and went over to the desk.
"Not on my watch," she said, bringing the books onto the bed and her pen. "Do these equations. And I'll work on some of my work," she said. He stretched out and yawned.
"Oh, I have something to tell you," he said. At the tone in his voice, Haley turned around and looked at him cautiously. "Brooke is throwing a party tomorrow," he said. Haley shrugged.
"So?" she asked. Nathan laughed at her cavalier attitude. She really was from a different world than him.
"She wants us to come," he said.
"Us?" Haley asked doubtfully.
"Yeah, you and me," he clarified.
"Did she specifically say the both of us, Nathan, or did she say you and you want me to come?" she asked.
"She invited me and I am inviting you," Nathan said.
"I thought so," Haley said.
"What?" Nathan asked.
"Nathan, Brooke and I don't get along… at all," she reminded him.
"So?" he asked.
"So, I don't think she'd like it if I showed up at her house uninvited," she said.
"Well, I want you to come and if you don't, then I don't want to go," he said.
"No, you should go. They're your friends and you've been spending so much time with me, you hardly see them anymore," Haley said.
"But I want to spend time with you. Why can't I spend time with you and with my friends at a party, no less?" he asked.
"Because I'm not going to a party thrown by Brooke Davis," Haley said.
"What does that mean?" he asked.
"It means that I don't fit in with that crowd and I have no desire to be exposed to the kinds of things that go on in that type of party," Haley said.
"Lucas will be there," he said, hoping that would make her change her mind.
"Yeah, and he knows that parties and me don't mix," Haley said. He got up and kneeled down at her chair. He drew her in and kissed her long and hard.
"Will you come now?" he asked. Haley shook her head. Then, he kissed her longer and deeper. When the kiss ended, he smiled as he said, "That's worth coming to the party at least." Haley smiled.
"You know, you give yourself way too much credit," she teased. Then he kissed her again. "Okay, stop. I'll go," she said. Nathan smiled, but then he frowned.
"Wait, you don't like it when I kiss you?" he asked in concern. Haley laughed and swatted him playfully on the shoulder.
"Of course I do, but I need some time to breathe in between," she said, laughing harder.
THE NEXT DAY
Haley yawned in the car on the way to Brooke's house. Lucas laughed. "Why am I driving you again?" he asked.
"Because Nathan is already there and I wanted to go later and I knew I could count on you for that," she said, giggling.
"I am not always late," he protested. Haley laughed.
"Sorry, but you are, Luke. If you were on time for anything, I'd wash my mouth out with soap," Haley promised.
"I'm on time for practice every day," he said.
"No, you're not," she said.
"Yes, I am. I'm in the change room when practice starts," he said.
"If you're in the change room while the practice is just starting, then you're not on time because you're obviously still getting ready," she said.
"We do warm-ups, so it's not like it really matters if I get out there a little after everyone else," Lucas said.
"That may be so, but you're still late," Haley pointed out.
"Everyone's a critic," Lucas mumbled in mock anger. Then he smiled and started laughing with Haley. He pulled the car onto the side of the road. Haley looked at Brooke's house in shock.
"That's Brooke's house?" Haley asked. Lucas nodded as he opened her door and walked up to the front door with her. He knocked on it and Brooke answered the door a few seconds later.
"Hey, Broody, it's about time you showed up!" she exclaimed and kissed him. Then, she saw Haley and turned to him.
"And you brought some company," she said, looking at him in confusion. She probably thought Haley couldn't tell what the look was about.
"Actually, Nathan invited her," Lucas said. Brooke nodded.
"Nathan's inside," she said, throwing a sarcastic smirk Haley's way. Haley smiled right back only hers did not have a trace of sarcasm in it. She was too preoccupied with finding Nathan to deal with her issues about Brooke. She waved bye to Lucas and whisked passed the two of them. She walked in and couldn't see Nathan. But she did run into that Amber girl.
"What are you doing here?" Amber asked in sarcasm.
"I was invited," she said.
"Really? By who, your imaginary friend?" Amber asked, clearly drunk.
"No, by my boyfriend. Nathan Scott. I'm sure you remember him," Haley said, slipping past her, taking a little pleasure in the shocked look on Amber's face. She started searching the living room and stopped in front of the kitchen table where people were playing strip poker. Then, strong arms came around her. And lips started trailing kisses down her neck. She smiled at the slightly familiar touch.
"I've missed you," Nathan said. Haley turned around and he started to kiss her. Haley pulled back.
"Nathan, are you drunk?" Haley asked.
Nathan laughed as he said, "What do you think?"
"I think you are," she said.
"Then, I must be if you think I am, right? I mean, you're always right, right?" he asked.
"I didn't mean it like that," she said.
"You never do, Haley, but it always comes out like that," he slurred. Haley took a step away from him.
"Did something happen tonight, Nathan? Are you ok?" she asked. Her voice was full of concern.
"I just got in touch with who I am, Hales, that's all," he said.
"What are you talking about?" she asked. He smiled wickedly at her.
"I missed parties like this, that's what I meant," he said.
"I know. That's why you're here," she reminded him.
"And I'm going to the one tomorrow night too and the night after that and every other night this week," he said. Haley nodded.
"Ok, if that's what you want," she said, not fully understanding what he was trying to tell her.
"Thanks for the permission," he said. Now, she was angry.
"What hell has gotten into you?" she asked.
"Me, Haley. For the first time in a long time, I've been reminded of who I really am," Nathan said.
"A drunk?" Haley guessed. Nathan frowned.
"There's nothing wrong with drinking," he said.
"I didn't say there was," she said simply.
"No, but the disdain in your voice makes it pretty clear that you have a problem with it," he said. Haley shrugged.
"I don't, normally. If other people want to drink themselves into a stupor every night before they die of alcohol poisoning, I consider it their choice. But, I do have a problem with it when my boyfriend starts insulting me while he's drunk," she said.
"Well, I have my own mind and I can make my decisions for myself. You're not making them for me anymore," he said.
"Exactly what choice have I made for you?" she asked.
"The choice not to hang out with my friends," he said.
"That was your decision, Nathan, not mine. You said you wanted to spend time with me. If you remember things correctly in your current state, then you should remember that I told you that you should go. You're the one who wanted me to come," she reminded him.
"Because I wanted to bring you into my circle. I wanted you to be friends with my friends so that we could all hang out together," he said.
"I don't have to like your friends, Nathan, and they don't have to like me. I only want to be in your life. I don't want to be in your world that includes your friends. I have my own," she said.
"My friends are my life, Haley and if you don't accept them, then you can't accept me," he said.
"Are you giving me an ultimatum?" she demanded.
"Big word, Haley. I am drunk," he said.
"Are you saying that either I choose you and your friends or choose not to have you at all?" she demanded.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. If you don't want my friends, then I can't be with you. This is my world and if you choose to be with me, you have to come into my world and be a part of everything that comes with it," he said.
"Nathan, you're not thinking straight while you're drunk. Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked.
"Haley, I know what I'm doing," he said. Haley nodded, knowing what she had to do.
"Then, you can have your world because I don't want it," she said. She moved away from him and started to walk away. She turned around and said, "Any of it."
MONDAY (TWO DAYS LATER)
Haley sat down at the table in the tutoring centre. She had gone into a routine to eating lunch with Nathan, Peyton, Lucas, Jake and Brooke, but now she was quite content with going back to her old routine of eating lunch in the tutoring centre. She opened her bag and pulled out her lunch bag. She grabbed her Pepsi, slice of leftover pizza and usual granola bar. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She looked up and was surprised to see Peyton Sawyer. "What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.
"We're all wondering where you were," she said.
"Well, here I am. I'm not lost," she said. Peyton smirked.
"I can see that. We were just worried. How come you're not at the table?" she asked. Haley looked at her.
"Why do you ask a question to which the answer is so blatantly obvious?" Haley asked, not in the mood for polite chitchat.
"Haley, Nathan gets a little intense when he's drunk. You shouldn't take anything he says too seriously," Peyton said.
"So you know what happened?" Haley asked.
"Nathan told me yesterday," she admitted. Haley nodded as she put her food down and looked at Peyton angrily.
"Maybe you let Nathan treat you like that when the two of you were going out, but I won't," Haley said. Peyton smirked.
"I'm just trying to explain to you that there are certain things that you need to accept about Nathan," she said.
"I can't and I won't accept treatment like that from anyone," Haley clarified.
"He was drunk," Peyton offered.
"And that's supposed to make what he did to me ok?" Haley asked.
"It's supposed to make you realize that it didn't mean anything," Peyton said.
"But it did," Haley said.
"Haley, Nathan wasn't thinking when he said all of that stuff," Peyton said.
"Some things tend to come out clearer when we lose our inhibitions, Peyton," Haley said. Peyton started to speak.
"It's over, Peyton," Haley said clearly. "Just stop making excuses for him because it's not going to change what happened!" Haley exclaimed.
"Haley, you're not thinking straight right now," Peyton warned.
"Actually, I am. I'm not drunk," Haley said.
"No, you're angry and anger tends to cloud a person's judgement," Peyton said.
"Or it can make a person's judgement more precise. I mean, think about how I was when I wasn't angry. I actually thought that Nathan was a good guy and I believed that he would never hurt me. I obviously wasn't judging him pretty well then," Haley said, putting her stuff back in her bag and storming out of the room.
Peyton walked back to the cafeteria. She sat down at the table. "Where were you?" Jake asked.
"I was in the tutoring centre," she said. Everyone looked at her in shock. Nathan looked at her and shook his head.
"Peyton, you didn't," Lucas said, shaking his head.
"Did," she admitted, nodding her head. Lucas looked at her and sighed.
"How did it go?" Nathan asked. Peyton laughed.
"Do you remember when you told me that I may have met my match in Haley?" Peyton asked. Nathan nodded. "It turns out you were right," Peyton said, smiling at him sympathetically.
"That bad, huh?" Lucas asked.
"I tried, Nate. Whatever you said must have really hurt. She's really mad," Peyton said. Nathan nodded.
"I was drunk. She shouldn't have listened to a word I said," he said, shaking his head in regret.
"I tried to tell her that," Peyton said.
"I can imagine her response," Lucas said.
"Oh, I don't think you could," Peyton said, shaking her head.
"She was mad, wasn't she?" Lucas asked. Peyton nodded.
"That's definitely an accurate assessment," she said.
"Well, wouldn't you be?" a voice asked. They looked up and saw Haley glaring at them with flashing eyes. "You left this in the tutoring centre," Haley said to Peyton, dropping her CD onto the table.
"You know," she started. She paused before she continued. "It's really touching that all of you can sit here and gossip about me," she said angrily. Nathan got up and grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him.
"Haley," he said. Haley wrenched free from his grasp.
"Stay away from me," she snapped, leaving the room. He followed her out into the hall.
"We should talk about this," he said. She turned around and looked at him. For the first time, he saw the raw pain in her eyes along with the steaming anger.
"You made your feelings pretty clear on Saturday, Nathan. So, what is there really left to say?" she asked.
"A lot, I think," he said.
"Well, then, you would be wrong," Haley said coldly. She turned around and went into the one place he couldn't follow her: the girl's washroom.
12. The Aftermath 1
The Aftermath 1 (Chapter Twelve)
LATER THAT PERIOD
Lucas walked up to Haley's locker and sighed heavily when she wouldn't turn around to talk to him. "Haley," he said. She didn't respond. "Are you going to talk to me?" he asked.
"That depends," she replied. He waited. "Are you going to try to reason with me about him?" she asked. He bit his lip.
"Yes," he admitted.
"Then, no," she said, putting her books in her locker.
"Haley, you're being a little dramatic, don't you think?" Brooke asked. Haley slammed her locker door shut. She turned around and glared at Brooke.
"Stay out of this," she warned. Brooke's eyes widened in surprise.
"Haley, you need to forgive him," Brooke said. Haley scoffed.
"Or what?" she asked, not the least bit threatened.
"Or you're going to regret it," Brooke said. Haley shook her head in disbelief.
"Don't shake your head at me. I know what I'm talking about. Nathan's not going to wait around forever. You don't appreciate how lucky you are that you caught his eye. He's one of the most wanted guys in the school and once he gets tired of the way you're acting, he's going to move on with another girl and it'll be too late," Brooke said.
"Lucky?" Haley repeated. She shook her head. "I'm not like every other girl here. I don't bow down to Nathan because he's popular. In case you haven't noticed, I don't give a damn about how popular or wanted he is. If he can't treat me with respect, then, I don't want him," Haley said.
"Oh, please. It's obvious that you care about Nathan, Haley. Spare me the 'if he can't treat me right, it's over' act. It's a little played out, if you ask me," Brooke said. Haley rolled her eyes and Brooke scoffed. "Everyone in this entire school knows how you and Nathan feel about each other. It's written all over your faces when the other one is mentioned. I know you're new at this so you don't realize how rare it is to find something like that your first time out in the field. Don't throw this away, Haley," Brooke said.
"I'm not the one who threw it away," Haley said, before she walked away.
FOURTH PERIOD (HALEY'S VOCAL CLASS)
"Ok, everyone. I want you to try your hand at writing songs. You have the whole period to think it over and choose what you want to write about, just make sure it's something personal. You don't have to clear it with me. Just keep it PG-13, ladies," she said. The girls chuckled as they were allowed to disperse around the room and out in the hall to work in peace. Haley asked if she could work out in the hall. Her teacher had nodded. "Just make sure you're out of the way," her teacher said.
"Oh, I'll be out of sight," Haley promised. Her teacher smiled. "Do I need to come back before class ends?" Haley asked. Her teacher shook her head. Haley nodded. The great thing about being her was that most of the teachers trusted her. She could go anywhere she wanted when they were allowed to work out of the classroom because the teachers knew that she wouldn't start any trouble and that she'd actually do her work. Haley grabbed her bag and sheet music and headed out of the classroom. She walked to a hallway near the gym, but not too close. Jake Jagielski was walking down the hall and stopped when he saw Haley.
"What are you doing down here?" he asked.
"Planning a bank heist. I'm here to recruit partners," Haley replied sarcastically.
"Recruiting the athletes in case they have to make a quick get away. Smart," he said, playing along. Haley laughed.
"I'm working on an assignment for my vocal class," Haley said. Jake nodded in understanding. "Don't you have class?" she asked.
"No, I have spare," he said.
"Then, what are you still doing here?" she asked.
"Oh, I stick around to wait for Peyton. You know, to give her a ride home," he said. Haley nodded.
"That's sweet," she commented.
"Peyton had me trained before tenth grade ended," he admitted. Haley laughed hysterically.
"I always wondered how she got her boyfriends to do so many things for her," Haley joked. Jake laughed.
"What's the assignment?" he asked.
"Writing a song," she said. Jake nodded.
"That doesn't sound too hard," he said.
"It has to be about something personal," she said. Jake smirked and nodded.
"Interesting," he said. Haley's face clouded in confusion.
"What?" she asked.
"Well, your song is supposed to be about something personal and I noticed that you're pretty close to the gymnasium," Jake said.
"So?" Haley asked.
"So, that's Nathan's class right now," he pointed out. Haley looked at him.
"And?" she asked.
"And I know that you and Nathan are on a bit of a break because of some stupid thing he did, right?" Jake asked. Haley nodded.
"Well, it's kind of interesting that you'd pick this spot to write your song when you're so angry at him," Jake said. Haley nodded, following his train of thought. Then, she shook her head.
"I'm in an angry mood. Nathan tends to bring that out of me," she said, dismissing Jake's hints. Jake's face softened as he sat down beside her.
"Haley, I'm not going to try to lecture you or anything, but do you mind if I tell you something?" Jake asked. Haley sighed.
"Why not? Everyone else seems to put their two sense in. At least you asked first," Haley said. Jake smirked.
"Nathan does a lot of stupid things, I know, but he really is a good guy. And he cares about you a lot. I know he hurt you and I'm not saying that he doesn't need to make up for what he did, but how's he supposed to make it up to you when you won't talk to him?" Jake said. Haley didn't answer. Jake smiled knowingly. "I think I'll leave you alone to ponder that," he said. Haley shook her head and then thought to herself. She knew part of what Jake said made sense and Haley was usually a sensible person. But, then again, she had never really been in a romantic relationship before and she had never been hurt this badly before. Even when she first met Nathan and they were basically at war with each other for weeks, it didn't really affect her that much since she thought Nathan was a jerk that wasn't worth her time. But now things were different. She had grown to like Nathan and possibly even… _No_, she thought to herself and shook her head. _I couldn't possibly feel that way so soon_, she assured herself. Then, she started stood up and walked to the doors of the gymnasium. She looked in through the glass on the door. The class was playing basketball and she could see Nathan running with the ball to the other side of the court. She saw him jump up and attempt to dunk the ball into the hoop but took a wrong step somewhere and he fell. Haley was about to run in and see if he was alright, but he got up just as quickly as he had fallen. She sighed with relief and then mentally hit herself on the head. Nathan had hurt her like hell and here she was concerned if he was ok. She wasn't able to let him go even when she wanted to.
Nathan sighed as he got back up. He had never missed a score like that so far. Even when he was preoccupied with other things while playing, he still made the basket. But he realized that he was thinking about Haley and he was concentrating more on the thought of her than the game. Whitey yelled at him to pay attention to the game or get off the court. Nathan realized he was still where he had fallen. He quickly moved off the side of the court and gave Whitey an excuse as he pushed the gym doors open. He stopped moving when he saw Haley backing away so the doors wouldn't hit her.
"Haley," he said. She stared at him for a minute. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she turned on her heel and started to walk away. "Haley, wait!" he called after her. Haley stopped moving. "Could you please just talk to me?" he asked. She sighed heavily and turned around to face him. He sighed with relief as he hoped that she was finally ready to let him hear his side of the story.
"I have to get back to class in a few minutes so I don't have time for a staring contest. If you want to talk, then talk. Otherwise," Haley lied and she started to turn around.
"No, wait. Ok," he said. She turned back around. She looked at him expectantly.
"What I said…" he started. Haley's eyes narrowed. "I didn't mean it," he finished.
"Well, then, you shouldn't have said it," she said.
"I was drunk, Haley," he said. Haley scoffed.
"Don't try to excuse it with drunken babbling. That's weak," she said.
"But that's what it was," he said. Haley smirked.
"Do you even remember what you said?" she asked. He nodded. He wished he didn't. What he said was awful and he even remembered the heartbroken look on Haley's face. Then, he remembered something.
"I can't change what I said, Haley. I really wish that I could. I am an idiot, but you already knew that. Well, I'm an even bigger one when I'm drunk," he said. Haley looked at him in confusion. Nathan walked over to her. He put his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him. He could see the same yearning in her eyes that he felt. "I miss you," he said. He gently held her face and kissed her deeply. As the kiss grew, he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her closer. Haley responded as she put her arms around his neck. Then, she came to her senses and pulled away.
"Damn it, Nathan!" Haley exclaimed. "You can't just kiss me like that and make everything go away. I miss you too, but I am not a doormat," Haley said as she grabbed her things and started to walk away.
THE NEXT DAY (Period 4)
Nathan excused himself from gym class for a few minutes by saying he had to drop something off to his tutor. He was lying through his teeth. He wanted to go see Haley. He knew she was up in the music room and he was hoping he might be able to steal her away for a few minutes so that they could talk. When he got to the music room, he saw that the students were sitting in chairs where the instrumental players usually sat while they were playing and paying attention to the front of the room. The teacher motioned for Nathan to come in once another student told her that he was there. "Just hold on a second, Mr. Scott," she said. "Okay, Haley, you can present," she said. Haley finished walking over to the piano. "What's your song called?" the teacher asked.
"Why I Can't Seem to Let Go," Haley replied. She glanced at Nathan and then got back to the piano. She started playing. A few seconds later, the words to her song came:
_When we first met, I hated you_
_But still, I couldn't stay away_
_You came to me for help and I helped you_
_Then you turned on me_
_We danced around each other for weeks_
_Until you finally realized your mistake_
_I should've walked away that day_
_It would've been better for both of us to stay away_
_But I didn't_
_You hurt me that night_
_When you forced me to make a choice_
_You probably thought I would choose you_
_I don't understand it_
_It's something I can't explain_
_I still care about you_
_Even after what you did_
_The reason why is beyond my understanding_
_I had a tough shell_
_But when you came around me_
_That shell seemed to disappear_
_You made me trust you_
_I believed everything you told me_
_So maybe you can tell me_
_Why can't I let you go?_
She stopped playing and singing. She looked at the teacher and the teacher was clapping. "That was brilliant," she said. Now, Nathan looked at the teacher.
"What did you want, Mr. Scott?" the teacher asked.
"I was wondering if I could talk to Haley for a few minutes," he said. The teacher was about to shake her head, but Nathan quickly said, "It's about something she's tutoring me in." Then, the teacher nodded. Haley quickly walked past him and into the hall. He looked at her for a minute.
"Your song was really moving, Haley," he said. Haley nodded appreciatively. "It really hit home for me," he said. Haley nodded again.
"It's about you," she admitted. He nodded now. He already knew that.
"I have an answer to your question," he announced. Her face clouded with confusion but it the confusion washed away when she realized that he meant the question in her song. "It's because we love each other," he said. Haley shook her head.
"We've only been dating for two months, Nathan. It's too soon for that," she rationalized. Nathan shook his head.
"Haley, love is complicated. There's no graph or timeline to tell you when it's there," he said.
"Then, how do you know it's there?" she asked.
"I know how I feel when I look at you, or when I think about you and I lose all my concentration. Or when I'm looking at you now and I can see the pain that you're in trying to stay away from me when you don't want to," he said. Haley shook her head in defeat.
"Fine. I love you," she admitted. Then she looked at him carefully. "But I don't trust you. Are you happy now, Nathan?" she asked. He shook his head.
"I know you're mad at me, Haley. The things that I said. I only said them because I was fighting my feelings for you," he said.
"Why?" she asked. He moved closer to her.
"Because I'm just as scared as you are, Haley. I've never loved someone the way that I love you. I've never needed someone as much as I need you," he admitted. Haley's eyes widened in surprise. "And it freaked me out a little, but it's there and I don't want to fight it anymore," he said. He was about to lose hope but then she smiled at him. She closed the distance between them. He put his arms around her back and she put hers around his neck. "I love you, Haley," he said. He bent down to kiss her but at the last second, she pulled away. He looked at her in concern, but her smile widened.
"I love you too," she said. He pulled her closer and kissed her.
13. Things Aren't Always What They Seem
Things Aren't Always What They Seem (Chapter Thirteen)
TWO MONTHS LATER
Haley walked out of her fourth period class and walked towards the gym. She smiled when she saw Nathan heading towards her in the hallway. He looked up and saw her coming and shook his head in anger. He turned around and walked the other way. "Nathan!" she called. "Not now, Haley," he said. "Come on, will you just talk to me?" she called after him. He turned around.
"My mom gave me some advice once: If I don't have anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all," he said. Haley scoffed. She couldn't help but think of all the horrible things he'd said to her and other people.
"And you're choosing now to follow that advice?" Haley asked sarcastically. He glared at her. "Sorry," she said. He shook his head and turned around to walk away. "What you think you saw; you're wrong," she blurted out.
"I don't want to hear it, Hales. I told you Friday: It's over. We're done," he said.
"Will you at least let me explain?" she asked.
"There's nothing to explain. If it had been someone telling me, I wouldn't have believed it, but I saw it with my own eyes," he said.
"You've got the wrong idea about what happened with me and Brian," she insisted.
"No, I think I got a pretty good view of you alone together in a room, him on top of you and you being basically naked," he said, storming away. Haley tasted the tears in her mouth before she realized she was crying. She walked all the way to the tutoring centre and was happy when it was vacant. She pulled out some of the songbooks that she had brought from home to find a song for her latest vocal project. They had to find a song from the sixties and sing it. She flipped through the book.
AN HOUR LATER
It was after school and Haley was walking to her locker to put her books away and Lucas, Brooke and Peyton came up behind her. "Hey, Hales," he said. Haley nodded at him but didn't turn around. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"Nathan won't hear me out," she said. Brooke scoffed.
"You can't exactly blame him, can you?" Peyton asked. Haley turned around and looked at her. Brooke smiled and shook her head in amusement.
"You are such a hypocrite, Haley. Remember a month ago when you were pissed at Nathan because he said those things to you while he was drunk? You wouldn't talk to him for days. And then you turn around and cheat on him and now you're acting surprised because he's mad at you. You're unbelievable," Brooke said. Her voice dripped of hate. Haley narrowed her eyes. Brooke started to walk away but Haley pulled her arm and whirled her around.
"Listen to me carefully," Haley said angrily. Brooke pulled on her arm but Haley pulled it harder.
"Haley, come on, let-" Lucas started, but she ignored him.
"Whoever the hell you think you are you're not _that_ person. You don't get to judge me. I didn't cheat on him," Haley exploded. She let her go. Brooke chuckled.
"Haley, I was there. I saw what happened," she reminded her. Haley shook her head.
"No, you didn't," she said as she threw her backpack on her shoulder and walked away. Peyton ran after her.
Over the course of the past month, Haley and Peyton had gotten to know each other a little better and had actually become friends. When Brooke had first told her what happened, Peyton could hardly believe that Haley James would cheat on her boyfriend. Then when Nathan had confirmed that it was true, she had been overcome with anger at Haley and sympathy for Nathan. She thought that Haley was cruel, but Peyton saw something in Haley's eyes as she glared at Brooke. Something that led her to believe that there was more to the story than what Nathan and Brooke had told her. She finally caught up to Haley as she was waiting for her bus. "Haley, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked. Haley shook her eyes.
"My bus is here," she said, a she pointed to the yellow bus that was pulling in the driveway.
"I'll give you a ride home," Peyton offered. Haley looked at her cautiously. "Please?" Peyton said. Haley shrugged as she followed Peyton to her car. They drove in silence for a long time.
"I thought you said you wanted to talk to me," Haley said. Peyton pulled over to the side of the road. Haley looked at her in alarm.
"Haley, what did happen on Friday night?" Peyton asked. Haley froze.
"I thought Nathan told you," she said.
"He told me he caught you cheating on him. But you've been insisting that that's not what happened," Peyton said.
"It isn't what happened. I would never cheat on him," she said.
"So, tell me what happened," Peyton said. Haley widened her eyes in fear as she remembered what happened that Friday night.
(FLASHBACK)
"I need to talk to you for a minute, Haley," Brian Chase said as he grabbed Haley by the arm.
"Brian, I can't right now; I'm busy. I can't find Nathan," she said trying to wrench free.
"It's about that test I had today," he said. Haley shrugged and let him lead her to a room upstairs. She had reluctantly agreed to come to another party at Brooke's house. She had been tutoring Brian for a few weeks now and already he had started to improve in his grades so she figured he wanted to tell her how it went. "What's up?" she said. He didn't say anything. He just smiled at her wickedly and pulled her to him and kissed her. Haley cringed and pulled away from him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded. He laughed.
"Oh, come on, like you don't know. You've been throwing signals my way for days now," he said. Haley looked at him as if he were crazy.
"Look, Brian, I think you may have misunderstood our relationship. It's strictly tutoring. I'm not interested in you that way," she said. He scoffed and brought her to him. He threw her roughly on the bed and mounted her. She screamed for help and he covered her mouth as he began pulling down her skirt and underwear. He zipped open his jeans and pulled them down and then in seconds he was inside her. Haley let out a muffled scream in pain. She began struggling but it was no use.
(END OF FLASHBACK)
Peyton looked at her in shock. "About five minutes later after it happened, Nathan and Brooke walked in," Haley said in a choked voice. She was crying now. Peyton's heart broke for her.
"Haley, do you realize what you're saying?" Peyton asked. Haley nodded.
"Yes. I'm saying that Brian raped me," she said.
14. Helping Someone Out
**Helping Someone Out **(Chapter Fourteen)
AN HOUR LATER
After Peyton dropped Haley off, she made her way back to the school, so she could talk to Lucas about what Haley had confessed to her. Peyton advised Haley to go to the police. Haley had chuckled and said that she had gone to the hospital on Saturday to get tested for any possible STDs that Brian could've given her. Haley had confessed what happened to the nurse who then talked her into a rape kit. After that, the police had been called and Haley had given them a statement. They had asked her if she wanted to press charges and Haley had said that she needed a few days to think about it. Peyton had asked her if she had made up her mind and Haley had decided not to press charges. Peyton had tried to talk her into pressing charges but Haley had remained firm saying: "Peyton, I don't want to make a big spectacle out of what happened. I've already given my statement and now I just want to forget it ever happened and get on with my life."
Peyton had tried once more to talk her into pressing charges, but Haley had remained adamant about not doing so. So, Peyton had come up with a plan. She was going to go to Lucas and Brooke, tell them what happened and hope to God that they could help her convince Haley to press charges. Peyton herself had never been raped, but she had come close and she knew other friends who had. She had never once encountered someone who had never wanted to see her rapist go to jail. She had seen some of her friends who had been afraid of their rapists, but they always wanted to make sure he got what he deserved. The state could prosecute Brian Chase for statutory rape, but without Haley's testimony, it was doubtful that the jury would come back with a guilty verdict. She pulled into the school driveway and parked. She grabbed her pompoms and headed towards the gym.
"P. Sawyer, you are thirty minutes late!" Brooke exclaimed.
"I'm sorry. I was kind of busy talking to Haley," Peyton said. Brooke rolled her eyes and an expression of annoyance slowly came across her features.
"Well, talk to the slut on your own time from now on," Brooke said.
"She's not a slut, Brooke," Lucas said as he came into the gym with some other guys from the team, including Nathan.
"Fine. The cheater," Brooke said, smirking.
"Give it a rest," he said. Brooke looked wounded, but shrugged it off.
"I need to talk to the two of you after practice," Peyton said grimly.
"Is everything ok?" Lucas and Brooke asked in unison. They gave each other a weird look, but then gave their attention to Peyton. Peyton shook her head.
"No, far from it," she said, widening her eyes as Nathan came into view.
"What're you guys talking about?" Nathan asked, as he came over.
"Peyton has something that she needs to talk to me and Brooke about after practice, that's all," Luke said. Nathan looked at her quizzically and in hurt. He must be wondering why she didn't need to talk to him about it.
"It's nothing you'd be interested in, Nathan," Peyton said.
"Try me," he said. Peyton shrugged.
"It's about Haley," she admitted. Anger came down on Nathan's face like a thunderstorm. He nodded. Lucas looked at her worriedly.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Later," Peyton said.
ABOUT A HOUR LATER
Peyton, Lucas and Brooke walked to a hallway where there was no one. "So, what's the big secret, P. Sawyer?" Brooke asked.
"Haley didn't cheat on Nathan," Peyton announced.
"Uh, Peyton, I was there when Nathan walked in on Haley and Brian together. There was no mistaking what we saw," Brooke said.
"What you saw was the end of Brian attacking Haley," Peyton said. Brooke's eyebrows creased in confusion. Peyton looked at Lucas and she could tell that he had an idea of what she meant; he had an expression of disbelief on his face. Peyton sighed. "Brian raped Haley," she confirmed. Brooke's mouth dropped open in shock.
"That son of a bitch!" Lucas exclaimed.
"Hold on, Luke. I didn't tell you so you could fly off the handle and go attack Brian," Peyton said.
"Then, why did you tell me?" he asked.
"Because I need your help. Haley won't press charges against him and I want you two to help me try to convince her," she said.
"She hasn't pressed charges?" Brooke repeated. Peyton shook her head. Brooke raised an eyebrow in a suggestive matter.
"Maybe because it's not true, Peyton," Brooke suggested. Peyton shook her head in shock.
"You know, sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with you," Peyton said. Brooke looked at her in hurt.
"Brooke, Haley would not make up a story like that," Lucas said. Brooke scoffed.
"Please. Nathan dumped Haley once he found her in bed with Brian. Haley is devastated that Nathan dumped her. What better way to win her man back than to cry rape?" Brooke shot back.
"You know what? Maybe I just want Lucas' help," Peyton said. Lucas shook his head and turned to Brooke.
"You don't know Haley like I do. Haley is the most honest person I know and she has very strong morals and she sticks to them. They're as important to her as shopping is to you," Lucas said.
"Haley hasn't told Nathan and I get the feeling that she won't," Peyton said.
"Why? It would explain everything," Lucas said.
"Well, she probably thinks that since he's so angry at her, he won't believe her and like Brooke said, he'll probably just see it as a way to get him back," Peyton said.
"Haley's working at the café right now. We could talk to her there," Brooke said.
"We can't ambush her like that," Peyton said.
"Then, we'll do it at my house. She's supposed to meet me there after her shift to study," Lucas said. They all nodded in agreement.
KAREN'S CAFÉ
Haley sighed as she lifted the heavy tray of dirty dishes. Her shoulder was aching as she attempted to carry it, but Brian had injured it and she couldn't handle the weight, so all of the dishes went crashing to the floor. All of the customers looked up in alarm. Deb Scott came running out. "Haley, what happened?" Deb asked. "Oh, I just dropped it by accident. I'm sorry. You can take it out of my pay," she said.
"Nonsense. If you remember correctly, I probably broke a hundred dollars' worth of dishes when I first started working here," Deb said, smiling. Haley chuckled. Her sleeve on her shirt had been pushed up when she was picking up the broken plates revealing a few small purple bruises from where Brian had held her down tightly with his hand. Deb looked at it in concern. "Oh, Haley, what happened?" she asked, pointing to them. Haley laughed nervously and shoved her sleeve down.
"Oh, nothing. You know me; I'm such a klutz!" Haley said. Deb nodded slowly and chuckled.
"Where are you and Nathan going tonight?" she asked. Haley stopped moving and looked at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Well, Nathan told me he had a date tonight," she said. Haley gulped.
"Well, it's not with me. He and I broke up on Friday," Haley replied. Deb gasped.
"I'm sorry, sweetie, I had no idea," she said. Haley shrugged.
"I guess it just wasn't meant to be," Haley said, shrugging and taking the tray to the back. Deb followed her.
"You know, I saw Nathan while the two of you were together; I've never seen him happier. He was so happy to have you," Deb said.
"Well, not anymore," Haley said. She looked at Deb pleading her to drop it. Deb nodded and left. Haley fought back tears as she thought of Nathan. Then, anger crept up inside her. She wasn't going to waste her time crying over someone who clearly did not care about her anymore. He didn't trust her anymore and she couldn't be with someone who didn't trust her. Although, she knew that in his mind, he had every reason not to trust her, but he didn't even let her try to explain. She had given him a few days to cool down after he broke up with her, but apparently, he was moving on now.
TEN MINUTES LATER
LUCAS' HOUSE
"Hey, Haley," Lucas said as he let her into his room. Haley frowned when she saw Peyton and Brooke sitting on his bed.
"What's going on?" she asked suspiciously.
"Haley, they know," Peyton told her. A look of shame and anger came onto Haley's face.
"You know when someone tells you something in confidence, it's generally understood that you'll keep their confidence," Haley snapped at Peyton.
"I'm sorry. I just thought that they could help," she said. Haley scoffed.
"How can they possibly help?" she asked.
"Haley, why haven't you agreed to testify for the state?" Lucas asked. Haley turned and glared at Peyton and then looked at Brooke and Lucas. She laughed bitterly.
"What is this, an intervention?" Haley asked.
"No, we're just trying to understand," Brooke said. Haley scoffed.
"Like you even care," Haley said. "You're only here because you want to be near Lucas. You don't give a damn about me," she snapped.
"That's not true, Haley. I sympathize with what you're going through, I really do," Brooke said honestly.
"The big brown eyes say 'sincere' but the fact that you called me a slut is throwing me," Haley said. Brooke looked down. "You've got a pretty interesting concept of sympathy," she added.
"I'm sorry," Brooke said. Haley shook her head.
"You know what? I don't even care anymore," Haley said.
"About what?" Peyton asked.
"What people think about me; I might as well testify," she said, leaving and slamming the door with a thundering crash.
"Well, that was kind of easy," Peyton said. Lucas shook his head in annoyance and amusement at what Peyton said.
"Yeah, we didn't really have to do anything," Brooke said.
"I think she was going to decide to testify the whole time. She was just looking for a sign that it would be the right thing to do. And us ambushing her like this was probably that sign," Lucas said.
AN HOUR LATER
KAREN'S CAFÉ
"Hey, Mom," Nathan said as he walked into the café and sat at the bar.
"How'd the date go?" she asked. Nathan groaned.
"It was awful," he said.
"You didn't like the girl?" Deb asked. Nathan shook his head.
"No, she was perfectly nice, good looking, and all of that," Nathan said.
"But…" Deb started.
"She wasn't Haley," he said in misery.
"Nathan, why did she break up with you?" Deb asked. Nathan scoffed.
"That's just it. She didn't. I broke up with her," he said. Deb looked at him in disbelief.
"Why on Earth would you do a stupid thing like that?" his mother exclaimed. Nathan filled her in. Deb shook her head. "I'm speechless," she said.
"I know. It's hard to believe," Nathan said. Deb shook her head.
"I don't believe it, Nathan," Deb said. Nathan looked at him and glared at her.
"I'm not lying. Do you think I want it to be true?" Nathan said angrily.
"There's got to be an explanation, Nathan," Deb said.
"What possible explanation could there be? What, he tripped and fell onto her and she just happened to be half naked?" Nathan asked.
"I don't know, but I do know that when I saw Haley today, she was miserable when I brought up your date tonight," Deb said. Nathan felt a sharp pang at the thought of Haley being hurt.
"Why would you tell her that?" he asked.
"I thought you were going on a date with her, but she quickly corrected my mistake and dropped the bomb that the two of you had broken up," Deb said.
"I thought I had told you," he said. Deb shook her head.
AN HOUR LATER
Nathan walked up to Peyton's door and knocked lightly. No one answered typically and Nathan walked upstairs to Peyton's room. He knocked lightly on the doorframe and Peyton turned around and widened her eyes in surprise. "Nathan, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"I haven't seen you in a while," he said.
"You saw me this afternoon and at practice," she said.
"Yeah, but after practice, you guys went to your secret meeting and that was hours ago. Thought I'd stop by to talk," he said. Peyton shrugged.
"About what?" she asked innocently.
"What've you guys been doing without me?" he asked.
"We were, uh, helping Haley with something," she said. His eyes narrowed in anger.
"Thanks. Your loyalty to me is overwhelming," Nathan said.
"Nathan, I'm not on anyone's side here. Haley's just been going through a rough time," she said.
"And I haven't? I'm the one she cheated on, if you remember correctly. The only reason she's upset is because she's guilty," Nathan said.
"I know that Haley didn't cheat on you and deep down you know it too," she said.
"Then how the hell do you explain what I saw on Friday?" he asked.
"You're wrong," she said.
"No, I'm not, Peyton. Haley cheated on me with that jackass," he said.
"No, Nathan, she didn't," she insisted. Nathan looked at her doubtfully. Peyton sighed. "That jackass raped her," Peyton said.
"He raped her?" he repeated. Peyton nodded.
"That's what Haley was trying to tell you earlier," she said. Nathan turned around and left. "Where are you going, Nathan?" she called after him.
HALEY'S HOUSE
Haley lay on her bed and tried to get some sleep. She couldn't help but feel nervous about her upcoming testimony. She wouldn't be there for the entire trial. She didn't think she could face him every day after what had happened. Then, she heard a knock on her window. She groaned as she went over to it. She pulled the curtain away and was shocked to see Nathan. "We need to talk," he said. Haley thought about shutting the curtains, going back to her bed and blaring her music so she wouldn't have to hear him knocking on her window, but the fact that there didn't seem to be any trace of anger in his voice made her open the window. She walked to her bed and sat down on it. He sat down. His eyes travelled to her arm and Haley quickly hid it behind her back. "Haley, I already saw the bruises," he said. Haley looked at him.
"I know that you didn't cheat on me," he said. Haley looked at him in shock. She could barely believe she had heard him right. But then that left only one other possibility. She looked at him and as if he read her mind he confirmed her suspicion. "I know what really happened," he said as he cupped her face. He looked at her with love in his eyes.
"Are you ok?" he asked. His voice with low and filled with genuine concern and love. Haley couldn't help it. She broke down and leaned into him.
"No, I'm not. Not really," she said into his shoulder. His arms came around her as he pulled her closer to him. He didn't say that she would be fine and that she would be able to put it behind her; he knew that that was condescending. He just held her and kissed her head.
"It's ok," he whispered soothingly. Haley was still crying as she moved her head and looked up at him.
"Thank you," she choked out through her tears. He shook his head saying that there was no need to thank him. He kissed her softly and pulled her closer.
15. Justice is Served
Justice is Served (Chapter Fifteen)
A MONTH LATER
Haley sat outside the courtroom with Nathan. She was sitting on one of the benches near the doors to the room she had to walk in and testify in soon. Nathan handed her a plastic cup full of water and Haley smiled gratefully. She was dressed in a very simple and plain light blue shirt and skirt. She had on white sandals and was jiggling her legs nervously. Nathan put his right hand down on her left knee. Haley stopped moving it. "You're going to get through this," he said. Haley put her left hand on his hand that was on her knee.
"There's a reason I haven't been to most of the trial. I don't think I can walk in there and look at him," she said.
"Haley, you're one of three women he's raped. The other two women are, like, in their twenties and they both have had past relationships with him," Nathan said. Haley found it disgusting that a college kid had passed himself off as a high school senior just to find some unsuspecting girl to rape. "The defence can come up with an argument that their rapes were actually consensual sex, but you're the only one of his victims that did not date him. Your testimony will put him in chains, literally," Nathan continued.
"I know that," she said. Haley felt like she was going to jump out of her skin, she was so scared.
Nathan looked at Haley closely. She was shaking. They had watched some classic scary movies together and Haley had not really been scared by any of them, but if she was startled by something in the movie, she would jump and Nathan would have an excuse to pull her closer. She would insist that she was just startled, not scared. But looking at her now, he had never seen her more scared. He put his arm around her and pulled her to him. He massages her right shoulder with his hand and kissed her temple. "You are one of the strongest and courageous people I have ever met. You will be able to do this and then that bastard will go to jail where he can never hurt you again," he said. Then the courtroom doors opened.
"Miss James, we're ready for you," the bailiff said. Haley looked at Nathan and he drew her closer for a second.
"You'll be fine. I'll be in the room the whole time," he promised. Haley nodded. She walked in the courtroom and Nathan waited a few seconds before entering himself. When he entered the room, Haley was already swearing that she would tell the truth and nothing but. He sat down beside Lucas, Peyton and Brooke in the third row on the prosecution's side.
Haley brought her hands to her mouth and blew warm breath on them. They were still ice cold. The prosecutor stood up and smiled at her. "First of all, I want to thank you for coming, Miss James. I know this can't be easy for you," he said.
"You're welcome," she said. To her knowledge, not many of the people in the courtroom knew that Brian had a third victim. They knew he was being charged with statutory rape, but they did not know why. Haley guessed the prosecutor wanted an element of surprise. The media had no idea that Haley was a third victim.
"Can you tell me how you came to know the defendant?" the prosecutor asked. Haley took a deep breath.
"I knew him from school," she said.
"Oh, you mean from the college he was attending right? Duke University?" he asked. Haley shook her head.
"No. I'm not in college," she replied simply.
"Oh, what grade were you in when you met the defendant?" he asked. Haley sighed.
"I was and still am in grade eleven at Tree Hill High," she replied. "So, the defendant was visiting the school in some way?" he asked. Haley shook her head. "He was enrolled as a senior in the school. He claimed that he had just transferred there," Haley said.
"Objection. What relevance does this witness serve?" the defence attorney said.
"I'm establishing relevance, Your Honour. This witness has been on the list for a long time. The defence had a lot of time to review this witness' statement. It is not the state's problem if the defence does not know how to do its job," the prosecutor said.
"Overruled. You may proceed, Mr. Kaiser, but no more petty insults," the judge said. Kaiser nodded and then looked at Haley and smiled reassuringly.
"And what was your relationship with the defendant?" he asked.
"I was his tutor," she said.
"And how long had you been tutoring him?" he asked.
"For about four weeks," she replied.
"And when was the last time you saw the defendant?" he asked.
"There was a party thrown about a month ago on a Friday night. I ran into Brian there," she said.
"Can you describe your interaction with the defendant?" he asked.
"He wanted to talk to me about a test I was tutoring him for that would take place the next Monday. He took me to a room upstairs and then, he…" Haley started.
"What did he do?" Kaiser asked.
"He kissed me. At first, I thought maybe he got the wrong impression so I quickly explained to him that I was here with my boyfriend and that our relationship was strictly tutoring," Haley replied.
"And then what happened?" he asked. Haley took a deep breath.
"He just laughed. He threw me down onto the bed and then…" she started but stopped as she finally caught a glimpse of Brian. He was glaring at her warningly.
"Then, what happened?" Kaiser asked. Haley was paralysed with fear so she didn't even hear him. "Miss James?" Kaiser asked. Haley looked back at him. "What happened?" he asked.
Haley glared right at Brian and said, "He raped me." The whole courtroom erupted in gasps and excitement.
"Order! Order in the court!" The judge exclaimed, slamming his gavel down. He looked to the prosecutor and then to Haley. "Miss James, is your testimony true?" he asked her carefully.
"Yes," she replied.
"Thank you, Miss James. Your witness," Kaiser said and then looked at the defence attorney. The attorney stood up and walked slickly over to the jury.
"Miss James, what happened after my client and you had sex?" he asked.
"After your client raped me, two people walked into the room," she said. He nodded and then looked at her curiously.
"Did you know these two people?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied, shrugging to indicate that she didn't understand where he was going with this.
"Objection. Relevance?" Kaiser said.
"I'm establishing motive, Your Honour," he said.
"I'll allow it. Sustained," he said.
"And who were these people in relation to you?" he asked.
"Well, one of them was my best friend's girlfriend, Brooke Davis," she replied. He nodded.
"And the other?" he asked.
"The other was my boyfriend, Nathan Scott," Haley replied carefully.
Nathan looked at Peyton and the others. "Where's he going with this?" he asked them. Peyton shrugged.
"I don't know," Peyton replied. Brooke looked at him and then at Brian. "Uh oh," she said softly.
"What?" he asked.
"I know where he's going with this," Brooke said.
"How long had you been dating your boyfriend?" he asked.
"I don't see what that has to do with anything," Haley replied.
"Answer the question, Miss James," the judge instructed.
"About three or four months," she replied.
"And when your boyfriend walked in on you and my client, what was his reaction?" he asked.
"He was mad," she replied.
"Why?" he asked.
"He thought that I was cheating on him," she replied. The lawyer nodded.
"Interesting. So what happened?" he asked.
"He broke up with me," Haley admitted. The attorney nodded again.
"Isn't it true that when you went to school the following Monday every one had known that you had cheated on your boyfriend, so your reputation was destroyed?" he asked. Haley shook her head.
"Everyone assumed that what Nathan said was true. No one but the police knew the whole story at that point. And I guess you could say that people didn't see me how they once did when they believed what Nathan had told them," Haley replied. Nathan felt so guilty about what he had put her through. If only he had not reacted the way he did when he walked in the room that night. If only he had let her explain things to him.
"I see. So your boyfriend had dumped you and you were probably devastated by that, right?" he asked.
"Of course I was," Haley replied. Her eyes were narrowed in anger now.
"So devastated that you would say that my client raped you just to redeem yourself in your boyfriend's eyes?" he suggested. Haley shook her head.
"Your client did rape me," she clarified.
"How is anyone supposed to take you seriously?" he asked.
"Because the rape kit that the hospital performed collected your client's semen," she replied.
"You and my client had consensual sex," the lawyer offered. Haley laughed.
"In your client's dreams," she replied flatly. Nathan smirked proudly at her. She was handling herself very well.
"Just one more question, Miss James. Are you and your boyfriend back together?" he asked. Haley nodded. "Because you told him that you had been raped?" he asked. Haley smiled at him sarcastically as she shook her head.
"No, I didn't tell him. A friend betrayed my confidence and told him," she replied. The defence attorney sighed heavily. He knew his plan had just blown up in his face.
"No further questions," he said. The judge nodded and looked over to Haley.
"You may step down," he said. Haley nodded and stood up slowly. The bailiff came over to help her but she waved him off and then smiled at him appreciatively. She walked passed the prosecution and defence tables and stopped in front of the first row where the other two victims sat. She was about to sit down and then thought better of it. She shook her head and walked to the third row and sat down beside Nathan. She would not live in the role of a victim anymore.
TWO WEEKS LATER
Haley walked into Nathan's house and smiled as she walked into the kitchen. "Wow, you certainly seem happy about something," Deb announced as she saw Haley.
"How did you get in here?" she asked.
"Mr. Scott let me in," Haley replied. "Is Nathan here?" she asked. Deb nodded.
"He's in his room getting ready for the game. I didn't realize that he wanted you to come here," Deb said.
"He usually needs his time alone before a big game," Dan said, coming into the room.
"Oh, I know that. I just have really good news that I need to tell him. I just can't wait until after the game to tell him," she said.
"Nevertheless, I think it should wait. I don't want my boy distracted," Dan said. Haley nodded in understanding.
"I know that, Mr. Scott and I promise that Nathan will be fully aware for tonight's game. If anything, this should take a distraction away from him," she replied.
"Haley, go on into Nathan's room," Deb said, glaring at Dan. Haley smiled appreciatively at Deb and walked up the stairs and down the hall. She knocked on Nathan's door.
"Come in," he said. Haley opened the door and walked in. Nathan was just pulling a shirt over his head. He smiled when he saw her. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?" he asked, hugging her when she walked over to him. She kissed him lightly on the lips.
"Well, I don't want to take up too much of your time but I have something to tell you," she said. He faltered for a minute.
"Contrary to what my dad says, Haley, my whole life is not about basketball. There are other things that I care about," he said, smiling as he looked at her. She smiled.
"Well, that being said, I hope I'm one of those things," she said. He nodded.
"You already know the answer to that. What did you want to tell me?" he asked.
"I was in court today," she announced. He stopped moving things into his bag and turned around and looked at her. He sat down.
"Why would you ever go back there?" he asked.
"Because I wanted to see it to its end, Nathan," she replied.
"Okay. What happened?" he asked.
"The jury came back," she replied. He couldn't tell if she was happy or not. Her face remained emotionless, but there was a sense of unhappiness in her eyes. "They found him guilty of two counts of rape in the second degree, one count of rape in the first degree and one count of statutory rape," she replied smiling.
"That's amazing! How long is he going away?" Nathan asked.
"I don't know. Sentencing is tomorrow, but the prosecutor is going to ask for the maximum sentence," she replied. He pulled her closer and kissed her head.
"You're safe now," he said. She smiled.
"I'm always safe when I'm with you, Nathan. Now, I just have reassurance," she corrected him.
"Maybe now I'll actually be able to win this game," he said, smiling. She laughed.
"I love you," she said quietly. He looked at her and nodded.
"I love you too," he said. Then, he lowered his head and met her lips and kissed her deeply. First, it was gentle, but then it became more passionate and Haley put her arms around his neck. He gently brought her down to the bed and wrapped her in his arms as he continued to kiss her. She began to squirm nervous and he stopped kissing her. He knew it was going to be a while before she felt comfortable around a guy again. He could see the fear in her eyes as he looked down at her, but he smiled reassuringly. He would never hurt her like that and he said, "I'm glad that everything worked out." He pushed himself up and pulled her up gently with him. "I'll see you at the game," he said kissing her gently one last time for now. She smiled.
16. Changes
**Ch-Ch-Changes **(Chapter Sixteen)
TWO YEARS LATER
Haley walked into school on her first day of senior year and was surprised at how different things looked. She had been away for the entire summer and while the school itself hadn't changed much, she found that she had changed drastically. She was no longer the naïve little tutor girl that Brooke liked to tease. She was no longer the yin to Nathan Scott's yang. And that had bothered her for a long time since she left, but not anymore. She had come back to Tree Hill with one thing on her mind: Finishing high school and getting on with her life. She was not going to dwell on the past anymore. She was through with feeling like Nathan and she should still be together when that was clearly not what he wanted. He made his choice and clearly intended to stick to it.
(FLASHBACK)
"So, you've been fooling around behind my back, huh?" Haley asked. Nathan looked at her. His eyes were full of regret.
"I'm sorry, Haley. I never wanted you to find out like this," he said, holding Heather Mitchell's hand close to him. Haley laughed cruelly.
"You didn't want me to find out at all," she said.
"That's not true, Haley. I was going to tell you," Nathan said.
"Oh, really? When were you going to tell me, at your wedding three years from now?" Haley asked sarcastically.
"You're overreacting," Heather said. Haley turned to face her and smiled at her sarcastically.
"How nice of you to be so kind to point that out to me. I'm overreacting. I didn't realize being upset and angry when you find out your boyfriend of two and a half years has been cheating on you was overreacting. But it seems as if the slut has put me in my place," she said, laughing.
Nathan walked over to her and tried to put his hands on her shoulder to calm her down like he had so many times before, but she backed away. "Don't even try it," Haley warned.
"Look, I know how this must look, Hales. I know how angry you must be right now and how upset," he started but Haley just shook her head.
"Are you seriously going to try to tell me that you understand how I'm feeling? You don't understand because you're not the one who's been cheated on. You did the cheating, not me," she said. Nathan looked down. "Do you know what the worst part of this is, Nathan? I loved you and I trusted you. After everything that we've been through, and I know we've had our ups and downs, I wouldn't trade one second of it. I was actually upset about the fact that I was going to be leaving you all alone this summer. And now…" Haley started but her sentence trailed off. He looked at her expectantly. "Now I don't really care if I ever see you again," she said, turning around and walking away.
(END OF FLASHBACK)
She flinched at the memory but then headed to her locker. She put some books in it and headed straight for the tutoring centre. She felt at home again in the tutoring centre. She smiled at some of the students. Then she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around and smiled when she saw Lucas. "I thought I was hallucinating when I saw you at your locker!" he exclaimed. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a huge bear hug.
"I missed you too, Luke," she said.
"So where did you go exactly? Your mom wasn't really specific with the details," he said. Haley smiled.
"I went on tour," she replied. He looked at her in surprise.
"You did?" he asked. Haley nodded.
"With who?" Lucas asked.
"Two wonderful girls named Holly Garrett and Stephanie Hall," she said. He looked at her in confusion. "They're Canadians and I was in Canada on tour," she explained. He nodded.
"And how was touring the Great White North?" he asked. Haley laughed.
"It was great. We hit all kinds of places. Toronto, Kingston, Milton, Guelph, Vancouver, Montreal, Quebec City, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon," she started to explain.
"That's great for you, Hales. I'm just glad to have you back here. I know Tree Hill can be boring but it just isn't the same without you here," he said. Haley smiled.
"Aww. I missed you too," she teased.
"I didn't miss that so much, though," he said, laughing. Haley shrugged.
"Yeah, well, get used to it. So how is everyone else?" Haley asked.
"Everyone else?" he repeated.
"Yeah. Jake, Peyton, Brooke and Nathan," she said. He looked at her in surprise.
"Nathan? You really care?" he asked. Haley nodded.
"Of course. I assume he's still with, uh, what's her name, right?" she said.
"Heather and, no, he's not still with her," Lucas replied. Haley looked at him in confusion.
"Ok, Hales, what's up?" he asked. Haley looked at him innocently. "Why do you care what's going on with Nathan?" he asked.
"He and I dated for a while, Lucas. It's only natural for me to still care about him," she said.
"As I recall, you didn't care for him so much before you left. You hated him," he said.
"I'm over that, Lucas. Nathan and I are not meant to be. It was obvious from the start and I'm sorry that it went on as long as it did," she said. He looked at her in shock.
"You're actually serious, aren't you?" Lucas asked. Haley nodded.
"Of course I am. I'm not the type to lie. When have I ever done that?" she asked. He shrugged.
"I'm just surprised. I mean, you're a forgiving kind of person, Hales, but to forgive Nathan so quickly and easily is beyond amazing. You should be eligible for sainthood," he said, laughing.
"Ha, ha. It wasn't easy to forgive him and you know it. I just figured that there's no point in dwelling on something that I can't change," Haley said.
"If you say so," he said.
"I do," Haley said.
Nathan Scott pulled into the school a few minutes early. He sighed as it dawned on him that this was the last first day of high school he'd ever have to endure. He smiled at the thought. He grabbed his duffel bag and headed into the school and to his locker.
At lunch, he headed to his cousin's locker and was surprised to see that neither Brooke nor Lucas was there. He walked to the cafeteria and found that Lucas, Brooke, Peyton and Jake were all sitting down at the usual table. But there was someone else there. This was the one person Nathan had dreaded running into again for three months and now that Haley was back, he knew he'd have to face her sometime. He just didn't know what to do. Should he be nice? Should he just not say anything to her and sit down? Should he try to apologize again? Would it make any difference what he did?
He had blown it with Haley so many times but the last time was the biggest screw up he'd ever made. He cheated on her with someone who was only using him to get back at her old boyfriend. That relationship had lasted about two months and then it had disintegrated and Nathan had felt like the biggest fool on the face of the earth. He probably was too.
He had devastated the person that he loved more than anything in the world. He knew he had completely destroyed her when she found out. The memory of her face when she caught him with Heather was burned into his memory for all time. He had never seen her so shattered. She had been raped before- violated beyond imagination- and it seemed to him that that had been nothing compared to what he had done to her.
He shook his head with the thoughts and decided to just see what would happen. He walked over nervously and sat down beside Peyton. He smiled at everyone. For a while, he wouldn't meet Haley's penetrating gaze. When he looked up, he was shocked to see that she was looking at him. That in itself surprised him, but the emotions in her eyes completely shocked him. There was no anger, no hurt or any trace of resentment. She actually seemed concerned. For him. "Are you ok?" she asked. It took him a few minutes to get over the feeling of absolute astonishment at the fact that she'd actually spoken to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's good to see you back," he said, nodding. She smiled appreciatively.
17. Moving On
**Moving On **(Chapter Seventeen)
Haley began eating her food while the others carried on a conversation about their summer. Peyton was describing her part-time job at THUD Magazine. "It's awesome. They're even talking about giving me a recommendation for the art school I want to go to," she said.
"That's awesome, Peyton," Nathan said. Peyton smiled.
"Well, I've got to head to the tutoring centre," Haley said, getting up.
"Some things never change," Brooke quipped. Haley rolled her eyes as she left. She walked into the tutoring centre. She started going through files as Nathan walked in.
"So, I put in a request for another tutor for you," he said. Haley turned around. She shrugged.
"All right. If that's what you want," she said, turning back around.
"I thought that you would want it," he said. Haley sighed.
"No, Nathan. I have no problem with being your tutor," she said.
"Really?" he asked. Haley nodded. "Why? After what I did, how can you stand to be around me?" he asked. Haley cracked a smile.
"Nathan, you don't have to be a martyr. I'm a big girl and I'm over what happened. I don't hold grudges," she said. Nathan laughed.
"Tigger, anyone?" he asked, referring to the grudge Haley held against Brooke.
"That's different. Brooke attacked a member of my family and she didn't express the least bit of remorse over what she did to Taylor. I know you're sorry for what you did," she said. He nodded.
"Well, thanks. I appreciate it," he said.
"No problem," she said.
Haley and Nathan were in the tutoring centre a week and a half later. Haley was helping him with his chemistry homework. "I hate this stuff," he said.
"Then, why'd you take it?" Haley asked.
"I didn't have a choice. It was either this or take another history and I'd take five science classes before I took another history," he said. Haley laughed.
"Give that to me. You can't be that bad. You got a good grade in your chemistry unit last year," she said, taking the book from the paper from him and looking it over.
"Well?" he asked.
"You've got all, but one right, Nathan," Haley said. He took it back from her and looked at it in disbelief. The question he got wrong was the one that he was working on before he took the page from her. "You've just got the wrong metal, Nathan. Look over the periodic table and then apply the information and you'll be fine," she said.
"Thanks," he said. Then a guy named Chad Holmes walked in. "Hey, Haley," he said.
"Hey, Chad," she said, looking up at him and smiling.
"We're still on for tonight, right?" he asked. Haley smiled.
"Of course," she said. Chad smiled.
"Awesome," he said and then left. Nathan looked at her cautiously. "What's tonight?" he asked.
"Oh, Chad and I have a date tonight," she said simply. Nathan was glad she was looking down at her own homework because she didn't see his face fall or notice that he was falling apart inside.
"Oh," he said breathlessly.
18. The Date with a Surprising Ending
**The Date with a Surprising Ending **(Chapter Eighteen)
Haley smiled when she opened her door and Chad Holmes stood there with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. "Thanks," she said as he handed them to her. He nodded. She left to give them to her mother who promised to put them in water. She walked out of the house and followed Chad. "So, where are we going?" she asked as he put the car into gear and pulled out of her driveway.
"A party at Brooke's, actually," he said. Haley laughed at him.
"No, seriously," Haley said. He just looked at her.
"I'm not kidding," he insisted. Haley shuddered at the memory of the last party she'd been to. It had ended horribly and this party didn't look very promising, but she would try to make the most of it.
Nathan sat down on a random couch in someone's house. He knew it wasn't Brooke's. He'd been to her actual house. "Hey, Nathan. How are you doing?" Peyton asked, sitting down beside him.
"Peachy," he replied sarcastically. Peyton couldn't help but crack a smile. That was the first time she had ever heard him say that.
"Just trying to make conversation," she said as he glared at her.
"Pick another question," he said.
"I guess you've seen Haley and Chad," Peyton said. He looked at her in annoyance.
"Thanks for reminding me," he said.
"Please. Like you could ever forget seeing your ex-girlfriend on the arm of some slime," she said, laughing. He looked at her in amazement.
"You're really not good at cheering people up, you know," he said. Peyton smiled.
"I'm not trying to cheer you up, Nathan. I'm trying to get you to smarten up," she said. He looked at her in confusion. "You know that Haley isn't happy with Chad. Half the room can tell that she's getting pretty angry about the fact that he's drinking and hanging out with his jerk friends all the time. There's actually a pool on when she'll burst," Peyton said. That cracked a smile.
"What does that have to do with me?" he asked, shrugging.
"Nathan, don't be stupid. You know you love Haley. You keep looking over there every ten seconds," she said.
"No, I don't," he said.
"You just did it," Peyton pointed out.
"You're imagining things," he said.
"Am I also imagining Haley looking at you?" she asked. Nathan looked at Haley instantly. Haley looked away from him. Peyton laughed. "I should get my head examined then," Peyton said, nodding to herself.
"No. You're a genius," he said, shaking his head and Peyton laughed.
"Well, go over there and talk to her," she said. He was about to when he saw Haley walk over to Chad. She was talking to him angrily. He shrugged and she stomped off. She approached them. "Peyton, can you please drive me home?" she asked, looking quite upset. Peyton shook her head. "Sorry, Hales. Jake is my ride and he's outside playing basketball with some of the guys so I might never get out of here," Peyton said.
"I'll drive you if you want," Nathan said.
"No, that's ok. You should stay and enjoy the party," Haley said.
"No, I was just about to leave. This party is boring. They're not as fun as they used to be. I think Brooke might be losing her touch," Nathan said. Peyton laughed.
"Don't let her hear you say that," Peyton warned, still chuckling.
Nathan took Haley by the hand and led her outside. They got into the car without a word and Nathan started driving. A few minutes later, Haley laughed. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"I can't believe I went out with that asshole," she said.
"Why?" he asked.
"The date was worse than the last time I went to one of these parties," she said, chuckling. He smiled at that because he knew that the last time he had been an ass to her. At least fifteen minutes passed as Nathan pulled into Hale's driveway.
"Haley," Nathan started. Haley looked at him in confusion. "Did you go out with Chad to make me jealous?" he asked. Haley widened her eyes.
"No. Why would you think that?" Haley asked. He sighed.
"Well, because I get the idea that you still have feelings for me," he said.
"Well, of course I do," she said. He was shocked that she had the guts to admit it.
"You do?" he asked.
"Well, those feelings just don't go away, Nathan," she said. Without thinking, Nathan leaned over and kissed her. Haley responded to the kiss and pulled Nathan closer to her. Somehow they ended out of the car, into Haley's empty house, up the stairs and into her room. The next morning, Haley opened her eyes groggily and widened them when she saw that she was on someone's bare chest. She looked down at herself and realized that she wasn't wearing anything. Then, she looked up and saw Nathan asleep. His arms were pulled around her, pinning her to his body. It finally dawned on her that they had slept together.
19. Safe Place to Hide
**Safe Place to Hide** (Chapter Nineteen)
The next morning, Haley opened her eyes groggily and widened them when she saw that she was on someone's bare chest. She looked down at herself and realized that she wasn't wearing anything. Then, she looked up and saw Nathan asleep. His arms were pulled around her, pinning her to his body. Haley moved her right leg and it brushed against his and the hair on his leg made goose bumps on her skin.
Nathan smiled as he felt Haley moving. He was already awake, of course. He couldn't stay asleep for very long. He was afraid that it might turn out to be a dream. "Are you awake?" she asked. He nodded slowly as he turned his head down to her. He opened his eyes and smirked at her.
"Morning," he said. Haley chuckled as she lightly slapped his chest. "Any regrets?" he asked. She shook her head. "How do you feel?" he asked. Haley stopped to think for a second. At first, she had been scared. Scared of how she felt about him, about what they had done and what it meant for them, but she wasn't anymore.
"I feel safe," she said softly. He looked at her in confusion. "I know it sounds weird, but when I'm in your arms, I feel like everything's all right. I don't think about school. I don't think about my parents' fighting or the fact that my siblings and I are practically strangers right now. I just feel safe," she said, smirking and rested her head on his chest.
"I know what you mean and I feel the same way. As long as I have you, all the other things are ok with me. I don't care that my dad's an obsessive jerk. I don't care that Whitey yells at me and bears a striking resemblance to a bear sometimes," Nathan said. Haley laughed at the description of Whitey.
"So we're each other's safe place," Haley said, chuckling. He pulled her closer and kissed her hair.
"Yeah," he agreed.
"How is basketball anyways?" she asked. She was the only girl he'd ever dated that actually took an interest in his life and how he was doing and he loved that about her.
"We've got a game against Cove City next week," he said.
"I remember Luke telling me about them. He said that the team is really good and that it's going to be hard to defeat them," Haley said. Nathan nodded.
"Oh, it's going to be difficult, that's for sure," he said.
"You'll pull through," she said. He chuckled.
"You really think so?" he asked. Haley looked up at him and nodded.
"I have faith in your ability to throw a ball through a hoop," she joked. He laughed and tickled her. She giggled and squirmed beside him. "But most of all, I believe in you," she said seriously. He smiled down at her and moved closer to kiss her.
"I love you," he said when he pulled away. "And I've missed you," he said. Haley smiled and nodded.
"Same here," she said in agreement and kissed him back.
"Now I think it's time that I head back," he said. Haley wrapped her arms around him to stop him from moving. He laughed as he pulled one of her arms and then her other arm away from him. Once he had done that, she threw the arm he had removed first back to where it was. "Haley, come on," he said.
"Just a few more minutes," she whined. He looked at her thoughtfully and then laid back down.
"Ok," he said and kissed her as she laughed against his lips.
20. Tragedy Strikes
**Tragedy Strikes** (Chapter Twenty)
Haley walked into school on Monday morning with an overwhelming sense of anxiety. She couldn't explain it but she felt like something bad was going to happen that day. Things seemed normal, but there was a tense feeling in school that day. She pulled books out of her locker and then went to her first period English class.
The door opened and two male students walked in. There was nothing really unusual about them. Haley had seen them before and she even tutored one of them; Jason Trip. But there was a look on his face that worried her. He looked at everyone as if they were insects and Haley was wondering why when he pulled a semiautomatic pistol out from his pocket, raised it in the air and fired three shots up in the air. "Everyone shut up!" Jason's friend screamed.
Nathan needed no encouragement. As soon as he heard the shots, he knelt down. "Sit down cross-legged against the wall and put your hands on your laps. Just in case any of you are planning to play the part of the big hero, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I have five grenades in my backpack and I will not hesitate to use them," he said. Everyone slowly made their way to the wall of the classroom and sat down. Nathan saw Haley frozen in place at her desk, shaking. He walked over to her, put his arm around her and led her to the wall. He sat her down beside him and made sure that their legs were touching so she knew that he was there with her. She seemed to get the message and put her hands down firmly on her laps.
Jason came over to the group and stood a few feet away from Nathan and Haley and held a gun pointed at them. "If you think this is going to be one of those school shootings you see on the news, you're wrong. Our problem is not with you. We don't want to hurt any of you," Jason said.
"So, why not just let us go?" Nathan asked. Jason glared at him.
"As I was saying: we don't want to hurt any of you, but that doesn't mean we won't if you get in the way. Don't do anything stupid; do what you're told and none of you will get hurt," he said. Then the door opened and their English teacher walked in. Jason's friend walked over and stuck a gun in Mr. Raymond's face. "Put your hands behind your head," he ordered. Mr. Raymond looked confused for a minute, like he didn't think the guy was serious. "Get over to the wall," he ordered. Mr. Raymond looked at him still. The guy cocked the hammer of the gun and it made a disturbing clicking noise. Nathan knew that he had just turned the safety off.
"Do it now!" he screamed. Mr. Raymond put his hands behind his head and joined the students on the floor.
"What is going on, Ethan? Is this some kind of sick joke?" he sneered.
"That's all you think I do, isn't it? Does this look like I'm kidding?" he asked, waving the very real gun in his face. Haley whimpered as Ethan continued to threaten their teacher. Mr. Raymond wasn't the most popular teacher at the school. In fact, most of the students hated him because if you weren't particularly smart in English, he tended to humiliate you in front of everyone, which is exactly what he did to Ethan Connor. Nathan unconsciously moved his hand onto Haley's lap and gave one of her hands a reassuring squeeze. Then a gun was pointed at them. "I specifically told you to keep your hands in your lap, Scott," Jason ordered.
"I was just trying to comfort my girlfriend. And, by the way, waving a gun in her face isn't helping her," he said as he calmly moved his hand back to his own lap. Haley could tell that Nathan had hit a nerve with Jason because he just put his gun in Nathan's face.
"Do you think this is a game, Scott? It's not. So, don't push me," Ethan warned from where he was standing. Nathan looked scared.
"For god sakes, he's only trying to protect me. Please get your gun out of his face," Haley begged. Jason's face softened at Haley's voice and he pulled the gun away from Nathan. But things were far from over.
21. When Hope is Shattered
**When Hope is Shattered **(Chapter Twenty-one)
It had been almost twenty minutes since Jason Trip and Ethan Connor had taken Mr. Raymond and his entire first period English class hostage and locked them all inside of room 221. A student had walked by the room and looked into the little window of the door to the classroom and realized what had happened. He ran down to the principal's office where the secretary told him to slow down. "I need to see Principal Senate now," he said breathlessly.
"What you need to do is sit down and wait," the secretary told him firmly. The student shook his head and ran past the desk to the area where the principal and vice principals' offices were. He walked in and saw that Principal Senate was in a meeting.
"Principal Senate, I need to talk to you," he said urgently. "It's really important."
"I'm sure it is, but as you can see, Mr. Scott, I'm in a meeting. I'm afraid you'll have to wait outside," Principal Senate said, getting up and starting to shut the door but Lucas stuck his foot out to block him. "You better remember your place, Mr. Scott," he said angrily.
"But they have guns," Lucas blurted out. Principal Senate froze and opened the door. Lucas quickly explained what he saw. Principal Senate jumped to life and started writing down on a piece of paper that all classrooms were to be put into lockdown and the police were to be notified, which the secretary did.
"I want you to go photocopy as many of these as you can. Take them to every class you pass on your way back to your own class. Then, give this to your teacher," he said. Lucas nodded.
"Then what?" he asked.
"That's it. Stay in your class after that stay calm and do what your teacher tells you to," he said. Lucas looked at him in disbelief and then laughed. "What's so funny?"
"My cousin and best friend are locked in a classroom with two armed maniacs and you want me to do nothing?" Lucas asked. Senate just looked at him. "Seriously?"
"What exactly do you think you can do?" Senate asked.
"Anything I can," Lucas replied.
"Once the police arrive, there will probably be a negotiator who will contact the students. That's how this situation will be resolved. It will not be resolved by you going into that classroom half-cocked and do or say something that could get yourself, your cousin, your best friend, the teacher and the rest of the students killed," Principal Senate said, looking at him sympathetically. Lucas nodded and took the piece of paper.
Mr. Raymond's cell phone rang in his briefcase on one of the desks and he started to reach for it, but Ethan was there and put the gun in front of his face. "Don't move a muscle," he said. Mr. Raymond looked at him.
"If I don't answer that, whoever it is will know that something is wrong because I always answer it," he said to him. Ethan nodded and then pointed the gun at Haley, whose eyes widened in fear. Nathan put one of his arms out in front of her in an attempt to protect her.
"You get up and get it. Then, tell me who it is," Ethan said. Haley remained where she was. "Do it now," Jason said. Haley shook her head and Nathan nodded at her to do it. Ethan looked at them and then revealed a second gun in his left hand and pointed it at Nathan. Haley's eyes widened at him. "Get the phone or I'll shoot him and believe me, I won't miss," he said. Haley got up and walked over.
"It's the police," she said and handed him the phone, but Ethan wouldn't take it.
"Answer it," he ordered. Haley shrugged and pushed the green little phone button.
"Hello," she said.
"Hello. My name is Sergeant Brown of the Tree Hill Police. I'm a hostage negotiator. To whom am I speaking?" a voice asked.
"Haley James," she replied softly.
"Miss James, have I reached the classroom with the gunmen?" he asked. Haley looked at Ethan and Jason. She could see Ethan fitting that description but it was weird to think of Jason as a "gunman".
"Yes," she replied.
"Have they killed anyone?" he asked.
"No."
"Shot or injured anyone in anyway?" he asked.
"No, but they're not shy about threatening to or putting the guns in people's faces," she replied almost harshly.
"Who is that?" Ethan demanded coming closer to her, but keeping his gun on Nathan.
"If that's one of them, let me speak to him," Sergeant Brown said. Haley handed the phone and explained to Ethan who it was. Ethan grabbed her and put one arm around her, locking her other arms at her sides while holding a gun to her head as if daring someone to make a move while he was on the phone.
"Yes?" Ethan demanded. There was a little bit of conversation but Haley couldn't tell what Sergeant Brown was saying. "What do I want? I want to kill my teacher. What do you want?" Haley shivered as she stood with him.
Nathan's veins turned to ice water as Ethan pushed the gun harder into Haley's neck when the negotiator had said something that had pissed him off. He told the negotiator that he had a gun pointed at Haley's neck and if the negotiator said something insulting again, he would not hesitate to shoot her. The negotiator had probably responded by telling him that he said he wanted to kill his teacher, not his fellow classmates. Ethan laughed and said, "That doesn't mean that she won't pay for your stupidity."
Haley looked at Nathan in terror. Nathan clenched his fists as he realized he couldn't do anything to help her. If he even tried to make a move at that particular moment, Ethan could easily blow Haley away. Jason could shoot one of the other students in retaliation. Nathan had realized from the beginning that they were in this for the long haul. Before they killed Mr. Raymond, they wanted to torture him or scare him. Perhaps even by killing other students because he was an ass.
Ethan slammed the phone down and let go of Haley. He pushed her forward hard. Haley held out her arms as she went flinging into the wall or to the ground, but Nathan made a move and caught her before she hit the wall. They were a few feet away from other people and Nathan sat down and wrapped a shaking Haley in his arms. "Shh. It's alright. You're fine," he whispered into her ear and she buried her head into his chest. He could feel her tears soaking his shirt.
Ethan walked over to them and instructed them to sit down and be quiet. Haley didn't move. In fact she just tightened her arms that were now anchored around Nathan and clung to him. He kissed the top of her head and carefully moved her and told her to do as she was told. "Haley, come with me," Jason said. She started to get up, but Nathan pulled her back.
"No way," he said. Jason laughed and pointed a gun to him.
"Don't be stupid, Scott," he said cocking the gun.
"Do you really think that I'm going to just let you take her so you can use her as a scare tactic for the police?" Nathan demanded.
"If you want to live, you'll do whatever we say," Ethan said from in front of Mr. Raymond.
"Nathan, it's ok. Just do what they say," Haley said, echoing his earlier words. He shook his head. She got up and walked over to Jason.
"I'm not going to hurt her," Jason promised. Nathan looked at him.
"Now why don't I believe you?" he asked, looking at the gun in his hands.
"You're a failure. You can't even hold hostages right," Mr. Raymond said angrily three hours later. Ethan looked at him in amusement.
"And you're incredibly stupid to antagonize someone with a gun," Ethan retorted.
"Stop it!" Haley exclaimed, looking over from the desk that she was seated at. They had Haley sitting down writing out a list of demands that the negotiator suggested they put together. Haley had become the one that both Jason and Ethan trusted and Nathan was not happy about it. It put her in bigger danger than any of them because she was literally closer to both of them. Ethan turned around and pointed one of his guns at him. Nathan panicked as he cocked the safety threateningly again. Haley seemed unfazed for the first time since the whole thing had begun.
"Put your gun down," Haley ordered. Ethan smirked at her in disbelief. "I'm not kidding. If you want my help, don't stick your gun in my face."
Ethan walked over to her and shoved the gun a few inches from her face. Haley dropped the pen on the floor and sat back in the chair, refusing to write anymore. "Pick the pen up," Ethan ordered tiredly. Haley shook her head. "Pick it up," he said raising the gun a little higher and pushing it against the side of her temple.
"You're such a coward," she said folding her arms across her chest in protest. "You need to stick a gun to someone's head to feel like a man. Do you think killing someone will give you the same feeling?" Jason and Ethan both looked at each other. It was clear that they didn't understand what she meant.
"Haley, what are you doing?" Nathan asked not caring that there was fear in his voice. She only looked at him in response. Then she turned her gaze back to Ethan.
"I hope it does. You might as well shoot me because until you take that gun away from my face and agree never to point it at me again, I'm not doing anything for you," she said.
"You're being incredibly stupid," he said.
"Look who's talking. Tell me, Ethan, why are you doing this?" Haley asked.
"I want to teach Mr. Raymond a lesson," Ethan said. Mr. Raymond laughed.
"You teach someone something? Now that is an amusing concept," he said, chuckling softly. Haley even rolled her eyes at the old man's stupidity. Haley was not being stupid. She was trying to get Ethan and Jason to respond to her. She was trying to establish some trust between all of them. She wasn't trying to piss them off.
"What kind of lesson? What did he ever do to you that would make you want to kill him?" Haley asked. Ethan scoffed.
"You don't see what he does every day? Are you really that blind?" he asked. Haley looked at him in confusion.
"He humiliates me in front of everyone on a regular basis because I'm not that good in English. Do you remember when we had to do that poem?" Ethan began. Haley nodded. "I wrote mine about a car. Now what you need to understand is that I wrote it the night before but I still worked hard on it. And what does he do? He picks it up and reads it aloud to the class, making little nasty comments about my 'poor writing skills'. Then when it's finished, he laughs and crumples it up and throws it in the garbage. Then when it was a student/parent/teacher interview last week and my mom asks him why I got an 'F' on the poem, he told her that I never handed it in." Haley turned to her teacher and looked at him with disgust.
"You're a teacher. You're supposed to encourage students to succeed not set them up to fail," she lectured.
"Miss James, I was only doing him a favour and saving the school system a lot of money because we all know where he belongs and it isn't in a classroom. He belongs in jail and this situation should make it all the more obvious why," Mr. Raymond explained.
"That isn't for you to decide. Everyone has a right to an education. When this is over, if you're still alive, you can bet that I'm going to go to the school board," Haley threatened.
"You're siding with them, Haley? Come on, they're the ones with the guns and holding all of us hostage just because their teacher gave them a hard time," Nathan said.
"I'm not condoning this, Nathan. Believe me. I'm the one who has a gun to my head here," Haley said angrily. She would never condone violence. But she understood why they were angry.
"It's easy for you to say, Scott. You may not have good grades, but Mr. Raymond doesn't treat you like crap because you can play basketball. If you couldn't, you wouldn't be so quick to judge us," Jason said. Nathan actually laughed.
"If you want to teach him a lesson, you're going about it the wrong way. Killing him isn't going to do anything but eat away your consciences," Haley said. Ethan scoffed.
"Or get you killed," Nathan added. They looked at him. "You guys really haven't thought this through, have you?" Nathan didn't know exactly what he meant but he knew that it was a good point. He figured Haley would know what he meant. He looked at Haley for help and she looked at him as if she knew where he was going.
"He's right, you know. By now, the police have probably got a SWAT team inside the building. They could be across the street with a gun fixed on you. They could be outside the door or in the vents up above us right now," Haley said.
"What are you babbling about?" Jason asked.
"There is a certain procedure that the police follow when there is a hostage situation. Sending in a negotiator is usually the first step. At some point, the SWAT team might decide to just shoot you so that this whole thing will be over with," Haley said.
"Please," Ethan said.
"It happens in the movies on a regular basis," Haley said.
"This is real life," Ethan argued.
"Well think about it. School shootings happen in movies and on television all the time. Then Columbine happened and shootings started arising all around the country. Do you want to take a guess at what they'll call this?" Haley asked.
"This isn't a school shooting. Those were disgruntled students who came into room after room and open fired on everyone inside. We're not doing that," Jason argued. Haley smirked.
"Right now you're holding a gun up to my head and threatening to pull the trigger. Do you really think that just because you haven't killed anyone or that your vendetta is with a teacher and not a student, you're somehow better than them?" Haley said angrily.
"And Haley never did anything to you. In fact, she's the only one of us who actually cares about you. They just want to get out of here and save their own skin. I want to save Haley. I don't care about what happens to you," Nathan said. "In my opinion, you've already sealed your fate."
Haley sat down at the chair and sighed as Ethan continued to argue with Mr. Raymond. "I should kill you right now," he said. Mr. Raymond smirked.
"If it means I won't have to hear your pathetic whining anymore, go right ahead," Mr. Raymond said. Haley looked at him in disbelief. He seemed to really have a death wish.
"Nobody's killing anyone," Haley said. Ethan turned around to look at her.
"You don't call the shots here, Haley," he reminded her.
"We've been here for over four hours now. Don't you think it's about time that you gave it up and let us go?" Nathan asked.
"Shut up, Scott," Jason barked.
"No. I'm sick of this. We didn't do anything to you. Mr. Raymond may be a jerk but he doesn't deserve to die for it. You guys are just pathetic because things don't always go your way," Nathan said, standing up and walking up to Ethan, who raised the gun up at him.
"Nathan, please, just sit down," Haley said. Nathan shook his head as Ethan aimed the guy a little higher.
"Why don't you stop being a coward? Having that gun doesn't make you tough. You only have it because you know that without it, you wouldn't have any power," Nathan said. Ethan just scoffed.
"Nathan, stop it," Haley said.
Ethan turned around and pointed the gun at Haley's head and started to pull the trigger. "I think I have some power," he said to Nathan.
"You son of a bitch. Let her go. She's done nothing but help you," Nathan said, walking closer to Haley.
"You're not so cocky now, are you?" Ethan taunted.
"Let her go," Nathan repeated. Ethan shook his head. Nathan took an opportunity to move the gun away from Haley and out of Ethan's hand. He shoved Ethan hard and he fell to the ground. Ethan pulled the second gun out and pulled the trigger. Nathan felt a burning in his chest and put his hand up to it. When he pulled them away, there was blood smeared on them. He looked at Haley.
"Nathan!" Haley screamed. She got up and ran to him as he was falling down to the ground. She managed to get there in time to catch him before he fully hit the ground. She quickly sat down and put his head gently down on her lap. She started crying as she watched him gasp for air. "Nathan," she said in misery. He grabbed one of her hands and held it to his chest.
"I love you," he said before his eyes fluttered close.
"No!" Haley exclaimed. "No, no, no." She quickly felt for a pulse and her spirits lifted when there was one. It was weak but it was still there. She took her sweater off to reveal her white spaghetti strap tank top and covered Nathan's wound with the shirt and kept pressure on it. She looked to Ethan and Jason. "Look at what you've done," she exclaimed.
"It went off by accident," Ethan said.
"You aimed the gun at him and pulled the trigger. How is that an accident?" Haley screeched as she continued to put pressure on Nathan's wound.
"We'll get him help and let everyone go on one condition," Ethan said. Haley glared at him. She wasn't so caring anymore.
"You may very well have killed someone and you think you're in a position to bargain?" she demanded. He actually smiled at her.
"Your boyfriend's lying on the floor bleeding to death. Do you think you're in a position to argue?" Ethan retorted. Haley looked at him angrily. Then she looked at Nathan who was losing blood as she made this choice.
"What is it?" she asked.
"You get on the phone with the negotiator and tell him to pull all of his men out of the building," he said.
"He'll never agree to it," she said.
"Then Scott's already dead," Ethan said, gesturing to Nathan. Haley nodded and took the cell phone he handed her. She dialled the number and Sergeant Brown answered.
"Miss James. It's nice to hear that you're alive," he said.
"Be quiet and let me say what I have to say. Ethan and Jason have asked me to speak to you on their behalf. They have an offer for you," Haley said.
"I'm listening," Brown said.
"They'll let you bring Nathan Scott out so he can receive medical treatment. Once you've pulled your men out of the building, they'll let us out two people at a time," Haley said.
"Miss James, you know I can't pull my men out," he said. Haley slammed the phone down on the desk so it would hurt his ear. Then she put it back up to her mouth.
"Listen to me very carefully. I've been held here against my will for eight hours. I've had a gun pointed at my head at least a dozen times, my boyfriend is lying on the floor bleeding to death and when I have a chance to be set free, you're telling me no. I'm sick of being jerked around. I want to go home. I want to visit Nathan in the hospital as he recovers. It's our lives you're playing with, not yours. No more games," she exclaimed.
"All right, Miss James," Sergeant Brown said.
22. The Aftermath 2
**The Aftermath 2** (Chapter Twenty-two)
Haley sat at Nathan's bed in the hospital and tasted tears in her mouth before she realized that she was actually crying. "Your boyfriend is in a coma," the doctor had said. "Your efforts at saving Mr. Scott were admirable and impressive. If he had been released to us immediately, perhaps he would be awake right now, but there was just too much blood loss. There's little hope that he'll ever recover," the doctor had said. Three months now of hearing the same hopeless words from the doctors that had taken care of Nathan and the nurses that continued to monitor his activity. Haley was beginning to give up hope that Nathan would recover. Sometimes there would be a slight jerk of his hand.
"It's normal for a coma patient. I'm sorry," a nurse had told her. Haley's response as she remembered had not been very pleasant. She had been through a lot of ups and downs with Nathan throughout the time they had met and started dating, broke up and then got back together again. She remembered the time where they had gone to a party; Nathan had gotten drunk and said a few mean things to her. How she wished that that was her biggest problem with him. And she wished she could go back in time and make the decision not to dump him after she had found out about Heather. She would have no self-respect, but she would still have Nathan and for obvious reasons, that was fine by her. Lack of self-respect is better than comatose boyfriend any day. Anything is better than having a comatose boyfriend in her books.
"Well, except a dead boyfriend," she muttered to herself. As soon as she said the words, she cursed herself. How stupid could she get? Nathan was lying right next to her and it was almost as if she was planning to get her dress for his funeral picked out already. Haley had always been an optimistic person. It was just what came naturally for her. So why couldn't she be optimistic now?
"Haley," someone said. She jumped at the sound of another voice. It was familiar but the reason she couldn't place it was because she was focusing so much on trying to hear Nathan's which was not there. She turned and smiled at Lucas. "How is he?" Haley's face crumpled and Lucas came over and hugged her. "Hey, it's ok," he said soothingly. He knew it wasn't helping but Haley appreciated the effort. Then she pulled away.
"I keep thinking that if I do or say something, he'll wake up and come back, but…" she said. Lucas nodded.
"I think the best thing you can do is what you're doing; coming to see him, being here for him. He would be doing the same thing for you," Lucas said. Haley nodded.
"You know that crocheted poncho thing that my mom made for me?" she asked. Lucas nodded, clearly not getting where she was going. "Well, I wore it yesterday." Her face crumpled.
"Haley, what is it?" he asked in confusion. Haley cleared her face but to no avail. The tears just keep coming.
"Nathan hates it. I mean, really hates it. Every time I wore it, he told me how ridiculous it looked but I didn't care," Haley said. Lucas nodded, still not getting it. "I wore it yesterday not even remembering that Nathan hated it. But then I realized that he did and…" Her words trailed off for a minute as she sobbed again. "He didn't tell me how much he hated it," she finished.
"Hey, it's all right," he said.
"No, it's not all right! Nathan is here clinging to life and I'm just a huge emotional ball of hormones and it's not what he needs right now," Haley said before silently sobbing against Nathan's motionless body.
"Haley, it's perfectly normal to be upset," Lucas said.
"I am not upset," she said. Haley savagely wiped the tears away from her face and turned around to face Lucas. "I am pissed off!" Her eyes were full of anger. Lucas looked down for a minute. He didn't think it was really appropriate for Haley to say that she was pissed off at Nathan, but then, she pointed out that it was not Nathan she was angry with. "Don't you understand?"
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"I helped them!" she exclaimed. He looked at her in confusion. "I helped them write their list of demands. I defended them against Mr. Raymond and everyone else. I did everything I could to make them let us go."
"And they did," Lucas said. Haley shrugged.
"But what did it get us?" Haley asked.
"Your freedom, Haley, and I can bet there is not a day that will go by where those two and everyone else will not be grateful for what you did," Lucas said.
"What I did wasn't good enough to help Nathan. How ironic is that? I can stop two people who are basically strangers from ruining their lives or ending them, but I couldn't do a thing to help my boyfriend," Haley said.
"Haley, you did everything you could to help Nathan. He wouldn't be in this hospital clinging to life if it weren't for what you did. He'd be six feet under," Lucas said. Haley smirked.
"And those two will most likely get to spend ten years behind bars and then walk free. But Nathan will most likely live as a prisoner in his own body for the next ten months before someone pulls the plug," Haley said.
"Haley," Lucas said.
"It's not fair! Nathan gets sentenced to death just because he was trying to protect me and they get a slap on the wrist," Haley said.
"Their fate hasn't been determined, Haley. They're going on trial and you don't know how it'll turn out," Lucas said. Haley nodded.
"That's true," she agreed.
"There you go," he said.
"For all I know, the jury could come back with a verdict of 'not guilty' or they could even get a mistrial," Haley said cynically.
"Haley, this isn't helping Nathan," Lucas said.
"What?" she asked.
"You're beating yourself up over things that you can't control and that's not what he needs," Lucas said.
"Yeah, what he needs is to be able to turn back time," Haley said. Lucas slammed his fist down on a random counter.
"No damn it! What he needs is his girlfriend and that is you," Lucas said. Haley nodded in agreement and looked at Nathan again. "I'll leave you alone with him," he said. Haley nodded.
"Nathan," Haley said gingerly. There was no response. Not even one number went up on the monitor at all. "I'm sorry that you never got to know. I should've told you sooner but I thought we had all the time in the world."
"Know what?" Dan Scott asked, coming into the room. Haley looked up at him in shock.
"How long have you been standing there?" she asked.
"Since Lucas left. Now, what doesn't Nathan know?" Dan asked. Haley panicked for a second but then relaxed when one of the simplest answers popped into her head.
"How I feel about him and how glad I was that I had him back," she said. Dan nodded. There was nothing really that bad about Dan Scott. He had never said or done anything to insult Haley personally or anyone else she cared about. He cared about his son and nephew and was a relatively good husband to his wife. But she knew that he was not the best father in the world. His sick obsession with basketball caused him to put pressure on Nathan and Nathan in turn did stupid things to try to please his father.
"I miss him too, Haley. We all do," he said. Haley nodded. She knew that and she was determined not to let Ethan and Jason get away with what happened. The DA had wanted her to testify for her in the trial because she had most interaction with Jason and Ethan and was obviously one of the closest people to the person who had gotten injured. Now Haley had made up her mind and she sincerely hoped that her testimony would help put them away.
"Ms. James, I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to come and testify," the DA Marilyn James, Haley's own aunt, said. Haley nodded. "Now, I'm going to start to ask you a few questions and I apologize in advance if they seem too personal or painful."
"It's fine," Haley said.
"How did you know the defendants?" she asked. Haley sighed.
"We all went to school together," Haley replied.
"How well did you know them?" Marilyn asked.
"I didn't know either one of them very well," Haley replied. "I tutored Jason for a while but I never really got to know him personally. I knew his grades. Ethan I didn't know at all other than by name."
"And how were Mr. Trip's grades?" Marilyn asked.
"Objection. The People have no right to know about that and this witness is not a teacher," the defence lawyer argued.
"If their defence is that they went to kill a teacher who made fun of them for their lack of performance, they must be talking about grades. If the jury is to believe them, surely Mr. Trip's tutor can provide some insight," her aunt said. The judge nodded.
"Overruled. You may answer the question, Ms. James," he said. Haley nodded.
"They were below normal," Haley said.
"How much below?" her aunt asked. Haley sighed.
"If he wasn't failing a class, his grades were borderline," she replied.
"So, he's not the brightest tool in the shed, is he?" Marilyn asked. The judge looked at her warningly for the comment, but the defence lawyer was either not paying attention or didn't realize that it was prejudicial.
"He had difficulty in a lot of areas," Haley replied politely. She would never openly call someone stupid no matter how much she hated them. She was a tutor, after all.
"During the time you were held captive, would you say the defendants were hostile?" Marilyn asked. Haley actually scoffed as she nodded.
"They were very aggressive and not shy at all about using their weapons as methods of persuasion," Haley replied.
"But you still defended them?" Marilyn asked. Haley nodded. "So you agree with their methods?"
"Of course not. I defended them, not their actions," Haley said.
"Nothing further," Marilyn said, walking away. "Your witness."
The defence lawyer got up and introduced himself as Joseph Chase. "Throughout the trial, many people have stated that you were sympathetic to the defendants," Chase said. Haley nodded. "Why?"
"I didn't think that the way Mr. Raymond treated them was ok," Haley said.
"So you knew that Mr. Raymond didn't treat them well prior to the attack?" Chase asked. Haley shook her head. "How could you not?"
"I guess I didn't realize it or I didn't pay any particular attention to them," she replied.
"So no one did anything. No one stood up for them; no one went to the principal or anyone else. They were left to deal with the situation on their own," Chase said. Haley scoffed. "Is there something funny, Miss James?"
"Your clients didn't have to deal with it that way," Haley said.
"You admitted that you yourself didn't agree with what Mr. Raymond did. Are you surprised that my clients reacted the way they did?" Chase said. Haley laughed.
"Being mad and upset is one thing. But coming into the school, armed and holding people, who had absolutely nothing to do with it, hostage?" Haley said. She turned to look at Jason and Ethan. "That reaction was beyond outrageous," she said firmly.
"Nothing further for this witness," Chase said angrily.
"You may step down," the judge said appreciatively but her aunt stood up.
"Your Honour, I wish to question this witness," she said. Haley looked at her aunt in confusion. What more was there left to say?
"Objection. This witness has nothing useful left to say," Chase argued.
"Sidebar," the judge said. They argued back and forth but even Haley couldn't hear what they were saying. Then, they all looked at her in shock but the judge turned to her and removed his hand from the microphone. "This is highly irregular," he said.
"I apologize, Your Honour, but I feel that this is something that needs to be touched upon," her aunt said.
"All right," he said.
"Miss James, I apologize in advance for this. I know it won't be easy," she said. Haley looked at her in confusion but nodded. "You were sympathetic. Has that opinion changed?"
"Yes," Haley replied.
"Why?" Marilyn asked.
"There was someone who was injured in the classroom," Haley replied.
"Did you know him?" she asked.
"Yes, I know him. He's my boyfriend," Haley replied.
"And what is his current condition?" Marilyn asked.
"He's in a coma," Haley replied. She expanded on his condition and Haley nodded.
"Now, you obviously miss your boyfriend. But is there something that you were never able to tell him? Something that he'll most likely miss out on?" Marilyn asked. Haley looked at her in confusion.
"I don't know what you mean," Haley replied. Her aunt widened her eyes.
"You know what I mean, Haley. Tell them," Marilyn said. Haley widened her eyes in shock.
"I told you that in confidence not so you can use it to further your career," Haley argued.
"And I apologize for doing this, but it needs to be done. Tell them," Marilyn said. Haley closed her mouth defiantly. Marilyn smirked at the judge.
"Tell the Court or I'll find you in contempt," he said. Haley's jaw tightened.
"What did you find out the day before you were held hostage?" Marilyn asked.
"I found out that…" Haley started.
"Yes?" Marilyn asked. Haley exhaled.
"I'm pregnant," Haley said.
23. A New Responsibility
**A New Responsibility **(Chapter Twenty-three)
Haley stepped down from the bench and as she walked by, she glared at her aunt who looked at her apologetically. Marilyn grabbed Haley's hand as she was about to go through the little gateway and looked at her. "I'm sorry, Haley. I really am," she said. Haley looked at her in annoyance.
"You should be. Do you realize that Nathan will probably read it in the newspaper before I get a chance to tell him?" Haley asked her.
"I'm really sorry," Marilyn repeated. Haley went on as if she hadn't heard her.
"I can just imagine the headlines. 'Pregnant Hostage Hero's Boyfriend in a Coma While Culprits Stand Trial'," she mocked.
"I really am sorry and I understand how you feel," her aunt said.
"No, you don't. It's bad enough that I'm a pregnant 17-year-old, but now I don't even get to tell my boyfriend before the whole world knows," Haley said, taking her aunt away and leaving.
Lucas sat by Nathan's bed while Haley was in the hospital and was almost convinced he was hearing things when he heard Nathan's voice. "Haley?" Nathan opened his eyes and looked around the room. He was in a hospital.
"She'll be here soon, Nate," Lucas said. Nathan looked at Lucas and looked at him in confusion. Lucas started to explain what had happened. After the doctor left, Nathan looked to Lucas.
"Was Haley hurt?" Nathan asked, concern overpowering the initial shock of hearing that he had been in a coma for three months. Lucas shook his head.
"On the contrary. Haley single-handedly saved the day," Lucas said. Nathan looked at him in confusion.
"After you were shot, Haley like took charge. She made Ethan and Jason realize that if you die, they would go down for murder in the first degree and might end up getting executed," Lucas said.
"Do we even have the death penalty?" Nathan asked. Lucas shrugged.
"If we don't, they could always get transferred out of state," he said. Nathan nodded. "Anyways and then they made her talk to the negotiator." Nathan smiled with pride. His Haley had saved the day.
"Where is she now?" he asked.
"In court," Lucas replied and then explained how Haley was the prosecution's star witness.
"I'm surprised. I thought she would testify for the defence," Nathan said and the started to explain how Haley had defended Jason and Ethan against Mr. Raymond and even Nathan.
"She probably would have if they didn't shoot you," Lucas said. Nathan couldn't help but smirk at Haley's sense of right and wrong. It was like if you held someone hostage you can still be forgiven but as soon as you hurt someone she loved, there would be no forgiveness.
"How has she been doing?" he asked. Lucas shrugged.
"She's had her moments but, overall, she's been fine and at your side," he said. Nathan nodded. "She even took a break from tutoring for a week when after it happened to be with you."
"But she is tutoring now, right?" he asked. Lucas nodded. Just then, the door opened. Nathan could tell it was Haley from the way she walked. She always stepped lightly so she wouldn't disturb anyone. It was annoying sometimes because she snuck up on him a lot since she was so quiet. Haley stopped dead in her tracks when he smiled at her.
"Nathan!" she exclaimed. Her face brightened as she said his name.
"Hey, Hales. Where have you been? You were gone so long that I was beginning to get worried," he said, laughing as annoyance crept on her face. But in an instant, it disappeared. She walked over to him and threw her arms around him. He could feel the tears streaming down her face and when she pulled back, he raised his hand and began wiping them away.
"No more tears. I'm here now," he said. Haley smirked and kissed him.
The next day, Haley had sat down next to Nathan on the bed. "Nathan, there's something I have to tell you," she said. He looked at her in confusion. Just then, the door swung open. Dan Scott walked in, holding a newspaper. He held it up and looked at Haley.
"Is it true?" he asked, glaring at her. Then at his own son.
"Dad, do you mind? We're trying to have a private conversation here," Nathan said in annoyance. His father had the worst timing sometimes.
"About what, daycare?" Dan asked. Nathan's face scrunched with confusion. Then Dan looked at Haley in shock. "You mean you haven't even told him yet?"
"Told me what?" Nathan asked, looking at Haley questioningly.
"I was just about to tell him," Haley replied, slightly ignoring Nathan's intense gaze. This was hard enough. She didn't want his parents there while she told him.
"Why are you waiting until now?" Dan demanded.
"Well, I only found out that day and I wasn't going to tell him then. After that, he was in unconscious for three months," Haley snapped. "So, if you don't mind, I'd like to tell him alone." To Haley's surprise, Dan's face softened and he nodded in understanding. He excused himself and closed the door behind him.
"What's going on, Haley?" Nathan demanded.
"Something's happened that will change our lives forever," she told him. It sounded more like a warning.
"Is it good or bad?" he asked.
"A bit of both. It's wonderful news. I mean, I always dreamed of this happening with you some day, but later on," she replied. "Nathan, I'm pregnant." Haley leaned back to look at his face to see his initial reaction to having a baby with her would mean to him. Shock, fear and an overwhelming feeling of happiness came over Nathan.
"That's…" he started but stopped. "That's wonderful." Haley looked at him in surprise.
"Really?" she asked. Nathan nodded.
"I mean, I agree; it is a little soon, but there's not much we can do about it now," he said. Haley smiled. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course," she replied.
"Will you marry me?" he asked. Haley sat back and looked at him in amazement.
"Yes," she blurted out. He smiled at her.
24. You Can't Please Everyone
**You Can't Please Everyone **(Chapter twenty-four)
Deb Scott walked into her son's hospital room and frowned when she saw his girlfriend, Haley James, sitting at his side. That was her place right now. Nathan was her son and if the papers said about her condition, she may have ruined his life. She placed flowers onto the counter and walked over to them. "Hi, Mom," he said. Deb smiled.
"Hi, Mrs. Scott," Haley said. Deb frowned at her and put her purse down on Nathan's bed.
"Haley, can you excuse us for a minute? I need to talk to my son for a few minutes," Deb said. Haley looked at her in confusion but nodded to her respectfully. When she was gone, Nathan turned to look at her in wonder.
"Mom, what's going on? You sound upset," Nathan asked. Deb sat down and took one of her son's hands and then put it down.
"I am upset. I found something out that was very disturbing to me," Deb said.
"What is it?" Nathan asked.
"Honey, I hate to be the one to tell you this but I have to because from what I walked in on, it's obvious that Haley hasn't," Deb said. Nathan smirked. He was pretty sure he knew what she was going to tell him. "She's done something horrible to you."
"What are you talking about?" Nathan asked, not entirely convinced he knew anymore.
"Nathan, Haley is pregnant," Deb said. Nathan looked at her in confusion.
"And?" he asked.
"Did you hear what I just said? Nathan, Haley is pregnant, with child, bun in the oven," Deb said. Nathan nodded. "How can you be so calm about this? When I found out, I almost had a panic attack. I thought that girl had some sense in her. I thought I could count on her to treat you fairly and not only is she seventeen and pregnant, but she didn't even tell you and now she's going to drag you down with her."
"Mom!" Nathan exclaimed. Deb stopped ranting and looked at him in amazement. Then it seemed to dawn on her.
"You already know, don't you?" she asked. Nathan nodded.
"Haley told me a few hours ago," he replied.
"And you're ok with this?" Deb asked flabbergasted.
"Well, I admit that I didn't plan on it happening, but, yeah, I'm ok with it," Nathan said. Deb just stared at him.
"Are you out of your mind? How can you be so nonchalant and cavalier about this? This is a baby we're talking about, Nathan. It's not like a basketball jersey or something or even a puppy. It's an actual human being that will depend upon you and Haley for everything," Deb exclaimed.
"I know that, Mom, but it's mine and Haley's baby. That's how I can be so calm about it," Nathan said.
"How could she do this to you? I was so wrong about her," Deb demanded. Just then, Haley walked in and looked at them.
"I heard shouting. Is everything all right?" Haley asked. Nathan winced as he saw his mother turn around and glare at Haley. He could tell that she was about to pounce on an unsuspecting Haley. She had just come into make sure they were all right and she was about to be attacked.
"How could you be so stupid, Haley?" Deb demanded. Haley looked at Nathan and then back at Deb. Her first reaction was surprise, but her anger at the sudden burst of anger from Deb was slowly mounting.
"Do I know what you're talking about?" Haley asked. Her voice was completely calm. Haley had this amazing ability to remain level-headed even in times when it was expected for a person to be emotional. Her tone had been tinged with annoyance and her basic no-nonsense attitude. She didn't take crap from people. If someone talked to her like his mom was, she would listen but she wouldn't be a doormat and he loved it about her.
"How could you let yourself get pregnant, ruining my son's life and, trust me on this, your own?" Deb asked. Haley's eyes narrowed and already Nathan could see her eyes blazing.
"First of all, it takes two. I didn't climb on top of myself and get pregnant. I had help. Second, I didn't let myself get pregnant. It happened. You of all people should understand that these things happen," Haley said. Deb glared at her.
"Mom, Haley and I are getting married," Nathan said. Deb looked at her son in astonishment.
"Excuse me?" Deb asked. Nathan explained what they had decided. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Mom," Nathan started but Deb held her hand up.
"You're not getting married, Nathan," Deb said. Haley and Nathan looked at each other.
"Mom, you can't stop me," Nathan said.
"Oh, that's where you're wrong. I sure as hell can. You need parents' permission to get married at your age, and while Haley's parents may be willing to give it to you which is enough said for their parenting skills right there, but I am not. And neither will your father," Deb said. Nathan looked at her in dismay. He looked at Haley, who was standing in the corner of the room. He could tell that she was struggling with her emotions right now.
"You can't do this to me," he said. Deb looked at him sympathetically.
"Nathan, you are going to thank me for this one day. You and Haley may be in love now, but love fades especially when you're seventeen. I'm laying down the law. Not only are you two not getting married, but you're not allowed to date anymore," Deb said. Nathan and Haley looked at each other in alarm.
"What!" They both exclaimed.
"I mean it. I will not let you tear down my son, Haley," Deb said, coming over and grabbing Haley by the arm.
"Mom, be careful. She's pregnant, remember?" Nathan said, trying to get up but his gut hurt too much for him to move. He couldn't stop Deb from pushing Haley out of the room.
Over the next few months, Haley and Nathan were kept apart. Nathan was still in the hospital recovering and Deb had forbid Haley to set within ten feet of his hospital room. She had even gone as far as to put a restraining order to prevent Haley from seeing Nathan. At first, Nathan and Haley ignored Deb's rules and interfering but after the restraining order was put into place, Nathan told Haley to keep her distance until his mom cooled down. But Deb never did. She remained adamant about keeping Nathan and Haley apart.
Three months later…
Haley walked out of the doctor's office and got into her car and sat there for a few minutes as she let the tears fall. She had just gone to her second sonogram appointment and she stared at the picture of her and Nathan's daughter. She had just found out that they were going to have a girl. And Nathan had missed it.
She knew that it wasn't by choice, but part of her couldn't help but resent Nathan for not helping her through this. It was his baby too, after all and he had not been there. Then she felt a whole new kind of anger at his mother for driving them apart, putting her through the last few months and making her resent Nathan. She put her car into gear and drove away.
She pulled into the school parking lot and grabbed her book bag and carried the rest of her books in her arms. She had been taking some night courses to make up for the time she would soon need to take off from school when the baby would be born. She had always taken extra courses in summer school so she was pretty far ahead compared to others in her grade. She saw the familiar faces of Peyton and Brooke walking towards Lucas, Jake and Tim and Haley longed to go over there to ask them how Nathan was but thought better of it and headed toward the tutoring centre. She had not only cut herself off from Nathan, but her friends too since they were his as well. She could revert back to who she had been before just until Deb cooled down, if that ever happened.
Nathan got out of Lucas' car and sighed as he saw the school. "One good thing about getting shot was that I never had to come here," he said. Lucas smirked and sighed.
"Please. You were bored out of your mind at the hospital and you know you're not here just for school," Lucas said. Nathan looked at him in confusion. "You came to see Haley, Nate. I know that even if you don't." Nathan shook his head.
"No way, Luke. I mean, yeah, of course I want to see her. I haven't seen her in months and I miss her like you can't even believe but with my mom, I figure she has warned the staff," Nathan said. Lucas nodded.
"Don't get me wrong. I love Aunt Deb, but I just think that what she's doing is wrong. Forget about what she's doing to you, which is bad. But what about what she's doing to Haley?" Lucas asked. Nathan nodded. "I mean, she was pregnant with you around Haley's age and Dan stuck by her by choice and she took that for granted. That doesn't happen all the time. And now she's not letting you stick by Haley."
"How is Haley?" Nathan asked. Lucas shrugged.
"I've seen her around, but I haven't actually really spoken to her. She doesn't really talk to us anymore," Lucas said.
"She's just trying to make things easier on all of us," Nathan said, feeling even worse about what she was going through. She was being put through the wringer and yet she still had a good enough heart not to drag their friends in the middle of it.
"From what I've seen of her, though, she's doing all right. She seems a little lonely, but she looks fine, if you're worried about her and the baby," Lucas said.
"I'm sure she would've told you if something were wrong," Peyton said, coming over and hugging Nathan. "Welcome back." Nathan smirked at Peyton.
"Look, I got to get to Brooke's locker. Apparently, she has something to show me," Lucas said.
"I'll walk him to his locker and meet you in the cafeteria," Peyton said, giggling as Nathan glared at her. They continued walking and Nathan put some things in his locker and grabbed other things. Then they walked towards the cafeteria. "Dude, we've got to stop by the tutoring centre," Peyton said.
"Why?" Nathan asked.
"I need to talk to my tutor," Peyton said, as if it were the dumbest question.
"You have a tutor?" Nathan asked in disbelief mixed with amusement. Peyton nodded. "Why?"
"Because math and I are not the best of friends and my tutor's like a math whiz," Peyton said. Nathan cracked up and followed her to the tutoring centre. Peyton walked in and went up to a guy and they started chatting. Nathan leaned against the door and then felt like an idiot so he walked in. That's when he saw her.
Her hair was longer, her skin shone with a sort of glow now and she had gained a little weight to her stomach and he felt a burst of happiness as he realized that it was their child changing her like this. Then she turned around from the conversation she had been carrying on with a girl that was a year or so younger and froze. He smiled at her and she got up from her chair and walked over to him. "Hi," she said. He smiled.
"Hey," he said. They stood there staring at each other for a minute and then Haley took a step forward and threw herself to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. At first, Nathan was caught off guard but then he pulled his arms around her back and pulled her closer and tightened his arms around her. He could feel her soft crying. Then she pulled back and looked up at him.
"I missed you," she said. Nathan smiled.
"I missed you too," he said. "Both of you." Haley reached up and ran her hand across his cheek as she leaned up and kissed him. Meanwhile, Peyton was over at another table with Mouth and was smiling at the moment Haley and Nathan were sharing.
"You're a good friend to have brought them together again," Mouth said. Peyton nodded.
"And thank you for helping me do it," Peyton said, slapping Mouth a high five for a job well done.
"I still can't believe Nathan thought you needed at tutor," Mouth said.
"I can't believe he thought you were my tutor," Peyton said and they both laughed.
25. Trapped in a Bad Situation
**Trapped in a Bad Situation But Still Moving Forward **(Chapter twenty-five)
Nathan walked out of his bedroom that morning and almost made it out of the house without a word until he ran into his mom in the parking lot as she was getting ready to leave for work. "Oh, hi, sweetie," she said. Nathan just scoffed as he made his way to his own car. Deb shut her door and walked over to him. "So, you're just not going to talk to me now?" she asked.
"I don't know what to say to you, Mom," he said. He turned around to face her so she could see how much pain she was causing him. She looked away when confronted with it.
"I know you're hurting, Nathan, but this is for the best," she said.
"For who, Mom? For me, Haley, our baby?" Nathan asked. Deb looked down. "Or for you?" Deb looked up at him.
"This isn't about me," she said.
"Isn't it? You're doing this because you resent Haley because you think she's like you," Nathan said accusingly.
"That's absurd," Deb said.
"No, it's the truth. When you and Dad were drifting apart, you got pregnant with me and him being the guy that he is, you knew he wouldn't just walk away from us. You got pregnant to make your boyfriend stay with you and even then he didn't do it right away. You resent Haley because you think she's doing the same thing you did and because her boyfriend didn't hesitate to commit himself to her," Nathan said.
"That's not…" Deb started.
"Well, that's not Haley," Nathan said.
"I know that Haley is a good person, Nathan. I wouldn't have allowed you to date her as long as you did if I didn't. But I don't think she deserves all of your praise and adoration. Given the right motivation, there's no telling what people will do," Deb said.
"Well, those 'people' aren't Haley. I know her, Mom. And if you're not concerned with what you're doing to her, then think about what you're doing to me," Nathan said.
"I'm helping you," she said.
"How are you helping me by keeping me away from my _pregnant_ fiancée?" Nathan asked. Deb looked at him as he said 'fiancée'. "I love Haley and I want to be there for her. Why won't you let me be?"
"Because, believe it or not, I want you to have a better life than I did," she said. He looked at her in shock.
"Well, I'm sorry that I ruined your life, but it wasn't my fault that you got pregnant on purpose, so it's no excuse for you to try to ruin mine," Nathan said, getting in his car and pulling away.
Haley sighed as she walked out of school and realized she forgot her purse in her locker that had her car keys in it. Just the thought of walking all that way made her want to vomit, not to mention that she was already feeling sick. She looked around to see if there was anyone she knew that she could walk with, but realized that there wasn't, shrugged and walked back inside. The minute she walked through the second set of doors into the hallway, she saw Nathan and the rest of the basketball team exiting the locker room. Their eyes met and he stopped walking and half-smiled at her. "Scott, come on!" Whitey yelled. Instead of listening to Whitey, he walked over to Haley.
"Is everything all right?" Nathan asked, as he got closer to her. Haley nodded.
"I just have to get my purse from my locker," she replied, pulling away from his touch. It just made her want to throw herself in his arms and while he probably wouldn't have a problem with that, his mom would. He looked at her in concern.
"You're going to walk all that way by yourself?" he asked. She nodded, looking down as Whitey continued to yell at Nathan. The rest of the team was already in the gymnasium. Then, Whitey walked over to them.
"Nathan, when I talk to you, you damn well listen!" Whitey exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Coach," Nathan said. Whitey looked so shocked that Nathan had apologized, he shut his mouth. They had a routine down. Nathan would do something, sometimes intentionally, to make him yell and when he did, Nathan would talk back and they argued for a few minutes back and forth. "Coach, I'm going to walk Haley to her locker and then back to her car, ok?" Nathan looked at his coach pleadingly and looked at Haley as if he were communicating some sort of secret message that she couldn't interpret.
"Well, all right. Just make sure that you do show up for practice," Whitey said. Haley chuckled.
"Thanks, Coach," Nathan replied. Whitey turned to Haley and smiled. Nathan knew why; Whitey was fond of Haley. Everyone was. Haley smirked back.
"You take care of yourself," Whitey said. Haley smirked and nodded. He walked away from them and when he was in the gymnasium, Nathan put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.
"Thank God he said yes. I've been looking for an excuse to spend a little more than two minutes with you," he said. Haley wrapped her right arm around his waist and hugged him back as she chuckled softly. They started walking towards her locker with Haley leaning against him for support. When they reached it, Haley leaned against the wall for support again. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing," Haley replied, softly chuckling. She put her hand on her stomach as she said, "We're fine. I just get tired when I walk a long time."
"So, everything has been ok, right? Your doctor's appointments. Everything's checked out?" he asked. Haley laughed at his wording but nodded. "I hate that I can't be there with you," he said. She nodded.
"I know. I do have a few things to tell you, though. And I have something to give you, but it's in my car," she replied.
"Well, when we get there, you can tell me whatever it is," Nathan said. She opened her locker and grabbed her purse off of the hook she had placed it on when she was loading her bag and then closed the locker. When they reached the car, Haley took off on her own and opened the door. She sat down in the driver's seat and opened the glove box and grabbed a small bag. She turned her legs so they were hanging out the side of the car to face Nathan who was leaning against the rear passenger door. She opened the bag and grabbed a small piece of paper and handed it to him. He took a look at it and saw that there was a caption on the weird picture. It said "James-Scott baby". He looked at her and smiled.
"We're having a daughter," she replied, smiling at his expression that was filled with love. He leaned down and kissed her. When he pulled away, there were a few tears running down his face.
"I love you so much. Thank you for giving this to me," he said, leaning into kiss her again before she could get a word out.
"That's not all," she said. He looked at her in expectance. "I told my parents everything."
"Everything?" he repeated.
"That I'm pregnant, that you're the father and that we're engaged," Haley replied.
"How'd they take the news?" he asked.
"Not well," Haley replied. He frowned. "At first, anyway." He brightened and looked at her again. "After talking about it, they have given us their support and my mom gave me this to give to you." She reached in the bag and pulled out a small box and handed it to him. He opened it and inside was a ring.
"What is this for?" he asked.
"It was my grandmother's engagement ring and my mom wants you to have it to give to me," she replied.
"Are you serious? Your mom actually gave you this?" he asked. Haley nodded as he took her hand and slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly, almost as if the ring knew that it would wind up on Haley's finger at some time.
"But she stresses that we're to wait until we have your parents' permission to get married," Haley said, laughing. Nathan nodded and kissed her left hand.
"My mom will come around, Haley. I promise she will. And if she doesn't come around on her own, then I'll talk to my dad," he replied. Haley looked at him for a minute.
"Nathan, I'm not sure your mother will ever be all right with this," she said.
"Well, I'm willing to accept that, but I will not let her let me become an absent father or just your boyfriend," Nathan said. Haley scrunched her eyebrows.
"Just my boyfriend?" Haley repeated. She didn't realize that being her boyfriend was such a bad thing. He shook his head as if he knew what she was thinking.
"I know what you're thinking and that's not what I mean," he said, looking at her insistently.
"Then, what do you mean?" she asked, a little bit of frustration in her voice. Nathan took her hands into his and squeezed them lightly.
"When I asked you to marry me, I didn't do that just because you're pregnant. Yes, that was a contributing factor but I didn't have to ask you. I wanted to," he replied. Haley nodded.
"Ok," she said.
"I mean it, Haley. I want us to stand before God and swear that we'll always love each other. I want to be your husband. I want a future with you. I want to be with you in every sense of the word," he said. Haley smiled but then started crying. Nathan looked at her in concern. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just these damn hormones!" Haley exclaimed as she grabbed three tissues at a time and started wiping her face. Nathan smirked at her in amusement. "It's not funny! I've just about had it with them. I cry all the time. I cry when I'm sad, when I'm mad and when I'm happy. I'm like a huge crying machine," Haley said, still wiping her face. Nathan took a fresh tissue and started dabbing at her the bottom of her eyes, careful not to poke her in the eye with it.
"I think you're cute," he said.
"Yeah, I bet you do. You're the one that did this to me," she said. He laughed at her again. "Don't laugh at me or I will make you cry." He looked at her in amusement.
"And what would you do?" he asked.
"I'd, um… take away that picture I gave you," she said. He looked at her in shock. Then she shook her head. "No, I wouldn't. I would never do that. I love you and I want to be with you too." He smirked and leaned in for one last kiss.
"I'm glad we agree. I'll see you…" he said, but his sentence trailed off when he realized he had no idea when he'd see her next. Haley smirked and nodded.
"Soon," she finished. He smiled and waited until she had closed the door to start walking away.
Two hours later…
Haley arrived at the café with a few minutes to spare. She got behind the counter and smiled at Karen. She was so glad that Deb didn't work there anymore. Deb had gotten involved in the Foundation she had worked at before the café again. While she was still Karen's business partner, she never worked behind the counter anymore which was good because they got to keep more of their dishes, as Karen had put it. "Cutting it a little close today, aren't we?" Karen asked.
"I was talking to someone," Haley replied. Karen raised her eyebrows in fascination.
"Who?" Karen asked. Haley was about to answer but closed her mouth when she remembered that Karen and Deb were friends as well as family. Karen noticed her hesitation and asked, "Well, who was it?"
"I'm not sure I should tell you," Haley replied, as she began filling some sugar canisters. She had long since stopped going from each individual table and filing them. She brought them all to the counter, filled them and if someone else didn't put them back which they usually did, she put them back.
"I am friends with Deb, Haley, but that doesn't mean I agree with everything she does," Karen said.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Haley asked.
"It was Nathan you were talking to, wasn't it?" Karen asked. Haley looked at her in confusion. Karen pointed to the ring on her finger. "Your mom told me about it." Haley smiled.
"Yeah, it was Nathan," Haley confirmed. She looked around and almost dropped the sugar bag when Dan and Keith Scott walked in.
"Hey, you two!" Karen said. She kissed Keith and nodded at Dan, who smiled at her in acknowledgement. "What brings you here?"
"Well, I wanted to see my wife," Keith said. Keith looked at Dan and gestured something with his eyes. Dan cleared his throat.
"I wanted to talk to Haley," he admitted. Haley rolled her eyes but turned to face him. "How are you doing?" He gestured to her and then her stomach.
"I am fine," she said pointing to herself. "But I'm sure that if the baby were born, she would miss her father." She was through with the good little girl routine when it came to Nathan's parents. She had been patient and understanding for three whole months. She was tired of having just moments with Nathan. She wanted him back for good.
"Her?" Keith, Karen and Dan all repeated. Haley nodded.
"Look, Haley, I'm not the one that forbid Nathan to see you," Dan said.
"Right," Haley said unconvinced. Dan nodded insistently at her. She nodded. "But you didn't do anything about it, did you? You didn't try to talk to your wife."
"Deb is not always what you call a reasonable woman," Dan said. Haley smirked at him.
"I got that. Most people would find it reasonable for a guy to be there for his pregnant fiancée," Haley said. Dan nodded.
"I understand how you feel and no one blames you for being angry, but as you said, Deb is my wife and I have to support her," Dan said.
"Of course you have to support her," Haley said agreeably. He nodded in appreciation, missing Haley's sarcasm. Then Haley frowned. "But not when she's being crazy." Then, she turned around and walked away with the sugar canisters. Dan nodded.
"Enough said," he muttered before turning back to his brother and sister-in-law.
"So, a funny thing happened today," Peyton commented as Jake, Nathan, Tim, Brooke and Lucas were all eating in the cafeteria the next day.
"What's that?" Brooke asked. Peyton smiled.
"I walked into the tutoring centre to talk to Mouth, who was getting tutored by Haley," Peyton said.
"That's not very interesting," Brooke commented, but Peyton held up a finger.
"So, naturally, I chatted with Haley and I noticed a little something on one of her fingers," Peyton commented and smirked when she saw Nathan visibly stiffen.
"What?" Jake asked.
"I saw an engagement ring on her finger," she announced. They all turned to look at Nathan for an explanation.
"You gave Haley a ring?" Lucas asked.
"You two are engaged?" Tim asked.
"When did you speak to Haley?" Jake asked.
"Where'd you get the ring?" Brooke asked. They all asked simultaneously but very quickly so Nathan shook his head in annoyance.
"We've been engaged since I found out she was pregnant. I gave her, her grandmother's ring which her mother gave to her to give to me and I spoke to her yesterday," Nathan replied.
"Aunt Deb hasn't seen it, has she?" Luke asked. Nathan looked at Lucas and smirked.
"And when would my mom see Haley?" Nathan retorted. All of a sudden, a student came running into the cafeteria looking around frantically. She walked over to their table. Brooke looked like she was going to pounce on her.
"You're that pregnant tutor's fiancé right?" she asked. Nathan looked up at her and nodded. "Come quick. Something's wrong with her. She's in pain, she wants you and they called an ambulance," the girl explained on the way to the tutoring centre. Nathan raced to Haley's side. She was wincing and grunting in pain.
"Nathan!" Haley managed to say in between the crushing waves of pain flowing through her. "It hurts. Something's wrong." He sat behind her cross-legged so Haley could lean against him. He kissed her forehead.
"It's ok. They called an ambulance. Help's on the way. Just hold on," he said, soothingly, though he was scared out of his mind.
26. Let Love Win
**Let Love Win **(Chapter twenty-six)
"This is ridiculous! I'm not a baby," Haley exclaimed from her wheelchair as Nathan walked beside her as the nurse pushed her back to her hospital room.
"No, but you're going to have one and they're just being extra careful, which we should be grateful for. Especially after you little episode today," he said, putting his hand down on her shoulder to relax her.
"An episode? It's called 'false labour', Nathan, and it happens to plenty of women all the time," she said sternly. She didn't like to be treated like an invalid.
"Whatever. They're still being careful and I for one am glad," he said. The nurse smiled at them and offered to help Haley back into her bed. Haley shook her head and smiled at her in appreciation. The nurse nodded and walked away. She got up from her wheelchair and climbed into her hospital bed. Nathan helped her get the covers over her and sat down beside her on the bed. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him.
"Even if it does happen to plenty of women, it scared the hell out of me to see you in so much pain and not be able to help you," he said. She leaned back and kissed him.
"Just being there with me was helping me," she said and snuggled into his shoulder.
"The doctor said we can leave after they get an ultrasound just to make sure that everything's all right," he said.
"Oh, you're going to get to see the baby!" she exclaimed. He looked at her in amusement.
"How?" he asked.
"By the ultrasound. They rub it over my stomach and you get to see a picture of the baby and hear the heartbeat and stuff," Haley explained.
"Wouldn't the baby be too small to see? And it would look kind of weird wouldn't it?" he asked.
"Well, it won't be a fully formed baby, Nathan. I'm only three months pregnant. And besides, you can still see parts of the baby," she said.
"I don't believe that," he said. She started to talk about how incredible the feeling was and then looked up at him to see that he was keeping biting his lip to make sure he didn't laugh.
"You're making fun of me!" she exclaimed.
"Pretty much," he said and laughed as she punched him.
"Don't tease me, Nathan. It's not funny," she said. He could tell that she was about to cry before the tears started flowing.
"Oh, Hales, I'm sorry. I was only kidding," he said, pulling her closer. She turned her head away from him and pretended to cry. Then he turned her face to see that she was laughing at him.
"Now that's how you tease someone," she said proudly. He laughed and kissed her again.
"Nathan!" Deb Scott exclaimed as she walked into Haley's hospital room. She was seething when she saw that he was sitting in a bed, holding Haley.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"The principal called me and told you left the school in an ambulance. What happened to you and what is she doing here with you?" Deb asked.
"Mom, I wasn't the one that was hurt," Nathan said. Deb looked at him in confusion.
"I was. I went into false labour and I had to be rushed to the hospital. Nathan just came with me," Haley said.
"He has classes, Haley. The last thing he needs is to be distracted from his schoolwork," Deb said.
"Mom, I needed to be here for Haley and our baby. Something could've happened to them. I wasn't about to let her go there and possibly give birth alone," Nathan said.
"Fine. Come home now, Nathan," Deb said. Nathan scoffed.
"Mom, I'm not going anywhere without my fiancée," he said. Deb glared at him. "You need to let this go, Mom. Haley is not you. She's not trapping me into anything and I'm not going to be without her anymore. We will get married with or without your permission."
"And how do you plan on getting around that?" Deb asked.
"I'll sign the papers," Dan said, coming into the room. Deb turned around and glared at him.
"What?" Deb exclaimed.
"Nathan's right, Deb. We've kept these two apart long enough. They need to be together. They're a family now and I know you don't want your grandchild to grow up in a broken home," Dan said. Deb shook her head. "And we've tortured Haley enough as well." Deb stopped to think for a minute. Dan glared at her.
"I have something to ask of you before I give you my permission," Deb said.
"What?" Nathan asked.
"You will be married in our Church and the baby will be baptized," Deb said, explaining that she wanted the baby to be Catholic.
"Mrs. Scott," Haley said. Deb turned to her. "The baby will be a Catholic. There was never a question about that." She was laughing.
"What is so funny?" Deb and Dan asked. Haley and Nathan just looked at each other.
"Well, I'm a Catholic too," Haley said. They all nodded and Dan and Deb left. Haley was still angry until Nathan wrapped his arms around her again.
"Did you hear that?" he asked.
"What?" she asked.
"We're actually getting married," he said, kissing her head. Haley smiled.
"It seems like it's taken forever to just be allowed to," Haley said. He nodded in agreement.
"I can't wait," he said.
"What?" she asked.
"I can't wait to take you home as my wife. To wake up with you every day and see your beautiful face peaceful as you're sleeping," he said.
"You sound like a stalker," she joked.
"I'm worse. I'm going to be your old ball and chain," he said. Haley laughed at him and turned around and kissed him.
27. Fall to Pieces
**Fall to Pieces **(Chapter twenty-seven)
Three weeks later…
/Flashback/
Nathan came into Haley's room at her parents' house and sat down beside her. She was staring at her wedding dress and her face was twisted with disgust. "This is the ugliest dress I've ever seen," she said. Nathan chuckled.
"Then, why'd you pick it?" he asked. She turned and looked at him in outrage.
"I didn't PICK it. It was my mom's. Did you know that in my family, the daughters wear their mother's wedding dresses?" Haley asked. Nathan smirked.
"So, what, this dress is like four hundred years old?" Nathan asked. Haley swatted him on the shoulder.
"You're missing the point, Scott," Haley said.
"Hales, it's a nice dress," he said. Haley looked at him in disbelief. "What's really wrong?" Haley looked down.
"I don't like the dress," Haley said and looked at him as if he were crazy.
"So get a new one," he suggested.
"I will," she said firmly.
"This is hormones, isn't it?" he asked. Haley glared up at him.
"What does that mean?" she asked as she continued to look up at him warningly.
"Never mind," he said.
"Good answer," she said. She reached out her hand and pulled him down beside her. "Can you believe that in less than two months we're going to be married?" Nathan smiled, careful to keep the guilt off his face. He knew he should tell her, but it would kill her.
"I can't wait," he said, pulling her closer to him. He kissed the top of her head and put his hand on her stomach.
/End of Flashback/
"Haley and I aren't engaged anymore," Nathan admitted to his father and mother. Dan and Deb looked at him in shock.
"Say what?" Dan asked.
"Nathan, everything's set. We've got the church booked, the invitations are sent, and the dresses are bought. What happened?" Deb asked.
/Flashback/
"When?" Haley asked. Nathan looked down. He couldn't meet her steely gaze.
"While we were apart," he replied. Haley scoffed.
"You mean when I was going to doctor's appointments all by myself?" Haley asked. They were in his bedroom. He was sitting at his desk chair and Haley had just got up from his bed.
"Yeah," he replied. Haley's face crumpled as she shook her head in amazement.
"Unbelievable," she said.
"I'm sorry," he said. Haley glared at him.
"You were really going to do it, weren't you?" she asked.
"What?" he asked.
"You were going to marry me, walk down the aisle, have a family with me without ever telling me the truth," Haley said.
"I don't know," he said.
"Well, you don't have to wonder anymore because I'm not marrying you," she said, hoisting herself up and heading towards the door.
/End of Flashback/
"Because Haley doesn't want to marry me," Nathan said.
"Why not?" Deb asked, almost angrily.
"Because I cheated on her," Nathan said.
"You what?" Dan and Deb exclaimed.
"With Brooke," he replied.
"Lucas' girlfriend?" Dan asked in disbelief.
"And now she might be pregnant," Nathan said.
28. There's Nothing Deadlier Than
**There's Nothing Deadlier Than a Woman Scorned **(Chapter twenty-eight)
/Flashback/
"Go away!" Haley James exclaimed as she slammed the door in Nathan's face, but Nathan stuck his foot out and blocked it. Then he put his arm through and warned her to step aside otherwise she'd get hurt. She was already bounding up the steps and into her room by the time he got into the hall.
He followed her into her room and sighed as she returned to the boxes that she was now unpacking. They had spent the entire weekend packing her room up to move the stuff over to his place. "Haley, we should talk about this," he said. Haley chuckled.
"You're right. You do know that breaking and entering is a felony right?" she asked.
"That's not what I was talking about," he replied.
"Well, that's all I'm willing to say to you right now," Haley said, folding her arms across her chest indignantly. Nathan's eyes travelled down to her stomach, which was growing bigger by the week with their child inside of her.
"Haley, we need to work this out… for her," he said. Haley followed his gaze and laughed at her.
"Uh-uh. There's no way you get to make me feel guilty here. And don't use her as a bargaining chip," Haley said.
"I'm not. I'm thinking of her," he said.
"You should have thought about her before you slept with Brooke and knocked her up," Haley said, getting up and walking to the window. "Speaking of which, how is the back-stabbing bitch?"
"This isn't about Brooke. Can we just leave her out of it?" Nathan said. Haley laughed at him.
"We wouldn't even be having this conversation if it weren't for her," Haley said.
"It takes two, Hales," Nathan reminded her. Haley chuckled.
"Well, I certainly didn't sleep with her," Haley said sarcastically.
"I meant that I was a willing participant. It's not all Brooke's fault," he said. Haley nodded.
"Well, at least you're man enough to admit your part in it. You're not going to try to blame it all on her," Haley said, nodding. There were tears flowing down her face.
"I'm man enough to admit when I've made a mistake," he said. Haley smirked.
"It doesn't change anything, Nathan. We're still over," she said, shaking her head.
"Haley, come on. We can work through this," he said. Haley shook her head.
"No, we can't, Nathan. You know how I feel about Brooke. You know what I was going through then all alone and you just didn't care," Haley exclaimed.
"That's not true," Nathan insisted. Haley shrugged and told him to leave. He sighed and walked away.
/End of Flashback/
Now almost a month later, Nathan was standing at Haley's door about to tell her news that would no doubt devastate her. He knocked on the door just as Haley opened it and sighed when she saw him standing there. "What do you want?" she asked. He looked at her. She was bigger than the last time he had seen her and she was dressed in a frilly white top with a long flowing blue skirt.
"I need to talk to you," he said. Haley rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Please."
"Fine," Haley said, leading the way back inside and into the kitchen. She leaned against the counter and looked at him expectantly.
"How are you?" he asked, looking at her and then her stomach. Haley looked at him sympathetically.
"Everything is fine," she said somewhat reassuringly. He nodded and looked around uncomfortably. He shifted his weight a few times and Haley grew frustrated. "Nathan, what is it?"
"Um…" he started. Haley looked at him expectantly. "I'm engaged." Haley blinked rapidly. Then, she let out a breath.
"To Brooke?" she squeaked. He could see her eyes beginning to fill with unshed tears. Then, he nodded. Haley straightened herself and walked a few steps. She opened her mouth to speak but then looked at him and closed it. Now she felt an incredible stabbing pain in her back and tried to reach out to grab something to hold onto for support but was too late and came crashing down, her head connected to the hard floor and she was out like a light.
Four hours later…
Nathan sighed as he walked into Haley's hospital room. Haley was stirring so she was just waking up. He walked over and sat down beside her just in time for her to open her eyes. "Nathan? What happened?" she asked.
"You, uh, collapsed," he replied brokenly, wiping away fresh tears.
"Why?" she asked. He just looked at her with pain in his eyes. She shook her head as tears spilled out of her eyes. "Don't tell me…"
"I'm sorry, Haley. We lost the baby," he said.
"No," Haley said shaking her head in disbelief. "No, no, no." He leaned forward and pulled her to him. He knew she probably hated him but they needed to get through the loss of their baby together. She muttered something.
"What?" he asked.
"How?" she asked. "What did I do wrong?"
"The umbilical cord wrapped around the baby's neck and she died. There's nothing you could've done to prevent it," he replied pulling her closer. Haley nodded in understanding. Then, a few seconds later, her face crumpled as she began sobbing into his chest.
"Our baby, Nathan," she said brokenly.
"Shh," he said through his own tears as he sat down on her bed and held her in his arms, wanting to shield her from the harsh reality. "They're going to perform an emergency c-section in a few minutes. I thought that you should know beforehand." Haley nodded at him.
An hour later…
A doctor came out of the room and walked over to him and looked at him pitifully. "Nathan Scott?"
"Yes," Nathan replied, nodding. "How's Haley?" The doctor swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, son," he said. Nathan looked at him in confusion. "But she didn't make it."
"What?" Nathan exclaimed in disbelief.
"The doctors were closing and your girlfriend went into cardiac arrest. We did everything we could but we were unable to save her," he said. Nathan stared at him and then looked around.
"Haley's dead?" he asked, processing the information. The doctor nodded sadly. "Noooo!"
Nathan, covered in sweat, sprung up. Then, he looked around and realized he was in his bedroom. He was confused as to how he got there but then he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Nathan, what is it?" Haley asked. He turned to face her.
"Haley?" he said.
"What's wrong?" she asked, running her hand along his arm and making him face her. He looked at her, noticing her grandmother's ring still on her finger and that she was still pregnant. He sighed as he pulled her against him into a crushing embrace. He began to kiss her fervently. He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, above her eyes, below them, her mouth, and her chin until she pulled away and looked at him in alarm.
"Nathan, what's bothering you?" she asked, clearly confused. He smiled and hugged her again.
"Nothing," he said. She shrugged in his embrace.
"Are you sure?" she murmured against his shoulder. He smiled and nodded.
"It was just a dream," he said, smiling against her mouth as they kissed.
29. For Better or For Worse
**For Better or For Worse **(Chapter twenty-nine)
Haley sat down in the room that had been given to her, as the bride, to get ready at the Church. She was wearing a simple baby blue dress that flew down just below her ankles. It was a dress that Brooke had offered to size for her. At first, Haley had been hesitant to trust Brooke but after realizing how much she liked the dress and seeing some of her other dresses, she had decided to give Brooke a chance. Brooke's talent had surprised Haley. Haley was positive that her only talents lie in getting drunk, being bitchy and manipulating otherwise smart and intelligent guys like Lucas.
"Tutor Girl, I'm ready to start your hair," Brooke said, popping her head into the room. Haley turned around and nodded. Brooke smiled in approval at the dress. She came over and forced Haley to sit down in front of the mirror. Brooke started brushing her hair. "You're going to look great." Haley smiled in appreciation.
"Have you seen Nathan?" Haley asked. Brooke smiled and chuckled to herself as she nodded. "How is he?"
"He's jittery as hell. I swear, for someone who's usually so confident, you'd never know it. Earlier on, when Tim played a joke on him, saying he forgot the rings at the bachelor party yesterday, Nathan almost threw him out the doors," Brooke commented. Haley chuckled.
"He probably just doesn't want to leave anything to chance," Haley said. Brooke nodded and then leaned down and looked at her mischievously.
"I think that when the priest asks you if you take him as your husband, you should say no just to see the reaction on Nathan's face," Brooke said and laughed at her own idea. Haley gasped.
"That would kill him," Haley said. Brooke shrugged.
"It's just an idea," she said.
"Well, I think I'll pass on hurting Nathan not even one day into our marriage if that's all right with you," Haley said, shaking her head. Brooke moved away from Haley as she finished with her hair and stepped back to admire her work.
"You really love him, don't you?" Brooke asked thoughtfully.
"More than anyone in the world," Haley replied without missing a beat. Brooke smiled.
"I'm really happy for you two," Brooke said. Haley looked at her in surprise. "I know that when you first started dating him, I wasn't very supportive or nice, but I thought you were just going to end up hurting Nathan. But I was really wrong. I look at him now and he's happier than he's ever been and that's because of you." Haley smiled before some tears spilled out of her eyes. Brooke looked at her apologetically. "Haley, don't cry. I'm sorry." Haley shook her head.
"Aww. Oh, that's such a nice thing to say," Haley gushed. Then Haley cursed her hormones. Brooke laughed.
"You're welcome," Brooke said before leaving.
Nathan stood, pacing nervously until the music started and he took his place beside Lucas. Everyone stood up and Haley's niece, Abigail was the first one to come down the aisle since she was the flower girl. Then Haley's bridesmaids came down the aisle. Peyton was first in line as the matron of honour and Brooke and Karen came down beside each other. Then once they were all in their places, the organ player started playing "Here Comes the Bride" but it was different version as Haley had hated the sound of the song when he first played it for them. So she had taken the music home and worked on making the changes to make it sound better.
Then Haley appeared and Nathan froze. She was absolutely stunning. Their gazes locked and Nathan couldn't help but smile. She glided down the aisle gracefully which was surprising since it was Haley. He had half expected her to fall on her face by tripping on her gown or her own shoes but today, everything about her was flawless. He took her hand and pulled her gently as they walked up to the priest together. The priest ran through the usual stuff and then it came down to the vows which they had written themselves.
"You fell for me when I was a different guy; a bad guy, some might say. I wasn't dangerous or anything, but I was a jerk. But somehow you saw through all of that. You gave me the benefit of the doubt… every time," he said. Haley chuckled as tears trickled down her face. "You helped me be the kind of guy that I've always wanted to be but for whatever reason never was. And along the way, I found the one that I want to be with for the rest of my life. My wife, the mother of my children and my love. I love you, Haley." Haley held up a hand as Nathan passed her a tissue because he knew she'd need it for today. She wiped her face and smiled up at him.
"I don't have a big speech or anything like that prepared. All I can say is that I love you, Nathan. I love you more than anyone or anything in my life and that's all that matters when you think about it; love. What else do you need?" Haley said. Nathan smiled and squeezed her hand.
"You may now kiss…" the priest started but Nathan was way ahead of him. He grabbed the back of Haley's head and anchored her to him and crushed her lips with his. The priest looked shocked. "… The bride," he finished. Everyone laughed.
"And that's how Daddy and I fell in love and got married," Haley Scott finished. She looked down at her seven-month old daughter. She smiled when she realized that Peyton Marie Scott had fallen asleep. She walked back to her bed and got in.
Almost immediately she felt Nathan's arm come around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Then his arm moved up and found one of her hands and entwined their fingers. "Everything all right, babe?" he asked sleepily. Haley turned her head and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"Fine. She's asleep and I'm back in your arms," Haley whispered. Even in the dark, Haley could see Nathan smiling.
"And that's where you'll always end up," Nathan commented.
"Nathan?" Haley asked a few minutes later. Nathan groaned.
"Hmm?" he asked.
"I'm pregnant," she said. Nathan opened his eyes and looked at her in surprise. He seemed to be looking for confirmation on something. Haley just smiled. "It's a boy." Nathan responded by tightening his arm around her.
"I love you, Hales," he said.
"I love you too," Haley replied and turned around. She snuggled up to Nathan and rested her head on his chest and draped her arm across it as well. His left arm came around her back and rested on her stomach. And they both drifted off, sleeping in each other's arms like they usually did.
The End
End file.
| fanfiction |
My Little Pony Toward the Distant Skies
They say every cloud has a silver lining, though those that use this saying are optimists. I suppose I used to be one, until that day...the day I saw the sun for the first time, and my life officially began.
-X-
The snow fell gently, showering the playful colts and fillies who had dared to go outside on such a cold day. A Pegasus walked through Cloudsdale that day, and without any indication of who he was, or if he would be important. He looked up at the falling snow, the light grey clouds offering the snowflakes to him as if to say 'join in, everyone else is enjoying this day'. But the Pegasus brushed the snow off his light grey coat and his darker grey mane. He did smile to himself though, if only for a moment. Then he continued on his way.
Sun Bloom wandered towards the edge of Cloudsdale, awaiting her friend Silver Linings, so they could watch the snowfall together. It was like a tradition for the two of them now, and they often broke out of their shyness while they did so. Sun Bloom smiled when Silver Linings sat down beside her. "You kept me waiting, Silver. I thought you wouldn't show up." Said Sun Bloom. Silver Linings looked a little worried. "I understand that, Sun Bloom, but you shouldn't be out here, not with the foal on its way." Said Silver Linings. He had to admit, it made him proud to think he was going to be a father, though in the same way, it both terrified and excited him. Silver Linings had known Sun Bloom since they were just a colt and a filly, and over time as they grew up, they'd fallen in love, as all cliche'd romances begin. Now they were expecting a baby...Silver Linings could still hardly believe it.
"I guess you're right, Silver. But I expect a hot drink for the both of us while we're inside, all right?" Replied Sun Bloom, her usual laugh uplifting Silver Linings spirits. But he had a job to do for now. "I'll be there later, Sun Bloom. I have to check the weather patterns today." Replied Silver Linings. Sun Bloom knew it was his job, and he took it in pride, so she nodded and replied, "all right, then."
Silver Linings looked at the clouds above him, at how they had darkened enough to seem like storm clouds. Looking at those same clouds, Silver Linings was reminded of an incident from when he was younger...when he found his duty to the world.
-X-
Flying through the air, the younger pony dodged expertly away from the rain, determined to get home. As he flew, he thought he noticed small beams of light showing the dark clouds, though he dismissed as just his eyes playing tricks on him. He smiled slightly, enjoying the flight, when suddenly the clouds seemed to tear themselves apart, and a bright light shine through them, directly into the young ponies eyes. He shielded his eyes, but whatever damage could be caused had already been done. The pony watched as the light seemed to vanish, fade away, and then he looked around. He looked at the clouds, and dodged out of the way right as a lightning bolt rushed towards him. "How did I know that was coming?" The young pony asked. From then on, for whatever reason, he could always predict weather patterns perfectly.
-X-
"I still wonder what that light was...it must have been the sun, but then why would it help me see the weather like I do?" Thought Silver Linings. "Silver, it's getting late. You should come inside." Said Sun Bloom, standing at the doorway to the home they shared. "Of course." Said Silver, walking inside. Together, for another hour or so, the two Pegasus watched the snow as it continued to fall, though Silver Linings couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen.
The next day, Silver Linings woke up first, and walked outside to see if his predictions were correct. He looked at the sky, seeing that it was likely going to snow again today. But then he looked further into the distance, and saw dark storm clouds on the horizon. It was common for storms to arrive in late winter, but these storms looked much more ominous and powerful than usual. Silver knew he'd have to warn mayor Sky Light about this storm. One thing was for sure, it was going to be the worst one yet.
"Hello, Silver Linings. What can I do for you?" Asked the mayor. "I just looked at the weather, Mayor, and it looks like we have a violent storm coming towards us." Explained Silver Linings. "I see. How long do you think it will take to arrive here?" Asked Mayor Sky Light. "At the rate those clouds are going, I'd say a few days from now, if not less." Replied Silver Linings. "Then we'd better be prepared. I'll round up the weather team and well figure out what to do. You should go back to Sun Bloom and make sure she's all right." Said Mayor Sky Light. Silver had to agree, he was worried about Sun Bloom.
For the next few days, Silver Linings watched the skies and the weather, and almost ignored Sun Bloom. He'd tell her to get inside if it was cold, or check on her to see if she was all right, but that was it.
On the day the storm was set to arrive, Silver Linings looked at the sky, still wondering what exactly that light had been.
Silver Linings suddenly saw, in the distance, a white shape flying through the skies, seemingly heading towards him. He took flight to meet it halfway, and was shocked to see Princess Celestia. "Hello, Silver Linings." She said. "Hello, Princess- how do you know my name?" Asked Silver Linings. Princess Celestia seemed confused at first, but soon consoled herself. "Do you remember that day, when you saw the sunlight and the ability to see weather patterns clearly?" Asked Celestia. "Yes. Only, I never knew that light was sunlight. What do you mean?" Replied Silver Linings. "I was the one who brought that sunlight, so you'd have a place in this world. Do you remember, it was only ten years ago when you saw that light, when you were that much younger. I understand that, at the time, you had no place in this world. You left Cloudsdale to find that place, because in your own words, you were 'unimportant and unneeded'. I decided to give you a duty to carry out." Explained Celestia. "So that's why...it was when I was returning to Cloudsdale, wasn't it? After I decided I wouldn't find a place anywhere." Said Silver Linings. Princess Celestia nodded in reply. "So, why are you here now? Did you have something to tell me, apart from what you just have?" Asked Silver Linings. "I do have something to tell you, but I'm afraid of what you'll make of it. You see, the storm that's heading for Cloudsdale will be the worst yet, that's true, but...it falls to only you to stop it, and protect Cloudsdale. I knew when I first gave you the ability to predict weather patterns, that this would happen eventually." Explained Celestia. "So I have to stop it. I think I know what will happen." Said Silver Linings. "I'm sorry. I really am, but its the only way." Said Celestia, before wishing Silver good luck and flying away.
-X-
"What should we do, Celestia?" Asked Princess Luna. "I'm not sure, Luna. The storms that hit Cloudsdale every year just keep getting more violent. There's no way we can control them." Replied Celestia. "Then can someone else control them? A Pegasus, maybe?" Suggested Luna. "That might just work." Answered Celestia.
-X-
Silver Linings flew back towards Cloudsdale, wondering if he'd just imagined what happened back there. But he knew it was real. It was up t him to save Cloudsdale, and as much Ashe hated to admit it now...it was his duty, his chance to find his place in the world. Sun Bloom was there to greet him when he landed, and seeing he was shocked, she took him inside, where she waited for him to leave again. Silver Linings himself wondered if he should. But he knew it was his job to stop that storm, that Princess Celestia herself had chosen that job for him. So after recollecting himself, and deciding what to do, he went out, but left Sun Bloom a note so she'd know where he was and wouldn't worry.
Silver Linings flew towards the storm, and suddenly got a vision of some kind, though he didn't understand why.
-X-
"I'm sorry, Silver Bloom...you really were a great friend." The unfamiliar pony flew directly into a storm that was above Cloudsdale and Ponyville, and after a loud Boom! Of thunder, and a crash of lightning, the storm seemed to stop.
-X-
"Who was that...and why were they going into that storm?" Thought Silver Linings. He watched as the storm approached, and knew he'd have to act soon. But he was shocked by that vision, and the pony he saw flying into the storm.
Then he realised.
That pony had looked like him, but younger. It was flying into a storm, just like he was going to do. Could that pony be...?
Silver dodged out of the way of a lightning bolt. And remembered the note he'd written to Sun Bloom. He stopped flying, and simply hovered there, as the storm clouds surrounded him. Then he smiled, knowing that Cloudsdale and Ponyville would always be safe from storms, even if he wasn't.
"Well, my son...I hope your mother looks after you well. I'm sure...that when you grow up, even if life isn't fair to you, and even if you don't know your place in this world...I'll be right behind you, cheering you on..."
The lightning rushed down towards Silver Linings.
"I'm sorry..."
-X-
Later that day, Sun Bloom ran out of the house, after waking up to see Silver Linings wasn't there beside her. She'd found a note, but hasnt read it yet. She looked out towards the skies, and then just stood there, staring.
In the distance, a lone Pegasus, with a dark grey mane and lighter grey coat, was flying away from the now dispersing storm clouds.
Sun Bloom watched on, both heartbroken and glad that the Pegasus was alive...and she watched him, as he flew away towards the distant skies.
-X-
'My dear Sun Bloom. I'm sorry for leaving you,
But even I don't know if I'll return to Cloudsdale.
I realised something as I headed towards the storm,
And my only choice is to leave you and our son behind.
But always know that even if I'm not with you,
I won't forget about you, and I hope you raise our son well.
I remember years ago, I left Cloudsdale to find my place in this world,
And as much as I thought that place was with you,
It turns out that I have no place. But our son does, believe that.
He'll grow up to be a good, strong Pegasus who only does good.
I love you, my dear Sun Bloom, I always will.
And I'm sorry.'
End file.
| fanfiction |
14 June 2017. A biomedical engineering team developed a printed patch infused with cells that in lab animals grows new blood vessels to counteract blocked or hardened arteries. Researchers led by Boston University engineering professor Christopher Chen published their findings in yesterday's issue of the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering (paid subscription required).
Chen and clinical colleagues at University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, are seeking better options for patients with ischemia, where blood flow is restricted due to narrowing or hardening of arteries. When the blood flow and oxygen are impaired to heart muscles it's known as coronary artery disease or coronary heart disease. Ischemia can also occur in blood vessels affecting the brain, leading to stroke. Gangrene can result as well when blood flow is blocked to body tissue, particularly in the limbs.
Surgery is one of the few options available to ischemia patients, but it's not suitable for individuals that cannot tolerate the procedure, or in some cases involving smaller blood vessels. For these circumstances, Chen's team developed a patch infused with endothelial cells, the cells lining the inside of blood vessels, to encourage angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels that bypass the veins or arteries restricted by ischemia.
The patches in the study were produced by Innolign Biomedical, a company in Philadelphia co-founded by Chen developing implanted engineered tissue to encourage blood vessel growth in people with ischemic heart disease. The company produced 2 types of patches, one with an organized structure of endothelial cells, and a second patch that simply transfers the cells into tissue. Both patches produce very small blood vessels, of about 100 microns.
The team tested the patch implants on lab rodents induced with ischemia in their hind legs or myocardial infarction, commonly known as heart attack, from blocked arteries. The results show patches with a structured cell architecture produce more new blood vessels, as well as prevent more capillary loss and muscle atrophy in the animals than the patches only transferring cells.
The researchers next plan to improve the scalability of the patch, and try different architectures to improve growth of new blood vessels. | slim_pajama |
White Houses is a song performed by Eric Burdon & the Animals in 1968. It was the opening track from their psychedelic rock album Every One Of Us. White Houses peaked #67 on the US pop singles chart and #46 on the Canadian RPM charts. The B-side on the United States release was Anything, from the Winds of Change album of the previous year, and which had been previously released as a single from that album. On releases in Canada, Germany, Spain and Brazil, the B-side was River Deep, Mountain High, later included on their album Love Is. River Deep, Mountain High was also viewed as the A-side of the release, and was released as a separate single in 1969.
In 1995, Burdon re-recorded the song. It is featured on Absolutely the Best 1999.
In 2002, it was covered by Ed Kuepper as a part of a medley, which featured the song Hey Gyp, another song performed by Eric Burdon.
References
External links
Category:1968 singles
Category:Songs written by Eric Burdon
Category:The Animals songs
Category:Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson record producer
Category:MGM Records singles
Category:1968 songs | wikipedia |
Running around arenas and whipping balls at your opponents sounds like a good time. Thankfully, Disco Dodgeball Remix brings the goods so tune up your favourite bot and get ready for a thrilling online competition.
Disco Dodgeball Remix is played by controlling a robot in first-person as you sprint around arenas while trying to pick up balls and throw them at your opponents. You basically move with the left stick, aim with the right, and hold and release the right shoulder trigger to throw a ball. The same button can be used to catch balls, too. There are some complexities to controlling your bot such as the ability to jump and boost (which both require time to recharge) and brake so you can line up a throw easier. Obviously, you can play by only using the basic controls but if you want to have a chance at winning matches online then you'll need to master advanced moves.
Overall, I found the gameplay to be quite enjoyable and the controls are easy to learn but they're still a bit finicky which causes some needless frustration from time to time. For example, it's annoying letting go of R2 only to realise that the ball wasn't in the ready position so you miss an opportunity to hit a competitor. Other than that, it's fun albeit simple stuff.
I'm glad that Disco Dodgeball Remix doesn't take itself too seriously. Being able to dress up your robot in all sorts of goofy accessories sets a lighthearted tone for each match so even if you lose, you can still have a good time. There's also a great soundtrack full of energetic dance music. I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed that there's no actual disco but the electronic tunes are still upbeat enough to make the atmosphere enjoyable and full of life. All of that being said, I wish the arenas had more visual variety. They can get quite complex with multiple floors and intricate structures but they all generally look the same. It is cool how their hue changes, though.
Local multiplayer is kind of "whatever, dude"
Disco Dodgeball Remix is a game that you'll want to almost exclusively play online. In this sense, it's a lot like the recently released Laser League in that playing solo or local multiplayer pales in comparison to jumping in online. There are so many variations and modes so every match feels completely unique. You'll find yourself competing for the most KOs and points, trying to take out an opposing team one by one with no respawns, holding a golden ball to get points while others try and take you out so they can claim it for themselves, playing an iteration of basketball, racing through checkpoints, and capturing the flag although in this case, it's a cube. When you factor in the cool power-ups and skill shots, you're left with a winning formula that's perfect for online play.
Even though online is the place to be, there's still a lot of single player challenges and unlockables to discover. For starters, arcade mode allows you to buy perks as you try and fend off AI competitors. More specific modes will have you try and survive, score as many points as possible while invincible, and learn the gameplay in a tutorial. As I've already touched upon, you can customize your robot and also craft new accessories with earned materials. It's a weird system but it's strangely satisfying. You can also browse through comprehensive statistics and leaderboards so you can see how your skills stack up against other dodgeball-loving robots.
Disco Dodgeball Remix may look like a goofy multiplayer sports game and it is. However, the amount of fun to be had is impressive so here's hoping that it attracts enough online players to make it a worthwhile download.
You may also be interested in these: Arcade Archives: Super Dodge Ball Review, Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure Review, Operencia: The Stolen Sun Review, Pinball FX3: Williams Table Pack Vol. 2 Breakdown, Pinball FX3: Williams Table Pack Vol. 1 Breakdown, Pinball FX3: Solo Table Pack Breakdown, Pinball FX3: The Last Jedi Table Pack Breakdown, Pinball FX3: Jurassic World Pinball Table Pack Breakdown, Pinball FX3: Carnivals and Legends Table Pack Breakdown, and Pinball FX3: Switch Exclusive Features.
Discover more games developed by Zen Studios.
A.J. Maciejewski (crazyaejay): Thanks for reading my review of Disco Dodgeball Remix. Feel free to ask any questions about the game or provide feedback and I'll gladly reply. | slim_pajama |
The new website for WARU – The Well-being and Health Assessment Research Unit – at Aberystwyth University that I've been working on is now live. The launch day for the unit is fast approaching so press releases and marketing materials were being sent out. These had the website address on them so it was a race against time to get something up on the website as soon as possible.
The basics are now in place, the design and layout is looking good. The bilingual aspects of the site are in place and working well and so far it has been well received by everyone involved. There will be more content, more pages and more information being added to it soon. It was of course a bit of a challenge to get the site up and running so quickly but having virtually free-reign over the design helped as there wasn't too much 'to-ing and fro-ing' waiting for decisions to be made and preferences to be expressed. I could just get on with it, making decisions as I went and adhering to the ideas that I had for the website design.
The website is based on a Content Management System so will allow for easy updating of the site by staff at the Well-being and Health Assessment Research Unit. I will also be making updates for them here at Pixelwave Web Design.
The bilingual nature of the site is also easy to manage thanks to translation management software that has been added to the Content Management System. This makes adding and editing content in both languages easy and automates much of the process of organising this content within the website so that there is a consistent experience for the end user whichever language they are viewing the site in.
It's good to be a part of this exciting project and I'm looking forward to seeing it grow as the Well-being and Health Assessment Research Unit gets underway.
This entry was posted on Thursday, March 9th, 2017 at 6:40 am and is filed under Web Site Design. | slim_pajama |
One of the more interesting graphics that keeps coming across my screen(s) is a table of S&P 500 returns in the months leading up to Midterm election day. We have gone ahead and recreated the table using data sourced from the annual Stock Trader's Almanac starting with the midterm election in 1950. This results in 17 years of data to analyze.
This table does not contain a worrisome amount of red and the percentage of time the periods are positive is also quite respectable. Keen observers will notice that the average historical return for the 6 months before midterm Election Day is just 1.31% compared to an average historical return of 4.66% for the 1-month immediately preceding midterm Election Day. In fact, the historical average performance in all periods before the 1-month period is less than 4.66%. So what is really happening in the 6-months prior to midterm Election Day?
S&P 500 is actually declining in May/June and then trading sideways until late September/early October. On average the vast majority of S&P 500 gains are from late September to midterm Election Day. Thus far in 2018 there has not been any meaningful decline, but it is still early in August with nearly three months to go before midterm elections.
Jeffrey A. Hirsch is Editor in Chief of the Stock Trader's Almanac. His latest book "The Little Book of Stock Market Cycles" (Wiley) was published in August 2012. As a frequent participant in the MrTopStep IM-Pro Trading Room, he shares trading insights with our other professional traders and new traders eager to experience the power of collective intelligence. Join us today and get the edge only social trading can give you. | slim_pajama |
at lattice 2000 we discussed how to include fermionic loops contributions in numerical stochastic perturbation theory for lattice @xmath0 , an algorithm which we will refer to as unspt ( unquenched nspt ) .
our main message here is that unquenching nspt results in not such a heavy computational overhead , provided only that an @xmath1 can be implemented in a fairly efficient way .
@xmath1 is the main ingredient in constructing the fermion propagator by inverting the dirac kernel order by order . for a discussion of the foundations of unspt we refer the reader to @xcite . [
cols="<,<,<,<,<",options="header " , ] +
the need for an efficient @xmath1 is what forced us to wait for apemille : our @xmath1 implementation mimic @xcite , which is based on a @xmath2 plus transpositions , an operation which asks for local addressing on a parallel architecture .
unspt has been implemented both in single and in double precision , the former being remarkably robust for applications like wilson loops . to estimate the computational overhead of unquenching nspt
one can inspect table [ table:1 ] .
we report execution times of a fixed amount of sweeps both for quenched and unquenched nspt . on both columns
the growth of computational time is consistent with the the fact that every operation is performed order by order . on each row the growth due to unquenching
is roughly consistent with a factor @xmath3 .
one then wants to understand the dependence on the volume , which is the critical one , the propagator being the inverse of a matrix : this is exactly the growth which has to be tamed by the @xmath1 .
one should compare execution times at a given order on @xmath4 and @xmath5 lattice sizes .
note that @xmath4 is simulated on an apemille board ( @xmath6 fpus ) , while @xmath5 on an apemille unit ( @xmath7 fpus ) . by taking this into account one easily understands that @xmath1 is doing its job : the simulation time goes as the volume also for unspt ( a result which is trivial for quenched nspt ) .
notice that at this level one has only compared crude execution times : a careful inspection of autocorrelations is anyway not going to jeopardize the picture .
as for the dependence on @xmath8 ( number of flavours ) , it is a parametric one : one plugs in various numbers and then proceed to fit the polynomial ( in @xmath8 ) which is fixed by the order of the computation .
it is then reassuring to find the quick response to a change in @xmath8 which one can inspect in figure [ fig : nf_change ] ( which is the signal for second order of the plaquette at a given value of the hopping parameter @xmath9 ) .
we now proceed to discuss some benchmark computations .
a typical one is given by wilson loops . in figure [ fig:5ordplaq ]
one can inspect the first five orders .
] of the basic plaquette at a given value of hopping parameter @xmath9 , for which analytic results can be found in @xcite : going even higher in order would be trivial at this stage , but with no mass counterterm ( see later ) . ] .
apart for being an easy benchmark , we are interested in wilson loops for two reasons .
first of all we are completing the unquenched computation of the lattice heavy quark effective theory residual mass ( see @xcite for the quenched result ) . on top of
that we also keep an eye on the issue of whether one can explain in term of renormalons the growth of the coefficients of the plaquette .
there is a debate going on about that ( see @xcite ) , the other group involved having also started to make use of nspt . in the renormalon framework
the effect of @xmath8 can be easily inferred from the @xmath10-function , eventually resulting in turning the series to oscillating signs .
in figure [ fig : mcg2 ] we show the signal for one loop order of the critical mass for wilson fermions ( two loop results are available from @xcite ) .
the computation is performed in the way which is the most standard in perturbation theory , _
i.e. _ by inspecting the pole in the propagator at zero momentum .
this is already a tough computation .
it is a zero mode , an @xmath11 mass - cutoff is needed and the volume extrapolation is not trivial . on top of that one
should keep in mind that also gauge fixing is requested . the coefficients which are known analytically can be reproduced .
still one would like to change strategy in order to go to higher orders ( which is a prerequisite of all other high order computations ) .
the reason is clear : we have actually been measuring the propagator @xmath12 , while the physical information is actually coded in @xmath13 ( one needs to invert the series and huge cancellations are on their way ) .
notice anyway that the fact that the critical mass is already known to two - loop makes many interesting computations already feasible .
benchmark computations in unspt look promising , since the computational overhead of including fermionic loops contributions is not so huge . this is to be contrasted with the heavy computational effort requested for non perturbative unquenched lattice qcd .
this in turn suggests the strategy of going back to perturbation theory for the ( unquenched ) computation of quantities like improvement coefficients and renormalisation constants .
the critical mass being already known to two loops , many of these computations are already feasible at @xmath14 order .
+ we have only discussed the implementation of the algorithm on the apemille architecture .
we can also rely on a @xmath15 implementation for pc s ( clusters ) which is now at the final stage of development .
9 f. di renzo , l. scorzato , .
t. lippert , k. schilling , f. toschi , s. trentmann , r. tripiccione , .
b. alles , a. feo , h. panagopoulos , .
f. di renzo , l. scorzato , .
see f. di renzo , l. scorzato , and r. horsley , p.e.l .
rakow , g. schierholz , .
e. follana , h. panagopoulos , ; s. caracciolo , a. pelissetto , a. rago , . | arxiv |
What would/does it look like if your eyes see an object from 2 different times in the same moment?
I don't know pretty much about physics and I'm sorry if there is something I should know that simply makes it clear this couldn't happen.
But I asked this myself now already several times and decided to post it here:
If I'm remembering right from my high school times, light is moving with a constant speed but is affected by obstacles so I assume it could be possible that the light emitted by an object may be slowed on its way to my eye.
So given that to this object something happens that makes it looking quite different and the light before and after the change of appearance is now on the way to my eye and on the way any kind of event (like "a wild vacuum appears"...) occurs that makes the light waves which are behind speed up a bit so that they both arrive and get noticed (absorbed or what ever it would be called) by my eye at the same time, what would it look like?
Would I see the object as something like it never actually looked like and I would notice the mixture of the both objects colours?
What if it also changed its shape and form? Would I just see both objects together or would some blur-like effect appear?
Since your brain does not know that the light it receives is from the same object at different times, it will assume that there are two different objects at the same place and will superimpose the images on each other.
Also, please note that light cannot be speeded up more than 299792458 m/s, but it can definitely be slowed down by passing through materials with refractive indices >1. So, this is definitely possible.
If you wear a pair of goggles and the image stream reaching the left eye arrives slightly after the other you may get the effect you are looking for.
The difference of arrival times could be adjusted to be very small.
I do not know how you would perceive the object or whether there would be any value to the experiment.
| stackexchange/physics |
Mieczysławowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Izbica Kujawska, within Włocławek County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies approximately south of Izbica Kujawska, south-west of Włocławek, and south of Toruń.
The village has a population of 45.
References
Category:Villages in Włocławek County | wikipedia |
Glee Just Say Yes
_"If you want me, I'm here_._"_
The thoughts echoed through Brittany's head, as she forced herself to turn around and walk away. She felt Santana's eyes on her back, watching her every move, but the girl didn't get up to follow her. It was okay. Santana always needed more time to think about big decisions like this. Brittany knew it wasn't exactly fair what she asked, but she couldn't help it. Being around Santana made her feel normal, and she hadn't felt normal in a long time. She'd known this for a while now, but she'd been trying to ignore it as much as possible. After all, Santana had found a new girl to give sweet lady kisses to now.
Had it been wrong to kiss her like that? She _knew_ Santana had a girlfriend, and she still kissed her. By now she knew it wasn't okay to kiss people who were dating other people - that was considered cheating and she didn't want to mess with any relationship. But she did. She wanted Santana. No, she _needed_ Santana. And the kiss only proved that further. Without Santana she didn't feel complete, and just a friendship wasn't enough anymore. The past few years she'd grown so used to always having Santana there for her that it was weird to know that, for the first time, she wasn't.
"Brittany," a soft voice came from behind. Brittany stopped walking, turning around on her heels. Santana was standing in the middle of the hallway, arms folded over her chest. By now, Brittany knew that meant she was protecting herself somehow. She was afraid of getting hurt - or maybe of what she was about to say.
"Yeah?" Brittany said, trying not to sound too hopeful.
Santana bit her lip, looking at the ground, instead of Brittany's face. "I thought about what you said. And... I want you. I want to be with you. But, like I said, it's a bad idea. You're at MIT, and I'm in New York, and it's still far away from each other, and the last time we were apart it didn't work out, so why would it now? I have a girlfriend now, and she's in New York with me. She's there. What if I break up with her... and we don't work out?"
Brittany swallowed. She'd been expecting this. She took a step closer to Santana, close enough to touch. "We are going to work out. What we have is special, Santana. Last time was a mistake, and we don't have to make the same mistake again." She was about to add a math metaphore in her speech, but witheld that. Maybe it would make things weird. "I know it will work. And you know why?" She stepped even closer. "Because we're going to _make_ things work. I'll do anything to win you back. I'll drop out. I'll move to New York."
"No, Britt, you can't drop out. Not for me. That's... that's just not right."
"You said it yourself. I don't have a life. I can't do anything. Being smart is great, but... There are so many things that I still want. I was..." she sighed. "I was thinking about dropping out anyway. Math just isn't what I want to do. I don't even feel like I'm actually doing anything. They just ask me stuff and I guess something, and most of the time it's correct. If I drop out, I won't drop out because of you. I'll drop out because I want to. It's my decision, and only mine. Yes, you're a factor, but you're not the reason."
"Are you sure about this?" Santana finally looked up to meet Brittany's eyes, and for a moment, the blonde couldn't breathe. She nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I love you, Santana. I love you, and I want to be with you, and I want to have a life, and I want you to be in it. All you have to do is say yes. Say it, and I'm yours."
Silence.
But Santana didn't look away. Brittany could see her thinking. She could see her weighing out her options, crossing things off her list and putting others on it. She knew what Santana was doing, and she knew she had to give her time to think about it.
"Okay." Santana's voice sounded steady. She sounded sure. "Yes. I want you. I want to be in your life. We'll figure out a way to make this work. You're right. You can't recreate what you and I have. You make me feel things... things that make me understand what love is. And I know this sounds cheesy and dumb and I know it's probably the last thing you want to hear, but... yes. I'm saying it. I'm saying yes."
"No," Brittany breathed. "It's perfect. You're perfect." She cupped Santana's cheek and leaned in, but this time she didn't go straight for her lips. For now, Santana was still Dani's girlfriend. She was also kind of Brittany's girlfriend, but as long as she hadn't broken up with Dani, she couldn't go around kissing her. It was cheating, and it was wrong. So she had to be content with kissing her cheek. And, for some reason, it was just as satisfying as kissing her lips. But only right now, because once they were officially official again, once they were girlfriend girlfriends again, she'd kiss the hell out of the girl.
End file.
| fanfiction |
We advertise your property to let on a variety of websites and update any changes to them every few hours. All adverts are shown on the my-let site, regardless of the package you are advertising with. All properties that are advertised through one of our local agencies, where an agent performs the viewings are advertised on all of the websites listed on this page.
Advertise Only (Silver service): These ads will be shown on my-let, Zoopla & associated sites (but not Rightmove).
All other packages, including Commercial Ads: These ads will be shown on all of the sites listed on this page.
The largest property portal in the UK with 110 million visits a month and page views hitting over 1.4 billion (in Jan 2015) and reaching 50 million in a single day! (Source) Rightmove is the 9th busiest website in the UK (Source: Hitwise, July 2015) and for many people, the first point of call for finding a property.
Another of the UK's largest property portals with over 50 Million hits per month (Source). But also Zoopla feeds out to many other property search portals. It is also rapidly establishing itself with property owners as the place to go for valuations.
PrimeLocation are very strong in the south-east of the country and the larger cities and is a very good and technical site used by millions of potential tenants.
Recent research shows that these top three property websites now make up 61 per cent of the nation's online property audience. Read more.
However, we also feed to a number of other sites to help market your property. These smaller websites are also very popular in certain key market areas and for differing groups of people. Specifically, if your property allows DSS applicants (an option you can set with us), then it will also be shown on dss move, which is becoming increasingly popular.
Our association with Zoopla and PrimeLocation also brings a mass of other feeds to proprietary web sites some of which you may know and others you won't, or don't necessarily associate with property search. For example, The Times Online website has a property search panel powered by Zoopla and so do all 273 websites for local newspapers run by leading independent media group Johnston Press plc.
Altogether it is impossible to tell you how many hits and searches these sites attract. Suffice to say it is in the 100′s of Millions EVERY MONTH. The thing that matters is that if there is a tenant looking for a property like yours and they go to the Internet to find it (as over 90% of people now do), then they should find your property via one of our partners. | slim_pajama |
Prof Abdon Atangana receives World Academy of Sciences award
Prof Abdon Atangana is known for his work in developing a new fractional operator used to model real-world problems arising in the fields of science, technology, and engineering. He was recently awarded the TWAS Mohammad A. Hamdan Award by The World Academy of Sciences.
Prof Abdon Atangana, Professor of Applied Mathematics in the Institute for Groundwater Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS), was awarded the TWAS Mohammad A. Hamdan Award by The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries.
It is the first time that the TWAS Mohammad A. Hamdan Award was bestowed. According to a statement issued by TWAS, this award is given for outstanding mathematical work carried out by a scientist working and living in Africa or the Arab region. It states that the award can be given for work in pure mathematics, applied mathematics, probability, or statistics. Prof Atangana received the award for his contribution to fractal mathematics and partial differential equations.
Making a difference in society
He is known for his research in developing a new fractional operator, the Atangana-Baleanu operator, which is used to model real-world problems. With this operator, he not only describes the rate at which something will change, but also account for disrupting factors that will help to produce better projections.
His work can be applied to make complicated predictions in the fields of science, technology, and engineering. His models can, for instance, help to predict the spread of infectious diseases among people in a settlement, forecasting the number of people who will be infected each day, the number of people who will recover, and the number of people who will die.
Prof Atangana's models can also help to advise people drilling for water by predicting how groundwater is flowing in a complex geological formation. These are only two examples of how his work can be applied to make a difference in society.
The award from TWAS is the third prestigious commendation he has received in the past month. He was recently named as one of the top 1% scientists on the global Clarivate Web of Science list. His name also appeared on a global list of leading scientists published by Stanford University in the United States. The list is the result of a study published in PLOS Biology, a peer-reviewed open-access journal.
World's most accomplished scientists
Honours awarded by TWAS and its partners are among the most prestigious for research in the developing world. They recognise outstanding achievements and contributions to science and acknowledge the best work by scientists from the global South.
TWAS, founded in 1983 by a group of scientists under the leadership of Pakistani physicist and Nobel laureate, Abdus Salam, believes that developing nations – by growing strength in science and engineering – will be able to address challenges such as hunger, disease, and poverty, through their knowledge and skills.
TWAS is represented in 100 countries, and of the more than a thousand elected fellows, 14 are Nobel laureates. Eighty-four percent of these fellows are from developing nations. TWAS fellows are also some of the world's most accomplished scientists.
Palestinian delegation visit marks new bilateral relations
Prof Jonathan Jansen and His Excellency Mr Hashem Dajani
Photo: Charl Devenish
The Office of International Affairs hosted the official visit of the Ambassador of Palestine, His Excellency Mr Hashem Dajani, to the University of the Free State (UFS) on 16-17 November 2015. Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, welcomed the Ambassador and the Palestinian delegation to the Bloemfontein Campus. During the visit, they met with senior management of the university, including Dr Karen Lazenby (Registrar: Systems and Administration), Beata Mtyingizana (Director of International Affairs) and JC Van der Merwe (Deputy Director at the Institute of Reconciliation and Social Justice).
The visit marked the finalisation of a scholarship initiative which offers placement of Palestinian students to study at the UFS. The new Vice-Chancellor's International Scholarship programme will recognise academic excellence and merit in undergraduate, postgraduate, as well as doctoral academic disciplines.
One of the strategic objectives of the UFS is that of internationalisation, which is strengthened by the scholarship programme. With the focus on Palestine, the university's international footprint in non-traditional regions of the world, such as the Middle East, will therefore be highlighted.
To conclude the visit, the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice hosted a film screening featuring 'Jerusalem, the east side story'. The documentary mainly looks at the past forty years of Israeli military occupation policies in Jerusalem and the subsequent impact on the city and its people.
"Peace in Palestine is key to world peace," Ambassador Dajani said. "The issue of self-determination is central to the Palestinian effort, and, through the assistance of the international community, it can it be realised." | slim_pajama |
From the start of this trick your audience can tell you're a pro because you carry your cards in a snazzy black holder.
You remove a single card from the pack and place it face down on the table, as you ask a spectator to simply name any card. They name a card and you reveal that the tabled card is not the card they named. You explain that if you wave this card at the deck, you can cause the card they named to vanish.
You do this and it is revealed that not only their card has vanished... the ENTIRE DECK has vanished completely!
This is an ultra-visual miracle that's easy to do. It's the perfect addition to any card trick and the case makes perfect sense. You're going to love this!
Comes complete with everything you need to perform. | slim_pajama |
Confusion about using single particle or $N$ particle partition function in Boltzmann probability in canonical ensemble
Suppose we have a canonical ensemble, where $N$ particles have been divided among $\epsilon\_i$ energy levels, each with degeneracy $g\_i$. The partition function for a single particle is given by : $$Z\_{sp}=\sum\_{i}^{r} g\_i e^{-\beta\epsilon\_i}$$
There are $r$ total energy levels here.
Anyway, the partition function for all the $N$ particles can be found using the same formula, by checking all the possible combinations and values of total energy due to each of these particles, which would be a long and tedious process. However, we can write the $N$ particle partition function as follows :
$$Z\_{N}=\prod\_{i}^{N}(Z\_{sp})\_i$$
Now we know that the probability of the system being in a particular '**energy level**' is :
$$P(\epsilon\_i)=\frac{g\_i e^{-\beta \epsilon\_i}}{Z}$$
If we cared about a particular state, and not the energy level, then we would just drop the $g\_i$ term in the numerator I suppose. My question is, what exactly is $Z$ in this example? Is it $Z\_{sp}$ or $Z\_N$ ? According to an example in my book, it should be the single-particle partition function. However my system consists of $N$ particles, so shouldn't we consider the $N$ particle partition function instead ?
Suppose my particles are bosons or classical particles, in the sense that there is no limitation on the number of particles in a state, we can say the following :
$$P(\epsilon\_i)= \frac{n\_i}{N}$$
Hence, we are finding the number of particles with energy $\epsilon\_i$ divided by the total number of particles. Hence we can write :
$$n\_i=N\frac{g\_i e^{-\beta \epsilon\_i}}{Z}$$
But now, shouldn't we consider the partition function of all these $N$ particles?
According to my book, the number of particles in a particular energy level is the product of the total number of particles and the probability of a single particle in that level. Because of this, they use the single-particle partition function. This seems a little wrong to me. Since we are talking about $N$ particles, shouldn't we just use the $N$ particle partition function instead
? The probability of the system in a particular energy level is given using the $N$ particle partition function, since there are $N$ particles in the system. So, by that argument, shouldn't number of particles in a particular energy levels also be given using the $N$ particle.
So, if I want to find the number of particles in a particular energy level, in a system of $N$ particles, what should I use :
$$n\_i=N\frac{g\_i e^{-\beta \epsilon\_i}}{Z\_{sp}} \space \space or\space\space \frac{g\_i e^{-\beta \epsilon\_i}}{Z\_{N}}$$
Any help on understanding this concept would be highly appreciated. Thanks !
When we go to $N$ particles, degeneracy factors are produced automatically anyway. So I am going to dispense with the headache of having degeneracy factors already with one particle. So just use $\epsilon\_1, \dots, \epsilon\_R$. If $R > r$, that means some of the $\epsilon\_i$ are the same.
The single particle system obeys
\begin{equation}
Z\_{\mathrm{sp}} = \sum\_{i = 1}^R e^{-\beta \epsilon\_i}, \quad P(\epsilon\_i) = \frac{e^{-\beta \epsilon\_i}}{Z\_{\mathrm{sp}}}
\end{equation}
so now we have to talk about how the multi-particle system is defined. If it is defined as $N$ non-interacting copies of the single particle system where there is no restriction on levels being filled multiple times (i.e. the particles are already known to be distinguishable), then and only then do we get to say
\begin{equation}
Z\_N = \prod\_{i = 1}^N Z\_{\mathrm{sp}} = Z\_{\mathrm{sp}}^N.
\end{equation}
So now what is the probability of a given energy? Well we have to remember that almost all of the possible values for the energy of the multi-particle system are not elements of $(\epsilon\_1, \dots \epsilon\_R)$. Instead, we can consider the microstates labelled by $(n\_1, \dots, n\_R)$ such that $n\_1 + \dots + n\_R = N$. Then, the probability of one of them being realized is
\begin{equation}
P(n\_1, \dots, n\_R) = \frac{e^{-\beta(\epsilon\_1 n\_1 + \dots + \epsilon\_R n\_R)}}{Z\_N}.
\end{equation}
Is this also the probability that an energy of $E = n\_1 \epsilon\_1 + \dots + n\_R \epsilon\_R$ will be measured? Not necessarily if the $\epsilon\_i$ are regularly spaced. To get $P(E)$, we need to sum the above over *all* possible sets of $n\_i$ such that $n\_1 \epsilon\_1 + \dots + n\_R \epsilon\_R = E$.
We finally come to your equation $P(\epsilon\_i) = n\_i / N$. I think that is either wrong or reliant on some confusing definitions. As with the total energy, the number of particles that have energy $\epsilon\_i$ is random because it depends on the microstate. Its expectation will be given by
\begin{equation}
N\_i = Z\_N^{-1} \sum\_{n\_1 + \dots + n\_R = N} n\_i \binom{N}{n\_1, \dots, n\_R} e^{-\beta(n\_1 \epsilon\_1 + \dots + n\_R \epsilon\_R)}.
\end{equation}
Assume you have a 2-level atom, with the energy of the lower level 0 (electron in ground state) and the energy of the upper level E (electron in excited state). In thermodynamic equilibrium at temperature T, the probability of the atom to be in the ground state is according to the Boltzmann distribution
$$p\_1=\frac{1}{1+e^{-E/(kT)}}$$
and for the upper state
$$p\_2=\frac{e^{-E/(kT)}}{1+e^{-E/(kT)}}$$
Note that $p\_1+p\_2 =1$.
This means if you have a large number N of atoms, you will find about $N\_1=N\cdot p\_1$ in the lower state and $N\_2=N\cdot p\_2$ in the upper state. If the upper state is degenerate, $N\_2$ will be shared between all the degenerate states, correspondingly for $N\_1$ if the lower state is degenerate (see also my first answer to [this SE question](https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/615059/how-is-the-spontaneous-decay-rate-of-an-atomic-level-calculated/615063#615063) in this context).
Having said this, the condition for this is the assumption of thermodynamic equilibrium to hold, which implies that the levels are populated and de-populated by collisions only, i.e. the collisional time scale is assumed to be much shorter than any other time scales. In most practical cases this is actually not the case. The quantum mechanical decay times for dipole-allowed transitions are practically always muvh shorter than the collisional time scale, so calculations based on the Boltzmann distribution will be badly wrong in this case. Only for sufficiently highly excited states or dipole-forbidden transitions do collisions become dominant.
So you always have to be careful with applying results based on the theory of Thermodynamics. It is dangerous taking some equations from textbooks before having analyzed the physical problem at hand in detail and made sure that they are actually applicable to the problem.
| stackexchange/physics |
in recent years , several wide field optical transient projects , e.g. , the palomar transient factory ( ptf ; * ? ? ? * ; * ? ? ?
* ) , the panoramic survey telescope & rapid response system ( pan - starrs1 , ps1 ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) , the catalina real - time transient survey ( crts ; * ? ? ?
* ) , la silla quest supernova survey ( lsq ; * ? ? ?
* ) have discovered a class of supernovae ( sne ) with peak luminosities @xmath0 times more luminous than normal sne .
accordingly , they were termed
superluminous supernovae ( slsne ) " @xcite and are distinct from their low luminosity cousins .
determining the heating sources for slsne and clarifying the explosion mechanisms of their progenitors would be of outstanding importance for the theory of supernovae and of stellar evolution . while observational studies of both light curves and spectra of slsne have been largely pursued in the last decade ( see * ? ? ?
* and references therein ) , major progress has been made in understanding their nature .
however , it is still not completely clear how slsne with a variety of characters in their light curves and spectra are powered .
the @xmath1ni cascade decay ( radioactivity - powered ) model @xcite is the most natural " model accounting for most sne and has been strongly supported by a great amount of unambiguous observations .
however , for very luminous sne , the masses of @xmath1ni needed are so large that we have to consider the pair instability sne ( pisne ) " @xcite which are very rare in low - redshift universe .
@xcite , where @xmath2 and @xmath3 are the metallicity of the massive stars and solar metallicity respectively . nearly all of massive stars formed in low - redshift universe have metallicities @xmath4 and lose most of their masses before their death .
hence the main - sequence masses of these stars must be very large , @xmath5 = 140 to 260 @xmath6 for @xmath7 @xcite and @xmath8 for @xmath4 @xcite .
however , very massive stars occupy the top of the initial mass function ( imf ) and are very rare in low - redshift universe .
the unique low - redshift pisn candidate to date is sn 2007bi ( @xmath9 ) @xcite , which has also been explained by other scenarios ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
] other challenges posed on the @xmath1ni cascade decay model are that more massive @xmath1ni needs more massive ejecta resulting in broad theoretical light curves and that the @xmath1co decay tails have rather shallow decline rate , both of which are not always consistent with observations @xcite .
the ejecta - circumstellar medium ( csm ) interaction model @xcite is also often used to explain luminous and superluminous type iin sne whose optical spectra show narrow and/or intermediate - width h@xmath10 emission lines indicative of interactions between the sn ejecta and csm which was ejected from the progenitor just prior to the genuine sn explosion .
@xcite have applied their semi - analytical model @xcite to the observed light curves of a dozen slsne and suggested that both hydrogen - deficient ( type i ) slsne and hydrogen - rich ( type ii ) slsne can be powered by ejecta - csm interactions . the rotational energy of a rapidly rotating , strongly magnetized pulsar forming after the core collapse of a massive star could significantly affect the evolution and emission of an outflow surrounding the star .
it has been proposed ( see * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) that the rotational energy of a nascent magnetar can be injected into the relativistic outflow of a gamma - ray burst ( grb ) by magnetic dipole radiation and could lead to the shallow decay of a grb afterglow , which is very consistent with observations by the @xmath11 satellite @xcite .
the magnetar - powered scenario has also been introduced to explain the light curves of some sne or slsne .
@xcite suggested that a magnetar with surface magnetic field @xmath12 g and initial spin period @xmath1310 ms can explain the second peak and late - time decline rate of the light curve of sn 2005bf ; @xcite and @xcite calculated the theoretical light curves powered by millisecond magnetars ; @xcite employed the semi - analytical magnetar - powered model to fit the light curves of six slsne ic ( ptf10hgi , sn 2011ke , ptf11rks , sn 2011kf , sn 2012il and sn
2010gx ) with a variety of feasible physical values for magnetars , while the @xmath1ni - powered model needs unrealistic amount of @xmath1ni to explain these slsne and therefore can be excluded .
hence , they concluded that the magnetar - powered model can provides a viable explanation for all of the slsne ic .
the successful fit for another slsn ic , ptf12dam @xcite , with magnetar - powered model supported the conclusion raised by @xcite .
this so - called magnetar - powered model " has attracted more and more attentions because it can explain many bright and/or sophisticated light curves of a variety of sne while the traditional radioactivity - powered model can not .
recently , @xcite fitted the light curves of three slsne ic ( lsq12dlf , sss120810 , sn 2013dg ) and one slsn iin ( css121015 ) using the @xmath1ni cascade decay model , magnetar - powered model , and ejecta - csm interaction model , respectively .
their results excluded the @xmath1ni cascade decay model and found that the late - time light curves reproduced by the magnetar - powered model are brighter than the observations , posing a challenge for the magnetar - powered model .
hence , they suggested either that the magnetar - powered model fails to explain the light curves of those slsne , or that there exists x - ray leakage in ejecta of these slsne .
they have alternatively fitted the data of these slsne using the ejecta - csm interaction model and obtained rather good agreements . comparing these results
, they proposed that these two models are valid in explaining slsne , without particularly favoring either .
this conclusion is not only different from @xcite and @xcite who favor the magnetar - powered model but also from @xcite and @xcite who favor the interaction model .
therefore , the energy generation mechanisms responsible for slsne ic are still under debate .
our major goals in this paper are to check the possibility that the magnetar - powered model can be responsible for some slsne ic or iin and to confirm quantitatively the leakage effect in the expanding ejecta . for these purposes ,
we try to incorporate the leakage effect into the original magnetar - powered model , supposing that there exists gamma ray and x - ray leakage in sne ejecta after energy was injected to the ejecta .
this paper is organized as follows : in sect .
[ sec : model ] we revise the magnetar - powered model by introducing the leakage factor into the original model .
we fit the light curves of sn 2010gx , css121015 , sn 2013dg , lsq12dlf and sss120810 using our revised magnetar - powered model in sect .
[ sec : results ] .
finally , discussions and conclusions are presented in sect .
[ sec : conclusion ] .
we first derive the semi - analytical equation of sn light curves powered by magnetars in this section and revise it by introducing the leakage effect . using equations ( 30)-(33 ) , ( 36 ) ,
( 47 - 48 ) derived by @xcite and neglecting the @xmath14 term ( where @xmath15 is the diffusion timescale , @xmath16 is the initial total thermal energy and proportional to @xmath17 and @xmath18 , @xmath19 cm is the initial radius of the progenitor , @xmath20 is the initial temperature of the center of the ejecta ) , we get the photospheric luminosity of sne powered by a variety of energy sources ( radioactive @xmath1ni decay , magnetar spinning - down , etc ) , @xmath21 where @xmath22 is the effective light curve timescale , @xmath23 is the power function of the generalised power source . using equation ( 10 ) in @xcite , @xmath22 can be written as @xmath24 where @xmath25 , @xmath26 , @xmath27 and @xmath28 are the thomson electron scattering opacity , the ejecta mass , the expansion velocity of the ejecta and the speed of light in a vacuum , respectively .
@xmath29 is a constant that accounts for the density distribution of the ejecta .
although the rotational energy dissipation mechanism of the magnetars is ambiguous , we can expect that most of the rotational energy released is likely to be poynting - flux - dominated wind @xcite .
when the high energy leptons and/or baryons in the magnetar wind hit the sn ejecta , x - ray and gamma ray photons can be generated and propagate in the ejecta .
therefore it is reasonable to assume that most of the spin - down energy can be converted to x - ray and gamma ray photons . in the magnetar - powered model , adopting the _ ansatz _ that all the spin - down energy released can be converted to the heating energy of surrounding sn ejecta , the input power for the ejecta is equal to the magnetic dipole radiation power , @xmath30 where @xmath31 is the rotational energy of a magnetar , @xmath32 is the moment of inertia of a magnetar whose canonical value can be set to @xmath33 g @xmath34 @xcite .
thus , @xmath35 , @xmath36 is the spin - down timescale of the magnetar @xcite , in which the magnetar dissipates most of its rotational energy into the expanding ejecta .
here @xmath37 , @xmath38 and @xmath39 are the mass , rotational period and radius of the magnetar , respectively .
the parameters have been scaled to typical values @xmath40 and @xmath41 @xcite .
most of previous researches that fit observed data with the magnetar - powered model neglected hard ( gamma ray and x - ray ) photon leakage at all epochs , whereas in reality a portion of hard photons can escape from the ejecta while other photons can be down - comptonized to uv - optical - ir photons and diffuse to the photosphere , especially after the transition from the photospheric phase to the nebular phase .
observations for sn 1987a @xcite and sn 2014j @xcite have revealed that a large amount of gamma rays and x - rays escape from their ejecta at later times .
recently , @xcite have explored the effect of mildly magnetized millisecond pulsars ( @xmath42 g ) on sn remnants and demonstrated that the hard emissions could generate bright ( @xmath43 erg s@xmath44 ) tev gamma ray emissions and a milder x - ray peak ( @xmath45 erg s@xmath44 ) could appear several hundred days after the core - collapse supernova ( ccsn ) explosion .
discussions of the details of the gamma ray and x - ray emission leakage are beyond the scope of this paper .
we then introduce the leakage factor @xmath46 and the trapping factor @xmath47 in the magnetar - powered model to represent gamma / x - ray leakage and trapping rate , where @xmath48 is a dimensionless parameter . to fit the late - time light curve of sn 1987a , while @xcite and @xcite adopted @xmath49 to fit the late - time light curve of sn 1998bw .
] @xmath50 is the optical depth of the ejecta to gamma rays and can be written as @xmath51 @xcite .
the larger @xmath50 is , the larger the trapping rate is and the smaller the leakage rate is .
the density profile of the ejecta can be represented by a power law , @xmath52^{-\eta}$ ] . provided that the sn ejecta has a uniform density distribution ( @xmath53 , @xmath54=@xmath55 , @xmath56 ) and
the expansion velocity is constant , we have @xmath57 and @xmath58 can be written as , the general expression of @xmath58 ( @xmath59 ) can be found from equations ( 4 ) and ( 5 ) of @xcite , but the clerical error in the right side of their equation ( 4 ) must be corrected by removing the @xmath60 " . ]
@xmath61 where @xmath62 cm s@xmath44 , @xmath63 and @xmath64 @xmath65 g@xmath44 , @xmath66 is the effective gamma ray opacity .
the typical value of @xmath58 for normal core collapse sne ( ccsne ) is between @xmath67 s@xmath68 and @xmath69 s@xmath68 . using equations ( [ equ : lum ] ) , ( [ equ : input - mag ] ) , ( [ equ : leakage ] ) and let @xmath70 , @xmath71 , the photospheric luminosity function in the magnetar - powered model with leakage can be written as @xmath72 we refer to the model corresponding to equation ( [ equ : l - mag ] ) as the revised magnetar - powered model " . when @xmath73 , the leakage can be neglected and the model can be called as the original magnetar - powered model " . therefore , the free parameters of our model are @xmath26 , @xmath27 and @xmath25 ( which determine @xmath22 ; equation ( [ equ : tau_m ] ) ) , @xmath74 and @xmath75 ( which determine @xmath76 and @xmath77 ) , and @xmath58 .
the velocity @xmath27 , if measured , can be fixed at its measured value and can not be regarded as a free parameter .
if we assume @xmath53 , @xmath58 can be calculated from @xmath26 , @xmath27 and @xmath66 using equation ( [ equ : leakage ] ) .
furthermore , as has been shown by @xcite , for gamma rays @xmath78 . however , as the density profile and @xmath66 are quite uncertain , can vary between approximately 0 and 14 @xcite , @xmath66 can vary between approximately 0.01 and 0.2 @xmath65 g@xmath44 while the effective x - ray opacity @xmath79 can vary between approximately 0.2 and @xmath80 @xmath65 g@xmath44 ( see * ? ? ?
* figure 8) . ]
the value of @xmath58 may be quite different from that calculated by equation ( [ equ : leakage ] ) .
we therefore also investigate the effect of varying @xmath58 to represent cases where @xmath81 and/or @xmath82 .
in this section , we try to fit the observed data of sn 2010gx , css121015 , sn 2013dg , lsq12dlf and sss120810 using our revised magnetar - powered model .
our fits follow the researches performed by @xcite and @xcite whose fit parameters for these slsne are listed in table [ parameters ] and are all denoted as model a " .
the common feature of the theoretical light curves reproduced by model a " is that the early - time theoretical light curves were well fitted ( except for lsq12dlf ) while the late - time theoretical light curves are brighter than the observed luminosities .
i.e. , the original magnetar - powered model fails to fit their late - time light curves .
an excess in the theoretical light curve reproduced for sn 2013dg is not obvious , but may still exist ( see a discussion in section [ subsec : sn2013dg ] ) .
we now employ our revised magnetar - powered model to fit the observed data and upper limits of aforementioned slsne and explore whether the late - time excess can be eliminated or decreased .
based on the same parameters as @xcite and @xcite ( except for sn 2013dg and lsq12dlf ) , we incorporated the leakage effect into the model , i.e. , the values of @xmath58 are not set to be infinity , according to equation ( [ equ : leakage ] ) , we calculate the values of @xmath58 for these five slsne , see table [ parameters ] .
the light curves reproduced both by the original and revised models were shown in figures [ fig1 ] - [ fig5 ] .
@xcite have fitted the early - time ( @xmath83 days ) data of sn 2010gx using the @xmath1ni- , magnetar- and interaction - powered models and have excluded the @xmath1ni - powered model as @xmath1ni mass needed ( 12.97 @xmath84 ) is larger than the ejecta mass ( 5.17 @xmath84 ) , see their table 3 .
@xcite fitted the early- and late - time data using the original magnetar - powered model .
their fit have late - time excess in the theoretical light curve .
therefore , we try to fit the light curve using our revised magnetar - powered model . if @xmath85 and @xmath86 , the value of @xmath58 for sn 2010gx is @xmath87 s@xmath68 .
our fit for sn 2010gx shows that our revised model can eliminates the late - time excess in the theoretical light curve reproduced by the original magnetar - powered model and well fits the whole light curve of sn 2010gx , see figure [ fig1 ] , indicating that our magnetar - powered model can be responsible to sn 2010gx and that the leakage is unavoidable in the expanding ejecta , although we can not verify the precise amount of leakage due to the lack of later time data .
css121015 is a unique type iin slsn in our sample here and can be well explained by the csm interaction model @xcite . if the leakage was neglected ( @xmath88 ) , the late - time light curve reproduced by the magnetar - powered model is brighter than observations .
here we fit the light curve using our revised magnetar - powered model . if @xmath85 and @xmath89 , the value of @xmath58 for css121015 is @xmath90 s@xmath68 .
the light curve reproduced by another set of parameters ( see model b for css121015 in table [ parameters ] ) shows that the late - time excess in the magnetar - powered model can also be canceled by introducing the leakage effect , see figure [ fig2 ] . for sn 2013dg
, since the size of the host galaxy contribution to the photometry at @xmath91 d is unknown @xcite , the sn may be fainter than the data .
if the flux of sn 2013dg far exceeds the flux of the host at @xmath91 days , the later can be neglected and the fit is good enough .
however , if the flux of the host is comparable to the flux of sn 2013dg , the values of the last two data should be reduced by approximately 50% .
so the late - time excess may still exist in the original magnetar - powered model .
@xcite did not fit the two uncertain data points with their csm model .
although the luminosities of the last two data must be fainter than the real luminosities , it is unreasonable to exclude them from analysis .
so the csm - interaction model can not solely account for the late - time light curve of sn 2013dg .
in order to fit the last two data , substantial @xmath1ni is required and the parameters must be significantly changed . considering the difficulties mentioned above
, we attempt to employ our revised magnetar - powered model to fit the light curve of sn 2013dg .
we first calculate the canonical " value @xmath92 s@xmath68 ( corresponding the case of @xmath85 and @xmath89 ) using model b and find that the late - time theoretical luminosities are dimmer than the data without subtracting the contribution from the host galaxy . if we regard the luminosities at @xmath91 days as precise ones , i.e. , the contribution from the host is neglected , we find that when @xmath93 s@xmath68 ( then @xmath82 ) the reproduced light curve can get a better match for the last two data than the original magnetar - powered model .
as @xmath58 is a free parameter when @xmath94 and/or @xmath82 , the late - time light curve can vary continually from one situation to another , so we always can choose a reasonable value of @xmath58 to fit the real tail of sn 2013dg as long as the values with subtracting the host contributions are in a reasonable range .
the light curves reproduced by other sets of parameters ( see models b and c for sn 2013dg in table [ parameters ] ) are shown in figure [ fig3 ] .
the advantage of our revised magnetar - powered model for explaining the sn 2013dg is that it can simultaneously explain both the early- and late - time data / upper limits without introducing any amount of @xmath1ni which is needed for the csm - interaction model , while the original magnetar - powered model can only fits the sn - dominated data and the csm - interaction model has to discard the last two data .
two problems exist in the fit for lsq12dlf performed by @xcite using the magnetar - powered model : the earlier luminosities reproduced far exceed the observed upper limit and the late - time luminosity is also brighter than the last observed datum , see figure 9 in @xcite and model a " light curve in our figure [ fig4 ] .
we adjust both the parameters of the magnetar and the explosion time and hence avoid the confliction in the early epoch and reduce the late - phase excess .
the new light curve ( model b " light curve ) is narrower than the light curve reproduced by the original magnetar - powered model . in order to eliminate the late - time excess in the theoretical light curve , we take into account the leakage effect .
if @xmath85 and @xmath86 , due to the large ejecta mass and low expansion velocity , the value of @xmath58 for lsq12dlf is rather large , @xmath95 s@xmath68 , resulting in a minor discrepancy between the model c " light curve and model b " light curve , so the leakage can not effectively reduce the late time excess .
if @xmath94 and/or @xmath82 , we take the value of @xmath58 to be @xmath96 s@xmath68 ( model d " ) , then the late - time excess can be completely eliminated .
two main difficulties in the fits for sss120810 are the rebrightening ( bump " ) in the late - time ( @xmath97 100 days after the explosion ) light curve and the late - time excess .
we first deal only with the latter .
if @xmath98 @xmath65 g@xmath44 , we calculate the value of @xmath58 to be @xmath99 s@xmath68 ( model b " ) and obtain a light curve in which the excess can be partly canceled . if @xmath94 and/or @xmath82 , we take the value of @xmath58 to be @xmath100 s@xmath68 ( model c " ) , then the late - time excess is further eliminated but does not vanish completely and the early - time light curve begin to deviate slightly from the observations . although the later phase excess of light curve reproduced by the revised magnetar - powered model for sss120810 can not be completely eliminated by late - time leakage , the problem of excess was alleviated and the discrepancies between the data and the theoretical values are in a reasonable range , see figure [ fig5 ] .
the rebrightening of sss120810 can not be explained by any model solely .
@xcite proposed that the energy resulting in the rebrightening might come from interactions between multiple csm shells or breakout of a magnetar ionization front @xcite .
we also suggest that the light curve of sss120810 can be decomposed into two components .
in addition to the magnetar rotational energy injection which powers a monotonically declined light curve after the peak , something else , e.g. , the thermal energy deposited by the shock wave in the oxygen shell @xcite , may contribute to the formation of the bump and compensate the deviation in our model c " light curve during @xmath101 days after the explosion .
detailed analysis and modeling for the bump are beyond the scope of this paper and we no longer discuss them here .
in the past five years , many authors have demonstrated that many slsne ic and ii / iin can not be powered by radioactivity solely .
alternatively , light curves reproduced by the magnetar spin - down model and the ejecta - csm interaction model can both well mimic the observed data of these slsne , indicating that most slsne might be powered by newly born magnetars or ejecta - csm interactions .
@xcite argued that almost all slsne can be powered by ejecta - csm interactions .
furthermore , @xcite have already demonstrated that css121015 , lsq12dlf , sss120810 and sn 2013dg , which are difficult to be explained by the original magnetar - powered model due to their late - time excess in the theoretical light curves , can be explained by the ejecta - csm interaction model , giving us a hint that some slsne ic might be powered by hydrogen- and helium - poor csm interactions . however , no spectrum of a slsn ic so far has shown narrow emission lines indicative of the interaction of the ejecta with the csm .
this fact seems to suggest that the ejecta - csm interaction model is difficult to be responsible for slsne ic , ni/@xmath1co but has a signature of interactions , indicating that it is a sn ic powered by csm - interaction and there might exist slsne ic which can be explained by the csm - interaction model as this model predicts a wide range of peak luminosities . ]
although @xcite argued that the absence of this character does not necessarily imply that the csm interaction model is invalid for slsne ic .
besides the observational constraint aforementioned , the difficulties encountered by the interaction model for slsne ic must also be discussed from theoretical perspectives .
the first difficulty is that the formation mechanisms of massive ( @xmath102 ) h- and he - poor csm are ambiguous .
one of the main mechanisms explaining unusual high mass loss rate is the so - called pulsational pair - instability ( ppi ) " @xcite , which involves a very massive ( @xmath103@xmath84 ) star that can experience a series of eruptions caused by @xmath104 pair generation and consequent @xmath105 pair creation but the star can not be destroyed completely until it explodes as a genuine ccsn .
the progenitors of sne / slsne ic are linked to the stars without h and he envelopes which are so compact that their outer materials are difficult to be ejected by ppi or other possible mechanisms .
combining the fact that no slsne presented emission lines , we argued that the csm interaction model is difficult to account for at least some of slsne ic .
another assumption adopted in the csm interaction model employed by @xcite , @xcite and @xcite is that the photospheres of slsne is stationary , whereas in reality the photospheres must expand due to the law of conservation of momentum .
the magnetar - powered model does not encounter the difficulties mentioned above . @xcite
have demonstrated that magnetars with surface magnetic fields @xmath106 g may constitute 10% of nascent neutron stars ( see also * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) , therefore , @xcite believed that the birth of rapidly rotating magnetars ( millisecond magnetars " ) is commonplace .
ms ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
millisecond pulsars observed to date are all old , recycling ( i.e. spun - up ) pulsars rather than nascent ones .
further observations and theoretical analysis are needed to clarify this issue . ] furthermore , the stationary photosphere assumption is not adopted in the magnetar - powered model .
successful fits to the observed light curves of ptf10hgi , sn 2011kf , sn 2012il and ptf12dam using the magnetar - powered model @xcite have confirmed the validity of the original magnetar - powered model in explaining the luminosity evolution of the slsne ic . yet the original magnetar - powered model is not a complete model since it neglects the hard emission leakage . in reality , although the ejecta of sne are opaque for gamma - ray and x - ray photon released from the magnetars at early times and these hard emission leakage are not significant , when the fast - expanding ejecta becomes more and more transparent for radiation at advanced epochs the hard photons would be pretty easy to escape from the ejecta and can not be neglected .
so it is not surprising that the main problem encountered by the original magnetar - powered model is the late - time excess in the theoretical light curves of some slsne ( e.g. , sn 2010gx @xcite , css121015 , lsq12dlf , sss120810 and sn 2013dg @xcite ) .
this significant challenge confronted by the original magnetar - powered model motivates us to explore possible revisions for the original magnetar - powered model .
we therefore consider the leakage effect and find that the late - time light curves derived from our revised magnetar - powered model are in good agreement with observed data and upper limits , indicating not only that the magnetars can be responsible to some slsne but also that the gamma - ray and x - ray leakage are inevitable when these photons were down - comptonized to uv - optical - nir photons and diffuse out of the ejecta .
accordingly , we argue that it is not necessary to apply the ejecta - csm interaction model in explaining the observed light curves for some slsne ic ( e.g. , sn 2010gx , sss120810 , lsq12dlf and sn 2013dg ) .
furthermore , we find that slsn iin css121015 which can be explained by ejecta - csm interaction also can be powered by our revised magnetar - powered model , indicating that h - rich slsne powered by magnetars may exist in the universe .
hence we can expect that most slsne ic can be powered by nascent millisecond magnetars and a ( minor ) portion of slsne ii can be powered by nascent millisecond magnetars or in rare cases by recycling millisecond magnetars @xcite .
the fact that the late - time excess can be eliminated or decreased by hard emission leakage indicates that it is non - trivial to introduce the leakage factor in the magnetar - powered model .
the values of @xmath58 adopted in our sample are @xmath107 s@xmath68 .
when @xmath108 , i.e. , @xmath109 s @xmath110 days , the light curves reproduced by the magnetar - powered models with and without leakage can be easily distinguished from each other , see figures [ fig1 ] - [ fig5 ] . for the same reason , the leakage effect does not significantly influence the early - time ( @xmath111 days ) light curves of these slsne .
when we take the limit @xmath73 , the leakage in the ejecta can be neglected , i.e. , all gamma ray and x - ray photons should be trapped and thermalized to uv - optical - nir photons .
the limit @xmath73 might be a good approximation for some other slsne - ic , e.g. , ptf10hgi , sn 2011kf , and sn 2012il , but we have no idea whether ptf11rks needs to be explained by the revised magnetar - powered model , due to the lacking of the later time ( @xmath112 days post explosion ) data and strict upper limits , see figure 12 in @xcite . the possibility that the late - time leakage can be compensated by @xmath1co decay tails can not be excluded and it might be worthwhile to verify this possibility in future modelings .
another possibility accounts for full
trapping is that the gamma ray and x - ray photons are so soft that @xmath66 ( @xmath113 ) is very large and the values of @xmath58 far exceed @xmath69 s@xmath68 .
whether the leakage of hard emissions can plays a key role in later phases is of great interest and of great importance in future studies . a larger sample of slsne with high quality observed data , especially recorded after the slsne transitioned to the nebular phases ( @xmath114 days after the explosions ) , is required to determine the precise values of fading rate at nebular phases and therefore precise values of the parameter @xmath58 in equation ( [ equ : l - mag ] ) . finally ,
as addressed by @xcite , theoretical light curves of slsne alone are inadequate to unveil the nature of slsne . to completely clarify the energy generating mechanisms , both theoretical light curves and spectra for every individual event
are needed to be examined carefully .
further detailed modelings are also needed to determine precisely the parameters of putative nascent magnetars .
we thank an anonymous referee for helpful comments and suggestions that have allowed us to improve this manuscript .
this work is supported by the national basic research program ( 973 " program ) of china ( grants 2014cb845800 and 2013cb834900 ) and the national natural science foundation of china ( grants nos .
11033002 and 11322328 ) .
xfw was also partially supported by the one - hundred - talent program , the youth innovation promotion association , and the strategic priority research program the emergence of cosmological structures " ( grant no .
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, , 552 , l35 = infinity , @xmath117 s@xmath68 and @xmath118 s@xmath68 , respectively . data and parameters for model a are obtained from @xcite .
_ note _ : the contributions from the host galaxy have not been subtracted for last two data ( at @xmath91 days ) .
if the flux from sn 2013dg is comparable to the flux of the host galaxy , the late - time excess may still exist in the original magnetar - powered model.,scaledwidth=100.0% ] .
the solid line , dashed line and dash - dotted line represent the cases that @xmath58 = infinity , @xmath95 s@xmath68 and @xmath96 s@xmath68 , respectively .
parameters for all the models are listed in table [ parameters].,scaledwidth=100.0% ] | arxiv |
in recent years , the continuous improvement of material quality in functional organic field - effect transistors has largely reduced the extrinsic disorder effects .
the ensuing intrinsic behavior has triggered renewed interests in the transport of crystalline organic semiconductors.@xcite comprehensive experimental studies have revealed unconventional transport phenomena .
the mobility is found to be decreasing with increasing temperature , which is a bandlike behavior.@xcite meanwhile , the participating electronic states are found to be localized , which is a sign of incoherent hopping transport .
for example , the predicted mean - free - path is comparable or even lower than the intermolecular spacing.@xcite it has long been recognized that the electron - phonon interaction , especially the off - diagonal type , plays an important role in such systems .
specifically , the localization is caused by phonon thermal fluctuations , rather than the usual self - trapping mechanism , which supports polarons in conjugated polymers.@xcite furthermore , the dynamic nature of phonon system enable the diffusion of the localized electronic states , leading to finite conduction.@xcite this physical picture , termed as transient localization,@xcite can be described by the mixed quantum - classical ehrenfest dynamics , in which classical approximation has been imposed on the phonon system .
the prediction of this method , such as the temperature dependence of mobility and localization length , are claimed quantitatively in agreement with experimental results.@xcite despite of these successes , there is still a limitation pertaining to the ehrenfest dynamics . the common procedure for calculating the mobility starts with the evolution of the diffusion dynamics for the diffusion constant , which is then transformed to mobility by evoking the einstein relation.@xcite however
, the drift motion under finite electric field , which could be used to calculat the mobility directly , can not be accounted for in the same framework , which will be proven later in this paper .
the drift can not be recovered even by considering additional scattering by the stochastic liouville equation.@xcite this phenomenon of diffusion dynamics without proper drift motion is in violation of the fluctuation - dissipation theorem and closely related to the drawbacks of the ehrenfest dynamics .
firstly , the evolution of the electronic state is formally coherent without a specific localization length , which is a sign of the over - coherence that has long been realized.@xcite secondly , the energy relaxation is not properly described , resulting in incorrect long - time dynamics .
it has been shown that , in the long - time limit , all adiabatic states tends to be equally populated,@xcite even with the hellmann - feynman force.@xcite also , the validity of the einstein relation , which is a result of the fluctuation - dissipation theorem and detailed balance , is questionable , since the over - coherence has drawn the system away from the thermal equilibrium .
many efforts have been made to overcome these problems .
ciuchi et al . introduced a phenomenological relaxation time approximation to correct the long - time dynamics.@xcite wang and beljonne generalized the surface hopping approach to such systems.@xcite very recently , two of the present authors proposed an instantaneous decoherence correction ( idc ) approach with energy - dependent reweighing factors to account for the decoherence and energy relaxation processes.@xcite it is shown that this method is able to maintain the near - equilibrium distribution of electronic states in the diffusion dynamics , which is a sign of proper treatment of energy relaxation . in this paper , we generalize the idc approach to investigate the drift of charge carriers in finite external electric fields based on the ehrenfest dynamics within a model of an off - diagonal electron - phonon coupling , which is widely used for the charge transport in crystalline organic semiconductors .
this is essential in forming a comprehensive physical picture of carrier dynamics with both diffusion ( fluctuation ) and drift ( dissipation ) .
this approach could also be used to study the electric - field dependence of drift motion , which is an important topic alongside the temperature dependence.@xcite in many experiments , relatively high fields have been achieved with observation of non - trivial field - dependence of mobility.@xcite theoretically , in a perfect 1d system with electric field , the energy eigenstates become localized wannier - stark states.@xcite at low electric fields , the semiclassical blotzmann transport equation@xcite is well - suited in which the carriers are viewed as classical particles , and the distribution function and current density can be obtained . at higher fields , the wannier - stark states become the favorable basis , and the charge carriers drift along by incoherent hopping among different wannier - stark states with emission of phonons.@xcite in the present problem , these physical pictures are not directly applicable due to the additional dynamic disorder , which brings about new localization mechanism ( dominant under low fields ) and energy distribution .
thus further studies are necessary .
this paper is organized as follows . in sec .
ii , the quantum - classical dynamics and the idc method is described .
the results of the carrier drift calculated by the present method are shown in sec .
iii , together with discussions on the einstein relation .
we conclude this paper with a brief summary in the last section .
we first present the ehrenfest dynamics of the off - diagonal electron - phonon coupling model for the charge transport in crystalline organic semiconductors .
then the idc is introduced to incorporate decoherence and energy relaxation in the dynamics .
we consider a one - dimensional molecular chain , which is consisted of @xmath2 identical molecules abstracted as transport sites . each site is associated with a vibrational degree of freedom with displacement @xmath3 from its equilibrium position due to the thermodynamic fluctuations , and the transfer integral is modulated by it . for convenience ,
we choose electron on the lumo as the charge carrier in the following .
the hamiltonian is similar to the semiclassical su - schrieffer - heeger ( ssh ) model@xcite and is consisted of two parts @xmath4 .
the electronic part @xmath5 is @xmath6 where @xmath7 ; @xmath8 is the transfer integral at equilibrium geometry ; @xmath9 is the electron - phonon coupling strength ; @xmath10 is the creation ( annihilation ) operator of electron on molecule @xmath11 ; @xmath12 is the lattice constant ; @xmath13 is the absolute value of the elementary charge ; @xmath14 is the external electric field .
the phonon part @xmath15 is @xmath16 where @xmath17 is the frequency of the phonon ; @xmath18 is the molecular mass .
the parameters are chosen following that of troisi and orlandi for pentacene,@xcite which are @xmath19 @xmath20 , @xmath21 @xmath20@xmath22@xmath23 , @xmath24 amu , @xmath25 fs@xmath23 , and @xmath26 , unless otherwise specified . in the quantum - classical ehrenfest dynamics ,
the electronic system is treated quantum - mechanically and described by the wave function @xmath27 , the evolution of which follows the time - dependent schrdinger equation @xmath28 because of the large mass of molecule , @xmath18 , the frequency @xmath17 is small with @xmath29 , where @xmath30 is the temperature , and @xmath31 is the boltzmann constant .
thus the phonon system can be approximated as classical , and in this way , the evolution of the phonons are governed by the newton s equation , which is @xmath32 the initial condition of displacements and velocities satisfy the maxwell distribution with variance @xmath33 and @xmath34 respectively .
the initial electron state is chosen to be on a single site .
the evolution is carried out by the 4th - order runge - kutta algorithm , with the integration time step at most 0.25 @xmath35 , which is sufficiently small to not influence the final results .
a chain with @xmath36 molecules is used with fixed boundary condition and the results are got by averaging over 50000 realizations . as we have discussed before
, the ehrenfest dynamics alone can not properly account for the decoherence and energy relaxation processes , which are key to the proper drift that is studied in this work .
for this purpose , we employ the idc technique to account for these processes .
the main idea of idc is to incorporate decoherence by random projection of electronic wave function in a certain basis controlled by the decoherence time @xmath37 .
the energy relaxation can be further considered by energy - dependent reweighing factors in the projection .
similar approaches have been used in the anderson model and spin dynamics of excited states.@xcite it is recently applied to the crystalline organic semiconductors , resulting in a diffusion with localized states and band - like behavior.@xcite besides , the near - equilibrium boltzmann distribution is maintained for the electronic system.@xcite here we generalize this method to account for the drift motion in finite electric fields , which is implemented in site representation with miller - abrahams type energy - dependent reweighing factor.@xcite the miller - abrahams rate is widely used to study the charge transport in amorphous organic semiconductors , and satisfies the detailed balance requirement , which is essential for proper energy relaxation.@xcite specifically , the idc is implemented by monte carlo algorithm and the detailed procedure is as follows .
initially , the electron is placed on a single molecule .
then the system is evolved using ehrenfest dynamics , following eqs .
( [ wf ] ) and ( [ lf ] ) for a time interval @xmath37 .
the electron wave function , @xmath27 is expressed in wannier representation as @xmath38 .
after the evolution , the electron spreads onto several molecules , and the population on molecule @xmath11 is @xmath39 . at this point ,
a projection operation is imposed for the electronic wave function .
the electron is either projected onto the initial molecule , or transits to another molecule .
the transition rate from original molecule @xmath18 to target molecule @xmath11 is determined by the product of the electron population on every molecule and the miller - abrahams type energy - dependent reweighing factor , which is @xmath40 , & \varepsilon_n\geq\varepsilon_m,\\ c_n|\varphi_n|^2 , & \varepsilon_n<\varepsilon_m , \end{array } \right.\label{rate}\ ] ] where @xmath41 is a normalization constant , and @xmath42 is the electric potential energy on molecule @xmath11 .
a random number , @xmath43 , uniformly distributed between 0 and 1 , is generated to select the target molecule of the projection .
then a new round of evolution is started . here
, we would like to discuss the choice of decoherence time , which is an important parameter in our study .
the experimental determination of this parameter is not easy .
many theoretical studies have been contributed to this topic.@xcite the decoherence process is often simulated by the decay rate of the off - diagonal elements of the reduced density matrix.@xcite in some cases , the decoherence time can be roughly estimated by the intermolecular overlap integral , i.e. , @xmath44 , which can be confirmed by the calculation of purity in spin - boson model.@xcite many semiclassical theories have also been proposed for the decoherence time in electron - phonon coupled systems,@xcite which can be evaluated by the difference between forces on diverging classical trajectories@xcite or the potential energy difference associated with different adiabatic states.@xcite based on different methods and approximation , the resulting decoherence time ranges from a few to hundreds of femtoseconds . using a short time approximation ,
a simple formula of decoherence time is derived based on the decay rate of the energy correlation function , which is @xmath45.@xcite according to this function , the decoherence time is about @xmath46 fs ( the reorganization energy @xmath47 mev@xcite is used ) for rubrene , and @xmath012 fs ( the reorganization energy @xmath48 mev@xcite is used ) for pentacene at room temperature . in our method , the decoherence time is taken to be a specific value independent of temperature .
we investigat the decoherence time ranging from 10 fs to 100 fs , and @xmath49 fs is used generally , unless otherwise specified .
in this section , we present the results obtained by applying the idc approach to the off - diagonal electron - phonon coupling model .
we first calculate the drift velocity of charge carriers and the drift mobility , and then move on to discuss the einstein relation .
we first study the electron drift dynamics with the method introduced above .
the dynamical evolution of @xmath50 realizations for the averaged population of electron on different sites @xmath11 at time @xmath51 are calculated as @xmath52 where @xmath53 is the index for realization .
the displacement of the electron is @xmath54 where @xmath55 is the initial position of the electron .
the drift velocity @xmath56 is calculated at long - enough times when @xmath57 increases linearly , which is @xmath58 we first prove the absence of the electron drift motion with the ehrenfest dynamics in the dynamic disorder regime . for this purpose , we calculat the dynamics with two representative initial conditions of the electron wave function .
the first one features a gaussian wave packet with a central momentum @xmath59 ; in the second one the electron is localized on a single site .
we present the results of @xmath57 with different magnitude of disorder tuned by the temperature , which is shown in fig .
[ fig-01](a ) . , which increases as shown by the arrow .
( b ) displacement versus time of the single - site occupied electron ( red line ) .
the results with 10 , 100 and 1000 realizations are also shown ( grey solid line ) .
( c ) displacement versus time with different decoherence times at the temperature @xmath60 k. inset : scheme of the distribution of the electron with increasing decoherence time .
for all panels , the electric field @xmath61 v / cm . ]
when @xmath62 , the system is a perfect one - dimensional lattice without dynamic disorder . with an applied static electric field ,
the eigenstates are localized wannier - stark states and the energy spectrum is consisted of wannier - stark ladders .
the current response behaves as the well - known bloch oscillations ( bos),@xcite which has been observed in a variety of experiments.@xcite for the gaussian case , the center of the wave packet oscillates periodically , as is shown by the dashed line in fig . [ fig-01](a ) ; and for the single - site case , the bos is manifested as a breathing mode , i.e. , the wave packet widens and shrinks periodically with a fixed center . in both cases , although the momentum is accelerated by the electric field , it changes direction when it reaches the boundary of the brillouin zone and no direct - current response is present . with the dynamic disorder at finite temperatures
, the current response is different . for the gaussian case ,
only a slight displacement is observed as shown in fig .
[ fig-01](a ) .
however , the displacement gradually stops in the long time limit .
thus the motion in this case is still not a proper drift . for the single - site case ,
the wave packet is not guaranteed to move along the electric field and @xmath57 tends to zero with increasing number of realizations , which is shown in fig .
[ fig-01](b ) .
so there is no drift motion in this case either .
further , it can be anticipated that no direct - current response can be observed whatever the initial state is.@xcite in all , the ehrenfest dynamics alone can not describe the direct - current response anticipated with finite external electric field .
we then move on to the results with the idc method , and the calculated @xmath57 at different @xmath37 is shown in fig .
[ fig-01](c ) .
it can be seen that the displacement increases linearly with time at large times for all the decoherence times considered , which means a drift motion driven by the external electric field resulting in a steady electric current .
moreover , the electron drifts faster with increasing decoherence time .
this phenomenon is due to the disturbance of the electronic dynamics by the idc . with decreasing @xmath37 ,
the population is limited on fewer molecules which is similar to the quantum zeno effect,@xcite resulting in slower drift as is shown by the inset in fig .
[ fig-01](c ) .
we further calculated the electric - field dependence of drift velocity @xmath56 for @xmath49 fs and @xmath60 k , which is shown in fig .
[ fig-02 ] .
k. the black circle line is the drift velocity calculated in our model .
the red dashed line is the drift velocity obtained in the model , where the evolution of the wave function is not affected by the electric field , which is only incorporated in decoherence process . the blue dot dashed line shows msd at @xmath49 fs .
inset : scheme of the electronic energy in the equidistant three - molecule model .
the direction of the electric field is on the right .
the electron is placed on the middle site , and the energy difference between adjacent sites is @xmath63 . ]
it can be seen that @xmath56 first increases with increasing electric field .
then @xmath56 gradually levels off as the difference of electric potential energy between nearest molecules is comparable to @xmath64 ( @xmath65 v / cm with the parameter used ) , and then reaches its maximum value . with further increase of the electric field ,
@xmath56 began to fall rapidly beyond @xmath66 v / cm .
higher electric - field strength would be beyond realistic situations .
for pentacene , the fields for substantial decrease of @xmath56 is too high to be realized .
besides in functional devices , the electric field dependence is further complicated by other factors , such as the increase of ` mobile ' carrier density.@xcite these may be the reasons why this trend is not observed . for a better understanding of the electric - field dependence of @xmath56 ,
two cases are studied , in which the roles of electric field are investigated separately in two processes . in the first case ,
the electric field is removed from the ehrenfest dynamics and is present in the idc ; while in the second one , the electric field is maintained in the ehrenfest dynamics and is removed from the idc .
for the first case , a proper electron drift is still present with the resulting @xmath56 shown by the dash line in fig .
[ fig-02 ] .
the electric - field dependence of @xmath56 in this case can be analyzed in the limit in which only the nearest molecules are populated by the ehrenfest dynamics . a simplified equidistant three - molecule model ( inset of fig .
[ fig-02 ] ) can be used with the same adjacent energy difference @xmath63 . according to eq .
( [ rate ] ) , the energy - dependent reweighing factor from site @xmath11 to @xmath67 is 1 , which is independent of the electric field , while the factor from site @xmath11 to @xmath68 is @xmath69 . without the electric field in the dynamics ,
the averaged population should be symmetric .
so when @xmath63 is smaller than @xmath64 , the probability of electron transporting downward in energy increases with electric field due to the energy factor in idc , which leads to a larger @xmath56 .
when @xmath63 is of the same order as @xmath64 , the increase would slow down and @xmath56 tends to a saturation value .
thus the increase and saturation of @xmath56 comes from the stronger energy asymmetry brought by the electric field .
similar phenomenon has been found in the hopping transport@xcite and the dynamics of the polarons.@xcite however , the ability of electron motion can still be reflected by the mean - square displacement for diffusion , which is calculated as @xmath70 ^ 2\right\}.\ ] ] we calculated the msd at @xmath37 for the influence of the electric field on the electron dynamics , which is shown by the dotted - dash line in fig .
[ fig-02 ] .
it can be seen that the msd remains a definite value at low fields and begins to fall rapidly with electric fields around @xmath71 v / cm .
the increasing potential energy difference between different sites induces localization , which suppresses the diffusion .
this decrease is a manifestation of quantum coherent effect and have the same origin as that observed in superlattice.@xcite with the proper drift motion , the carrier mobility can be calculated directly with @xmath72 , without invoking the einstein relation , which is an advantage of our approach .
the dependence of mobility on both electric field and temperature are shown in fig .
[ fig-03 ] .
firstly , it can be seen that the mobilities obtained are around @xmath731 @xmath74v@xmath75s@xmath23 , which are in agreement with the available experimental measurements for pentacene.@xcite the electric - field dependence of mobility is shown in fig .
[ fig-03](a ) . under lower field
, the mobility tends to a saturate value with decreasing field .
the increase of drift velocity @xmath56 with field become sub - linear at finite field , leading to the gradual decrease of mobility . under higher fields ,
the @xmath56 itself begin to decrease due to the localization mechanism presented above .
thus the mobility decreases more steeply .
experimentally , the negative dependence is observed in ultrapurified naphthalene single crystals at lower temperature ( @xmath76 k).@xcite in functional field - effect transistors , hopping - like behavior is commonly observed with increasing mobility with field , which can be fitted with either the fowler - nordheim or poole - frenkel line shape .
the negative dependence is ascribed to the fact that the present model is more suitable for the intrinsic transport in single - crystals .
the mobility from field - effect devices is further affected by extrinsic defects , particularly at the gate interface .
these could act as shallow traps , which hinder the quantum transport and influence the electric - field dependence .
under low temperature and in single crystals , the molecular arrangements are highly ordered , which makes the quantum effect predominant.@xcite it is worth to motion that , very few organic molecules can be grown into single crystals without grain boundaries , and the crystal growth process is long and costly .
so the negative dependence is hard to be observed in field - effect devices.@xcite it would be meaningful to discuss the situation with shallow traps and the relevant study is under progress .
we also calculate the temperature dependence of mobility , which is shown in fig .
[ fig-03](b ) . at the various electric fields considered ,
it all shows a band - like behavior with power - law dependence @xmath77.@xcite however , the value of the @xmath18 index is different , which decreases slightly with increasing field .
for example , the best fits give that @xmath78 for @xmath61 v / cm , 1.28 for @xmath79 v / cm , 0.96 for @xmath71 v / cm and 0.73 for @xmath80 v / cm .
in all , the electric - field dependence is less sensitive with increasing fields , as the field itself is becoming more important in the carrier dynamics compared to the influence of the thermal fluctuation .
we further explore the einstein relation , which is the manifestation of the fluctuation - dissipation theorem , by calculating the ratio between the diffusion coefficient and the mobility , @xmath81 .
the diffusion coefficient is calculated with @xmath82 the time evolution of msd at @xmath60 k is shown in the inset of fig .
[ fig-04](a ) with three representative electric fields . k. the decoherence time @xmath49 fs .
( b ) drift mobility ( black circles ) and mobility calculated with einstein relation ( red crosses ) versus decoherence time .
@xmath60 k , @xmath61 v / cm . ]
all results begin to increase linearly with time after a short initial period , leading to a well - defined diffusion coefficient .
combined with the mobility from drift , the electric - field dependence of the ratio @xmath83 is shown in fig .
[ fig-04](a ) , with @xmath84 k , 200 k and 300 k as representative temperatures . at relatively low fields
, the ratio tends to 1 , as is required by the einstein relation .
the restoring of the einstein relation for fields @xmath85 v / cm is a signature of the effectiveness of our approach , which means the proper energy relaxation obeying the fluctuation - dissipation theorem . with larger electric fields , the ratio increases rapidly to nearly 3 at @xmath80 v / cm for @xmath84 k , which is due to the deviation from the near - equilibrium situation .
it also becomes temperature - dependent , with larger @xmath83 for lower temperature .
we further studied the dependence on decoherence time , which is shown in fig .
[ fig-04](b ) .
two kinds of mobility are shown for comparison : @xmath86 from the drift and @xmath87 from the diffusion coefficient with the einstein relation .
both kinds of mobility increases with @xmath37 yet the ratio remains close to 1 . in detail
, @xmath87 increases faster , resulting in a slight increase of @xmath83 from 1.0 at @xmath49 fs to 1.12 at @xmath88 fs .
the difference can be ascribed to the less effective account of energy relaxation by idc with increasing @xmath37 .
however we note that even with a decoherence time @xmath37 as large as 100 fs , the deviation is still small ( @xmath89 ) . in the extreme case of very large @xmath37
, the evolution returns to the usual ehrenfest dynamics .
then there would be no drift motion and the ratio would tend to infinity . to further validate our approach
, we compare our temperature dependence of mobility with both the experimental values@xcite and that by the full quantum approach.@xcite the results are shown in fig .
[ fig-05 ] with the parameters following de filippis et al . for rubrene,@xcite which are @xmath90 ev , @xmath91 ev@xmath22@xmath23 , @xmath92 amu , @xmath93 fs@xmath23 and @xmath94 .
v / cm , with the decoherence time @xmath95 fs ( purple circle line ) and @xmath96 fs ( red line ) , ehrenfest dynamics@xcite ( blue square line ) and full quantum dynamics@xcite ( black diamonds ) . ]
it can be seen that a fairly good comparison is achieved for the temperature region considered when @xmath37 is taken as 5.5 fs . here
the experimental values are extracted from the hall effect in single - crystal field - effect transistors by podzorov et al . ; the mobilities of full quantum approach are calculated by the linear response theory and quantum monte carlo method .
we also present the mobility values calculated by the ehrenfest dynamics , which are almost one order of magnitude larger than the experimental values .
this large discrepancy can be ascribed to the decoherence and energy relaxation processes that are not properly treated in the ehrenfest dynamics , which can be effectively taken back by the idc approach proposed here .
we would like to stress that the above comparison is achieved by tuning only one parameter , which is the decoherence time .
the value of 5.5 fs is on the same order of magnitude with the estimated one of 10 fs mentioned previously.@xcite we also show the results with the decoherence time equaling the characteristic time of phonon system , i.e. , @xmath97 fs , where @xmath17 is the phonon frequency .
the resulting mobility also shows deviation from the experimental value , which follows the trend of increasing mobility with @xmath37 shown in fig .
[ fig-01](b ) .
this contrast shows that the smaller @xmath37 , comparable to the characteristic time scale of transfer integral , is more reasonable , under which the einstein relation is also better obeyed . in the end
, we would like to add some comments on the comparison of the present approach with the other ones based on quantum - classical approximation .
a very promising one is the relaxation time approximation proposed by mayou et al.,@xcite in which the velocity correlation function is corrected for calculating mobility using the linear response theory . besides , the present approach shares
similar opinion with zuppiroli et al.@xcite in that decoherence is essential for conduction . in their treatment ,
the acoustic phonon velocity is used as the average velocity of carrier .
both approaches starts with the diffusion and the mobility is calculated by the einstein relation .
the drift is not explicitly studied , which is the topic of the present work .
the resulting carrier dynamics is a long - time successive motion in real space , and the mobility is directly calculated from the drift velocity .
we have also obtained a negative temperature dependence of mobility like that of the two approaches .
in summary , we investigate the drift motion of crystalline organic semiconductors in a finite electric field by the mixed quantum - classical ehrenfest dynamics with decoherence correction .
the decoherence is implemented by projection operations and the energy relaxation is considered by energy - dependent reweighing factor .
these processes are key to a comprehensive picture of carrier dynamics including both diffusion and drift . applying to an off - diagonal electron - phonon coupling model
, our approach successfully describes the drift motion of charge carrier .
we find that the drift velocity increases with external field at low field range ; at high electric fields the drift velocity begin to decrease due to wannier - stark localization .
the value of the resulting mobilities are about @xmath98 @xmath74v@xmath75s@xmath23 , which are in agreement with experimental results .
the mobility tends to a saturate value at low fields and decreases at large fields .
furthermore , the present approach could well restore the einstein relation at low electric fields up to @xmath99 v / cm with decoherence times of 10@xmath020 fs .
finally , the mobility from our approach compares well with both the experimental value and that by the full quantum techniques .
the implemented @xmath37 of 5.5 fs is on the same order of magnitude as theoretical estimations .
further , the large discrepancy of mobility value from ehrenfest dynamics and the experimental measurements can be ascribed to the decoherence and energy relaxation that is incorporated by our approach .
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Simply upload a video of anything - trick or no trick - by pausing the game and going to "Replay Editor".
Select Save Replay or Save Photo and upon the next prompt, upload.
You must be connected to XBL for this to work.
Edit: These servers have now been shut down - I'm afraid it's therefore UNOBTAINABLE.
Edit Again: Servers have been put back up, bravo EA! | slim_pajama |
Evaporation of zinc oxide
My question involves the evaporation of silicate material (e.g., rocks, minerals, geologic material), specifically I am trying to work the number of electrons (*n*) that are involved in the evaporation reactions described by [Sossi et al. (2019)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016703719303606) and [Sossi and Fegley (2018)](https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/msa/rimg/article-abstract/84/1/393/566363/Thermodynamics-of-Element-Volatility-and-its?redirectedFrom=fulltext).
As an example, I will discuss the evaporation of zinc oxide (ZnO), which is shown in multiple sources (see footnotes) as:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/x4VmQ.png)
Sossi et al. (2019) state that this reaction involves two electrons (*n*=+2), however they do not indicate how they came to this value, so I have been trying to work it out myself. I should also note that they describe these reactions as **producing a metal bearing gas**.
I have two lines of thinking for determining *n* for this reaction:
***First line of reasoning***
ZnO(l) has two components with charges Zn = +2 and O = -2
Zn(g) evaporates as a metal, so the charge is Zn = 0
and
1/2O2 is just oxygen gas with charge 1/2O2 = 0.5\*(-2\*2) = -2
This line of reasoning implies that there was a change in the charge on Zn of -2. In other words, two electrons were lost, so two electrons were involved in the reaction. It involves the production of gaseous zinc metal, which fits nicely into the description of a metal bearing gas, at least in my mind. **However, this leaves the reaction unbalanced because the products have a -2 charge, which leads me to my second line of reasoning.**
***Second line of reasoning***
ZnO(l) his a stable compound, so ZnO = 0 charge
Zn(g) evaporates as a cation, so the charge is Zn = +2
and
1/2O2 is just oxygen gas with charge 1/2O2 = 0.5\*(-2\*2) = -2
Now the reaction is charge balanced, **but I am not clear on how two electrons were involved in this case, unless I can consider the two electrons that "went with" Zn after the evaporation of ZnO** as the two electrons that are involved in the reaction. However, I don't know if Zn++(g) counts as a metal bearing gas, which the authors say is present.
I have been tying myself in knots trying to work this out, so any guidance in the right direction would be helpful.
*Footnotes*
Other sources that discuss the evaporation of ZnO include [Anthrop and Searcy (1964)](https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/j100790a052?casa_token=1KAaaACIL_kAAAAA:iagmpmVhquDMTO8Imm7jQpA4PblgJYkPoGqc6wni_s26NBerBCdIwkjxMbX-sfgcE51FpaU5rU49e0PURw) and [Kodera et al. (1968)](https://www.journal.csj.jp/doi/abs/10.1246/bcsj.41.1039)
Your following sentence is wrong (I copy it in italics without change)
*1/2O2 is just oxygen gas with charge 1/2O2 = 0.5*(-2*2) = -2*
No! There is no charge $-2$ on the oxygen atom in the molecule $\ce{O2}$, and no charge at all in the molecule $\ce{O2}$ There is a charge $-2$ on the oxygen atom in the initial oxide $\ce{ZnO}$. But during the decomposition of $\ce{ZnO}$, the two electrons available on the Oxygen ion are transferred to the zinc ion $\ce{Zn^{2+}}$ which becomes a non-charged atom $\ce{Zn}$.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
MDP is using power to seek revenge: Dr. Jameel
By Ameera Osmanagic
Former VP Dr. Jameel
Former Vice President of the Maldives, Dr. Mohamed Jameel has claimed that MDP is seeking revenge, now that it has gained power and authority.
In a tweet he posted following the statement made by the Human Rights and Gender Committee of the Parliament regarding Ahmed Hailam, Chief Justice of the Criminal Court of the Maldives.
The statement said that the image depicting Victory Day hero, Martyred Hussain Adam dragging the current President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Former President and Speaker of the Parliament, Mohamed Nasheed, which was posted by Hailam in an office viber group encourages the violation of human dignity as well as other inhumane acts. The statement further mentioned that this act of the Chief Justice also violates the UN conventions as well as the Anti Torture Act of the country.
In retaliation, Jameel tweeted saying that the committees of the parliament are not an intellectual property of MDP or the Speaker of the Parliament.
"The level of influence in Yaameen's case can be observed by how the judge is further condemned and how much intervention is happening instead of investigating the matter. The Parliament and Committees are being used to seek revenge with the power now." He said in the tweet.
While the Justice Hailam has been suspended over the controversial Victory Day greeting, he has now apologized for his actions and has claimed that he failed to check the content of the image properly.
Development seen in Addu was done by Yameen: Ex-VP Jameel
Anticipating defeat is not a reason to delay Local Council Elections: Ex-VP Jameel
People's lives are always in vain when MDP is in power: Ex-VP Dr. Jameel
Nizar to Dr. Jameel: Go to your island and start farming | slim_pajama |
Vincent Bezecourt born 10 June 1993 is a French footballer who most plays as a midfielder for Miami FC in the USL Championship.
Career
Early career
Bezecourt began his football career in France with Jeunesse Villenavaise and made his debut with the first team during the 2012 season in Championnat de France amateur. In two season with the first team, he appeared in 52 league matches scoring 9 goals. In 2014, he went to the United States to play College soccer for St. Francis Brooklyn under head coach Tom Giovatto. In his first year, Bezecourt helped lead St. Francis Brooklyn to an NEC Championship and to an NCAA Tournament appearance. He was also named as a Second Team All-NEC player. In his two seasons with the Terriers, Bezecourt appeared in 39 matches scoring 10 goals and recording 9 assists. Following his senior season he was named a Third Team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and a First Team All-NEC player.
Professional career
While at St. Francis, during the 2015 season, Bezecourt played with the Brooklyn Italians of the National Premier Soccer League under head coach Dominic Casciato. After graduation from St. Francis College, Bezecourt trained with the New York Red Bulls during the preseason and subsequently signed a professional contract with the New York Red Bulls II of the United Soccer League on 18 March 2016. On 11 August 2017, it was announced that the New York Red Bulls signed Bezecourt to an MLS contract. At the time of his signing, he had scored 12 goals and recorded 10 assists in the regular season, along with 2 goals and 4 assists in the 2016 USL playoffs en route to the team's first USL Championship.
2016
In his first professional season, Bezecourt appeared in 22 matches, recording 8 goals and 6 assists en route to winning the 2016 USL Championship as a starting midfielder for the New York Red Bulls II. His 8 goals and 6 assists were second and third most on the team, respectively.
A week after signing on with New York Red Bulls II, Bezecourt featured in his first professional match with the club appearing as a second half substitute in a 22 draw against Toronto FC II. During the second game of the season, Bezecourt suffered a leg injury that sidelined him for 23 months. On 2 August 2016 Bezecourt came off the bench to score his first two goals for the New York Red Bulls II in a 50 rout over Harrisburg City Islanders. On 7 September 2016, he again scored two goals against the Harrisburg City Islanders, this time to help win the 2016 USL Regular Season Championship for the Red Bulls II. As a result of his performance 2 goals and 1 assist, Bezecourt was named USLSoccer.com Man of the Match. Later that week, he scored another goal in the 89th minute against the Rochester Rhinos to tie the game. Due to both performances Bezecourt was selected to the USL Team of the Week. In the last game of the regular season against the Charleston Battery, Bezecourt scored on a free kick in the 38th minute for his 6th goal of the season. He was also named USLSoccer.com Man of the Match for the second time this season.
USL playoffs
Bezecourt scored two goals and recorded four assists, as he helped NY Red Bulls II win the 2016 USL Championship. On 2 October 2016, Bezecourt scored a goal and assisted on two others to help New York Red Bulls II advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2016 USL Playoffs in a 40 victory over Orlando City B. In the two games leading to the USL Championship, Bezecourt recorded three assists and scored on a penalty shoot-out in overtime against Louisville City FC to help win the game. In the Championship game against the Swope Park Rangers, Bezecourt scored a goal in the 92 minute to put the finishing touch on a 51 victory.
2017
Bezecourt made 24 appearances with the NY Red Bulls II and 3 appearances with the major league club; NY Red Bulls. Half-way through the USL season, Bezecourt was given an MLS contract and loaned to NY Red Bulls II. He finished the USL regular season with 6 goals and 11 assists. His 11 assists, led the team and the USL Eastern Conference, and was second overall in the USL. Bezecourt was also tied for leader on the team, in being named to the USL team of the Week three times. At the end of the season, he was named to the 2017 USL All-League Second Team.
On 21 November 2016 it was announced that the New York Red Bulls II would exercise their option on the contract of Bezecourt. On 25 March 2017, Bezecourt helped New York to a 33 draw with Pittsburgh Riverhounds, scoring two goals in the opening match of the season. Bezecourt went on to be named to the USL Team of the Week three times for weeks 1, 4, and 11. He was also named to the USL Bench Players of the Week, for weeks 2 and 18.
On 12 July 2017 Bezecourt was promoted to the New York Red Bulls for a 13 July match against the New England Revolution as part of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals, as a consequence he missed the Red Bulls II game against Harrisburg City Islanders. Bezecourt was on the senior squad's bench for the match, but did not play against the Revolution. He was back in action with Red Bulls II for the 15 July match against Charlotte Independence, a losing effort that saw Bezecourt notch his league leading eighth assist of the season. Bezecourt, then scored the only goal in a win against Toronto FC II, snapping a three-game losing streak, before missing two games due to injury.
On 11 August 2017, it was announced that the New York Red Bulls signed Bezecourt to an MLS contract. At the time of the signing, Bezecourt had 19 appearances with Red Bulls II, scored six goals and was leading the league with eight assists and 45 chances created. On 18 August 2017, Bezecourt made his first appearance for NY Red Bulls as a starting central midfielder against the Portland Timbers in a 02 losing effort. Bezecourt was then sent back to NY Red Bulls II.
Bezecourt's next appearance with NYRB II was against Toronto FC II on 9 September 2017, a 2-1 victory. He made 4 starts, recording 2 assists and against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on 30 September Bezecourt through a corner kick forced an own goal. The NY Red Bulls II went 2-2 in those games and qualified for the USL Cup, Bezecourt was then sent to the major league club for his second stint.
On 7 October 2017, Bezecourt was a substitute for Bradley Wright-Phillips in the 80th minute against the Vancouver White Caps, a 3-0 victory for the NY Red Bulls. It was his second MLS appearance.
On 14 October 2017, Bezecourt started against the Rochester Rhinos in 1-2 losing effort. Bezecourt recorded an assist in the NY Red Bulls II only goal of the game, it was his 11th assist of the year, which tied for second-most in the USL.
On 22 October 2017, Bezecourt made his second MLS start and third appearance in the final game of the season for the NY Red Bulls against D.C. United. Because of the start, Bezecourt did not participate in the Red Bulls II USL cup pursuit.
MLS Cup Playoffs
Bezecourt made his first playoff appearance as a substitute for Damien Perrinelle in the 82nd minute against Toronto FC.
2018
On December 22, 2017 it was announced that Bezecourt was retained by NY Red Bulls. On 10 March 2018 he started in the Red Bulls' MLS season opener against Portland Timbers recording two assists in the 4-0 win. On June 6, 2018, Bezecourt opened the scoring in New York's 4-0 derby win over New York City FC in the fourth round of the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
2020
In January 2020, Bezecourt signed with Miami FC of the USL Championship.
International career
Before playing at St. Francis College, Bezecourt won a gold medal with France at the 2013 Summer Universiade tournament in Russia.
Career statistics
Honors
Club
New York Red Bulls II
USL Cup 1: 2016 USL Cup Champions
USL 1: 2016 Regular Season Champions
New York Red Bulls
MLS Supporters' Shield 1: 2018
References
External links
Category:1993 births
Category:Living people
Category:Association football midfielders
Category:Expatriate soccer players in the United States
Category:French expatriate footballers
Category:French expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Category:French footballers
Category:Major League Soccer players
Category:New York Red Bulls II players
Category:New York Red Bulls players
Category:Sportspeople from Landes department
Category:St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers men's soccer players
Category:USL Championship players
Category:Universiade gold medalists for France
Category:Universiade medalists in football
Category:Miami FC players | wikipedia |
Interaction-Picture Field as Solution of Klein-Gordon Equation
I am following a problem in a QFT textbook (Srednicki) which asks us to show that the interaction-picture field
$$\phi\_I(\textbf{x},t)=e^{iH\_0 t}\phi(\textbf{x},0)e^{-iH\_0 t}$$
obeys the Klein-Gordon equation. This is implicit in the rest of the text, but the solutions also say that this can be confirmed directly by writing the time derivatives as commutators, and computing them.
Could someone confirm what the author means by it: is it something related to the Heisenberg equation of motion, or the fact that operators commute with their derivatives?
We take the derivatives of the interaction-picture field and simplify to obtain the Klein-Gordon equation.
$\phi\_I(\textbf{x},t)=e^{iH\_0 t}\phi(\textbf{x},0)e^{-iH\_0 t}$
$\frac{\partial \phi\_{I}}{\partial t} = iH\_{0} e^{iH\_{0}t}\phi(\textbf{x},0)e^{-iH\_{0}t} + e^{iH\_{0}t}\phi(\textbf{x},0)(-iH\_0)e^{-iH\_0 t}$
$\frac{\partial^2 \phi\_I}{\partial t^2} = -H\_0^2 e^{-H\_0 t}\phi e^{-iH\_0 t} + iH\_0 e^{iH\_0 t}\phi(-iH\_0)e^{-iH\_0 t} + iH\_0 e^{iH\_0 t}\phi (-iH\_0)e^{-iH\_0 t} + e^{iH\_0 t} \phi H\_0^2 e^{-iH\_0 t}$
$\partial \phi\_{Itt} = 2 [H\_0,\phi\_I] = [\frac{1}{2}\nabla^2 + \frac{1}{2}m^2,\phi\_I] = 2[\frac{1}{2}\nabla^2,\phi\_I] + 2[\frac{1}{2}m^2,\phi\_I] = \nabla^2 \phi\_I - m^2 \phi\_I$
$\frac{\partial^2 \phi\_I}{\partial t^2} - \nabla^2 \phi\_I +m^2 \phi\_I = 0.$
| stackexchange/physics |
high - contrast imaging searches for low - mass companions to nearby and/or young stars have increased dramatically in number since the initial discovery of a brown dwarf companion to a main sequence star ( gl 229 ) through direct imaging @xcite .
one particularly powerful technique is adaptive optics ( ao ) , which provides the high angular resolution ( @xmath2 ) achievable at the diffraction limit of large ground - based telescopes .
the widening niche of high - contrast imaging opened by recent developments in ao technology implies that not only brown dwarfs but exo - solar planets may be within the realm of direct imaging . nowadays
nearly every ground - based telescope equipped with an ao system hosts an imaging companion - search project .
the sudden explosion in interest in this topic has been fueled by the success of the radial velocity ( r.v . )
method in detecting solar system analogs ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ) . through longer time - lines of observation and higher
precision , the sensitivity of r.v .
surveys has now extended outwards to include planets at semi - major axes @xmath33 au @xcite , i.e. , near the jovian region in the solar system .
while the sensitivity of direct imaging to `` planetary - mass '' ( 113 jupiter masses ( @xmath4 ) ; * ? ? ?
* ) objects at such separations from sun - like stars is still extremely limited due to contrast requirements , several higher - mass brown dwarf companions have been discovered at wider separations ( see compilation in * ? ? ?
* ) , some at projected distances as small as 1419 au @xcite .
high - resolution spectroscopic monitoring and direct imaging are thus complementary in searching for sub - stellar companions to stars .
future development of both methods promises to narrow , and eventually close the sensitivity gap between them .
young stars are the most suitable targets for direct imaging of sub - stellar companions . at ages of 10100 million years ( myr )
the expected brightness ratio in the near ir between a 10 @xmath5 object and a solar - type star is @xmath6@xmath7 @xcite .
modern ao systems can routinely achieve comparable dynamic range at 1@xmath0 separations from bright stars .
hence , for young stars within 40 pc of the sun we can probe for massive planets at separations comparable to the giant planet region in our own solar system .
however , few young stars are known at such small heliocentric distances .
these are constrained to several tens of members of young moving groups : tw hya @xcite , tucana / horologium @xcite , and @xmath8 pic @xcite , and have already been targeted with sensitive space - based and ground - based ao surveys , which have uncovered 34 brown dwarf companions @xcite , but no planetary - mass ones . because contrast and projected separation are the limiting factors in detectability of sub - stellar companions , brown dwarfs , being more luminous than planets , are detectable at greater heliocentric distances and at smaller angular separations from their host stars . at the same physical separation from the primary ( e.g. , 50100 au ) ,
brown dwarf companions should be detectable around older ( several gigayears [ gyr ] ) and/or more distant ( @xmath9200 pc ) stars compared to planets , allowing a larger sample of targets .
with regard to this , we have commenced a survey of young ( @xmath10400 myr ) solar - type ( f5k5 ) stars within 160 pc using the ao system on the palomar 5-m telescope .
our survey sample is largely a subset of the sample targeted by the formation and evolution of planetary systems ( feps ) _ spitzer _ legacy team @xcite .
although faint primary stars , such as m dwarfs or white dwarfs , offer more favorable contrast for imaging sub - stellar companions , we have chosen to limit our sample to solar analogs because of interest in determining the multiplicity statistics of sub - stellar objects around other suns .
furthermore , several recent large surveys have already explored the multiplicity of nearby ( @xmath950 pc ) cool stars @xcite , or white dwarfs @xcite , while a large sample of f
g stars has not been studied , because of comparatively small numbers in the immediate solar neighborhood .
preliminary results from our survey were reported in @xcite .
here we present the strategy of the survey , and the discovery and confirmation of resolved low - mass companions to hd 49197 , hd 129333 ( ek dra ) , v522 per , and rx j0329.1 + 0118 .
we shall refer to these throughout the paper as hd 49197b , hd 129333b , v522 perb , and rx j0329.1 + 0118b . for convenience of notation ,
a second candidate companion to hd 49197 found to be an unrelated background star will be denoted as hd 49197``c '' .
the full sample and further results from the survey will be discussed in a later paper .
the observations described in this section are representative of our general survey observing strategy .
table [ tab_observations ] details the imaging and spectroscopic observations specifically for the four objects presented here .
the properties of the observed primaries are given in table [ tab_properties ] .
first epoch observations are obtained with the palomar ao system ( palao ; * ? ? ?
* ) in residence at the cassegrain focus of the palomar 5-m telescope . since the summer of 2003 the wavefront sensor runs at frame rates up to 2 khz , and the system routinely produces diffraction - limited images ( 0.09@xmath0 at @xmath11 ) with strehl ratios in the 3050% range at 2@xmath12 on @xmath13 guide stars , and up to 75% on @xmath14 mag guide stars
palao employs the palomar high angular resolution observer ( pharo ; * ? ? ?
* ) , a 1024@xmath151024 pix hgcdte hawaii detector with imaging ( 25 mas / pix and 40 mas / pix plate scale ) and spectroscopic ( @xmath16=5002000 ) capabilities in the near ir . a set of coronagraphic spots , lyot masks and neutral density ( nd ) filters are available to achieve the desired dynamic range .
our program entails @xmath11-band ( 2.15@xmath12 ) imaging in the 25 mas / pix mode ( 25@xmath17 field of view ) both with and without a 0.97@xmath0-diameter coronagraphic stop . for high dynamic range ,
long ( 1 min ) coronagraphic images are taken to identify fainter ( potentially sub - stellar ) companions at separations @xmath180.5@xmath0 .
twenty - four such exposures are taken , for a total of 24 min integration per target , with 6 min spent at each of 4 different orthogonal detector orientations ( obtained by rotating the cassegrain ring of the telescope ) .
for every 6 min of on - target imaging ( i.e. , at each detector orientation ) , separate 1-min coronagraphic exposures are taken at five dithered sky positions 3260@xmath0 from the star .
for high angular resolution ( but with lower dynamic range ) , short ( 1.49.8 sec ) non - coronagraphic exposures are taken to look for close companions of modest flux ratio , and to establish relative photometric calibration .
the images are taken in a 5-point dither pattern at the vertices and center of a box 6@xmath0 on a side .
a 1%-transmission nd filter is used if necessary to avoid saturation0.039 mag at @xmath19 , [email protected] mag at @xmath21 , and [email protected] mag at @xmath11 . ] . on occasion , a narrow - band ( 1% )
brackett-@xmath22 ( 2.17@xmath12 ) filter is used for higher throughput , instead of the nd 1% filter . to avoid detector saturation and/or decreased sensitivity over a substantial fraction of the image area , stars with bright ( @xmath23 ) projected companions in the pharo field of view ( fov )
were not observed with deep coronagraphic exposures .
however , binaries with separation @xmath24 were included , as both components of the binary could then be occulted by the coronagraph .
this naturally splits our survey sample in two groups : the `` deep '' subsample , consisting of essentially single stars and close binaries , and the `` shallow '' subsample encompassing the remaining stars .
membership to one of the two subsamples was assigned at the telescope , when their multiplicity and approximate flux ratio was revealed during the short exposures .
the shallow subsample was further expanded to include stars out to 200 pc and/or older than 400 myr to cover the entire feps sample accessible from the northern hemisphere .
short dithered exposures were taken of all stars , while long coronagraphic exposures were taken only of stars in the deep subsample at @xmath11 band .
in addition , short @xmath19- ( 1.22@xmath12 ) and @xmath21-band ( 1.65@xmath12 ) exposures were taken of all candidate binaries ( all stars in the shallow survey , and the @xmath25 systems in the deep survey ) to allow approximate photospheric characterization of the components . in accordance with the above distinction
, hd 49197 was observed for a total of 24 min with the coronagraph as a part of the deep survey , while hd 129333 and rx j0329.1 + 0118 ( with bright candidate companions ) , and v522 per ( @xmath26 per member , 190 pc from the sun ; * ? ? ?
* ) were observed only with short exposures .
conditions were photometric during the first epoch observations of hd 49197 , v522 per , and rx j0329.1 + 0118 , and unstable during those of hd 129333 .
we obtain second - epoch imaging observations of all candidate companions to check for common proper motion with their corresponding stars .
such were taken for hd 129333 with palao / pharo , and for hd 49197 , v522 per , and rx j0329.1 + 0118 with nirc2 ( matthews et al .
, in prep . ) and the keck ii ao system ( diffraction limit 0.05@xmath0 at @xmath11 ; * ? ? ?
conditions were not photometric during follow - up , and only the best images ( strehl ratio @xmath27 ) were selected for astrometry .
hd 129333 was followed up in the narrow - band brackett @xmath22 filter , which allowed higher throughput than the nd 1% filter in the shortest ( 1.4 sec ) pharo exposures . given the unstable atmospheric conditions during the second - epoch imaging of hd 129333 , this allowed us to take high signal - to - noise ( @xmath28 ) exposures on time - scales that would most finely sample the variations in the seeing , and to select only the ones with the best imaging quality .
keck follow - up is done at @xmath29 , or at @xmath30 if the candidate companion is expected to be bright enough to be seen at @xmath31 ( given @xmath32 for l and t dwarfs ; * ? ? ?
sequences of short ( up to 20 sec from multiple co - adds ) dithered non - coronagraphic , and long ( 1 min ) target - sky - target exposures are taken with a 1@xmath0- or 2@xmath0-diameter coronagraph in the same manner as with pharo , though without detector rotations .
the candidate companions are exposed until a @xmath28 ratio comparable to that in the first - epoch pharo observation is achieved ( for similar positional accuracy ) , up to 6 min per filter in @xmath19 , @xmath21 , and @xmath11 .
the total integration time at @xmath31 is up to 10.5 min , which allows the detection of @xmath33 objects .
we mainly use the 40 mas / pix ( wide ) nirc2 camera ( 41@xmath0 fov ) , which severely under - samples the keck ao point - spread function ( psf ) , but is known to suffer from less distortion than the 20 mas / pix ( medium ) camera over the same field @xcite .
although we also have the option of using the 10 mas / pix ( narrow ) camera ( 10@xmath0 fov ) in nirc2 , it does not allow follow - up of distant candidate companions , and we avoid using it for consistency with the other nirc2 observations .
all imaging data are reduced in a standard fashion for near ir observations .
flat fields are constructed either from images of the twilight sky ( for the palomar data ) , or from images of the lamp - illuminated dome interior ( for the keck data ) .
a bad pixel mask is created from the individual flats , based on the response of each pixel to varying flux levels .
pixels whose gain deviates by more than 5 sigma from the mode gain of the array are flagged as bad .
sky frames for the dithered , non - coronagraphic exposures are obtained by median - combining four of the five exposures in the dither pattern ( excluding the central pointing ) , and rejecting the highest pixel value in the stack .
the coronagraphic - mode sky frames are median - combined using an average sigma clipping algorithm to remove pixels deviant by more than 5 sigma .
the sky - subtracted images of each target are divided by the flat field , then registered , and median - combined to create a final high signal - to - noise ( @xmath28 ) image ( figures [ fig_hd49197 ] and [ fig_stellar ] ) .
however , photometric and astrometric measurements are performed on the individual reduced images .
no psf stars are observed at either palomar or keck .
with pharo at palomar , median - combined images from all 4 detector orientations can be used to reproduce an approximate psf .
this approach was chosen to emulate the observation of separate psf stars of identical brightness and color , while optimizing the time spent on science targets .
however , we have found that a simple 180@xmath34 rotation and subtraction technique works equally well , and we use that on both the palomar and keck data . while neither approach eliminates telescopic speckle noise ( as could be the case if actual psf stars were observed ) , both significantly reduce point - symmetric structure in the psf .
the exact pixel scale of the 25 mas pharo camera was determined using known binary stars from the sixth orbit catalog @xcite : wds
09006 + 4147 ( grade 1 ; * ? ? ?
* ) , wds 16147 + 3352 ( grade 4 ; * ? ? ?
* ) , wds 18055 + 0230 ( grade 1 ; * ? ? ?
* ) , and wds 20467 + 1607 ( grade 4 ; * ? ? ?
these `` calibration binaries '' are observed throughout our campaign at palomar at all four detector orientations .
the combination of grade 1 ( accurately determined , short - period ) orbits and grade 4 ( less accurately known , longer - period ) orbits was selected from the list of astrometric calibrators recommended by @xcite . despite the lower quality of the solution for binaries with grade 4 orbits , their periods are generally much longer ( 889 and 3249 years for wds 16147 + 3352 and wds 20467 + 1607 , vs. 21.78 and 88.38 years for wds 09006 + 4147 and wds 18055 + 0230 , respectively ) , so their motions are predicted with sufficient accuracy for many years into the future .
the mean pixel scale of pharo was measured to be 25.22 mas / pix with a 1 sigma scatter of 0.11 mas / pix among measurements of the individual binaries at different detector orientations .
this measurement is consistent with , though less precise than our previous determination ( @xmath35 mas / pix ; * ? ? ?
* ) , which was obtained from only one calibration binary at a single cassegrain ring orientation . the larger scatter of our more recent measurement is indicative of the systematics involved in choosing different calibration binaries , and in observing at more than one detector orientation .
the plate scale of the wide nirc2 camera was calibrated using the binary wds 15360 + 3948 ( grade 1 ; * ? ? ?
the obtained value of [email protected] mas / pix is consistent with the pre - ship measurement of [email protected] max / pix . because only one binary was used for calibrating nirc2 , a 0.63% error term corresponding to the uncertainty in the semi - major axis of the binary has been added in quadrature to the uncertainty of our measurement .
spectroscopy of faint targets in the halos of bright objects is more challenging than spectroscopy of isolated targets .
care needs to be taken to achieve optimum suppression of the scattered light of the bright stars either by using a coronagraph ( in a manner similar to coronagraphic imaging ) , or by aligning the slit so as to minimize light admitted from the halo .
since neither pharo nor nirc2 allow coronagraphic spectroscopy , when taking spectra of faint companions we orient the slit as close as possible to 90@xmath34 from the primary - companion axis .
spectra of brighter companions , for which the signal from the halo is negligible compared to that from the target , are obtained by aligning the binary along the slit .
given that we often use the f5k5 iv v primaries in our sample as telluric standards , such alignment improves our observing efficiency .
sky spectra are obtained simultaneously with the target spectra , by dithering the targets along the slit .
promising candidate companions are observed at medium resolution ( @xmath36 ) at @xmath37 and ( ao correction permitting ) at @xmath19 . in pharo
we use the corresponding grism and filter combination ( @xmath37 or @xmath19 ) and the 40 mas / pix camera , while in nirc2 we use the @xmath37 or @xmath19 filter with the `` medres '' grism , and the wide ( 40 mas / pix ) camera . for @xmath37-band spectroscopy in first order with pharo and in fifth order with nirc2
we achieve complete coverage of the 2.2@xmath12 atmospheric window . for @xmath19-band spectroscopy in first order with pharo
the coverage is limited by the size of the detector to a 0.16@xmath12 bandwidth . @xmath19-band
spectroscopy with nirc2 can cover the entire 1.2@xmath12 window , but the spectrum is split between the fifth and the sixth dispersion orders . to allow simultaneous data acquisition from both orders , we fit both onto the wide camera by clipping the fifth ( longer - wavelength ) order shortward of 1.22@xmath12 and the sixth ( shorter - wavelength ) order longward of 1.28@xmath12 .
the combined @xmath19-band spectrum has complete coverage between 1.161.35@xmath12 .
we took @xmath19 and @xmath37-band spectra with pharo of hd 129333a / b , @xmath19 and @xmath37 spectra with nirc2 of v522 pera / b , and @xmath37-band nirc2 spectra of hd 49197a / b and rx j0329.1 + 0118a / b .
for the observations of hd 129333 with pharo , and of rx j0329.1 + 0118 with nirc2 , the binary was aligned along the slit , whereas spectra of the other two binaries ( with fainter companions ) were obtained by placing each component in the slit individually .
a 0.26@xmath0 ( 6.5 pix ) slit was used in pharo , and a 0.08@xmath0 ( 2 pix ) slit was used in nirc2 , resulting in spectral resolutions of 1200 at @xmath19 and 1000 at @xmath37 with pharo , and 2400 at fifth - order @xmath19 ( 1.221.35@xmath12 ) , 2900 at sixth - order @xmath19 ( 1.151.28@xmath12 ) , and 2700 at @xmath37 with nirc2 . flat fields with the dispersive grisms in place were not obtained for any of our spectroscopic observations . instead , the raw spectra were divided by an imaging flat field , constructed in the same manner as for the imaging observations .
the flat - fielded spectra were corrected for bad pixels , using the same bad pixel mask as in the imaging case .
strong positive deviations due to cosmic ray hits were then eliminated using the l.a .
cosmic laplacian filter algorithm @xcite .
fringing was at a noticeable level ( @xmath3815% ) only in spectra obtained with pharo ( of hd 129333 ) , and was reduced to below 5% by dividing the target spectrum by that of the telluric standard , taken at a nearby position on the detector .
extraction of the spectra is performed using iraf / apextract tasks .
to reduce contamination from the halo of the primary in the companion spectra , the local background ( arising mostly from the halo ) is fit by a first - order polynomial along the direction perpendicular to the dispersion axis and subtracted during extraction .
in addition , the aperture width for the companion spectrum is conservatively set to the full width at half maximum of the profile so as to include only pixels with maximum signal - to - noise .
pixels within the aperture are summed along detector columns ( which are nearly perpendicular to the dispersion axis ) , and the resulting `` compressed '' spectrum is traced along the dispersion axis by fitting a high order ( 8 to 15 ) legendre polynomial .
the tracing step is approximately equal to the slit width , where at each step the data point is obtained as the sum of 310 adjacent pixels ( 1.53 slit widths ; the spectra of fainter objects being more heavily averaged ) in the compressed spectrum .
this procedure is found to produce consistent results for extractions of multiple dithered spectra of the same companion , indicating that scattered light contamination from the primary has been reduced to a small level .
nevertheless , in some cases of very faint close - in companions , the continuum shape is still found to vary noticeably among the individual extractions .
we therefore avoid classifying the spectra of the companions based on their continuum shapes , but rely on the relative strengths of narrow absorption features ( discernible given our resolution ) instead ( section [ sec_spectroscopy ] ) .
a dispersion solution for each spectrum is obtained from night sky lines in non - sky - subtracted images , using the task identify and oh emission - line lists available in iraf . for the spectra of primaries observed separately ( e.g. , hd 49197 and v522 per ) , whose shallower ( 10120 sec ) exposures do not contain telluric emission lines at a high enough @xmath28 to allow the fitting of a dispersion solution , such is derived after registration with deeper ( 1015 min long ) companion spectra taken immediately after those of the primaries . the tasks fxcor and specshift
are used to cross - correlate and align the individual wavelength - calibrated spectra for a given object .
the individual primary and companion spectra are then median - combined using scombine . since the primaries ( when earlier than k0 ) double as telluric standards , their spectra are first corrected for photospheric absorption from atomic hydrogen ( h p@xmath8 at 1.282@xmath12 and h br@xmath22 at 2.166@xmath12 ) by hand - interpolating over the absorption with the task splot .
weaker absorption features due to , , , , and , although present in the spectra of our telluric standards , are left uncorrected because of blending ( at our resolution ) with various oh absorption lines in the earth s atmosphere .
after thus correcting the telluric spectra , the spectra of the companions are divided by those of the telluric standards .
finally , the spectra of the companions are multiplied by black bodies with temperatures corresponding to the spectral types of the telluric standards ( based on effective temperature vs. spectral type data from * ? ? ?
* ) , and boxcar - smoothed by the width of the slit .
the above reduction procedure applies in exact form for nirc2 spectra , which do not suffer from fringing . for pharo data , which are noticeably affected by fringing
, we divide the individual target spectra by those of the telluric standard before median - combining and wavelength calibration , since fringing depends on detector position , not on the dispersive element .
reduced spectra for the objects reported here are presented in figure [ fig_kspectra ] and [ fig_jspectra ] .
the mismatch in the continuum slopes between the fifth- and sixth - order the @xmath19-band spectra of the companion to v522 per may be due to our use of imaging , instead of spectroscopic flats .
broad - band near - ir photometry of the companions is presented in table [ tab_photometry ] .
the measured quantity in each case is the relative flux ( @xmath39 , @xmath40 , @xmath41 , @xmath42 ) of the companion with respect to that of the primary .
when the companions were visible without the coronagraph ( in all cases except for the close - in companion to hd 49197 ) , the fluxes of both components were measured directly from the short - exposure non - coronagraphic images .
flux ratios for the hd 129333 , v522 per , rx j0329.1 + 0118 , and hd 49197a/``c '' systems were obtained from the palomar images in apertures of radii of 0.2@xmath0 ( @xmath43 at @xmath11 ) . for the photometry of hd 129333b we subtracted the halo of the nearby ( 0.74@xmath0 ) primary ( as detailed in section [ sec_psf ] ) to minimize its contribution to the flux of the secondary . in the case of the hd
49197a / b system , the 0.95@xmath0 companion is not seen in pharo images taken without the coronagraph , and only coronagraphic exposures were obtained with nirc2 . the magnitude of the companion was obtained with respect to the residual flux of the primary seen through the 1@xmath0 nirc2 coronagraphic spot .
the flux measurements were performed on the psf - subtracted nirc2 images in a 0.16@xmath0-radius ( 3.2@xmath44 at @xmath11 ) aperture .
the transmission of the spot was established from photometry of another program star in images taken with and without the 2@xmath0 coronagraph : its extinction was measured at [email protected] mag at @xmath19 , [email protected] mag at @xmath21 , and [email protected] mag at @xmath11 .
the companion was seen in all 6 one - minute coronagraphic exposures at @xmath11 , but because of varying photometric conditions and proximity of diffraction spikes , it was detected in only 3 out of 6 psf - subtracted exposures at @xmath21 , and 1 out of 6 at @xmath19 .
sky values for each of the observed objects were determined as the centroid of the flux distribution in a 0.1@xmath0-wide annulus with an inner radius larger by @xmath44 than the distance at which the radial profile of the object fell below the level of the local background . for the primaries observed with pharo this inner radius was 2.0@xmath0 ( 20@xmath44 at @xmath11 ) , while for hd 49197a , the flux of which was measured through the nirc2 coronagraph , the inner radius was 0.2@xmath0 ( 5@xmath44 ) . for the companions , the inner radius of the sky annulus varied from 2.254 times the @xmath11 diffraction limit , depending on whether the local background was strongly influenced by the halo of the primary ( as near hd 49197 and hd 129333 ) , or not .
experiments with varying sky annulus sizes in the two more detached systems ( v522 per and rx j0329.1 + 0118 ) showed that the relative photometry between two objects in the same image is preserved to within 0.08 mag for annuli ranging between 2.2520@xmath44 in inner radius .
the @xmath45 and @xmath46 colors , and @xmath11 magnitudes , are derived from the measured relative photometry by adopting the two - micron all sky survey ( 2mass ; * ? ? ?
* ) magnitudes for the primaries . the @xmath47 color of the companion to v522 per was calculated assuming @xmath48 for the f5 v primary @xcite .
a near - ir color - color diagram of the detected companions is presented in figure [ fig_colors ] .
extinction corrections of @xmath49 , @xmath50 , @xmath51 , and @xmath52 have been applied to the colors of v522 perb , based on @xmath53 toward the @xmath26 per cluster as measured by @xcite .
we have adopted @xmath54 , and the interstellar extinction law of @xcite . based on the colors and the @xmath55@xmath11 magnitudes
, we can infer that hd 49197``c '' is a likely f
g background star , whereas the remaining companions are consistent with being late - type stars associated with their primaries .
three of the four systems were observed at two different astrometric epochs .
rx j0329.1 + 0118 was observed only once , though prior - epoch astrometric data for it exist from @xcite .
table [ tab_astrometry ] details for each binary the observed offset and position angle of the companion from the primary during the first and second epochs of observation , as well as the estimated offset and position angle during the first epoch , had the system not been a common proper motion pair .
the estimates are extrapolated backwards in time from the second - epoch astrometry , which for all except hd 129333 was obtained with nirc2 on keck and was more accurate , assuming proper motions from _ hipparcos _
@xcite for hd 49197 and hd 129333 , and from tycho 2 @xcite for v522 per and rx j0329.1 + 0118 .
parallactic motions were also taken into account , as they are significant for stars @xmath56 pc at our astrometric precision ( several milli - arcsec ) .
the assumed proper motions and parallaxes for all stars are listed in table [ tab_properties ] . to ensure the correct propagation of astrometric errors
, the epoch transformations were performed following the co - variant treatment of the problem , as detailed in @xcite .
proper motion diagrams for each object are presented in figures [ fig_astrom_hd49197][fig_astrom_rxj0329 ] .
the first- and second - epoch measurements are shown as solid points with error bars , and the inferred first - epoch position ( assuming non - common proper motion ) is shown only with errorbars .
the dashed line reflects the combined proper and parallactic motion of the primary over the period between the two epochs .
below we discuss the evidence for common proper motion in each system .
the existence of the close ( 0.95@xmath0 ) companion to hd 49197 was unappreciated prior to the second - epoch imaging : the star was followed up because of the more distant ( 6.8@xmath0 ) candidate companion ( hd 49197``c '' ) . upon its discovery in the keck image ( figure [ fig_hd49197]c ) , the close companion was recovered in the earlier palomar image , where a dark circular ring around the core at the radial distance of the first airy null ( @xmath380.1@xmath0 ) distinguishes it from the telescopic speckles ( figure [ fig_hd49197]b ) .
as is evident from figure [ fig_astrom_hd49197 ] , hd 49197b ( left panel ) is much more consistent with being a proper motion companion of the primary , than with being an unrelated background star projected along the same line of sight , whereas the reverse holds for hd 49197``c '' ( right panel ) .
therefore , we claim that the close - in hd 49197b is a bona - fide companion , whereas the more widely - separated hd 49197``c '' is not .
the astrometry for hd 49197b from the two observational epochs is not in perfect agreement , perhaps because of its orbital motion around component a. at a projected separation of 43 au , the orbital period will be @xmath18240 years ( assuming a circular face - on orbit and a mass of 1.16@xmath1 for the f5 v primary ; * ? ? ?
* ) , resulting in a change in position angle of @xmath102.6@xmath34 between the two epochs .
this may explain the observed discrepancy of @xmath57 in position angle between the two observations , while the change in separation ( [email protected] mas ) is consistent with being zero .
future observations spanning a sufficiently long time - line may be used to determine the dynamical mass of the hd 49197a / b system .
the offset positions of the companion to hd 129333 in the two observations taken 16 months apart are fully consistent with each other , and inconsistent with the object being a background star ( figure [ fig_astrom_hd129333 ] ) .
hd 129333b thus shares the proper motion of the primary , and is a bona - fide companion .
the astrometry for these two systems ( figure [ fig_astrom_rxj0329 ] ) is inconclusive because of their smaller proper motions , insufficient time - span between the observations , and/or less accurate astrometry .
the likelihood of physical association of the companions with the primaries is investigated from low - resolution spectroscopy in section [ sec_likelihood ] below . infrared spectral classification of m
l dwarfs is done most successfully in the @xmath19 and @xmath21 bands , where a suite of indices based on the relative strengths of h@xmath58o , feh , , and absorption have been developed to characterize their effective temperatures ( @xcite ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) and surface gravities @xcite .
however , spectroscopy of cool companions in the bright halos of their primaries is often more difficult at @xmath19 and @xmath21 than at @xmath37 , because of larger flux contrast and poorer quality of the ao correction at shorter wavelengths .
here we present @xmath19-band spectra of the two brighter companions : hd 129333b , and v522 perb .
cool dwarfs can be classified at @xmath37 band based on the strength of their h@xmath58o absorption shortward of 2.05@xmath12 , the depth of the co 2.29@xmath12 bandhead , and the equivalent width ( ew ) of the 2.21@xmath12 doublet @xcite .
even cooler , late - l and t dwarfs , are best characterized by the strength of their ch@xmath59 absorption at @xmath182.20@xmath12 @xcite .
we present @xmath37-band spectra of all four companions discussed in this paper .
spectral types of the detected companions have been determined following infrared absorption line classification systems at @xmath37-band ( for , , co ) from ( * ? ? ?
* spectral types m6v t8 ) and ( * ? ? ?
* f3v m6v ) , and at @xmath19-band ( for and ) from ( * ? ? ?
* m4v l8 ) and ( * ? ? ?
* o7m6 ) .
luminosity classes are based on the relative strengths of , , and co absorption at @xmath37 band @xcite , and on the strengths of , and absorption at @xmath19 @xcite .
we have avoided the use of temperature - sensitive h@xmath58o indices that span large fractions of the spectrum ( @xmath34% total band width , e.g. , the h@xmath58od index of @xcite , or the h@xmath58o-2 index of @xcite ) because of their strong dependence on the overall continuum shape of the spectrum , and because of the uncertainties in the spectral shapes of faint companions extracted from the halos of bright objects ( section [ sec_obs_spec ] ) .
we have used the @xmath19-band 1.34 @xmath12 h@xmath58o index of @xcite however , which measures only the onset of h@xmath58o absorption at that wavelength , and is narrow ( 1.4% band width ) .
below we analyze the @xmath37- and @xmath19-band spectra of the companions to hd 49197 , hd 129333 , v522 per , and rx j0329.1 + 0118 .
the inferred effective temperatures and spectral types are provided in tables [ tab_eqw ] and [ tab_estimates ] .
our spectrum of hd 49197b ( figure [ fig_kspectra ] ) shows strong co and h@xmath58o bands characteristic of ultra - cool dwarfs , but lacks a ch@xmath59 absorption feature , indicating that it is earlier than l8 @xcite . on the other hand , absorption is also absent from the spectrum , pointing to a spectral type of l3 or later @xcite , independent of gravity ( cf .
figure 8 in * ? ? ?
following the analysis of @xmath16@xmath602000 @xmath37-band spectra of m6t8 dwarfs in @xcite , we form a co absorption index from the ratio of the median flux in an absorbed ( 2.2982.302 @xmath12 ) vs. an unabsorbed ( 2.2832.287 @xmath12 ) region of the spectrum .
we find [email protected] ( where the error has been estimated as the quadrature sum of the relative uncertainties of the median in the two spectral regions ) , which indicates a spectral type of l7 or later .
however , the co index is not very sensitive to l - dwarf temperatures , and varies by up to 0.15 ( 60% of its total range of variation between spectral types m5 and t2 ) within the same spectral type ( figure 13 in * ? ? ? * ) .
alternatively , we can also use the absolute @xmath11-band magnitude of hd 49197b to estimate its spectral type , following the empirical relation of @xcite , based on a sample of 24 m and l dwarfs with measured parallaxes : @xmath61 where subclass = @xmath62 for m9 v , 0 for l0 v , 1 for l1 v , etc .
the scatter about the fit is approximately 1 subclass . from the inferred apparent @xmath11 magnitude of hd 49197b , and from the parallax of the primary ,
we obtain @xmath63 for the secondary , which corresponds to a spectral type of [email protected] .
we assign a final spectral type of l4 with an uncertainty of 1 subclass .
this is based on the intersection of the results from our spectroscopic analysis , suggesting l3l7 , and from the @xmath11-band absolute magnitude , pointing to l1.5l4.5 .
a spectral type of l4@xmath201 for hd 49197b is also consistent with a by - eye comparison of its @xmath37-band spectrum with the grid of l - dwarf standards from @xcite .
we classify the @xmath37-band spectra of these companions following the analyses of @xcite and @xcite , whose data are taken at similar resolutions to ours ( @xmath16=13803900 and 25003100 , respectively ) , and span the f8m7 spectral type range .
we employ the spectral classification sequence of @xcite , whose empirically - derived indices are based on a larger sample of dwarf stars than in @xcite .
our reduced spectra were first shifted to 0 km s@xmath64 heliocentric velocity , where the shift was determined by fitting gaussian profiles to the doublet , and comparing the fitted line centers to their values in the solar spectrum @xcite . for consistency with the @xcite spectral classification
, we have chosen the same bands for integrating the ( 2.21@xmath12 ) ( 2.26@xmath12 ) , and @xmath65co(20 ) ( 2.29@xmath12 ) absorption .
the continuum in the target spectra was fit to three regions devoid of absorption lines : 2.09072.0951@xmath12 , 2.21402.2200@xmath12 , and 2.28732.2925@xmath12 .
these have been selected as a combination of the continuum regions used by @xcite and @xcite , so as to constrain the fit on both sides of the doublet ( as in * ? ? ?
* where the continuum - fitting regions are widely - separated from the lines ) , as well as near it ( as in * ? ? ?
* where the continuum is constrained only on the long - wavelength side of the lines ) .
the absorption strength in each band was obtained as an equivalent width , by integrating the profile of the spectrum in the band with respect to a global continuum level defined by the three continuum bands .
the only exception is the ew of the @xmath65co(20 ) first overtone bandhead , for which we have adopted the mean continuum level of the third continuum band ( as in @xcite and @xcite ) .
the one - sigma errors in the ews were calculated by propagating the r.m.s .
noise of the spectrum in the nearest continuum band , assuming independent pixel variances .
the ews of and were corrected for corresponding absorption in the spectra of the telluric standards , the ew of which ( [email protected] for and [email protected] for in g stars ; * ? ? ?
* ) was added to that measured for the companions .
the final ews are listed in table [ tab_eqw ] . to infer effective temperatures for
the companions to hd 129333 , rx j0329.1 + 0118 , and v522 per , we employ empirical relations between the strength of @xmath37-band , , and co absorption and effective temperature ( @xmath66 ) , as determined by ( * ? ? ?
* their table 4 ) .
na and co produce the most characteristic @xmath37-band features of cool stars .
however , their absorption strengths are inaccurate tracers of temperature for stars cooler than 4000 k , and are , in addition , gravity - sensitive @xcite .
on the other hand , transitions in the @xmath37-band require the population of higher energy states , and hence are more temperature - sensitive
. however , their absorption strength is degenerate with the stellar effective temperature : absorption at 2.26@xmath12 peaks at @xmath603500 k , and decreases for higher , and lower effective temperatures @xcite .
this behavior is fit via two separate @xmath66 vs. ew ( ) relations in @xcite . by combining the information from with that from and @xmath65co(20 )
, we can break this degeneracy , and use the more temperature - sensitive index to constrain the effective temperature for each star to within @xmath60300 k ( the quoted uncertainty of the index in * ? ? ?
* ) . for hd 129333b , with a absorption strength near the breaking point between the `` hot '' and `` cool '' relations ,
we take the average of the two estimates . for v522 perb and rx j0329.1 + 0118b ,
whose and co absorption is indicative of temperatures @xmath67 k , we use only the `` cool '' relation .
the effective temperatures inferred from absorption are listed in table [ tab_eqw ] . as in @xcite
, we adopt a spectral type vs. effective temperature classification for m dwarfs from @xcite , and obtain spectral types of m1 , m3 , and m4 for hd 129333b , rx j0329.1 + 0118b and v522 perb , respectively , with an uncertainty of 2 spectral subtypes .
a visual inspection and comparison of the strengths of the various absorption features with @xmath37-band spectral sequences from @xcite and @xcite confirms these results .
given the comparable values of their and @xmath65co(20 ) ews , all stars have likely dwarf gravities ( cf .
figure 7 in * ? ? ?
we further constrain the spectral types of hd 129333b and of v522 perb from their @xmath19-band spectra .
these show the characteristic absorption features of m stars : lines at 1.169@xmath12 , 1.177@xmath12 , 1.243@xmath12 , and 1.252@xmath12 , at 1.188@xmath12 and 1.197@xmath12 , at 1.268@xmath12 , at 1.312@xmath12 and 1.315@xmath12 , and h@xmath58o absorption at @xmath68 ( figure [ fig_jspectra ] ) .
the spectrum of v522 perb exhibits also and absorption over 1.2821.298 @xmath12 .
spectral classification at @xmath19 band was done based on the depth of the h@xmath58o and absorption , following the index definitions of @xcite . after re - sampling our data to match the @xmath16@xmath38350 spectral resolution of @xcite , we form the 1.34@xmath12 water index as the ratio of the mean fluxes ( in a 0.004 @xmath12 wide region ) at 1.336@xmath12 and at 1.322@xmath12 , and we measure the ew by integrating the absorption over the region 1.23751.2575@xmath12 . because absorption in the solar - like photospheres of the telluric standards is small ( @xmath69 ( @xmath70 ( @xmath71 for the sun ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) , the ew measurements of the companions were not corrected for it . for hd 129333b , we can not estimate the strength of the 1.34@xmath12 water absorption because of insufficient spectral coverage .
the ew of indicates a spectral type of m2m4 .
averaging this with our @xmath37-band estimate of m1@xmath202 , we assign a spectral type of m2@xmath201 for hd 129333b .
given the youth of hd 129333 ( @xmath10120 myr ; see section [ sec_masses ] ) , the companion may have lower - than - dwarf gravity .
the effect of this on alkali absorption lines in the near ir is degenerate with temperature @xcite , and could be compensated by a later spectral type .
however , spectral types later than m3 are inconsistent with the depth of the strongly temperature - sensitive absorption in this star ( section [ sec_kband_spec2 ] ) .
in addition , hd 129333b lacks noticeable absorption , which is weak in m dwarfs but grows deeper with decreasing surface gravity in m stars ( fig . 9 in * ? ? ? * ) .
hence , we conclude that hd 129333b is a m2@xmath201 dwarf . for v522 perb , both the ew and the water absorption index point to a spectral type of m3m5 , in agreement with our @xmath37-band estimate ( m4@xmath202 )
. the stronger absorption than in hd 129333b is also consistent with a cooler photosphere .
we thus assign a spectral type of m4@xmath201 to v522 perb .
the strength of the transition indicates a potentially subgiant surface gravity , though as noted in section [ sec_kband_spec2 ] , the effect is not seen at @xmath37 band .
our astrometric follow - up of hd 49197b and hd 129333b confirmed common proper motion between these two companions and their respective primaries .
however , the smaller proper motions of v522 per and rx j0329.1 + 0118 prevented us from concluding the same for their respective companions , given the time - span of our observations .
the probability of physical association in these systems can be inferred from the spectroscopically determined spectral types and absolute magnitudes of the companions .
if the absolute magnitude inferred from the spectral type of a companion agrees with its measured apparent magnitude at the heliocentric distance of the respective primary , then the companion is likely to be a bona - fide one ( modulo the space density of stars of similar spectral type as the companion ) .
figure [ fig_absolute_mags ] presents a comparison of the spectroscopic vs. photometric absolute magnitudes .
the correspondence is good for the four companions followed up via near ir spectroscopy , indicating that they are at similar heliocentric distances as their primaries , and are thus likely to be physically bound to them .
the location of the remaining candidate companion ( hd 49197``c '' ) along the ordinate is inferred from its near - ir colors . as mentioned in section
[ sec_anal_photometry ] , hd 49197``c '' is a likely f
g star ( @xmath72 ; * ? ? ?
* ) , i.e. , it is intrinsically too bright to be associated with hd 49197 ( f5 v ) given its faint apparent magnitude .
a robust statistical analysis of the likelihood of chance alignment in the four systems discussed here is not yet possible at this stage of the survey .
they are only a fraction of the ones discovered to have candidate companions .
with follow - up observations still in progress , the exact number of bound systems is unknown .
we defer a discussion of the companion chance alignment probability based on the full ensemble statistics until a later paper . here
we consider these probabilities only on a per system basis . to give an approximate idea of the limited statistics from which these preliminary results are extracted , we point out that to date we have analyzed multi - epoch astrometric data for approximately 15 stars ( mostly from the deep survey ) with faint ( @xmath73 , i.e. , expected to be of spectral type m or later ) companions within 4@xmath0 .
we base our calculation of the probability of false association in each system on the empirically determined spatial density of cool objects ( m t spectral types ) in the solar neighborhood .
there are 112 such known objects in the northern ( @xmath74 ) 8 pc sample @xcite .
the northern 8 pc sample covers 65% of the sky , and is estimated to be @xmath6015% incomplete .
the total number of cool objects and white dwarfs within 8 pc of the sun is therefore expected to be 198 , with a volume density of 0.10 pc@xmath75 .
this estimate is based on a small fraction of the thin disk population ( scale height 325 pc ; * ? ? ?
* ) of the galaxy and hence should not vary substantially as a function of galactic latitude .
we then calculate the number of cool dwarfs expected to be seen in projection toward each system within a conical volume of radius 4@xmath0 centered on the star , with the observer at the apex of the cone .
we truncate the radial extent of the conical volume by requiring that the apparent @xmath37 magnitude of a projected companion falls within the limits allowed by the spectral type ( and hence , absolute magnitude ) of the detected one .
absolute @xmath37 magnitudes for the m24 dwarfs discussed here have been adopted from @xcite .
although @xcite s m dwarf classification system pre - dates the discovery of ultra - cool dwarfs ( later than m5 ) , it remains valid for early m dwarfs . for l4@xmath201 spectral types we adopt absolute @xmath37 magnitudes from @xcite .
the expected number @xmath76 of unrelated cool dwarfs within the relevant volume around each star is listed in the last column of table [ tab_estimates ] .
given that for all stars @xmath77 , we can assume that the event of seeing an unrelated field object in the vicinity of one of our program stars is governed by poisson statistics .
hence , the probability of finding one or more such dwarfs near any given star ( i.e. , the probability of chance alignment ) is @xmath78 .
as seen from table [ tab_estimates ] , after having followed up the companions spectroscopically , we can claim with @xmath7999.99% certainty in each case that the companion is physically associated with its respective primary . as discussed above ,
such probabilities need to be regarded in the context of the ensemble statistics . within our sample of 4 spectroscopically confirmed companions ,
the probability that at least one is a false positive is @xmath80 .
this exemplifies the power of spectroscopic follow - up as an alternative to multi - epoch astrometry in constraining the likelihood of physical association in a system .
we estimate the ages of the primaries ( table [ tab_properties ] ) from published data on their chromospheric activity , equivalent width , and kinematic association with young moving groups .
masses for each of the companions ( table [ tab_estimates ] ) were determined either from the low - mass pre - main sequence evolutionary models of @xcite , or from the brown - dwarf cooling models of ( * ? ? ?
* dusty ) and @xcite .
we have not used the dust - free `` cond '' models of @xcite , since they are more appropriate for temperatures @xmath91300 k ( i.e. , for t dwarfs ) when all grains are expected to have gravitationally settled below the photosphere . [ [ hd-49197b . ] ] hd 49197b .
+ + + + + + + + + + from the strength of ca h & k core emission in keck / hires spectra of the primary , @xcite determine an age of 525 myr for hd 49197 , which we assume accurate to within @xmath3850% , given the variation in chromospheric activity of solar - type stars @xcite .
no other age - related indicators exist in the literature for this f5 star . from our own high - resolution
optical spectra , we measure ew(li @xmath81 ) = 80 m ( hillenbrand et al . , in prep . ) , consistent with a pleiades - like ( 120 myr ; * ? ? ? * ) or older age .
hence , we adopt an age of 260790 myr for the primary . assuming co - evality , the mass of the secondary is @xmath82 @xcite , where the range of masses accomodates the one sigma error in the inferred absolute magnitude of the secondary , and the allowed age range for the primary .
hd 49197b is thus a brown dwarf .
[ [ hd-129333b . ] ] hd 129333b .
+ + + + + + + + + + + the primary is a well - known young star , kinematically belonging to the local association ( pleiades moving group , 20150 myr ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
results from the mount wilson spectroscopic survey @xcite and from the keck / lick r.v .
program @xcite show strong h & k emission , indicating high levels of chromospheric activity and youth .
@xcite list an age of @xmath1010 myr for this star , though the chromospheric activity - age relation is not reliable for stars that young , in part because of the large variance in rotation rates of stars younger than 5080 myr ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ) , and because the relation is not calibrated at such young ages .
@xcite report strong absorption ( @xmath69 ( ) = 198 m ) , and conclude that the star is `` significantly younger '' than the pleiades ( 120 myr ; * ? ? ?
assuming an age of 10100 myr for the system , we estimate the mass of the secondary at @xmath83 ( from models of * ? ? ?
[ [ v522-perb . ] ] v522 perb .
+ + + + + + + + + + the primary is a member of the @xmath26 per open cluster , confirmed by photometry , kinematics , and spectroscopy @xcite . from high - resolution spectroscopy and determination of the lithium depletion boundary in the cluster , @xcite
determine an age of 90@xmath2010 myr , consistent with a recent age estimate from upper main - sequence turn - off fitting @xcite . using the lyon group stellar evolution models @xcite , we determine a mass of 0.0850.15 @xmath1 for the secondary .
however , from their sub - stellar `` dusty '' code @xcite , the treatment of dust opacity in which may be more appropriate for this cool ( @xmath603200 k ) star , we find that its mass is @xmath790.10 @xmath1 .
we thus estimate 0.100.15 @xmath1 for the mass of v522 perb .
[ [ rxj0329.10118b . ] ] rx j0329.1 + 0118b .
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + @xcite list rx j0329.1 + 0118 ( g0
iv ) as a fast - rotating ( @xmath84 km / s ) x - ray source south of taurus , with a equivalent width of 110 m : all indicators of relative youth . assuming a common origin and distance with the stars in the taurus molecular cloud ( 140 pc ;
* ) , the authors claim that its bolometric luminosity is higher than that of a zero - age main - sequence star , and the star is therefore likely in the pre - main sequence ( pms ) phase . from a proper - motion survey of pms stars in taurus - auriga however , @xcite find that the young stars south of taurus discussed in @xcite are kinematically unrelated to those in taurus , and that star formation in the two complexes must have been triggered by different events . from the pleiades - like equivalent width of rx
j0329.1 + 0118 , we assign an age of @xmath38120 myr for this star . given the spectral type of the secondary , its mass is @xmath85 @xcite .
the existence of a stellar companion to hd 129333 has already been inferred in the r.v .
work of ( * ? ? ?
* dm91 ) , who find that the star is a long - period single - lined spectroscopic binary ( sb1 ) . from their derived orbital parameters ,
the authors determine a secondary mass @xmath86 , and suggest that the star be targeted with speckle interferometry to attempt to resolve the companion .
we should therefore consider whether the companion that we have resolved ( and named hd 129333b ) is identical to the spectroscopically inferred one .
combining r.v .
and astrometric data presents a powerful approach to fully constrain all the orbital elements of a binary system . in this section
we test the hypothesis that the dm91 and the imaged companions are identical by attempting to solve for the parameters of the relative orbit and checking for consistency with all available data . the orbital parameters that can be determined through r.v .
monitoring of an sb1 are the eccentricity @xmath87 , the period @xmath88 , the epoch @xmath89 of periastron , the longitude @xmath90 of periastron , the systemic radial velocity @xmath91 , and the primary velocity semi - amplituide @xmath92 .
@xmath92 is related to the other orbital parameters through the mass function @xmath93 where @xmath94 are the component masses , @xmath95 is the inclination of the orbit with respect to the observer , and @xmath96 and @xmath97 are constants ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
the orbital inclination @xmath95 can not be constrained from r.v .
monitoring ; hence the masses and the semi - major axes @xmath98 of the binary components are degenerate with @xmath95 . from astrometric observations we can fit for @xmath87 , @xmath88 , @xmath89 , @xmath90 , @xmath95 , @xmath98 ( and hence , @xmath94 ) , and for the only remaining parameter the longitude of the ascending node @xmath99 . therefore , by performing a least - squares fit to the combined and appropriately - weighted r.v . and astrometric data
, one can fully determine the orbit of a binary and attain greater precision in estimating the orbital elements @xcite .
we first list the orbital parameters that have been already determined . based on the r.v .
measurements shown in figure [ fig_rv ] , dm91 find @xmath100 , @xmath89 = jd 2446932@xmath2020 = year 1987.37 , @xmath101 , @xmath102 km s@xmath64 , and @xmath103 days = 12.53 years .
dm91 state however , that the period is probably accurate only `` to the nearest unit of @xmath104 '' ( i.e. , @xmath105 days , or between 8.7 and 87 years ) , and calculate the uncertainties in @xmath87 , @xmath89 , @xmath90 , and @xmath92 for a fixed @xmath88 .
nevertheless , because of the high eccentricity of the orbit and because of their adequate observational coverage of the star near r.v .
minimum , the final values of these three parameters are not expected to be significantly different . assuming that the r.v .
and the resolved companions are the same , we impose the additional constraints derived from our astrometric observations , namely , the separation @xmath106 and position angle @xmath107 between the binary components on 2003 may 13 ( @xmath108 = jd 2452772 = year 2003.36 ) .
given the long ( multi - year ) orbital period and the small change ( insignificant within the error bars ) between our two relative astrometric observations taken four months apart , we only use one of the astrometric measurements . finally , we adopt a mass of 1.05 @xmath1 for the g0 v primary , based on an estimate from @xcite . the equation that determines the binary orbit is kepler s equation : @xmath109 where the eccentric anomaly @xmath110 is related to the true anomaly @xmath111 through @xmath112 the remaining equations are : @xmath113 because the orbital period of hd 129333 is poorly constrained by dm91 , we choose to treat @xmath88 as a free parameter .
thus , the unknown parameters are eight : @xmath88 , @xmath114 , @xmath95 , @xmath115 ( the semi - major axis of the relative orbit ) , @xmath99 , @xmath110 , the radius vector @xmath116 , and the true anomaly @xmath117 of the companion in the relative orbit at time @xmath118 . from the combined imaging and r.v .
data we have imposed seven constraints : @xmath119 , @xmath120 , @xmath87 , @xmath90 , @xmath121 , @xmath92 , and @xmath118 . given that the number of unknowns is greater than the number of constraints
, we can not solve unambiguously for the parameters , let alone use a least - squares approach to determine their best - fitting values .
however , by stepping through a grid of constant values for one of the parameters , we can determine the rest .
we choose @xmath114 as our step parameter for the grid , treating it as a known parameter . in principle we can use equations [ eqn_anomalies][eqn_rho ] to express @xmath88 in terms of @xmath114 , @xmath110 , and the known variables , and then substitute this expression in equation [ eqn_kepler ] , which can be solved for @xmath110 . however , because of the complexity of the general functional form @xmath122 , and because kepler s equation can not be solved analytically , we employ a two - stage iterative approach . in the outer iteration , for a given value of @xmath114
we converge upon a solution for @xmath88 , and in the inner iteration we use the newton - raphson method to solve kepler s equation for @xmath110 .
the iterative newton - raphson method has been described in detail elsewhere ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ) , so we do not discuss it further .
the convergence of the outer iteration loop however merits a brief description .
we take an initial estimate @xmath123 for the period and invert equation [ eqn_fm ] to obtain a numerical value for @xmath124 as a function of @xmath88 and @xmath114 . from equations [ eqn_anomalies][eqn_rho ]
we then express @xmath88 in terms of the known parameters plus @xmath114 , @xmath110 , and @xmath124 , and plug that expression in equation [ eqn_kepler ] , which is then easier to solve for @xmath110 .
once @xmath110 is obtained , we invert kepler s equation to find a solution @xmath125 for the orbital period that depends on the initial guess @xmath123 .
we repeat the above procedure by substituting @xmath126 for @xmath123 , and so forth until the values @xmath127 converge .
we stop when the value of @xmath88 is constrained to better than 0.1% , which usually occurs after 34 iterations . because of the monotonic dependence of the orbital elements @xmath95 , @xmath115 , and @xmath110 on @xmath88
, we can be certain that the thus - obtained solution for @xmath88 is unique . following the above procedure and adopting the dm91 values for @xmath87 , @xmath89 , and @xmath92
, we find that if the resolved companion is identical to the r.v .
one , its mass is at least @xmath128 , with a corresponding period of 50.0 years , @xmath129 au , and @xmath130 .
values as small as @xmath131 ( @xmath132 years , @xmath133 au , @xmath134 ) are possible if all parameters are set at their one - sigma deviations that minimize @xmath114 .
however , a minimum mass of @xmath135 for hd 129333b does not agree with the constraint from our ir spectroscopy , @xmath136 ( sections [ sec_spectroscopy ] , [ sec_masses ] ) , obtained from comparison to theoretical evolutionary tracks from @xcite .
moreover , a companion with mass @xmath137 ( spectral type k8 or earlier ; * ? ? ?
* ) would be too bright in absolute magnitude ( @xmath138 ; * ? ? ?
* ) to be identified with hd 129333b ( @xmath139 , from its apparent magnitude and from the _ hipparcos _ distance to hd 129333 ) .
it is therefore likely that the r.v . and the spectroscopic companion are not identical
. the inconsistency between the masses could be explained by noting that a recent study of low - mass binaries by @xcite has shown that most modern stellar evolutionary models tend to underestimate dynamical masses of main and pre - main sequence stars . according to the authors ,
the @xcite models underestimate the mass of a @xmath140 main sequence star by @xmath3820% .
this could reconcile the limits on the mass of hd 129333b obtained from near ir spectroscopy with those from the orbital solution .
however , the problem of the companion being sub - luminous remains .
the dm91 set of r.v .
data are the most accurate and deterministic for the orbit of hd 129333 .
other data exist from @xcite , @xcite , @xcite , and from our own high - resolution spectroscopic observations km s@xmath64 and @xmath141 km s@xmath64 on 2002 april 18 , and 2003 february 10 , respectively ( hillenbrand et al .
, in prep . ) . ]
( figure [ fig_rv ] ) ; however , they do not improve the orbital phase coverage greatly .
although @xcite ( data plotted as open squares ) appear to have captured the binary near an r.v . maximum around 1993 , their data are less restrictive because of their large uncertainties .
in addition , the @xcite data for 1990 systematically overestimate the r.v . of the primary with respect to dm91 data taken over the same period .
we therefore choose to disregard the @xcite data set .
the remaining data are very limited and we do not attempt to use them to re - fit the dm91 orbital solution .
however , they are of some utility in constraining the orbital period . because no other r.v .
minimum is observed for hd 129333 between 1987.37 and 2003.36 , we conclude that @xmath142 years . the @xcite data point ( based on three measurements )
is consistent with an r.v .
minimum , and is thus critical in constraining the orbital period .
however , the authors do not list an epoch for the observations .
the @xcite data were taken in the course of the mt.wilson stellar spectroscopic survey , and are kept in the ahmanson foundation star plates archive . after consultation with the original plates ,
we retrieve the dates of the individual observations : 1936 march 10 ( year 1936.19 ) , 1936 jun 4 ( year 1936.42 ) , and 1942 jun 24 ( year 1942.48 ) .
we adopt the mean date of these observations , the year @xmath143 , as the epoch for the @xcite measurement @xmath144 km s@xmath64 , where the errors in the epoch correspond to the interval between their first and last observation .
because of its highly eccentric orbit , the star must have been within 1 year of r.v . minimum at this epoch .
given the r.v .
minimum in 1987.37 and @xmath142 years , we infer that the r.v.companion has a likely orbital period equal to the interval between the two observed minima , or to some integer fraction thereof : @xmath145 years , @xmath146 years , or @xmath147 years ( all consistent with the dm91 estimate ) .
the 49-year orbital period agrees with the one obtained in section [ sec_rvastrom ] , and supports the evidence that the r.v . and
the resolved companion may be identical . if the r.v .
companion was on a 24.5-year period ( @xmath148 au , from the dm91 orbital elements ) , it would have been @xmath149 from the primary during our imaging in 2003 , with mass @xmath150 . such a companion should have been at least as bright as the resolved one ( @xmath151 ) , although could have fallen just below our detection limits ( @xmath152 at @xmath153 ) if it was at the lower limit of the allowed mass range . given @xmath154 in this case , the star should be easily detectable as a double - lined spectroscopic binary ( sb2 ) through high - resolution spectroscopy in the near ir , where the contrast favors detecting sb2 systems with mass ratios as small as 0.2 @xcite .
a 16.3-year period can most probably be excluded , since the 2003 data point does not indicate an approaching r.v .
minimum ( figure [ fig_rv ] ) in late-20032004 , as would be expected at this periodicity .
therefore , even after consideration of additional archival r.v .
data , the question about the multiplicity of hd 129333 remains open .
the system can be either a binary with a 1416 au semi - major axis ( but a discrepancy in the inferred mass of the secondary ) , or a triple with a 10 au inner ( spectroscopic ) and @xmath6025 au outer ( resolved ) components .
indeed , simbad does list hd 129333 as a by dra variable , which may indicate that the high level of chromospheric activity arises from close binarity , rather than extreme youth . however , the high photospheric abundance of hd 129333 and its kinematic association with the pleiades moving group ( section [ sec_masses ] ) confirm its young age .
moreover , at 10 au semi - major axis the inferred spectroscopic companion is too distant to be synchronized with the rotation period of the primary ( 2.7 days ; * ? ? ?
* ) , and to thus affect its chromospheric activity .
an additional close - in component would be required , that should produce a short - period sb1 or sb2 spectroscopic signature , as in binary by dra systems .
such is not reported by dm91 , however . in deciding whether a triple system with a 24.5-year period for the r.v.(inner ) companion is a likely state for hd 129333
, it is worth considering the dynamical stability of such a system .
we adopt masses of 1.05 @xmath1 , 0.5 @xmath1 and 0.2 @xmath1 for the primary , the inner , and the outer ( resolved ) companion , respectively , and apply a dynamical stability criterion from the numerical analysis of @xcite .
assuming prograde orbits , the @xcite condition for stability as applied to hd 129333 states that the distance of closest approach of the outer companion to the barycenter of the system should be @xmath1827 au .
variations in the masses of the two companions within the determined limits do not change this requirement by more than 35 au . at a projected separation of @xmath155 au from the primary ,
the resolved companion is fully consistent with this requirement .
hence , the system can be a dynamically stable triple .
our empirical knowledge of the photospheres of young ( @xmath101 gyr ) l dwarfs is currently very limited .
the only confirmed such dwarfs are all companions to main sequence stars : g 1963b ( l2 , 20300 myr ; * ? ? ?
* ) , gl 417b ( l4.5 , 80300 myr ; * ? ? ?
* ) , the pair hd 130948b / c ( l2 , 300600 myr ; * ? ? ?
* ) , and now hd 49197b ( l4 , 260790 myr ) .
it is useful to expand the sample of young l dwarfs in order to study gravity - sensitive features in their spectra , and to provide constraints for evolutionary models of ultra - cool dwarfs .
younger l dwarfs have been reported in several open clusters : @xmath156 ori ( 18 myr ; * ? ? ?
* ) , the trapezium ( @xmath601 myr ; * ? ? ?
* ) , and chameleon i ( 13 myr ; * ? ? ?
however , these results have not been independently confirmed .
the youth of @xmath156 ori 47 ( l1.5 ) , and hence its association with the cluster , has been recently brought into question by @xcite , who find that the object shows strong absorption at @xmath19 band , characteristic of several gyr old field dwarfs .
@xcite determine m1l8 spectral types for their objects in the trapezium , using water indices defined for the @xmath157 @xmath21-band spectra .
they also use @xcite sub - stellar evolutionary tracks to infer masses from @xmath158 photometry .
however , the deduced spectral types and the masses correlate very poorly a result potentially traceable to the anomalous continuum shapes of their spectra ( their figure 4 ) , some of which appear to contain residual telluric or instrument - transmission features ( as seen in their figure 1 ) that the authors interpret as photospheric water absorption .
finally , in their analysis of photometrically - identified brown dwarfs toward chameleon i , @xcite acknowledge that the classification of their early l dwarfs is uncertain , because their locus overlaps with that of extincted m - type objects on their color - magnitude diagram ( figure 8 in that paper ) .
therefore , because of its association with a young star , hd 49197b is one of only five known young l dwarfs whose age can be determined with reasonable certainty .
all five span a narrow range in spectral type : l2l5 . a program of uniform spectroscopic observations of these young l dwarf companions , undertaken in a manner similar to the nirspec brown dwarf spectroscopic survey of @xcite , promises to establish gravity - sensitive standards ( as in * ? ? ?
* for f8m7 stars ) to use in determining the ages of isolated l dwarfs . until recently , only a handful of brown dwarf companions to nearby a
m stars were known from direct imaging , all at angular separations @xmath184@xmath0 ( see compilation in * ? ? ? * ) . with ao technology still in its early developing stages , ground - based direct imaging observations of main - sequence stars were sensitive mostly to massive , widely - separated sub - stellar companions . from the observed dearth of brown dwarf companions to main sequence stars at separations comparable to those in main sequence binaries , it was inferred that the radial - velocity `` brown dwarf desert '' ( for separations @xmath93 au ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) extended to at least 120 au @xcite , or 1200 au @xcite , with estimates for the brown dwarf companion frequency around 1% within this separation range . from 2mass data
however , @xcite found that the brown dwarf companion fraction was much higher ( @xmath6018% ) at separations @xmath181000 au from f
m0 dwarfs , and consistent with that of stellar companions to g stars @xcite .
though the @xcite result is based on only 3 bound companions out of 57 then known field l and t dwarfs ( a fourth bound companion , gj 1048b , has now been confirmed in the same sample by * ? ? ?
* ) , they exclude a brown dwarf companion fraction of 1.5% at the 99.5% confidence level .
such an abrupt change in the frequency of bound brown dwarfs at 1000 au from main - sequence stars is not predicted by any of the current brown dwarf formation scenarios .
more likely would be a continuously varying sub - stellar companion fraction from inside the r.v .
brown dwarf desert at @xmath103 au out to distances @xmath181000 au .
recent results from more sensitive space- and ground - based surveys point to a somewhat higher frequency of sub - stellar companions . in a survey of 45 young stars within @xmath6050 pc ,
the nicmos environments of nearby stars team has reported the discovery of 2 confirmed brown dwarfs , twa 5b @xcite and hr 7329b @xcite , and a probable third one : the binary companion gl 577b / c , whose components likely span the stellar / substellar boundary @xcite .
a similar survey of twenty - four 515 myr old stars in the more distant ( @xmath38150 pc ) scorpius - centaurus association does not detect any plausible sub - stellar companions @xcite .
even so , the fraction of stars with sub - stellar companions detected with nicmos ( 23 out of 69 ) is markedly higher than the one reported from the two initial large - scale ground - based surveys ( 2 out of @xmath38390 ; * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
* ) , and is inconsistent with the incompleteness - corrected estimate ( @xmath1592% ) of @xcite .
furthermore , as a result of improvements in existing ao technology , and the equipping of several large telescopes with newly - designed high - order ao systems , recent ground - based direct imaging efforts have been more successful in detecting close - in brown dwarf companions to sun - like primaries : gl 86b @xcite , hd 130948b / c @xcite , hr 7672b @xcite , and hd 49197b ( this paper ) .
all of these are at angular separations @xmath103@xmath0 , and at projected distances @xmath1050 au from their primaries , and hence inaccessible for imaging by @xcite , whose survey targeted the 751200 au separation range . finally , with the natural guide star limit of ao systems being pushed to ever fainter magnitudes using curvature sensors ( down to @xmath6016 mag at 0.8@xmath12 ; * ? ? ?
* ) , a number of very low - mass ( vlm ) binaries has become known , with separations as small as 1 au .
the components in these vlm binaries often straddle
the stellar - substellar boundary ( for a compilation , see table 4 in * ? ? ?
the emergent picture from these recent discoveries is that of potential deficiency of brown dwarfs at 101000 au separations from main sequence stars , though not as pronounced as in the r.v .
brown dwarf desert ( frequency @xmath100.5% ; * ? ? ?
based on one detection ( of a binary brown dwarf companion ) among 31 stars , @xcite set a lower limit of [email protected]% for the frequency of brown dwarfs at 10100 au from main sequence stars . at separations
@xmath1850 au , from the nicmos discoveries @xcite and from their newly - reported brown dwarf companion to the star gsc 0804700232 in horologium , @xcite report that brown dwarfs are found around 6@xmath204% of stars .
the outer scale for the @xcite estimate is not specified , but is probably limited to 10002000 au by the fov of high angular resolution ir detectors ( up to 40@xmath0@xmath1540@xmath0 ; e.g. , nicmos , or ones used behind ao ) , and by the distances out to which young stars are probed for sub - stellar companions ( out to 100200 pc ) . by combining these estimates with the @xcite estimate of 18@xmath2014% at separations @xmath181000 au , we can conclude that , despite the small number statistics involved , there possibly exists a continuum in the frequency distribution of brown dwarf companions at separations ranging from within the r.v .
brown dwarf desert ( @xmath1593 au ) out to @xmath181000 au ( where brown dwarf companions are as common as stellar ones ) . the observed decline in the rate of occurrence of directly imaged brown dwarf companions at small separations is likely at least partially an effect of the limited sensitivity of imaging surveys to close - in low - mass brown dwarfs .
new , sensitive surveys for sub - stellar companions , such as the palomar ao survey of young stars are poised to explore this regime in the next few years .
we have presented the observing strategy and first results from the palomar adaptive optics survey of young stars , aimed at detecting sub - stellar companions to @xmath10400 myr solar analogs within 160 pc of the sun . we have discovered low - mass ( 0.040.5 @xmath1 ) companions to 4 young nearby stars .
the l4@xmath201 brown dwarf hd 49197b and the m2@xmath201 v star hd 129333b have been confirmed as companions to their corresponding primaries through follow - up astrometry and spectroscopy .
physical association in the v522 per and rx j0329.1 + 0118 systems , containing respectively m4@xmath201 and m3@xmath202 secondaries , has been established with @xmath1899.95% confidence from spectroscopy and from the expected space density of objects of similar spectral type .
the astrometry for the resolved stellar companion to hd 129333 is found to be consistent with archival r.v .
data for this single - lined spectroscopic binary , indicating that the resolved and the r.v .
companions may be identical . given the inferred mass constraints on the secondary however , the companion is then underluminous by at least 1 mag at @xmath11 .
a solution in which the star is a triple is also likely .
it does not suffer from similar inconsistencies , and could be dynamically stable . because the expected mass ratio between the inner two companions of the triple is @xmath790.46 , they should be resolved as a double - lined spectroscopic binary from high resolution infrared spectroscopy . in either case
hd 129333 is confirmed to be a multiple star , and hence not a true analog of the young sun , as previously considered ( e.g. , * ? ? ?
* ; * ? ? ?
the newly - discovered brown dwarf hd 49197b is one of very few confirmed young ( @xmath101 gyr ) l dwarfs .
it is also a member of a small number of brown dwarf companions imaged at projected separations of @xmath1050 au from their host stars , i.e. , at distances comparable to the giant - planet zone in the solar system .
the number of such companions , albeit small , has been growing steadily in recent years with the results of more sensitive imaging surveys coming on - line .
longer duration radial velocity surveys and improvements in ao techniques are expected to further push the detection limits of each method to the point where their sensitivities overlap . although the true extent and depth of the so - called `` brown dwarf desert '' will not be revealed until that time , increased sensitivity to sub - stellar companions at small separation
has already resulted in upward revisions of their estimated frequency .
we would like to thank richard dekany and mitchell troy for sharing with us their expertise of the palomar ao system , rick burress and jeff hickey for assistance with pharo , randy campbell , paola amico and david le mignant for their guidance in using keck ao , keith matthews and dave thompson for help with nirc2 , and our telescope operators jean mueller at the palomar 5 m telescope , and chuck sorenson at the keck ii telescope .
we are grateful to tom hayward , stephen eikenberry , and matthew britton for sharing with us their ideas on ao data reduction and psf subtraction .
we thank russel white for insightful discussions on spectroscopic binaries and for a critical review of the manuscript , and the referee for detailed suggestions on chance alignment probabilities .
we thank george carlson and donna kirkpatrick of the ahmanson foundation star plates archival project for giving us access to the mt .
wilson spectroscopic survey plates .
this publication makes use of data products from the two micron all sky survey , which is a joint project of the university of massachusetts and the ipac / california institute of technology , funded by the nasa and the nsf .
use of the feps team database has proven invaluable throughout the course of our survey .
we thank john carpenter for building and maintaining the database .
finally , the authors wish to extend special thanks to those of hawaiian ancestry on whose sacred mountain of mauna kea we are privileged to be guests . without their generous hospitality , some of the observations presented herein would not have been possible .
ccccc hd 49197 & 2002 feb 28 & @xmath29 coronagraphic imaging & 2003 nov 910 & @xmath29 coronagraphic imaging , + & palomar & & keck ii & @xmath37 spectroscopy + hd 129333 & 2003 jan 12 & @xmath29 non - coronagraphic imaging , & 2003 may 13 & br@xmath22 non - coronagraphic imaging + & palomar & @xmath160 spectroscopy & palomar & + v522 per & 2003 sep 20 & @xmath29 non - coronagraphic imaging & 2003 nov 10 & @xmath30 non - coronagraphic imaging , + & palomar & & keck ii & @xmath160 spectroscopy + rx j0329.1 + 0118 & 2003 sep 21 & @xmath29 coronagraphic imaging & 2003 nov 10 & @xmath37 spectroscopy + & palomar & & keck ii & + lccccccc hd 49197 & @xmath161 & @xmath162 & @xmath163 & f5 v & @xmath164 & @xmath165 & 1,3 + hd 129333 & @xmath166 & @xmath167 & @xmath168 & g0 v & @xmath169 & @xmath170 & 1,4 + v522 per & @xmath171 & @xmath172 & @xmath173 & & @xmath174 & @xmath175 & 2,5 + rx j0329.1 + 0118 & @xmath176 & @xmath177 & @xmath178 & g0 iv & @xmath179 & @xmath180 & 2,6,7 lccccccc hd 49197b & @xmath181 & @xmath182 & @xmath183 & @xmath184 & @xmath185 & @xmath186 & + hd 49197``c '' & @xmath187 & @xmath188 & @xmath189 & @xmath190 & @xmath191 & @xmath192 & + hd 129333b & @xmath193 & @xmath194 & @xmath195 & @xmath196 & @xmath197 & @xmath198 & + v522 perb & @xmath199 & @xmath200 & @xmath201 & @xmath202 & @xmath203 & @xmath204 & @xmath205 + rx j0329.1 + 0118b & @xmath206 & @xmath207 & @xmath208 & @xmath209 & @xmath210 & @xmath211 & lcccccc hd 49197b & [email protected] & 78.25@xmath212 & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] + hd 49197``c '' & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] + hd 129333b & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] + v552 perb & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] + rx j0329.1 + 0118b & [email protected] & 303@xmath205 & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] & [email protected] lcccccc hd 49197b & @xmath213 & @xmath214 & @xmath215 & & & @xmath103000 + hd 129333b & @xmath216 & @xmath217 & @xmath218 & @xmath219 & & 3660 + v522 perb & @xmath220 & @xmath221 & @xmath222 & @xmath223 & @xmath224 & 3200 + rx j0329.1 + 0118b & @xmath225 & @xmath226 & @xmath227 & & & 3300 lcccc hd 49197b & l4
@xmath20 1 & @xmath228 & 43 & @xmath229 + hd 129333b & m2 @xmath20 1 & @xmath230 & 25 & @xmath231 + v522 perb & m4 @xmath20 1 & @xmath232 & 400 & @xmath233 + rx j0329.1 + 0118b & m3 @xmath20 2 & @xmath234 & 380 & @xmath235 | arxiv |
to report a case of pupillary block glaucoma associated with spontaneous crystalline lens subluxation into the anterior chamber in a 34-year - old man .
dry vitrectomy was performed for securing enough retrolental space , and an intracapsular lens extraction was then performed via a corneolimbal incision .
additional endothelial cell damage was avoided with an injection of viscoelastics and gentle extraction of the crystalline lens . after deepening of the anterior chamber ,
two months after the operation , a well - fixated intraocular lens was observed and intraocular pressure was stable . the postoperative corneal astigmatism was 3.5 dpt , and the patient had a best - corrected visual acuity of 20/25 .
postoperative complications included decreased endothelial cell count and sector iris paralysis near the incision site .
an anteriorly subluxated crystalline lens can cause pupillary block glaucoma in healthy young adults . to prevent intraoperative complications , intracapsular lens extraction with dry vitrectomy can be a good surgical option .
anterior dislocation of the crystalline lens is uncommon , but can cause severe complications , such as secondary glaucoma , corneal edema and endothelial cell damage [ 1 , 2 ] .
hereditary disorders , such as marfan syndrome , homocystinuria and weill - marchesani syndrome , can lead to lens dislocation [ 3 , 4 ] .
we describe a successful case of intracapsular lens extraction in a patient with pupillary block glaucoma associated with a spontaneous crystalline lens subluxation into the anterior chamber of his left eye .
a healthy 34-year - old man presented with ocular pain and decreased vision in his left eye .
two years previously , he had been diagnosed with crystalline lens dislocation in his right eye .
initial best - corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in his right eye and hand motion in his left eye .
the intraocular pressure in his left eye was 42 mm hg when measured with an applanation tonometer .
the left pupil was irregular and anteriorly displaced , touching the endothelium of the cornea ( fig .
anterior segment optical coherence tomography revealed the partially subluxated lens , which was incarcerated in the pupil , and touching the endothelium of the cornea ( fig .
his height was 182 cm , weight 75 kg and arm - span 175 cm .
there was no gross craniofacial abnormality or any skeletal abnormality on his spine and extremities ( fig .
3 ) . no valvular disease or aortic abnormality was found on electrocardiogram and echocardiogram .
complete blood count , renal function test , liver function test and routine urine analysis were within normal limits .
pharmacological pupil dilatation was performed , and the patient lay on his back for repositioning of the lens . with the medical treatments not having any effect , we proceeded with a surgical intervention which consisted of partial pars plana dry vitrectomy , intracapsular lens extraction and intraocular lens scleral fixation .
corneal puncture was made at 3 o'clock and 10 o'clock , and viscoelastic materials ( discovisc , alcon , fort worth , tex .
sclerotomy was performed with a 23-gauge microvitreoretinal blade 3 mm away from the limbus at the 11 o clock site ; the vitreous cutter probe was inserted here , and the trocar was left .
after deepening of the anterior chamber , intraocular lens scleral fixation was performed with an ab externo approach . on the first postoperative day , severe stromal edema was found , and intraocular pressure was 18 mm hg . for resolving the corneal edema , treatment with 5% sodium chloride solution
two months after the surgery , we observed a well - fixed intraocular lens and intraocular pressure was stable .
the postoperative corneal astigmatism was 3.5 dtp and best - corrected visual acuity was 20/25 .
as a postoperative complication , decreased endothelial cell count was observed and sector iris paralysis was found near the incision site .
there are several causes for anterior dislocation of the crystalline lens including trauma , marfan syndrome , homocystinuria , spherophakia , retinitis pigmentosa and pseudoexfoliation syndrome as well as spontaneous causes [ 3 , 4 ] .
pupillary block glaucoma , corneal endothelial damage and uveitis have been reported as complications [ 1 , 2 ] . unlike a posteriorly dislocated lens , an anteriorly dislocated lens should always be removed [ 1 , 5 ] .
we describe a clinical case of a crystalline lens that spontaneously subluxated into the anterior chamber .
we could not analyze the fbn-1 gene because this genetic analysis was not available in our institution . however , our patient had no family history of congenital or connective tissue disease and no dietary methionine restriction or vitamin b6 supplementation .
furthermore , physical examination and radiological studies did not reveal any craniofacial , skeletal , valvular or aortic abnormality .
taken together , we think that this case was not associated with a congenital or connective tissue disorder , e.g. marfan syndrome , homocysteinuria or weill - marchesani syndrome .
garza - leon and de la parra - coln reported on a medical procedure for the treatment of anterior dislocated lens .
described a successful case of anterior vitrectomy and intracapsular lensectomy , using the closed - chamber technique .
behndig reported a case of anterior dislocation of the spherophakia , without snapping of the zonules , treated with phacoemulsification and in - the - bag intraocular lens implantation .
all these cases concerned treatment for a crystalline lens that dislocated entirely into an anterior chamber , which meant there was enough space between the iris and cornea . in our case , however , the crystalline lens was partially subluxated into the anterior chamber and was incarcerated in the pupil . the incarcerated lens had led to the pupillary block glaucoma and subsequent elevation of posterior pressure .
consequently , the iris was displaced anteriorly , with the whole corneal endothelium being touched by the subluxated lens and the displaced iris .
there was no space between the cornea and the iris , so previously mentioned techniques or laser iridotomy could not be used on our patient . despite the potential for postoperative astigmatism , we had to choose a surgical technique , i.e. intracapsular lens extraction [ 10 , 11 ] . in our case , due to not enough retrolental space ,
therefore , partial pars plana dry vitrectomy was performed to prevent the iris and lens injury before the incision was made . for the maintenance of space between the iris and cornea
, an infusion cannula was inserted through the corneal puncture site , and viscoelastic materials were injected into the anterior chamber gently and frequently . with these techniques , intraocular pressure suddenly decreasing after lens extraction through the 6-mm corneoscleral incision which can lead to intraocular complications such as iris prolapse , intraocular hemorrhage or choroidal detachment could be prevented .
in addition , we could reduce the chance of corneal endothelial damage ( which is caused by unavoidable lens rubbing ) and retinal damage from dropped lens particles ( which requires another surgical procedure , i.e. posterior vitrectomy ) .
two months after the operation , the intraocular pressure was stable and corneal opacity was absent
. however , corneal endothelial cell density was markedly decreased . considering that annual cell loss rate after cataract surgery approaches 2.5% , corneal decompensation
in conclusion , an anteriorly subluxated crystalline lens can cause pupillary block glaucoma in healthy young adults . to prevent intraoperative complications , intracapsular lens extraction with a dry vitrectomy can be a good surgical option . | pubmed |
Wilfried Hilker born 13 August 1930 in Ahlen is a former football referee from Germany.
Hilker was a referee for the German Football Association between 1964 and 1978. He refereed 81 games in the Fußball-Bundesliga and 36 games in the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga in this time and was also in charge of two international matches, five European Cup games and six games in Turkey and Greece.
During his career, Bochum-based Hilker only ever produced the red card twice.
References
External links
Profile at worldfootball.net
Category:1930 births
Category:Living people
Category:People from Ahlen
Category:German football referees | wikipedia |
examining the properties of a coronal mass ejection ( cme ) at the initial stage of its motion is a necessary stage in the process of identifying the physical mechanisms involved in cme formation . over the last 10 years
, a considerable amount of work has been carried out in which cme kinematics was studied right after their formation using the data of various telescopes ( see gallagher et al . , 2003 ;
zhang and dere , 2006 ; temmer el al . , 2008 ; marii et al . , 2009 ; patsourakos et al . , 2010 ;
temmer et al . , 2010 and the quoted literature in these papers ) .
these papers obtained important results regarding the initial stage of cme motion .
zhang and dere ( zhang and dere , 2006 ) came to the conclusion that cme motion can be subdivided into three stages : _ i _ initial stage , when cme speed slowly increases , _ ii _ main acceleration phase lasting several minutes to several hours , and _
_ quiet motion phase at an approximately constant speed .
they showed that the post - acceleration cme speed and kinetic energy correlate with the maximum value of soft x - ray radiation intensity @xmath0 from the flare area relating to the cme ( moon et al .
, 2003 ; burkepile et al . , 2004 ; vrnak et al . ,
the flare and cme are considered to be related if the place and moment of their emergence are close .
it has been established that the kinematics of many cmes is synchronised with the @xmath0 behaviour ( gallagher et al . , 2003 ; zhang and dere , 2006 ; mariiet al .
, 2007 ; patsourakos et al . , 2010 ) .
this manifests itself in the time profile of cme speed @xmath1 in its main acceleration phase being close to the time dependence of the soft x - ray radiation ( sxr ) intensity , @xmath0 , from the cme - related flare area .
there is an inverse correlation between the main acceleration of a cme and its measured duration , as well as between the former and the time it takes for @xmath0 to increase , from the flare onset to the moment @xmath0 reaches its maximum ( zhang and dere , 2006 ; marii et al . , 2009 ) . here
the acceleration value was defined as the maximum ejection speed divided by the main acceleration time .
it is concluded in ( temmer et al . , 2008 , 2010 ) that the time profile of the main cme acceleration a(t ) is synchronised with the profile of hard x - ray radiation intensity @xmath2 from reuven ramaty high - energy solar spectroscopic imager ( rhessi ; lin et al . , 2002 ) .
according to ( patsourakos et al , 2010 ) , the profile @xmath3 is close to the time dependence of a derivative of the soft x - ray radiation intensity @xmath4 .
this parameter is sometimes used as an analogue of @xmath2 .
this is due to the existence of the neupert effect ( neupert , 1968 ) , according to which the temporal changes of @xmath2 or of the microwave radiation intensity during the pulse phase of a flare are close to the time profile @xmath4 .
cmes for which the initial motion stage was studied and their kinematic characteristics were compared with soft and hard x - ray radiation intensity were mostly limb cmes .
their sources are relatively close to the solar limb , and the axes of such ejections are presumably located near the sky plane .
the 3-d geometrical and kinematic characteristics of such cmes are believed to be close to those determined from sky - plane observations of these ejections , i.e. for limb cmes , the projective effects do not make a large impact on determining their real parameter values .
a special group is distinguishable among all observable coronal mass ejections , called `` halo '' cmes ( hcmes ) .
they are observable in the field of view of a coronagraph as areas of enhanced brightness completely surrounding the occulting disk and expanding in all directions ( howard et al . , 1982 ) .
some hcmes move towards the ground - based observer ( frontside hcmes ) , while others move in the opposite direction ( backside hcmes ) . in the former case ,
the cme sources are on the visible solar disk .
it is such hcmes that play a significant role in space weather : their influence on the earth magnetosphere can lead to strongest geomagnetic storms ( gopalswamy , 2009 ) .
hcmes are quite convenient objects for exploring the formation mechanisms for coronal mass ejections and the initial phase of their motion , especially when hcme sources are relatively not far from the center of the visible solar disk .
this is due to the fact that such cases provide the opportunity to `` see '' all the phenomena at the site of cme formation and in the adjoining areas of the solar disk , as well as for a more correct examination of magnetic field dynamics in this area .
the above merits compensate for the basic disadvantage that is inherent in studies of the initial stage of hcme motion - increased influence of projective effects when determining the position , speed and acceleration of the leading edge ( le ) of the hcme in three - dimensional space .
the kinematic characteristics for the initial stage of two moving hcmes as well as the relationship between these characteristics and the parameters of hard x - ray radiation from the hcme - related flare area have been discussed in , e.g. ( temmer et al . , 2008 ) . of special interest
are cmes moving at high speed in the field of view of the large angle and spectrometric coronagraph ( lasco ; brueckner et al . , 1995 ) onboard the solar and heliospheric observatory ( soho ) , and featuring a short main acceleration phase varying from a few minutes to several tens of minutes .
fast cmes are often found to be related to to powerful flares of the m and x ( x - ray ) classes .
this paper inspects the properties of six hcmes selected from a group of the fastest - moving ejections , @xmath5 km / s , observed over solar cycle 23 .
the properties include the kinematics , angular sizes and trajectories of the ejections .
the connection between these hcmes and solar flares has also been examined .
the initial stage of hcme motion was identified based on high temporal resolution data of the solar x - ray imager ( sxi ; hill et al .
2005 ) onboard the goes-12 space observatory .
this paper relies on the sxi as an instrument with a minimum time cadence of 60 seconds and spatial resolution of 5 arcsec per pixel .
one of the reasons for selecting the fastest hcmes is that such ejections are , on the average , characterized by higher brightness than slow hcmes both in the ejection body area and in the shock wave area .
the same property is also valid for fast limb cmes ( fainshtein , 2007 ) .
this allows for a more precise identification of the hcme body boundary and of the ejection - related shock front as well as for tracing the ejection over large distances .
moreover , the fast ejections are more often related to powerful x - ray flares and eruptive filaments .
finally , the fast hcmes belong to more geoeffective events than do the slow hcmes .
the properties of the following hcmes registered in the soho / lasco field of view have been studied : 29 oct 2003 ( 20:54:05 ut ) ; 15 jan 2005 ( 06:30:05 ut ) , 15 jan 2005 ( 23:06:50 ut ) , 17 jan 005 ( 09:54:05 ut ) , 22 aug 2005 ( 17:30:05 ut ) and 23 aug 2005 ( 14:54:05 ut ) . the time in brackets is the first registration of the ejection in the soho / lasco field of view according to the catalogue ( http://cdaw.gsfc.nasa.gov/cme_list/halo/halo.html ) .
the events were selected according to the hcme speed value ( @xmath5 km / s ) and hcme shape in the sxi field of view .
the `` linear '' ejection speed was used as hcme speed for event selection in this case as found from a linear approximation of the positions of the fastest feature of the cme front versus time ( this speed is listed in the first of three speed value columns in the above catalogue ) .
sxi data were used to choose the hcmes with trajectories that only relatively slightly deviated from a straight line in the sxi field of view .
all the selected hcmes are visible on the solar disk as wide loop - like structures in active regions . to reliably select hcmes in the sxi field of view
, the images were subjected to some pre - processing involving the following procedures : + 1 ) flat field correction of solar images was carried out . + 2 ) rotating the raw solar image in order for the vertical line of this image frame to coincide with the sun s `` north - south '' line .
+ 3 ) the solar disk centre coordinates @xmath6 and @xmath7 were re - determined more precisely for the image .
identifying moving structures in an image series requires that all images of the series should be superimposed , which in turn demands that the solar disk center coordinates should be of high accuracy .
the values of these parameters in the header of raw * .fits files are not precise for some events , therefore @xmath6 and @xmath7 were re - determined with more precision .
+ 4 ) superimposing the nearest - in - time images .
a high - brightness area adjacent to the active region under inspection but featuring no flares , ejections or appreciable movements during the relevant observation period were identified i n each solar disk image .
analysis of the 2d - crosscorrelation function of the selected elements of two nearest - in - time images enabled their displacement @xmath8 and @xmath9 to be found .
the image corresponding to the second moment of time was displaced based on the @xmath8 and @xmath9 values .
the third image of the series was displaced @xmath10 and @xmath11 , where @xmath12 , @xmath13 are the horizontal and vertical displacement found for overlapping the third image relative to the second image of the series and so on .
+ 5 ) running - average filtering of data in order to decrease high - frequency noise .
+ 6 ) calibrating the active region images for all image series for each event under analysis .
the procedure consisted in the following : the average intensity value @xmath14 were found for the nearest quiet regions , for each active region image .
the intensity value in each pixel of the series was multiplied by a corresponding factor @xmath15 , where @xmath16 is the series image index .
+ 7 ) obtaining brightness ratios for the two nearest - in - time images of the active region in question .
the active region image for each moment of time was divided by the image for the previous moment of time .
we will hereafter use the term of running ratio images between nearest - in - time frames for this procedure . to find the coordinates , speed and acceleration versus time of the leading edge ( le ) of the hcmr
, brightness distributions were constructed along the hcme axis ( see figure 1 ( a , b ) in subsection 3.1 , showing pre - processing fragments of solar disk images ) , figure 1(d , e ) .
these distributions refer to the straight line drawn from the flare centre through the fastest area in the leading edge of the hcme .
the hcme front top , middle and basis were identified in these brightness distributions ( figure 1(b ) ) .
time dependences of their speed @xmath17 were plotted for each of these singularities of the leading edge , where @xmath18 and @xmath19 are the numbers of the two nearest - in - time images at time moments @xmath20 and @xmath21 . when combining sxi data with lasco data we only used speeds obtained in the front of the base of the hcme .
sky - plane distances @xmath22 between the coordinates of the hcme front basis at consecutive moments of time ti and ti+1 were determined in order to find the hcme front speed @xmath17 .
in contrast to many other papers , we did not ignore small deviations of the ejection trajectory from a straight line at the initial stage of motion , therefore in our case @xmath22 is the length of the curvilinear trajectory along which the hcme front travels over time interval ( @xmath20 , @xmath21 ) .
the average speed in this part of the trajectory was found from the relationship : @xmath23 it follows from ( 1 ) that the speed value @xmath24 found using the two nearest nearest - in - time images of the solar disk at moments @xmath20 and @xmath25 is attributed to moment @xmath26 . while plotting @xmath17 we also calculated intermediate speeds based on the last coordinates of the hcme front as found in sxi data and the first coordinates of the front based on lasco data taken from the catalogue at ( http://cdaw.gsfc.nasa.gov/cme_list/halo/halo.html ) .
for the 29.10.2003 ( 20:54:05 ut ) event , points obtained from the markiv k - coronameter of the mauna loa solar observatory ( mlso ) , ( http://mlso.hao.ucar.edu/ ) , were added onto the speed profile @xmath17 .
the set of points @xmath27 , with the measurment error taken into account , was used for finding continuous dependence @xmath1 by means of a b - spline interpolation of these values . the minimum error in speed determination
was found from this relationship ( shanmugaraju et al .
, 2010 ) : @xmath28 + where @xmath29 is the spatial resolution of the telescope .
the real error of determining speed @xmath24 was , as a rule , more than @xmath30 . in that case
the error of determining speed @xmath24 based on sxi data was found using statistical methods of analysing the value of @xmath31 , @xmath32 obtained from repeated measurements ( @xmath33 is the total number of velocity measurements ) of the hcme front coordinates in each solar disk image .
for some events in the field of view of the lasco c2 coronagraph , the error @xmath34 of determining the hcme front coordinates in the lasco c2 field of view was set at @xmath35 pixels at @xmath36 , by analogy with ( gallagher et al . , 2003 ) , in order to obtain a monotonous dependence @xmath1 passing through all values @xmath24 with the error taken into account . for the lasco data , @xmath37 at @xmath38 , where @xmath39 is the solar radius , ( shanmugaraju et al . , 2010 ) .
the dependence @xmath1 was effectively set as a discrete set of speed values with a small time step that was much smaller than @xmath40 .
acceleration @xmath3 was found from the relationship : @xmath41 note that the precision of finding @xmath1 and @xmath3 also depends on the accuracy of identifying the same element in coronal images for various moments of time ( see vrnak et al , 2007 ) . in this paper
we analyzed the motion of an element on the hcme axis , i.e. a straight line from the probable centre of the hcme source through the middle between the extreme - in - latitude ejection points .
other ways are also possible for identifying the hcme element to examine its motion ( for example the farthest hcme area from the ejection origin in each image ) .
soho - based extreme - ultraviolet imaging telescope ( eit ; delaboudiniere et al . , 1995 )
data were used for identifying loop - like structures that could form the flux - rope basis of a would - be hcme .
data from ground - based telescopes observing the sun in @xmath42 ( http://swrl.njit.edu/ghn_web/ ) , the pics instrument ( mlso ) , ( http://mlso.hao.ucar.edu/mlso_data_pics_2005.html ) and culgooraobservatory , ( ftp://ftp.ips.gov.au/wdc-data/solar/data/culgoora/ ) were used to identify eruptive filaments ( prominences ) in the hcme origin which could be related to hcme emergence .
this paper compares the kinematics of the hcme - related shock and of the hcme body for the 15.01.2005 ( 23:06:50 ut ) event in the lasco c2 and c3 coronagraph field of view .
two approaches were employed for shock wave identification . in the first case , radial brightness distributions of running difference images between subsequent images were obtained by subtracting the image at the earlier moment of time @xmath43 from the image at point of time @xmath44 .
if a brightness jump on the difference brightness images forms at the hcme boundary , with a spatial scale of approximately @xmath45 , where @xmath29 is the spatial resolution of the coronagraph ( @xmath46 for lasco c2 and @xmath47 for lasco c3 ) , not exceeding a certain limit value , then this brightness jump was accepted as the shock wave front .
when due to their small amplitude , it was not possible to identify sharp brightness jumps against the noise background , then the rather sharp border of the rarefied area visually observable before the hcme body on running subtraction images was accepted as shock wave front .
examples illustrating the two methods of shock wave identification are given in section 3 .
it is also shown there how the hcme body was identified .
this event has already been analyzed in ( vrnag et al . , 2007 ;
temmer et al , 2008 ) .
given the above - discussed features of image preprocessing and le ejection position determination at various moments of time , the results we have obtained have supplemented the results in the above - cited papers . additionally , we have discussed earlier - unaddressed properties of this ejection .
this hcme was first registered in the lasco c2 field - of - view 17.01.2005 ( 09:54:05 ut ) .
the `` linear '' speed of ejection was @xmath48 according to the catalogue ( http://cdaw.gsfc.nasa.gov/cme_list/halo/halo.html ) .
goes-12 registered a rapid ( within approximately 10 minutes ) increase in sxr intensity starting from the flare onset to the moment isxr achieved its maximum value . according to rhessi ,
this flare was accompanied by powerful streams of hard x - ray radiation ( hxr ) including a photon energy range of about @xmath49 .
figure 1(a , b ) shows examples of solar area images from sxi data where a moving light - coloured loop - like structure is clearly observed with its le designated as @xmath50 .
similar to the authors of ( temmer et al , 2008 ) we believe this structure to be a coronal mass ejection , the front of which is marked with an arrow labelled @xmath50 in the lasco c2 field of view ( figure 1(c ) ) .
figure 1(a , b ) also shows straight lines from the spot marked with a dagger which approximately corresponds to the ejection origin , as well as those passing through the middles of le s of `` white '' loop - like structures .
figure 1(d , e ) displays brightness distributions along these straight lines in the areas of the dark and light structures of the ejection , for various moments of time .
the ejection front top , middle and basis are marked ( top to bottom ) with daggers .
as has already been noted in section 2 , the basis of its front was used for plotting the kinematic characteristics of the motion of `` white '' loop - like structures .
the dark area below `` white '' loop - like structures corresponds to the position of a `` white '' loop at a previous moment of time .
we also used the forward boundary of the dark area for plotting the kinematic characteristics of the hcme during the initial stage of its motion .
apart from the moving structure with its leading edge labelled @xmath50 , another moving loop - like structure can be observed in figure 1(a , b ) , its le labelled @xmath51 .
this structure may be linked to another hcme , labelled @xmath51 in figure 1(c ) .
note , however , that no coronal mass ejection corresponding to this loop - like structure is to be found in the catalogue ( http://cdaw.gsfc.nasa.gov/cme_list/ ) . this may be due to the fact that what we are dealing with are not two different cmes , but a compound hcme with the loop - like structures with their fronts labelled @xmath50 and @xmath51 being its separate parts .
the solid curve in this figure is the time profile @xmath1 of the ejection speed based on combined sxi and lasco data .
additionally , the dashed line in figure 2(a ) shows , for comparison , the time dependence of soft x - ray radiation intensity @xmath0 from the hcme - related flare area based on goes-12 data . in a figure 2(b ) the time profile of hcme acceleration @xmath3 and time dependence of intensity of hard x - ray radiation @xmath52 in energy range of @xmath49 for comparison is shown .
it follows from figure 2 that : + 1 ) hcme starts to move along minutes prior to the onset of the relevant flare .
+ 2 ) hcme speed quickly reaches a maximum value and then decreases by @xmath53 within @xmath54 minutes , in the lasco field of view , further continuing to decrease with time but at a significantly slower rate .
+ 3 ) the temporal variation of @xmath1 is synchronized with the @xmath0 variation .
@xmath1 reaches its maximum @xmath55 minute after maximum @xmath0 .
this characteristic agreement between @xmath1 and @xmath0 as well as other hcme characteristics - and those pertaining to radiation from the flare area - are listed in table 1 for all the events in question .
+ 4 ) the main acceleration of hcmes is characterized by a bell - shaped curve with a rapid increas and rapid decrease .
the acceleration becomes negative in the lasco c2 and c3 fields of view , its absolute value decreasing with time .
such behavior agrees qualitatively with the concept of the ejection expanding in the self - similar mode during this period ( uralov , grechnev , hudson , 2006 ) .
the positive - to - negative acceleration reversal occurs approximately in the middle of the time interval during which intensity @xmath56 remains at a conditionally chosen level @xmath57 hard x - ray intensity measurement units .
let us pay attention to the fact that maximum hcme speed @xmath58 was @xmath59 .
given this is the speed of an ejection as projected onto the skyplane , the hcme speed along the axis may be assumed to exceed @xmath60 in 3-d space which is consistent with the cme axis deviating no more than @xmath61 from the radial direction .
it is impossible to derive from sxi data how exactly the loop - like structure which is in the hcme basis formed .
some information on this has been successfully obtained from solar images in the fe xii line at @xmath62 nanometers based on soho / eit data .
it turns out that the loop - like structure which was to form the future hcme existed long before the moment when it was registered in the sxi , figure 3(a - c ) .
analysis of @xmath42 observations in observatories ( http://swrl.njit.edu/ghn_web/ ) , ( http://www.ips.gov.au/solar/2/1 ) and by the pics telescope ( mlso ) has shown that this loop - like structure is not a filament and hence consists of hot coronal plasma .
this loop - like structure has begun a slow forward motion long before the moment of its first registration in the sxi field of view .
average speeds of this structure over the period between @xmath63 and the moment nearest to it @xmath64 when the loop was registered according to eit were @xmath65 .
since the set of emission loops are simultaneously registered in the active region on sun s images in the extreme ultraviolet line , then we used the following referred to below for finding the loop - like structure ( the beginning of the hcme ) . first of all
, there were heliographic coordinates of the leading edge points of hcme in field of view of sxi .
the coordinates of the leading edge of the loop - like structure were plotted on the sun image in the ultraviolet line at @xmath66 ( eit data ) at the moment of time , as close as possible to the first moment of hcme observation in the field of view of sxi . after this , the emission loop closest in position , in form and in arrangement to the loop - legs of the le of the ejection was found on the eit image .
it appears that the loops marked out in such a way on eit images look less bright , than other emission loops in the active region investigated . in some cases ( see the following events ) one part of the loop - like structure was well observed in the extreme ultraviolet line , the other in a soft x - ray range . and , finally , we note that all the selected loop - like structures in the extreme ultraviolet range were wider than the adjacent emission loops in the active region .
figures 4 and 5 displays images of part of the solar disk and plots for the 23 aug 2005 hcme similar to the images and plots for the ejection registered on 17 jan 2005 .
this ejection has emerged in noaa 10798 and was related to an x - ray class m2.7 flare with heliographic coordinates s14w90 , i.e. located close to the limb .
the halo ( i.e. areas of high brightness round the occulting disk of a coronagraph ) formation mechanism in this event most likely differs from the halo formation mechanism for the ejection observed 17 jan 2005 ( gopalswamy et al . , 2010 ) . in the former case the hcme - related flare and the origin of the ejection were near the solar disk centre ( figure 1,3 ) .
therefore it is feasible to believe that the halo for the 17.01.2005 event was formed by luminescence from the hcme body and shock - compressed plasma behind the front of the ejection - related shock wave . in the latter case
the halo is formed by the great shock - compressed area of plasma behind the shock wave front and/or by an eit wave from the hcme formation area ( the latter possibility was suggested by v.v .
grechnev in private communication ) .
the 23 aug 2005 ejection motion kinematic properties turned out to differ substantially from the corresponding properties of the 17 jan 2005 hcme . in this case , after a short period of rapid increase for about 50 minutes , the hcme velocity continued to increase , though rather slowly , and upon reaching its maximal value , it started to diminish .
here , we conditionally accepted @xmath67 ut as the hcme main acceleration domain end .
this ejection acceleration amplitude turned out to be an order of magnitude less than that for the 17 jan 2005 hcme .
the 23 aug 2005 hcme acceleration profile also differs significantly from the 17 jan 2005 @xmath3 dependence . upon reaching the maximal value
, the hcme acceleration diminishes within @xmath68 minutes to zero value , and then , within negative values , it slowly increases modulo .
the association of the motion kinematic characteristics with the radiation intensity in the soft and hard x - ray bands from the associated flare domain ( see figure 4 ) also turned out quite different for the given hcme compared with the 17 jan 2005 ejection .
the synchronism of the ejection s motion and the time variations for the x - ray intensities turned out to be dramatically violated . during the ejection main acceleration ,
the growth velocity of @xmath1 dependence was noticeably less than the increased velocity @xmath0 , the @xmath1 maximum being 104 minutes after the soft x - ray radiation intensity had become maximal .
the acceleration maximum @xmath69 turned out close in time to reaching the maximal value @xmath70 ( a similar situation occurred in the previous event also ) , and , simultaneously , it was located between the hard x - ray intensity peaks @xmath52 which is relatively close to the @xmath52 minimum . here
, we might be dealing with the case of when the neupert effect ( 1968 ) does not work .
we will discuss possible causes for the difference between the kinematics of the two hcmes under consideration later . from figure 5(a )
it also follows that the translational motion of the given hcme started almost simultaneously with the flare onset .
however , the loop - like structure that we associate with the 23 aug 2005 cme was observed prior to the flare onset in active region noaa 10798 at 13:58:59 ut from eit . from figure 5(a ) it follows that the loop - like structure recorded in the @xmath66 huv line corresponds to the loop - like structure ( the beginning of the hcme ) observed in the sxi images earlier ( @xmath71 minutes prior to the flare ) .
figures 6 and 7 illustrate this event . the coronal mass ejection originated in the active region noaa 10486 .
the ejection was accompanied by a powerful x - ray and x10/2b optical flares with the s15w02 coordinates .
a peculiarity of this event is that we were offered an opportunity to see one of the hcme formation stages from sxi .
the ejection formation starts with the translational motion of three loop - like structures closely spaced to one another ( see figure 6(a ) ) .
this is possibly a projection of a loop arcade rather than of isolated loops onto the solar disk . after a while following the translational motion onset , these loops form a wide front ejection integrated structure whose motion we consider as the formed cme motion . in the lasco c2 field - of - view ,
the cme under study was recorded , for the first time , at 20:54:05 ut and resembled a limb cme .
the cme motion direction coincided with the motion direction of the loop - like structure seen in the sxi images . and
it is only within the lasco c3 field - of - view that the cme became a halo coronal mass ejection .
the 29 oct 2003 hcme velocity @xmath1 time profile is similar to the corresponding velocity profile for the 17 jan 2005 ejection : the velocity reaches its maximal value of d @xmath72 rapidly ( for about 38 minutes ) , then rapidly ( for about 22 minutes ) diminishes to d @xmath73 , and , then continues to slowly diminish ( figure 6(c ) ) .
the acceleration profile looks rather complicated : with two peaks , and also with a slight drop at the ejection motion start and with a drop after the hcme main acceleration end , figure 6(d ) .
then , as in the 17 jan 2005 hcme case , the ejection acceleration becomes negative and later diminishes modulo .
this hcme kinematics is synchronized relatively well with the time variation for the x - ray from the associated flare domain .
velocity @xmath1 and the soft x - ray intensity @xmath0 increase fast , and the ejection velocity reaches its maximum @xmath71 minutes after reaching the @xmath0 maximum .
the acceleration highest peak maximum is reached d 3 minutes after the soft x - ray intensity derivative @xmath70 assumes maximal value , and @xmath74 minutes after the hard x - ray intensity @xmath52 middle peak maximum . as seen from figure 6(d ) , the @xmath52 profile does not repeat the @xmath70 dependence consisting of one peak , but represents a 3-peak structure .
this hcme translational motion starts d 3 - 4 minutes earlier than the associated flare onset in active region noaa 10486 .
as in the two previous events under consideration , in the course of the 29 oct 2003 event , one observed a few traveling loop - like structures , the predecessors of the loops that were observed with sxi ( figure 7 ) , within the eit and transition region and coronal explorer ( trace ; handy et al . , 1999 ) fields - of - view in the huv emission lines
. however , we managed to record the formation of one wide - front loop - like structure enveloping several loops ( a loop arcade ) only from the sxi data .
figure 8 presents the @xmath1 profiles for all the hcmes under consideration .
one can see that the velocity of four ejections reached its maximum rapidly , and then in a few tens of minutes it diminished by several hundreds of km / s , and , later , continued to diminish , though rather slowly ( figures 8(a ) ) . for two ejections ,
the time - dependant velocity variation was totally different ( figures 8(b ) ) .
the ejection velocity augmented rapidly at its motion start , and then continued to augment , but much more slowly . in this case , the hcme velocity reached its maximum within the lasco field - of - view circa two hours after the ejection motion start .
we assume that there are two hcme types differing in their time - dependant velocity variations .
what may the @xmath1 profile for the hcme under our consideration depend on ?
one could assume that the hcme time - dependant velocity variation depends on the ejection source location .
indeed , the four hcmes under consideration with the same type of @xmath1 profile originated in the active regions located near the solar disk center , while the two other - type ejections originated in the active regions located near the limb .
however , this factor , most likely , is not a determining one in the formation of the hcme velocity @xmath1 observed profiles .
for example , the results from ( temmer et al . , 2010 ) , where the @xmath1 profiles , as in the hcme under our consideration with sources near the solar disk center , were obtained for limb cmes , validate such a conclusion . from our standpoint ,
the properties of the active region spot groupings where these ejections originated are the most likely factor determining the hcme velocity time profiles . here , we note some distinctions for the active regions where hcmes with different @xmath1 profiles originated .
figure 9 exhibits the spot groupings of the active regions where all hcmes under consideration originated ( from the mdi data ) .
one can see clearly that the active regions , where the hcmes with the velocity profile containing the rapid acceleration to the maximal value , velocity rapid drop , and , finally , velocity slow variation originated , turned out more complicated than the active regions where the hcmes with the type - ii velocity profile formed .
the magnetic induction maximal values in the two types of active regions .
we note another fact that indirectly testifies to the fact that it is the active region properties that determine the kinematics of the hcmes originating in them .
for example , the 15 jan 2005 hcmes ( two ejections were observed that day ) and the 17 jan 2005 hcme originated in the same active region noaa 10720 , but at different instants . however , all of them had the same @xmath1 variation character .
accordingly , the 22 aug 2005 and 23 aug 2005 hcmes observed in the active region noaa 10798 at different instants also had similar @xmath1 profiles differing from the profiles in the previous three events .
thus , we can conclude that the active region properties determine the @xmath1 profile of a cme originating in it .
when building up the hcme velocity time dependences ( figures 2,6,4 and 8) within the lasco c2 and c3 fields - of - view , we used the ejections le positions from the directory ( http://cdaw.gsfc.nasa.gov/cme_list/halo/halo.html ) . in this directory , data on the locations of the most rapid hcme peculiarity are presented . at the same time , it is not stipulated that , in fact , it might be not the hcme body boundary , but rather a shock front propagating ahead of a rapid coronal mass ejection . therefore , integrating the hcme velocity values discovered from sxi with the ejection velocity values determined from ( http://cdaw.gsfc.nasa.gov/cme_list/halo/halo.html ) may turn out to be incorrect in cases when we detected not the velocity of the shock wave but the velocity of the hcme body in the sxi field - of - view , while it was the hcme associated shock velocity that was detected from the lasco data . detecting
a shock from the sxi data entails great difficulties due to the poor quality of the images obtained with this instrument . at the same time
, one may reliably identify a shock from the lasco data in certain cases . in this section
, we will try to reveal how much the cme body @xmath1 profiles will differ from those of the associated shock ( using the lasco data ) for one event .
note that all the hcmes studied were associated with shocks .
this follows indirectly from the brightness distribution character in these ejections .
figure 10(a , b ) shows an example for such a distribution within the lasco c2 and c3 field - of - view for the 15 jan 2005 ( 23:06:50 ut ) hcme obtained from ( http://cdaw.gsfc.nasa.gov/cme_list/daily_movies/ ) .
the ejection s first appearance within the lasco c2 field - of - view is indicated in brackets next to the event date . to build up the image in figure 10(a ) , we used the moving difference when the image at the nearest earlier instant @xmath43 was deducted from the corona image at instant @xmath44 .
one can single out the brighter part and the diffuse structure surrounding it in the hcme image .
the first is considered the coronal ejection body , and the diffuse structure is assumed to be shock - compressed plasma behind the shock front ( gopalswamy et al . , 2010 ) .
the shock can be singled out by scanning brightness in the diffuse structure area in the direction perpendicular to the tangent to this structure s boundary .
we scanned the brightness along the radial direction from the solar disk center in the point where the diffuse structure boundary was observed at its sharpest .
in the brightness distributions we discovered boundary brightness jumps within a @xmath75 spatial scale , where @xmath76 is the coronagraph s spatial resolution ( figure 10(c , d ) ) . for the lasco c3 , @xmath77
this gives grounds to consider such jumps collisionless shocks with the front size much smaller than @xmath76 .
to single out a shock against random noise brightness variations , we used various methods to reduce the noise level , or , in other words , methods improving the signal - to - noise ratio .
figure 10(c , d ) shows brightness distributions within the ejection body along the same direction for three instants . from this figure
, it follows that the hcme body is restricted by a relatively steep front whose amplitude diminished rapidly with distance .
but the hcme body front width is manifold bigger than @xmath76 .
figure 10(e ) presents the time dependences for the shock velocity and the hcme body for the 15 jan 2005 event ( 11:06:50 ut ) from the lasco data .
the shock velocity was determined as the diffuse area boundary velocity , while the hcme body velocity was found as its mid - front velocity .
figure 10(a ) shows the direction along which there were the velocities of the structures specified .
one can see that the shock velocity @xmath78 at all the instants when it was possible to measure is more than the hcme body velocity @xmath79 .
the character of the shock velocity variation and the hcme body velocity variation differ significantly . for @xmath80 minutes , @xmath78 and @xmath79 diminished synchronously , and then the ejection body deceleration became stronger than the shock deceleration .
after @xmath81 minutes , the hcme body velocity started to vary slowly while the shock acceleration practically did not vary .
as a result , at larger distances of @xmath82 the shock reached the hcme body velocity .
figure 12(f ) shows the hcme body and shock accelerations @xmath83 .
unfortunately , building up individually the aggregated dependences of the hcme body velocity and the associated shock velocity from the sxi and lasco data does not appear possible yet since , as we noted above , no one has managed to separate the shock from the hcme body within the sxi field - of - view so far . in ( zhang and
dere , 2006 ) it is shown that there is an inverse dependence between the mean acceleration integrated values @xmath84 and @xmath85 on the one hand , and @xmath86 and @xmath87 on the other . here
, @xmath58 is coronal mass ejection maximal velocity , @xmath86 is the main acceleration duration ( i.e. , the time interval from the ejection velocity sharp augment onset till the moment when the cme velocity reaches its maximal value ; @xmath87 is the soft x - ray intensity ( @xmath88 ) rise time from the flare onset instant till when @xmath88 becomes maximal .
figure 11 shows the regression dotted line for this dependence from ( zhang and dere , 2006 ) .
this figure also exhibits two more correlations .
solid ( open ) circles present the @xmath84 ( @xmath85 ) dependence on @xmath86 ( @xmath87 ) for the events under under consideration .
the solid line represents the regression line for this point set .
figure 11 also presents the correlation between the hcme a(t ) maximum acceleration @xmath69 and @xmath86 ( @xmath87 ) ( solid and open triangles ) for the hcmes considered in this study .
points show the regression line corresponding to this dependence .
both dependences on @xmath86 ( @xmath87 ) also testify to the existence of an inverse correlation between the mean ( maximal ) acceleration and the main acceleration duration or the soft x - ray intensity rise duration .
this is consistent with the results from ( zhang and dere , 2006 ) . at the same time
, we note that the dependences we obtained turned out higher than the dependence from ( zhang and dere , 2006 ) .
this is associated with that the hcmes studied here were characterized , on an average , by the acceleration greater values than in ( zhang and dere , 2006 ) .
since we observe the hcme velocity projections on the sky plane , real 3-d accelerations may possess still greater values .
figure 12(a ) shows how the hcme motion direction @xmath89 within the sxi field - of - view at a fixed instant is determined , and figure 12(b ) presents the cme trajectories in the picture plane ( @xmath90 ) from the sxi and lasco data .
one can see that as the hcme translational velocity augmented , the ejections trajectories either turned out rectilinear or , for the hcmes observed in the northern hemisphere , they deviated towards the north pole , and for the hcmes observed in the southern hemisphere they deviated towards the south pole .
figure 13(a ) exhibits how the coronal mass ejection height @xmath91 and width @xmath92 are determined , and figure 13(b ) presents the time variation of the hcme height - to - width ratio ( @xmath93 ) within the sxi field - of - view .
we revealed a unique feature of the time variation for this parameter : for all the hcmes under consideration the ejection height at the initial stage of its motion augmented mor rapidly than its width did . after reaching the maximal value , the variation character for @xmath94 with various ejections
are found to be different . for three hcmes after reaching maximum , this parameter diminished dramatically with time , i.e. , there came a short period when the hcme varied crosswise more than in its propagation direction . finally , figure 14(b ) illustrates the peculiarities of the angular size variation for the hcmes under consideration within the sxi field - of - view .
the angular point determining the ejection size is placed into the solar disk center , and the rays forming the angle , adjoin the ejection boundary extreme points ( see figure 14(a ) ) .
as one can see from this figure , the angular size @xmath95 for all the hcmes under consideration augments with time within the sxi field - of - view , but the character of @xmath96 variation changes ejection - to - ejection .
the angular size @xmath95 increases to about 4.5 times its initial value . and
the speed of change of the angular size @xmath95 varies within a 5 - 10 minute range , where the parameter @xmath97 is the period of time over which the angular size increased 1.5 times its initial value . in figure 15
the change of ejection front width for all considered is shown .
the ejection front width was determined as the distance between the top and base of the front according to distribution of brightness along axis ( see figure 1(d , e ) ) .
it is seen that the front width of all the coronal mass ejections analyzed increases variously in course of time . at the same time
the average speed of increase of ejection front width varies considerably from event to event .
ejection front width starts to vary most quickly after the flare beginning .
we investigated the laws of the initial stage of movement of six halo coronal mass ejections using the data of several telescopes , and , first of all , goes-12/sxi , soho / lasco , soho / eit .
for the analysis , these hcmes were selected from the group of the fastest ejections ( with @xmath98 ) connected with powerful flares .
the choice of such events was determined , first , by the role of fast hcme in space weather , and second , the opportunity to reveal them at the stage of their formation .
the hcme events selected for analysis took place place in 2003 and 2005 .
we used sxi as the telescope with high time cadence , though during the period when the hcme events analysed took place the telescope trace with higher time cadence was working .
but the use of trace images for studying the initial stage of the movement of all selected ejections turned out to be impossible because of the limited field of view of this telescope and some features of its functioning .
we were not able to find eruptive filaments connected with ejection in any of the hcme considered on the @xmath99 images . at the same time , we established that , before the occurrence of ejection in five of the six hcme events ( except the hcme event on 29 oct 2003 ) , the loop - like structure identified as the beginning of hcme using sxi data , is observed as a single emission coronal loop in the extreme ultraviolet spectral line at @xmath66 on the eit data image .
all the loop - like structures become more active and begin slow forward movement before the beginning of the flare connected with the hcme . in this work
we do not discuss questions concerning the reasons for formation and activation of these emission loop - like structures .
it is possible that it is the flux - ropes existing in the active area for some time and becoming more active as a result of the infringement of magnetic field balance .
possible mechanisms of such balance infringement are discussed in several works [ forbes et al . , 2006 ; howard , 2011 ] .
the occurrence of an hcme event on 29 oct 2003 was apparently connected with the movement not of a separate loop , as in the other events studied , but with the movement of an arcade of loops or groups of unconnected loops .
we have shown that the time dependence of the @xmath1 speed profile of the fast hcme can be of two types .
so , for the hcme event on 17 jan 2005 , the @xmath1 profile quickly reaches maximum value before entering the field of view of lasco c2 , then it falls sharply over a short period of time and then slowly decreases ( see figure 2 ) .
the two hcme observed on 15 jan 2005 in this active region have close kinematic properties .
the hcmes consistently observed on 22 and 23 august 2005 close to the limb from the same active region ( see figure 4 ) have another @xmath1 profile change character .
for these hcme events the @xmath1 profile quickly increases before the appearance of the ejection into the field of view of lasco c2 coronagraph and then it continues to increase slowly and reaches maximum value at a large distance from the sun s surface .
it turned out that the hcmes arising in one and the same active region have identical time speed profiles .
we assume that hcmes with such different time speed profiles relate to two different classes of coronal mass ejections .
it was ascertained that hcmes of the first type are formed in active regions with a complex configuration of sunspots and magnetic field and with a large sunspot area , and hcmes of the second class are formed in active regions with more simple sunspot and magnetic field configurations . as in a number of previous papers by other authors we came to the conclusion that the kinematics of the hcmes analysed is synchronized with the time variation of intensity of soft x - ray radiation @xmath0 from the flare area connected with the ejection [ gallagher et al . , 2003 ; zhang and dere , 2006 ; marii et al .
, 2007 ; patsourakos et al . , 2010 ] .
it turned out , that the @xmath86 time of the basic acceleration of all hcmes investigated is close to the time of increase @xmath0 from the flare s beginning till the moment of @xmath88 maximum value .
the hcme maximal measured acceleration adopts the value @xmath100 and is close to the value obtained by dividing the hcme maximal velocity @xmath58 by the x - ray intensity rise time @xmath87 .
it is shown that there is an inverse correlation between @xmath84 and @xmath85 on the one hand and @xmath86 and @xmath87 - on the other .
this is consistent with the results in [ zhang and dere , 2006 ] . at the same time , this dependence in our study was obtained for the values @xmath58 and @xmath101 that are much higher than in [ zhang and dere , 2006 ] .
acceleration @xmath3 of hcmes is closely connected with the intensity of rigid x - ray radiation @xmath2 from the flare area .
but conformity between @xmath3 and @xmath2 values varies from event to event . at the initial movement stage ,
the trajectories of several hcmes investigated are curvilinear and deviate from the equator . at the same time , the hcmes originating in the sun s northern hemisphere deviate towards the north pole , whereas the hcmes originating in the southern hemisphere deviate towards the south pole .
we studied the time variation in the hcme angular size .
the angular size of all the hcmes under consideration is shown to augment with time from their translational motion onset , and may increase by a factor of @xmath102 within the sxi field - of - view .
the characteristic time for the increase in angular size by a factor of 1.5 is 5 - 10 minutes .
the initial angular size of four hcmes on sxi data images does not exceed @xmath103 , and for one ejection - @xmath104 .
for the hcme event on 29 oct 2003 there is uncertainty as to the estimation of the initial angular size of the ejection since it is formed from three small loops or from a loop arcade .
after the ejection was formed its initial angular size was about @xmath105 .
the change in the time variation ratio @xmath106 of the hcme longitudinal size and its cross - section size was investigated .
we showed that for each hcme under consideration its longitude - to - cross size ratio increases with time within the first minutes of motion , and then the character of change in this parameter turns out different for each ejection depending on time . in some cases the longitudinal size of the hcme changes quicker than the crosswise , in others vice versa .
this ratio turns out to be close to unity within the lasco field - of - view for three hcmes , and does not vary for some time .
this may reflect the hcme transition to the self - similar expansion mode . but taking into account that we are investigating the movement of halo coronal mass ejections such an inter - pretation @xmath106 in the field of view of lasco coronagraphs can appear incorrect .
we also investigated the time variation of hcme s front width @xmath107 .
the definition of the hcme s front width is shown in figure 1(e ) where the hcme s front is limited by the top and the bottom plusses ( and see also the illustration on figure 15(a ) ) .
it has been established , that the hcme s front width for five of the six events of hcmes studied increases non - monotonously with time . in one case
the tendency to increase of @xmath107 arises at the end of the time period for which it was possible to measure this parameter ( see figure 15 ) .
we established that the front width for all the hcmes under consideration augments non - monotonously with time in general case .
the authors are grateful to the goes and goes-12/sxi , rhessi , trace , soho / eit , soho / lasco and markiv ( mlso ) teams for the possibility to freely use the data from these instruments .
the authors appreciate v.v .
grechnev s most beneficial discussions of this paper .
forbes , t.g . , linker , j.a . , chen , j. , cid , c. , kota , j. , lee , m.a , mann , g. , mikic , z. , potgieter , m.s . , schmidt , j.m . , siscoe , g.l . , vainio , r. , antiochos , s.k . , riley , p. : 2006
, _ space sci . rev .
_ * 123 * , 251302 . | arxiv |
impaired peripheral oxygenation ( ipo ) of exercising muscles is caused by impaired circulation and/or mitochondrial function and a low arterial oxygen content , such that oxygen can not flow adequately to myocytes.1 the mechanisms of ipo are quite different from those of hypoxemia , mostly due to respiratory pathology .
ipo can seriously limit patients ability to perform certain activities of daily living , and the impact of related symptoms can be quite significant.2 clinicians tend to screen for the causes of exertional dyspnea using non - invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing ( cpet).1,35 ipo - related variables obtained from cpet include peak oxygen uptake
( vo2)<85% predicted , anaerobic threshold
< 40%vo2max predicted ,
vo2-work rate slope < 8.6 ml / watt , oxygen pulse < 80% predicted , and ventilatory equivalents for o2 and co2 at nadirs of > 31 and > 34 , respectively.1 these six individual ipo variables represented cardiovascular parameters , but are reported to be non - specific in discriminating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( copd ) with and without chronic circulatory changes68 using invasive pulmonary artery catheterization.7,8 however , at present , it is not clear how we can effectively interpret the algorithm since some of the six variables may be normal while others are abnormal .
we hypothesized that patients with all six variables found to be abnormal would have worse cardiovascular function than those with none or some having abnormal values .
our approach in this study was oriented toward interpretation of the cpet report , and we found that this approach may be more useful when evaluating ipo - related variables with regard to their clinical implications .
in this cross - sectional comparative study , the patients were divided into three groups based on six variables obtained from cpet .
patients with abnormal values for all six variables were assigned to a full ipo group , those with normal values for all six variables were assigned to a non - ipo group , and the remaining patients were assigned to an intermediate ipo group .
two - dimensional echocardiography , changes ( ) in lactate , in oxygen uptake
( vo2 ) , a parameter of cardiovascular function,9 and arterial ph values were compared across the groups .
arterial ph values should be lower in patients with cardiovascular dysfunction than in those without cardiovascular dysfunction performing at the same exercise intensity or cardiovascular stress level .
the institutional review board of chung shan medical university hospital approved the study ( approval number cs11144 ) and all participants provided their written informed consent .
this trial is registered with the number csh-2012-c-23 at chung shan medical university hospital , taichung , taiwan . global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease criteria were used to diagnose copd.10 adult patients with copd who underwent lung function tests were enrolled only if their forced expired volume in one second ( fev1 ) was < 80% of the predicted value and their fev1/forced vital capacity ratio was < 70% . if they agreed , they performed symptom - limited incremental cpet with arterial blood gas analysis and lactate measurements .
all patients were clinically stable and had had no significant changes in medication in the month prior to performing the tests .
patients were excluded if they had significant comorbidities , such as left ventricular failure , renal failure , cancer , significant anemia , peripheral arterial occlusive disease , uncontrolled diabetes mellitus , or hypertension , or if they were participating in any physical training program during the study period .
fev1 , total lung capacity , and residual volume were measured by spirometry and plethysmography ( 6200 autobox dl , yorba linda , ca , usa , or masterscreen body , carefusion , wrzburg , germany ) at body temperature , ambient atmospheric pressure , and fully saturated , using the best of three technically satisfactory readings.1113 the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide ( dlco ) was measured by the single - breath technique .
direct maximum voluntary ventilation ( mvv ) was calculated from a 12-second maneuver of rapid and deep breathing as recommended for patients with copd.14 all lung function data were obtained after inhaling 400 g of fenoterol hcl .
after acclimating to a computer - controlled and electronic - brake cycle ergometer ( medical graphics , st paul , mn , usa ) and following a 2-minute rest period , each patient began a 2-minute period of unloaded cycling followed by a ramp - pattern exercise test to the limit of tolerance .
work rate was selected at a slope of 520 watts per minute based on a derived protocol formula.15 twelve - lead electrocardiography ,
vo2(ml / min ) ,
vco2(ml / min ) , minute ventilation , pulse rate , and oxyhemoglobin saturation were continuously measured .
blood pressure was recorded at the end of each minute and at the point where the patient reported having reached peak exercise .
a dyspnea score was obtained using the borg scale by asking the patients about their dyspnea levels while they were performing the ramp - pattern exercise at the end of each minute and at peak exercise
. please refer to chuang and lin16 for the anaerobic threshold , oxyhemoglobin saturation , calibrations of the pneumotachograph and o2 and co2 analyzers , and
vo2peak prediction equations .
the
vo2peak achieved by patients was the highest recorded value averaged over the last 15 seconds of loaded exercise and designated as
vo2peak or
vo2max.15 maximum exercise effort achieved was a prerequisite for final analysis.4,5,17 each criterion at peak exercise , such as respiratory exchange ratio 1.09 , heart rate 85% of predicted maximum , ph 7.35 , bicarbonate ( hco3 ) concentration 21 meq / l , change in hco3 concentration between rest and peak exercise 4 meq / l , and change in lactate concentration between rest and peak exercise 4 meq / l represented one point .
the accumulated points , representing the effort level of exercise , were compared across the groups .
exercise intensity or cardiovascular stress level was defined as follows :
exercise intensity or cardiovascular stress level = heart ratte at peak exerciseheart rate predicted maximum(1)where heart rate predicted maximum = 220 age .
ventilatory limitation was defined as either < 30% or < 1115 l / min breathing reserve , calculated as follows:1,4
breathing reserve=1vepeak / direct mvv(2)where
vepeak / direct mvv indicates
ve demand / capacity ratio .
mean inspiratory tidal flow rate = tidal volume ( vt)(l)inspiratory time ( seconds)18(3 )
rapid shallow breathing index = breathing frequency ( breath / min)vt(l)19(4 ) two - dimensional echocardiography ( ie33 , philips , seattle , wa , usa ) was performed within 4 weeks before or after cpet by two experienced cardiologists who were blinded to the clinical data , lung function , and cpet reports .
if there were acute exacerbations of copd in the time between the two tests , one of the tests would be postponed .
parasternal , apical , and subcostal studies were conducted , and the definition of cor pulmonale was used according to previous reports.20,21 brachial artery blood samples were drawn via an arterial catheter connected to a pressure transducer within the last 15 seconds of each minute after the start of exercise to the peak of exercise.22 whole blood lactate was also analyzed ( ysi inc , yellow springs , oh , usa ) . at the peak of exercise
, the dead space to tidal volume ratio ( vd / vt ) was calculated using a standard formula.23 the slopes of lactate as a function of
vo2 calculated using linear regression
( lactate/vo2 ) were compared across the groups .
the data are shown as the mean standard deviation or median ( interquartile range ) .
analysis of variance was initially considered for comparing the means across the groups ; however , there were no patients in the non - ipo group .
thus , the unpaired - t - test or mann whitney u - test was used to compare the means between the two independent groups .
fisher s exact test for contingency tables was used to compare the stages of copd between the two groups .
a p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant , and p<0.1 but p>0.05 was considered to have a trend to be significant.24 all statistical procedures were performed using sas software package version 9.3 ( sas institute inc , cary , nc , usa ) .
in this cross - sectional comparative study , the patients were divided into three groups based on six variables obtained from cpet .
patients with abnormal values for all six variables were assigned to a full ipo group , those with normal values for all six variables were assigned to a non - ipo group , and the remaining patients were assigned to an intermediate ipo group .
two - dimensional echocardiography , changes ( ) in lactate , in oxygen uptake
( vo2 ) , a parameter of cardiovascular function,9 and arterial ph values were compared across the groups .
arterial ph values should be lower in patients with cardiovascular dysfunction than in those without cardiovascular dysfunction performing at the same exercise intensity or cardiovascular stress level .
the institutional review board of chung shan medical university hospital approved the study ( approval number cs11144 ) and all participants provided their written informed consent .
this trial is registered with the number csh-2012-c-23 at chung shan medical university hospital , taichung , taiwan .
global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease criteria were used to diagnose copd.10 adult patients with copd who underwent lung function tests were enrolled only if their forced expired volume in one second ( fev1 ) was < 80% of the predicted value and their fev1/forced vital capacity ratio was < 70% . if they agreed , they performed symptom - limited incremental cpet with arterial blood gas analysis and lactate measurements .
all patients were clinically stable and had had no significant changes in medication in the month prior to performing the tests .
patients were excluded if they had significant comorbidities , such as left ventricular failure , renal failure , cancer , significant anemia , peripheral arterial occlusive disease , uncontrolled diabetes mellitus , or hypertension , or if they were participating in any physical training program during the study period .
fev1 , total lung capacity , and residual volume were measured by spirometry and plethysmography ( 6200 autobox dl , yorba linda , ca , usa , or masterscreen body , carefusion , wrzburg , germany ) at body temperature , ambient atmospheric pressure , and fully saturated , using the best of three technically satisfactory readings.1113 the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide ( dlco ) was measured by the single - breath technique .
direct maximum voluntary ventilation ( mvv ) was calculated from a 12-second maneuver of rapid and deep breathing as recommended for patients with copd.14 all lung function data were obtained after inhaling 400 g of fenoterol hcl .
after acclimating to a computer - controlled and electronic - brake cycle ergometer ( medical graphics , st paul , mn , usa ) and following a 2-minute rest period , each patient began a 2-minute period of unloaded cycling followed by a ramp - pattern exercise test to the limit of tolerance .
work rate was selected at a slope of 520 watts per minute based on a derived protocol formula.15 twelve - lead electrocardiography ,
vo2(ml / min ) ,
vco2(ml / min ) , minute ventilation , pulse rate , and oxyhemoglobin saturation were continuously measured .
blood pressure was recorded at the end of each minute and at the point where the patient reported having reached peak exercise .
a dyspnea score was obtained using the borg scale by asking the patients about their dyspnea levels while they were performing the ramp - pattern exercise at the end of each minute and at peak exercise .
please refer to chuang and lin16 for the anaerobic threshold , oxyhemoglobin saturation , calibrations of the pneumotachograph and o2 and co2 analyzers , and
vo2peak prediction equations .
the
vo2peak achieved by patients was the highest recorded value averaged over the last 15 seconds of loaded exercise and designated as
vo2peak or
vo2max.15 maximum exercise effort achieved was a prerequisite for final analysis.4,5,17 each criterion at peak exercise , such as respiratory exchange ratio 1.09 , heart rate 85% of predicted maximum , ph 7.35 , bicarbonate ( hco3 ) concentration 21 meq / l , change in hco3 concentration between rest and peak exercise 4 meq / l , and change in lactate concentration between rest and peak exercise 4 meq / l represented one point .
the accumulated points , representing the effort level of exercise , were compared across the groups .
exercise intensity or cardiovascular stress level was defined as follows :
exercise intensity or cardiovascular stress level = heart ratte at peak exerciseheart rate predicted maximum(1)where heart rate predicted maximum = 220 age .
ventilatory limitation was defined as either < 30% or < 1115 l / min breathing reserve , calculated as follows:1,4
breathing reserve=1vepeak / direct mvv(2)where
vepeak / direct mvv indicates
ve demand / capacity ratio .
mean inspiratory tidal flow rate = tidal volume ( vt)(l)inspiratory time ( seconds)18(3 )
rapid shallow breathing index = breathing frequency ( breath / min)vt(l)19(4 ) two - dimensional echocardiography ( ie33 , philips , seattle , wa , usa ) was performed within 4 weeks before or after cpet by two experienced cardiologists who were blinded to the clinical data , lung function , and cpet reports .
if there were acute exacerbations of copd in the time between the two tests , one of the tests would be postponed .
parasternal , apical , and subcostal studies were conducted , and the definition of cor pulmonale was used according to previous reports.20,21 brachial artery blood samples were drawn via an arterial catheter connected to a pressure transducer within the last 15 seconds of each minute after the start of exercise to the peak of exercise.22 whole blood lactate was also analyzed ( ysi inc , yellow springs , oh , usa ) . at the peak of exercise , the dead space to tidal volume ratio ( vd / vt ) was calculated using a standard formula.23 the slopes of lactate as a function of
vo2 calculated using linear regression
( lactate/vo2 ) were compared across the groups .
fev1 , total lung capacity , and residual volume were measured by spirometry and plethysmography ( 6200 autobox dl , yorba linda , ca , usa , or masterscreen body , carefusion , wrzburg , germany ) at body temperature , ambient atmospheric pressure , and fully saturated , using the best of three technically satisfactory readings.1113 the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide ( dlco ) was measured by the single - breath technique .
direct maximum voluntary ventilation ( mvv ) was calculated from a 12-second maneuver of rapid and deep breathing as recommended for patients with copd.14 all lung function data were obtained after inhaling 400 g of fenoterol hcl .
after acclimating to a computer - controlled and electronic - brake cycle ergometer ( medical graphics , st paul , mn , usa ) and following a 2-minute rest period , each patient began a 2-minute period of unloaded cycling followed by a ramp - pattern exercise test to the limit of tolerance .
work rate was selected at a slope of 520 watts per minute based on a derived protocol formula.15 twelve - lead electrocardiography ,
vo2(ml / min ) ,
vco2(ml / min ) , minute ventilation , pulse rate , and oxyhemoglobin saturation were continuously measured .
blood pressure was recorded at the end of each minute and at the point where the patient reported having reached peak exercise .
a dyspnea score was obtained using the borg scale by asking the patients about their dyspnea levels while they were performing the ramp - pattern exercise at the end of each minute and at peak exercise
. please refer to chuang and lin16 for the anaerobic threshold , oxyhemoglobin saturation , calibrations of the pneumotachograph and o2 and co2 analyzers , and
vo2peak prediction equations .
the
vo2peak achieved by patients was the highest recorded value averaged over the last 15 seconds of loaded exercise and designated as
vo2peak or
vo2max.15 maximum exercise effort achieved was a prerequisite for final analysis.4,5,17 each criterion at peak exercise , such as respiratory exchange ratio 1.09 , heart rate 85% of predicted maximum , ph 7.35 , bicarbonate ( hco3 ) concentration 21 meq / l , change in hco3 concentration between rest and peak exercise 4 meq / l , and change in lactate concentration between rest and peak exercise 4 meq / l represented one point .
the accumulated points , representing the effort level of exercise , were compared across the groups .
exercise intensity or cardiovascular stress level was defined as follows :
exercise intensity or cardiovascular stress level = heart ratte at peak exerciseheart rate predicted maximum(1)where heart rate predicted maximum = 220 age .
ventilatory limitation was defined as either < 30% or < 1115 l / min breathing reserve , calculated as follows:1,4
breathing reserve=1vepeak / direct mvv(2)where
vepeak / direct mvv indicates
ve demand / capacity ratio .
mean inspiratory tidal flow rate = tidal volume ( vt)(l)inspiratory time ( seconds)18(3 )
rapid shallow breathing index = breathing frequency ( breath / min)vt(l)19(4 )
two - dimensional echocardiography ( ie33 , philips , seattle , wa , usa ) was performed within 4 weeks before or after cpet by two experienced cardiologists who were blinded to the clinical data , lung function , and cpet reports .
if there were acute exacerbations of copd in the time between the two tests , one of the tests would be postponed .
parasternal , apical , and subcostal studies were conducted , and the definition of cor pulmonale was used according to previous reports.20,21
brachial artery blood samples were drawn via an arterial catheter connected to a pressure transducer within the last 15 seconds of each minute after the start of exercise to the peak of exercise.22 whole blood lactate was also analyzed ( ysi inc , yellow springs , oh , usa ) . at the peak of exercise
, the dead space to tidal volume ratio ( vd / vt ) was calculated using a standard formula.23 the slopes of lactate as a function of
vo2 calculated using linear regression
( lactate/vo2 ) were compared across the groups .
the data are shown as the mean standard deviation or median ( interquartile range ) .
analysis of variance was initially considered for comparing the means across the groups ; however , there were no patients in the non - ipo group .
thus , the unpaired - t - test or mann whitney u - test was used to compare the means between the two independent groups .
fisher s exact test for contingency tables was used to compare the stages of copd between the two groups .
a p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant , and p<0.1 but p>0.05 was considered to have a trend to be significant.24 all statistical procedures were performed using sas software package version 9.3 ( sas institute inc , cary , nc , usa ) .
fifty - eight consecutive male patients of mean age 64.66.1 years were enrolled in the study . after excluding one patient who did not reach the maximum exercise level when performing cpet , 14 patients were assigned to the ipo group ,
no patients were assigned to the non - ipo group , and the other 43 patients were assigned to the intermediate ipo group ( table 1 ) . for the sake of simplicity ,
table 2 presents the distribution of the six variables regarding the abnormal values for the non - ipo groups .
the ipo group had more hyperinflated lungs and lower dlco ( p=0.05 to p<0.01 ; table 1 ) .
table 3 shows that the two - dimensional echocardiographic findings , including left ventricular ejection fraction and right ventricular morphology , were similar between the two groups ( all p>0.05 ) .
the heart rate percentage predicted maximum at peak exercise was similar between the two groups ( ipo group : 77%14% versus non - ipo group : 82%10% , p=0.26 ) .
ph levels were higher at anaerobic threshold and peak exercise in the ipo group ( p=0.007 and p=0.0007 , respectively ) , with a smaller decrease in hco3 concentration and increase in lactate concentration ( 3.60.5 mmol / l versus 5.70.3 mmol / l , p=0.02 , and 1.41.8 mmol / l versus 2.91.8 mmol / l , p=0.003 , respectively ) .
the slopes of
lactate/vo2 were similar between the two groups ( 2.4 [ error 0.15 ] versus 2.3 [ error 0.1 ] mmol / l , not statistically significant ) .
the ipo group had a rapid increase in
ve but slower expansion of tidal volume in response to exercise ( figure 1a and d , both p<0.05 ) .
the ipo group had a significantly lower
ve demand / capacity ratio ( p<0.05 ) with slower inspiratory tidal flow and lower vt / total lung capacity expansion at both anaerobic threshold and peak exercise ( figure 1b , c , and e , p<0.01 and p<0.05 , and both p0.001 , respectively ) and higher vd / vt , rapid shallow breathing index , and
borg / vo2 in the ipo group at peak exercise ( figure 1f h , p<0.001 , p<0.05 , and p<0.01 , respectively ) .
in this study , copd patients with full ipo and those with non - ipo had similarly impaired forced vital capacity , fev1 , and copd severity ( table 1 ) .
both groups had different exercise capacity with very different cardiovascular exercise variables ( table 1 ) , but were similar in terms of cardiovascular function measured by two - dimensional echocardiography and
lactate/vo2 ( table 3 ) .
we therefore further differentiated the mechanism of full ipo and non - ipo during exercise .
we found that patients with ipo had much poorer airflow and lung expansion and a greater perception of breathlessness ( figure 1 ) . left ventricular
performance has been reported not to be impaired in copd patients.25 a previous study reported that there were no differences in oxygen uptake , work rate , oxygen pulse , and heart rate at peak exercise between patients with and without pulmonary arterial hypertension.8 the authors concluded that ventilatory limitation itself was the primary factor causing exercise intolerance in copd patients .
circulatory impairment is not usually a limiting factor for exercise intolerance in patients with copd unless complications of severe pulmonary hypertension are involved.26 the cardiovascular response to exercise was constrained , but not impaired , by dynamic hyperinflation or intrathoracic pressure swings limiting ventilation in copd patients.2729 a study using multiple regression analysis showed that ventilatory inefficiency was not caused by oxygen uptake , work rate , oxygen pulse , or circulatory power at peak exercise , but was related to expiratory flow limitations and dynamic hyperinflation,30 which is consistent with other reports.31,32 although all of the variables found in previous reports were comprehensive , they can not be directly used when interpreting a cpet report .
we did not use pulmonary arterial hypertension as a study criterion because of the invasiveness of pulmonary arterial catheterization .
instead , we attempted to use the six non - invasive variables relating to circulatory function to categorize our copd patients .
we found that the circulatory function of the ipo patients was similar to that of the non - ipo patients according to a two - dimensional echocardiography study and by utilizing the slope of
lactate/vo2 , which is a marker of cardiovascular impairment.30 in addition , relatively low changes in hco3 and lactate concentrations and higher ph levels at peak exercise in the ipo group did not support cardiovascular limitations as being the primary factor of exercise limitation .
resting fev1 , dlco , peak inspiratory pressure , and exertional maximum
ve play a pivotal role in exercise intolerance in patients with copd.33,34 in the present study , the ipo group showed a lower
ve demand / capacity , probably due to the slower inspiratory tidal flow not able to adequately increase
ve further in response to exercise , thereby reaching the ventilatory limit at an earlier stage .
the slower inspiratory tidal flow and poorer tidal volume expansion might be due to higher tension of the diaphragm caused by increased vd / vt when approaching peak exercise ( figure 2 ) .
this notion is supported by studies in lung volume reduction surgery and bronchodilator use showing decreases in vd / vt resulting in airflow improvement.31,32 increased vd / vt contributes to dynamic hyperinflation,35 thereby resulting in more rapid shallow breathing and a greater perception of dyspnea ( figure 1 g and h ) . in the present study ,
a strong statistical power of 0.98 for vd / vt was estimated , given 14 subjects with a mean vd / vt of 0.510.09 in the ipo group and of 0.40.09 in the non - ipo group , and the probability of type i error of 0.05 .
first , our copd cohort was comprised exclusively of males , and as such the results can not be extrapolated to females .
however , it should be noted that the incidence of copd is relatively low in taiwanese females .
second , ipo includes impairment of cardiac , hemoglobin , and/or peripheral vascular function , and as a result , ipo can not be fully evaluated by two - dimensional echocardiography
. further study of the peripheral circulation using near - infrared spectroscopy during exercise might be helpful.36 moreover , cardiac function at rest as evaluated by two - dimensional echocardiography may not represent cardiac function during exercise .
stress echocardiography using pharmacological agents is feasible ; however , cardiac performance using this modality is different from that seen during exercise .
third , the patient grouping in this study is not precise , given that some patients in the non - ipo group had abnormal values in some of the variables relevant to ipo .
since none of our 57 patients had all six variables in the normal range , 1,000 patients or more would be required to identify 20 with normal values in all six variables .
fourth , one may argue that using
ve / vco2 alone instead of the six ipo - related variables might draw similar conclusions to the study .
however , this is another issue , and
ve / vco2 alone can not represent ipo .
finally , this study did not evaluate intrapulmonary shunt during exercise , although this may not be an issue given that there was no difference in partial pressure of arterial oxygen at peak exercise between the two groups ( ipo 68.613.1 mmhg versus non - ipo group 7115.1 mmhg , not statistically significant).37
first , our copd cohort was comprised exclusively of males , and as such the results can not be extrapolated to females .
however , it should be noted that the incidence of copd is relatively low in taiwanese females .
second , ipo includes impairment of cardiac , hemoglobin , and/or peripheral vascular function , and as a result , ipo can not be fully evaluated by two - dimensional echocardiography .
further study of the peripheral circulation using near - infrared spectroscopy during exercise might be helpful.36 moreover , cardiac function at rest as evaluated by two - dimensional echocardiography may not represent cardiac function during exercise .
stress echocardiography using pharmacological agents is feasible ; however , cardiac performance using this modality is different from that seen during exercise .
third , the patient grouping in this study is not precise , given that some patients in the non - ipo group had abnormal values in some of the variables relevant to ipo .
since none of our 57 patients had all six variables in the normal range , 1,000 patients or more would be required to identify 20 with normal values in all six variables .
fourth , one may argue that using
ve / vco2 alone instead of the six ipo - related variables might draw similar conclusions to the study .
however , this is another issue , and
ve / vco2 alone can not represent ipo .
finally , this study did not evaluate intrapulmonary shunt during exercise , although this may not be an issue given that there was no difference in partial pressure of arterial oxygen at peak exercise between the two groups ( ipo 68.613.1 mmhg versus non - ipo group 7115.1 mmhg , not statistically significant).37
although the six variables used herein are related to ipo or circulatory function , they are inconsistent with the findings of two - dimensional echocardiography and
lactate/vo2 in patients with copd .
further analysis shows that the mechanisms of exercise intolerance in copd - ipo patients are primarily due to derangements in airflow and/or dead space ventilation .
given the strength of our findings , this study might help with the interpretation of cpet reports for copd patients . | pubmed |
Dragon Age 1. Kapitel 1 Die Couslands von Highever
Kapitel
Die Couslands von Highever
Die ganze Burg war in Aufruhr.
Das Königreich Ferelden wurde ein weiteres Mal bedroht. Bedroht von der bestialischen Dunklen Brut. Hier und da wurde gemunkelt, es handele sich um eine weitere Verderbnis, die über das Land käme. Aber das war nicht sicher.
Das Haus Cousland, loyal an der Seite des fereldischen Königshauses, war zu den Waffen gerufen. Die Soldaten des Teyrn bereiteten sich im Burghof auf den morgigen Abmarsch nach Ostagar auf. Dort wollte der junge König Cailan der Dunklen Brut entgegentreten. Dort hielt er Heerschau. Fergus sagte, er wolle die Konfrontation herbeizwingen.
Wie eine Amazone aus vergangenen Zeiten schritt Elienna Cousland zielstrebig an den Kriegern vorbei, die ihre Satteltaschen packten, ihre Schwerter schliffen und die Pfeile in die Köcher verteilten. Die Männer hielten bei ihrer Arbeit inne und stießen einander an, um sich gegenseitig auf sie aufmerksam zu machen. Anerkennende und bewundernde Blicke folgten ihr. Sie zog es jedoch vor, diese Blicke nicht zu beachten. Entweder sahen sie eine waffenverliebte, unweibliche Kriegerin, die Kameradin auf dem Schlachtfeld, oder nur eine Trittstufe auf dem Weg in eine der mächtigsten Adelsfamilien des Reiches. Sie war aber weder das eine, noch das andere. Im übrigen entsprach keiner von ihnen der Sorte Mann, nach der sie sich sehnte. Und für die meisten hier im Hof war sie aufgrund ihres Standes ohnehin unerreichbar.
Elienna war die jüngere Tochter des Teyrn Bryce und der Teyrna Eleanor. Sie gab sich immer wieder der Hoffnung hin, dies bedeute weniger Verantwortung, weniger Pflichten. Ihr Vater fand aber immer etwas, um ihr zu zeigen, dass auch sie einen wichtigen Platz im Gefüge der Familie hatte. Auch jetzt hatte er sie wieder einmal zu sich gerufen. Hoffentlich wollte er ihr nicht schon wieder auf Drängen ihrer Mutter einen aussichtsreichen Heiratskandidaten präsentieren. Nein, das würde er bei all dem Durcheinander, das momentan auf Burg Highever herrschte, gewiss nicht tun.
Mit beiden Armen stieß sie geräuschvoll die zweiflügelige Tür zur Haupthalle der unteren Burg auf. Die Köpfe aller Anwesenden wandten sich ihr zu. Sofort erkannte sie den Gast ihres Vaters.
Ah, Rendon Howe, dieses kleine Frettchen, dachte sie. Von allen Untergebenen ihres Vaters, warum musste es ausgerechnet der sein?
„Meine Tochter, ich habe dich gar nicht bemerkt", sagte ihr Vater und ein Anflug von Ironie schwang in seiner Stimme mit. Es war wohl kaum möglich, ihren Auftritt zu überhören. Arl Howe schaute taxierend an ihr herauf und herunter, als sei sie eine besondere Ware, die auf dem Markt zum Verkauf stand und bemerkte: „Eure Tochter ist erwachsen geworden. Eine bezaubernde junge Dame. Vielleicht sollte ich bei meinem nächsten Besuch meinen Sohn Thomas mitbringen. Er hat nach ihr gefragt."
Elienna kniff die Augen zusammen. Sie mochte es überhaupt nicht, wenn man über sie sprach, als sei sie gar nicht anwesend. Sie war keine Hofdame, die mit viel Luft zwischen den Ohren im Alkoven saß und bei ihrer Stickarbeit, den höfischen Klatsch weitergab. Sie war durchaus zu einer eigenen Meinung fähig. Ein wenig schnippisch und zuckersüß grinsend erwiderte sie: „Ich habe aber gar nicht vor, mich verheiraten zu lassen." Und das galt, soweit sie wusste, auch für den drei Jahre jüngeren Sohn des Arl.
„Da, seht ihr Howe? Das ist es, womit ich mich herumplage. Sie lässt sich einfach nichts mehr sagen."
„Sie ähnelt eurer Frau, als sie jünger war. Ich war froh, dass ihr sie geheiratet habt. Die meisten Mädchen in ihrem Alter sind längst verheiratet. Möge der Mann, der sich einmal an sie bindet vom Erbauer beschützt sein."
Die beiden Männer lachten miteinander. Elienna schüttelte den Kopf. Bei ihrem Vater konnte sie Nachsicht walten lassen aber Howes Fröhlichkeit wirkte seltsam aufgesetzt. Warum mochte ihr Vater diesen Mann nur so? In einer Schlacht hätte sie diesem Mann nicht ihren Rücken anvertraut.
„Nun", ihr Vater wandte sich wieder ihr zu, „ich habe dich aber nicht ohne Grund zu mir gerufen. Du weißt, das dein Bruder und ich nach Ostagar aufbrechen werden."
„Was ist mit mir? Ich werde doch mit euch reiten?"
„Unterbrich mich nicht, Elienna. Dazu wollte ich ja gerade kommen."
Elienna nickte. Sie verschränkte die Arme vor der Brust und blickte ihren Vater erwartungsvoll an. „Ich will das du bei Mutter bleibst und ihr bei der Verwaltung der Burg zur Hand gehst. Sie ist zwar die Hausherrin aber... Erbauer, sie würde mir etwas zu sagen haben, wenn sie mich jetzt hörte... sie wird eben auch nicht jünger. Nimm ihr Aufgaben ab. Vielleicht so, dass es nicht allzu sehr auffällt."
Elienna grinste. Auch ihre Mutter hatte als junge Frau eine Kampfausbildung genossen. Man würde niemals eine Äußerung der Schwäche von ihr hören. Sie zwinkerte ihrem Vater verschwörerisch zu, als sie die Absicht durchschaute und versprach: „Ich werde mein Bestes geben Vater."
Der Stolz, der sich in den Augen ihres Vaters zeigte, brauchte keine Worte. Das waren Dinge, die in privaten Momenten gesagt wurden und selbst, wenn ihr Vater Arl Howe als seinen Freund bezeichnete, ging ihn dies nichts an. Bryce Cousland verschränkte die Hände hinter dem Rücken und schlenderte langsam zum Portal der Haupthalle. Elienna schloss schnell zu ihm auf, während Howe, aufgrund seines niedrigeren Ranges einen Schritt hinter dem Teyrn und seiner Tochter folgen musste.
„Ich will dir im übrigen noch jemanden vorstellen", erklärte er seiner Tochter und wandte sich dann an einen der beiden Soldaten, die links und rechts neben dem Portal Wache hielten. „Richtet Duncan aus, ich erwarte ihn in meinem Arbeitszimmer." Der Soldat salutierte und machte sich auf dem Weg, den Befehl auszuführen. Elienna und Arl Howe folgten dem Teyrn zu seinem Arbeitszimmer. Elienna mochte diesen Raum. Er war kleiner und heimeliger als die Haupthalle die sich nicht einmal durch den mehr als mannshohen Kamin im Winter richtig heizen ließ.
Im Arbeitszimmer wartete bereits ein Mann auf den Teyrn, seine Tochter und den Arl von Amaranthine. Er drehte sich um und grüßte die Eintretenden mit einer ehrerbietigen Verbeugung.
„Seid mir willkommen, Duncan. Ich hoffe, ihr hattet unter den gegebenen Umständen eine angenehme Reise hierher."
„Die Grauen Wächter übersenden ihre Grüße, Mylord. Es ist mir eine Ehre, auf eurer Burg Gast zu sein. Tatsächlich gab es auf dem Weg keine weiteren Zwischenfälle. Es scheint, als sparten sich diese Monster alles für die große Schlacht auf."
Elienna beobachtete, wie sich das Gesicht des Arls mehrere Nuancen aufhellte. Er sah aus, als sei er wegen irgendetwas besorgt.
„Ihr habt mir nicht gesagt, dass ein Grauer Wächter anwesend ist, Eure Lordschaft", stammelte der Mann.
Elienna wollte etwas sagen. Wie unverschämt war dieser Mann eigentlich, dass er ihrem Vater ins Wort fiel, während er einen Gast begrüßte? Bryce Cousland jedoch bedeutete ihr mit einer kaum sichtbaren Handbewegung, die nur Mitglieder der Familie richtig deuteten, er werde den Mann selbst in die Schranken weisen.
„Der Besuch Duncans hier war nicht geplant. Er ist ein Gast meines Hauses. Ist das ein Problem für euch?"
Arl Howe schüttelte den Kopf, doch der besorgte Ausdruck in seinem Gesicht verschwand nicht.
Der Teyrn wies auf die samtgepolsterten Sessel und bot seinen Gästen an, sich zu setzen. Er selbst nahm hinter dem wuchtigen Schreibtisch aus dunklem Eichenholz Platz. Elienna postierte sich hinter dem Stuhl ihres Vaters. Überraschenderweise war Vaters Arbeitsplatz aufgeräumt. Das kam nicht oft vor. Eigentlich bevorzugte er das geordnete Chaos. Eine Eigenschaft, die sie von ihm geerbt zu haben schien. Allerdings verwendete ihre Mutter sogar eine Steigerung, wenn sie mit Elienna darüber sprach und behauptete, sie sei das personifizierte Chaos.
Einzig eine Landkarte mit den Gegenden des Südens rund um Ostagar lag darauf. Oben rechts war die Karte mit Vaters versilbertem Tintenfass und unten links mit dem Petschaft mit dem Siegel der Familie Cousland beschwert.
„Ich fühle mich durch Euren Besuch geehrt, Duncan. Wichtige Gäste verirren sich nur selten in unser Teyrnir", erklärte der Teyrn.
Die Art, wie ihr Vater mit seinen Gästen sprach, war ein Grund für die außerordentliche Beliebtheit der Familie Cousland. Sie sahen sich weniger als Herrscher, denn als Verwalter des Teyrnirs. Obwohl sie es nicht sollte, mischte sie sich gerne in den Dörfern und Städten unerkannt unter das Volk und schnappte dort ihre Informationen auf. Beim einfachen Volk galten die Couslands allgemein als gerecht, fähig und mutig. Als ihr Vater das Wort an sie richtete, fiel ihr auf, dass ihre Gedanken abgeschweift waren.
„Elienna, ich denke du hast bereits mit Bruder Aldous über die Grauen Wächter gesprochen, nicht wahr?"
Vater warf ihr einen Blick über die Schulter zu und wartete auf ihre Erwiderung.
„Ja, das hat er. Das eine oder andere Mal. Soviel ich weiß, sind sie ein Orden mächtiger Krieger."
Der dunkelhaarige Mann namens Duncan hob beschwichtigend die Hände. So viel Ehre und Aufmerksamkeit schien ihm ein wenig unangenehm zu sein.
„Nein, nein, Duncan, keine falsche Bescheidenheit. Die Grauen Wächter sind legendäre Helden. Sie haben einst die Verderbnis gebannt und uns alle gerettet. Das ist die Geschichte, kein Märchen. Daran gibt es nichts zu rütteln."
Nun betrachtete Elienna den fremden Mann das erste Mal etwas eingehender. Seine Haut war dunkel, aber nicht wie bei einem Qunari, die von Geburt an dunkelhäutig waren, sondern von vielen Tagen an der frischen Luft und in der Sonne. Seine Augen waren, soweit Elienna das bei dem gedämpften Licht in Vaters Arbeitszimmer sagen konnte, braun oder gar noch dunkler. Allerdings hatte sie noch nie einen Menschen mit wirklich schwarzen Augen gesehen. Sein Haar hatte er zu einem strengen Zopf in den Nacken gebunden und es glänzte schwarz wie Rabenfedern. Bryce Cousland hatte bereits graue Haare und Elienna schätzte, dass die beiden Männer mindestens im selben Alter waren. Auch Duncan hatte etwas Väterliches an sich. Jedoch konnte sie dies nicht, wie es bei ihrem Vater der Fall war, genau bestimmen. Wahrscheinlich, kam sie mit sich selbst überein, lag dies daran, dass ihr Vater ganz einfach wirklich ihr Vater war.
„Duncan ist auf der Suche nach neuen Rekruten für die Grauen Wächter. Ich glaube, er hat ein Auge auf Ser Gilmore geworfen."
Elienna lächelte und erwiderte: „Ser Gilmore? Ja, ich glaube, das würde ihn sehr freuen. Er ist ein guter Mann und ein ausgezeichneter Krieger. Wenn man mich fragte, würde ich das unterstützen."
Duncan räusperte sich und entgegnete: „Herr, ich könnte mir auch durchaus vorstellen, eure Tochter für die Wächter zu rekrutieren. Ihr Ruf eilt ihr voraus."
Bryce Cousland stand auf, verschränkte die Arme hinter dem Rücken und blickte seine Tochter an. Sein Blick sprach Bände. Mit diesem Vorschlag war er überhaupt nicht einverstanden. Er wandte sich wieder seinen Gästen zu. „Ehre hin oder her. Wir reden hier immerhin über meine Tochter."
Natürlich, sie hatte Verpflichtungen und irgendwann wollte er sie doch mit dem Erben eines anderen Adelshauses verheiraten, um die Bindungen zu stärken. Aber sie wollte das nun einmal eben nicht. Fergus hatte bereits einen Sohn. Wenn er noch eine Tochter bekäme, dann könnte er diese genauso gut vielversprechend verheiraten. Oriana pflegte einen anderen Erziehungsstil, als ihre Eltern ihr hatten angedeihen lassen. Eine Tochter von ihr und Fergus würde gewiss niemals den Umgang mit Waffen erlernen.
„Vater, eigentlich gefällt mir der Gedanke sogar."
„Darüber reden wir später. Alleine", schnitt er ihr das Wort ab. An Duncan gerichtet sagte er: „Ihr müsst mir schon verzeihen aber ich habe nicht so viele Kinder, dass ich sie gerne in den Krieg ziehen ließe. Obwohl sie eine entsprechende Ausbildung genossen haben. Die Gefahren sind nicht zu überschauen. Das weiß wohl niemand besser als ihr."
Die Anspannung im Körper ihres Vaters verriet ihr, dass er immer noch nicht beruhigt war. „Ihr werdet euch doch wohl nicht auf Euer Konskriptionsrecht berufen, oder?"
Duncan schüttelte langsam den Kopf. „Es sieht tatsächlich so aus, dass wir dringend neue Rekruten brauchen aber wir werden niemanden zwingen."
Eliennas Vater entspannte sich ein wenig. Er nahm wieder in seinem Sessel Platz. Obwohl er seinen Standpunkt bereits sehr deutlich gemacht hatte, wagte Elienna einen erneuten Vorstoß. „Aber in meinem Fall wäre es ja kein Zwang..."
„Wir reden ein anderes Mal darüber, Elienna. Ich bitte dich, das jetzt zu respektieren", unterbrach Bryce sie. Seine Stimme hatte einen ungehaltenen Tonfall angenommen. Der Zeitpunkt war gekommen, um den Rückzug anzutreten. Elienna wusste das genau. Sie wich seinem Blick aus und senkte den Kopf, ganz den Anschein der gefügigen Tochter erweckend. Sie wussten beide, Vater und Tochter, dass sie das nicht war.
„Würdest du in meiner Abwesenheit dafür sorgen, dass Duncans Wünschen entsprochen wird?" Er sprach mit ihr, als habe der vorausgegangene Disput überhaupt nicht stattgefunden. Das einzige Anzeichen war eine gewisse Kühle, die sich in seine Stimme geschlichen hatte. Es war besser, nicht mehr allzu viele Worte zu machen. „Natürlich", antwortete sie daher einsilbig.
„Und jetzt bringe Fergus eine Nachricht von mir. Er soll mit unseren Truppen nach Ostagar vorausreiten. Ich warte mit Howe auf seine Soldaten und folge ihm spätestens bei Anbruch des nächsten Tages."
Elienna ging zur Tür. Dort wandte sie sich noch einmal um und nickte dem Grauen Wächter und Arl Howe zu.
Sie wusste, dass ihr Vater nun mit Arl Howe und Duncan die Schlachtpläne für Ostagar besprechen wollte. Gerne wäre sie dabeigeblieben, denn die besten Strategien wurden von Veteranen wie ihrem Vater und Howe entworfen. So hätte sie besser lernen können als durch das Lesen von trockenen Büchern längst verstorbener Gelehrter, die selbst nie in den Krieg gezogen waren.
Schmollend machte sie sich auf den Weg in den Wohntrakt ihrer Familie. Die Burg war teilweise aus dem nackten Fels eines felsigen Hügels geschlagen worden. Steinerne Rampen führten vom untersten Burgtor, das in die Stadt Highever führte, bis hinauf in die Wohnräume der Familie, die nahezu völlig in dem kühlen Felsgestein lagen. Ganz unten befanden sich die Lagerräume und die Schlafräume der Besatzung. Der Form des Felsens folgend waren die nächsten Räumlichkeiten die Haupthalle und die Kapelle. Weiter oben wurden die Räume kleiner, wodurch sie leichter zu heizen waren. Sie begann gerade den Anstieg auf der Rampe, die zum kleinen Speisesaal und zur Küche führte, als sie aufgehalten wurde. Sie erkannte den auffälligen roten Haarschopf von Ser Roland Gilmore. Sie waren zusammen aufgewachsen. Er war vor fünfzehn Jahren als Knappe in die Dienste seines Vaters getreten. Er war ein Jahr älter als sie. Vor einem Jahr hatte ihr Vater ihn zum Ritter des Hauses Cousland geschlagen. In seiner Nähe war sie seit einiger Zeit ein wenig unsicher. Er hatte zarte Gefühle für sie gehegt, was ihr erst vor kurzem klargeworden war. Einerseits hatte sie sich geschmeichelt gefühlt, andererseits wusste sie, dass eine Beziehung zwischen ihnen keine Zukunft hätte. Sein Vater war nur ein minderer Lord. Hinzu kam, dass sie fürchtete, durch so etwas wie Liebe ihren besten Freund zu verlieren.
„Da bist du ja. Ich habe dich gesucht aber deine Mutter meinte, der Teyrn hätte dich zu sich gerufen. Da wollte ich nicht stören."
„Ach, Rory… Vater ist in sehr unangenehmer Gesellschaft", erwiderte Elienna.
Roland grinste, als sie den Kosenamen benutzte, den sie ihm gegeben hatte, als sie endlich aufgehört hatten, sich gegenseitig immer nur Streiche zu spielen und stattdessen gemeinsam ebensolche auszuhecken.
„Ja, ich habe Howe gesehen, als er ankam. Ich musste mich um seine Begleitung kümmern und ihnen Unterkünfte zuweisen. Eigenartig, dass er nur so wenig Soldaten bei sich hatte."
Froh, dass er das Gespräch gleich auf alltägliche Dinge gelenkt hatte, erwiderte sie: „Er kam als Vorhut. Der Hauptteil seiner Armee ist aufgehalten worden… ich habe nicht richtig zugehört. Ist auch egal. Warum hast du mich gesucht?"
„Dein Hund bringt in der Küche wieder einmal alles durcheinander. Nan behauptet, er räume die Speisekammer leer und niemand ist in der Lage, sich ihm zu nähern. Die Elfen haben Angst vor ihm."
Elienna lachte. Marlo war ein reinrassiger Mabari, der schon als Welpe auf sie geprägt worden war. Ihr Vater hatte ihn ihr an ihrem fünfzehnten Geburtstag geschenkt.
„Marlo ist ein lieber Hund. Ein Wachhund eben. Er würde nie jemanden verletzen, den er kennt. Nan sollte sich nicht so anstellen."
Rory verzog ungläubig das Gesicht. Wahrscheinlich hatte er selbst schon einen Versuch unternommen, Marlo aus der Küche herauszubekommen.
„Also, mich hat er angeknurrt. Nun, eure Mutter hat gesagt, ich solle dafür sorgen, dass er aus der Küche verschwindet, damit Nan wieder in Ruhe arbeiten kann."
Elienna verstand das Problem. Rory wollte, dass sie ihn begleitete, um Marlo zu holen.
Gemeinsam machten sie sich auf den Weg zur Küche.
„Darf ich dich etwas fragen?"
Elienna nickte. Sie konnte sich schon denken, was ihr Freund aus Kindertagen so sehr beschäftigte.
„Meine Kameraden haben mir erzählt, es sei ein Grauer Wächter in der Burg. Er sei heute angekommen. Weißt du etwas darüber?"
Elienna lächelte Rory an. Sie hatte mit ihrer Vermutung richtig gelegen. Sie wusste, dass es Rory am Hof ihrer Familie gut ging und dass er sich wohl fühlte. Aber er träumte schon lange davon, selbst ein Grauer Wächter zu werden. Umso mehr, seit sie ihm klargemacht hatte, dass sie nichts weiter als freundschaftliche Gefühle für ihn hegte.
„Das ist wahr. Duncan ist sein Name und er spricht im Moment mit meinem Vater über Ostagar."
Rorys Wangen wurden vor Aufregung fast so rot wie sein Haar. Wenn er so aufgeregt war, sah er wieder aus, wie der kleine, schüchterne Junge, der vor fünfzehn Jahren mit wenig Gepäck und nur in Begleitung eines alten Gelehrten auf der Burg angekommen war.
„Hat er… hat er vielleicht nach mir gefragt?"
Elienna biss sich auf die Unterlippe. Was sollte sie ihm sagen? Sie wäre selbst gerne ein Grauer Wächter und konnte seine Aufregung gut nachvollziehen aber ein selbstsüchtiger kleiner Dämon in ihr sagte, dass sie ihren einzigen Vertrauten neben ihrem Bruder nicht gerne verlieren würde. Nun, er würde es ja doch herausfinden.
„Er spielt tatsächlich mit dem Gedanken, dich zu rekrutieren", verriet sie.
„Heiliger Erbauer!", brach es aus Rory hervor, „Bist du sicher? Stelle dir das vor! Ich! Ein Grauer Wächter! Du weißt, dass ich davon immer geträumt habe. Aber…", ihm fiel der missbilligende Blick seiner Freundin auf, „ich… nun, verzeih meinen Ausbruch."
Aus dem Gang zur Küche drangen lautes Geschrei und aufgeregtes Gebell an ihre Ohren, das von den Steinwänden hin und her geworfen noch verstärkt wurde.
„Siehst du. Er ist gar nicht aggressiv. Er ist eher aufgeregt", erklärte Elienna.
Rory grinste. „Wie gut, dass du seine verschiedenen Laute so gut unterscheiden kannst."
Elienna durchschritt die offenstehende Tür zur Küche und erfasste die absurde Situation. Nan stand zeternd vor der Tür zur Speisekammer. Mal schrie sie die verängstigten und hilflos dreinblickenden elfischen Küchengehilfen Jaris und Elora an, dann fuchtelte sie wieder mit geballter Faust in Richtung der Speisekammer und verwünschte mit allen Flüchen, die ihr in allen Sprachen einfielen den Hund, der einfach nicht freiwillig herauskommen wollte. Elienna räusperte sich, um die Aufmerksamkeit der Köchin zu erlangen. Nan drehte sich um und richtete nun ihren Zorn ohne Unterbrechung auf die Neuankömmlinge.
„Du! Und du! Dein verdammter Köter ist ständig in der Speisekammer. Dieses Biest sollte geschlachtet werden. Fett genug ist er ja!"
Elienna konnte sich das Lachen kaum verkneifen. Sie glaubte zwar nicht, das Marlo die Köchin, die früher ihre Kinderfrau gewesen war, absichtlich ärgerte aber es war schon auffällig, wie oft ausgerechnet diese beiden aneinandergerieten. Sonst trollte Marlo einfach alleine durch die Burg, schnüffelte hier und dort und bellte, die wachhabenden Soldaten an, als wolle er dafür sorgen, dass sie diszipliniert und aufmerksam blieben.
„Es tut mir leid, dass er dich belästigt, Nan."
Nan winkte ungeduldig ab. „Schaff' ihn einfach raus. Ich habe mit einer Burg voller hungriger Soldaten schon genug Sorgen."
Elienna ging mit Rory auf die Tür der Speisekammer zu. Als sie Nan in ihrem Rücken wusste, so, dass sie ihr Gesicht nicht mehr sehen konnte, machte sie eine Grimasse in Rorys Richtung. Nun konnte dieser sich das Lachen auch kaum noch verkneifen. In der Speisekammer bot sich den beiden ein unerwarteter Anblick. Es war keineswegs so, dass Marlo sich über die Vorräte hergemacht hätte. Er stand einfach nur aufgeregt in der Mitte des Raumes und bellte vor sich her.
Elienna ging in die Hocke und rief ihren treuen Hund zu sich. „Marlo, guter Junge, was ist denn los?" Marlo, ein robuster Mabari, ein bulliger Kampfhund, wie er im Buche stand, sprang freudig auf seine Herrin zu und wedelte mit seinem kurzen Stummelschwanz. Manchmal benahm er sich wie ein verhätscheltes Schoßhündchen. Auch jetzt schien er zu überlegen, ob er sich auf den Rücken rollen und den Bauch kraulen lassen sollte. Elienna erkannte das an seinem nachdenklichen Blick. Mabari waren unglaublich klug, allein die Fähigkeit sich in der menschlichen Sprache mitzuteilen, fehlte ihnen. Elienna kraulte Marlo hinter den Ohren. Er neigte den Kopf zur Seite und kniff genießerisch die Augen zusammen.
„Ja, du bist ein Feiner! Oh ja, braver Hund", gurrte Elienna ihrem Hundegefährten vor.
Rory schlug sich die flache Hand vor die Stirn und verdrehte die Augen. „Ja, natürlich, ermuntere ihn nur. Warum auch nicht! Kein Wunder, dass Nan sich ständig über ihn ärgern muss."
Als sei ihm plötzlich eingefallen, dass er seiner Herrin etwas wichtiges mitteilen musste, sprang Marlo in die Mitte des Raumes und drehte sich aufgeregt bellend um die eigene Achse. Genau in diesem Moment flitzte ein grauer Schatten an Marlo vorbei. Marlo stürzte knurrend hinter diesem Schatten her. Kaum hatte er ihn erwischt, ließ sich ein tierisches Kreischen vernehmen und einen Wimpernschlag darauf ein grausames, knackendes Geräusch von brechenden Knochen.
„Ratten!", rief Rory. Aus allen Ecken der Speisekammer kamen nun die ekelerregenden Plagegeister hervor. Elienna zog ihr Schwert und begann gemeinsam mit Rory, eine nach der anderen aufzuspießen. Schlußendlich lagen die Körper von mindestens zehn bis fünfzehn Ratten zu ihren Füßen. Genau konnte man das nicht mehr sagen, da Marlo einige von ihnen bis zur Unkenntlichkeit zerrissen hatte.
„Marlo wollte gar nicht die Speisekammer plündern", stellte Rory fest, „er wollte die Ratten hervorlocken. Er ist ja doch ein Braver."
„Sag ich doch", erwiderte Elienna und bückte sich, um Marlo zu streicheln. Mit stolzgeschwellter Brust und erhobenem Haupt trabte der Mabari vor seiner Herrin und Rory aus der Speisekammer in die Küche. Demonstrativ hockte er sich vor Nan hin und schien etwas zu erwarten. Geduldig begann er, sich die Pfoten zu lecken.
„Da ist der freche Köter ja. Jetzt putzt er sich auch noch, nachdem er die Speisekammer geplündert hat. Dreister geht es ja wohl kaum noch. Ich habe dir ja gesagt, er hat es darauf abgesehen, mich zu ärgern."
Elienna machte eine wegwerfende Handbewegung und ging wieder in die Speisekammer. Als sie zurück kam, hielt sie einen der Rattenkadaver am Schwanz vor Nan in die Luft.
„Siehst du, Nan, deswegen war er so oft in der Speisekammer. Er wollte dich nicht ärgern. Er war nur hinter den Ratten her. So wie es sich für einen guten Wachhund gehört."
Die beiden elfischen Küchengehilfen wichen erschrocken vor der toten Ratte zurück. Jaris fragte: „Die Ratten sind doch nun aber fort, nicht wahr Herrin? Sie kommen auch nicht wieder, oder?"
Elienna nickte und antwortete: „Ja, erst einmal sind sie weg. Aber ich kann nicht versprechen, dass hier nie wieder Ratten auftauchen. Wo Nahrung ist, finden die Biester immer einen Weg. Aber Marlo ist ja da."
Nan schnaubte verächtlich: „Bestimmt hat er die Ratten erst angelockt. Er riecht ja selbst wie eine Ratte."
Marlo winselte verletzt und drehte sich um. Das war nicht fair. Nan vergaß einfach immer wieder, dass Marlo jedes Wort verstand. Zögernd warf der große Hund einen Blick über seine massige Schulter.
„Oh, nun schau mich nicht so an. Dein Hundeblick wirkt bei mir nicht", erklärte Nan trotzig. Elienna erkannte aber, dass ihre ehemalige Kinderfrau längst mit Marlo versöhnt war. Sie holte ein Stück Wurst hervor und hielt es dem Hund hin. „Nun nimm schon. Sag ja nicht, ich würde dir nie etwas geben." Es gelang ihr aber nicht, dies zu sagen, ohne noch ein geflüstertes _Mistköter_ hinterherzuschicken.
Rory lachte laut auf und kassierte dafür einen bösen Blick der Köchin.
„Glaubt ja nicht, ich würde euch nun, da ihr volljährig und ein Ritter seid, anders behandeln, als das ungehorsame rothaarige Dämonenkind das ihr wart, als ihr hier ankamt. Und nun raus mit euch beiden. Ich habe zu tun."
Gemeinsam verließen Elienna und Rory das dampfende und duftende Königreich der Köchin und schlossen die Tür hinter sich.
„Ich muss mich noch um verschiedene Dinge kümmern. Ich fürchte, es wird eine lange Nacht werden. Niemand weiß genau, wann die Soldaten des Arls ankommen und dein Vater hat mich zu ihrer Begrüßung abgestellt."
Elienna nickte. Sie wusste, das Rory am nächsten Tag mit ihrem Vater und den Soldaten des Arl in seinen ersten Kampf ziehen würde. Seine Pflichten nahmen ihn sehr in Beschlag und wenn er noch in dieser Nacht aufbrechen würde, hätte sie keine Gelegenheit mehr, ihn zu verabschieden.
„Ich… nun, falls wir uns nicht mehr sehen… pass gut auf dich auf und komme in einem Stück zurück.", sagte sie. Rory räusperte sich und schien zu überlegen, wie er sich nun verhalten sollte. Etwas hatte sich zwischen ihnen verändert, seit sie seine aufwallenden Gefühle für sie im Keim erstickt hatte. Die unschuldige Nähe der Kindheit war verschwunden.
„Nun komm schon her!", forderte Elienna ihn auf und umarmte Rory so, wie man einen Freund eben umarmte.
Wortlos drehte er sich anschließend um und ging den Gang zur Rampe hinunter, um seinen Pflichten nachzukommen. Elienna sah ihm noch einige Momente hinterher, bis er um die Ecke bog und seufzte dann. Es änderte sich so vieles, wenn man erwachsen wurde.
Schließlich fiel ihr wieder ein, dass Vater sie zu Fergus geschickt hatte. Eilig hastete sie die Rampe zu den Wohnräumen hinauf. Im Atrium, einem eigenwilligen Raum, der eigentlich bereits tief im Fels war aber nach oben hin offen, wie eine Grotte, traf sie ihre Mutter. Sie hatte Gäste. Die Gesichter kamen ihr bekannt vor, doch die Namen wollten ihr nicht einfallen.
„Ah, Landra, da ist ja meine Tochter. Wir haben über dich gesprochen, Liebes. Der Aufruhr in der Küche ist dann wohl beendet, nachdem dieser schreckliche Hund bei dir ist?"
Elienna verzog den Mund. Sie mochte es nicht, wenn ihre Mutter so über Marlo sprach. Eigentlich mochte sie es überhaupt nicht, wenn irgendwer so über Marlo sprach.
„Ja, es ist alles in Ordnung… wie du siehst", antwortete sie. Marlo setzte sich neben ihr auf seine Hinterbeine und gab ein zufriedenes Bellen von sich. Beiläufig stellte die Teyrna ihrer Tochter die Gäste vor. „Du erinnerst dich doch sicher an Lady Landra, die Frau von Bann Loren?"
Ja, dachte Elienna, die ständig betrunkene Frau des erbärmlichsten Speichelleckers und Wetterfähnchens von ganz Ferelden. Natürlich! Elienna erinnerte sich an einige schamlose Auftritte dieser Frau. Ihrer Mutter Teyrna Eleanor gelang es jedoch, in jeder Hinsicht diplomatisch zu sein und immer wieder auch die verachtenswertesten Menschen einzuladen. Natürlich war Landra nur hier, um für ihren Mann zu spionieren. Ihre Mutter speiste sie mit unbedeutenden Häppchen aus der Klatsch- und Tratschkiste ab. Selbst die Wachen und Bediensteten der Burg waren angewiesen, nur Unbedeutendes von sich zu geben, sobald sich solch heikler Besuch ankündigte.
„Ich glaube, wir haben uns zuletzt auf dem Frühlingsempfang eurer Mutter gesehen. Ihr habt ein wunderschönes Kleid aus grünem Samt getragen, das ausgezeichnet zu eurem Haar gepasst hat. Und diese herrlichen weißen Stickereien… mit Verlaub aber das stand euch viel besser als diese Ledermontur", erinnerte Landra sie.
Wie impertinent! Landra gehörte zu denen, die sie gerne in der Rolle der jungen, heiratsfähigen Adeligen sahen, die keine Meinung hatte und sich für Politik nicht interessierte. Sie überging die Bemerkung und spielte das Spiel ihrer Mutter stattdessen mit.
„Natürlich erinnere ich mich. Es ist schön, euch wiederzusehen, Mylady."
Lady Landra, als Gemahlin eines Bann ganz unten in der Adelshierarchie Fereldens, verbeugte sich leicht vor Elienna. „Zu freundlich, junge Dame. Wollte ich euch beim letzten Empfang nicht dazu überreden, meinen Sohn zu heiraten?"
Wie bei allen anderen Gelegenheiten zuvor ebenfalls, dachte Elienna, behielt ihre Gedanken aber ein weiteres Mal besser für sich. Das Bannorn der Familie Loren gehörte im Moment zum Einflussbereich ihres Vaters aber es grenzte insgesamt an drei Teyrnirs und je nachdem, von wem sich Loren mehr versprach, dessen Einfluss unterstellte er sich durch Vertragsabschlüsse. Ihr Vater hatte aber ein begründetes Interesse an diesen Ländereien. Dort gab es Erz und, was weit weniger wichtig aber unglaublich… köstlich war, den besten Honig von ganz Ferelden.
„Ohne Erfolg, wenn ich hinzufügen darf", ergänzte der junge Mann, der neben Lady Landra stand. Das musste Dairren sein. Elienna erinnerte sich. Er war genauso wenig begeistert von einer arrangierten Liasion wie Thomas, der Sohn Howes. „Hört einfach nicht auf sie. Es ist schön, euch wiederzusehen. Ihr seid bezaubernd, wie eh und je, Mylady, egal ob ihr teure Stoffe oder derbes Leder tragt."
„Schmeichler!", versetzte Elienna, setzte aber gleichzeitig ein verschwörerisches Lächeln auf. Sie wusste, das Dairren in die Kammerfrau seiner Mutter, eine Elfin namens Iona, verliebt war.
Ihre Mutter seufzte: „Man könnte auf den Gedanken kommen, ihre Schönheit mache es leicht, sie zu verheiraten aber in dieser Beziehung ist meine Tochter wie eine Rose. Hübsch anzuschauen aber wenn man ihr zu nah kommt, dann zeigt sie ihre Dornen."
Dairren grinste und sagte etwas, was genauso gut auf ihn zutraf: „Vielleicht hat Eure Tochter schlicht und einfach ihren eigenen Kopf. Seid stolz auf sie, Mylady."
„Stolz verschafft mir keinen weiteren Enkel."
Elienna hob abwehrend die Hände. Jetzt war Mutter zu weit gegangen. Sie dachte nicht ans Heiraten aber in noch weiterer Ferne stand der Wunsch nach Kindern. Soviel sie wusste, und sie glaubte, dass ihre Mutter ihr in dieser Beziehung schon die Wahrheit erzählt hatte, bedurfte es dazu auch erst einmal eines Ehemannes.
„Ich weiß, was ich zu tun habe, Mutter und behalte mir einzig die Entscheidung vor, wann ich es zu tun gedenke… und mit wem, also lass' uns nicht weiter darüber reden. Im übrigen bin ich auf dem Weg zu Fergus. Ich habe eine Nachricht von Vater für ihn. Bitte entschuldigt mich."
Elienna lief die letzte Rampe hinauf. Dort befanden sich die Räumlichkeiten der Familie. Weiter darüber gab es nur noch den Bergfried, einerseits Aussichtsplattform, andererseits letzte Rückzugsmöglichkeit im Falle eines Angriffs.
Direkt gegenüber ihrem eigenen Zimmer befand sich das Gemach, das Fergus und Oriana bewohnten. Die Tür stand weit auf. Oriana stand zwischen einigen Dingen, die sie offensichtlich aus dem Zimmer ihres Sohnes Oren geräumt hatte. Sie wusste von dem Plan, dass Oren in der Zeit, in der Fergus fort war, bei ihr im Zimmer schlafen sollte. Elienna hielt das für eine ausgesprochen schlechte Idee. Sie fürchtete, der Junge könnte verweichlichen. Als Fergus und sie so alt waren wie Oren jetzt, hatten sie beide bereits mit dem Kampftraining begonnen.
Oren saß zu Füßen seiner Eltern und sortierte sein Spielzeug um.
„Gibt es wirklich einen Krieg, Papa? Bringst du mir dann ein Schwärt mit?"
Sie hörte das tiefe Lachen ihres Bruders.
„Es heißt Schwert, Oren und ja, wenn ich kann, werde ich dir eines mitbringen. Es wird Zeit, dass du den Umgang damit erlernst. Ich werde im Nu wieder da sein."
Oriana umarmte Fergus und sagte leise: „Ich wünschte, der Sieg wäre tatsächlich so sicher. Mein Herz… ist in Aufruhr."
Oh nein! Oriana wurde wieder einmal melodramatisch. Die Frau konnte ihre calabrianische Herkunft einfach nicht verbergen.
Elienna blieb im Türrahmen stehen und räusperte sich. Es war ihr ein wenig unangenehm, Zeugin dieser Szene zu werden. „Soll ich draußen warten?"
Sie war schon dabei, sich wieder umzudrehen und zu gehen, als ihr Bruder sie aufhielt.
„Nein, bleib ruhig. Ich will dir noch Lebewohl sagen, wie es sich gehört, kleine Schwester."
Elienna seufzte. „Ich würde dich noch viel lieber begleiten. Aber Vater hat andere Pläne für mich."
Oriana erwähnte wie beiläufig: „Was auch gut so ist. In Calabria wäre es undenkbar, wenn eine Frau in die Schlacht zöge."
Gut, das wir nicht in Calabria sind, dachte Elienna.
„Man behauptet aber, die calabrianischen Frauen seien durchaus gefährlich. So habe ich es jedenfalls gehört", hielt Fergus entgegen.
„Nur mit Güte und Gift, mein lieber Gatte", erwiderte Oriana lächelnd. Oriana und ihre spitze Zunge! Unbewaffnet war Eliennas Schwägerin jedenfalls nicht, obwohl sie eine Waffe im herkömmlichen Sinne nicht besaß. Fergus keuchte in gespielten Entsetzen auf. „Und das sagt die Frau, die mir den Tee serviert."
Elienna wechselte schnell das Thema. Sie mochte Oriana eigentlich sehr und wollte vermeiden, dass ihre verschiedenen Ansichten über die Rechte und Pflichten einer Frau aufeinanderprallten.
„Wusstest du, das ein Grauer Wächter in der Burg ist?"
Bevor Fergus antworten konnte, stand Oren auf. Es hatte ausgesehen, als sei er völlig vertieft bei seinem Spiel aber er hatte aufmerksam gelauscht. Mit großen, neugierigen Augen starrte er Elienna an. „Wirklich? Ist er auf einem Greifen geritten. Die Grauen Wächter haben doch Greifen."
Oriana nahm ihren Sohn zur Seite, damit sich die Erwachsenen weiter unterhalten konnten. Elienna strich ihm über den rotbraunen Haarschopf. Sie mochte ihren kleinen Neffen.
Fergus setzte sich an seinen Schreibtisch und bot seiner Schwester ebenfalls einen Platz an. Anders als Vater hatte Fergus kein eigenes Arbeitszimmer. Burg Highever war nicht so groß. Elienna selbst ging, wenn sie etwas zu erledigen hatte, ins Studierzimmer. Ihre eigenen Gemächer ließen keinen Platz für einen eigenen Schreibtisch.
„Ich habe es gehört… aber… was will er denn wohl hier? Sollten die Grauen Wächter nicht längst geschlossen in Ostagar sein?"
Elienna fläzte sich in den Scherenstuhl und schwang ihre langen Beine über die Armlehne, verschränkte die Arme hinter ihrem Kopf. „Scheint nicht so viele Graue Wächter zu geben, denn soweit ich es verstanden habe, sucht er wohl nach Rekruten. Rory macht sich große Hoffnungen, die Wahl könnte auf ihn fallen."
Fergus lachte sein tiefes, dröhnendes Lachen, das Vaters Lachen so ähnlich war. „Wenn ich ein Grauer Wächter wäre, dann würde ich dich auswählen. Dein Temperament allein schlägt die Dunkle Brut in die Flucht. Ich glaube, Vater würde dem aber kaum zustimmen."
Elienna seufzte. Fergus linke Augenbraue schoß in die Höhe. Die Reaktion seiner Schwester konnte kaum deutlicher sein. Ihm war im selben Moment klar, dass sie bereits versucht hatte, ihn davon zu überzeugen.
„Lass uns bitte das Thema wechseln. Ich finde es ermüdend. Glaubst du, der Krieg wird schnell vorbei sein?"
„Nun, die Reiter brachten immer wieder Nachrichten von gewonnenen Schlachten. Warum sollte sich etwas ändern? Vielleicht sind das die Reste der Dunklen Brut, die irgendetwas aus ihren Löchern gejagt hat."
Elienna dachte an die Ratten, die Marlo aus ihren Löchern gejagt hatte und musste bei dem Vergleich grinsen. Wenn es doch so einfach wäre, die Dunkle Brut wie eine Ratte aufzuspießen oder zu zertreten. Und dann drängte sich natürllich die Frage auf, was die Dunkle Brut aus ihren Löchern gejagt hatte.
Elienna beugte sich vor und sprach leiser, damit Oren sie nicht hören konnte. „Jedenfalls wirst du mir fehlen, Fergus. Ich bitte dich, auf dich achtzugeben. Nimm es nicht zu leicht und sei immer auf der Hut. Im übrigen soll ich dir von Vater ausrichten, dass du schon heute Abend aufbrechen sollst."
Fergus schlug mit der Faust auf den Schreibtisch. „Dann sind die Männer des Arls tatsächlich noch nicht hier. Gehen diese Dummköpfe denn alle rückwärts?" Elienna zuckte mit den Schultern. Es überraschte sie nicht, dass die Soldaten Arl Howes offensichtlich nicht so diszipliniert waren, wie die des Hauses Cousland. Es bestätigte nur die Meinung, die sie von Howe hatte.
In diesem Moment betraten der Teyrn und die Teyrna die Gemächer ihres Sohnes. Der Moment des Abschieds war nun definitiv gekommen.
„Ich möchte hoffen, mein Sohn, dass du nicht aufbrechen wolltest ohne dich von uns zu verabschieden."
Fergus stand auf und ging auf seinen Vater und seine Mutter zu. Er umarmte beide nacheinander und sie tauschten ihre Lebewohl aus.
Oriana intonierte ein Gebet an den Erbauer: „Der Erbauer wache über uns. Möge er unsere Söhne, Männer, Väter und Brüder beschützen und sie wohlbehalten zu uns zurückkehren lassen."
Elienna lachte. Ihre Frömmigkeit beschränkte sich auf den Besuch der Kirche an den vorgeschriebenen Feiertagen. „Ein guter Schild würde ihm gewiss mehr helfen."
„Nun, wenn der Erbauer schon mal dabei ist, seinen Segen zu verteilen, soll er gleich auch noch Bier und ein paar Dirnen schicken… für die Soldaten natürlich."
„Fergus!", rief Oriana empört aus, „Nicht vor deiner Mutter!"
Alle begannen zu lachen. Zum einen aus reiner Fröhlichkeit aber zum größten Teil auch, um die schwelende Anspannung ein wenig erträglicher zu machen.
Oren fragte in diese eigenartige Stimmung auf seine kindliche Art hinein: „Warum soll Vater denn vor Großmutter nicht über Birnen sprechen?"
Großvater Bryce übernahm es mit heiterem Gesichtsausdruck, sein Enkelkind aufzuklären: „Eine Dirne ist eine Frau, die in einer Taverne Bier ausschenkt, Oren."
„Oder", fügte Fergus hinzu, „eine Frau, die selbst viel Bier trinkt."
Na, da seid ihr ja gerade darum herum gekommen, ihm die wahre Bedeutung des Wortes zu erklären, dachte Elienna und grinste.
Ihre Mutter hingegen konnte darüber nicht schweigend hinweg gehen. „Bryce! Beim Erbauer! Ihr benehmt euch schlimmer als eine Horde Halbwüchsiger. Es ist gut, dass ich eine Tochter habe."
Elienna war überrascht. Es war ja auch eigentlich nur ein Zufall, dass sie nicht auch noch etwas zur allgemeinen Erheiterung beizutragen hatte. Sie hatte einfach einmal nicht schnell genug reagiert.
„Nun, dann werde ich mal mein Pferd satteln lassen. Pass gut auf Mutter und Oriana auf, Elienna", bat Fergus und machte sich dann auf den Weg zu den Stallungen um alles in die Wege zu leiten. Er hasste lange Abschiede.
Elienna seufzte und wandte sich an ihren Vater: „Nun, ich werde dann zu Bett gehen. Wenn ich morgen aufstehe, wirst du wohl schon fort sein und dann habe ich bestimmt viel zu tun."
Die Frage zielte darauf ab, was genau ihr Vater nun wirklich von ihr erwartete und ob er ihr viel Arbeit in Form von Bittstellern und Verträgen zurücklassen würde.
Bryce Cousland klopfte seiner Tochter ermutigend auf die Schulter. „Du wirst das schon schaffen. Du bist meine Tochter."
Elienna ging zu ihrem Zimmer, das direkt gegenüber den Gemächern ihres Bruders lag. Sie drehte sich noch einmal zu ihrem Vater um, der schon wieder auf dem Weg war… wahrscheinlich in sein Arbeitszimmer. „Gute Nacht, Vater."
Der Teyrn drehte sich um und warf Elienna einen liebevollen Blick voller Wärme und Zuneigung zu. „Gute Nacht, mein Mädchen."
2. Kapitel 2 Verrat
2. Verrat
Mitten in der Nacht wurde Elienna von Marlos anhaltendem Gebell geweckt.
Oh nein, nicht schon wieder Ratten, dachte sie. Aber das Verhalten des Rüden war gänzlich anders als noch am Nachmittag. Er war viel angespannter. Von der Nasenspitze bis zu seinem Stummelschwanz.
Als sie nicht sofort reagierte, schnaubte Marlo wütend und zog ihr die Bettdecke weg.
„Ach, Junge, es ist doch gut. Wir können uns doch auch noch morgen um das Rattenproblem kümmern. Sie laufen schon nicht weg."
Aber Marlo stellte sich auf die Hinterbeine, legte die Vorderpfoten auf das Bett und heulte durchdringend, so wie er es tat, wenn wirklich Eile geboten war.
Elienna warf ihre Bettdecke beiseite und zog sich ihren Morgenmantel aus antivianischer Seide über ihr Nachthemd. Marlo rannte zur Tür und knurrte diese wütend an. Da draußen, schien er ihr sagen zu wollen, ist etwas, worum du dich kümmern solltest.
Noch bevor sie selbst die Tür erreichen konnte, hämmerte jemand von außen an diese. Nun war Elienna wirklich beunruhigt. Sie hastete zur Tür und öffnete sie. Einer der Bediensteten stand davor. Er war gerade wieder im Begriff, gegen die Tür zu klopfen und schrie: „Herrin! Helft mir! Die Burg wird angegriffen!"
Kaum hatte er diese Worte ausgesprochen, traf ihn ein Pfeil in den Rücken. Er drang so tief ein, dass die Spitze aus seiner Brust herausragte. Blut bespritzte Eliennas Gesicht und ihre wertvollen Nachtgewänder. Der Mann sank zu Boden und sie erblickte die Angreifer hinter ihm. „Wo ist der Teyrn?", schrien sie ihr entgegen. Elienna wich hastig zurück, raffte ihr langes Nachtgewand und eilte zu der Truhe, in der sie ihre beiden Übungsdolche aufbewahrte.
Dicht an ihrem Ohr flog ein Pfeil vorbei und bohrte sich über ihr zitternd in die Wand. Hätte sie sich in dem Moment aufgerichtet…
„Erschlag sie und dann weiter! Wir müssen den Teyrn finden."
„Versucht es doch!", forderte Elienna ihre Angreifer heraus und ging in Verteidigungshaltung. Wie im Übungskampf, nur dass es sich nicht um einen Übungskampf handelte. Es war allerdings schwer, sich gegen zwei Gegner zur Wehr zu setzen, von dem der eine mit einem Bogen bewaffnet war. Marlo!
„Fass!", rief sie ihrem treuen Hund zu, doch der hatte sich bereits in die Waden des Bogenschützen verbissen, der nun verzweifelt versuchte, den Kampfhund abzuschütteln.
Der andere Angreifer attackierte Elienna mit einem mächtigen Zweihänder. Gegen ihre flinken beidhändigen Vorstöße war der Mann aber im Nachteil. Sie wusste, ein Schlag mit diesem Schwert würden bei ihr die Lichter ausgehen lassen aber er würde durch das schiere Gewicht seiner Waffe viel schneller ermüden als sie. Mit ihrer geschickten Beinarbeit und den flinken Bewegungen, gelang es ihr, den Mann ein ums andere Mal auszumanövrieren. Schließlich, als er ein weiteres Mal sein riesiges Schwert erhob, um es mit Wucht auf sie niedersausen zu lassen, unterlief sie diesen Angriff, brachte sich hinter ihm in Position und rammte ihm einen ihrer Dolche mit voller Wucht und einem wutentbrannten Aufschrei in die Nieren.
Marlo hatte in der Zwischenzeit den anderen Angreifer übel zugerichtet. Mit der Fußspitze stieß sie angewidert die Leiche an. Auf dem Schulterteil der Lederrüstung war Elienna eine Punzierung aufgefallen, die sie an etwas erinnert hatte. Aber das konnte doch nicht möglich sein. Sie ließ sich auf ein Knie herab und begutachtete das Symbol. Das war das Wappen der Familie Howe. Dieser Bastard! Sie hatte von Anfang an das Gefühl gehabt, das man ihm nicht trauen konnte, aber das… was immer das werden sollte, hatte sie nicht erwartet.
Am hinteren Ende des Flures öffnete sich zögernd eine Tür. Elienna ging abermals in Verteidigungshaltung. Sie fluchte und wünschte sich, sie hätte zumindest die Zeit gehabt, Teile ihrer Ledermontur anzulegen. Sie musste für die Angreifer einen geradezu lächerlichen Anblick bieten in ihrem blutbespritzten Nachthemd. Doch es war ihre Mutter, die aus den Gemächern ihrer Eltern mit vor Angst geweiteten Augen auf sie zugelaufen kam.
„Kind! Ich hörte Lärm auf dem Flur. Daraufhin habe ich die Tür verriegelt. Bist du verletzt?"
Elienna ergriff die Hände ihrer Mutter und erwiderte: „Das wollte ich dich auch gerade fragen. Mir geht es gut. Den Bastarden habe ich es gezeigt."
Die Teyrna folgte ihrer Tochter zurück in deren Zimmer. Während sie sich die Stiefel anzog und die ledernen Armschienen anlegte, erklärte sie: „Sie haben nach deinem Vater gerufen, immer wieder. Hast du gesehen, welches Wappen auf ihren Rüstungen ist? Das sind Howes Männer! Aber ich verstehe nicht, warum er uns angreifen sollte."
Elienna zog ihren ledernen Brustpanzer über den Kopf und bat ihre Mutter mit einer Geste, ihr die Schnallen zu schließen. Währenddessen antwortete sie: „Offensichtlich hat er genau diesen Zeitpunkt abgewartet. Unsere Soldaten sind fort und er greift an, während wir am verwundbarsten sind."
Überrascht blickte Teyrna Eleanor ihre Tochter an. „Du denkst, Howes Männer kamen… absichtlich so spät? Mieser kleiner… ich werde ihm seine Zunge aus dem Hals schneiden. Wo ist dein Vater? Hast du ihn gesehen? Er ist nicht zu Bett gekommen."
Elienna überreichte ihrer Mutter einen Kurzbogen, den sie ohne Zögern an sich nahm. Elienna wusste, dass sie damit umgehen konnte und nach allem, was sie bisher gesehen hatte, würde sie ihn auch benutzen.
„Er wollte doch mit Howe auf bleiben und die Schlachtpläne für Ostagar besprechen. Vielleicht sind sie immer noch im Studierzimmer gewesen, als der Angriff begann", erinnerte sich Elienna. Gemeinsam verließen sie ihr Zimmer und gingen zu der Tür, die zu dem Bereich führte, in dem sich die Räume für Gäste befanden. Elienna legte ihr Ohr an die Tür und lauschte. Ihre Mutter wollte etwas sagen, doch sie legte ihren Zeigefinger an die Lippen um ihr zu bedeuten, sie möge sich leise verhalten.
„Andrastes Asche!", zischte Elienna, „Vor der Tür müssen weitere Soldaten sein. Sicher suchen sie auch nach Vater. Und von weiter unten sind Kampfgeräusche zu hören."
Die Teyrna zog einen Pfeil aus dem Köcher, den ihr ihre Tochter überreicht hatte und legte die Sehne in die Kerbe, um vorbereitet zu sein.
„Bevor wir deinen Vater suchen… ich will nach Oriana sehen. Hat der Lärm sie nicht geweckt?" Die Teyrna ging in die Richtung, in der sich die Gemächer ihres Sohnes befanden. Elienna wollte ihre Mutter aufhalten, weil sie das Schlimmste befürchtete. Sie streckte ihre Hand nach ihr aus, doch sie konnte sie nicht mehr erreichen.
„Mutter", warnte sie noch, doch in diesem Moment entfuhr dieser bereits ein markerschütternder Schrei voller Wut und Verzweiflung. Elienna wusste, dass das Schlimmste tatsächlich eingetreten war. Sie eilte zu ihrer Mutter, die am Boden kniete. Sie weinte so heftig, dass es ihre Schultern zum Beben brachte. Was Elienna dann erblickte, ließ die Wut und den Hass in ihr um ein vielfaches anwachsen. Oriana und Oren lagen niedergeschlagen in ihrem eigenen Blut. Orianas Körper lag schräg über dem ihres kleinen Sohnes… Eliennas Neffen. Es war ganz offensichtlich, dass sie noch versucht hatte ihn zu schützen. In der einen Hand hielt sie noch immer den Brieföffner mit dem Wappen der Couslands, den Elienna ihrem Bruder zum Erbauerfest geschenkt hatte. Die Frau, die noch nie eine Waffe auch nur in der Hand gehalten hatte, hatte keine Chance gegen die Eindringlinge gehabt.
Elienna ging auf die Knie und umschlang ihre Mutter mit den Armen. Verzweifelt klammerte sich diese an ihre Tochter. „Er nimmt nicht einmal Geiseln. Welcher Teufel schlachtet Kinder und wehrlose Frauen ab?"
Elienna stand auf und reichte ihrer Mutter die Hand. Behutsam half sie ihr aufzustehen. Wie viel Leid konnte sie noch ertragen? Immer dringender wurde ihr bewusst, dass sie unbedingt ihren Vater finden mussten. Sie mussten schnellstens den Widerstand organisieren und eine Verteidigung auf die Beine stellen.
„Komm, Mutter… wir… können hier nichts mehr tun. Wir müssen Vater finden."
„Dafür werden sie bezahlen!", schluchzte Teyrna Eleanor. Mit dem Handrücken wischte sie sich die Tränen aus dem Gesicht und zurück blieb eine eiskalte Entschlossenheit. Man machte sich die Couslands nicht ungestraft zum Feind.
In der Vorhalle zu den Gemächern der Familie trafen sie erneut auf Feinde. Mit der Rückendeckung ihrer Mutter, die die Gegner mit gut gezielten Schüssen beschäftige, und ihrer eigenen Flinkheit gelang es Elienna aber schnell, die Angreifer auszuschalten. Wie die anderen zuvor hatten sie immer wieder nach dem Teyrn geschrien. Elienna wusste nicht, ob dies ein gutes oder ein schlechtes Zeichen war.
„Sie suchen immer noch nach Vater. Entweder konnte er sich in Sicherheit bringen oder… nein, daran mag ich gar nicht denken. Mutter, komm, wir sollten die Schlacht zu ihnen tragen!"
Entsetzt blickte die Teyrna ihre Tochter an. „Sei nicht töricht! Wir können uns ihnen nicht allein stellen. Wir müssen deinen Vater finden. Ich vermute, er ist am Haupttor. Dort müssen wir hin."
Elienna schüttelte energisch den Kopf und widersprach: „Wir können Howe doch nicht einfach gewinnen lassen. Ich will Vater unterstützen und so viele von ihnen zum Erbauer schicken, wie ich nur kann."
Elienna hatte sich bereits abgewandt und war drauf und dran, sich ihren Feinden mutig zu stellen, doch die Teyrna fasste sie sanft bei der Schulter. Sie drehte sie zu sich um, legte ihre Hand unter ihr Kinn und brachte sie mit zärtlichem Zwang dazu, ihr in die Augen zu schauen. „Hör mir zu! Es bleibt uns möglicherweise nicht viel Zeit. Du und Fergus, ihr seid die Erben der Cousland-Linie. Was auch immer in dieser Nacht noch geschieht, ihr beide müsst in jedem Fall überleben. Wir können durch den Gesindegang fliehen. Wenn wir Vater erreichen, umso besser. Aber du musst in jedem Fall überleben, schon um Fergus zu unterrichten."
Elienna hätte beinahe dem Drang nachgegeben, sich die Ohren zuzuhalten. Sie wollte nicht hören, was ihre Mutter da sagte. Trotzig reckte sie das Kinn vor und presste zwischen zusammengepressten Zähnen hervor: „Ich will Howes Kopf!"
Die Teyrna nickte, nur um kurz darauf wieder den Kopf zu schütteln. „Aber das ist nicht dein Weg. Wenn du das willst, dann musst du überleben und dafür sorgen, dass er bestraft wird."
Was ihre Mutter sagte, machte Sinn. Es fiel ihr nur so unglaublich schwer, das einzugestehen.
Als die beiden Frauen weiter in Richtung Haupttor liefen, trafen sie auf einen fliehenden Diener. „Die Burg ist gefallen! Ich verschwinde!" Elienna blickte nach links und nach rechts. In beiden Gängen verriet ein orange flackerndes, unheilvolles Licht, dass die Eindringlinge Feuer gelegt hatten. Aus der einen Richtung erklang deutlich Kampflärm, rechts von ihr schien der Weg frei zu sein. „Lauf, Mann!", rief sie dem Diener zu, dessen Name ihr nicht einfallen wollte, „Bring dich in Sicherheit!". Im selben Moment bogen mehrere Soldaten Howes um die Ecke. Marlo, der bereits über und über mit Blut besudelt war, von dem Elienna nicht sagen konnte, ob es seines oder das seiner Opfer war, stürzte sich mutig und ohne zu Zögern auf die, die seine Herrin bedrohten.
Herausfordernd schrie Elienna: „Kommt her, ihr elenden Maden. Kommt her und holt euch, was ihr verdient habt!"
Wie ein Wirbelwind fuhr sie mit ihren beiden Dolchen durch die Angreifer. Hier schnitt die eine Klinge eine Kniesehne durch, dort fuhr die andere Klinge durch eine Kehle, als sei es warme Butter. Die Pfeile ihrer Mutter waren ebenso treffsicher und sie hielt ihr den Rücken frei, so dass sie sich jeweils immer nur auf einen Gegner konzentrieren konnte.
Dennoch zehrte das ewige Kämpfen bald an ihren Kräften. Keuchend lehnte sie sich gegen die Wand und ihre Mutter warf ihr einen besorgten Blick zu. Als sich ihre Blicke trafen, lächelte Elienna leicht. „Ich bin nicht Fergus, Mutter! Er kann stundenlang in schwerer Rüstung kämpfen… aber ich halte durch, mach' dir keine Sorgen."
Die Teyrna nickte. Elienna hatte sich auf ihren unerkannten Streifzügen durch die Städte und Dörfer andere… Fähigkeiten angeeignet aber sie würde sich dennoch den Weg freikämpfen, koste es was es wolle.
Plötzlich horchte sie auf. Da wurden Befehle geschrien. „…die Verteidigung organisieren? Männer, zu mir… „ waren die Wortfetzen, die an Eliennas Ohr drangen. Sie kannte die Stimme. Das war Hauptmann Erebor von der Nachtwache. Wenn sie ihn erreichen konnte, würde er sie unterstützen. Vielleicht hatte er auch Informationen über den Verbleib ihres Vaters.
„Mutter, das ist Hauptmann Erebor… er kann uns helfen!"
Der Entschluss war schnell gefasst. Sie liefen ohne Zögern in die Richtung, aus der die Stimmen kamen. Hauptmann Erebor war sehr überrascht, die beiden Frauen zu sehen. Er hatte einige Soldaten um sich geschart. Allesamt junge Männer, die kaum mehr als Kadetten waren. „Hierher, Mylady, Herrin. Es kommen immer wieder Angreifer. Wenn ihr bei mir bleibt, habe ich eine bessere Chance euch zu verteidigen."
Die Teyrna bat ihren Hauptmann: „Erebor, wir müssen zur Schatzkammer. Ich will unser Familienschwert an mich bringen, bevor wir meinen Gatten suchen. Bitte begleitet uns. Wir wissen nicht, ob wir es alleine bis dorthin schaffen."
Elienna stutzte. Das Familienschwert? Mutter würde es doch nicht aus der Schatzkammer holen, wenn sie glaubte, sie würden wieder in die Burg zurückkehren. Erebor salutierte vor seiner Herrin und nahm sie und Elienna in ihre Mitte. Gemeinsam machten sie sich auf den Weg zur Schatzkammer.
Als sie die Schatzkammer erreichten, war Elienna ein weiteres Mal über die Brutalität und Grausamkeit des Angriffs überrascht. Die Wachsoldaten im Vorraum der Schatzkammer waren regelrecht abgeschlachtet worden. Die Angreifer mussten in einer unverhältnismäßigen Überzahl gewesen sein. Sie hatten nicht den Hauch einer Chance gehabt. Wenn sie nur aufmerksamer gewesen wären und nicht Karten gespielt hätten. Elienna erinnerte sich, dass ausgerechnet sie es war, die die beiden beim Vernachlässigen ihrer Pflichten gedeckt hatte. War sie Schuld an ihrem Tod? Widerwillig schüttelte sie den Kopf, um den Gedanken zu vertreiben.
„Komm schon…" flüsterte ihre Mutter. Elienna folgte ihr. Erebor und seine Männer sicherten den Wachraum vor der Schatzkammer, während die Teyrna und ihre Tochter diese betraten. Auf einem Podest, ausgeschlagen mit rotem Samt lag, mit der Spitze nach unten, das Familienschwert der Couslands. Es war aus mattem Graueisen und so scharf, dass man Papier damit schneiden konnte. Der Knauf war mit dem Wappen der Couslands verziert, dem brennenden Lorbeerkranz. Die Flammen waren aus Gold und der Kranz war aus kunstvoll geschnittenen Smaragden zusammengesetzt. Elienna erinnerte sich an das erste Mal, das ihr Vater ihr und Fergus das Schwert gezeigt und von den vielen Ahnen der Familie erzählt hatte, die es in glorreichen Schlachten geführt hatten. Was hier geschah hatte mit Ruhm und Ehre nichts zu tun. Sie wickelte das Schwert in das Samttuch und nahm es in die Arme wie ein Kind.
„Ich kann nicht glauben, dass wir uns wie Diebe aus unserem eigenen Heim stehlen müssen. So sollte es nicht sein", murmelte Elienna.
„Wir haben keine Wahl. Nun komm', Kind, wir müssen endlich deinen Vater finden", erwiderte die Teyrna.
Erebor kam den beiden Frauen bereits entgegen. Er sah aufgebracht aus, schien schlechte Nachrichten zu haben, von denen er nicht wusste, wie er sie mitteilen sollte. „Herrin, wir kommen nicht zum Haupttor durch. Bei der Kapelle wird gekämpft und sie haben dort Barrikaden errichtet und in Brand gesetzt. In der Haupthalle wird ebenfalls gekämpft aber es besteht die Hoffnung, dass wir dort auf Ser Gilmore treffen. Wenn noch jemand einen Überblick über die Situation hat, dann ist er es."
Rory! Erbauer, sie hatte gar nicht mehr an ihn gedacht. Der Überfall muss ihn völlig überrumpelt, denn es war ja seine Aufgabe gewesen, die Soldaten des Arls zu empfangen. Bei allem, was heilig war, hoffentlich ging es ihm gut. Rat suchend blickte Elienna ihre Mutter an. Insgeheim hoffte sie, sie würden den Weg durch die Haupthalle vorschlagen, damit sie nach Rory sehen konnte. Es musste ihm einfach gut gehen.
„Erebor, dann führt uns in die Haupthalle. Vielleicht wäre es keine schlechte Idee, so viele Soldaten zu sammeln wie nur möglich, um einen geordneten Rückzug anzutreten. Ich will versuchen, niemanden zurückzulassen", beschloss die Teyrna.
Elienna atmete tief durch. Sie würde Rory helfen können, wenn er noch lebte.
Bewacht von Erebor und seiner kleinen Kompanie rannten sie zur Haupthalle. Die seitlichen Türen waren eingeschlagen und hingen windschief in den Angeln. Noch bevor Elienna ihn sah, konnte sie hören, wie Rory Befehle bellte. Er war zwar jung aber er war ein guter Krieger. Müde und abgekämpft kam er auf die beiden Frauen zu. In seinen Augen aber lag ein hoffnungsvoller Schimmer.
„Mylady! Elienna! Ihr lebt!" Elienna dachte nicht lange nach und fiel ihrem Freund in die Arme. Zu jeder anderen Zeit hätte ihre Mutter das lautstark missbilligt aber nun geschah es schlicht aus der Verzweiflung des Moments heraus. „Ich fürchtete, Howes Männer seien zu Euch durchgebrochen."
„Das sind sie auch aber es waren noch nicht viele. Ich weiß nicht, woher sie kamen aber es ist uns gelungen uns den Weg bis hierher freizukämpfen."
Weitere Soldaten erreichten die Haupthalle und Rory gab ihnen schnell weitere Befehle. Sie hatten ganz offensichtlich bereits Kämpfe überstanden, waren verwundert und teilweise nur notdürftig ausgerüstet. Die Waffenkammern waren nach Fergus Aufbruch nach Ostagar nicht mehr vollständig gefüllt. Männer, von denen sie wusste, dass sie versiert im Umgang mit mächtigen Zweihändern waren, kämpften mit Dolchen gegen die Eindringlinge. Ein deutliches Zeichen, wie verzweifelt ihre Situation war.
„Als ich erkannte, was geschah, konnte ich nur noch die Tore verbarrikadieren", entschuldigte sich Rory. Elienna warf einen schnellen Blick auf die Haupttore. Rorys Männer sammelten alles, was sie an Mobiliar finden konnten und versperrten damit den Weg in die Haupthalle. Offensichtlich plante er, alle verfügbaren Kräfte hier zu versammeln und einen Gegenangriff zu starten.
„Aber das ist doch großartig. Wir werden sie zurückschlagen können. Wenn wir die Nacht überstehen, können wir einen Boten zum König schicken und ihn über die Ereignisse informieren."
Rory schüttelte den Kopf. Mit einer knappen Handbewegung wischte er all ihre Pläne beiseite. „Elienna, mach' dir nichts vor. Die Tore werden nicht standhalten. Du und deine Mutter, ihr müsst gehen solange ihr noch könnt. Dein Vater sucht nach Euch. Er ist schwer verletzt und ich bat ihn, hier zu bleiben, wo ich ihn besser verteidigen könnte aber er hat darauf bestanden, Euch zu suchen. Ich könnte mir vorstellen, dass er am Gesindeeingang auf Euch wartet."
Schlug der rothaarige Dummkopf etwa gerade vor, sie solle ihn hier zurücklassen? Das konnte er nicht ernsthaft meinen. Ja, er war am Boden zerstört, als sie die Beziehung beendete, bevor sie richtig angefangen hatte aber er würde doch deshalb nicht den Heldentod sterben wollen. Elienna klammerte sich an ihn und bat, er möge mit ihr kommen. Der Wunsch, so viele vertraute Menschen zu retten, wie sie nur konnte, war so groß wie nie zuvor. Diese Verräter waren dabei, ihr zu Hause zu zerstören, ihre Heimat. Sie durften ihr nicht auch noch die Menschen nehmen, die ihr wichtig waren.
Teyrna Eleanor trat vor und berührte ihren jüngsten Ritter sanft an der Schulter, ohne ihn anzublicken. „Seid gesegnet, Ser Gilmore, möge der Erbauer über Euch wachen."
Rory wandte den Kopf und blickte seine Herrin an. Die Teyrna wusste, welches Opfer er bereit war zu bringen und er wusste es auch. Dennoch sah es nicht aus, als verließe ihn der Mut. „Möge der Erbauer uns alle segnen", erwiderte er. Entschlossen straffte er sich und lief zu seinen Männern, um sie zu unterstützen. Das war das ganze Lebewohl. Elienna konnte nicht mehr tun, als ihm einfach hinterherzuschauen.
Die Teyrna ergriff die Hand ihrer Tochter und drängte sie, weiterzugehen. Elienna zögerte noch einen Moment aber dann verstand sie. Mutter wollte Vater finden. Und sie auch. Sie musste wissen, ob es ihm gut ging. Wenn es ihm gut ging, dann bestand vielleicht noch eine Hoffnung.
Erebor und seine Männer hielten ihnen den Rücken frei, als sie die Haupthalle durch die Tür auf der anderen Seite verließen und zum Küchentrakt eilten. Teyrna Eleanor stieß die Tür zur Küche auf, getrieben von der Hoffnung, endlich ihren Gemahl zu finden. Zunächst stießen sie aber auf die Leiche von Nan. Selbst vor ihr hatten sie nicht Halt gemacht. Was hatten die Bediensteten von Burg Highever denn mit der großen Politik zu tun. Wenigstens sie hätte man doch verschonen können.
„Ach, Mutter…", seufzte Elienna, „er ist nicht hier." Sie ließ sich müde auf einen Mehlsack fallen. Weißer Staub legte sich auf ihre Kleidung und sie verbarg ihr Gesicht resigniert in ihren Händen.
„Nein, warte!", sagte ihre Mutter leise. „Hör doch… da ist etwas in der Speisekammer. Natürlich… das würde Sinn machen. Dort ist ja auch der Gang… unsere Fluchtmöglichkeit. Komm schon!"
Elienna hatte nicht geglaubt, dass sie noch einmal die Kraft finden würde, sich aufzuraffen aber aus der Stimme ihrer Mutter sprach so viel Hoffnung, dass das kleine Flämmchen auch in ihr wieder zu flackern begann. Sie stand auf und folgte ihrer Mutter zur Tür der Speisekammer. Sie hatte bei Tag schon einmal davor gestanden aber da hatten sie und Rory nur die Ratten gefunden.
Ihre Mutter ergriff die Klinke, doch bevor sie diese herunterdrücken konnte, legte Elienna ihre Hand auf die ihrer Mutter. Eindringlich blickte sie ihr in die Augen und ermahnte sie, vorsichtig zu sein. Sie ergriff ihre Dolche und betrat vor ihrer Mutter die Speisekammer.
„Ah, da seid ihr ja!"
Beinahe hätte Elienna die Stimme ihres Vaters nicht erkannt. Sie klang gepresst und schmerzvoll. Es war mehr ein Stöhnen denn ein Sprechen.
Mit einem Aufschrei des Entsetzens hasteten die beiden Frauen zu ihrem Vater und Gatten. Er lag am Boden und unter ihm breitete sich bereits eine große Blutlache aus. Man musste schon ein besonders großer Optimist sein, um zu glauben, dass der Teyrn diese Sache überlebte. Im Moment wollte Elienna aber lieber optimistisch sein, auch wenn das hieß, dass sie sich selbst belog.
Teyrna Eleanor kniete sich ohne Rücksicht auf ihre Kleidung neben ihren Mann und schob ihm zärtlich ihren Arm unter den Kopf. Sie strich ihm die blutverklebten Haare aus dem Gesicht und küsste ihn auf die Stirn.
„Liebster, ich bin so froh, dass wir dich gefunden haben. Wir werden gemeinsam fliehen… hörst du, wir werden jemanden finden, der dir hilft. Bitte halte durch."
Der Teyrn schüttelte den Kopf. „Howes Männer… haben mich zuerst gefunden…"
Elienna nahm die Hand ihres Vaters. Sie wünschte sich, sie hätten diese Auseinandersetzung nicht gehabt. Sie wollte nicht, dass das zwischen ihnen stand, wenn…
„Vater… wir müssen dich von hier fortbringen!".
Bryce Cousland lachte leise. Das Lachen ging in ein gequältes Husten über. Elienna blickte entsetzt auf ihre Hand, auf der das Husten ihres Vaters Blutstropfen hinterlassen hatte. Sie zitterte vor Wut. Ihr Vater war ein ausgezeichneter Krieger. Es hätte zehn Mann gebraucht, um ihm das anzutun. Diese elenden Feiglinge respektierten nicht einmal die Regeln des ehrenvollen Kampfes. Sie würde… sie würde…
„Sobald Howes Männer das Tor in der Haupthalle durchbrechen, finden sie uns. Bryce. Wir müssen fliehen", flehte die Teyrna.
Der Teyrn schüttelte abermals den Kopf. Er wirkte ganz ruhig, mit sich selbst im Reinen. Elienna wusste, er würde von ihr verlangen ebenso abgeklärt mit dieser… Situation umzugehen. Schicksalsergeben sagte er: „Wenn… ich aufstehe, sterbe ich vermutlich."
Elienna gelang es nun nicht mehr, sich zusammenzureißen. Sie war kein Krieger, der schon tausende Schlachten überstanden und Kameraden hatte sterben sehen. Sie war eine Frau mit Gefühlen und der Mann, der sterbend vor ihr lag war ihr Vater.
„Unsinn, Vater, du wirst wieder gesund!", schluchzte sie. Um diese Selbsttäuschung noch einen Moment aufrechtzuerhalten, vermied es Elienna, auf die fürchterliche Wunde zu schauen, die im Unterleib ihres Vaters klaffte und aus der sein Leben stetig herausströmte.
Er griff nach Elienna. Seine Hände schlossen sich mit aller Kraft, die er noch aufbringen konnte um ihr Handgelenk. „Jemand… muss Fergus… erzählen, was passiert ist."
Elienna schüttelte heftig den Kopf. Sie schüttelte die Hand ihres Vaters nicht ab. Auch nicht, als sie damit begann, ihr Nachthemd in Streifen zu reißen, um damit einen notdürftigen Verband zu fertigen. Sie presste den Stoff auf die klaffende Wunde ihres Vaters um die Blutung zu stoppen. Sie würde das nicht zulassen. Ihr Vater brauchte Heilmagie. Alles würde wieder gut werden. Aber sie wusste… ihr Verstand sagte ihr, dass das alles nur Wunschdenken war.
Erschöpft sank der Teyrn von Highever zurück auf den Boden. Ihm blieb nicht mehr viel Zeit.
„Bryce, nein!", rief Teyrna Eleanor aus. Sie blickte sich nach der Falltür im hinteren Bereich der Speisekammer um, dann blickte sie wieder ihren Ehemann an. „Der Gesindegang ist gleich hier. Wir können gemeinsam fliehen. Du kannst geheilt werden."
Der Blick ihres Vaters klärte sich auf und richtete sich auf etwas hinter ihr. Sie folgte seinem Blick und sah überraschenderweise den Grauen Wächter namens Duncan. Er schob sein Schwert in die Scheide und machte einige lange Schritte in den Raum hinein, ging neben der Teyrna auf ein Knie und verneigte kurz sein Haupt vor dem Teyrn.
„Der Teyrn hat leider Recht, wenn er sagt, dass er es nicht schaffen wird. Howes Männer haben diesen Ausgang noch nicht gefunden und es ist sicher, wenn wir ihn jetzt zur Flucht benutzen. Aber wir können uns keine weitere Verzögerung leisten", sagte er leise. Er klang so gefasst, als spräche er über theoretische Schlachtpläne und nicht über das Unglück, das in diesem Moment über die Familie Cousland hereinbrach.
Die Teyrna blickte den großen Mann offen verwundert an. „Dann seid ihr also der Graue Wächter… Duncan? Es wundert mich, das ihr noch hier seid."
„Ich half eurem Gatten bei der Suche nach Euch. Als wir Euch nicht fanden, beschlossen wir, dass es besser wäre hier auf Euch zu warten. Der Teyrn war sicher, dass ihr von dieser Fluchtmöglichkeit wisst. Aber wir wurden überrascht."
Mit letzter Kraft stützte sich der Teyrn auf seine Ellenbogen, richtete seinen Oberkörper auf, soweit er es vermochte. Schweißperlen der Anstrengung traten auf seine Stirn. Ein verzweifeltes Flehen trat in seine Augen, als er den Blick auf den Grauen Wächter richtete. „Duncan, ich flehe euch an… bringt meine Frau und meine Tochter in Sicherheit. Ich gewähre euch jeden Wunsch…" er stockte, schluckte schwer und fuhr dann murmelnd fort: „… obwohl ich bereits zu glauben wisse, was ihr Euch wünscht."
Was ging hier vor? Elienna blickte verständnislos zwischen dem Grauen Wächter namens Duncan und ihrem Vater hin und her. Sie konnte das Gefühl nicht abschütteln, dass hier über sie geredet wurde.
Langsam nickte Duncan und schaute Elienna tief in die Augen. Sie fühlte sich wie festgenagelt und konnte diesem Blick nicht ausweichen. Mit einer seltsam monotonen und hypnotisierenden Stimme sagte der Graue Wächter: „Was hier passiert ist nichts im Vergleich zu dem Bösen, das diese Welt bedroht. Ich kam auf der Suche nach Rekruten in Eure Ländereien und in Eure Burg. Angesichts der Bedrohung durch die Dunkle Brut kann ich nicht mit leeren Händen abreisen."
Elienna riss die Augen weit auf. Sie hatte ein Grauer Wächter werden wollen aber nicht unter diesen Umständen. Alles hatte sich in den letzten Stunden verändert. Siekonnte nicht von der Seite ihrer Eltern weichen. Abwehrend hob sie die Hände und schüttelte den Kopf. „Ich kann nicht mit euch gehen, Duncan. Ich kann meine Eltern nicht im Stich lassen. Wir werden bis zum letzten Mann kämpfen und Howe wird mit seiner Intrige nicht durchkommen. Wir… können das nicht zulassen!"
Duncan blickte nun den Teyrn an. Zwischen den beiden Männern fand eine Verständigung jenseits des gesprochenen Wortes statt. Mit einem zufriedenen Gesichtsausdruck ließ sich ihr Vater dann zurücksinken, jeder Kraft, die ihm noch innegewohnt hatte beraubt. „Solange Howe bestraft wird… bin ich einverstanden."
Einladend streckte Duncan seine Hand in Eliennas Richtung aus und sagte: „Seid bei den Grauen Wächtern willkommen, Elienna Cousland! Kämpft an unserer Seite! Und wenn die Bedrohung für Ferelden abgewendet ist, werden wir Arl Howe zur Rechenschaft ziehen, darauf gebe ich Euch mein Wort als Hauptmann der Grauen Wächter von Ferelden."
Schweigen. Geschocktes Schweigen. Erleichtertes Schweigen. Angstvolles Schweigen. Dann… ein fester Druck der Hand ihres Vaters. Eine wortlose Bitte. Schließlich neigte Elienna in Resignation den Kopf. „Ich tue es für dich, Vater!"
Teyrna Eleanor keuchte auf. „Bist du dir sicher, Bryce?"
„Du und unsere Tochter, ihr werdet nicht durch Howes Verrat sterben. Und Elienna wird die Welt verändern, in der wir leben."
Die Teyrna stand auf und brachte ihren Bogen in Anschlag. Breitbeinig stellte sie sich vor ihren sterbenden Ehemann.
„Dann geht! Aber ich weiche nicht von der Seite meines Gemahls"
„Eleanor!", stöhnte der Teyrn, „Das lasse ich nicht zu, ich…"
„Nein", unterbrach die Teyrna ihn, „ich werde dich nicht verlassen. Hörst du, sie kommen."
Duncan zog Elienna zum Gesindeausgang und ihre Mutter schob sie. Sie wollte nicht, sie wollte schreien und sich losreißen, doch sie wusste, dass das nicht vernünftig war. Vernünftig! Das alles hatte nichts mit Vernunft zu tun. Als sich die Tür hinter ihr schloss war das letzte was sie war, wie ihre Mutter die ersten Pfeile auf die Angreifer abschoss.
3. Interludium Duncan und Elienna
Interludium – Elienna und Duncan
Nachdem es dem Grauen Wächter mit seiner widerwilligen neuen Rekrutin gelungen war, aus Burg Highever zu entkommen, gönnten sie sich in einer Taverne eine kurze Ruhepause. Die Taverne war keine besonders gute Adresse in einem kleinen namenlosen Weiler. Aber die beiden Reisenden mussten sich bedeckt halten, da Arl Howe gewiss bereits nach Elienna suchen ließ. Mehr Bequemlichkeit war also zu vermeiden. Das Gesicht der Tochter eines Teyrn war mit Sicherheit vielen bekannt. Aufgrund der überstürzten und ungeplanten Abreise war es ihnen nicht gelungen, ihre Reittiere mitzunehmen. Also hatte Duncan eine Rast für sinnvoll gehalten, um sich mit Proviant und Pferden zu versorgen.
Elienna lachte leise und verbittert vor sich her. Überstürzt war nicht das richtige Wort, um ihre ehrlose Flucht zu beschreiben. Es lag nicht in ihrer Natur, sich einem Kampf nicht zu stellen, egal, wie aussichtslos dieser auch war.
„Warum lacht ihr, Elienna?"
Duncan war vom Tresen zurückgekehrt mit zwei Krügen dampfendem, heißen Schwarzbier. Genau das, was Elienna jetzt brauchte. Sie hatte noch keine Zeit für Tränen gefunden und sie bezweifelte, dass das jemals so sein würde. Sie war einfach nur müde und die Verzweiflung hatte sie nahezu aller anderen Gefühle beraubt. Ihr Leben schien ihr vollkommen sinnlos geworden zu sein, jeder Schritt überflüssig.
„Habe ich gelacht…? Ich… ich weiß nicht… was ist Lachen überhaupt?", murmelte sie.
Duncan stellte einen der beiden Tonkrüge vor ihr ab. Dann setzte er sich ihr gegenüber, schob die Talgkerze in ihrer Tonhalterung, die zwischen ihnen stand, zur Seite und nahm ihre Hände. Große, schwielige Kriegerhände umschlossen ihre zarten, zerbrechlich wirkenden Finger. Seine Hände waren warm und beruhigten sie… irgendwie... beruhigten sie wie die Hände ihres Vaters, die sie in den Schlaf streichelten, wenn sie sich als Kind vor der Dunklen Brut gefürchtet hatte, die laut ihrem Bruder unter ihrem Bett hauste. Er sagte nichts, sondern schaute sie nur aus seinen tiefbraunen Augen an, spürte, dass es nicht leere Worte waren, die sie jetzt brauchte, sondern einfach nur Sicherheit. Einen festen Anker in ihrer aus den Fugen geratenen Wirklichkeit.
„Duncan?", begann sie schließlich, als sie das Bedürfnis verspürte, zu reden.
„Ja, Kind?", erwiderte er, versicherte ihr, dass seine ganze Aufmerksamkeit ihr galt.
„Wann werde ich mir eingestehen, dass das alles wirklich passiert ist? Wann wird diese Leere verschwinden, dort, wo eigentlich Erinnerungen an meine Familie sein sollten?"
Der Graue Wächter sammelte sich, suchte nach den richtigen Worten. Er ging sehr behutsam vor, obwohl er solche Gespräche bereits mehr als einmal geführt hatte. Viele neue Rekruten hatte eine persönliche Tragödie zu den Grauen Wächtern gebracht. „Es wird aufhören, wenn du es willst. Du stehst jetzt unter Schock. Wenn ein paar Tage vergangen sind und der richtige Moment gekommen ist, wirst du trauern. Es wird dir vorkommen, dass du Verrat an deiner Familie begehst, wenn du der Trauer überdrüssig wirst und sie nachlässt. Aber dann wird es langsam besser werden und du wirst langsam verstehen, dass du dem Wunsch deiner Eltern folgst."
Elienna wandte sich ab, wich seinem freundlichen Blick aus und entzog ihm ihre Hände. Sie wusste, dass er es gut meinte und sie wusste noch viel mehr, dass er Recht hatte aber sie konnte es sich einfach nicht vorstellen.
„Das Letzte, das ich will ist mich beruhigen. Howe muss sterben!", zischte sie.
Duncan schüttelte den Kopf. „Nach den Gesetzen Fereldens muss er das, sicherlich", gestand er, „aber Rachegefühle können dir beim Erreichen dieses Zieles auch im Wege stehen. Ich weiß, es ist viel verlangt aber du musst genauso kaltblütig vorgehen, wie er, wenn du ihn bestraft sehen willst."
Elienna blickte Duncan erstaunt an. Genau das hätte ihr Vater auch gesagt. Diplomatie und gut kalkuliertes Verhalten stand bei Bryce Cousland immer an erster Stelle... hatte bei ihm immer an erster Stelle gestanden. Ihr Blick fiel auf den Krug mit dem heißen Schwarzbier vor sich. Duncan nickte ihr auffordernd zu. Sie wusste, dass dies keine Einladung war, sich sinnlos zu betrinken. Warmes Bier hatte eine einschläfernde Wirkung und Duncan wusste, dass tiefer traumloser Schlaf das war, was sie am dringendsten brauchte.
„Ich… will euch nicht belasten… mit meiner Trauer!", entschuldigte sich Elienna und nahm einen tiefen Schluck aus dem Krug. Gleich darauf hustete sie heftig, weil sie sich an dem starken Alkohol verschluckt hatte. Sie war gewässerten Wein gewöhnt und nicht so starkes, dunkles Bier.
Nach ihrem Hustenanfall reichte Duncan ihr einen Beutel. Sie war einen neugierigen Blick hinein und fand dort saubere Kleidung, ein Leinenhemd, das ihr vielleicht ein wenig zu groß war und einen kurzen Leinenrock, den sie unter ihrem Lederbrustpanzer tragen konnte. Zusätzlich noch warme Beinlinge. Alles sauber und offensichtlich noch neu aber von einfacher Qualität. Dennoch war es weitaus besser als ihr zerrissenes Nachthemd. Sie formte ein stummes _Danke_ mit den Lippen.
„Ihr belastet mich nicht. Viele der Grauen Wächter haben alles verloren. Wir sind füreinander da. Das werdet ihr schon bald merken", versprach Duncan.
Lange saßen sie noch schweigend in der Schankstube. Elienna war einfach dankbar, nicht alleine zu sein.
4. Kapitel 3 Ostagar
Kapitel 3 – Ostagar
Die Landschaft, durch die sie ritten war zunehmend karger geworden. Die Bäume, von ungezählten wütenden Stürmen geformt, verkrüppelt und verdreht, wirkten wie Gestalten aus Alpträumen. Ungetüme, die mit ihren Klauenhänden nach den arglosen Reisenden griffen. Der Himmel hatte seit Tagen nur noch verschiedenste Schattierungen von Grau gezeigt. Elienna hatte gar nicht gewusst, wie viele verschiedene Grautöne es gibt. Es waren so viele, dass sie ihren Blick flimmern ließen und ihre Augen zu schmerzen begannen. Schließlich ritt sie mit gesenktem Kopf und manchmal gar mit geschlossenen Augen.
Auch ihrem treuen Hund Marlo schien das Wetter zu schaffen zu machen. Mit gesenktem Kopf und klatschnassem Fell trottete er lautlos hinter seiner Herrin hinterher.
Und es war kalt geworden. So kalt. Selbst der leichteste Nieselregen stach wie eiskalte Nadeln in die unbedeckte empfindliche Gesichtshaut. Elienna zog die Kapuze ihres Umhanges tief ins Gesicht. Nun, es war nicht ihrer. Es war auch eines der Kleidungsstücke, das sich in dem Beutel befunden hatte, den Duncan ihr bei ihrer Rast gegeben hatte.
Elienna fühlte sich nicht wirklich besser, aber der Schmerz war ein wenig dumpfer geworden. Sie hatte ihn in die hinterste Ecke ihres Bewusstseins gedrängt, um sich später damit zu beschäftigen.
Plötzlich scheute ihr Pferd. Elienna hatte durch ihre eingeschränkte Sicht nicht bemerkt, das Duncan sein Pferd angehalten hatte. Ihres wäre beinahe auf das Hinterteil des seinen gestoßen. Vor Schreck und wegen der abrupten Bewegung wäre sie fast aus dem Sattel gefallen.
„Was…?", rief sie aus und zog heftig an den Zügeln ihrer klapprigen Mähre. Wäre es ein kräftiges, gut genährtes und feuriges Ross gewesen, wäre es mit Sicherheit gestiegen und Elienna hätte sich auf dem sumpfigen Boden wiedergefunden. So schnaubte das Tier nur und machte einige empörte Schritte rückwärts.
Duncan drehte sich im Sattel zu ihr um und wartete, bis sie ihr Pferd wieder vollkommen unter Kontrolle gebracht hatte. Als es ihr schließlich gelungen war ihr Pferd neben seines zu manövrieren, wies er hinunter in das Tal. „Schau dort, das ist die alte Festung von Ostagar. Dort hat König Cailan sein Lager aufgeschlagen."
„Und was ist das… weiß jemand von unserer Ankunft?", fragte Elienna und wies mit dem Kinn in Richtung der Brücke. Sie hatte auf der Brücke, die einst eine Stadtmauer gewesen zu sein schien und das Tal zur Wildnis abschloss, Soldaten entdeckt, die in perfekter Aufstellung hinter einem berittenen Mann in goldschimmernder Rüstung aufmarschierten.
Duncan beugte sich in seinem Sattel vor und gab einen überraschten Laut von sich. „Das, habe ich nicht erwartet… wenn mich nicht alles täuscht, kommt der König höchstpersönlich, um uns zu begrüßen. Wir sollten uns beeilen."
Elienna hätte erwartet, dass der König zumindest einen Herold und seine Standartenträger bei sich hatte. Sein Wappen hätte sie erkannt. Cailan… meine Güte, war das lange her! Von ihren wenigen Besuchen im königlichen Palast von Denerim erinnerte sie sich an einen überschwänglichen, verwöhnten Fünfzehnjährigen, der sich darüber im Klaren war, dass er ungestraft die Kinder der anderen Adeligen ärgern konnte. Sie hoffte, um Fereldens Willen, dass er sich weiterentwickelt hatte.
„Wie ist der König?", fragte Elienna als sie die Brücke fast erreicht hatten.
Duncan dachte einen Moment nach, dann antwortete er: „Er ist ein gutaussehender, junger Mann. Aber ich glaube, das ist nicht, was du meintest, oder?"
Elienna schüttelte zur Bestätigung den Kopf. Auch hinsichtlich des Königs hatte sie gewiss keine Heiratsabsichten.
„Nun, er ist jung, wie ich bereits sagte, aber er ist trotzdem ein guter König. Er muss noch vieles lernen und er hat es nicht leicht. Es gibt Kräfte die ihm immer wieder Hindernisse in den Weg legen um seine Unfähigkeit zu untermauern. Die gleichen Männer, die seinem Vater unumwunden die Treue schworen, sprechen ihm die Fähigkeit ab, Ferelden zu regieren."
Sie folgten dem schmalen Pfad weiter herunter zur alten Stadtmauer. Stellenweise ließen sich noch Pflastersteine erkennen. Der Pfad musste einst befestigt gewesen sein. Duncan bemerkte ihren interessierten Blick und erklärte: „Sowohl auf der Klippe, rund um den Signalturm, der hier einst gestanden hat, als auch hinter der Mauer gab es kleine Siedlungen. Die Festung musste schließlich versorgt werden. Heute steht nur noch der Turm von Ishal. Früher gab es eine ununterbrochene Kette von Signaltürmen, die bis nach Weisshaupt reichte."
Schließlich erreichten sie die Brücke. Elienna hätte Cailan nicht wiedererkannt. Er war ein sehr ansehnlicher junger Mann geworden. Er war jetzt wohl so alt wie Fergus. Sein schulterlanges Haar glänzte golden in der Sonne des späten Nachmittags und seine blauen Augen strahlten zuversichtlich. Die ganze Erscheinung des Königs strahlte siegessicheren Optimismus aus. Nicht, als versammele er hier Truppen um gegen die Dunkle Brut zu kämpfen, sondern vielmehr als hielte er einen Jahrmarkt ab, dessen Höhepunkt ein ritterliches Turnier war, in dem die Nachkömmlinge der Adeligen ihre Kräfte maßen.
Duncan stieg aus dem Sattel und ging auf den König zu, der ebenfalls von seinem Ross gestiegen war. Ehrerbietig senkte er das Haupt, doch er ging nicht auf ein Knie, wie es üblich war. Das zeigte, welch hohen Status die Grauen Wächter in Ferelden einnahmen. Nur Teyrns war es erlaubt, im Angesicht des Königs stehen zu bleiben. Arls und Banns mussten das Knie beugen.
„Mein König", begann Duncan, „ich hatte nicht erwartet…"
„Was?", unterbrach ihn der junge König, „Eine königliche Begrüßung? Ich hatte schon Angst, ihr verpasst den ganzen Spaß?"
Spaß? Elienna hätte beinahe den Kopf geschüttelt. Der König schien eine eigenartige Vorstellung von Spaß zu haben.
Duncan's Erwiderung überraschte Elienna. „Um keinen Preis der Welt, Euer Majestät!"
Wieso ging er auf diesen Unsinn auch noch ein? Doch sie sagte nichts und hörte dem Gespräch weiter zu, um sich ein besseres Bild von ihrem König zu machen.
„Dann habe ich in der Schlacht doch noch den Anführer der Grauen Wächter Fereldens an meiner Seite. Prächtig! Die anderen Wächter haben mir berichtet, ihr brächtet eine vielversprechende neue Rekrutin mit euch. Ist sie das?"
Duncan wandte sich zu Elienna um und gab ihr einen Wink, vorzutreten. Als Tochter eines Teyrn brauchte sie ebenfalls nicht vor dem König zu knien. Sie neigte ehrerbietig das Haupt.
„Erlaubt mir, Euch einander vorzustellen, Euer Majestät", begann Duncan.
Erkennen trat in die blauen Augen des Königs. Er legte den Kopf schief und betrachtete Elienna prüfend. Leise sagte er: „Oh, ich glaube, das ist nicht notwendig. Die Ähnlichkeit… ihr seid Bryces jüngstes Kind, nicht wahr? Sind wir uns bereits persönlich begegnet? Wenn ja, dann muss das bereits einige Jahre her sein."
Elienna bestätigte: „Ja, ich bin Teyrn Bryce Couslands Tochter. Es ist tatsächlich schon einige Jahre her. Aber das spielt jetzt keine Rolle. Ich habe… wichtige Neuigkeiten für Euch, mein König."
Cailan streckte seine Hand, die in einem vergoldeten Panzerhandschuh steckte, aus und umschloss Eliennas Handgelenk. Elienna tat das gleiche. Es war eine unter gleichrangigen Adligen verbreitete Geste der Begrüßung. Und Cailan hatte offensichtlich gleich erkannt, dass sie kein verzärteltes Prinzesschen war, das in Seidenpantoffeln kichernd durch die Gänge des väterlichen Schlosses tanzte. Erwartungsvoll betrachtete er ihr Gesicht. Eine gute Tugend für Anführer, ihren Gesprächspartnern die nötige Aufmerksamkeit zu schenken.
„Geht es um euren Vater?", fragte er, „Euer Bruder war seinetwegen besorgt."
Elienna nickte langsam, sammelte sich und atmete tief durch. Als sie dennoch zu sprechen begann, brach ihr fast die Stimme. „Er… er wird nicht kommen, Euer Majestät. Meine Eltern starben, als Rendon Howe die Freundschaft zwischen ihm und meinem Vater verriet und unsere Burg angriff."
Cailans Augen weiteten sich in Entsetzen. Ungläubig wanderte sein Blick zwischen Elienna und Duncan hin und her. „Das… Duncan, wisst ihr etwas darüber?", hakte er nach.
Duncan legte seine Hand auf Eliennas Schulter, wohl wissend, wie schwer es ihr fiel, über die Ereignisse zu sprechen. Er bestätigte Eliennas Bericht und fügte hinzu: „Wenn es uns nicht gelungen wäre, die Burg auf geheimen Wegen zu verlassen… nun, wir würden unter den Toten sein und Euch würde er irgendeine hanebüchene Geschichte auftischen."
Der junge König schüttelte den Kopf. Er ging auf und ab und schüttelte erneut den Kopf. Der Bericht schien ihn tatsächlich zu bewegen. Als er stehenblieb, warf er die Hände in die Luft und rief erbost aus: „Ich kann es nicht begreifen. Wieso glaubt er, er käme damit durch? Bryce war immer loyal und ich hätte ihm seine Lügen nicht abgenommen. Das ist Hochverrat! Sobald wir hier fertig sind, wende ich meine Truppen nach Norden und ziehe ihn zur Rechenschaft." Er trat auf Elienna zu und blickte ihr fest in die Augen. „Darauf habt ihr mein Wort!"
Elienna straffte sich. Verärgert merkte sie, dass sich in ihren Augenwinkeln Tränen sammelten. Gerade jetzt konnte sie keine Tränen gebrauchen. Sie drängte sie entschlossen zurück und fragte: „Wie wollt ihr ihn zur Rechenschaft ziehen? Welche Bestrafung ist für einen Verräter wie ihn angebracht?"
Die Augen des Königs wurden hart und kalt wie Eis. „Er wird hängen! Er hat sein Leben verwirkt."
Elienna nickte. Es würde ihre Familie nicht zurückbringen aber es würde ihr Genugtuung bescheren. Es wäre der Wunsch ihres Vaters gewesen, dass Howe von seinen Taten zumindest nicht profitierte.
Elienna kam ihr Bruder in den Sinn. Sie hatte nicht das Bedürfnis, ihm die schlechten Neuigkeiten sobald mitzuteilen aber gleichzeitig verspürte sie die Notwendigkeit, das letzte lebende Mitglied ihrer Familie in die Arme zu schließen. „Mein Bruder…", begann sie und wurde sogleich vom König unterbrochen. „Ich verstehe, dass ihr Fergus so schnell wie möglich sehen wollt aber wir haben leider im Moment nicht die Möglichkeit, ihn zu erreichen. Er ist auf meinen Befehl mit seinen Truppen auf einer Erkundungsmission in der Wildnis. Verzeiht, dass ich nicht mehr tun kann. Ich kann Euch nur raten, Euren Schmerz vorerst gegen die Dunkle Brut zu richten."
König Cailan wies auf das Tor, das in den Festungsbereich der Ruine führte. Mit einer einladenden Geste bat er die beiden Neuankömmlinge, ein Stück mit ihm zu gehen. Seine Eskorte salutierte und trat zur Seite um eine Gasse zu bilden. Ein Knappe in den Farben des Königs kam herbeigeeilt, um das Pferd des Königs wegzuführen.
„Ich werde Euch nun verlassen. Loghain will mich wieder mit seinen ermüdenden Strategien langweilen. Er wiederholt sie immer wieder, als hielte er mich für einen Mann mit einem schwerfälligen Geist." Der König ließ ein freudloses Lachen erklingen.
Elienna folgte Duncan und dem König und fing einige Gesprächsfetzen auf, während sie das Lager aufmerksam in Augenschein nahm.
„… wir haben hier schon drei Schlachten gewonnen, Duncan. Morgen wird es nicht anders sein.", drang schließlich an ihr Ohr. Das erregte ihre Aufmerksamkeit. Sie schloss zu den beiden Männern auf und bemerkte: „Mir war nicht klar, dass die Dinge so gut laufen."
Der König blieb stehen und wandte sich zu Elienna um. „Es gibt bisher keine Spur eines Erzdämons. Ich glaube nicht, dass dies wirklich eine Verderbnis ist."
Elienna und Duncan wechselten überraschte Blicke. Schließlich fragte Duncan: „Seid ihr enttäuscht, Euer Majestät?"
Cailan schüttelte den Kopf und erklärte: „Nein, denkt das nicht. Bitte haltet mich nicht für einen Narren, wie Loghain es zuweilen tut. Er glaubt, ich weiß es nicht aber ich bemerke es an der Art, wie er mich anschaut. Werft mir meinen Optimismus nicht vor. Ein Narr bin ich gewiss nicht. Aber welcher König würde nicht davon träumen: Seite an Seite mit den Grauen Wächtern in die Schlacht gegen einen verderbten Gott ziehen! Ihr wisst, dies ist der Stoff, aus dem große Legenden gemacht werden. Aber nun muss ich mich wirklich auf den Weg machen. Wir werden noch Gelegenheit haben, miteinander zu sprechen."
Elienna war bestürzt. Als sie bereits glaubte, sich ein Bild von ihrem König gemacht zu haben, widersprach er ihr höchstpersönlich und bewies, dass er doch nicht naiv war. Nun war sie sich allerdings nichts mehr sicher, ob dies beabsichtigt war. Ließ er bei seinem Gegenüber absichtlich das Bild eines sprichwörtlich blauäugigen Königs entstehen, um dann seine wahren Qualitäten zu offenbaren? Wenn er dieses Spiel der Verwirrung so gut beherrschte, dann war er ein wirklich guter Diplomat.
Gemeinsam mit Duncan schritt sie weiter in das Lager hinein. Ihr müdes Pferd trottete am Zügel hinter ihr her. Schließlich blieb Duncan bei einem einladend aussehenden Lagerfeuer stehen und richtete das Wort an sie: „Was der König gesagt hat ist wahr. Der Verlauf des Krieges gegen die Dunkle Brut ist äußerst positiv. Sie haben hier einige Schlachten gewonnen."
Elienna band die Zügel ihres Pferdes an einen extra dafür im Boden angebrachten eisernen Ring und setzte sich auf einen großen Baumstamm, der als eine Art Bank beim Feuer lag und blickte besorgt zu Duncan auf. Etwas in seiner Stimme machte sie nachdenklich. Wenn der Anführer der Grauen Wächter bereits so beunruhigt war, wie konnte sie es dann nicht sein? Geduldig wartete sie darauf, dass Duncan weitersprach. Er beugte sich ein wenig zu ihr herab und flüsterte: „Ich weiß aber, dass ein Erzdämon dahintersteckt. Ich kann den König nur schlecht bitten, einzig meinem Gefühl zu vertrauen."
Elienna schaute Duncan verständnislos an. „Warum nicht?", wollte sie wissen, „Er scheint eine hohe Meinung von den Grauen Wächtern zu haben."
Duncan setzte sich seufzend neben sie. „Aber er schätzt uns nicht hoch genug, um auf meinen Ratschlag zu hören und auf die Verstärkung aus Orlais zu warten. Wir sind in Ferelden einfach zu wenige. Die Legende der Grauen Wächter allein macht den König nicht unverwundbar, auch wenn es den Anschein macht, als sei es genau das, was er denkt. Wir sollten das Ritual des Beitritts bald vollziehen, damit die Zahl der Grauen Wächter in Ferelden um drei ansteigt."
Unpassenderweise unterbrach ein lautes Knurren, das von Eliennas Magen erzeugt wurde, das Gespräch zwischen ihnen. Sie verzog das Gesicht und zuckte entschuldigend mit den Schultern. Seit ihrem Aufbruch aus der schäbigen Herberge hatte sie nur Trockenfleisch und Wasser zu sich genommen, das bereits ein wenig abgestanden geschmeckt hatte. Das war hart für jemanden, der bisher eine allabendlich reich gedeckte Tafel gewohnt war.
„Es wäre nett, vorher etwas Warmes zu Essen zu bekommen", meinte Elienna.
Duncan ließ ein leises Lachen vernehmen. „Nun gut, ein wenig Zeit haben wir noch. Aber bevor es Abend wird solltest du wieder hierher zurückkommen, damit wir das Ritual vollziehen können."
Eines wollte Elienna noch wissen. „Bin ich deine einzige neue Rekrutin?"
Duncan antwortete: „Nein, es sind zwei weitere Anwärter hier irgendwo im Lager aber ich würde dir raten nach Alistair Ausschau zu halten. Er ist der jüngste Graue Wächter und er ist derjenige, der euren Beitritt begleiten wird. Er kann dir weitere Fragen beantworten. Und er kann dich im Lager herumführen. Ich muss mich nun um einige Dinge kümmern. Marlo kann bei mir bleiben."
Elienna stand auf. „Nun gut, das erste, was ich von diesem Alistair wissen möchte ist, wo man hier etwas zu Essen bekommt."
Sie blickte sich unentschlossen um und ging dann einfach los, ohne ein bestimmtes Ziel zu haben. Elienna war niemals mit ihrem Vater und ihrem Bruder zu einem Feldzug aufgebrochen und hatte noch nie ein so großes Feldlager gesehen. Sie war zwar im Schwertkampf ausgebildet, aber ihr Vater hatte niemals vorgehabt, sie an einer großen Schlacht teilnehmen zu lassen. Wehmütig erinnerte sie sich, wie sie noch vor zwei Tagen versucht hatte, ihren Vater zu überreden, sie hierher mitzunehmen. Und jetzt war sie hier!
Die Eindrücke erschlugen sie förmlich. Westlich von Duncans Lager erhoben sich mächtige Säulen in den Himmel. Ausgetretene und teilweise zerbrochene Stufen führten in eine Ruine, die einst ein Tempel gewesen sein mochte. Das wollte sie sich näher anschauen. Überrascht stellte sie fest, dass links von ihr einige Magier offensichtlich mit einem Ritual beschäftigt waren. Mit den Händen woben sie unsichtbare Runen in die Luft und diese begann von der magischen Entladung zu blitzen und zu knistern. Elienna kannte sich mit Magie nicht aus aber sie wunderte sich, dass die Kirche es überhaupt zuließ, dass Magier sich vor Ort befanden. Zumindest wurde das Lager dieser Magier von mehreren hochgerüsteten Templern bewacht. Es war ja nicht so, dass sie Magie fürchtete aber die Templer beruhigten sie doch ein wenig. Es hieß die Magier hätten die erste Verderbnis über die Menschheit gebracht. Das hatte man sie gelehrt. Es war nicht an ihr, dies zu hinterfragen. Sie wusste nicht, wie viel Wahrheit darin steckte aber sie hielt es doch für eine gute Idee die Magier zu kontrollieren.
Während sie das Treiben im Lager der Magier beobachtete und ihren Gedanken nachging, merkte sie nicht, dass sie den Weg eines ebenso beschäftigten Soldaten kreuzte. Unweigerlich stieß sie mit dem Mann zusammen.
„Hey, langsam…", rief dieser noch aus, doch da war es bereits geschehen. Das Bündel an Ausrüstung, das der Soldat in den Armen getragen hatte, ein Kettenhemd und verschiedene Lederrüstungsteile, fielen zu Boden.
„Oh, das tut mir leid… ich bin gerade erst angekommen", entschuldigte sich Elienna. Der Soldat winkte ab und signalisierte ihr, dass nichts Schlimmes passiert sei. Dennoch hatte sie ein schlechtes Gewissen. Das Zeug, das er getragen hatte, sah schwer aus und es hatte ihn sicher Zeit gekostet, es auf seinen Schultern und in seinen Armen so zu lagern, dass er es tragen konnte. Während er sich bückte, um sein ganzes Zeug wieder einzusammeln, sagt er: „Ich wette, dieser Ort hat schon seit Jahrhunderten nicht mehr so eine Betriebsamkeit erlebt. Habt ihr ein bestimmtes Ziel? Kann ich euch helfen?"
„Vielleicht", antwortete Elienna und bückte sich ebenfalls, um ihm zu helfen, „ich suche einen Grauen Wächter. Einen Mann namens Alistair."
Der Soldat schaute nachdenklich drein. Dann erwiderte er: „Ja, ich glaube, ich habe ihn gesehen, wenn es der war, den ihr meint. Na… so viele Graue Wächter gibt es in Ferelden ja nicht. Leider. Ein Grauer Wächter sollte den Magiern eine Nachricht überbringen. Weiter nördlich beim Tempel."
Elienna dankte dem Soldaten und setzte dann ihren Weg fort. Eigentlich wollte sie erst etwas essen und sich dann vielleicht mit besserer Ausrüstung versorgen aber da sie nicht wusste, wo sie beides bekam, war es durchaus sinnvoll, nach diesem anderen Grauen Wächter zu suchen.
Die Tempelruine beeindruckte sie. Sie folgte einer der Säulen mit den Augen nach oben. Kunstvolle Steinmetzarbeiten, obwohl schon hunderte von Jahren alt, wanden sich hoch und höher. Das waren feinste florale Muster, Efeu und Rosen. Ihr Blick erreichte die Kapitelle. Dort, wo sie ein Dach tragen sollten, öffnete sich der freie Himmel. Grau und traurig überspannte er die hoch aufragenden Säulen. Dennoch hatte diese Tempelruine etwas erhabenes, denn selbst die Überreste ließen erahnen, wie schön dieses Haus des Erbauers einst gewesen war. Elienna drehte sich um die eigene Achse, um möglichst viel in sich aufzunehmen.
Aus den Augenwinkeln sah sie einen Magier auf einer Erhöhung ganz am nördlichen Ende der Tempelruine stehen. Ein mürrischer Mann in bunten bodenlangen Roben und einem etwas zu protzig wirkenden, edelsteinverzierten Stab. Aber weit und breit keine Spur von einem… Moment, von der Seite näherte sich dem Magier ein Mann in Rüstung.
„Was ist denn?", fuhr der Magier den Mann an, „Haben die Grauen Wächter nicht schon genug vom Zirkel verlangt?"
Elienna hielt in der Bewegung inne und zog sich einen Schritt hinter eine der Säulen zurück. Von dort aus beobachtete sie die Auseinandersetzung zwischen den beiden Männern.
„Ich bringe nur eine Nachricht von der Ehrwürdigen Mutter, Ser Magier. Sie wünscht Euer Beisein", sagte der Mann, der wahrscheinlich der Graue Wächter namens Alistair war.
Der Magier schnauzte ihn an, ihn interessiere nicht, was die Ehrwürdige Mutter wünsche. Der Graue Wächter verschränkte die Arme vor der Brust und sein Gesicht wurde zu einer wütenden Maske. „Hätte ich sie um Schriftform ersuchen sollen?"
Nun wurde der Magier so richtig böse. Er stach mit dem Zeigefinger in die Richtung des anderen Mannes. Dieser wich keinen Zentimeter zurück und starrte den Magier nur an. Er war einen ganzen Kopf größer. Dafür war der Magier breiter. In alle Richtungen. Der Graue Wächter blickte buchstäblich auf den Magier herab. Der Magier bekam einen hochroten Kopf. Er tobte regelrecht.
„Sagt ihr… sagt ihr, ich lasse mich nicht mehr so belästigen!", schrie der Magier.
Der andere Mann blieb ganz ruhig. Tatsächlich erschien sogar ein süffisantes Grinsen in seinem Gesicht.
„Ich habe euch also belästigt, indem ich eine Nachricht überbrachte? Interessante Sichtweise!"
Wieder fuhr der Zeigefinger in die Richtung des anderen Mannes. Diesmal stieß er ihn sogar damit auf die Brust. Diese grobe Behandlung brachte ihn jedoch nicht ins Wanken. Mißbilligend schaute der junge Mann auf den Finger des Magiers.
„Solche Vorwitzigkeit steht euch nicht zu! Ihr… ihr…"
Mit einer beiläufigen Bewegung schob der Graue Wächter den Zeigefinger des Magiers zur Seite wie eine lästige Fliege.
„Dabei dachte ich, wir kämen gut miteinander aus. Ich wollte sogar eines meiner Kinder nach Euch benennen… das übellaunige."
Elienna schlug sich die Hand vor den Mund, um ein Lachen zu unterdrücken. Der Mann gefiel ihr. Er hatte einen guten Humor.
Der Magier winkte ab. „Genug! Ich rede mit der Frau. Geht mir aus dem Weg, Narr!"
Mit diesen Worten stieß der Magier den Bittsteller grob zur Seite und machte sich auf den Weg. Als er an ihr vorbeikam und sie bemerkte, warf er ihr einen wütenden Blick zu. Ihm war sofort klar, dass sie Beobachterin dieses unwürdigen Schauspiels geworden war. Elienna versuchte sich das Gesicht zu merken, um ihm nur ja nicht wieder über den Weg zu laufen.
Der verbliebene Mann, den sie für den gesuchten Grauen Wächter hielt, grinste breit und ging auf Elienna, die immer noch halb hinter der Säule stand, zu. Mit einer warmen, freundlichen Stimme sagte er: „Das Schöne an der Verderbnis ist ja, dass sie die Leute zusammenbringt."
Elienna zog die Augenbrauen zusammen, was zwischen ihnen eine nachdenkliche Falte entstehen ließ und legte den Kopf schief, während sie ihr Gegenüber betrachtete. Der Mann war kaum älter als sie. Er hatte braune Augen, nein, ein wenig heller als einfaches Braun und sein Haar, das er nach Templerart kurz trug, war von einer eigenwilligen Farbe zwischen Braun, Blond und Rot. So ungewöhnlich und unerwartet wie sein Humor schien auch der Rest an ihm zu sein. Ihr fiel auf diese Feststellung keine andere Erwiderung ein als: „Ihr seid ein seltsamer Mann."
Der gutaussehende Graue Wächter blickte errötend zu Boden und lachte leise. „Das haben mir schon viele Frauen gesagt… obwohl ich nicht ganz sicher bin, wie sie das wohl meinten. Ihr seid doch wohl nicht auch eine Magierin und wollt mir nun eine Standpauke halten, oder?"
Elienna streckte dem Mann die Hand entgegen. „Ihr müsst Alistair sein, nicht wahr?"
Überraschung trat in seine Augen. Er ergriff ihre Hand, leicht, als fürchtete er, ein Vögelchen zu zerquetschen. Das hatte sie nicht erwartet so viel… Vorsicht bei einem Krieger.
„Ihr seid also Duncans neue Rekrutin. Ich freue mich, Euch kennenzulernen. Wie war eure Reise? Ihr seid doch sicher müde."
„Die Freude ist ganz auf meiner Seite. Mein Name ist Elienna", erwiderte sie.
„Richtig, das war der Name. Es gab immer nur sehr wenige Frauen bei den Grauen Wächtern. Ich gestehe, überrascht zu sein."
Elienna zwinkerte ihm verschwörerisch zu. Er würde ihr Partner sein, ein Freund bei den Grauen Wächtern, ihr Kamerad. Deshalb fand sie nichts dabei, mit ihm zu scherzen. „Ihr hättet gerne mehr Frauen bei den Grauen Wächtern, oder?"
Alistair winkte ab und wich ein wenig zurück. „Bitte denkt nicht, ich sei ein sabbernder Lüstling… schaut mich bitte nicht so an!"
Hatte sie ihn wirklich verunsichert? Das war nicht ihre Absicht gewesen. Schnell wechselte sie das Thema. „Der Streit, den ich mitangesehen habe… ich wollte nicht lauschen aber worum ging es da?"
Alistair ging voraus, offensichtlich wollte er ihr das Lager zeigen, damit sie sich zurechtfand. Sie folgte ihm.
„Mit dem Magier? Ach, das ist eine lange Geschichte. Der König hat den Zirkel hergerufen aber die Kirche ist davon nicht sehr erbaut. Die Magier sind schlichtweg unerwünscht. Das Problem ist, das ich Templer war. Das macht die Sache… kompliziert."
Elienna formte mit den Lippen ein stummes „Oh!".
„Genau!", fuhr Alistair fort. „Ich denke, es sollte eine Beleidigung sein, dass die Ehrwürdige Mutter ausgerechnet mich als Boten schickte. Freiwillig jedenfalls hätte ich diesen Botendienst nicht auf mich genommen. Duncan sagt aber, wir sollen kooperativ sein. Scheint, als seien nicht alle so instruiert worden."
„Was ist mit den anderen Rekruten?", wollte sie nun wissen.
Alistair grüßte jemanden, den er offensichtlich zu kennen schien, dann richtete er seine Aufmerksamkeit wieder auf sie. „Ihr meint Daveth und Ser Jory? Sie sind hier im Lager. Habt ihr sie noch nicht getroffen?"
Elienna schüttelte den Kopf. Sie war doch gerade erst angekommen.
„Nun ja, ihr werdet sie sich in Duncans Lager treffen. Wollt ihr meine Meinung über sie hören?", fragte Alistair. Noch bevor Elienna darauf antworten konnte, fuhr er fort: „Ser Jory ist ein gutmütiger… Trottel? Ja, so nennt man das, glaube ich. Wenn ich so darüber nachdenke… so hat man mich auch zuweilen genannt. Ich stelle nicht seine Fähigkeit mit dem Schwert in Frage aber er ist kein… Stratege, um es vorsichtig auszudrücken. Und Daveth? Der ist ein Schlitzohr, wie es im Buche steht. Lasst nichts Wertvolles in seiner Nähe herumliegen."
Sie kam nun zum dringendsten all ihrer Anliegen. „Alistair, zeigt mir doch, wo ich etwas zu Essen bekomme. Ich bin kurz davor zu verhungern."
Alistair blieb sofort stehen und wandte sich ihr zu. „Warum habt Ihr das denn nicht gleich gesagt. Wie unaufmerksam von mir. Kommt mit mir, ich führe Euch zur Lagerküche und wenn es Euch nichts Körpermitte habe."
Beim Erbauer, dachte Elienna, dieser Mann hat wirklich gute Manieren. „Oh, ich freue mich darüber, dass ihr mir Gesellschaft leisten wollt."
Der junge Mann stutzte und sagte dann, seltsam tonlos: „Wirklich? Das ist ja mal was ganz neues."
Gemeinsam machten sich die neuen Gefährten auf zur Lagerküche. Es gab einen etwas fad schmeckenden Bohneneintopf. Der Koch versicherte ihnen, dass er sein Bestes gegeben hatte… unter den gegebenen Umständen. Sie setzten sich etwas abseits von den anderen Soldaten, die ihre Mittagspause hatten und machten sich miteinander bekannt. Alistair, der ihr verriet, dass er dreiundzwanzig Jahre alt war, als sie es nicht vermochte, sein Alter zu schätzen, erzählte ihr alles über die Grauen Wächter, dass er ihr zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt erzählen konnte. Nur die Dinge, die den Beitritt betrafen, hielt er zurück. Auch über sich erzählte er ihr einiges. Vor allen Dingen, wie er von Duncan rekrutiert wurde. Ähnlich wie bei ihr, lagen einige unangenehme Erfahrungen hinter ihm. Er war in der Kirche von Beginn an unglücklich gewesen und Duncan hatte ihn vor einer Zukunft als Templer bewahrt.
Außerdem sprachen sie über die Verderbnis. Mit einer Geduld, die sie nicht erwartet hatte, erklärte er ihr, wie die Grauen Wächter einen Erzdämon für gewöhnlich bekämpften.
Sie lachten viel miteinander, waren sie sich doch beide darüber bewusst, dass sie in der nahen Zukunft nicht mehr viel Zeit zum Lachen hatten. Sie bat ihn, sie nicht mehr mit der Adelsanrede anzusprechen. Elienna ertappte sich selbst dabei, wie seine Augen ihren Blick immer wieder magisch anzogen. Sie freute sich sehr, dass er ihr Kamerad bei den Grauen Wächtern war. Sie war fest davon überzeugt, dass sie sich gut verstehen würden.
Schließlich war es an der Zeit, zu Duncan zurückzukehren. Als sie dort ankamen, warteten bereits Daveth und Ser Jory auf sie.
Daveth kam auf sie zu und reichte ihr die Hand. Irgendwie hatte sie sofort dein Eindruck, er versuchte sie mit charmanten Gefasel um den Finger zu wickeln. Gutaussehend war er ja mit seinem leicht gelockten schwarzen Haar und seiner erhaben gekrümmten Nase, die an einen Raubvogel erinnerte, aber nun einmal leider so gar nicht ihr Typ.
„Also, du bist anders, als ich gedacht hatte", meinte er.
Elienna kniff misstrauisch die Augen zusammen. „Was soll das denn heißen?"
Daveth stieß dem neben ihm stehenden Ritter mit dem Ellenbogen und die Seite und antwortete: „Nichts… also nichts Schlimmes. Ich wollte dich nicht beleidigen. Es ist nur so, dass der Herr Ritter hier und ich gewettet haben, wer denn wohl der dritte Rekrut sein würde. Jedenfalls habe ich nicht gedacht, dass es eine Frau sein würde."
Duncan wandte sich an Elienna: „Wie ich sehe, hast du Alistair gefunden. Und wahrscheinlich auch endlich eine warme Mahlzeit." Er machte eine weit ausholende Geste, die sie alle mit einschloss und fuhr dann fort: „Nun lasst uns nicht weiter zögern. Es gibt vor dem eigentlich Beitrittsritual zwei Aufgaben, die ihr erfüllen müsst."
Alistair schien überrascht zu sein. Er blickte Duncan fragend an und hob den Daumen und den Zeigefinger seiner rechten Hand. Duncan nickte und wiederholte: „Jawohl, zwei Aufgaben, Alistair. Bevor du ungeduldig wirst, lass es mich erst einmal erklären. Ihr vier werdet in die Wildnis gehen und drei Fläschchen mit dem Blut der Dunklen Brut besorgen. Wir werden es für das Beitrittsritual brauchen. Die andere Aufgabe, die ich euch bitte zu erfüllen, hat sich erst vor kurzem ergeben. Unsere Archivare haben herausgefunden, wo sich eine seit langem verschollene Bibliothek der Grauen Wächter befindet. Wie es der Zufall will befindet sie sich ganz in der Nähe. Sie stammt aus der Zeit, als wir es uns noch leisten konnten, so weit entfernte Posten zu unterhalten. Dort sollten sich nach unseren Aufzeichnungen alte Dokumente befinden, die wir brauchen. Sie sind alt aber sie sind sehr wichtig. Wenn ihr es irgendwie ermöglichen könnt, findet diese Dokumente und bringt sie mit."
Die vier schauten sich gegenseitig etwas ratlos an. Elienna sah ihren drei Gefährten an, dass ihnen Fragen unter den Nägeln brannten. Als aber niemand fragte, ergriff sie das Wort. „Ist das auch Teil unseres Beitritts? Was sind das für Dokumente?"
Duncan lächelte nachsichtig und antwortete geduldig: „Nein, es gehört nicht zu eurem Beitritt. Ich bitte euch einfach darum. Es sind alte Dokumente, die in Zukunft wichtig werden könnten. Wir brauchen sie. Mehr werde ich nach eurer Rückkehr erklären. Jetzt bitte ich euch zu gehen und euch zu beeilen." Er legte Alistair eine Hand auf die Schulter und ging ein Stück mit ihm zur Seite. Elienna beobachtete diese vertraute Geste mit Interesse. Zwischen dem jungen Grauen Wächter und seinem Anführer schien es ein tiefes Vertrauen zu geben. Leise unterhielten sie sich miteinander, während Alistair sich seine Panzerhandschuhe überstreifte und gedankenverloren die Lederriemen festzog. Er nickte zu Dingen, die Duncan ihm mit Nachdruck sagte. Sorgfältig, fast mechanisch ging er dabei vor, seine Rüstung anzulegen, soweit er das noch nicht getan hatte und den richtigen Sitz der Rüstungsteile zu überprüfen. Die Schulterplatten und die anderen Plattenteile, die zusätzlich zum Kettenhemd die besonders gefährdeten Körperteile schützten. Duncan wurde nun etwas lauter, seine Stimme klang noch eindringlicher.
„… ich meine es ernst, Alistair, hörst du?"
Alistair blickte seinen Anführer einen Moment lang schweigend an, die Lippen fest aufeinandergepresst. Dann warf er einen Blick zu Elienna. Wie eine Katze, die mit der Pfote im Sahnetöpfchen erwischt wurde, zuckte sie zusammen und ging ein paar Schritte von den beiden Männern fort. Sie gab sich allergrößte Mühe, nicht neugierig zu erscheinen. Dennoch beobachtete sie die beiden Männer weiter aus den Augenwinkeln. Sie sah, wie Alistair Duncan freundschaftlich und mit einem sorglosen Lächeln auf die Schulter klopfte und sich dann den drei wartenden Rekruten zuwandte.
„Nun, dann sollten wir jetzt wohl in die Wildnis aufbrechen. Der Nachmittag ist schon fortgeschritten und bis zum Einbruch der Nacht sollten wir wieder zurück sein. Auf geht's!"
End file.
| fanfiction |
Away is the eighth studio album by American rock band Okkervil River, released on September 9, 2016. This album is the band's second release on ATO Records, following their previous studio album The Silver Gymnasium.
The album features a number of guest artists, including Marissa Nadler, former band member and current Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiburg, and classical music ensemble yMusic. The album was recorded in New York and mixed by Jonathan Wilson.
The recording of the album came in the wake of a number of professional and personal changes in frontman Will Sheff's life, including changes in backing band members and the death of his grandfather. Sheff described the recording process and the resulting music as follows: Eventually, I realized I was kind of writing a death story for a part of my life that had, buried inside of it, a path I could follow that might let me go somewhere new.
A video for the album's opening track 'Okkervil River R.I.P' was released on July 6, 2016. The video was directed by Will Sheff and shot in upstate New York.
The album artwork is taken from artist Tom Uttech's painting Nin Maminawendam.
Reception
Away received mostly positive reviews. On Metacritic, the album has a score of 79 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews.
Slant Magazine's David Sackllah called the album a tremendous achievement that captures sentiments of loss, isolation, and searching for a belonging in a way that only a writer with a keen eye and empathetic nature as Sheffs could fully articulate. John Everhart of Under the Radar also gave the album a positive review, writing Away is a comeback album for a band that never really went away, a gorgeous collection of ballads that is the Okkervil River of your dreams. In a mixed review, The Guardian's Harriet Gibsone wrote A fragmented, frustrated mindset has contributed to a sprawling, inconsistent album with brief flourishes of verdant beauty.
Track listing
Charts
References
Category:Okkervil River albums
Category:2016 albums
Category:ATO Records albums | wikipedia |
What Does the Future of the Beverage Industry Look Like?
Health is at the top of everyone's minds, a fact that will continue to drive consumer trends across the food and beverage category in 2018 and beyond. Recent social and political changes, such as the rise of obesity and related health issues combined with new legislation, have also been driving the beverage industry to rethink its approach.
Local and national governments are reacting to health concerns by passing new regulations and enacting sugar taxes to encourage consumers to consider alternative beverage options. In 2017, Philadelphia added a tax of 1.5 cents per ounce on non-alcoholic drinks made with caloric or artificial sweeteners. Labeling requirements, such as those in Chile and other parts of the world that require a prominent "high sugar" label, are also fueling this trend.
This increased concern about health, specifically the impacts of sugar in our modern diet, is fueling the trend toward better-for-you (BFY) beverages. According to Mintel, 70 percent of U.S. adults who use sugar or sugar substitutes are concerned about how the sweetener impacts their overall health. Beverage manufacturers will find success by responding to these consumer needs and stepping up to the challenge posed by governments and stakeholders around health and consumer education.
The trend toward BFY beverages coincides with the trend away from sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages. In the United States, 52 percent of consumers who reduced their consumption of carbonated soft drinks did so in favor of more healthful options, such as 100 percent natural juice and flavored waters.
Mintel predicts that reducing sugar content in beverages will quickly become the norm. This trend is closely correlated with other important food and beverage trends, namely the clean label trend and the desire for "free-from" products, food and drink that are free from artificial ingredients, added sugar and preservatives. A full 67 percent of U.S. consumers now want to buy "all-natural" products, another statistic that backs up this trend.
Beverages that boast "no sugar added" are attracting customers and quickly gaining traction in the market. While labeling requirements vary from country to country, many require added sugars to be listed. Other products display their "no added sugar" status prominently on their packages as a tool to attract health-conscious consumers to give their products a try.
Brands are already innovating to respond to these trends, launching new products with lower sugar content or natural ingredients such as watermelon or cactus water. These innovative products are coming from new entrants to the market, as well as larger players.
In the U.S., kids WATER offers naturally flavored water in lemonade, punch and berry flavors, all packaged in individual kid-sized cartons. The kid-friendly beverage boosts hydration and has no sugar, preservatives, dyes or artificial ingredients. Other innovations in kids' beverages include "no sugar added" juices and lightly sweetened, caffeine-free teas.
The rise of cactus water, touted for its natural ingredients and hydrating properties, is another example of this trend. Brands such as Truenopal offer 100 percent natural cactus water with less than half the sugar and calories of coconut water, packaged in individual drink cartons.
options with enough variety to keep consumers interested will be important for the industry moving forward.
response to these changes in terms of their choice of beverages will have an impact on the beverage industry, and manufacturers need to be prepared to respond accordingly. Some brands have already been reaping the benefits of product reformulation in response to this global trend by proactively addressing market changes.
Stay tuned for the second installment of this series when we will discuss how to successfully innovate to meet the BFY consumer trend. | slim_pajama |
premenstrual syndrome ( pms ) is characterized by the presence of physical and psychological
symptoms occurring during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and associated with
substantial impairment in social relationships , lifestyle , and school
performance. it includes numerous psychological symptoms such as tension , anxiety ,
crying , irritability , depression , hypersensitivity , poor concentration , fatigue , mood
swings , and anger .
there are also physical symptoms including breast tenderness , abdominal
cramps , bloating , swelling , acne , increased appetite , headache , backache , and sleep
disturbance. although the
pathophysiology of pms is not well known , the interactions between ovarian hormones and
neurotransmitters , mineral and vitamin ( vitamins b6 and calcium ) deficiency , and reduced
serotonin level are likely to play a role in the etiology of the disorder. the
exact prevalence of this syndrome is unknown , but epidemiological surveys have estimated that as many as 85% of women
at their reproductive age experience at least one symptom of premenstrual syndrome and
2.53% of women suffer from the severe form of pms , known as premenstrual dysphonic disorder
( pmdd). therapeutic interventions for the premenstrual syndrome range from nonpharmacological
management to psychotropic medications and hormonal therapy , oral contraceptives , selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors )ssris ( , and snris as well as gnrh agonists.there
is no research directly addressing the effect of combined use of calcium and vitamin b6 on
pms symptoms .
but , various studies have been conducted on the positive effect of vitamin b6
or calcium on reducing pms symptoms . in this
regard , alexander confirmed the effectiveness
of vitamin b6 on pms. also , panay
moayyed showed the positive effect of vitamin b6 on reducing pms symptoms.in other studies , positive effects of vitamin b6
for pms symptoms have been shown. pourmohsen et al .
, demonstrated the positive effect of calcium and vitamin e on reducing
pms symptoms. sutariya et al . , reported
the positive effect of the intake of calcium on reducing pms symptom .
ghanbari et al . , indicated the positive effect of calcium on mitigating the physical and
psychological symptoms.since separately
taking calcium and vitamin b6 reduces the severity of pms , it seems that using the
combination of calcium and vitamin b6 might be more effective in reducing the symptoms of
premenstrual syndrome .
therefore , this study was aimed to examine the impact of combined use
of calcium and vitamin b6 on premenstrual syndrome symptoms .
this study was a double blind randomized controlled clinical trial carried out in hamadan
university of medical sciences in 2015 .
the sample size was estimated using the following
formula : n = ( z/2 + z ) 2 2 ) / 2 . with 95%
confidence interval ,
the minimum sample size of 76 participants was determined . out of 312
students who were assessed ,
130 people meet the following inclusion criteria : 20 - 30 years of
age ; regular menstrual periods with 21 - 35 days of cycles and 3 - 10 days of bleeding period ;
no known mental illnesses ; no physical illnesses such as diabetes , seizure disorders ,
hypothyroidism , and so on ; no death of close relatives ; divorce or other adverse events
during the last three months ; no surgery in the three months before entering the study ; and
no use of antidepressants , hormonal contraceptives , medroxy progesterone acetate , and
vitamins in the past three months .
the students were excluded from the research in the case
of pregnancy , incidents like death of close relatives , divorce , and other adverse events .
data collection tools included demographic data , beck depression inventory ( bdi ) , and daily
symptom records ( dsr ) .
at the first stage , the participants filled out beck depression
inventory . if they got the score of 1 - 10 , they entered the study .
daily symptom records were
completed by the students to confirm pms diagnosis and they were informed about how to
complete the questionnaires .
the participants recorded daily symptoms score with numbers 0
( no ) , 1 ( mild ) , 2 ( moderate ) , and 3 ( severe ) .
the mean score of the symptoms was calculated
from 1 week prior to the menstrual period to 5 days afterwards .
total score of the symptoms
of headache , breast tenderness , acne , swelling , bloating , and palpitations demonstrated the
severity of physical symptoms and total score of the symptoms of irritability , tension ,
sleep problems , mood swings , food cravings , wish to be alone , depression , forgetfulness ,
anxiety , poor concentration , crying , suicide , decreased libido , and fatigue showed the
severity of psychological symptoms .
the questionnaires were collected after two months .
totally , 109 students filled out and returned the questionnaire , based on which the
diagnosis of premenstrual syndrome was confirmed in 81 students . out of these 81 students , 5
refused to participate and 76 entered the study .
they were then divided into two groups
using the table of random numbers ; 38 in the intervention and 38 in the control groups
( figure 1 ) .
student in intervention groups received
calcium tablet ( 500 mg ) and vitamin b6 ( 40 mg ) and student in intervention groups received
only vitamin b6 twice a day in the , between the 16 days of the menstrual cycle
to the 5 day of the next menstrual period for two consecutive months .
validity
of bdi and dsr questionnaires was confirmed through content validity and test - retest method
was used to assess their reliability ( r = 0.89 , 0.82 respectively ) .
dsr questionnaire has
been standardized worldwide and its validity and reliability has been confirmed in previous
studies.bdi is also a global standard questionnaire which its validity and
reliability has been confirmed in various studies .. the data was analyzed using spss software ver.13 by following tests :
test - retest method , chi - square , mann - whitney , independent t - test , paired t - test .
this double blind clinical trial was approved by ethics committee of hamadan university of
medical sciences .
in this clinical trial , 132 students were eligible and finally 76 students were included
in the study ( figure 1 ) .
the results showed that the
two groups were similar in terms of demographic characteristics .
the mean ( sd ) age of study
samples in the intervention ( calcium and vitamin b6 ) and control ( vitamin b6 alone ) groups
was 20.78 ( 1.23 ) and 21.23 ( 2.89 ) respectively .
the mean ( sd ) of bmi in intervention and
control group was 20.46 ( 2.76 ) and 21.58 ( 2.20 ) , respectively ( table 1 ) .
the history of premenstrual syndrome in the intervention and
control group was 71.05% and 60.52% , respectively .
the mean score of physical symptoms were
significantly reduced in intervention group compared to control group 0.25 ( 0.15 ) vs. 0.42
( 0.46 ) ( p=0.03 ) ( table 2 ) . as well as the mean
score
of psychological symptoms was decreased in intervention group compared to control group 0.26
( 0.21 ) vs. 0.47 ( 0.37 ) with significant differences ( p=0.003 ) ( table 3 ) .
also , the mean score of general symptoms were decreased in
intervention group compared to control group 0.25 ( 0.17 ) vs. 0.44 ( 0.32 ) ( p=0.002 ) ( table 4 ) .
the mean score of physical , psychological and
general symptoms in intervention group were significantly reduced , but within control group
just psychological and general symptoms were significantly reduced after receiving
drugs .
mean ( sd),value ispercent
paired t - test , t - test
paired t - test , t - test
paired t - test , t - test
the results showed that although the score of overall symptoms of premenstrual syndrome in
the two groups decreased , this reduction was significantly greater in the group taking
combined calcium and vitamin b6 . in our study physical symptoms of pms have been decreased
by using a combination of vitamin and calcium . in pourmohsen 's study in 2010 in tehran ,
combined administration of calcium and vitamin e resulted in 56% reduction of the overall
symptoms in premenstrual syndrome.
also , sutaria demonstrated that daily use of 500 mg calcium led to 75% reduction of overall
symptoms of pms after three months of treatment . in another study daily use of 600
other study conducted by kashanian in 2007 showed that using of vitamin
b6 for two consecutive cycles decreased some of the physical symptoms such as edema ,
bloating , and heart palpitations .
the results of our study indicated that the reduction in psychological symptoms have been
reduced in the students treated with combined calcium and vitamin b6 .
vitamin b and calcium
plays an essential role in the regulation of mood , psychological imbalances , particularly
symptoms of depression .
this effect is related to the production of serotonin and tryptophan
metabolism . in a study there
has
been 48 percent reduction in psychiatric symptoms with a daily intake of 600 mg of
calcium . in the study by chou in 2008 , the positive effect of b vitamins on reducing psychological
symptoms such as stress , anxiety , crying offense , fatigue , insomnia , and forgetfulness was
mentioned .
moreover , kashanian in 2007 found that the use of 80 mg vitamin b6 for two consecutive
cycles decreased some of the mental symptoms , including irritability , anxiety , crying for no
reason , forgetfulness , and tendency to eat sweets. also , ghanbari evaluated the effect of calcium supplementation on the
symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and demonstrated that the daily use of 500 mg calcium for
three consecutive cycles could reduce the psychological symptoms including fatigue ,
depression , and appetite changes.in
another study , combined administration of calcium and vitamin e had positive effect on the
reduction of some psychological symptoms including withdrawal from social
relationships.the results of the
above studies have been consistent with our results . due to the positive effect of combined
use of calcium and vitamin b6 on the symptoms of pms ,
the use of this supplement is
recommended to reduce the symptoms of this syndrome .
this study showed that combined use of calcium and vitamin b6 significantly reduced the
symptoms of premenstrual syndrome as compared with vitamin b6 alone .
it seems that the
combination of calcium and vitamin b6 can be used for better controlling of the premenstrual
syndrome symptoms . since
few studies have been done in this area , further studies and
comparison the effect of these drugs with other chemical drugs are recommended .
based on the
results obtained in this study , midwives and gynecologists can administer the combined use
of calcium and vitamin b6 for the patients with premenstrual syndrome .
this study was conducted on the students of hamadan university of medical sciences who
might not be the representative of all the women ; thus , the results can not be generalized to
all the women at the reproductive age .
the authors would like to thank the vice - chancellor of research and technology , hamadan
university of medical sciences , which approved and financially supported this project .
they
would also like to thank all the students who participated in this study for their
cooperation . | pubmed |
Huge variation of the atomic size of Uranium
I've already posted this question in Physics Stack Exchange, but the answer that I received (actinide contraction similar to lanthanide contraction) is not convincing for me, or at least is not detailed enough to explain the huge difference.
According to Villars and Daams [Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 197 (1993) 177] the atomic volume of U is 2.073×10−2nm3, whereas that of thorium is much larger, 3.295×10−2nm3.
This is confirmed by comparing bond distances in pure elements. Even if Th and U crystallize with different structures, they have the same coordination number (12). In U the U-U bond distance is 0.275 nm, whereas in Th the Th-Th bond distance is much larger 0.360 nm. Why this difference? This huge difference is not observed for Ce and Pr (where 0.333 and 0.363 bond distances are measured).
The external electronic configurations of Th and U atoms are:
Th: [Rn]6d27s2
U: [Rn]5f36d17s2
What's the origin of this strong difference?
Why, then, their ionic sizes (for example the sizes of Th4+ and U4+) are quite similar?
Uranium has more valence electrons capable of populating bonding molecular orbitals (or bonding electronic bands) when compared to thorium - basically, uranium is closer to the middle of its block, compared to thorium. More bonding interactions will pack the atoms tighter. Indeed, uranium has an atomic weight ~2.5% greater than thorium, but metallic uranium is 63% denser than metallic thorium (I am assuming that these densities were measured for metallic phases with the same packing for both elements).
Now, if the way you define "atomic size" is by using distance measurements performed on the solid metallic elements (e.g. from x-ray diffraction data), you will pick up on this extra bonding effect, and it will look like uranium atoms are much smaller than thorium. Indeed, the ratio of the atomic volumes you quote is 1.59, which is suspiciously close to the (inverse) ratio of 1.63 for the densities of the pure metals, so I'm guessing this is how these values were obtained.
However, you could in principle make a measurement of atomic size for isolated atoms in the gas phase. In this situation, there are no bonding interactions, so uranium and thorium are likely to have much more similar sizes. So as it almost always happens in these discussions, it comes down to *what do you mean by size?*
The reason there is no such difference between cerium and praseodymium is that the [4f orbitals lack radial nodes](https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/q/7704/1499) and are subject to a considerable effective nuclear charge, so they behave almost as core electrons in the lanthanides, where they *should* be valence electrons. Therefore, placing or removing electrons in the lanthanide 4f orbitals as you move along the block has comparatively little effect on the bonding interactions for these elements.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Why is lanthanum a lanthanide and actinium an actinide?
I do know that the lanthanides start with the element lanthanum, but why? Lanthanum doesn't even have an $f$ orbital, so why isn't it considered a transition metal?
It's the same way with actinium, which doesn't even have any electrons in its $5f$ orbital, why isn't it also a transition metal?
According to www.webelements.com, "There is no one single or best structure for the periodic table..."
I believe that the table was split at lanthanum since it kept the elements of the *d* orbitals together. You could argue that the table should be split with Sc, Y, La and Ac together, with the elements Ce through Lu and Th through Lr as the *f* orbital elements. The next column would have Ti, Zr, Hf and Rf.
Actually, all elements have *f* orbitals, below lanthanum they are not usually populated. Lanthanum is the first element that could have an electron in the *f* orbital in the ground state. Since the transition energy of the electron between in the *d* orbital and the *f* orbital is quite low, there should be a significant number of electrons occupying the higher energy orbital, even at room temperature.
The thing is lanthanum and actinium were grouped in the periodic table depending on their properties, not by the orbitals they were in. Mendeleev didn't even know about the idea of orbitals when he created the periodic table. It was Bohr and other scientists which came up with the idea of orbitals, and used them according to quantum numbers and specified where an electron is.
Because of that and due to different observations, lanthanum and the other one was kept on the f- block due to its properties not because of its orbitals.
And thanks to other users who had researched about what the best idea we could come in to is that the electrons in lanthanum and actinium occupy the f orbital in their ground state (therefore giving them the properties of that of other elements in the f block.
The word lanthanide means "like lanthanum". So it originally referred to Ce to Lu. Since La and the lanthanides share a lot of properties it became lazy practice to refer to all 15 elements as the lanthanides. That was unfortunate since it's resulted in the lanthanide contraction being associated with all 15 Ln, whereas it actually starts at Ce and finishes at Lu. This laziness has also produced countless confusion when the Ln became conflated with the f-block elements. A big mess.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
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